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Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Jewish Thought
Translated by Hillel Fendel
Question: Every person finds himself at junctures in life, facing many possible paths to take, and he must choose one of them. If he is searching only for what is convenient and comfortable, then any of the choices could be appropriate – but if he is a man of truth, then only one road is the right one for him. For me, as someone searching for the truth of life, my question is: Is Judaism 100% correct? I have tested the Jewish faith from many angles – its tradition, its logical proofs, its prophecies – and they all seem to indicate that Judaism is the right approach. But is there even the smallest possible chance that I am mistaken? Could it be that the tradition was corrupted, or that the events in the Torah exaggerated? Could the proofs be incorrect because we have forgotten to include one detail in the equation? Could it be that the fulfillment of the prophecies is simply an amazing coincidence? I would like to know: Is the path of Judaism and its faith absolutely certain
Answer: We cannot change who we are: creatures that cannot be 100% objective in anything! We have emotions, desires, and our own vantage points from which to see and consider things. The desire to lead our lives only in accordance with absolute objectivity and certainty is impossible. We know this from all areas of life, where we make decisions not because they are impossible to refute or negate, but because they are the most reasonable and logical of the choices that face us.
This is true even in matters of life and death. For instance, one who is ill and in mortal danger chooses one doctor over another to operate on him based on all the information he can gather – but not because he is then 100% sure that this doctor's assessment and ability are totally and absolutely correct.
The same is true for other fateful decisions, such as choosing a spouse, career, or place to live. And so it must be regarding our faith as well. If one seeks to find the right religion by comparing various faiths, he has no choice but to follow the one that is most reasonable and logical – for this is how people who are healthy in mind and spirit behave.
The attempt to force ourselves to intellectually prove everything down to the smallest detail places us in an impossible position – one in which we cannot function as human beings. It is impossible to reduce life only to those things that can be indisputably proven. We must acknowledge that there are certain truisms, even if we do not know how to prove them 100% - and in fact, most things in our lives are of this type. That is how we are.
As such, why should our faith be any different? To say that faith must be proven beyond any doubt while everything else in our lives cannot be so, is itself an unreasonable approach. Our intellect simply cannot handle such a demand!
Still and all, one who wants to build up his faith and feel its strength and truth, has a way to do so: He should cleave to the Nation of Israel! Just as one's absolute love for his children, and for his spouse, are not "objective," so too, the love of Israel imbues us with faith in the G-d of Israel in a most genuine and unshakeable manner – more than any intellectual and logical proofs. For a person's inner sense provides more certainty than his intellect can prove. One who loves the G-d of Israel, given his knowledge of the great kindnesses that He has done and does for His nation, Am Yisrael, merits to feel a certainty in his faith, with no doubts.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
Question: Every person finds himself at junctures in life, facing many possible paths to take, and he must choose one of them. If he is searching only for what is convenient and comfortable, then any of the choices could be appropriate – but if he is a man of truth, then only one road is the right one for him. For me, as someone searching for the truth of life, my question is: Is Judaism 100% correct? I have tested the Jewish faith from many angles – its tradition, its logical proofs, its prophecies – and they all seem to indicate that Judaism is the right approach. But is there even the smallest possible chance that I am mistaken? Could it be that the tradition was corrupted, or that the events in the Torah exaggerated? Could the proofs be incorrect because we have forgotten to include one detail in the equation? Could it be that the fulfillment of the prophecies is simply an amazing coincidence? I would like to know: Is the path of Judaism and its faith absolutely certain
Answer: We cannot change who we are: creatures that cannot be 100% objective in anything! We have emotions, desires, and our own vantage points from which to see and consider things. The desire to lead our lives only in accordance with absolute objectivity and certainty is impossible. We know this from all areas of life, where we make decisions not because they are impossible to refute or negate, but because they are the most reasonable and logical of the choices that face us.
This is true even in matters of life and death. For instance, one who is ill and in mortal danger chooses one doctor over another to operate on him based on all the information he can gather – but not because he is then 100% sure that this doctor's assessment and ability are totally and absolutely correct.
The same is true for other fateful decisions, such as choosing a spouse, career, or place to live. And so it must be regarding our faith as well. If one seeks to find the right religion by comparing various faiths, he has no choice but to follow the one that is most reasonable and logical – for this is how people who are healthy in mind and spirit behave.
The attempt to force ourselves to intellectually prove everything down to the smallest detail places us in an impossible position – one in which we cannot function as human beings. It is impossible to reduce life only to those things that can be indisputably proven. We must acknowledge that there are certain truisms, even if we do not know how to prove them 100% - and in fact, most things in our lives are of this type. That is how we are.
As such, why should our faith be any different? To say that faith must be proven beyond any doubt while everything else in our lives cannot be so, is itself an unreasonable approach. Our intellect simply cannot handle such a demand!
Still and all, one who wants to build up his faith and feel its strength and truth, has a way to do so: He should cleave to the Nation of Israel! Just as one's absolute love for his children, and for his spouse, are not "objective," so too, the love of Israel imbues us with faith in the G-d of Israel in a most genuine and unshakeable manner – more than any intellectual and logical proofs. For a person's inner sense provides more certainty than his intellect can prove. One who loves the G-d of Israel, given his knowledge of the great kindnesses that He has done and does for His nation, Am Yisrael, merits to feel a certainty in his faith, with no doubts.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
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