For years I've wondered about the purpose and necessity of the Urim v'Tumim. Here is my current understanding, synthesized from Rambam, Abravanel, and Cassuto.
According to Cassuto, why is the urim vTumim not an ideal means of deciding on a course of action?
I see how it was designed to replace an idolatrous instinct, but I don’t see how it is bad for the people to want Hashem’s guidance for decisions that impact the community. In contrast, Rambam’s view of Korbanos makes sense since you can see how that could result in bad ideas about God. (I also find it interesting that Cassuto’s proof from its lack of usage in Neviem mirrors Rambam’s proof for this theory that the Neviem don’t seem particularly fond of Korbanos.)
According to Cassuto, why is the urim vTumim not an ideal means of deciding on a course of action?
I see how it was designed to replace an idolatrous instinct, but I don’t see how it is bad for the people to want Hashem’s guidance for decisions that impact the community. In contrast, Rambam’s view of Korbanos makes sense since you can see how that could result in bad ideas about God. (I also find it interesting that Cassuto’s proof from its lack of usage in Neviem mirrors Rambam’s proof for this theory that the Neviem don’t seem particularly fond of Korbanos.)
I decided to write a separate article to address the follow-up questions that were sent to me, including this one. https://rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/p/urim-vtumim-addendum-follow-up-questions