Menachem Bluming Muses: Do Values Require Religion/ Torah?
A community member recently asked Rabbi Menachem Mendel Bluming: I don't need the 613 laws of the Torah to be a good person. I live by one simple rule: Do whatever you want, as long as you're not hurting anyone. Who needs hundreds of complicated laws when you can break it down into one? Here's Bluming’s thought co-authored by Rabbi Moss: Your rule sounds so nice. I wish things were so simple. But let's test it and see how your rule applies to real life situations. You're walking down the street. You see a violent criminal mugging an old lady for her wallet. You could save her by tackling him from behind. What do you do? Subdue the thug and save the lady? That would be hurting someone, which contravenes your rule. Unless you make an exception to your rule: Do whatever you want, as long as you're not hurting anyone, except when preventing a violent crime. But here's another case. Your child gets a splinter in his finger. Are you allow