Moralization and Demoralization in Jewish Ethics

This chapter takes a look at certain instances of ‘deflation’, or even ‘debasement’, in Jewish ethics. These instances cut very deep. Each pair of readings involves a contrary moral attitude; and it is imperative for us, in the normal workings of our lives, to receive guidance between them. The chapter thus questions if the view of Judaism on the subject of the place of the non-Jew in the restored Jerusalem is that indicated by the Masorah and the American Jewish version; or can we follow the Septuagint and, most explicitly, the Targum, and read the text with a sheva and not a pataḥ? Is the view Judaism on the subject of the sacredness of life that indicated by the printed text of the Mishnah, i.e., apparently, that only Jews count; or can we, with the manuscripts and early authorities and Professor Albeck's second Afterthoughts, omit the word meyisrael? These are important issues, and this chapter considers which of the contrary views one should to account as Judaism.