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Frequently Asked Questions on Soc.Culture.Jewish
Part 6: Jewish Thought
[Last Post: Fri Apr 2 11:07:16 US/Pacific 2004]
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------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ORGANIZATION
This portion of the FAQ contains answers to the following questions:
Section 12:
Jewish Thought
1. [5]What is the Jewish concept of G-d? Do Jews think of G-d as an
angry old man with a long white beard?
2. [6]Can one doubt G-d's existence and still be a good Jew?
3. [7]Does modern science (e.g., "big bang" theory, evolution, the
age of the world) contradict traditional readings of the Torah?
4. [8]Does modern science contradict liberal readings of the Torah?
5. [9]Can one be Orthodox and a scientist too?
6. [10]I've heard that Jews consider themselves "chosen." What does
that mean?
7. [11]What is the Jewish concept of the Messiah?
8. [12]What do Jews say happens when a person dies? Do Jews believe
in reincarnation? In hell or heaven? Purgatory?
9. [13]What was the job of a prophet?
10. [14]It seems that prophecy was once central to Judaism; why don't
we have prophets today?
11. [15]Who were the prophets? How many?
12. [16]What is the Jewish view on the question of "free will."?
13. [17]What about angels, demons, miracles, and the supernatural?
14. [18]What do Jews hope/expect of the future?
15. [19]How can Jews reject (insert true belief here)?
16. [20]Why do Jews need organized religion or Jewish laws? Isn't it
good enough to be a good person? How about gentiles?
17. [21]How does Judaism differ from Xianity, Marxism, Communism,
Humanism and other -isms?
18. [22]Where can a Gentile learn about Judaism?
19. [23]What does Judaism say about non-Jews and their role? What does
G-d demands of gentiles to get to Olam Ha'aba ["The
World-to-come"]? What are the Noachide laws?
20. [24]What do Jews believe about Good and Evil?
21. [25]What is the Jewish position on Capital Punishment?
22. [26]What is the Jewish position on communicating with the dead?
23. [27]What is the significance and importance of suffering and
punishment in Judaism?
24. [28]Why are there different names for G-d?
25. [29]What is the "Book of Life"?
26. [30]How does one atone for sins?
27. [31]What does Judaism say about the punishments in the Torah?
28. [32]What does the Torah mean by Abomination?
29. [33]Why does the Torah talk about Other Gods?
30. [34]What is the purpose of life? Why did G-d create man?
31. [35]How does tithing work in Judaism?
32. [36]Does Judaism permit organ donation?
33. [37]Is numerology part of Jewish Mysticism?
34. [38]What is Jewish thought on Gog and Magog?
35. [39]What does Judaism believe about Satan?
36. [40]In Judaism, what are some of the laws related to gleaning and
tithing for the poor?
37. [41]What is the Jewish view of Salvation, i.e., how a person from
a given religion is ''saved''?
38. [42]Can a Jew donate blood?
39. [43]How does halacha, the messiah, and the prophets affect the
daily life of a Jew?
40. [44]What must one do to lead "a good life" in Judaism?
41. [45]I've heard about 36 taddiks?
42. [46]What is the theological understanding regarding the affect of
the expulsion from Eden?
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.1: What is the Jewish concept of G-d? Do Jews think of
G-d as an angry old man with a long white beard?
Answer:
No. That image is an anthropomorphism of an extreme application of
judgment (seen as anger), and wisdom (associated with old men). The
image is part of the "angry jealous Old Testament G-d" misconception,
which ignores G-d's showing kindness and mercy throughout the Torah.
Traditional Jews view G-d as omnipotent and unique, tempering judgment
with mercy. The verse from Shemos [Exodus] 23:23 "And I will remove my
hand and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen" is
taken to mean that we will come to know G-d through His works, and
through observing his commandments. See [5]Handbook of Jewish Thought
by R' Aryeh Kaplan.
Jews conceive of G-d as an absolutely simple Unity (implying
absolutely no constituent divisions), beyond all constraints
(including time and place), and beyond all limitations of human
conception. To the extent that we are even able to refer to G-d, it is
solely through our assignment of human-like attributes to what we
perceive as G-d's interactions with creation. These attributes provide
us with simple terms to which we can relate, but in no way limit or
constrain G-d.
