(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (ג) כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֧ה אֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֛יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְשַׁבְתֶּם־בָּ֖הּ לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ וּכְמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה אֶֽרֶץ־כְּנַ֡עַן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲנִי֩ מֵבִ֨יא אֶתְכֶ֥ם שָׁ֙מָּה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶ֖ם לֹ֥א תֵלֵֽכוּ׃ (ד) אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֧י תַּעֲשׂ֛וּ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ לָלֶ֣כֶת בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (ה) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם הָאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֽה׃ (ס)
(1) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: I the LORD am your God. (3) You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws. (4) My rules alone shall you observe, and faithfully follow My laws: I the LORD am your God. (5) You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which a person shall live: I am the LORD.
אם השלטון הזה יש בו כח לעשות חקים בעירו דינו דין דקיימא לן דינא דמלוכתא דינא. ומי שמענשין המקלקלים כגון הגזלנים והגנבים והרצחנים וכיוצא בזה ממשפטי המלוכה והאדנות הוא זה ודינן בכל אלו וכיוצא באלו דין.
If the government has the power to enforce laws in its locale, then its laws are law, for the principle is that the law of the land is law. Thus, it is the role of sovereign government to punish criminals like robbers, thieves and murderers, and its laws in such matters are law [Rashba Responsa 1.612]
(א) שלא ללבוש כמלבושי עובדי כוכבים. ובו ג' סעיפים:
אין הולכין בחוקות העובדי כוכבים (ולא מדמין להם) (טור בשם הרמב"ם) ולא ילבש מלבוש המיוחד להם ולא יגדל ציצת ראשו כמו ציצת ראשם ולא יגלח מהצדדין ויניח השער באמצע ולא יגלה השער מכנגד פניו מאוזן לאוזן ויניח הפרע ולא יבנה מקומות כבנין היכלות של עבודת כוכבים כדי שיכנסו בהם רבים כמו שהם עושים : הגה אלא יהא מובדל מהם במלבושיו ובשאר מעשיו (שם) וכל זה אינו אסור אלא בדבר שנהגו בו העובדי כוכבים לשם פריצות כגון שנהגו ללבוש מלבושים אדומים והוא מלבוש שרים וכדומה לזה ממלבושי הפריצות או בדבר שנהגו למנהג ולחוק ואין טעם בדבר דאיכא למיחש ביה משום דרכי האמורי ושיש בו שמץ עבודת כוכבים מאבותיהם אבל דבר שנהגו לתועלת כגון שדרכן שכל מי שהוא רופא מומחה יש לו מלבוש מיוחד שניכר בו שהוא רופא אומן מותר ללובשו וכן שעושין משום כבוד או טעם אחר מותר (מהרי"ק שורש פ"ח).
(1) One [i.e., a Jew] should not follow the customs of non-Jews (nor should one try to resemble them). One should not wear clothing that is particular to them [i.e., their culture]; one should not grow forelocks on one’s head like the forelocks on their heads; one should not shave the sides [of one’s head] and grow one’s hair in the middle of one’s head [like they do]; one should not shave the hair in front of one’s face from ear to ear and let one’s hair grow [in the back] [like they do]; one should not build places [i.e., buildings]—like the non-Jews’ temples—so that large groups of people will enter them, like [non-Jews] do. RAMA: Rather, one [i.e., a Jew] should be distinct from them [i.e., non-Jews] in one’s manner of dress and in all of one’s actions. But all of this [i.e., these restrictions] apply only to things that non-Jews do for the sake of licentiousness. For example, they are accustomed to wearing red clothing, which is official/princely clothing, and other clothing that is similarly immodest. [These restrictions also apply] to things that they are accustomed to doing because of a custom or rule that does not have any underlying] reason, out of concern that [a Jew who does such things will follow the] “ways of the Amorites,” and that it has the blemish of [i.e., is tainted by] idol worship inherited from their ancestors. But things that they are accustomed to doing for a useful purpose—such as their custom for expert doctors to wear particular clothing so that the doctors will be recognized as specialists—one is permitted to wear [such clothing]. Similarly, things that are done out of respect or another reason, it is permitted [for one to do such things].
Guide For The Perplexed: 3:27.
The general object of the Law is twofold: the well-being of the soul, and the well-being of the body...The well-being of the soul is promoted by correct opinions communicated to the people according to their capacity. The well-being of the body is established by a proper management of the relations in which we live one to another.
