In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

131 C H A P T E R F O U R Motivations to Live by Jewish Law MULTIPLE MOTIVES Why should I live my life in accordance with the law? Most people immediately think of enforcement: I must follow the law because if I do not, I will be punished. Mordecai Kaplan, in fact, thought that Jewish norms should no longer be seen as law precisely because they would not be enforced in modern societies that guarantee freedom of and from religion.1 The threat of punishment does indeed play a role in producing compliance in most legal systems, including religious ones that govern countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, but no legal system can rely on that alone. If only enforcement prompted people to stay in line, society would need three police officers for every citizen, assuming that a police officer works an eight-hour day, and then police officers to watch over the police officers. One clear demonstration that punishment alone will not suffice is Prohibition: most people obeyed it, but because a small minority flouted it, it had to be repealed. Even the full power of the U.S. Armed Forces could not make a constitutional amendment work if any more than a tiny minority refused to obey it without being forced to do so. For the law to govern effectively, most people must adhere to it for other reasons. Then the police can enforce it on the 1 or 2 per- cent of the population who routinely violate it, and they can remind the rest of us to watch our speed while driving and to avoid other temptations. The Torah already understands that the threat of punishment, even at the hand of God, will not be enough to produce compliance. As I noted earlier, at Mount Sinai the Israelites were exposed to this rationale in the most powerful way possible. Thunder, lightning, and earthquakes accompanied God’s revelation of the law; if that did not impress the people of the power of God to enforce His law, nothing would. And yet, just 40 days later, the Israelites were worshiping the Golden Calf. This certainly demonstrated to the leaders of biblical Israel that the threat of punishment alone—even by God—would not suffice. No wonder, then, that the Torah itself describes many other reasons to obey the commandments, and the Rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash add yet more. In this chapter, we shall examine the rationales for living by Jewish law that the Torah and the Rabbis suggest, and then I will ask which, if any, of these motivations might work for us today as well. Before exploring these motivations, it is important to note that in law, as in most things in life, people’s motivations to do something or to refrain from doing something are often multiple. There may be one primary motive that a person has in mind, but a little probing often reveals that other factors also play a role, sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously. If I agree to give a lecture, for example, it may be because they are paying me to do so, because I love to teach, because a friend asked me, because I want to sell my books, because I want to meet someone who is participating in the same program, because I want to try some new ideas on an audience to get their reactions, and so on. Any or all of those motives might play a role, one or more of them may be more prominent in my decision than others, and some may not motivate me at all to give the lecture . I may also have some unconscious motives—the quest for approval, for example, or for attention. The same thing applies to people’s motives for adhering to law. At any one time, multiple motives may be at work in my deciding to do or refrain from some action. Put another way, motivation to adhere to the law (or to break it) is often overdetermined, shaped by many factors acting in tandem. Furthermore, at any given moment, I may abide by the law priFOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND PEOPLE 132 marily because of fear of punishment, hope for reward, or any of the motives listed in the following sections. Exactly which factor determines my behavior varies with the circumstances and even my mood. Furthermore, what prompts me to be guided by one law may be different from what leads me to...

Share