Is Halacha Always Indispensable?
The Tent of Meeting and the Danger of Organized Religion
In Halacha, Rav Kook and Parashat Pekudei by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
After the sin of the Golden Calf, something fundamental changed in Judaism. According to several classical commentators, the Mishkan and the expansion of mitzvot may represent a Divine concession to human weakness. Could it be that the elaborate structure of Jewish law emerged as a Divine response to human spiritual fragility? But what happens when religion becomes routine? It’s quite possible that Halachah, while indispensable for most, might also carry unexpected risks.
