Science, Torah and Religion - Two Theologies- only one for our times.

My friend Rabbi Ben Zion Buchman in an article in Hakirah http://hakirah.org/Vol%202%20Buchman.pdf wrote that Ramban and the Rishonim that believed in a more spiritual explanation to our physical world, based their position on their understanding of science in their times. Ramban disagreed with Rambam’s assessment that magic was bunk as was astrology; because he asked how else explain why a magnet attracts metal. It must be a spiritual force! RBB makes a very cogent argument that had Ramban lived in our times he would surely agree with Rambam and disavow magic and spirituality. (I am paraphrasing and it is worth reading that article as it has tremendous impact on our current theology).

Ramban and the thinkers who followed his approach, for reasons that are not for this post, have over time become the mainstream Jewish theology and influenced thinkers through the ages such as Arizal, Remak, Maharal, Ba’al Shem Tov and the Chasidic movement as well as the Gra and his followers. This continues through our times with Rav Dessler and many of the Mashgichim and thinkers in the Yeshivish and Chassidish world including many “Modern Orthodox”. They have therefore continued with their “spiritual” understanding of things and consequently accept Ramban’s understanding that the world is to be viewed as a miracle in progress. Every natural event is miraculous, under God’s immediate control and input, hidden from view until a rare event happens. The impact on religious thought is enormous as it encourages its supporters to accept Pessukim and Chazal literally. There is no impetus to interpret as everything can be explained away with a miracle. It also has unfortunately brought about a Judaism that is racked with superstition and Emunos Tefeilos (red bendlech, miraculous mekubalim etc…).When confronted with overwhelming scientific and other empirical evidence that undermines their argument, proponents of this approach resort to all kinds of difficult explanations, such as ID, the Gosse theory et al. arguments that GH and others have railed against. Judaism has become the religion of the simple and uneducated or the schizophrenic.

Fortunately there is an alternative way of seeing Judaism which has been ignored by many. It was accepted by the best and brightest in all our past generations but ignored by the masses and their heroes. There was no compelling reason, at the time, for the enlightened thinkers to shake up the beliefs of the masses as their belief, erroneous as it was, did not lead to anything worse than some occasional quirky behavior. The people were not so well educated in worldly matters nor were they confronted by modernity. They lived a secluded life ( which BTW is trying to be maintained in contemporary society by Yeshivot and Chassidim alike) and were not bothered by the advances of science other than how it impacted their health.( For a thorough analysis of past and present orthodox society see Prof Haym Soloveitchik’s seminal Rupture and Reconstruction here: http://www.lookstein.org/links/orthodoxy.htm )We live in a different world today and the approach of Rambam must be promoted, taught and developed if we want to retain our religion in the face of reality.

Rambam’s approach is that religion does not create science. It is man’s obligation to understand the world he lives in and tame it. Religion takes science at face value and interprets what it sees from a religious perspective. Rambam did so with the philosophy and science of his time, we have to do the same in our time. Rambam did not write a book of apologetics, the Moreh. That argument is false and is shown to be by the great R. Meir Simcha of Ohr Sameach fame and R. Yosef Rozen the Rogatschover. Rambam after all, legislated the philosophies he lays out in the Moreh. One only has to go through the Yad in Hilchos Deos, Yesodei Hatorah, Avoda Zara, Teshuva, Melochim and interspersed among the other books such as the end of Hilchos Me’ilah. and many other places, and find these ideas expounded sometimes subtly at others less so. Science is part of the Torah inasmuch as it is the material that the Torah wants us to know and interpret in such a way that it becomes our conduit to God. Science is not the enemy – science is our only way to get close to God. We must change our way of thinking and see how this is the way to God and to maintain our position of “Am novon vechochom hagoy hagodol hazeh” – this great nation is composed of wise men.(devarim 4:6)