This we can attain in two ways: first by removing all violence from our midst: that is to say, that we do not do every one as they please, desires, and is able to do; but every one of us does that which contributes towards the common welfare. Secondly, by teaching every one of us such good morals as must produce a good social state...
The Law exists for two reasons: it aims first at the establishment of good mutual relations among people by removing injustice and creating the noblest feelings. In this way the people in every land are enabled to stay and continue in one condition, and every one can acquire their first perfection. Secondly, it seeks to train us in faith, and to impart correct and true opinions when the intellect is sufficiently developed.
Second Question:
Is divorce allowed by the Jewish religion? Is divorce valid when not pronounced by courts of justice by virtue of laws in contradiction with those of the French Code?
Answer:
Repudiation is allowed by the law of Moses; but it is not valid if not Previously pronounced by the French code.
In the eyes of every Israelite, without exception, submission to the prince is the first of duties. It is a Principle generally acknowledged among them, that, in every thing relating to civil or political interests, the law of the state is the supreme law. Before they were admitted in France to share the rights of all citizens, and when they lived under a particular legislation which set them at liberty to follow their religious customs, they had the ability to divorce their wives; but it was extremely rare to see it put into practice. Since the revolution, they have acknowledged no other laws on this head but those of the empire. At the epoch when they were admitted to the rank of citizens, the Rabbis and the principal Jews appeared before the municipalities of their respective places of abode, and took an oath to conform, in every thing to the laws, and to acknowledge no other rules in all civil matters
Rabbi Daniel Feldman commented, "I should mention first that many wonderful bnei Torah, many outstanding talmidei chachamim who are far beyond me, have benefited greatly from their appreciation of sports and have found a place for it in their spiritual lives that fits well with their overall character. That being said, I do think it is important to be aware of the risks that are attached to sports fandom. The admiration of professional athletes generally focuses on skills and abilities that do not have inherent moral or spiritual value, and then draws us into idolizing of individuals who may not have any other traits worthy of emulation by bnei Torah.
Sports provides a projection of certain positive values and a showcase arena for a true learning experience. The Gemara (Eruvin 100b) identifies an opportunity to learn traits like modesty and honesty from the behaviors of cats and ants. Apparently, there is an educational process that can emerge from less likely and obvious teachers... There are certain values that are conveyed through sport, and these can indeed be learning opportunities. Teamwork and social cohesion are prime examples. Focus, determination, and perseverance are others.
Religiously committed individuals who participate in our contemporary society and culture are beset by a conflict of values and perceptions that is of the greatest personal consequence. The encounter of the two worlds within religious individuals and communities often leaves deep scars on the psyche of the individuals and the ethos of the community. But it also holds the promise of fascinating creativity, of new syntheses, of renewed efforts to grasp elusive insights. The tension between the sacred and the secular is a perennial one. As long as men and women keep open minds (admittedly not a universal condition) and recognize that both these realms embody truths that may be ignored only at the peril of injuring one’s intellectual integrity, this subject will be of deep concern – to some as an anxious existential question, to others as a challenging theoretical problem. It is not a contest from which one side will emerge victorious and the other turn heel and flee in ignominious defeat. This most vexing, complicated, and axiologically significant issue cannot be reduced to such a simple, partisan, adversarial confrontation on the level of a children’s game. The history of the last two or three thousand years should reinforce our conviction that we are dealing with an issue so perplexing, so central to human destiny and to our understanding of our place in the world, that we must shun simplistic solutions. The two worlds – of faith and inquiry, of religion and science, of trust and reason are destined (not doomed!) to live together, now close and now far, now attracting and now repelling, like twin stars revolving about each other in some distant corner of the galaxy.
In many cases our parents and grandparents were not absolutely sure that they wanted their children to be Jews. They didn't want them to marry out, but they also didn't want them to stand out, to be conspicuous. They wanted them to be secular marranos, outwardly like everyone else, inwardly and privately Jews. They wanted them to be visible as human beings but invisible as Jews. They were haunted by the specter of anti-Semitism, and they were not wrong to be. But it left them deeply conflicted. They were Jews, but they were dedicated to proving that Jews are no different from anyone else. And we, whether we know it or not, have inherited that deeply conflicted world.