In the words of the Chovos Halevovos, there are levels of declaring G-d׳s oneness. There are ones who simply accept what their tradition is, and ones who believe in it. For declaring His TRUE oneness (e.g. in shema) one must base it on logic and rational arguments (שער ראשון - שער ייחוד, ב). When one lacks these rational arguments (as is becoming harder nowadays due to scientific theories of how the world runs becoming logical and plausible) how can he reach that level of emunah. Furthermore, someone like this will understand that the rationale for him keeping Torah and Mitzvos is actually his Mesorah and peer pressure from society, not because he believes it in his heart. How then can he learn לשמה, for the sake of truth? I feel that this is the case with many young boys who do not do their obligated to explore the basis for their emuna, not realising that they lack it, and frankly I also fear my faith stumbling and before Shavuos wish to have incentive that my learning is for the right reasons.

Hello and blessings, Fortunate are you for desiring and striving to attain an inner faith and Torah study for its own sake, for this is the proper and fitting way to study Torah and fulfill the commandments. Of course, this subject is extremely deep and broad, and entire books have been written about it. Nevertheless, I will try to summarize and touch upon the main points. In truth, every Jew, by virtue of his soul itself, believes in God and in His Torah even before proving the truth of these matters to himself through various proofs. Just as a person knows he is alive even before proving it, so too he knows, from the essence of his soul, that there is a God who watches over the world and that he is connected to Him. Therefore, I do not think that the reason you or your friends observe Torah and mitzvot is merely the result of social pressure. Deep down, your observance stems from an inner faith, and most likely you also sense this faith to some degree. At the same time, your words are correct: one must strengthen the faith that already exists within the soul, understand it more deeply with the intellect, and feel it in the heart. Faith is the essence of life and the foundation of religion, and therefore it must be strengthened. How does one strengthen the faith that already exists within the soul? There are several ways. We will mention them briefly and afterward elaborate: By contemplating the wonders of creation, faith is strengthened. Likewise, by reflecting upon the tradition we received from our forefathers. Also, through contemplating the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Bible throughout the generations, especially the prophecies regarding God’s providence over the Jewish people throughout all generations, and particularly in recent generations in our holy land. Furthermore, by reflecting upon God’s providence over the righteous, and His providence over every individual Jew. In addition, through contemplating the depth of the Torah and the wonders found within it. We will now detail the various proofs and expand upon them later in the section titled “Sources and Further Elaboration.” Proof from Creation: When one sees a complex and orderly system functioning with precision and harmony, it is obvious that there is someone who designed and manages it, just as an automated factory testifies to the existence of an intelligent engineer and planner. The more harmoniously the system functions without visible intervention, the greater the wisdom of the planner is revealed. Therefore, when one contemplates the wondrous order of the universe, nature, and the human body in all their immense complexity, it becomes necessary to conclude that there is an intelligent Creator and Ruler responsible for all this. However, this basic understanding alone is still insufficient to understand that the Creator also supervises the world, chose the Jewish people, and gave them His Torah. For this we require additional proof. Tradition: Millions of people stood at Mount Sinai and heard the word of God revealed to them as a nation. They received the Torah from the Creator and transmitted it from generation to generation — there is no doubt that this is true. It is impossible that someone in one generation could invent a book and distribute it to people claiming that the Creator gave a Torah to millions of people. Especially since the book obligates us to perform many things, some whose reasons we understand and some whose reasons we do not. It should also be added that in every generation the story was transmitted by hundreds of thousands of people from different circles and lands, yet with the same wording. From the time the Torah was given, the tradition was never changed, even among the nations of the world. The Fulfillment of the Prophecies of the Torah and the Prophets: The Torah was given approximately 3,500 years ago. One can clearly see that throughout the generations; the prophecies of the Torah and the prophets were fulfilled and continue to be fulfilled in a wondrous manner. We will point to several examples of prophecies that were fulfilled clearly. God’s Providence Over His People and His Torah: A. The scattering of the Jewish people and suffering among the nations: The Torah describes the worldwide dispersion of the Jewish people to all corners of the earth, as well as a reality of unrest and continual persecution among the nations — “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all peoples, from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:64). Indeed, after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jewish people were scattered throughout the world. It also says: “And among these nations shalt thou find no ease…” (ibid. 65), which was fulfilled throughout the many exiles. B. Nevertheless, the Torah promises that the Jewish people will never cease to exist — “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly…” (Leviticus 26:44). Indeed, despite all difficulties, the Jewish people survived for thousands of years against all odds. C. The Torah also states that the Torah itself will never be forgotten from Israel — “It shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Indeed, after thousands of years in all the Jewish dispersions, the same Torah was preserved, with only differences in customs. This applies both to the text itself and to Torah knowledge — millions of Jews throughout the world continue to study Torah. D. A general return to the Land of Israel and the ingathering of exiles from all corners of the earth is promised, together with improvement in the condition of the people — “Then the Lord thy God will return… and gather thee from all the peoples…” (Deuteronomy 30), along with many other verses in the prophets. We see with our own eyes the return of the Jewish people to their land. About 150 years ago there were approximately 25,000 Jews here. Today, there are more than seven million Jews, thank God. E. The Torah and the prophets testify that the Land of Israel would not yield its fruits generously during the exile while the Jewish people were absent from it (Leviticus 26:32–33): “And I will bring the land into desolation… and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.” The verses also testify that when Israel returns to its land, the land will once again yield its fruits: “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel” (Ezekiel 36:8). All this is visibly fulfilled. Before the Jewish people returned to their land, the country was desolate, as many