Question

The observance of the commandments, while those who perform them intend thereby to serve their Creator, is enough for the masses and for the people as a whole; however, it is fitting for individuals to go as far as possible toward the ultimate end that the human intellect can attain… Even though I have believed in Your commandments and upheld the Torah in a Torah-based way, I ask that You make known to me their good reason and understanding—not because I doubt the testimony of those who testify… And I do not base my faith on the investigation of these matters such that, if I were to find an intellectual proof, I would believe, or deny upon finding its opposite—for that would indeed be heresy and a complete departure from the religion… For the praise of knowledge that comes through inquiry is that it is knowledge that has been tested and is true… provided that a proper faith has already been firmly implanted in one’s heart, so that false proofs or deceptions cannot turn him aside from the path… “The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making wise the simple” — that is, the testimony of the blessed Lord is trustworthy and ought to be believed without investigations and examinations; but after faith, one should become wise in its matters, and through this inquiry one’s ultimate perfection is completed, when through analysis one arrives at matters that are inaccessible to opponents.