Faith classes in yeshiva
Hello Rabbi Michael
I noticed that in the yeshivahs of the national religious community, the faith lessons and in general the lessons and the discourse are not serious. There is no coherence, no clear message, no real clarification of matters, the lesson begins with a pitcher and ends with a barrel, the feeling is one of ambiguity and lack of understanding of what is wanted from life. Of course, the rabbis will claim that this is profound, but why are they exempt from explaining themselves? They constantly expound on concepts in Kabbalah, from proverbs and parables, and speak from a high level. On the other hand, if they try to reduce it to concrete statements, it will be nothing more than ideas and methods that have no connection to the Torah and what it has to say in a special way. Does the rabbi also think that all this study is a waste of time? I really ask, what exactly do we learn from the Torah in matters of faith? Is this really what it says and what it thinks and that’s it? Is there no objective Torah? And if the Torah has nothing to say except in matters of halakha, why study in a yeshivah and delve into what my mind thinks? We simply have to observe the commandments and that’s it. It’s not difficult to learn what to do. In essence, the question is whether there is any point in the institution of the yeshiva? After all, the depth, the chatter, the brilliance, and the wisdom, are all the very intellect of the learners. Is there really some external knowledge sent into the world from God? If it is halakha, and I accept that, then again, one can learn briefly and mainly practice it, and that’s it. What do you think?
You burst into an open door. In my opinion, these pursuits are usually a waste of time. Not only because of the teachers (there are some here and there who do this seriously) but because that is the nature of the field. Why study what Maimonides thought if I can think for myself? His words have no more meaning than mine. There is also no authority in this field, so I am not obligated to accept his words if I disagree.
You are absolutely right that this is usually a sick evil in “faith” classes, but it is also true in academia and even more so in Haredi yeshivot (where it is called “view”, which is nothing more than preaching. There is not even a semblance of study on these subjects). People do not define concepts and claims well and play with words.
In Halacha, this is a completely different situation for several reasons. It is clear that interpretations are the result of the interpreter’s reasoning and intellect, but he still interprets the source. In thought, sources are not interpreted at all, but rather invented, and at most are attached to the source retrospectively. Beyond that, in Halacha there is authority and there are things that I will accept even if I do not agree (Sanhedrin, Talmud). In Halacha, concepts and claims are also usually better defined.
And finally, you are mistaken if you think that studying halakhic is about knowing what to do. Absolutely not. Studying halakhic issues is an intrinsic value and not an instrumental one (a means to know what to do). And conversely, precisely because things are more defined there and there is a tighter tradition (despite the disputes), there is value in this study. In my view, most of the rest is abrogation of Torah, and even if it is not abrogation, it is at most abrogation of Torah in Gebra and not in Haftza. You can search for these concepts here on the site (Torah in Gebra and in Haftza). In the book No One Is a Ruler in the Spirit, I discussed these differences in detail, and tried to define what Torah is and what Torah study is.
You are also wrong if you think it is easy to learn Halacha and know what to do. Maybe for everyday life, but every Halacha question requires judgment and not just knowledge, and that requires significant theoretical skill.
My advice to you is to leave the other areas and focus on examining the halakhic issues. This is where the yeshiva has added value, and this is where help is also needed (especially in the area of thought, which if you want, you can also study on your own).
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