Rabbi Michael Abraham in the Studio: Adapting Jewish Law to Our Generation

Interview Content

Rabbi Michael Abraham in the Studio: Adapting Jewish Law to Our Generation

This is not the first time that Rabbi Dr. Michael Abraham has delved into the most fundamental questions in Jewish thought and Jewish law, but this time, in his three new books, he is trying to create a broad and extensive foundation for rational arguments for belief in God, along with a systematic study of “the theory of change in Jewish law” — when it is possible to innovate and renew Jewish law in ways suited to our generation.

In an interview in the Srugim studio, Rabbi Michael Abraham explains how innovations in the world of Jewish law do not necessarily belong in the “Reform” category, and how the number of people who leave religious observance can be reduced through intellectual arguments.

Making things accessible and clear without compromise and while presenting a complete picture

Rabbi Michael Abraham has written many books and articles revolving around philosophical subjects and Jewish thought; the best known of them, and the first, is “Two Carts and a Hot-Air Balloon.” But this time the goal is different.

“My previous books also dealt with purely traditional subjects such as the hermeneutical principles of interpretation, and on the other hand with specific questions such as evolution, free will, the brain sciences, and questions of truth and certainty (which is a somewhat broader subject). But in everything I have written until now there is no direct engagement with many of the problems I encounter in meetings with people of various ages, and I felt there was a need to present an orderly doctrine from the ground up; this time I am addressing the religious public from within.”

According to him, the books were written in response to what he heard on the ground: “I understood that many people encounter problems and are unable to get a satisfactory answer.”

The aim of the books, despite their weight and length (1,700 pages), is to make the issues accessible and clear “without omitting parts and while presenting a complete picture.” The books’ editor, Chayuta Deutsch, was responsible for making them readable — “and it succeeded,” says Rabbi Abraham.

The three books were published a few weeks ago, and the first of them is devoted mostly to philosophy in the pure sense: it deals with rational arguments for belief in God. “I did not bring new arguments,” says Rabbi Abraham, “but rather organized the existing arguments.” Thus belief in God is explained through rational arguments not necessarily drawn from Jewish literature.

In the age of the internet, is there still a need for more books? After all, there are thousands of articles and forums dealing with this. “Despite the strong impression that there is a great deal of material, it is not organized, and some of the arguments presented are not good. It is a fact that the people I meet are not persuaded by what is available online, and so I thought that someone needed, once and for all, to address this material systematically even though it seems trite. People are sure they know all the arguments, and if they are not convincing, some of them leave.”

Will a rational argument persuade a wavering person in 2020? “I have attended several conferences about the problem of people leaving religion, and the feeling is that it has intensified in recent years. It seems to me that we are losing people of a caliber we would not once have lost, and this phenomenon is relatively new. There are some who leave because they are weak, or do not have the strength, or simply do not connect — we know that side of it. But there are also serious young people who are prepared to examine things carefully, and they are leaving.”

Without philosophical reasoning, I would not have stayed

Is the rabbi’s belief in God also intellectual? “A person is a complex creature, and every step he takes has several aspects. We make decisions in a very complex way. In my case, the philosophical component is significant. It is very important to me; without it I would not have stayed. But even for those in whom the philosophical component is less prominent — if you answer their questions, perhaps their emotional distress will also not take them elsewhere.”

In the other books, the rabbi deals with the world of Jewish law and the changes within it. Is there a need to innovate in Jewish law? “One of the lessons I drew from all those meetings I described is that part of the helplessness and the weakness of the answers people receive stems from the fact that the answers are not honest. If things need to be renewed in Jewish law? Yes. That is the proper and straightforward way to confront the questions — whether regarding the status of women or the status of converts.”

Adapting Jewish law to our generation is a position that is heard in every generation. “The gap in our time is different. I deal with the foundational dimensions of change in Jewish law: to formulate what change in Jewish law means, what is possible and what is not, to define methodologies and types of change, to classify Jewish law, and to see where innovation is possible and where it is not. This is the first time a systematic study has been undertaken of the theory of change in Jewish law.”

Rabbi Michael Abraham’s books were published a few weeks ago | The First Being — Faith, Religious Obligation, and Rational Thinking | No Man Has Power over the Spirit — Toward a “lean” and up-to-date framework for Jewish thought | Walking Among Those Who Stand — On the need and the possibility of refreshing Jewish law.

Source (Srugim): https://www.srugim.co.il/408461-%d7%94%d7%a8%d7%91-%d7%9e%d7%99%d7%9b%d7%90%d7%9c-%d7%90%d7%91%d7%a8%d7%94%d7%9d