New on the site: Michi-bot. An intelligent assistant based on the writings of Rabbi Michael Avraham.

Is every Jew required to be a philosopher?

שו”תCategory: faithIs every Jew required to be a philosopher?
asked 2 years ago

When I have questions or inadequacies in my faith, as I assume everyone does (if I’m wrong about this, I’d be happy to be corrected), and I choose to believe despite my doubts, am I working on myself or is that exactly the essence of faith? Usually the reasons I choose to believe are also related to the fact that I was born that way and therefore it seems logical to me to believe, and apparently this is not really an argument. Sometimes the reason is a feeling of closeness to God, or after studying an issue carefully, a feeling of “righteous laws and judgments,” or sometimes the realization dawns on me that only a person with the fear of God can be truly moral even in private (“For I only said, there is no fear of God in this place…”), especially when I feel it in myself or see the morality of great rabbis, and there are other things out of nowhere that make me choose faith. Am I on the right path or should I recalculate my course? Am I expected to get a doctorate in philosophy and then try to prove beyond all doubt the reality of God and the truth of the Jewish religion? Are rabbis/yeshiva heads supposed to reach a higher rank than ordinary Jews in this regard?


Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 2 years ago
Every reasonable person has questions and doubts. When you decide, it doesn’t mean you’ve worked on yourself. Belief is uncertain. But the decision should be made because that’s the truth in your eyes, not because it’s convenient. Whether it’s this or that for you, only you know. There is no need to be a philosopher. Each person has their own way of making decisions. I suppose that philosophical skill can help make a decision and dispel self-doubt, but that’s not necessarily true either. A rabbi or a yeshiva head are like any other person for this matter. They are not supposed to be in a different rank and in practice, they usually aren’t.

Discover more from הרב מיכאל אברהם

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Back to top button