All descriptions of G-d that involve human characteristics are
attempts by human beings to understand the infinite. These human
characteristics can only be crude approximations of the attributes of
G-d, in the same way that a robot's hand, while fashioned in the image
of our own, can only be a crude approximation of the complexity of a
human hand.
Likewise, we often ascribe to G-d the ultimate expression of desirable
traits that fallible humans can only imperfectly attain. Thus the term
"Rachman," as used to refer to G-d, is not "merciful" but the
merciful, and is the standard against which the human characteristic
of mercy is measured.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.2: Can one doubt G-d's existence and still be a good
Jew?
Answer:
What does it mean that one doubts G-d's existence? It rarely means
that one does not believe that G-d exists, rather that a person does
not understand what G-d does. In other words, that the way G-d runs
the world is not comprehensible (e.g. not understanding why G-d allow
things like famine or the Holocaust to occur). G-d does not fit into
our limited intellect. And defining G-d to be something that would fit
into a human ideal of what G-d should be, would mean that we are
denying what G-d actually is: something beyond our intellect.
So the answer is: we all have questions about G-d, but it does not
prevent us from being good Jews. Because being good is not an
end-goal, rather a process. We struggle to get better despite any
doubts.
What a Jew does is more important than what he or she believes, even
though Maimonides included belief in G-d as one of Judaism's key
principles. Full and complete faith (emunah sh'laimah) in particular
is a most difficult state to achieve, but the seeds of faith find
fertile ground in the person of one who earnestly strives to live a
Jewish life based on the Torah's prescriptions.
Note that there is an additional question of the extent to which an
individual who doubts G-d's existance can participate in the
congregation. This is more a problem for the individual than the
congregation, for the congregation does not publically question one's
belief. The individual, however, must reconcile publically performing
actions or making professions with their internal doubts.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.3: Does modern science (e.g., "big bang" theory,
evolution, the age of the world) contradict traditional readings of
the Torah?
Answer:
Probably, but science is getting better all the time and one can
expect agreement eventually...
Seriously, there are numerous neo-traditional readings that put new
interpretations on various commentaries and are allegedly compatible
with Orthodoxy.
Judaism has a long tradition of not interpreting the creation narative
of Genesis 1 literally. Rambam [Maimonides], for example, warns at the
beginning of his [5]Mishneh Torah that the literal reading of the
opening of Bereshis [Genesis] is for the masses. [The non-literal
reading he had in mind was
metaphysical, not scientific. See [6]The Guide for the Perplexed.]
Both literalism and non-literalism have a long history, yielding a
variety of resolutions of the problem of creation and science. Here
are some solutions:
* Rejection of scientific data. Since, as one opinion in the Talmud
has it, Adam was created as a fully mature man of 20, and trees
were created fully grown, it is clear that this opinion would hold
that the universe as a whole was formed with a history consistant
with a natural, scientific, progression. This opinion has three
dificulties: (1) It implies that G-d created dinosaur bones and
light from stars further away than 5758 light-years (for otherwise
how could the light be reaching us yet) for no reason other than
to provide evidence against creation. (2) What would stop a
similar argument that the world is 5 minutes old, and all our
memories, books, and so on have been faked to imply a history. (3)
How can one ascribe a time to creation? It can't be on the
Creator's clock, since G-d exists outside of time. Therefore, when
we speak of "when" creation happened, we mean the begining of the
universe's timeline. So then how could we talk about G-d creating
the universe at some point in the middle of the line, allowing
history to go in both directions -- past and future -- from that
point? Actually, the former is resolvable if one can provide
another motive for G-d "planting" dinosaur bones. Perhaps because
the effects of any event carry through in time. For example, had
G-d not created light that was as if it already left the stars,
the earth's sky would be nearly black. Perhaps there is no way to
have teva today without the illusion that the laws of nature
always held.
* Conflict resolution. Invoking relativity or whatnot to show that
15 billion years can be 5758 years in another frame of reference.
Perhaps relavity justifies the differences between frames of
reference. The "birds" of day 5 are actually dinosaurs, which are
most similar bilogically to birds of any thing living today.
Creation of the sun on day 4 is actually about the sky clearing to
the point the sun could be seen on earth, etc... A number of books
have been printed out in the past few years promoting this kind of
position.
