As we continue our study of the book of laws for the nations, it's important that we know that it's impossible to create a legal text that suits everyone. Each culture has its own characteristics, so there is a special need to find the appropriate application of the teachings discussed here, tailored to the identity to which they are directed. Thus, I interpret our discussion here as a proposal to begin renewing the dialogue between Israel and the nations.
The nature of this work, as it's presented to the reader, is primarily practical legal guidance. But we must understand that the law is only one branch of a much larger holistic system of spiritual and moral values, for humanity in general and for the Jewish people in particular. In other words, we cannot summarize all of human behavior as mere obedience to the law because there's clearly something deeper at play. Humanity possesses many identities and there will certainly be a need for profound dialogue between representatives of various cultures who will need to examine how the content of this book aligns with the rich human and spiritual heritage of each of the families of the earth, who Israel is meant to bring blessing to.
In other words, there are many issues that we will need to clarify. One of the issues dividing the world today is the question of the place of God and man in Western culture. The West inherited from Greek philosophy the assumption that man is the center of all existence while God, if He exists, stands on the periphery. According to this view, the ideal regime is democracy, particularly liberal democracy, whose necessary corollary is human freedom and from this rampant permissiveness also arises.
Next time we will examine Islam's position on this question and how it contrasts with the Western approach.
