So many of the mitzvot enshrined in the Torah seem anachronistic, questionable or just plain wrong to the modern mind. And yet they are as much God’s word as “Thou shalt not murder” and “Honor your father and your mother.” How can this contradiction be resolved? Conventional attempts of the Reform and Conservative movements to address this are ultimately unsatisfactory and flawed. Can we discover a basis for modern moral and social development in the language of the Torah itself, and not upon philosophies, historical reconstructions, scientific advances or political movements that act upon the Torah the text but are not part of the text? Here’s Rabbi Baker speaking at Congregation Agudas Achim (5/23/15) on these very issues: http://everybodyneedsarabbi.com/rbkaudio/rb_2015_523_JCC.mp3