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Why did Esau and Ishmael's descendants reject the Torah (תורה) over basic prohibitions like murder and theft when all societies need such laws? The nations understood that Torah law demands qualitatively higher standards than secular or even Noahide law - not just societal regulation but personal perfection. Where secular law prohibits physical murder, Torah includes public embarrassment; where it bans theft, Torah includes robbing dignity.
Rabbi Zweig delivers this pre-Shavuos shiur examining why the nations rejected the Torah (תורה) when offered it before the Jewish people. He addresses the puzzling question of why descendants of Esau and Ishmael would reject the Torah based on "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not steal" when all societies need such basic laws, and these are already included in the seven Noahide laws binding all humanity. The rabbi explains that secular law operates on relative standards based on self-interest and can be manipulated - citing examples like abortion, euthanasia, and how society redefines murder when convenient. Even Noahide law, while absolute, operates at a different level than Torah law. The fundamental distinction is that Torah law aims not just at societal preservation but at personal perfection and elevation.
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