In the upcoming year I will be doing a little teaching in the nearby Amudim program in Jerusalem. Classes will be focused on “Fifty Big Questions” of Judaism. Yet, as I explore in the introduction to Judaism Reclaimed, Jewish tradition contains conflicting voices as to whether such difficult questions should be voiced in the first place.
The conflicting approaches to the legitimacy and importance of addressing key theological and philosophical questions are neatly encapsulated in a debate between Rambam and Ra’avad regarding the nature of God’s knowledge. In the fifth chapter of Hilchot Teshuvah, Rambam grapples with the thorny theological conundrum of how to reconcile God’s absolute and unchanging knowledge with human free will. He probes the extent of God’s knowledge and the limited ability of the human mind to comprehend it before eventually concluding that we must acknowledge that our minds are not equipped fully to fathom the nature of God’s mind.
Commenting on Rambam’s analysis, Ra’avad rejects Rambam’s methodology in its entirety: he states that, since we cannot reach a decisive conclusion, “it would have been preferable to leave it as a matter of simple faith” rather than to open people’s minds to such troubling questions.
In a similar vein, Rav Bachye ibn Pekuda (in the third chapter of Sha’ar Yichud of his Chovot Halevovot) strongly urges that a person who is intellectually capable should probe theological questions such as the existence and nature of God, and the authenticity of the Torah.
It is evident therefore that two legitimate schools of thought subsist within Jewish tradition regarding the correct approach to difficult theological matters.
Nevertheless, in a modern era of widespread, uncontrollable and often anonymised discussion of Torah fundamentals through blogs, internet forums and other social media, the option of secluding oneself from troubling questions and viewpoints has become increasingly challenging. In this atmosphere of open debate and inquiry, refusal to engage with such issues is liable to be interpreted by the perplexed of today’s online generation as a sign of weakness — or worse, as a concession that one has nothing to say and that those who propound views that are hostile to the received Jewish tradition are therefore right.
As Rabbeinu Yonah comments in his explanation of the Mishnaic statement: “know what to respond to the heretic”:
“If his [the heretic’s] false claims are not responded to, many will learn from them and will drink evil waters after perceiving that (his claims) were victorious”.
The need to face and openly address difficult questions in the modern era was recognised by Rav Shimon Schwab. Writing in America – even before the advent of the internet and social media – he considered that:
“the temptations of heresy and agnosticism are not lurking mainly inside the colleges. Every library, every bookstore (including Hebrew bookstores!) contains as much Apikorsus as the lecture halls of a university. There are newspapers and magazines…obtainable everywhere which are filled with anti-religious, anti-Torah dynamite. The forbidden fruits sprout everywhere…[T]he bright-eyed student is confronted with overt and covert Kefirah wherever he turns. To ignore this shocking state of affairs does not minimize the acute danger. On the other hand the Torah im Derech Eretz education may forge the intellectual armour to beat the rebellious ideas into submission.”
Recognising and seeking to address such questions is certainly not an easy option and can take people well out of their comfort zone. The introduction to Judaism Reclaimed (linked above) explores how such a journey can best be undertaken within the parameters of Jewish tradition. As Rav Soloveitchik attests, the intellectual search for meaning and understanding can be lonely and troubling, but also exhilarating and ultimately extremely rewarding. Most importantly it offers the intellectual traveller the prospect of a more meaningful and fulfilling connection to Judaism and a more genuine connection to God and His Torah.
In a footnote near the opening of Halakhic Man the Rav writes:
“The pangs of searching and groping, the tortures of spiritual crises and exhausting treks of the soul purify and sanctify man, cleanse his thoughts and purge them of the husks of superficiality and the dross of vulgarity. Out of these torments there emerges a new understanding of the world, a powerful spiritual enthusiasm that shakes the very foundations of man’s existence. He arises from the agonies, purged and refined, possessed of a new heart and spirit. “It is a time of agony unto Jacob, but out of it he shall be saved” (Yirmiyah 30:7) – i.e. from out of the very midst of the agony itself he will attain eternal salvation and redemption. The spiritual stature and countenance of the man of God are chiselled and formed by the pangs of redemption themselves.”
I very much hope that my classes, like my book and online discussions, are able to encourage people to engage positively and openly with Judaism, and enjoy a more mature and meaningful connection to the Torah – within the parameters of Jewish tradition.
First posted on Facebook 24 August 2022, here.
