Reeh | Ish haYashar beEinav | Revisiting a Biblical Conundrum

Reeh | Ish haYashar beEinav | Revisiting a Biblical Conundrum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

What did Moshe mean when he said "that which is right in each man's eyes" in reference to the Mikdash?

Moshe Rabbenu, in describing the difference between the sacral worship in the desert and that which the people are imminently going to practice once they enter the Land, uses an odd phrase - "You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes". We explore the various ways in which this phrase was understood by the Rishonim and, inspired by a comment in the Pesikta Zutrata (Lekah Tov), use the parallel phrase at the end of Sefer Shoftim for a deeper understanding of the role of the Mikdash and its association with justice and proper behavior in the Land.

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