Faith is NOT wishful thinking - It is knowledge based.

GH has been discussing faith here http://godolhador.blogspot.com/2006/03/is-faith-just-wishful-thinking.html and at other times in the past. The word he refers to in Hebrew is commonly known as Emunah and the assumption is that it is a blind acceptance of something that is not necessarily always rational or can even be understood. It is something similar to saying “I have faith in Jesus Christ and therefore I am saved”. Again we find an infiltration of a foreign idea into Judaism that is completely erroneous. There are two ways that one can be a Maamin- and they are usually sequential. First one believes because he was taught to believe in certain things by his parents or rebbis without really understanding why that is so. It is an unsophisticated belief which is based on trust – that is what we call Emunah Peshutah - simple faith. As one grows, not only chronologically but also intellectually and develops a critical sense, a person is expected to question and understand that belief rationally. Rambam starts Mishne Torah, Yesod Hayesodos veamud hachochmos leidah sheyesh shom … The key word is Leidah – to know that there is a God not Leha’amin” to believe. A Jew is supposed to work hard and acquire the knowledge that will allow him to know that there is a God. Not only that, but a Jew has to work hard at developing a correct understanding of what God is. That process will end with Ahavas hashem – as Rambam says in Hil Teshuvah – Veal pi hadeah al pi ha’ahavah im me’at me’at veim harbeh harbeh – Love is commensurate with knowledge.

The idea that there is a God is based on realizing that there is a First Cause. There has to be an “entity” that is hierarchically, if not in time, the First Cause of the first physical entity. Rambam understands that when the Rabbis say that Anochi and Lo Yh’yeh lecha – the first two commandments of the ten, that there is a God and that He is unique, are “mipi hagevurah” means they are known through rational analysis – Gevuras hasechel. Revelation is NOT the basis for these two beliefs. Har Sinai is only the basis for the belief that God “interacts” with man or to be more exact man can find and “hear” God.

The next important step is to try to develop a proper notion in one’s mind of what God is. The reason that so many are skeptical of God’s existence is because they develop an incorrect idea of what God is. Developing the proper notion about God is a lifetime process and the purpose of the Torah and the Mitzvos. It is through study and practice that man develops his intellect and his personal characteristics to apprehend these concepts about God.

I know that some will come back and say you are describing the God of the philosophers, religion believes in a personal God. True, but it is man that makes God personal not the other way around. Many people stay with Emunah Peshutah and personalize God in a simplistic fashion. That is fine from a Jewish continuity point of view but they did not fulfill the Mitzvah of Yedias Hashem “Leidah sheyesh shom…” If they have the potential to know they have not fulfilled their potential to grow intellectually. The Torah expects us to personalize God by making Him part of us constantly by thinking about Him and “seeing” Him in all our endeavors. But it has to be the correct notion of God otherwise we are worshipping a figment of our imagination or worse an idol, a false god.

A gutte Voch!