sages throughout the generations described. The writer Mark Twain, in his journal from his visit to the land approximately 170 years ago, described this in detail. Today, the Land of Israel has developed and flourishing agriculture. Proofs from God’s Providence Over the Righteous: As mentioned above, there exists a special and miraculous providence over the Jewish people as a whole throughout the generations. At the same time, there is also a special providence over the righteous individuals in every generation — people whom one can see, know, and meet. Time and again it is apparent that God protects them in a unique way, assists them in their affairs, and that their blessings are fulfilled. Whoever reads books of stories about righteous individuals can recognize this. I do not mean only extraordinary righteous people who, according to testimonies, lived almost constantly within an openly miraculous reality, and through whom miracles occurred, such as the Baba Sali, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. Rather, I mean that even one who reads books about Torah sages who are not specifically known as miracle workers will discover that they too lived under evident and special providence. I could almost say: Tell me the name of a true and famous righteous Torah sage, and I will show you testimonies from trustworthy people that his blessings were fulfilled and that things beyond the natural occurred through him. One example among many is Rabbi Aryeh Levin of blessed memory, known as the “Jerusalem Tzaddik” and as a man of extraordinary kindness, although he was not specifically famous as a miracle worker. Yet anyone who reads the books by Simcha Raz about Rabbi Aryeh Levin — A Tzaddik in Our Time and Tzaddik Yesod Olam — will notice that interwoven among the many stories of his kindness and deeds are numerous stories of special Divine providence, fulfilled blessings, true dreams, and revelations from the World of Truth. The stories are presented in the names of the people who told them, from reliable and recognizable individuals. Incidentally, even the stories of Rabbi Aryeh Levin’s acts of kindness that are unrelated to miracles serve as a kind of proof — perhaps even a powerful proof — of the truth of the Torah, because through them one sees how the Torah sanctifies and elevates a person and brings him to such lofty levels of moral and human perfection. Of course, there are certain storybooks that are not entirely reliable, and even in reliable books there may sometimes be details that are not completely accurate. Therefore, one may perhaps question a particular story. However, it is difficult to dismiss entire books based on many testimonies from trustworthy and upright people living among us. God’s Providence Over “Ordinary” Jews: There are many books and pamphlets that publish stories of Divine providence in the lives of “ordinary” Jews, not only great righteous individuals. For example, one person recounts meeting his wife in an extraordinarily unlikely way. Another happened to meet precisely the doctor who knew how to solve his medical problem. Someone else unexpectedly missed a bus and thereby avoided an accident, and so on. These stories strengthen the understanding that the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over a person’s life, accompanies him, and cares for him even in the small details of life. Even here, it is clear that not all stories of this kind are equally reliable. Some stories are difficult to verify, and there are also cases that may sound impressive but do not necessarily constitute clear proof of a special miracle or exceptional Divine providence, as the storyteller wishes to present them. Nevertheless, many—and perhaps most—of the stories published about Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratit) do indeed create a strong impression of Heavenly guidance. In addition, almost every person can recall incidents that occurred to them which appear to be special Providence. It turns out that many people could write at least one such story from their lives, if they were to contemplate it. It seems that the more a person pays attention to these matters and reflects upon them, the more they notice examples of Divine Providence in their personal life. Proof from the Depth of the Torah Anyone who studies Torah seriously is greatly amazed by its depth, breadth, and beauty. It is not for nothing that the giants of Israel—among the greatest and deepest minds in humanity—engage in it constantly day and night, and all the time discover additional depths and novel insights within it. This is evident both in the analytical books on the Gemara and in the books of the Halachic decisors (Poskim), in which a wondrous depth of thought is revealed. Likewise, in the books of the inner dimensions of the Torah (Pnimiyut HaTorah), there are depths upon depths, and ideas that illuminate the soul and rejoice the heart. It appears that this constitutes an additional proof of the truth of the Torah. If the Torah were merely a human creation, it would be difficult to understand how it could contain such an immense and infinite depth, which continues to be revealed and renewed generation after generation. It is difficult to convey this feeling in words alone; anyone who studies Torah seriously can feel it for themselves. Contemplating the Wonders of the Torah Beyond the depth of the Torah, it also contains wondrous and awe-inspiring elements. This refers to unique gematriot (numerical values), hints found in acronyms (Rashei Teivot) and word-endings (Sofei Teivot), and many other precise connections that are difficult to view as the result of human creation alone. Novellae and hints of this kind are scattered throughout the entire literature of the Torah. There are also books that deal with this extensively, such as the commentary of Baal HaTurim on the Torah. Another example can be seen in the books of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, particularly in Likutei Moharan, where in a single Torah lesson, many details are bound together through acronyms, word-endings, gematriot, and additional hints. The reader is often left astonished by the richness and wisdom contained in the words. By the way, it appears that this also provides a certain proof of Divine Providence (Hashgacha Elyona) over the giants of Israel and the Heavenly assistance (Siyata DiShmaya) that accompanies them. Many times it seems that such deep and comprehensive insights are not the result of human talent alone, but of a special illumination and assistance from Heaven. This applies not only to the realm of hints, but also to the world of Halacha and analysis: there are insights from the giants of the generations, both in their depth and scope, that appear to the observer as something sublime beyond ordinary human capacity. Strengthening the Soul As stated, beyond all the proofs and intellectual considerations, there is also an inner certainty in the depth of the soul, which senses the truth of faith. For this reason, the strengthening of faith does not necessarily stem from constant engagement with proofs for the existence of the Creator and the truth of the Torah, but primarily from increasing the light of the soul in general. This is accomplished through the study of Torah—and in particular, the study of the inner dimensions of the Torah in the proper measure—as well as through prayer, the fulfillment of Mitzvot, and the service of God in general. Alongside this, there is a need to remove as much