What Counts The Most
"The Torah teaches us that the pinnacle of human understanding was achieved during the mass revelation which occurred at Mount Sinai. G-d’s revealed wisdom is eternal and infallible."
By Andrew Rashkow
When Sir Isaac Newton commented, “If I have seen further, it is only because I have stood on the shoulders of giants,” not only was he paying homage to the great mathematicians and natural philosophers who preceded him, but he also managed to perfectly encapsulate the contrasting views between secular and — l’havdil — Torah scholarship.
The Torah teaches us that the pinnacle of human understanding was achieved during the mass revelation which occurred at Mount Sinai. And then, shortly thereafter, following the sin of the golden calf, each succeeding generation’s level of comprehension has declined. The majority of humanity is more likely to share Newton’s worldview in which knowledge is considered to be cumulative and thus forms an ever larger and encompassing edifice with each new passing era.
At first blush, the Newtonian view seems to have history on its side. It is well documented how many times science, math, physics and other areas of academic pursuit have benefitted by revising, refining or occasionally altogether abandoning previously accepted theories, later found to be incomplete or inaccurate by failing to withstand the test of time. This substantial list would include Newtonian physics itself, whose approximate calculations are still accurate enough to guide a rocket ship to the moon, yet ultimately fail to provide any explanation or insight into gravity’s ability to act at a distance. This crucial deficiency formed an impassable roadblock towards a more comprehensive understanding of matter in our universe prior to Einstein’s theory of relativity.
The Torah never has been nor ever will be revised. G-d’s revealed wisdom is eternal and infallible. Regarding the calumnies commonly heard in coffee shops or campus commissaries, they may be passionate and loud but they are also equally misinformed and unfounded. Whether the text being caricatured is regarded as anachronistic, chauvinistic, or even barbaric; one thing is for sure — it is always completely misrepresented. While unfortunately this column doesn’t provide the venue for a deeper exploration of this important topic, it will have to suffice to point out that to dismiss all of the diligence and toil of Torah scholars as either not being bright enough or decent enough to provide refutations to the surface level, knee-jerk objections of people selectively quoting (or misquoting) a piece of text which they have neither studied nor deeply contemplated, does a tremendous disservice to all those who are ultimately joined in the genuine pursuit of truth.
There is also another foundational approach in trying to reckon with what is authentically true.
While it is easy to find things about which to argue, it is often worthwhile to consider the things upon which everyone agrees. There is a Torah. There are Jews. These readily conceded facts lead to one of two divergent options: Either the Torah was written by a person or people, who among many other things, randomly designated one day per week as Shabbat with all of its myriad of intricate and arcane details and then somehow managed to convince others to follow without leaving behind any historic record of having done so, or the Creator revealed himself to the Jewish people at Sinai as described by the Torah itself. Which hypothesis is a more reasonable explanation of the phenomenon that thousands of years later, millions of people still observe Shabbat with all of its rules as dictated by the Torah?
And finally, a story.
In the 1970’s, the great rosh yeshiva Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l was sitting on a plane next to a famous, secular Israeli politician. After politely engaging the Rav with some initial questions and answers, they each settled into their travel routine for the long flight. Many hours later, having witnessed Rav Yaakov’s son and grandchildren taking turns checking in with him and providing him with wonderful care and attention all flight, the non-religious politician could not help but express his puzzlement:
“I am also traveling with my extended family,” he commented. “How come your children and grandchildren attend to you as if you were a king and mine have disappeared completely for the past nine hours?”
Rav Yaakov smiled in his kindly way and inquired, “It would seem from our earlier discussion that you believe in the theory of evolution. Is that correct?” The man responded, “I don’t know what that has to do with anything, but, yes, of course. Most intelligent people today do. But why do you bring that up now? We will be landing soon and I just wanted to know how to get my family to act like yours.”
Rav Yaakov's retort has become one for the ages: “We believe the greatest moment in our national history occurred when the Torah was given at Sinai. Each generation closer to that event is greater than the next because of its proximity to the holiness and power of that experience. Therefore, my children and grandchildren look up to me as a link to that astounding episode. You, my friend, believe and convey to your family that we are all descendants of apes. You think mankind has been evolving for eons to ever greater heights and intellectual capabilities. Therefore, they see you as just one step closer to those monkeys, so why indeed should they give you any respect? If anything, following your own beliefs, you should give them honor and respect.”
We are currently counting the fifty days of sefiras ha-omer as we approach the holiday of Shavuot, which is also called the celebration of the giving of the Torah. It is asked: Why not refer to the occasion as the celebration of receiving the Torah? The answer given is that while the giving of the Torah was a one-time event only, the receiving of Torah is a daily occurrence for all those who choose.
ANDREW RASHKOW is the CEO of Imbibe, Co-founder of Heaven’s Door Spirits, and a Jerusalem-based Teacher and Adviser.
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"Regarding the calumnies commonly heard in coffee shops or campus commissaries, they may be passionate and loud but they are also equally misinformed and unfounded. Whether the text being caricatured is regarded as anachronistic, chauvinistic, or even barbaric; one thing is for sure — it is always completely misrepresented. While unfortunately this column doesn’t provide the venue for a deeper exploration of this important topic, it will have to suffice to point out that to dismiss all of the diligence and toil of Torah scholars as either not being bright enough or decent enough to provide refutations to the surface level, knee-jerk objections of people selectively quoting (or misquoting) a piece of text which they have neither studied nor deeply contemplated, does a tremendous disservice to all those who are ultimately joined in the genuine pursuit of truth."
What resources would you recommend to those of us who want to explore the work of these Torah scholars further?
Great piece.
Hashem put it all in front of us. Whether we can pick up what He's been laying down is another story entirely. Might I recommend to the kneejerk screamers and shallow-reading bellowers, that trying a year of more contemplative silence than stridency might help.
Minor typo: "....Shabbat with all of its myriad of intricate and arcane..." should read "....Shabbat with all of its myriad intricate and arcane..."