(ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד וְלִבְנֵ֣י רְאוּבֵ֑ן הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאַתֶּ֖ם תֵּ֥שְׁבוּ פֹֽה׃
(6) And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: ‘Shall your brethren go to the war, while you sit here?
"Moses's concern was with the ethical implications of the seceding of the two tribes from a war which should be fought by all of Israel. The conquest of Eretz Yisrael was not encumbant only on those people who planned to live on the land. It was, in the eyes of Moses, the culmination of the drama of redemption which should be acted out in full by all of the tribes that came out of Egypt." -- Pinchas Peli
(א) ולמה תניאון הלא ידעתם כמה לקו המניאים בדור שקדם:
(1) ?ולמה תניאון, what is the point in undermining the resolution and morale of your brethren? You are repeating what the spies in the last generation did!
Ethics |
Morals |
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What are they? | The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture. | Principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct. While morals also prescribe dos and don'ts, morality is ultimately a personal compass of right and wrong. |
Where do they come from? | Social system - External | Individual - Internal |
Why we do it? | Because society says it is the right thing to do. | Because we believe in something being right or wrong. |
Flexibility | Ethics are dependent on others for definition. They tend to be consistent within a certain context, but can vary between contexts. | Usually consistent, although can change if an individual’s beliefs change. |
(יד) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתַי:
(14) He would say: If I am not for me, who will be for me? When I am for myself, what am I? If not now, when?