as possible the screens that obscure the light of the soul and its inner manifestation, which are transgressions and desires. The more a person purifies themselves, the more deeply and clearly the inner connection to faith is revealed within them. The Difficulty to Believe – The Commitment to Torah A person who approaches the task of clarifying the truth of faith is, to a certain extent, "biased" (nogea badavar). Many times it is difficult for a person, even in their subconscious, to accept faith in God, the Torah, and the Mitzvot, because they understand that accepting them obligates them to change their life and set boundaries for themselves. Therefore, even when it seems to them that they are examining matters in a completely objective manner—it is highly possible that inner desires are at work, biasing their judgment. The desire for unlimited freedom and the gratification of desires can serve as a kind of inner "bribe" that distances a person from accepting faith. What does one do in the face of this reality? First, it is important to be aware of it and to recognize that a person is not always as objective as they think. Second, one should not suffice only with intellectual and dry proofs that do not touch the heart. It is also important to understand how the Torah illuminates a person's life, gives them meaning, and gladdens the soul. When a person feels that the Torah touches their inner world and benefits them, they become more open to wanting to accept the truth and to truly take an interest in it. Faith vs. Scientific Theories Regarding what you wrote—that today it is more difficult to believe because of scientific theories about how the world operates that seem logical and convincing—there is no reason to be alarmed by these theories. One must study these matters deeply, and thus it becomes clear that there is no real contradiction between scientific understanding and the foundations of faith, and one can even see how scientific knowledge itself can integrate into and deepen the understanding of faith and Providence. There are many books that deal with questions of faith versus science and discussions on theories that seemingly appear to contradict faith. In this context, one can examine the essays of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, printed among other places in Otzar Igrot Kodesh (pp. 213-242). There, references to these topics can be found. Likewise, the book Teshuvot LeShe'elot HaChaim concentrates letters dealing with various questions of faith and contemporary challenges. ________________________________________ Sources and Expansion We will now expand on the matters we wrote about and note several sources. Strengthening Faith – The First Positive Commandment in Sefer HaMitzvot The first commandment in the Sefer HaMitzvot of the Rambam is to believe in God. And so wrote the Chafetz Chaim in Sefer HaMitzvot HaKatzar (Positive Commandments, Mitzvah 1): It is a positive commandment to believe that there is an existing God. As it is said (Exodus 20:2): "I am the Lord your God, etc." — and He, blessed and exalted be He, brought into existence all existing things and all worlds, by His power and His will, blessed be He, and He oversees everything. And this is the foundation of the religion. And whoever does not believe this is a denier of the core principle (kofer b'ikar), and has no portion or right in Israel. And we are obligated to surrender our lives and our wealth for this faith. And the main thing is that he establish in his soul that the truth is so, and it is impossible to be otherwise. And this applies at all times and every moment, for males and females. Thus far the words of the Chafetz Chaim. The Certainty of Faith Fixed in the Essence of the Soul It is commonly thought that faith in God implies that there is no possibility of proving the truth of the existence of God and His Torah through intellect, and therefore one must necessarily believe that He exists even though the matter is subject to doubt. In truth, faith in God is certain and fixed within the soul of man. Thus wrote Maran HaRa'ayah Kook (Ma'amarei Re'ayah, p. 70): "Faith is neither intellect nor emotion, but the most fundamental self-revelation of the essence of the soul, which must guide it according to its characteristic nature; and when its natural path is not corrupted, it needs no other content to support it, but finds everything within itself. At a time when its light weakens, then the intellect and emotion come to clear a path before it. And even then, it needs to know its value—that its servants, the intellect and emotion, are not its actual essence." And in Orot (Orot Yisrael 8:1), he explained that in this matter there is a difference between Israel and the nations. In Israel, faith is fixed, and denial comes only out of desires and confusion. His words: "Indeed, this is a special heritage for Israel, that stable faith is natural to them, due to the revealed heritage of the revelation of the Divine Presence, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people—has God ever assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation?' Conversely, denial is unnatural for them, and possible only through the audacity of intoxication, arising from stubbornness or desires. This is not the case among the nations of the world, where the existence of faith among them is precisely through intoxication, for great tangible matters were not revealed to them concerning the foundations of their beliefs; therefore, their human nature does not dictate belief except through intoxicating consent and overcoming nature. Therefore, the innocence of faith in its simplicity is very good for Israel, which is also clarified like a clear day, 'pure as the sun'." And in Middot HaRa'ayah (Letter Yud), he explained that within every single person of the Jewish people, there is a Divine light in the inner depths of the soul. His words: The great Divine faith that is in the heart of Israel has no value, comparison, or parable, and even Israeli heresy is full of faith and holiness, much more than all the beliefs of all the nations combined. And even though it expresses words of levity and denial, in the depths of the soul there is a Divine light of cleaving (devekut) and of thirst for the living God, the God of Israel, even to the point of self-sacrifice. And in another phrasing, this is brought in the name of HaRa'ayah Kook in the book LeShlosha BeElul (p. 93): "The greatest heretic in Israel is more of a believer than the greatest believer among the nations." This principle is brought in a sharp manner in the book Mo'adei HaRa'ayah (p. 90): "Gandhi (an Indian leader who advocated non-violent struggle against the British occupier) fasted twenty-one days, and behold an article of his was published concerning the matter of the fast, and he explains there that during the fast his thought engages with Divinity. 'They will say—says Gandhi—that Divinity is only an imagination; if so, it is possible that the entire world is also an imagination, and if so—the imagination of Divinity is more sublime.' We see that even the righteous of the nations of the world perform their actions not out of certainty but out of doubt. In contrast, our virtue—the virtue of Israel—is that we stand at the level of Torah, which is entirely certain; before us there are no doubts, we say: 'The certain is His name, so is His praise'—His name is certain to us. Indeed, a single Yom Kippur of a Jew is greater than twenty-one fasts of Gandhi." And it is further brought there from the writings of Rabbi Kook: "The Torah is above human intellect, because the intellect stands on doubt, and the Torah is certain..." The Lubavitcher Rebbe related in one of his talks that a certain Hasid complained before the Admor, the 'Tzemach Tzedek', that doubts in faith were falling upon him. The Tzemach Tzedek asked him: "And what do you care?". The Hasid cried out: "Rebbe! But I am a Jew!". The Tzemach Tzedek replied: "If so, then it is good."