Many non-Jews consider the vast number (613) of Jewish laws to be a bit cumbersome. This way of thinking often leads to negative views about the laws, and many people begin to consider the Jewish people to be too legalistic of a group. Non-Jews often say that the Jews care too much about the laws and not enough about “what really matters.” But is this a fair conclusion to make?
We will back up a touch and look at the concept of Jews being the “chosen people” in the first place. Jews don’t view themselves being chosen with arrogance, they tend to look at it with humility. If we look at the Bible, it becomes painfully clear that the people God chooses aren’t always the best and brightest people out there. They are often seriously flawed just like everyone else. It seems that God chooses them to see what potential this unlikely group could achieve with a little divine guidance. This covenant and giving of the laws is almost like a grand experiment with humankind.
Now this covenant, or agreement, that God makes with his chosen people is extremely important. This covenant keeps not only the people bound to God, but it keeps God bound to the people. God has agreed to stay loyal to this group and treat them with love and kindness, but God does expect something in return, as is typical with any covenant. God expects the people to reciprocate and treat God with loyalty and to treat one another with love and kindness. But big questions naturally arise with big agreements such as this, for instance, how are people supposed to hold up their end of the deal in practice? This is where the laws come in.
The laws go hand in hand with the covenant, and the laws explain what people are supposed to do to hold up their end of the deal. How do people remain loyal to God? This idea seems vague. Well, keeping the Sabbath and having no other Gods are fantastic places to start. If we don’t know how to treat people with kindness, we can also address the laws and see that swearing off adultery, not kidnapping, and not withholding food or clothing from your wife are great first steps to take. The other 600+ laws are almost like fine tuning. They give a very detailed road map for how to conduct oneself to live in accordance with the covenant. Paying close attention to the laws is a beautiful way of showing devotion to God and honoring God’s devotion to the people. The law is not a replacement for a relationship with God, it is a way of acting out the relationship.
What about some of the more off the wall laws? What role could they possibly play? When God asks the Jews to be holy as God is holy, the word holy is usually understood to mean different. We can all gather that God is very different from what we can see in this world, God is very holy, so for Jews to be holy, they too need to figure out how to be different from those around them. Some laws seem a bit trivial but the function of them seems to be a way of showing what sort of group they belong to. It’s a way to stand out, bring solidarity to the group, and showcase their loyalty to something extraordinary. Another point on this matter is that God is the embodiment of wisdom, so it’s not necessarily our role to determine which laws are arbitrary and which are not. If the embodiment of wisdom tells you to do something, you’d be wise to follow along.
It should be noted that not all of these laws are still observed today, for example I know many Jewish men who do indeed shave the hair on the sides of their head. Many laws are not followed since many are heavily focused on animal sacrifice, which is no longer practiced. However, there are many Jews who still strictly adhere to each applicable law. It should also be noted that these laws are taken very seriously and do form an important backbone in Judaism. If people choose to live their lives in strict accordance with the Jewish laws, they should not be judged in any negative way for it. How people choose to express and act upon their relationship with God is their choice, and if Jews choose to express their relationship with God in accordance to what God specifically asked them to do, that sounds very much like commonsense. I don’t think it’s fair to say that Jews are “too legalistic,” it seems like this way of worship is just as beautiful and powerful as any other.
Source:
The Great Courses Series: Early Christianity – The Experience of the Divine: Lecture 8
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