3 thoughts on “Chevruta discussions – Moderation”
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This NYTimes article describes a model of restorative justice, informed by something like moderation:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/opinion/native-american-treaty-justice.html
The point of view is the end state after the reconciliation, not a scale-of-justice between the bad deed and the punishment.
With regard to R’Moshe’s essay (https://drive.google.com/file/d/16THgEqwtzzaLVAgxQeOL1ME5bCVMlThE/view?usp=sharing),
at face level, devekut, the steady and persistent cleaving to God, seems quite immoderate, quite mono-focused.
On reflection, however, as a persistent mental state, devekut should act to regulate emotions. The slight downside would be that devekut would lessen fight-or-flight responses in response to real threats. The upside would be that devekut would serve to react less most stimuli, hence less anxiety and more room for compassion. In that sense, devekut offers a path the Buddhist middle way. In this sense, devekut opens a door toward spiritually guided moderation.