... And the Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that a Jew believes from the very essence of his soul, and when doubts in faith awaken within him, they constitute an external blemish only. (Sippurim U'Hora'ot, p. 165, from the talk of the night of 2 Iyar 5710). And in Otzar Igrot Kodesh (p. 215), the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote: "That it is not true at all that they do not believe...". See there. The Inner Faith Awakens Even to the Point of Self-Sacrifice Among the Frivolous in Israel Faith, as stated, is fixed within the depths of the soul of every single one of Israel. One of the expressions of this is that even Jews who are not strong in the fulfillment of Mitzvot are awakened to sacrifice their lives when they are required to transgress the Torah or when they are required to defend their people. Thus wrote in the book Agra DeKallah (Leviticus, Parashat Acharei Mot): "And this is by nature for the Israeli man, which is a heritage to us from our forefathers, that when they want to coerce an Israeli man to transgress the religion, God forbid, even the most frivolous of the frivolous sacrifices his life to death and will not transgress." And similar to this in the book of Tanya (Likutei Amarim, Chapter 14): "And even the most frivolous of the frivolous can sacrifice his life for the sanctification of God's Name." Faith from Contemplating Creation The Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote (Otzar Igrot Kodesh, p. 218): "A second method of proof, which is also based on the aforementioned assumption that when one sees actions and phenomena and the conclusions from them, this establishes conduct, even in a place where there is a fear of damage and loss, etc. And that is—when one sees a orderly thing comprising several organized and fitting parts in precise harmony and coordination of parts that have no control over one another, one concludes from this with absolute certainty that there is a power outside of them that is the connector and unifier of all the parts. And the very fact that it is the unifier and connector of the parts proves that it is greater and stronger than them and rules over them. And the example for this: when entering a factory that operates entirely automatically, and no person is seen there, it would not enter one's mind, and without any hesitation, that there is not somewhere a great mechanic who encompasses in his mind all the machines and machine parts and rules over them, assembling and unifying them among themselves and between them and the center of all operations, etc. On the contrary, the more human hand is absent in the aforementioned factory and the more automatically it operates—this testifies to the wonder of the mechanic with greater strength and greater power. And if such is the case regarding a factory, where the spoken matter concerns hundreds or thousands or even tens of thousands of parts, how much more so for one who contemplates our world—in a lump of wood or stone, or flora and fauna, and it goes without saying the structure of the human body, and in the language of the verse 'from my flesh I shall behold God', and particularly according to the explanation of science in our days that every thing is composed of billions of atoms, and every atom has within it several even smaller parts, which seemingly ought to be ruled by chaos and disorder beyond measure, and yet we see that there is a wonderful order and an astonishing compatibility between the small and large and largest parts, and compatibility between the parts of the small world (microcosm) with the parts of the great world (macrocosm), etc., etc.—it is clear without any shadow of doubt that there is a responsible 'mechanic' for all of this." The Ra'ayah Kook wrote that anyone who wishes to claim that creation runs without a "manager," this is something that has no rational logic and is like a claim that creation runs by a miracle. The challenge, according to the words of the Ra'ayah, is understanding how the Divine matter connects with human beings. His words (Kovetz Aleph:328): "The root of denial is absolute foolishness. To believe in a great and frightening miracle, without any necessity and result; the creation of the world and its guidance by the Creator of all in wisdom, this is a very understood and simple matter. All the difficulty that exists in the inquiry of God is in the details, how to bring close to the intellect the Divine matter and the connection between Him and all the worlds, but the very matter that a content of wisdom and outlook, ability and kindness, rules in the entire creation—this there is no place to deny, and conversely, the decision to depict in the heart as a belief, that existence in its entirety, which is so full of precision and wisdom, is something done without intention, is such a miraculous matter, that has no entry into the intellect regarding its possibility." Faith in God from Tradition The Lubavitcher Rebbe formulated the matter in a simple and clear way, his words (Otzar Igrot Kodesh, p. 223): "Is it possible to prove that the Torah was given from Sinai by the Holy One, Blessed be He? The proof for this is already explained in several of my letters, and not only that—but also in the books of the giants of Israel printed for some time, and by bringing an example from his actual life, in the decisive majority of all his matters, I mean: when he performs an action, even one that requires of him a waste of energy or giving money, etc., he does not demand of himself to examine beforehand one hundred percent that the results of this waste will certainly be fulfilled, but rather relies in this on others. And a simple example: when he buys a ticket to travel to wherever he is going, he does not first approach the machine and the train to check it, to study the wisdom involved in it, so that he will be sure that he can travel with his ticket and will arrive at his destination; and so it is not only in matters where the reward of the investment comes immediately and he can be convinced of this after a short hour, but even regarding matters where the results will come after several years; when he examines himself—he will be convinced that he relies not on his own knowledge, but on what trustworthy people passed down, provided that these people are not suspected of lying and that they are not interested in leading him astray. And as the number of those testifying to the correctness of the matter increases, his decision that they are to be relied upon will increase, and even more so, that even in matters that are a question of life and death, and for example a serious operation, Heaven forbid, we rely on the surgeon, if he holds a certificate that he completed his studies with an expert surgeon ten or twenty years ago and testifies that he is a good doctor, and how good it is if more witnesses come and testify that he treated them and succeeded, and with confidence in the said testimony a person is permitted to perform the most serious operation, even though he is one and a