Episode ‌72: Killing the First Born and the Morality of God

“There are some things that are off-limits to a legitimate religion that is supposed to have divine authority to it.”— Rabbi Eugene KornThe atmosphere during Passover is usually a blend of fun and family, but the story narrated at the Seder table contains dark overtones, as the trials and tribulations of a group in exodus are prolonged and exacerbated by their powerful G-d.Do these plagues and plights raise questions about the morality of G-d and divine justice? To put it another way: could G-d be immoral? Which aspects of G-d’s behaviour should we be trying to emulate?Through reinterpreting the story of Exodus, we can uncover new relevance for our modern lives. This episode of the Living Jewishly podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with guest Rabbi Eugene Korn, a former Academic Director of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation in Israel, senior research fellow at Bet Morasha of Jerusalem’s Institute for Religion and Society, and author of To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values.This conversation explores the aspects of G-d that we should and should not strive to imitate, how the status of commandments is affected by the passage of time and cultural shifts, and the hidden lessons that the Bible may hold.“The Bible wanted us to think about the problematics of religion being in the service of immorality. It wanted us to struggle with this idea that there could be a G-d that could demand that people kill others that were innocent.”— Rabbi Eugene KornThis‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• How the modern reader may understand, interpret, and relate to the plague on the firstborn sons of Egypt
• The spiritual value that texts still hold when they require reinterpretation in order to remain palatable or relevant for modern readers
• How we can balance individual feelings about the morality of a religious text with the desire for a communal religious morality

‌Highlights:‌ ‌00:52 Intro02:28 Rabbi Eugene Korn, Exodus & Genesis08:00 How we divide the divine10:20 Reinterpretations for a modern world12:44 Meaning of immoral commandments17:12 Ground rules for conducting war18:39 “Comes from G-d”25:10 Pushback against religious morality35:35 OutroLinks:‌ ‌To Be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values by Rabbi Eugene Kornhttp://www.urimpublications.com/to-be-a-holy-people-jewish-tradition-and-ethical-values.htmlTo get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.orgFollow us on Instagram: @living.jewishlyWatch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzwor send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.Shalom!