Can Morality Exist Without Faith? A Torah Perspective from Parashat Mishpatim

Have you ever stopped to ask whether we must believe in God in order to behave morally toward one another?

Is it possible to be a moral person without faith in God and His Torah?

The Three Categories of Commandments in the Torah

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Mishpatim, God clarifies for us the nature of the Torah that was given to Israel.

The Torah contains three types of commandments:

Chukim – supra-rational commandments that we do not understand.

Eidot – commandments that we would not have understood on our own, but once given, we are able to comprehend.

Mishpatim – logical commandments that even human intellect recognizes as necessary and just.

Why Emphasize “Obvious” Moral Laws?

Parashat Mishpatim deals primarily with commandments between one person and another — laws of interpersonal morality that human reason naturally understands and would seemingly choose to follow on its own.

If these commandments are simple and logical, and our common sense would want to observe them even without the Torah, why does the Torah choose to emphasize and detail them so extensively?

Morality Without Faith: A Common Mistake

It is commonly assumed that belief in God is not necessary for a person to understand that harming another human being is wrong. However, this assumption is mistaken.

The Torah teaches us that even these moral commandments governing basic human decency, must be grounded in faith in God, not solely in human understanding or logic.

Human intellect is flexible and easily influenced by circumstances. In certain situations, it becomes subservient to personal desires and impulses. When relying only on reason, a person may eventually develop a theory explaining why, in a specific case or toward a particular individual, harm is justified.

However, once the prohibition against harming another person is anchored in faith in God, the intellect can no longer rationalize wrongdoing. Harming another becomes an absolute prohibition, because this is what God commanded.

Moral Responsibility of the Nations of the World

This principle applies not only to Israel, but also to the nations of the world. They, too, are commanded to observe the Seven Noahide Laws, not merely because they make sense, but because God commanded them.

If a non-Jew observes moral behavior only because it aligns with personal reasoning, and not because it was divinely commanded, that person is not considered among the righteous or wise of the nations.

A Powerful Example

An illuminating example can be found at the United Nations. When nations sought to promote peace and an end to war, they engraved on the UN building the verse: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.” (Yeshayahu 2:4)

This verse highlights that the power of peace originates in the Torah itself — meaning that true morality and peace are rooted in faith in God, not in human intellect alone.

We must therefore remember that the foundation of all moral commandments is faith in God. These commandments must be fulfilled because God commanded them. Only such a foundation ensures that morality remains consistent, stable, and unwavering.

Our role is to believe in God and His Torah, to act morally toward one another, to accept others and their differences, and to strive for unity, within ourselves and among the entire Jewish people.

Hadas Franco is an attorney and mediator, personal coach for relationships, confidence, and personal and family fulfillment.