* Multiple creation times. This is the approach of the Tiferes
Yisrael (R' Meir Simchah of Dvinsk, 19th cent). He cites an
opinion of the tannaim (mishnaic period rabbis) that Hashem
created worlds and destroyed them before this one. Dinosaur bones
and starlight are legacies of these earlier worlds. In Gen 1:1,
G-d creates ex nihilo (matter from nothing). Then, before verse 2,
these other worlds (in this opinion, epochs) rose and fell. Then,
there was "chaos and emptiness" from which our world emerged. The
universe as a whole, even the planet, can therefor be older than
5758 years. Since current theory is that the world started as a
singularity -- in other words, not within the purvey of science,
it is all a matter of faith if the ex nihilo was with the intent
of the Creator or not. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan quotes R' Yitzchak of
Akko (a student of the Ramban, late medieval) who concludes from
the Zohar that the first creation was 15.8 billion years ago --
the age astronomers and physicists seem to be converging on, given
multiple ways of measuring the age. The Netziv (R' Naftali Zvi
Yehudah Berlin), in his commentary on chumash, argues against the
idea that these earlier worlds left physical evidence. It doesn't
fit the precise translation of the quote, that G-d "created worlds
umachrivam -- and destroyed them". Instead, the Netziv points to a
medrash in which it is explained that the fall of morality in
humanity in the days before the flood reflected itself in nature.
Even animals interbread, leading to the monstrosities that
archeologists find.
* Rejection of a literal read of the Torah. This is much easier,
halachically, than it sounds, as there is a long tradition,
including the Rambam and the Vilna Gaon, teaching that Genesis 1&2
actually convey deeper truths via metaphor. The gemara, after all,
limits the number of students (to 2) that one may teach the
secrets of the Act of Creation -- so clearly we can't just take
the text at face value. Another commonly sited proof for
non-literalness is that the word "day" precedes the creation of
the sun. Therefor, it can't be used, at least in this narative, to
mean our 24 hour period. 4a-The Maharal (1st intro to Gevuros
Hashem) teaches that creation is so alien to human experience that
we don't have a comparison to it. Therefore prophecy, which is
transmitted by visions, can not describe it. (The World to Come is
similarly explained. This is why it only appears in Tanach as
"your days will be prolonged". Continued existance we can
understand. The rest of the details, no.) However, creation is
also so alien that we can not understand it by extrapolation,
either.
There are some Orthodox Jews who believe that Creation occurred over
5700 years ago and that it took precisely six days. However, today
many Orthodox Jews believe that it is an open question as to how long
each of those "days" and "years" were, relative to today's time
intervals (considering that time itself is one of G-d's creations).
One can find an array of Orthodox views on the age of the universe,
the age of the earth, and views on evolution, in "Challenge: Torah
Views on Science and Its Problems" edited by Aryeh Carmell and Cyril
Domb, and in Gerald Schroeder's "Genesis and the Big Bang". These
works attempt to reconcile traditional Jewish texts with modern
scientific findings concerning evolution, the age of the earth and the
age of the Universe. Prominent Orthodox rabbis who affirm the veracity
of scientific findings in these areas include Aryeh Kaplan, Israel
Lipschitz, Sholom Mordechai Schwadron (the MaHaRSHaM), Zvi H. Chajes,
and Abraham Isaac Kook.
Remember, the current scientific perspective is simply our best
understanding of what G-d did. Two hundred years ago, that best
understanding was different than it is today, and two hundred years
from now, it will be different again. In effect, we believe in the
Torah, and we use science as the current "best bet" (but certainly
don't take it as seriously as we take the Torah).
A rabbi in the Los Angeles area mused that perhaps the year count is
based on the end of creation, when mankind had achieved intelligence.
Certainly all of man's recorded history fits within the almost six
thousand years. The time before "year 1" can be considered before the
system was in multiuser mode :-).
What about Dinosaurs, you ask. Well, there are midrashic sources that
certainly hint at the possibility of dinosaurs (or, at least, of some
critters that were parts of earlier "creations," in the tradition that
G-d created Universes before our own).
You should also consult [7]the section in the general part of the
Reading Lists on Science and Judaism. There you will find books that
explore the relationship of Judaism and science.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.4: Does modern science contradict liberal readings of
the Torah?
Answer:
The liberal Jewish movements who do not hold the text of the Torah as
a purely factual account don't need to reconcile it with science.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.5: Can one be Orthodox and a scientist too?
