Q&A: Who Has Shared of His Wisdom
Who Has Shared of His Wisdom
Question
1) Do you think there are wise rabbis today over whom it is fitting to recite, “Who has shared of His wisdom with those who fear Him,” or over non-Jewish scientists, “Who has given of His wisdom to flesh and blood”?
I assume you won’t want to name names, and I’ll happily settle for a yes or no 🙂
2) Over a brilliant Jewish scientist on the scale of Einstein, can one recite “Who has given of His wisdom to flesh and blood”? Or is that wording reserved specifically for non-Jewish scientists?
Answer
- It is certainly possible that yes. I’m not familiar enough, so I don’t know of someone like that. It would need to be someone who has made a unique contribution to Torah wisdom. I’m not sure breadth of knowledge alone is enough for this, though perhaps it is. You wanted examples, so I only have ones who are no longer alive today. Over Rabbi Ovadia I would recite it, and perhaps also over Rabbi Elyashiv. Likewise regarding Rabbi Lichtenstein and Rabbi Rabinovitch. As for someone living, perhaps Rabbi Shabtai Rapoport is worthy of the blessing (for some reason he is not well enough known).
- Definitely. https://ph.yhb.org.il/10-15-18/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvaYBhDlARIsAO8PkE3sxynVtpOoL08S-9olySFOkmRGsPhnBLq1eEDQBw214YJ9rn0ADe4aAiwiEALw_wcB
Discussion on Answer
It is well known that Rabbi Ovadia was great, but in what way do you think he is more worthy of the blessing than Rabbi Feinstein, for example, or other great halakhic decisors? What did he innovate in Torah wisdom, in your view, that was unique to him?
There is no universal criterion. If you feel that here is a person of unique wisdom, you may recite the blessing.
Rabbi Moshe is certainly worthy of the blessing as well.
You wrote that one should recite the blessing over a rabbi only if, in your view, he made a unique contribution to Torah wisdom. In your opinion, what did Rabbi Ovadia and Rabbi Moshe contribute to Torah wisdom?
A great many contributions, and this is not the place, as the peddler would need to list them all. It is completely unnecessary. Each person according to his own impression.
What about a non-Jewish sage who, for example, displays exceptional mastery and sharpness in all areas of Torah?
One does not recite blessings that were not instituted.
Wow, how did you escape the Lithuanian contempt toward a Sephardi like Rabbi Ovadia? (“Yabia Omer is a donkey carrying books,” etc., may the Merciful One save us) Or were you always an outsider in Bnei Brak, may it be built and established, in your attitude toward him?
Following that, regarding sages of the nations of the world, how can one act when it is hard to assess the parameter of a “unique contribution”?
For example, Jordan Peterson is now coming to Israel. Today he is considered perhaps the greatest living conservative thinker (his thought is mainly psychological, or sometimes presented as existentialist philosophy, which is another name for psychology). I think many would certainly regard him as one of the sages of the nations of the world; he really does say many wise things and changes the lives of many people. But I have no idea how much his contribution changes or will change things on the intellectual level; the kind of change he brings is more that of a sort of “spiritual leader.” Should one recite the blessing over such a person?