http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- Developing trust in G-d is a major feat. Even people who believe in G-d may nevertheless be lacking in trust.

One thing should be clear. Human understanding is fallible. Insofar as values are concerned, the human intellect is very unreliable. Both as individuals and as a society, we are often motivated by what appears advantageous to us.

A morality that is based on human understanding is capricious. In just several decades, we have seen some vices transformed into virtues. For example, the first report of physician-assisted suicide elicited almost universal condemnation. Within a few years it has been legalized by several legislatures.

History is replete with legalization of vices. The sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because every abomination was legalized. Lest we think that such practices occurred only in ancient times, we should note that in Nazi Germany mass killing of Jews was a virtue.

Legislatures and even courts are influenced by expedience. There are no absolutes in values that are of human origin.

We should reflect more frequently on our actions. Is what I am about to do really right, or do I just want to think of it as being right?

Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. is a psychiatrist and ordained rabbi. He is the founder of the Gateway Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, a leading center for addiction treatment. An Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, he is a prolific author, with some 30 books to his credit, including Wisdom Each Day, from which this was excerpted (Sales of this book, which can be ordered by clicking here, help fund JWR). Send your comments by clicking here.

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