In response to Mr. Derovan's suggestion that we may never have a negative
ethical reaction to any laws of the Torah, since by definition whatever is
in the Torah is ethical. He suggests that it is impossible for an
Orthodox Jew to disagree with such a notion.
Rather than rehash this famous philosophical debate, I would call his
attention, as I am sure many others will, to Rav Lichtenstein's article,
"Does Jewish Tradition Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakha?" Rav
Lichtenstein certainly takes the opposite view of the Chazon Ish, and I
would guest that most Lookjed readers are sympathetic to R. Lichtenstein's
view. Perhaps the most striking support for R. Lichtenstein's position is
Avraham's famous question, "HaShofet kok ha'aretz lo ya'aseh mishpat?"
If Avraham had agreed with the Chazon Ish, the question could never be
asked. (I recall the Chazon Ish offers his own interpretation of this
section, but it certainly presents a problem for him.)
(Rav Lichtenstein, around footnote 27, seems to ascribe a different view
to the Chazon Ish. I will leave it for the interested read to follow up.)
Jonathan Marvin
Beth Tfiloh Dahan Middle School
Baltimore
