Yes, the Torah Cares about Your Feelings—and It Sometimes Doesn’t Approve of Them

Axiomatic to the traditional concept of Jewish law is that its demands override subjective emotions; thus, as a general rule, halakhah requires a person to pray at prayer times, even if he isn’t feeling prayerful. But, explains Josh Yuter, it hardly follows that Judaism is insensitive to the vast range of human emotion. For instance, the Talmud teaches that “one who embarrasses his fellow in public, even if he has Torah and good deeds, has no portion in the World to Come”—and surely embarrassment is a subjective response. The more complex question, for Yuter, is the extent to which the rabbinic tradition is willing to adjust halakhic obligations out of sensitivity to people’s feelings: