Unknowable Knowledge

Continuing to read the commentary of Rav Sa’adyah Gaon (Resag) on sefer Yetzira, I was intrigued by a discussion on different types of knowledge. Sefer Yetzira refers to the subject it discusses as Pela’ot Chochma – wondrous knowledge. Resag discusses at length the meaning of these words.

“And I propose that there are two types of knowledge - one is the kind that human beings can grasp; another is one they cannot. The one they cannot grasp, is to know how things came into being, how the wise Creator made them, existents  from non-existents and how He instilled into each of the substances [the four basic ones: fire, air, water and earth -DG] the nature that is observed in it.  This is knowledge that one cannot find a way to aspire to nor to [ever] arrive at. All wise men found honor in admitting their lack of knowledge in this matter as Iyov says…. He [Iyov] then informed that this knowledge which the wise acknowledge to be hidden from them is the nature of the substances and their uniqueness. For were we to ask the wisest of the wise, “do you know why the nature of fire is to rise, the nature of water to go below, the nature of air to be ungraspable and the nature of earth to sink?” His only answer would be that that is how they were created and that is the nature that was instilled into them…. “

The way I understand it is that knowing and observing nature is not the knowledge that is hidden from us. It is to understand why nature acts the way it does, why the laws of nature are this way and not different, why a different alternative law of nature would not work, is the elusive knowledge. Rambam makes a similar argument in MN 3:13, as part of a discussion about the purpose of Creation and existence. Rambam refutes the popularly accepted notion that everything was created for humankind so that it exists to serve God.

“…It is likewise thought that the finality of all that exists is solely the existence of the human species so that it would worship God, and that all that has been made, has been made for it alone…. However if this opinion is carefully examined, as opinions ought to be carefully examined by intelligent men, the flaw in it becomes clear…. The final end being the existence of man, is the Creator able to bring him into existence without all these preliminaries, or was it possible for him to be brought into existence only after they were carried out?”

The question is also could humanity exist with a different set of natural laws? Why is the universe the way it is? The answer Rambam finally gives, and is the only answer for those who accept an eternal universe,

“Necessarily and obligatorily the argument must end with the answer being given that the final end is: God has wished it so, or: His wisdom has required this to be so.”  

Of course, the limits of where human knowledge ends keeps on being pushed back as we understand our universe and its workings better, but we know that certain questions, what I call the “whys” of existence, will never be explained away. Those answers can only be addressed by theology.

Resag uses a series of verses in Iyov and Mishlei to support his argument. Depicting the difficulty in grasping this kind of knowledge, he quotes Iyov 28:20-22,

כ  וְהַחָכְמָה, מֵאַיִן תָּבוֹא;    וְאֵי זֶה, מְקוֹם בִּינָה.	20 Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
כא  וְנֶעֶלְמָה, מֵעֵינֵי כָל-חָי;    וּמֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם נִסְתָּרָה.	21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
כב  אֲבַדּוֹן וָמָוֶת, אָמְרוּ;    בְּאָזְנֵינוּ, שָׁמַעְנוּ שִׁמְעָהּ.	22 Destruction and Death say: 'We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.'

   

On the last verse, Resag makes an interesting comment.

“His reference to destruction and death, namely someone who has died and is lost to us, his path in this knowledge is no different then our own path. One should not presume that the earlier generations, those who already died, had a greater apprehension of that knowledge.” 

We are brought up on the idea that the earlier sages knew more about how things are than we do. There is a quasi-mystical certainty that the early sages, those closer to Sinai and Creation knew more about the “whys” of things than we do. Resag dissuades us from this notion.

Like Rambam, he arrives at the same conclusion, continuing with the above verses.

“Having summarized how elevated this knowledge is from humans, he [Iyov] turns to God who is Exalted saying

כג  אֱלֹהִים, הֵבִין דַּרְכָּהּ;    וְהוּא, יָדַע אֶת-מְקוֹמָהּ.

23 God understands the way thereof, and He knows the place thereof.

When he says that God knows its ways and location, he is not suggesting that knowledge is a substance that is located in a specific place and that God knows that place, for it is negated that wisdom and its place be two things in addition to the Creator. Having said [allegorically] that a human cannot know the way to it or its location; he reversed it for God saying He does know them. The meaning is that this knowledge belongs to Him, He is its source; it is He.”

Resag’s question and answer follows very much the same path Rambam used.

“In the verses,

כד  כִּי-הוּא, לִקְצוֹת-הָאָרֶץ יַבִּיט;    תַּחַת כָּל-הַשָּׁמַיִם יִרְאֶה.	24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven;
כה  לַעֲשׂוֹת לָרוּחַ מִשְׁקָל;    וּמַיִם, תִּכֵּן בְּמִדָּה.	25 When He makes a weight for the wind, and metes out the waters by measure.

He includes the four substances Air, Water, Earth and Fire to tell us that He created these substances and instilled their particular unique nature with such wisdom that no man can aspire to apprehend it.”

Rambam in Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah and in many places in MN talks about the two kinds of knowledge, Ma’aseh Breishit and Ma’aseh Merkavah as esoteric subjects that have to be taught with caution. I was always bothered why Ma’aseh Breishit, which traditionally is understood to refer to the sciences, should be restricted. In fact, Rambam in other places argues that the sciences are the basic stepping-stones to knowledge of God. In view of the above, I believe that a reassessment of the parameters of what Ma’aseh Breishit is is needed. I am sure I will come back to this theme.

Chag Kasher Vesameach to all. 

Some Thoughts About Religion, Science and Theology.

In the last two posts, I pointed out that our scientific knowledge is limited to the physical universe and that there are questions that science cannot answer and we have to find other ways to resolve them. These questions are dealt with by theology or what is classically referred to as metaphysics. There is no objective way of proving the veracity of metaphysical and theological theories. It is here that speculation, an amalgam of knowledge, intuition, imagination, faith of a self-perfected individual based on divinely inspired revelation (nevuah) transmitted by tradition, plays a crucial role. Rambam however sets down a very important rule; for a theological answer to be acceptable, it cannot violate or contradict any scientific fact. In other words, it must be compatible with reality, as we know it.

Although this seems to be straightforward, it unfortunately is not readily accepted by all. In fact, the generally accepted sense in the frum community is that religion trumps science. The argument is that science is evolving while Torah is eternal. Science will eventually come around and find out that the Torah was right. It also assumes that the Torah contains all knowledge though in a coded form and great people, who dedicate their life to learning, will eventually decipher the secrets of the universe in the Torah. It is based on a reading of Ramban’s position which he first elaborates upon in his introduction to his Pirush on the Torah and repeats in several of his writings. I am not an expert on Ramban but I suspect that he was much more nuanced. Rambam however is of a different opinion and as Rav Kook writes in his letter to Ze’ev Yavetz, the historian, his approach resonates much more with contemporary knowledge.

The idea that underlies Rambam’s approach is that the goal of man is to integrate scientific knowledge with theology. The study of Torah is much broader than just Halacha. In Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:12 Rambam includes in the Mitzvah of Talmud Torah the study of physics and metaphysics[1]. The study of Halacha with the goal of knowing how to act in our daily life following its tenets is the “bread and meat” because it forms the base upon which unbiased speculation can develop, the perfected individual. The study of science, the knowledge of how the world works, is pursued simultaneously once a basic knowledge of Halacha has been established. As science deals with facts only, the philosophical questions of how, when and why the universe came into existence, what is humankind’s role in it, what is my role as part of humanity and ultimately what is God’s relationship to our existence can only be addressed through metaphysical speculation. Metaphysical speculation is subjective and therefore vulnerable to personal biases and preferences, hence the need for self-discipline and self-improvement, the weakening of our narcissistic tendencies, which is the goal of Halacha and Mitzvot[2]. The paradigm of the perfect human being who has sublimated his personal biases and has dedicated himself exclusively to the quest for knowledge is Moshe Rabbeinu, the teacher of all prophets. Prophecy or revelation is what we call the highest-level speculation of a finely tuned individual who has perfectly balanced his intuition, emotions, imagination and rational faculty after having conquered his personal biases through a lifelong regimen of self-discipline and self-improvement. It is the ultimate goal of every human being to attain prophecy although no one has accomplished that in the last 2400 plus years. In this educational system, Science and theology are integrated and seen as one; both are equally needed to get a correct understanding of God and the whys and wherefores of our existence. Torah comprises Halacha, which is the tool needed for behavioral, psychological and mental self-improvement which allows for unbiased speculation, Science and metaphysics (philosophy in modern parlance). Rambam in Hilchot Talmud Torah lays out this educational process in very clear terms. One gathers information constantly and at the same time allows for time to absorb and contemplate all that information and integrate it into an understanding of God and the individual’s place in it. [3]

There is no mystical teaching in this system. A person may have a personal mystical experience but this cannot be transmitted or shared with another person thus mystical teachings are inherently false. Anything metaphysical that does not have as its basis the traditional prophetic teachings which ended 2400 plus years ago is no more than pure imagination[4]. There is no “Giluy Elyahu” or other such mystical learning in Rambam’s world.

On a personal level, I buy completely into this approach and it gives me great satisfaction when I can live up to it, which unfortunately is not very often. It takes hard work, discipline and constant awareness of responsibility in our actions and interactions with others. Every thing we do has consequences and we have to be cognizant of them before we do anything. But it also empowers us as human beings who are in control of our destiny and not just subject to the vagaries of fate or as determined by God, as most religions teach[5].









[1]והעניינות הנקראין פרדס, בכלל התלמוד.

And in Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 4:13 we read

וענייני ארבעה פרקים אלו שבחמש מצוות האלו--הם שחכמים הראשונים קוראין אותן פרדס

And in 4:10

כל הדברים האלו שדיברנו בעניין זה, כמר מדלי הם; ודברים עמוקים הם, אבל אינם כעומק עניין פרק ראשון ושני. וביאור כל אלו הדברים שבפרק שלישי ורביעי, הוא הנקרא מעשה בראשית

[2] ואני אומר שאין ראוי להיטייל בפרדס, אלא מי שנתמלא כרסו לחם ובשר; ולחם ובשר זה, הוא לידע ביאור האסור והמותר וכיוצא בהן משאר המצוות. ואף על פי שדברים אלו, דבר קטן קראו אותם חכמים, שהרי אמרו חכמים דבר גדול מעשה מרכבה, ודבר קטן הוויה דאביי ורבא; אף על פי כן, ראויין הן להקדימן: שהן מיישבין דעתו של אדם תחילה, ועוד שהן הטובה הגדולה שהשפיע הקדוש ברוך הוא ליישוב העולם הזה, כדי לנחול חיי העולם הבא. ואפשר שיידעם הכול--גדול וקטן, איש ואישה, בעל לב רחב ובעל לב קצר.
Yesodei Hatorah 4:13

[3] [יא] וחייב לשלש את זמן למידתו: שליש בתורה שבכתב; ושליש בתורה שבעל פה; ושליש יבין וישכיל אחרית דבר מראשיתו, ויוציא דבר מדבר, וידמה דבר לדבר, וידין במידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן עד שיידע היאך הוא עיקר המידות והיאך יוציא האסור והמותר וכיוצא בהן מדברים שלמד מפי השמועה--ועניין זה, הוא הנקרא תלמוד.
יד [יב] כיצד: היה בעל אומנות--יהיה עוסק במלאכה שלוש שעות ביום, ובתורה תשע: אותן התשע--קורא בשלוש מהן, בתורה שבכתב; ובשלוש, בתורה שבעל פה; ובשלוש, מתבונן בדעתו להבין דבר מדבר. ודברי קבלה, בכלל תורה שבכתב הן; ופירושן, בכלל תורה שבעל פה; והעניינות הנקראין פרדס, בכלל התלמוד.
טו במה דברים אמורים, בתחילת תלמודו של אדם; אבל כשיגדיל בחכמה ולא יהיה צריך לא ללמוד תורה שבכתב, ולא לעסוק תמיד בתורה שבעל פה--יקרא בעיתים מזומנים תורה שבכתב ודברי השמועה, כדי שלא ישכח דבר מדברי דיני תורה, וייפנה כל ימיו לתלמוד בלבד, לפי רוחב ליבו ויישוב דעתו.

[4] See MN 3:17 –
אבל דעתי אני ביסוד הזה כלומר: ההשגחה האלוהית,
הוא מה שאבאר לך, ואיני נסמך בדעה זו אשר אבאר למה שהביאתני אליו ההוכחה, אלא נסמך אני בה למה שנתבאר לי שהוא כוונת ספר ה' וספרי נביאנו, והשקפה זו אשר אני סובר מעטת
הזרויות מן ההשקפות שקדמו, וקרובה יותר אל השיקול 70
השכלי
.

And
ואשר הביאני לדעה זו,
לפי שלא מצאתי כלל לשון ספר נביא שמזכיר שיש לה' השגחה באיש מאישי 79
בעלי החיים זולתי באישי האדם בלבד, וכבר תמהו הנביאים גם על
שיש השגחה באישי האדם, ושהוא פחות מכדי להשגיח עליו, כל שכן מה שזולתו מבעלי החיים.
אמר מה אדם ותדעהו וגו' 80,
מה אנוש כי תזכרנו וגו'

Similar statements are spread throughout Rambam’s writings.

[5] א רשות כל אדם נתונה לו: אם רצה להטות עצמו לדרך טובה ולהיות צדיק, הרשות בידו; ואם רצה להטות עצמו לדרך רעה ולהיות רשע, הרשות בידו. הוא שכתוב בתורה "הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו, לדעת, טוב ורע" (בראשית ג,כב)--כלומר הן מין זה של אדם היה אחד בעולם, ואין לו מין שני דומה לו בזה העניין, שיהא הוא מעצמו בדעתו ובמחשבתו יודע הטוב והרע ועושה כל מה שהוא חפץ, ואין לו מי שיעכב על ידו מלעשות הטוב או הרע. וכיון שכן הוא, "פן ישלח ידו" (שם).
ב אל יעבור במחשבתך דבר זה שאומרים טיפשי האומות ורוב גולמי בני ישראל, שהקדוש ברוך הוא גוזר על האדם מתחילת ברייתו להיות צדיק או רשע. אין הדבר כן, אלא כל אדם ואדם ראוי להיות צדיק כמשה רבנו או רשע כירובעם, או חכם או סכל, או רחמן או אכזרי, או כיליי או שוע; וכן שאר כל הדעות.
Hilchot Teshuvah 5:1

Rambam's Relevance In Light of Contemporary Science -

As Rambam used Aristotelian physics in explaining his theology, many argue that it became irrelevant in the modern world, once the science of the Greeks has been debunked and shown to be utterly wrong. I struggled with this for a long time until I realized that I was missing a very important point – I realized that Physics and Metaphysics, though related, operate on very different modes of thinking. Medieval science or what we refer to in contemporary language as physics, astrophysics, chemistry and biology, deal with demonstrable phenomena. Metaphysics begins where physics ends. It tries to explain the non-demonstrable. If something can possibly be demonstrated, it cannot be categorized metaphysics. Physics deals with existence and how it is explained and understood, the underlying science that makes things function the way we know them, while metaphysics deals with the why, when and Who that precede, so to say, existence. The questions that metaphysics deals with, many times, have more than one possible answer and as long as the proposed answer does not contradict physical reality, it may be true. Which answer one chooses to believe is therefore a theological issue and can only be resolved that way. This is how I understand the Halacha in Hilchot Avodah Zara 2:4-5 we discussed at our shiur this Shabbat.

ד ולא עבודה זרה בלבד הוא שאסור להיפנות אחריה במחשבה, אלא כל מחשבה שגורמת לו לאדם לעקור עיקר מעיקרי התורה--מוזהרין אנו שלא להעלותה על ליבנו, ולא נסיח דעתנו לכך ונחשוב ונימשך אחר הרהורי הלב: מפני שדעתו של אדם קצרה, ולא כל הדעות יכולות להשיג האמת על בורייו; ואם יימשך כל אדם אחר מחשבות ליבו, נמצא מחריב את העולם לפי קוצר דעתו.

ה כיצד: פעמים יתור אחר עבודה זרה; ופעמים יחשוב בייחוד הבורא, שמא הוא שמא אינו, מה למעלה מה למטה, מה לפנים מה

לאחור; ופעמים בנבואה, שמא היא אמת שמא אינה; ופעמים בתורה, שמא היא מן השמיים שמא אינה. ואינו יודע המידות שידון בהן עד שיידע האמת על בורייו, ונמצא יוצא לידי מינות.

Note that in Halacha 5, the listing of prohibited thoughts is in areas of metaphysics which cannot be demonstrably proven. It does not list the question of the existence of God because according to Rambam that is demonstrable, as I have shown many times (see label “Existence of God). It is the questions that can never be demonstrated, that we have to accept based on tradition and revelation, which we may not question. One may not question the unity of God, how and where existence came into being, prophecy, and the divinity of Torah because these questions can only be answered through revelatory tradition. However, it does not mean that we should not strive for a better understanding and insight into what these beliefs mean and how they dictate how we think about and deal with our existence. On the contrary, this search for understanding is part of the commandment to love God, for love is commensurate with intimate knowledge.


How are we to define the boundaries that separate physics from metaphysics? As I said earlier, metaphysics deals with matters that can never be demonstrated. As our understanding of science advances, that boundary keeps shifting where physics takes over areas that until now were thought to belong to metaphysics. Some of the issues that Rambam held to belong to metaphysics are now demonstrably explained by science. For example, Rambam had no concept of gravity and therefore could not explain the movement of the heavens through physics. He accepted Aristotelian conjecture that the spheres had a built in urge to perfection which encouraged them to self propel in a perfect movement – the circle. As the four elements we know (fire, air, earth and water), do not have the ability to think, the spheres must therefore be made of a fifth element that is of a higher matter that allows the heavens to think. As humans are composed of the four elements, the coarser elements, they cannot have an as advanced ability to comprehend the abstract as the heavens do. It is based on this that the heavens and how they operate was seen as belonging to metaphysics. Apparently, Rambam had his doubts about the accuracy of this conjecture.


“For as regards the things in the sublunary world, his [Aristotle] explanations are in accordance with facts, and the relation between cause and effect is clearly shown. It can therefore be assumed that everything is the necessary result of the motions and influences of the spheres. But when he treats of the properties of the spheres, he does not clearly show the causal relation, nor does he explain the phenomena in that systematic way which the hypothesis of natural laws would demand.” (MN 2:19)


Of course, we now know that this whole construct was fiction and can be explained through the Newtonian laws of physics. However, the basic questions still remain – who was responsible for it to be as it is? Is God in fact responsible for existence, as we know it? Is God a static force in the universe or was He responsible for willing creation in time? If He willed it, for what purpose did He do so? Does God have a plan for existence or is it all left to chance? The answers to these questions have not changed with all the technological advances and scientific insights and are still based on revelation and revelatory tradition. These questions remain whether the world is 6000 years old or millions and the basic answer does not change either. We may have to tweak the questions and answers a little so that they conform to our new understanding but the underlying thought and concept does not change. With the current understanding of the Big Bang, the question of what was there before remains. We still have to answer how was it triggered? If we now suggest that there was some kind of event based on quantum theory the question still remains what and how was that quantum induced event triggered and how did this quantum based system come into existence? We just pushed the question back up the cause and effect ladder but the question remained.


It is with this in mind that I learn Rambam and his thought. It is why I do not see it as irrelevant. I find that he was the most thought out amongst the Rishonim, the medieval thinkers, when it came to understanding the divide between the physical and metaphysical. I think we can see this clearly when Rambam went against almost all thinkers in his time and considered astrology to be nonsense. He clearly understood that although the heavens think, they do not think for us. They may influence the physical on our world through whatever force (gravity of course was unknown), that force is physical only and has no influence on how human minds act. That was so outside the thinking at the time that even Maimonidean followers in Provence could not accept it. His letter to Montpellier which laid out his thinking on this had no impact whatsoever. Maimonideans like R. Yaakov Anatoly, Nissim of Marseilles, Ralbag and many others held on fiercely to astrology. To them that was pure physics just like astronomy. Even as late as the 18th century, the great Gra could not accept that. He accused Rambam of being too influenced by the Greeks when he denied the spiritual forces exerted by the heavens.

It is this clear outlook that rambam teaches that attracts me to his thought and theology and keeps it fresh even during our fast paced scientific age.

Science and Metaphysics Are TORAH.

Professor Israel Ta-Shema discovered a book, the Sefer Hamaskil, written in 1294 by Rabbi Shlomo Simcha of Troyes, a descendant of Rashi. In Da’at 32-33 (1994), Professor Gad Freudenthal wrote an article describing in detail the philosophy this author lays out and shows how it is based on a Stoic understanding of science and the cosmos. It is on this basis that R. Shlomo Simcha believed that the cosmic air is God. I am using this extreme case to illustrate how interconnected theology (Hashkafah) and the understanding of sciences are. It is only when we know the true makeup of the universe that we can know what God is not. A wrong notion of the universe will result in a fictitious sense of what God is.

The GRA (R. Elijah Ben Solomon Zalman - 1720-1797) held that science is the handmaiden of Torah for Torah cannot be properly understood without knowing the world. Rambam goes much further than that. In a side remark[1] in a discussion of why Pessach has seven days he writes –

“For the Law always tends to assimilate itself to nature, perfecting the natural matters in a certain respect. For Nature is not endowed with thought and understanding, whereas the Law is the determining ruling and the governance of the deity, who grants the intellect to all its possessors. This, however, is not the theme of the present chapter: let us return to our subject.” (MN3:43)

The Torah is an active participant in nature – “perfecting the natural matters in a certain respect”. It participates by teaching people to understand their role in nature and act in ways that are necessary for the universe to continue existing. Humanity is not just a parasitic user of one of the worlds in a greater universe but an important element that has to play a role in the long-term survival of that universe. Torah is a very broad subject where the Mitzvot are only one component. Sciences, physics and metaphysics and what we call Torah, the written and oral Law, and Mitzvot all together make up what I will refer to as “TORAH”.

In Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:11 and 12 Rambam explains that Sciences and Metaphysics make up a part of Talmud which is a component of Limud Hatorah. (I am lazy to translate the whole segments so I will only do so with the sentences that prove my point).

וחייב לשלש את זמן למידתו: שליש בתורה שבכתב; ושליש בתורה שבעל פה; ושליש
יבין וישכיל אחרית דבר מראשיתו, ויוציא דבר מדבר, וידמה דבר לדבר, וידין
במידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן עד שיידע היאך הוא עיקר המידות והיאך יוציא האסור
והמותר וכיוצא בהן מדברים שלמד מפי השמועה--ועניין זה, הוא הנקרא תלמוד.

… And this [analyzing the acquired information] is called Talmud.

And a little further –

כיצד: היה בעל אומנות--יהיה עוסק במלאכה שלוש שעות ביום, ובתורה תשע:
אותן התשע--קורא בשלוש מהן, בתורה שבכתב; ובשלוש, בתורה שבעל פה; ובשלוש,
מתבונן בדעתו להבין דבר מדבר. ודברי קבלה, בכלל תורה שבכתב הן; ופירושן,
בכלל תורה שבעל פה; והעניינות הנקראין פרדס, בכלל התלמוד.

… And the matters referred to as Pardes are a part of Talmud.

So far, we see clearly that “Pardes” [literally an orchard] is a part of TORAH more specifically the section called Talmud. But what is Pardes?


In Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 4:13

וענייני ארבעה פרקים אלו שבחמש מצוות האלו--הם שחכמים הראשונים קוראין אותן פרדס, כמו שאמרו ארבעה נכנסו לפרדס

The subjects {physics and metaphysics] covered in the above four chapters [Yesodei Hatorah 1-4] that are included in these five Mitzvot [(i) Know God, (ii) not think that there is another god besides God, (iii) declare His uniqueness, (iv) to love Him, (v) to fear Him] are what the sages refer to as Pardes…

The first two chapters of Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah present Rambam’s understanding of metaphysics followed by two chapters that explain the world based on Aristotelian Physics. These subjects need to be known to adequately perform the five Mitzvot Asseh I enumerated[2].

Rambam then proceeds to put all this into its proper perspective.

ואני אומר שאין ראוי להיטייל בפרדס, אלא מי שנתמלא כרסו לחם ובשר; ולחם
ובשר זה, הוא לידע ביאור האסור והמותר וכיוצא בהן משאר המצוות. ואף על פי
שדברים אלו, דבר קטן קראו אותם חכמים, שהרי אמרו חכמים דבר גדול מעשה
מרכבה, ודבר קטן הוויה דאביי ורבא; אף על פי כן, ראויין הן להקדימן: שהן
מיישבין דעתו של אדם תחילה, ועוד שהן הטובה הגדולה שהשפיע הקדוש ברוך הוא
ליישוב העולם הזה, כדי לנחול חיי העולם הבא. ואפשר שיידעם הכול--גדול
וקטן, איש ואישה, בעל לב רחב ובעל לב קצר

And I say that one should not promenade in the Pardes only once one has filled his stomach with meat and bread. Meat and bread is a metaphor for knowing the explanation of what is forbidden and permissible and other such matters in the other [in addition to the five discussed here] Mitzvot. Although the sages refer to these matters as a small thing, for the sages said “great matter is the workings of the chariot” and a small matter is the discussion of Abaye and Rava, they still should come first[3]. They settle a persons mind and additionally they are the great good that HKBH bestowed to the inhabitants of this world, for them to inherit Olam Haba. All, adult and child, man and woman [note: woman too], a person with a broad mind or one with a limited one, can know it.

The Rambam I am quoting here and its implications are extremely broad and a thorough discussion would require many posts and I hope one day to do that, but I want to stay on subject. Basically, we read that there are five Mitzvot Asseh that we are required to perform but cannot do so correctly before we have acquainted ourselves with “the forbidden and permissible”. It also tells us that “the forbidden and permissible” is a tool given to humankind for it to be able to develop and acquire Olam Haba[4]. The acquisition of Olam Haba however can be had only after acquainting oneself with the whole TORAH, which includes Pardes. Clearly, Pardes, namely science and metaphysics, are part of TORAH and in fact are a goal that one has to aspire to grow into being able to apprehend correctly by keeping the Mitzvot – “the forbidden and permissible”. The Mitzvot are thus a stepping-stone to prepare us to have a correct understanding of our world which is the ultimate goal. Sciences are not a handmaiden for Torah but the other way around; “the forbidden and permissible” – what we routinely refer to as Torah, are tools for us to learn the sciences and metaphysics so that we know the whole of TORAH.









[1] To appreciate the importance of side remarks in Moreh Hanevuchim see Rambam’s introduction – In studying each chapter, do not content yourself with comprehending its principal subject, but also to grasp every word mentioned therein, even if that word does not belong to the intention of the chapter.

[2] Although the Aristotelian model has been shown to be wrong, the approach that our world functions by scientific rules and is not controlled by supernatural forces is still very relevant.
[3] The discussion of Abaye and Rava is an example of the Halachik discourse which makes up “the explanation of what is forbidden and permissible”. Rambam is saying that one must first know the Halacha before entertaining theology.
[4] See Hilchot Teshuvah chapter 9 for how this works.

Action Oriented Knowledge

Upon descending from the mountain and the forty days and nights of meditation and learning, Moshe Rabbeinu was confronted with the idolatry of the Golden Calf. Here was a man who took responsibility for the long-term plan and goal of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to create a nation that knows God, and is at a loss of how to continue implementing this objective. He has dedicated several years to reintroducing the people to the theology of their ancestors and in the process freeing them from enslavement to the dominant culture of the era. He has also introduced with great fanfare the experience of intellectual union with the unique God at Sinai. Just when he thought he had succeeded, he is confronted with unquestionable recidivism – the Golden Calf. He is at a loss and turns to God for guidance.

יג וְעַתָּה אִם-נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ
, הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת-דְּרָכֶךָ, וְאֵדָעֲךָ, לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא-חֵן
בְּעֵינֶיךָ; וּרְאֵה, כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה

13 Now therefore, I pray to you, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your ways, that I may know You, to the end that I may find grace in Your sight; and consider that this nation is Your people.' (Shemot 33:13)

Moshe was saying, “I am at a loss. Please teach me how to proceed so that I can accomplish my goal and lead the people to the truth.”

The reply was –

יט וַיֹּאמֶר, אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל-טוּבִי
עַל-פָּנֶיךָ, וְקָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם יְהוָה, לְפָנֶיךָ;.

And He said: 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; (Shemot 33:19)

Rambam notes that the word טוּבִי refers to “וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד”
Moshe was directed to look at creation and learn from it.

“The words "all My goodness" imply that God promised to show him the whole creation, concerning which it has been stated, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). When I say, "to show him the whole creation," I mean to imply that God promised to make him comprehend the nature of all things, their relation to each other, and the way they are governed by God both in reference to the universe as a whole and to each creature in particular.” (MN 1:54)

The only way a person can attempt to act in a really constructive way is if he understands the consequences of his actions. To be able to have a true picture of that he has to know the true reality in which he is acting. He must therefore learn, not only the specific science that regulates each component of that reality, but also understand the interrelationship of all the components and try to get a picture of where this is all going. It is a long process that never brings complete certainty but that is the human condition (more about this point in upcoming posts). Moshe represents the paradigm of what a human being should strive to become. When we say that the search for God is the ultimate goal of a man, we are not talking merely about an intellectual quest. We are talking about an intellectual quest that is necessary for man to know how to act by emulating God in creation. Rambam explains the second part of the verse above when Moshe asks for help,

“For his saying: “Show me now Your ways, that I may know You,” indicates that God, may He be exalted, is known through His attributive qualifications; for when he would know the ways, he would know Him.” (MN 1:54)

The purpose of knowing Him is not merely intellectual but –

“He says, however, that man can only glory in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of His ways and attributes, which are His actions, as we have shown (Part 1:54) in expounding the passage, "Show me now thy ways" (Exod. 38:13). We are thus told in this passage that the Divine acts which ought to be known, and ought to serve as a guide for our actions, are, Chesed, "loving-kindness," Mishpat, "judgment," and Tzedakah, "righteousness."” (Mn3:54)

Rambam ties together our verse with the one in Yirmyahu 9:23

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה, עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ: כִּי-בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי, נְאֻם-יְהוָה.

…that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the LORD.

Rambam explains the words “for in these things I delight, says the LORD” to mean,

“My object [in saying this] is that you shall practice loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. In a similar manner, we have shown (Part 1:54) that the object of the enumeration of God's thirteen attributes is the lesson that we should acquire similar attributes and act accordingly. The object of the above passage is therefore to declare, that the perfection, in which man can truly glory, is attained by him when he has acquired--as far as this is possible for man--the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Providence, and of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence. Having acquired the knowledge he will then be determined always to seek loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, and thus to imitate the ways of God.” (MN3:54)

The key point here is the knowledge “of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence”. That knowledge is the basis for imitating the ways of God and guide man’s actions.

I will be writing in upcoming posts about this quest for knowledge, how to make sure it is not distorted by our own subjectivity and imagination and how the Avot and those who bought into their goals, used it to guide them in their actions. We also will address the role of Torah and Mitzvot in this. I will also try to flesh out what these actions expected of us are and how they affect the whole of existence.

The Importance Of Humankind And Its Role In Creation.

In an earlier post, I discussed Rambam’s conclusion that it is futile to try to find a purpose or reason for the existence of the universe as a whole, other than that God willed it into existence and provided it with a built in mechanism for continuity and survival. Indeed, when we look at our universe we observe that there is an interrelationship and interdependence between its different components and that all components of the universe are necessary for the existence and survival of the other components and the whole. Just observing the innate urge for self-perpetuation that biological entities have, the survival of the fittest genetic adaptation that evolution teaches about species and their survival, is enough to confirm that idea. As the world we know was willed into being by God, we can say that this system of self-survival that we observe is God’s will. Understanding the role of each component for the survival of the whole is a way of deciphering God’s will. Rambam in a slightly different context writes:

“Study the book which leads all who want to be led to the truth, and is therefore called Torah (Law or Instruction), from the beginning of the account of the Creation to its end, and you will comprehend the opinion which we attempt to expound. … This is expressed by the phrase, "And God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:4, etc.). You know our interpretation of the saying of our Sages, "Scripture speaks the same language as is spoken by man." But we call "good" that which is in accordance with the object we seek. When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1:31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated. This is especially pointed out by the word "exceedingly"; for sometimes, a thing is temporarily good; it serves its purpose, and then it fails and ceases to act. But as regards the Creation it is said that everything was fit for its purpose, and able continually to act accordingly.” (MN1:13)

In other words, each component is “good” because God put in place a mechanism for its own self-survival and “all that He has made” becomes “exceedingly good” when it can exist in perpetuity. Looking at the entities that make up our environment, we note that each one has a built-in mechanism for self- survival adapted to its particular characteristic. Comparing the different biological categories, plants versus animals, each one has certain attributes that are geared to its specific needs in addition to common characteristics. Looking at animals, we note that they all have common characteristics while each species has its own particular ones geared to its own survival. The herbivores have characteristics that allow them to procure, digest and survive on vegetation while the carnivores have characteristics that give them the ability to hunt. Humans too have certain characteristics that are adapted to their special needs. God’s evolutionary law has allowed man to evolve with the ability to make tools to allow him to control his environment. That ability is needed for his own survival and makes up for the deficiencies in strength, agility and digestion. The human mind is necessary for all these special activities and from that standpoint is just another physical attribute no different from the ability of a monkey to swing between trees. The human mind however has an attribute that goes beyond that immediate physical necessity; it can think about abstract matters and, more importantly, can make choices that will affect how things will be in the long term sometimes many generations later. Human beings can change the natural progression of events. Nature is predictable while humans are not allowing them to affect nature’s predictability. This makes humans unique giving them an ability that exceeds what would be needed for the survival of the individual or even the species. I understand that to be Rambam’s statement quoted earlier, “When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1:31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated.” The verse where everything is “exceedingly good” appears after the creation of man. The world can exist in perpetuity only once man was created. Man is the key to its parte post (going forward) eternity. That unique ability that humans have plays an important role in the perpetual continuity of our existence. The idea of searching for God and learning about His ways to emulate them is therefore no longer a purely intellectual quest but a very practical one. It is man trying to understand his role in creation and how he has to act to play his part in the continuity of the whole of existence.

The world was not created so that man can exist but rather man was created as a key component for the perpetual survival of the whole of existence. When God created man, He completed a perfect universe that now is self-sustained and eternal.

From Creation To Noach - A Perspective.

Many are bothered by the science and historicity of the events described in the Parshyot that we read at this time of year. The descriptions of the creation of the world and man, the Dor Haflagah (Tower of Babel) and the Flood have been discussed by believers and non-believers for generations and at times used by some as a reason for denying religion as Truth. How can a divine torah be wrong, or at best inexact, about history?

Rambam in MN 3:50 makes a sweeping comment which addresses the issue.

“Know that all the stories that you will find mentioned in the Torah occur there for a necessary utility for the Law. Either they give a correct notion of an opinion that is a pillar of the Law or they rectify some action so that mutual wrongdoing and aggression should not occur between men.”

In other words, one has to look at the reported stories more as commentaries on occurrences rather than a description of an historical event. It does not mean that the story is untrue but rather that the details that are reported are only those that are needed to make a theological, ethical or moral point supporting a teaching. After all the word Torah, comes from Hora’ah which means teaching. The Torah teaches ethics, morals and theology not science or history. We cannot look to the Torah to tell us how the world was created and operates, the laws of physics, chemistry and biology, but we look to it to tell us that it was willed into existence by a unique entity that we refer to as God. The question whether the Big Bang (if this theory is eventually proven without doubt) occurred as a result of a singularity or if it was willed by an entity that we call God, cannot be answered empirically. It will always remain in the realm of theology which is what Torah addresses. Judaism is based on a belief in a universe that was willed into existence by HKBH as the basis for its ethics, morality and theodicy. It is why we believe that there are consequences to our actions and we therefore have to do our part in how the world is run as an active participant in this great universe conceived and willed into existence by HKBH.

The same logic applies to the stories that describe human evolution. Starting with Adam Harishon, the first human in the line of contemporary man, it describes the different branches, Cain, Hevel and the branch that eventually became ours, Seth. It describes very cryptically how man slowly became aware of how his actions have consequences in the lead up to the great cataclysm of antiquity, the flood. It describes briefly how humanity changed after the cataclysm, how the basic laws of ethics and morality, the Seven Noachide Laws, were developed, how nations and different cultures flourished in the area of the Fertile Crescent. That awareness of consequences to our actions brings us to Avraham, who developed a coherent theology that offers an explanation and a raison d’etre to our existence.

Looking at these Parshyot from this perspective, I understand the whole of Sefer Breishit as the narrative that puts our religion and theology in context. There is no reason to doubt the veracity of the narratives but at the same time we cannot expect to learn from the text exactly how, when, where and what happened. We know that at some time in antiquity there was a cataclysmic flood that left an indelible mark in human memory. There is no way of knowing from the Torah narrative where it occurred or how widespread it was. All we know is that it was a cataclysm of such proportions that it changed the course of human history at least in the Fertile Crescent. The Torah uses it to teach us that we have to be aware of our environment and sensitive to the messages it sends us just as Noach was. Like Noach, we have to act on that information to protect ourselves.

The inordinate long life of early man as told in the Torah is another area that has baffled generations. I do not purport to have a good explanation of it but I would rather seek to understand the underlying message the Torah is sending us. Rambam is bothered by this problem and suggests that these long-lived individuals were the only ones in their generation to live so long. Ralbag however has an interesting take on it. He says that at the early stages of human civilization, man being a tabula rasa as far as sciences and general knowledge were concerned, needed a long life to allow for continuity so that difficult concepts could be developed and understood within a lifespan. The lack of continuity in a short life leaving half-developed ideas to be developed by the next generation would not permit the speedy advancement needed to create sophisticated societies. Thinking along similar lines, I would like to suggest that the Torah describes different schools of thought. Each long-lived individual represents one school of thought that led to the next which eventually brought humanity Avraham who changed its way of thinking as the first proselytizer of monotheism. Each school of thought required a long time, several normal life spans, to mature enough to allow for the next more advanced one to take over. It also suggests that at some point there was an overlap where after a few years the next school started to germinate its own ideas taking hold as the earlier one matured. That is how I understand why the Torah tells us at what age of the father the next son was born namely the next step in the evolution of ideas. It also tells us that there were other branches that developed in parallel but apparently did not leave a mark; just the one that survived and became dominant for a while is identified. That is how I understand the repetitively similar verses to this one –

ג וַיְחִי אָדָם, שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, וַיּוֹלֶד בִּדְמוּתוֹ, כְּצַלְמוֹ; וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ, שֵׁת. 3

And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.

ד וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי-אָדָם, אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת-שֵׁת, שְׁמֹנֶה מֵאֹת, שָׁנָה; וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים, וּבָנוֹת.

4 And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

ה וַיִּהְיוּ כָּל-יְמֵי אָדָם, אֲשֶׁר-חַי, תְּשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה; וַיָּמֹת. {ס}

5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. {S}

(Breishit 5:3-5)

Adam’s philosophy was accepted by his son Seth, he begat “a son in his own likeness” (see MN 1:7), but other schools of thought began to develop in the later years of his life, after 800 years he “begot sons and daughters”. I would suggest that the other verses that follow be understood in a similar vein.

I say this because the Torah leaves several signposts that indicate a start of a major new school of thought.

כו וּלְשֵׁת גַּם-הוּא יֻלַּד-בֵּן, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ אֱנוֹשׁ; אָז הוּחַל, לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה. {ס}

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; it was then that the name of God was invoked. {S} (Breishit 4:26)

The Rabbis read the last few words negatively. The word הוּחַל is translated by them as profane, God’s name was profaned at that time and the philosophies that support idolatry were developed. A few generations later, we encounter a new theological step.

כב וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת-מְתוּשֶׁלַח, שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת, שָׁנָה; וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים, וּבָנוֹת.

22 And Chanoch walked with God after he begot Methushelach three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

Chanoch discovered God and understood the need to walk with Him, try to understand His world and act in concert with it. The Rabbis considered Methushelach to be a righteous man who apparently absorbed and further developed Chanoch’s ideas leading up to Noach who acted on this understanding. The Rabbis tell us that Noach was a man of action who took the ideas of Chanoch and Methushelach and expressed them practically by developing agricultural implements and methods. He also was attuned to his environment to the point that he could presage the great cataclysm of the flood, acting to protect himself from it.

Looking at these narratives from this perspective puts them in their proper context as the description, though cryptic, of the development of human thought and ideas that led to Avraham and eventually the emergence of the Jewish people and its beliefs, the subject of the rest of the Torah.

Is There a Conflict Between Torah and Science?

What is Torah? Is it just the corpus that we customarily refer to as such, Tanach, Mishna, Gemara (Bavli and Yerushalmi) and the commentaries on them followed by the Possekim and their writings? Is that “Torah” an independent kind of knowledge that creates its own reality? Or is Torah a fully integrated system of Halacha, Kiyum Mitzvot, science, philosophy and a way of life and thinking? If we were to ask this question and poll Bnei Yeshivot in Lakewood, Bnei Brak and Yerushalaim, the majority would answer that it is the former. They will say that learning Torah is limited to Gemara, Rishonim, Acharonim and Halacha while science and all general knowledge of the world we live in is “secular”, relative and questionably true. There will be nuances in the exact understanding but generally, the argument will be that whatever Chazal say about the world and its science, verbatim as they say it without any interpretation, is how the world is. When confronted by contradicting empirical evidence, the assumption is that the data is wrong and Chazal knew better or that we are dealing with two different universes or existences, the physical here and now and the “spiritual” which is the “real” existence. Attempting to reconcile Chazal with reality by reinterpreting them or when that is impossible, assuming that they were telling us a philosophical idea based on the knowledge of their time which needs to be rethought and adapted to our current understanding, is considered blasphemy and Kefirah.

I believe that this position is a distortion of what Torah is and is at the root of most ills of our contemporary frum society. It puts people in a state of mind where the Torah and Halachot they learn and their way of life are at odds. We have to live in a physical world that operates on scientific principles which to these poor people are anathema. They therefore build a wall between these two worlds, they become schizophrenic and we therefore witness religious people who do not see that Torah is a way of life. To them all religion is a ritual that has nothing to do with how they live and operate in the outside world. They are two separate and different universes. Mashgichim in Yeshivot and Rabbanim in the community preach, focus on the symptoms which they cannot avoid seeing and reacting to, knowing instinctively that there is something wrong in the behavior of their flock but they themselves do not see the real problem. How many times have we heard the pronouncement that Torah and Yisrael are above or outside nature – Lema’alah min hateva? As long as they will educate, insisting on this flawed understanding of what Torah teaches, they are missing the point and misleading one or more generations. Without integrating the two worlds, seeing them as one, the malady will persist.

I was following a private email list discussion on the subject of the Torah Umaddah (TuM), Torah Im Derech Eretz (TIDE) and Chareidi philosophies, and one of the participants, Dr. Noam Stadlan, made the following extremely lucid and clear statement about what Torah is that I believe needs to be publicized. I post it here with his permission.

“I am sorry to say that I had to take a lot of TUMS when I read the discussion [on the thread by one member] of TuM. Nature is Hashem's way of making His world understandable to man. Without the laws of nature (and by definition the science that is necessary to explicate, understand, and apply those laws), we would not know that the apple that fell down off the tree yesterday will still fall down off the tree today, and tomorrow, etc. There would not be any dependable consistency in the world.

There is no inconsistency in believing in evolution to some extent [I am not sure why limit it by “to some extent” – DG] and also in Orthodox Jewish dogma. TuM means believing that there is intrinsic value to science, art, literature, and to many other fields of human endeavor. That understanding the laws of nature is a way to understand HKBH, because He created those laws. TuM mean believing that Torah and nature are all part of what Hashem created, and there do not have to be inconsistencies or conflicts. We may look at nature differently than Chachmei haTalmud, but if they had modern science, they also would look at nature differently than they recorded in Shas. … is finding conflicts where TuM does not find them. This is not a 'science first' approach. It is a belief that they do not conflict, and if they seem to conflict, it is because we do not know enough to realize they do not. It does not mean that we throw out the science, or throw out the belief. We can wait for more information. As they say, no one ever died from a kasha.

The Rambam in Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah (second Perek I think) discusses how to achieve belief in God, and he begins not by recommending Talmud Torah, but by looking at the world. He could be thought of as a TuM kind of person. He studied science, astronomy, philosophy, and tried to apply what he knew of nature. He realized there was value in all of that, to the point he incorporated it in his approach to Yddishkeit. (Obviously Aristotle and Moslem philosophers are prominent influences. Platonic astronomy figures prominently in Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah as well as discussions of spheres, etc)

Finally, if one is viewing TuM, it makes no sense to look at a population of people who barely know the term, much less have an idea of what it means and stands for. Being Modern Orthodox does not automatically mean that one is an advocate of Torah Umaddah. One can be Modern Orthodox and not really have a thought-out philosophy (like me not too long ago). One can legitimately be concerned that a philosophy is not retained by a community, or is not propagated, but the reality is that those who think about TuM, and are advocates of TuM, are likely to produce children who are TuMnicks.

On the other hand, those who are MO in practice but do not think deeply about the philosophy behind their actions, are probably less likely to produce practicing children. Lumping every MO person into the TuM category just because it may be the closest to what he or she practice is not an accurate way of measuring the success or failure of the philosophy.”

Dr. Stadlan has presented what to me is a most lucid description of what Torah and Avodah means. Torah is everything we know about God, starting from His Mitzvot to His world and the existence He gave us. It is the goal of Yddishkeit to integrate all this information, knowledge and actions and use it to worship God – Avodat Hashem – by emulating His ways.

"Miracles" as Anomalies in Nature - The Will of God at Creation.

Basing himself on the Mishna Avot 5:5, Rambam sees all “miracles” as anomalies in nature. When HKBH put in place the rules of nature, these rules had in them the possibility for rare phenomena to occur under certain conditions. As Rambam explains in his commentary, God created water with the possible ability for it to flow upwards, against gravity. What or who triggers this anomalous phenomenon? Does it require the input of an outside sentient catalyst? Or does it occur naturally when certain conditions serendipitously[1] come together? As I read him, Rambam opts for the latter but with a twist – God’s will.

The concept of will when attributed to God is very complicated. I have discussed it at length in my article on Miracles (link available on sidebar) and I refer the interested reader to it. Summarizing, if we say that God wills miracles as necessary, reacting to human needs, we are lessening His omniscience. We are saying that He does not have the ability to foresee problems and has to step in to adjust His universe as it goes along. We therefore limit will to one time only – at creation – where all future events that require will were willed. Of course, the terms “at creation”, “were willed” are all equivocal terms that we, as humans, use to express ourselves. God is not time bound and to Him past, present and future are the same. It is only from our perspective that we assign time and even the concept of will to HKBH. Taking this into consideration we can say that all natural anomalies and when they will occur, when the proper conditions will come together for any one of them to occur, has been willed and put in place by God at creation.

If anomalies are natural events, what is miraculous about them? This brings us back to our treatise. Rambam the great teacher that he is, discusses in the treatise concepts that at first blush seem to be side issues and superfluous to the present discussion. It is only after reflection that we realize that it is in fact an integral part of the whole presentation. It is in this vein that almost as a throwaway, Rambam ends the treatise with a section about what defines miracles. He divides miracles into two general categories: those that are “naturally impossible” and those that are “naturally possible”.

Examples of the “naturally impossible” are the transformation of the staff into a serpent, the sinkhole at the Korach rebellion and the splitting of the sea.

הוא שהנפלאות פעמים יהיו בעניינים הנמנעים בטבע, כהתהפך המטה לנחש ושקיעת הארץ בעדת קרח ובקיעת הים

It is noteworthy that of these three examples, two, the sinkhole and serpent are mentioned in the Mishna Avot 5:5 as having been created at dusk on Friday of Creation. The third, the splitting of the sea, Rambam explains in his commentary on the Mishna that it was put into the nature of water at creation[2]. The word טבע is therefore not just nature in this context. It means regularly occurring natural phenomena as opposed to rare anomalies. Anomalies are part of the fabric of nature but are seen as “impossible” because they occur very rarely and therefore unpredictable or “impossible” - הנמנעים בטבע.

So what makes them into miracles? It is the timing. When they occur at the proper time and can be taken advantage of by people, they are seen as miracles. The word miracle in Hebrew is נס which can also translate “flag”. Rambam in MN 3:24 in a related discussion about נסיון – test – explains that it is like bringing up a flag on a flagpole, teaching the whole world a specific lesson. When a natural anomaly occurs at the right time for people to take advantage of, it teaches that God willed it at creation and that it is not just a coincidence, thus a miracle – נס. It also teaches that God wills. It reminds us that God willed the world into existence. It did not exist eternally together with a First Cause that had no will. That is the rationale for the Mitzvot, such as Pessach, other Yamim Tovim and those that require Zachor that demand we remember the miracles.

Now we can understand that “miracles”, natural anomalies that occur at propitious times, are not caused by some outside sentient catalyst. We see them as willed by God at creation. This only works if we accept creation from nothing which was willed by God. In an eternal world, where God is concomitant with it and has no will, the only other possible explanation for a propitious anomalous phenomenon would be magic or trickery.

People at that time all belonged to the Sabeans who believed that the world is eternal. They believed that God is the “spirit” of the sphere as we explained in the Moreh. Their belief necessitates the denial of miracles ascribing them to magic or trickery.

For such events to be seen as “miracles” they cannot be long lasting or they will lose their status as anomalies. Rambam makes the point at length here in the treatise and in his discussion of this in MN 2:29.

I said earlier that the fact that these anomalies happen at a propitious time makes us see them as miracles. In my article, I also showed that the ability of a prophet to predict and take advantage of these anomalies, expecting their occurrence and counting on them through intuitive or whatever other prophetic quality that allows for that, is part of this concept of miracles.

Not only anomalies teach us about God’s will. “Naturally possible” miracles do too.

I will discuss this in my next post.

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[1] I added serendipitously because of MN 2:29 - For although the rod was turned into a serpent, the water into blood, the pure and noble hand into a leprous one, without the existence of any natural cause that necessitated this. The way I read the underlined is that the conditions that came together to create the anomaly were not necessitated but serendipitous thus attributable to the will of God at creation.