Answer:
Definitely! The [5]Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists
([6]http://www.aojs.org/) publishes a quarterly, Intercom, that deals
with ethical, technical, practical, and philosophical issues. You can
contact AOJS at [7]INFO@AOJS.ORG
There is an institute in Israel devoted to using modern technology
within Halachic constraints. One example of their products is a
Sabbath telephone that doctors can use in an emergency without fear of
violating the laws of the Torah.
Tzomet (Tzivtei Mada V'Torah), a similar institute in Gush Etzion, can
be reached at:
Tzomet
Alon Shvut
Gush Etzion 90940
ISRAEL
TEL +972-2-931-442
FAX +972-2-931-889
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.6: I've heard that Jews consider themselves "chosen."
What does that mean?
Answer:
Contrary to popular belief, nowhere in the Tanakh [Hebrew Bible] or in
classical Jewish literature is there a claim that Jews are G-d's only
"chosen people". The closest that one finds is Exodus 19:5, which
states that Jews are an "am segulah", a "treasured people", but this
is a very different claim indeed. The misunderstanding on this issue
stems from the fact that most people are unfamiliar with the claims
that Judaism actually makes in regards to chosenness. So what does
classical Judaism actually state? Consider the bracha [blessing] said
before reciting the Torah: Praised are you, Lord our G-d, King of the
universe, who has chosen us out of all the nations to bestow upon us
His Torah.
Also consider the blessing recited as an introduction to the reading
of the "Shema Yisrael" the selection of verses from the Torah
(especially Deuteronomy 6:4-8) that proclaim the sovereignty of G-d
and our commitment to his Torah. The blessing relates to the act of
the recitation as a fulfilment of the religious obligation of Torah
study. You have loved us with abounding love, O Lord our G-d, you have
shown us great and overflowing tenderness. For the sake of our
ancestors who trusted in you, and whom you instructed in the precepts
of life - in the same manner, be gracious unto us and instruct us...
Put it into our hearts to understand, to become wise, to hear, to
learn, to teach, to observe, to do, to uphold - all the words of the
study of Torah, lovingly... For you are the performer of wonders, and
you have chosen us out of all nations and tongues, and brought us
close to your great name in truth... Blessed are you, Lord, who
chooses His people Israel in love.
The relationship between G-d and the Jewish people is summed up when
He calls us in the book of Exodus as "my son, my eldest, Israel". We
are not firstborn in any literal sense, see the geneologies in the
begining of Genesis. However, your eldest child is the one you leave
the most responsibility and the most reward to. (Assuming they live up
to that responsibility.)
The key notion is that there is no thing called the "chosen people,"
but rather that "choosing" is invariably perceived as a verb. It is a
dynamic activity that is inextricably identified with Israel's devoted
observance of the precepts of the Torah. Rather, there are people whom
G-d has sanctified by commanding them to rest on the Sabbath, to
rejoice in the festivals, to study the Torah and to accept the yoke of
G-d's supremacy over all other allegiances. It certainly has nothing
to do with any claim of superiority. In fact, the prophet Amos (3:2)
states the opposite: "You alone have I singled out of all the families
of the Earth, that is why I will call you to account for your
iniquities". Other nations can fulfill G-d's will with only [5]seven
commandments, rather than the hundreds required of Jews. The concept
in fact is "chosen to fulfill a responsibility," and implies a harder
task rather than a higher status in the world.
Finally, note that there is no claim to exclusivity in the regards of
love from G-d, nor in regard to being able to be chosen for a
particular purpose. There is only the claim that we were chosen to
bring the biblical message of the prophets, and to cleave to Torah as
a way of life. Judaism has always affirmed that gentiles can have a
close relationship with G-d as well, and perhaps other nations are
chosen for their own purposes as well.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.7: What is the Jewish concept of the Messiah?
Answer:
"Messiah" means annointed. Whenever a line of kingship was
established, such as Saul, David, or after a disagreement about who
should get the throne, the king was "crowned" by being annointed with
olive oil. This was also done for the High Preists from Aaron until
the end of the first Temple period. Cyrus is also called by G-d, "My
annointed king". So, when we talk about "a messiah", we are merely
talking about a king of the Davidic line. Not some kind of
supernatural entity or one-of-a-kind event. It also means that the
first mention of the messiah in the Torah would be any mention of King
David or of Judah maintaining rule beyond the death of Gedalyah (the
last governor of First Commonwealth Judea), which would imply a
restoration of the rule. This we find toward the end of Genesis,
49:10.