mortal, and he himself says that he is liable to err or fail in the operation, even though he succeeded many times in operations such as these, and the entire foundation in this is that he relies on the testimony of other people. However, in serious matters he does not suffice with the testimony of one person or two or three, but inquires and demands the testimony of many people, and the said conduct is even more widespread in all matters connected with what happened in generations past, where it is impossible to discern now whether it was so, yet in all this there is no normal person who would have a doubt in the words of human beings, of three and four historical researchers, and even if in details they contradict one another, the opinion of the majority decides, and especially if the majority is very large—one against ten, a hundred, and a thousand, for then this testimony is accepted as absolute truth. After this introduction: the matter that the Torah was given at Sinai by the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not a concept that was innovated in this era of ours, for we heard it from our fathers, and our fathers from their fathers, and thus a tradition and story ascends from generation to generation, [and in every generation the story was handed down in a precise version—by hundreds of thousands of people from circles completely different from one another, and nevertheless—in an identical version, because from the time of the giving of the Torah there was never a time that the tradition was changed, even among the nations of the world], and up to the generation of the children of those children of Israel who entered the land with Joshua, who heard from their fathers who left Egypt, who themselves stood at Mount Sinai and heard the voice coming forth 'I am the Lord your God'. It is understood and also simple, that if suddenly a rumor of the aforementioned matter had been innovated in one of the intervening generations, it would be impossible for hundreds of thousands to agree among themselves to spread a rumor that there was the matter of the giving of the Torah, and certainly one would say to his fellow; what is this novelty in the land, that we have never heard of. When he contemplates all that is said, he will be able to expand this line of thought further, and as mentioned, it is stronger and stronger regarding all matters in which he relies on rumor regarding what happened ten and twenty years ago. There is no place to object to the aforementioned on the grounds that the Christians and Muslims also number several million souls—because, as mentioned, there is a fundamental difference in this, that the Christian tradition ultimately reduces—to one man (the apostle Paul) or at most to ten or twelve apostles, who said they heard from someone such and such a version, but to them themselves this 'prophecy' was not revealed, etc. That is to say, the tradition reduces to one human being—who is liable to err and make mistakes inadvertently or maliciously. And in this manner it is also among the Muslims, whose beginning of 'faith' is that when Muhammad returned from the desert, he related that 'prophecy' rested upon him, etc., etc." The Survival of the Jewish People and Their Victory Throughout the Generations We mentioned above that it is wondrous and miraculous that the Jewish people survived all the exiles as the Torah prophesied. The famous American writer Mark Twain formulated this beautifully: "He (the Jew) made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He thinkable might be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?" In this context I will add words written by the Gaon Rabbi Asher Weiss, Shlita: "And indeed a great strengthening in faith is learned from the difficult fate of the people of Israel throughout the exile, which is what the Gaon Ya'avetz wrote in Sulam Beit El (and the words were always fluent on the tongue of my master and teacher, the Admor of Klausenburg, author of Divrei Yatziv): 'By my head, when I contemplate our existence in exile, a single sheep among seventy wolves, this miracle is greater in my eyes than all the miracles done for our ancestors in Egypt and upon the sea and in the Land of Israel.' And indeed, the existence of the collective of Israel for eternal generations has no companion or parallel in the history of the days of the world; mighty empires rose and fell, their time passed and their concept ceased and there remained of them no remnant or survivor, and the people of Israel without a land and without a flag, without an army and without sovereignty, scattered and separated among all the nations lives and exists forever and for all eternity. This is nothing other than the virtue of eternity of the collective of Israel as promised in the Torah and in the Prophets, 'And I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you: In your blood, live,' and already the father of the nation Abraham our father said, 'And I am but dust and ashes,' and the Tosafot wrote in Berachot 17a: 'Just as dust does not accept destruction forever, so may it be the will that my seed shall not destroy forever as it says, and your seed shall be as the dust of the earth,' they are what stood for us throughout the length of the exile." Thus far the words of HaGaon Rabbi A. Weiss. A story that illustrates the wonder of the existence of the prophets in our days. Rabbi Reuven Fierman related in his book Emunah Berurah: "And now I want to tell you how I understood this idea for the first time. I was then a youth and went out on a guided group tour in the Old City of Jerusalem. The guide took us to a place where the synagogue of Rabbi Yehuda HeChasid once stood, known as 'The Hurva'. He pulled the Tanakh out of his bag and said; now I want to show you the fulfillment of the prophecy said by Zechariah the Prophet two thousand five hundred years ago: 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand for very age' (Zechariah Chapter 8). He turned to us and said: Look to the right. We looked and saw a group of pensioners sitting on a bench with canes in their hands... 'And now to the left.' Again we looked, and there we saw small children playing with a ball. And he continued: 'And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.' Do you believe that this prophecy was fulfilled?" - asked the guide. "Yes." everyone answered. "No," said the guide, "you are all living it today..."". I will add a story I heard from Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon Shlita: Once a young man approached Rabbi Rimon a few minutes before the Mincha prayer and asked: "Rabbi, I am not sure that there is a God. Is there a proof for this? The Rabbi thought to himself, how to answer him an answer to this huge question a few minutes before Mincha. Rabbi Rimon replied to him thus: "If you were speaking with me a hundred years ago we could have discussed this question from a philosophical perspective and perhaps studied the book Guide for the Perplexed and more. Today, is there a greater proof than the fact that the words of the Torah are being fulfilled before our eyes here in the Land of Israel? After about two thousand years of exile the people of Israel are returning from all lands to the Land of Israel, and are going and building a Jewish state in the Land of Israel with millions of Jews, and prophecies written in the Torah and in the books of the Prophets are being fulfilled before our eyes. Do you have a greater proof than this that the Torah is truth?! The young man thought