[2] . Rambam bases this on the Midrash Rabah Breishit 5:5

אמר ר' יוחנן

: תנאין התנה הקב"ה עם הים שיהא נקרע לפני ישראל, הדא הוא דכתיב (שמות יד

וישב הים לאיתנו,

לתנאו שהתנה עמו

אמר רבי ירמיה בן אלעזר:

לא עם הים בלבד התנה הקדוש ברוך הוא, אלא עם כל מה שנברא בששת ימי בראשית, הדא הוא דכתיב (ישעיה מה):

אני ידי נטו שמים וכל צבאם צויתי

An Interesting Comment on the Previous Post

An email comment on my last post that I thought worthwhile enough to publish. (With permission and slight editing).

On a micro level- Galgalim (spheres) or nature, seem to have Bechira. An atom can split on its own but for some reason doesn't without us causing it. The more we study science the more we yet have to explain the rules of science but we are always left with a question on why it chooses to work this way instead of another. As soon as we think we figure it out, we find another aspect that seems to be random. This will be a process that will always exist in man’s search for an explanation or understanding how things work. This choosing of nature to work one way versus another or randomness is what the Rambam calls Bechira. This is a much higher level than we are because at the end of the day it is doing solely the Ratzon hashem. Moshe was much closer to that level because whatever Moshe did was in fact Ratzon hashem. Even though on a micro when Moshe hit the rock or the mitzri it seemed like it was his decision and choice and that G-d may seem to have been angry at Moshe (when he hit the rock). The end result was that he did Ratzon hashem. When the water flooded the world in the Mabul or the sea split for the Jews may seem as nature choosing a dif direction. The end result is Ratzon hashem.

At the end of the day the macro is only Ratzon hashem and on the micro what we interpret as Bechira whether in nature or in ourselves is also Ratzon hashem. The difference is that in nature it is more difficult to see Bechira (on a micro level) unless you study science or are a theologian. That is why it is on a higher level than Bechira of man. Moshe was closer to that level of Bechira.

What is Nature? Rambam and Ramban - Two Conflicting Tradition Based Opinions.

I have presented so far Rambam’s approach that the goal of Torah and Mitzvot is to create a perfected human being, knowledgeable in all the sciences, a truth seeker, who in his search for the ultimate truth – God – understands his role in existence. Acceptance of magic or the supernatural in general is therefore detrimental and deflects man from understanding reality. Idolatry on the other hand is based on just that, the supernatural powers, the “spiritual” forces that supposedly permeate the universe and are the real movers and shakers. That is why the eradication of idolatry and the underlying belief in the supernatural is at the center of many Mitzvot. (In an article in the upcoming Hakirah, which is in distribution right now, I discuss this in great detail.)

That position however is not universal among the great Jewish thinkers. Ramban is the most eloquent presenter of a completely opposing view. To him the supernatural IS reality. There is no real science. It is all an illusion. God has transferred the day-to-day running of the universe to the “spiritual” powers. If one wants to understand how things work, understanding how these powers work and what makes them tick, is the key. Science in the sense that we understand it, the unchanging laws that underlie observable phenomena, is nothing more than an illusion. In reality, the “spirits” control everything and it is their modus operandi to let things follow a pattern most of the time. They can however change things on a whim. One can therefore not find God through understanding science. On the contrary, science leads one away from God.

I believe that this point about Ramban’s understanding of nature was missed by Professor David Berger in his oft-quoted article, Miracles and the Natural Order in Nahmanides available at http://www.zootorah.com/books/MiraclesNahmanides.pdf . Professor Berger shows that Ramban’s miracles are reserved for the very wicked and the righteous while the rest are under the “natural order” of things. I agree with Prof Berger on that point. However, the “natural order” of things according to Ramban is not science but the supernatural. There is really no continuity and repetitiveness in nature just a constant directive from God when dealing with the Jewish people in the land of Israel, or through His messengers, the supernatural powers, for the rest of the world.

Ramban based his understanding on the reality of the scientific knowledge of his time. After so many millennia, humankind could still not explain coherently the mysterious phenomena they observed. Medicine, chemistry (alchemy as it was known in those days), physics were all full of unanswered questions and the only conclusion was that the patterns were illusions. There was always a power behind all these occurrences that caused these things to occur, sometimes intervening, at others letting things run on their own. It is the existence of these supernatural powers that make it obvious that there is a God that rules over all of them. There is no need to prove the existence of God. It is an observable phenomenon that all that can see must admit to. How else do we explain whimsical nature?

The implications of this understanding are enormous. Mitzvot have an intrinsic value. They are the secrets that God gave us through revelation, that somehow affect how God reacts to us. If we do a Mitzvah, we trigger a spiritual avalanche of good which makes sure we are not harmed by natural (other spiritual) forces. If we do not, negative things are triggered. There is really no need to look for explanations about Mitzvot other than that they have secret powers to affect our lives. Magic exists and is real; in fact, it is reality itself. It is however forbidden for a Jew to avail himself of it. It is left for the other nations of the world while Jews must ignore it and rely on God. Prophets are surrogate magicians and fortunetellers. Magicians have power too but the prophet is more powerful because he is directly under God’s sway while the magicians are ruled by His proxies.

The point I am trying to make is that the two positions are radically different. We have to always keep that in mind when we read and analyze different opinions on the subject of reward and punishment, miracles, providence and Ta’amei Hamitzvot for example. We have to determine to what school the author belongs. Attempts at conflating the two positions have fallen flat and are lame. It is only by keeping in mind the vast chasm between the two opinions that we will be able to properly understand and assess the different positions that result from each of them.

There is another important point that has to be made. These two schools go back in time and the Rabbis of the Mishna and Gemara too had different opinions about this issue. That is why we find texts that seem to support one or the other. Before we use a text to attack either one of the two opinions, we must ascertain to which school the text belongs. Of course, within the two schools of opinion, there are many variations. However, it is important to figure out each variant, on which concept of nature it is based. That is the only way to make sense of the various positions.

Who Needs Doctors?

In this week’s Parsha, Bechukotai, Ramban (Vaykra 26:11) discusses the blessings that the Torah promises to those who follow its ways. He then touches upon the issue of using doctors to heal us.

רמב"ן ויקרא פרק כו

והכלל כי בהיות ישראל שלמים והם רבים, לא יתנהג ענינם בטבע כלל, לא בגופם, ולא בארצם, לא בכללם, ולא ביחיד מהם, כי יברך השם לחמם ומימם, ויסיר מחלה מקרבם, עד שלא יצטרכו לרופא ולהשתמר בדרך מדרכי הרפואות כלל, כמו שאמר (שמות טו כו) כי אני ה' רופאך. וכן היו הצדיקים עושים בזמן הנבואה, גם כי יקרם עון שיחלו לא ידרשו ברופאים רק בנביאים, כענין חזקיהו בחלותו (מ"ב כ ב ג:

Generally, when the majority of the Jews are perfect, they are not under the sway of natural laws, neither as to their body nor as to their land, neither as individuals nor as a group. For God will bless their bread and water, thereby removing illnesses from among them to the point they will never need doctors or their medicines as it says “for I God am your healer”. That is how the righteous behaved at the time of prophecy, they sought out prophets rather than doctors as Chizkyahu did when they became sick because of a particular transgression.

Ramban had explained earlier that sicknesses result when the land is cursed producing fruits that cause sickness while when God blesses it, the food itself is medicinal. Thus if a majority of the people are righteous the produce of the land is blessed and sickness is eliminated. Ramban is consistent with his understanding that science is an illusion. Observable phenomena are a result of, either the indirect control of God via spirits or other such supernatural powers, or, as in the case of the Jews in their land, God’s direct intervention. He then makes a famous statement:

ומה חלק לרופאים בבית עושי רצון השם

What place do doctors have in the house of those who fulfill God’s will?

אבל ברצות השם דרכי איש אין לו עסק ברופאים

When God approves of a man’s ways, doctors have no place with him.

In general, Ramban sees the use of medicine as a concession and a human weakness. Righteous people would never avail themselves of doctors nor would they need to.

