Q&A: Does Judaism Have a Purpose?
Does Judaism Have a Purpose?
Question
I’m not familiar with any discussion of this—does the Rabbi have a position on the matter?
P.S. I want to thank the Rabbi for sharing his views. It’s very important that there is finally someone with whom one can discuss important topics without emotionalism and accusations, but rather with substantive consideration, even though the Rabbi gets on my nerves sometimes… , 🙂
It’s rare to find that in our neck of the woods.
Answer
It’s rare to find someone who gets on your nerves? 🙂
As for your question, I don’t know. There is a difference between the purposes He may have had and the purposes that are supposed to stand before our eyes. I assume that the Holy One, blessed be He, has purposes, otherwise He would not have created the world and us. But those purposes are not accessible to us, and I don’t think speculations about them would be well founded. As far as we are concerned, one should fulfill the commandments and serve God. “What have you to do with the hidden things of the Merciful One?! Do what you have been commanded…”
Discussion on Answer
Hello Shai. Everything is fine, I was only joking.
As for my heretical views, see column 74: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%90%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%90%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A1/
The midrash says that when the Holy One, blessed be He, went around among the nations and asked them whether they wanted to accept the Torah, they asked what was written in it. But Israel immediately said, “We will do and we will hear.” And indeed that heretic mocks Rava, saying that he belongs to a rash people who “put your mouths before your ears” (see Sabbath 88a). The difference is that Israel accepted the Torah not because of identification with its goals, but because of trust in the Holy One, blessed be He. Just as I take medicine and have no idea how it works. I trust the doctor.
For more detail, see my article here:
In short, if you trust the Holy One, blessed be He, then it makes sense to fulfill the commandments. And if you do not—then even knowing the purposes would not help, because who says that fulfilling the commandments will bring about those purposes? The Holy One, blessed be He? But then there is no trust in Him.
To my mind, this is similar to someone asking: why be moral? On the face of it, the answer is: in order to benefit others. But that is not correct. The reason is to be moral. The definition of morality is benefiting others, but the reason why one is obligated to it is: just because. Morality, like any value, is its own reason. Why is there value in life? Just because.
That “just because” is not mere arbitrariness. Rather, it is a starting point. Every explanation rests on assumptions. And what do the assumptions rest on? On themselves. Just because. This is a “just because” that is not arbitrary, but something self-evident that does not need something outside itself in order to ground it. Serving God is a foundational assumption and should not be based on something else. If one bases it on moral obligation (such as gratitude), then Jewish law and religion become part of morality. That is patently unreasonable. Especially since morality too stands on its own and is not explained by something else.
See all this in the fourth booklet, in the third section.
As for why to serve God, see also the end of the fifth booklet (on philosophical gratitude). There is also an article about this here:
Hi Rabbi Abraham,
I hope the Rabbi didn’t think I was angry with him. I value the Rabbi and his views very much; the Rabbi has greatly deepened my faith. It’s just psychologically difficult. The Rabbi is doing important work in instilling rationality into religion, but it shakes up a lot of people (like me…) whose faith comes from innate psychological needs, and suddenly it turns out that many of the foundations of our faith are rather shaky, and that terrifies the deepest parts of the soul. The soul rebels against it, and we direct the frustration at the Rabbi.
I’m saying this seriously despite my dramatic tone. At the university my friends warned me about “the heretical views of Rabbi Michael Abraham”…
But it is Torah, and I must study it, no matter how much the evil inclination tries to fight the intellect…
As for our matter: if the purposes of the Torah are not known to me, why fulfill them at all?
Why should I do things when I don’t know how they help me or society?
Because I need to trust the Holy One, blessed be He, that “He is wiser and knows better than I do”?
I feel like I’m fulfilling commandments like an idiot, out of some religious feeling, with no logic at all…