for a moment and said, "Actually, that sounds very logical." The young man did not return after Mincha. Apparently, the problem was solved... The Land Gives Its Fruits Only to the People of Israel Regarding the prophecy of the Torah that when the people of Israel go out into exile—the land will not give its fruits generously, indeed they testified to this over the generations. The Ramban (Leviticus 26:32) wrote: "And so what it said here, 'And your enemies who dwell upon it shall be desolate,' is a good tidings, announcing throughout all the exiles that our land does not accept our enemies, and this too is a great proof and a promise to us, for you will not find in all the inhabited world a land which is good and broad and which was inhabited from old and is destroyed like it, for since we went out from it, it has not accepted a nation or tongue, and they all endeavor to settle it and it is not within their power." The Ramban himself, who ascended to the land about 800 years ago, writes in a letter (brought in Shach/Responsa Yabia Omer, Part 5, Yoreh Deah, Siman 26): "And what shall I tell concerning the matter of the land, for great is the abandonment and great is the desolation, the sum of the matter: everything more sanctified than its fellow is more destroyed than its fellow, and Jerusalem is destroyed more than all, and the land of Judea more than the Galilee, and there is no Israel within it, for from the time the Tatars came they fled from there, and of them some were killed by their sword, and only two dyers brothers who buy dye from the ruler, to them gather up to a minyan, and they pray in their house on Shabbats and Yom Tovs, and behold we urged them and found a destroyed house and took it for a synagogue, etc." In the year 5627 [1867]—exactly one hundred years before the Six-Day War—the American writer Mark Twain visited the Land of Israel, and wrote the following words: “Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies... Palestine is desolate and unlovely... Palestine is no more of this work-day world... ...Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color, they are unpicturesque in shape. The valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with a feeble vegetation that has an expression about it of being sorrowful and dejected. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea nestle in the midst of a vast stretch of hill and plain wherein the eye rests upon no pleasant tint, no striking object, no soft features picture... Every outline is coarse, every filligree is sharp... It is a hopeless, dreary, broken-hearted land. ...We could not rest even after riding two or three hours from our camp, even though the stream flowed beside us. Therefore we continued on our way another hour. True we saw water, but in all the stretch of desolation around us there was not even a speck of shade, and we were severely roasted in the burning sun. 'As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land'—there is no more beautiful expression than this in all the Bible, and there is no doubt that of all the places we wandered, there is not one capable of granting such a touching meaning to the expression as this parched, exposed, barren land. ...A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse. A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action. We reached Taber safely: we never saw a human being on the whole route. We hardly saw a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country... ...A fast village you will not find along its entire length for a distance of thirty miles... You can ride ten miles in this vicinity and not meet ten people...” And so in Responsa Aseh Lecha Rav (Part 1, Siman 7-12) he wrote: "First and foremost our duty is to base the foundations of faith, that all which our eyes see are stages of the redemption of Israel. And I call to witness two faithful witnesses: the gathering of the exiles and the blossoming of the desolations. And this is the language of our Sages: And what did they see to say the gathering of the exiles after the blessing of the years, as it is written 'But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come,' (and you shall be to them for an inheritance and you shall no more bereave them of children), and afterwards the building of Jerusalem and Messiah son of David (Megillah 17). Rabbi Abba said, you have no revealed end greater than this as it is said 'But you, O mountains of Israel' etc. (Sanhedrin 98). The simple logic of this distinct sign is explained according to the words of our Sages (Ketubot 112a): Rabbi Joshua ben Levi traveled to Gavla, saw large clusters like calves, said calves among the vines, they said to him clusters they are. He said, Land, Land, draw in your fruits, for whom are you bringing forth your fruits, for these Arabs who stood against us in our sins?". See there. Books Pointing to Prophecies Being Fulfilled in Our Days There is much more to lengthen concerning the matter of the prophecies of the Torah and the Prophets being fulfilled in our days. Books have been compiled on this. I will note two books that speak of this: 1. There is a book by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu named HaNevuah (The Prophecy) which shows how over 30 prophecies are being fulfilled one by one, thank God. 2. Rabbi Reuven Fierman also lengthened on this in his book Emunah Berurah. According to the View of Some Giants of Israel, One Should Engage in Intellectual Inquiries and Proofs for the Existence of God As you noted in the question, in the book Chovot HaLevavot (there) he wrote that a person ought to engage in proofs and intellectual inquiries that there is a Creator, etc. Thus he understood the verse "Know this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord He is God, etc." And his words: "And the fourth part is the unification of God in heart and tongue, after he knows how to bring the evidences for it and stand upon the truth of His unity from the path of analysis and proper intellectual considerations, and this is the complete and important part among them, and this level is that which the prophet warned concerning it, in his saying 'Know this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord He is God' etc." Similar to the words of the Chovot HaLevavot, the Rambam wrote in the Guide for the Perplexed (3:54). Other Giants of Israel Opposed Inquiries and Proofs for the Truth of the Creator and the Torah There are among the giants of Israel those who demurred from this path of the Chovot HaLevavot. One of the prominent opposing giants to engaging in proofs and inquiries to recognize the existence of the Creator is Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. He noted that he was already preceded in this instruction by the Alshech and the holy Shelah. We will mention several quotes from the words of Rabbi Nachman in this matter. In the book Sichot HaRan (Talk 5) it is brought in his name that he held that books dealing with inquiries and proofs for faith cause more damage than benefit, his words: "He would greatly deprecate the books of the researchers and philosophers, and said that there is no complete intellect there at all such as exists in some passage of the Maharsha or the Maharam Schiff and the like from our holy books which have within them depth and a wonderful and very pleasant intellect, but in those books this intellect is not found at all, for they speak only by way of analogies from within it and by it until they come to some demonstration, but the