Him or Us 2

In a previous post (March), we asked how Judaism can claim that God guides history, and at the same time claim that humans have free will.  If humans have free will, can't they choose to lead history in a direction contrary to God's plan?
Perhaps humans indeed control history, and what God does is merely provide humanity with opportunities to lead history in the desired direction.  God controls the range of options given to humans in their autonomous decision-making.  Would this approach be consistent with Jewish values?

Selfishness vs. Selflessness 3

Would promotion of the quality of selflessness be beneficial or detrimental to humanity?  If everyone would give whatever they have to others, would anyone survive?  If everyone would put the well-being of others at the forefront of their ambitions, would inventions be developed?  Would science progress?  Or would everyone be too busy taking care of everyone else?

Selfishness vs, Selflessness 2

Rambam in Peirush Hamishnayos (Avos 3:19) writes that if, for example, one has a thousand dollars to distribute to charity, it is better to give one hundred dollars to ten causes than to give one thousand dollars to a single cause.  Rambam's rationale is that multiple acts of giving have a greater impact on the giver than a single act of giving, no matter how significant the single act of giving is.
Is the development of selflessness a selfish endeavor?  Is it our own moral and spiritual benefit that we seek when we give to others, or is it the benefit of the recipient that we seek?  What is our primary motivation, and what ought our primary motivation be?

Functional Holiness

In explaining how Moshe Rabbeinu was justified in smashing the Tablets, Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in his sefer Meshech Chochma, writes that holiness is not an inherent quality, but rather a matter of function.  As soon as the luchos ceased to serve their function, they lost their holiness, and became mere slabs of stone.  As such, Moshe was fully entitled to smash them before the Jewish people in order to demonstrate this lesson to them.
Using our previous example, then, is a rabbi who observes his congregation misusing the function of its sefer torah entitled to publicly destroy it?

Pedagogical Sacrilege

Imagine a respected rabbi entering a room in which his congregation is acting inappropriately.  In a fit of rage, the rabbi throws the Torah scroll to the ground, tearing it in the process.  Is this a proper reaction?  And is it any different than Moshe's shattering of the luchos, which were written by Hashem Himself?

Is It All About Belief?

Rambam writes (Peirush Hamishnayos, Sanhedrin, Perek Cheilek) that one who believes in the 13 principles of faith but commits terrible sins all his life merits a portion in the World to Come, while one who denies even one of the 13 principles of faith forfeits his portion in the World to Come.  How are we to understand the notion that a mass murderer merits eternal life in the World to Come after being temporarily punished for his sins, while a kind, generous, pious and virtuous individual who does not believe in the eventual resurrection of the dead gets cut off from eternal reward?