Question:
Shabbat Shalom.
Assuming there is one standard of reality and an absolute morality given by Hashem... How do we reason with certainty about morality and immorality outside of Halacha?
How do we know for certain we are acting morally, justly, correctly, uprightly, righteously, wisely, innocently, and piously opposed to immorally, unjustly, incorrectly, crookedly, wickedly, foolishly, guiltily, and impiously?
Within mathematics, geometry, or logic - one can make proofs with rigor. If morality is so much important and consequential to the quality of an immortal soul given by God, how can we achieve that same level of scrutiny over the truth since it is impossible to measure the heavenly debits and credits posted on the divine balance sheet if it's not possible to look see it... In fact a person could be racking up credits to liabilities when he in fact thinks he is debiting it to pay it off.
Answer:
Hello,
You are asking a very important question. When it comes to morality, things are not as clear cut as with outright halacha, nevertheless, the Torah gives us guidance as to how we are to act. The scriptures are full of examples of what is considered moral, there is a whole tractate “Ethics of our fathers” devoted to this topic, and the Talmud is full of guidance in these areas. Additionally, there are hundreds of books written by scholars, throughout the ages on the topic of ethics, Mishlei, Kohelet, Chovot Halevavot, Mesilat Yesharim, and Orchot Tzaddikim, to name just a few. These are all books based on the Torah, that give us a tremendous amount of guidance in this area. In fact, we are told that a person must study these books every day, to for a person to make sure they are not straying from what is moral, due to the many trying situations. These books will give the person a much clearer picture of what is moral according to the Torah and what isn’t.
Even after studying the mussar books, there are situations that are still gray areas that aren’t clear, and for that, we must consult experts in these topics for personal guidance. Usually, the Rabbis who are the leaders of the generation, and have studying these topics well, and can help us understand what the correct course of action for each person’s personal situation is.
Best wishes