intellect that exists in our holy Torah—to differentiate—is not there at all, at all. And he said: Happy is he who does not know at all of their books, but walks in simplicity and has fear of punishment... And whoever studies, God forbid, in the books of the researchers and philosophers, doubts and heresy enter his heart; because every person is born with wickedness, for the nature of every person is drawn after wickedness, meaning after bad desires of this world, May the Merciful save us; only due to fear of punishment does he break his desire and enter into the ways of God. But when he studies in those books of inquiries, God forbid, then he finds for himself doubts and heresies which are an assistance to his wickedness that is in him by nature. And therefore we do not find at all that any person became a proper man and God-fearing by means of the books of researchers, even though there is found in their words some things of good traits and the like, nevertheless everything is vanity, for their loss exceeds their reward because they confuse the mind of man greatly. And see in another place concerning this from the magnitude of the prohibition to study these books, May the Merciful save us. And he said: Happy are we that Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him, chose for us a very good portion and gave us the Torah, and opened it with: 'In the beginning God created the heaven' etc. (Genesis 1:1), without any inquiries and demonstrations of theirs. He only commanded us to believe in the Name, blessed be He, with faith alone, and therefore it is forbidden for us to enter into inquiries at all, God forbid...". And in the book Sichot HaRan (Talk 216) it was brought in the name of Rabbi Nachman: "He said that it is brought in one book that what is brought in the books of the researchers as a proof that one must inquire—from the verse (Deuteronomy 4) 'Know this day, and lay it to your heart' etc., that one must know Him, blessed be He, by way of inquiries; this interpretation is from the sect of the Karaites, who interpret this verse thus: that one must know Him, blessed be He, by way of inquiries, but the truth is not so, for in truth the main thing to know Him, blessed be He, is only by means of complete faith, through which precisely one merits afterwards knowledge and great attainment in the knowledge of His loftiness, blessed be His Name. And as it is written (Hosea 2): 'And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.' [And see in Likutei Halachot in Yoreh Deah, Halachot Giluach, Halacha 3, there it is explained well that the essence of knowledge is by means of faith, see there]. And in truth the main simple meaning of these verses that warn to know Him, blessed be He, such as 'Know this day, and lay it to your heart' etc., and so 'Know the God of your father, and serve Him' (I Chronicles 28), and so 'Know that the Lord He is God' etc. (Psalms 100), the essence of this warning is in simplicity, to know and remember Him, blessed be He, always at every time, and let him not forget Him, blessed be He, Heaven forbid, at any time. Like for example the way of kings and masters who warn their servants that they should know that there is a ruler over them, and particularly the army-men of the kings whom they teach so that they know who their king and emperor is 'so that His fear shall be upon their faces' (Exodus 20) and they will serve their service in completeness. And so it is customary to say to a servant: 'Know that there is a master and ruler over you,' where the intention is—that he should take this into his mind at every time and not forget, lest he do any thing against his will..." See there. [In noting the source citations in the books of Rabbi Nachman, they wrote that the 'one book' about which Rabbi Nachman spoke is the Kuzari (Fifth Essay, Paragraph 21). It appears to me that this is an error. The Kuzari did not write this thing, and in general his method is to prefer simple faith and simplicity, and only when a person is anyway exposed to inquiries and doubts did the Kuzari write that he must clarify concerning the truth of faith through inquiries and intellectual calculations. See in the words of the Kuzari Essay 2, Paragraph 26; Essay 5, Paragraph 1; Essay 1, Paragraph 94; Essay 2, Paragraph 60; Essay 3, Paragraph 22; Essay 4, Paragraph 27). And there is no space to expand here. This error gives an impression to the reader that Rabbi Nachman opposed studying the book of the Kuzari as if it were a book of inquiries, and the matter is not so. Rabbi Nachman did not mention in his words not to study the book of the Kuzari. Also our Master the Vilna Gaon (Gra) who directed a similar guidance, not to study the Sha'ar HaYichud in the book Chovot HaLevavot, added that in place of this one should study the Kuzari. [Thus it is brought in the book Keter Rosh in the glosses of Oholei Chaim [38]: "Our Master the Gra, z"l, was fond of the book Menorat HaMaor and the book Chovot HaLevavot, and in place of Sha'ar HaYichud he would say to study the first book of the Kuzari which is holy and pure, and the essence of the faith of Israel and the Torah depend upon it."]. And in Likutei Moharan (Tinyana, Torah 19) he wrote: "And in truth it is a very great prohibition to be a researcher, God forbid, and to study books of wisdoms, God forbid. Only the very great Tzaddik, he can bring himself into this, to study the seven wisdoms. Because whoever enters into the midst of these wisdoms, God forbid, can fall there. Because there is a stumbling stone in every single wisdom, which is the aspect of Amalek. That through this stumbling stone, they can fall, God forbid. For Amalek was a philosopher and researcher, and denied the core principle etc." See there. And in the book Chayei Moharan (Chapter 'To Distance Oneself from Inquiries'), Rabbi Nachman lengthened in this, and directed not to study the Sha'ar HaYichud of the book Chovot HaLevavot, the Guide for the Perplexed, and the like. See there at length. See further sources on this in the words of Rabbi Nachman in Sichot HaRan, Talks: 5, 32, 33, 40, 81, 102, 216 and further talks after Talk 216.] HaRa'ayah Kook – There is Room for Both Paths Maran HaRa'ayah Kook held that there is room for both paths, and for the completeness of faith it is important to strengthen oneself in faith primarily out of the feeling of the soul and out of the tradition, but along with this, in his opinion, it is also correct to engage in inquiries and proofs for the truth of the Creator. Even though the essence of faith is not the aforementioned inquiries, nevertheless they too are important. We will bring several sources in the words of HaRa'ayah Kook in the matter: One Needs Faith as if There is No Possibility of Inquiry, and Needs Wisdom as if There is No Power of Faith in the Soul HaRa'ayah Kook wrote in the book Orot (Orot Yisrael 8:1): "The purpose of the straight path is, that no power shall diminish its fellow, nor be diminished by it, but rather shall be revealed in all its full strength, as if it were ruling alone. The power of faith must be so complete as if it has no possibility of inquiry, and against this the power of wisdom must be so excellent and quickened as if there were no power of faith at all in the soul. 