Do Jews believe the Messiah will live an eternal life? No. The
messiah, like all people, will live and die. He will then be succeeded
by his son (if he has one), and the line of Davidic kings will
continue. He will be resurrected when the rest of the righteous are.
But that's (in nearly all opinions) a different era than the messianic
one.
The different movements via the Messiah differently. The traditional
opinion was best expressed by [5]Moses Maimonides (RaMBaM), who said
the following about the Messiah:
"If a king will arise from the House of David who is learned in
Torah and observant of the mitzvot [the Torah's commandments], as
prescribed by the written law and the oral law, as David his
ancestor was, and will compel all of Israel to walk in [the way of
the Torah] and reinforce the breaches [in its observance]; and
fight the wars of G-d, we may, with assurance, consider him the
Messiah.
"If he succeeds in the above, builds the Temple in its place, and
gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Messiah. ...
"If he did not succeed to this degree or he was killed, he surely
is not [the redeemer] promised by the Torah. [Rather,] he should be
considered as all the other proper and complete kings of the
Davidic dynasty who died. G-d only caused him to arise in order to
test the many, as [Daniel 11:35] states; "and some of the wise men
will stumble, to try them, to refine, and to clarify until the
appointed time, because the set time is in the future."
The Rambam then continues by explaining why Judaism has rejected the
claims of other religions, notably Christianity, that "caused the Jews
to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be scattered and humbled,
the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and
serve a god other than the L-rd." Since, he said, the required
criteria [as described in the preceding paragraphs] have not been met,
all messianic claims to date, such as Christianity or the the beliefs
of the followers of Shabtai Zvi, have been proven false.
The full text is in his [6]Mishneh Torah, Sefer Shoftim, Hilchot
Melachim U'Milchamoteihem, Chapter 11. This translation was done by
Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, published by Moznaim Press, from Halacha 4.
The Rambam's statement is probably the definitive rendering of the
traditional Jewish view on the subject. Others believe that the
Messiah will usher in an age of miracles, and will come in a
miraculous manner.
The liberal movements, such as [7]Reform) do not believe in a personal
messsiah, but do believe in the concept of a messianic age.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 12.8: What do Jews say happens when a person dies? Do Jews
believe in reincarnation? In hell or heaven? Purgatory?
Answer:
[Note that this description is derived mostly from the Zohar, a 12th
century work that evolved from the mystical writings of R' Shim'on bar
Yochai (2nd century). The Zohar is the central writing of Kabbalah.]
In general, and in contrast to some other religions, in day-to-day
life Jews don't pay much attention to questions like this. The focus
of Jewish life is living according to G-d's will as expressed in the
Torah. What happens afterwards is up to G-d.
That said, traditional Judaism does address this question. To put it
shortly, our beliefs in resurection and afterlife vary widely. Some
believe it is part of the Messianic era. Some consider it an era of
its own, after the messianic one. It's a matter of debate in Jewish
tradition as to whether the post resurection life is permanent, or
temporary. Nachamides believes that the ultimate reward, the "World to
Come" is that post-resurrection life, and therefore it must be
eternal. Maimonides opines that the ultimate reward is the relatively
direct experience of G-d that a soul can have when not encumbered with
a body and its desires. Therefore he understands the phrase "World to
Come" to refer to the non-physical existance after life, and that's
man ultimate reward. He returns to that reward after a second,
resurrected life. This is because Maimonides believes it's because man
can only face his judgement in the same condition as when he sinned.
Since he sinned while in a body, he is returned to that body to be
judged. R' Yosef Albo agrees with Maimonides that the post
resurrection life isn't permanent. To be specific, he believes that
the lifespan will be 1,000 years -- the length of time Adam would have
lived after eating from the forbidden fruit (had he not given away 70
years for someone else). His reason for this second life, though, is
very different. Albo writes in the Ikkarim (Fundamentals) that in this
life, man masters the art of self-perfection in the face of adversity
-- disease, threat of poverty, and everything else that could go wrong
in life. In the next life, the only challenges are internal, there
will be no external impediments. It's therefore a second step in
personal development, allowing for more refinement in one's ability to
enjoy the World to Come upon return. In the early 20th century, Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook (cheif Rabbi of British Mandate Palestine) wrote
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