Divine Commands and Human Morality

Deals with the problem of “religion and morality,” focusing on interpersonal commandments. Does God prescribe certain actions because they are right, or are they right because God prescribes them? Does God prohibit certain actions because they are wrong, or are they wrong because God prohibits them? Put another way, does Judaism believe in a standard of ethics that is correct independent of God’s commands and will? The chapter begins with two biblical episodes, the akedah or binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) and the sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). I argue against Soren Kierkegaard’s celebrated reading of the akedah, and then argue that Genesis as a whole supports belief in an independent standard. After that, I discuss the role that morality plays in motivation for performing interpersonal commandments and then the role it plays in the Jewish legal system.