'Man and beast—clever in knowledge and setting themselves as a beast'." The Main Thing is the Faith Coming from the Straightness of the Heart and the Straight Tendency Maran HaRa'ayah Kook wrote that there are two paths to reach faith. Either intellectual inquiries, and proving the truth of the existence of the Creator etc., or to reach faith through simplicity and straightness, from the side of the straightness of the heart and the straight tendency, from which the complete faith comes. And he explained that natural faith stems from the very soul of man and does not depend on an external factor, and therefore it cleaves to him more. In contrast, faith acquired by inquiry is a more external acquisition, and is not absorbed in man to the same extent. His words (Ein Ayah, Berachot 1:23): "For behold, human perfection, particularly Israeli, it is possible to attain it through two paths: The first, is the path of wisdom and philosophizing, until he recognizes the truth from conclusive demonstrations. And the second, is the path of simplicity and straightness, from the side of the straightness of the heart and the straight tendency, from which the complete faith comes. And justly did the Kuzari praise the path of simplicity more than the path of inquiry according to the ways of wisdom... And behold, the difference is between the attained perfection, from the side of the straightness and faith in straightness of the heart, and between that coming from the side of inquiry, because the natural tendency in the heart is an essential thing in the soul of man, and needs no thing outside of it to awaken it to its perfection, but attainment and wisdom are things separated from man, and need an external awakening to awaken him to his perfection. And certainly preferred is the perfection cleaving to the essence more than that coming from the outside, even though there is an acquisition in it, nevertheless it does not cleave so much to the soul of the one perfecting himself, like the perfection that comes from the side of the very nature of the heart." And in Igrot HaRa'ayah (Part 3, Letter 793, p. 67) he lengthened more on this subject and wrote that in the recent generations (meaning our generations) more fitting is the path of the sages of emotion which is closer to the path of faithfulness more than the path of the Divine researchers, his words: "Only in the details of the paths did the sages of the generations divide, which track a person should choose for himself in his spiritual engagements in a permanent way. For the view of the giants of the Divine researchers, like Rav Saadia Gaon, the Rambam, and the Chovot HaLevavot and their faction is, that the foundation of the mitzvah of faith is itself the mitzvah of knowledge and the deepening of straight inquiry. And in their view held several of the giants of the Kabbalah sages who deepened according to their path. And the view of the giants of the sages of emotion, at whose head stands Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, and in whose footsteps held the author of Akedat Yitzchak, the Don Isaac Abarbanel, the father and also the son Rabbi Yehuda Leon Abarbanel, and many of the giants of the Kabbalists, understanders of the whisper of the emotions of the soul and its inner elevation, went in their path, who cast a crowbar into the entire course of logical inquiry, and based most the foundations of the depth of the holiness of the poetic recognition of the emotions of the soul and its inner elevation. And Rabbi Chasdai Crescas, author of Or Hashem, supported this method precisely upon the depth of the analytical logic itself, and the building of the deep emotion in the abundances of its strength he built on the foundation of the downfall of logical philosophy. And this method, which is closer to the path of faithfulness, is going and strengthening in the course of the spirit of the recent generations...". See further in Ma'amarei Re'ayah, p. 70, p. 105, and p. 485. The Difficulty to Believe – The Commitment to Torah Several books spoke about this—that a person who approaches the task of clarifying the truth of faith is liable to reach an incorrect and irrational conclusion because it is difficult for him to fulfill the Torah and the Mitzvot, and his (animalistic) heart "sends a message" to his intellect not to accept the faith. After time, out of habit—the person is liable to become convinced of his own lies. Thus said Rabbi Nachman (brought above): "And whoever studies, God forbid, in the books of the researchers and philosophers, doubts and heresy enter his heart; because every person is born with wickedness, for the nature of every person is drawn after wickedness, meaning after bad desires of this world, May the Merciful save us; only due to fear of punishment does he break his desire and enter into the ways of God. But when he studies in those books of inquiries, God forbid, then he finds for himself doubts and heresies which are an assistance to his wickedness that is in him by nature." And so wrote the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Otzar Igrot Kodesh, p. 215): "And there is in all this no wonder that so-and-so deludes himself to say that he does not believe, when contemplating the results he derives from the denial, which in the vast majority are the removal of limitations, both regarding turning away from evil and regarding doing good. From this is understood the reason for the said delusion—which is in order to ease his life for himself and to 'be rid' of the fulfillment of positive and negative commandments, and to live his life without any restraint. It is understood that the said things are at the beginning of the deviation from the path, but after a time of conduct in the said manner, behold it fits the nature of man, habit becomes nature, both regarding conduct and regarding the delusion." Strengthening Faith Through Fulfilling the Torah and Mitzvot It is a mistake to think that one who has doubts in faith should not fulfill Torah and Mitzvot before he removes all doubts from his heart. One of the reasons that this is a mistake is that only out of the fulfillment of the Torah and Mitzvot does a person merit the knowledge of God and the understanding of the Torah. Thus wrote the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zatzal (Otzar Igrot Kodesh, p. 214): "...He is correct in her writing that a person should ask concerning matters that are not understood to him. (And known is—the emphasis of Chabad teachings that it must be: 'Know the God of your father,' and in the language of the Rambam 'to know that there is a First Existence etc.'). But—there must not be a difficulty (in the regular definition of this word), and the main thing—is that it is forbidden for this to be as a prior condition to action, but rather in the style of our Sages: the anticipation of 'we will do' (Na'aseh) to 'we will hear' (Nishma)—and in such a manner was given to us our Torah, a Torah of truth and a Torah of life, and in such a manner we received the Torah. And our Sages explained that precisely through this approach do they understand the Torah, and as it is written 'The integrity of the upright shall guide them' (Shabbat 88a at the end. See there)." It is to be added to this that the Mitzvot influence holiness upon the person and a spirit of purity, and conversely—when he does not fulfill Torah and Mitzvot. It turns out, that when a person fulfills Torah and Mitzvot he can with greater ease strengthen himself in faith and feel the Holy One, Blessed be He, and so conversely—conversely God forbid. See on this in the commentary of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin on Tractate Avot, Ruach Chaim (on the Mishnah 'All Israel' at the beginning of the book, and again in Chapter 4, Mishnah 2).