In Massechet Pessachim, the Mishna says that Chizkyahu destroyed the Book of Healings. Rambam proposes two possibilities as the reason. Either the book contained magical potions which are nonsensical harming people who used them instead of good medicine. Another possibility is that it contained poisons that people used to harm others. It is because of one of these reasons that Chizkyahu decided to destroy it. Rambam is not satisfied and continues:

פירוש המשנה לרמב"ם מסכת פסחים פרק ד

ולא הארכתי לדבר בענין זה אלא מפני ששמעתי וגם פירשו לי ששלמה חבר ספר רפואות שאם חלה אדם באיזו מחלה שהיא פנה אליו ועשה כמו שהוא אומר ומתרפא, וראה חזקיה שלא היו בני אדם בוטחים בה' במחלותיהם אלא על ספר הרפואות, עמד וגנזו. ומלבד אפסות דבר זה ומה שיש בו מן ההזיות, הנה ייחסו לחזקיה ולסיעתו שהודו לו סכלות שאין ליחס דוגמתה אלא לגרועים שבהמון. ולפי דמיונם המשובש והמטופש אם רעב אדם ופנה אל הלחם ואכלו שמתרפא מאותו הצער הגדול בלי ספק, האם נאמר שהסיר בטחונו מה', והוי שוטים יאמר להם, כי כמו שאני מודה לה' בעת האוכל שהמציא לי דבר להסיר רעבוני ולהחיותני ולקיימני, כך נודה לו על שהמציא רפואה המרפאה את מחלתי כשאשתמש בה. ולא הייתי צריך לסתור פירוש זה הגרוע לולי פרסומו.

I talk about this at length because I heard and was also told that Shlomo composed this book of healing to be used by sick people. It was a very effective medical treatise and worked as predicted. Any sick person that turned to it and followed its instructions was healed. As Chizkyahu realized that instead of turning to God when sick, they used the medicines recommended in the book to heal themselves, he decided to destroy it. Besides this making no sense and being a fantasy too, they also accuse Chizkyahu and his group of perpetrating a stupidity that one would not expect from the lowest among the masses. According to their idiotic and erroneous imagination, a hungry person that eats bread, relieving his great pain, demonstrates that he does not rely on God? O fools that they are! The same way I thank God when I eat for having provided me things that alleviate my hunger and thus sustain me, so too do I thank Him for having provided me with the cure to my illness that is available for my use. It should not have been necessary for me to negate this explanation if not for the fact that it is so widespread!

The contrast between Ramban and Rambam’s understanding is jarring. As we saw to Rambam, understanding the sciences is the way to finding God. It shows His greatness and omniscience. Ramban on the other hand sees science as deflecting from God. The repetitiveness of what we consider to be natural law is an illusion. If we look carefully, we will see that there are powers that influence things at whim. While all the other nations are under the auspices of the stars and the spirits, we, the Jewish people, when in our land, are under the direct control of God. If we follow His laws, nothing bad can happen to us. That obviously miraculous providence is the greatest proof for the existence of God, the Creator.

The implications of these two world views are immense and affect how we are to understand providence, reward and punishment, prayer and generally, what the meaning of Mitzvot is.

Discovering Our Role - Developing an Accurate Knowledge of the Universe.

In my last post, I suggested that it is humankind’s goal to understand its purpose and role in existence and act accordingly. The answer to this question, unfortunately or maybe fortunately, was not handed to us on a platter. We are expected to figure out on our own what our role is supposed to be. How are we supposed to go about it? The obvious and only answer is to observe carefully our existence, the environment we find ourselves in, both from a macro and micro perspective, trying to read the clues as to where we belong in it and what is expected from us.

As we look at the world we live in, we see that there is a built in mechanism for survival. All the components are interdependent and function together to a fascinating degree. Biological entities depend on each other for sustenance and survival, the ecosystem is finely tuned to insure its continuity and the same applies to every other component of our world and universe. It is therefore clear that each component’s goal is to survive and at the same time ensure the survival of other components that depend on it directly or indirectly. Thus, in addition to its own survival, each component also plays a role in the survival of the whole.

However, if we look carefully we see that all these components function in a predictable and automatic mode. The lion is hungry, he preys on other animals, the sun evaporates the waters of the seas and lakes, they gather in clouds and rise to cooler air, the wind pushes them over land and the waters return to feed the living organisms on land. Tehilim Perek 104 so eloquently presents this whole picture. There is no individual thought process, ethical or moral choice or any conscious thought process in all these components except man. From a functional perspective, man is outstanding in that he thinks and may choose how to act. That capacity of thinking and choosing therefore must be an important aspect of man’s role in the survival of the universe. It is this capacity to think and act accordingly that must be the sine qua non of his existence.

That capacity to think and choose is a function that man has because of the mind he possesses, the thinking part of man. Unlike all the other components of the universe, man has the capacity for self-awareness, he can understand abstract concepts, he can grasp how things work and with all that information, he can change his environment at will. The creativity that comes with this freedom allows man to do unpredictable things, act and react to circumstances as they arise and generally take control of everything.

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם

אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ

בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת

עַל-הָאָרֶץ.

28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them - ‘be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth.'

Apparently, it is this unique capability that gives man the ability to fulfill his intended role in the whole of existence. However, because freedom of thought is an integral part of this ability, there is a risk that man will lose sight of true reality. And this is where things get complicated. The human mind is complex. It has many functions among which are imagination, intuition and rational thought. All three components are crucial to its proper functioning but they have to be kept in perfect balance for man not to go off into a world of fantasy, or miss important aspects because his imagination is too restricted. If his intuition is too suppressed his insights vanish. If it is however founded on imagination and fantasy, it has no realistic value.

Because early man could not understand the true reality of his environment, he developed an imaginary world of spirits and semi physical entities, a world of demons and angels that seemed to answer his questions about how things function. Fantasy and imagination took control of his rational capabilities. These ideas took hold and delayed human development by millennia. These ideas still exists and are with us, especially in the mindlessly “religious” societies. It certainly is quite common still in our own frum communities. It is exactly these ideas, this way of thinking that the Torah is intent on eradicating. In a discussion about the divinity of the Torah, comparing it to other man made legal systems, Rambam says:

You will also find laws which, in all their rules, aim, as the law just mentioned, at the improvement of the material interests of the people. But, in addition, tend to improve the state of the faith of man, to create first correct notions of God, and of angels, and to lead then the people, by instruction and education, to an accurate knowledge of the Universe. This education comes from God; these laws are divine. (MN 2:40)

The Torah contains no theological discussions. It however sets out sets of beliefs that it expects its followers to understand and prove their truths, each according to his capacity. The first such belief is that God exists and is the First Cause, the unique non-contingent Entity. We repeat this thrice daily when we say Shema. We are expected to understand what this means and prove it to ourselves, each according to his capabilities. It tells us that God is the ONLY transcendental entity and EVERYTHING else is physical. The Torah also teaches us that on the seventh day of creation, the day where all was put in place, God rested. From that point on, there was no more divine intervention to change things. The laws of nature took over. Any anomaly, what we would consider to be a miracle, was preset before the seventh day (see Avot Perek 5 Mishna 5). Angels are not some kind of semi physical entities – such entities do not exist and are at the core of idolatry – but descriptions of natural forces that are governed by the laws of nature set in place at creation.

ד עֹשֶׂה מַלְאָכָיו רוּחוֹת; מְשָׁרְתָיו, אֵשׁ לֹהֵט. 4 Who makes winds His messengers, the flaming fire His ministers (Tehilim 104).

I am just mentioning the above as examples to clarify. The Torah has several more such beliefs that it asks us to accept and then go back and think about them so that a rational understanding can be developed of what they mean. (I will discuss in a separate post what they are and why there should be preset beliefs and not require man to develop a priori concepts based on empirical evidence). It is only if we have a correct notion about the metaphysics that underlie our existence that we can have an “accurate knowledge of the Universe”. Otherwise, we are blinded and sidetracked. Instead of looking for natural laws that explain the workings of the perceived mysteries of our existence, our world and universe, we hang our hat on mystical and supernatural explanations. Science, the knowledge that gives us the necessary “accurate knowledge of the universe” does not thrive in a supernatural environment. If we are to understand our role and place in the survival of the whole of existence, we have to develop a better understanding of the universe we live in. It is only then that we will grasp the true intent of God in creating us, understanding how we are to emulate Him in ensuring the continuity of existence. It is only after creating man that the Torah says –

לא וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד 31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was exceedingly good.

That is because it man’s role to emulate God, the ultimate eternal Existent, the source of all existence, the greatest “Good”, and thus do “good” by ensuring existence. Contributing to the existence of the whole is “exceedingly good” - טוֹב מְאֹד. It is with this in mind that Rambam closes his magnum opus of theology, the Guide of The Perplexed,

The object of the above passage is therefore to declare, that the perfection, in which man can truly glory, is attained by him when he has acquired--as far as this is possible for man--the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Providence, and of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence. Having acquired this knowledge, man will then be determined always to seek loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, thus imitating the ways of God. (MN 3:54).

More to come in upcoming posts including the role of Torah, revelation and also, I hope to deal with the great controversial subject of Ikarim (dogma).