Q&A: Faith Classes in Yeshiva
Faith Classes in Yeshiva
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael,
I’ve noticed that in yeshivot of the Religious Zionist community, the faith classes—and more generally the classes and the whole discourse—are not serious. There’s no coherence, no clear message, no real clarification of issues; the lesson starts with one thing and ends somewhere completely different, and the overall feeling is vagueness and a lack of understanding of what they actually want from life. Of course the rabbis will claim that it’s “deep,” but why are they exempt from explaining themselves? They’re constantly throwing around concepts from Kabbalah, giving parables, talking in lofty language. On the other hand, if they try to bring it down to concrete statements, it turns out to be nothing more than ideas and approaches that have no particular connection to the Torah and what it has to say in any unique way. Do you also think that all this study is a waste of time? I’m really asking: what exactly are we learning from the Torah in matters of faith? Is it really just whatever this or that person says and thinks, and that’s it? Isn’t there some kind of objective Torah? And if the Torah has nothing to say except in matters of Jewish law, then what is the point of studying in yeshiva and delving into what my own mind thinks? We should simply keep the commandments, and that’s it. It isn’t hard to learn what to do. Basically, the question is whether the institution of the yeshiva has any point. After all, the depth, the pilpul, the brilliance, and the wisdom—they are all just the intellect of the learners themselves. Is there really any external knowledge sent into the world by God? If it is Jewish law—and that I do accept—then again, you can learn it briefly and mainly just practice it, and that’s it. What do you think?
Answer
You’ve burst through 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 take it seriously—but because that is simply the nature of the field. Why should I study what Maimonides thought if I can think for myself? His words have no more significance than mine. There is also no authority in this field, so I have no obligation to accept what he says if I disagree.
You are absolutely right that this is usually a serious ill in “faith” classes, but it is also true in academia, and even more so in Haredi yeshivot (where it is called “hashkafa,” worldview, though in practice it is just preaching. There, there is not even the appearance of actual study in these areas). People do not define concepts and claims properly, and they just play with words.
In Jewish law, the situation is completely different, for several reasons. True, interpretations are the result of the reasoning and intellect of the interpreter, but he is still interpreting the source. In thought and theology, they generally do not interpret sources at all—they invent, and at most latch onto a source after the fact. Beyond that, in Jewish law there is authority, and there are things I will accept even if I do not agree (the Sanhedrin, the Talmud). In Jewish law, the concepts and claims are also usually better defined.
Finally, you are mistaken if you think that halakhic study is about knowing what to do. Not at all. The study of halakhic passages has intrinsic value and is not merely instrumental—that is, not just a means of knowing what to do. On the contrary: precisely because things are more clearly defined there, and there is a tighter tradition (despite the disputes), there is value specifically in that kind of study. In my view, most of the rest is a waste of Torah study, and even if it is not literally a waste, it is at most Torah in the person and not in the object. You can search here on the site for those terms (“Torah in the person” and “Torah in the object”). In the book No Man Rules the Spirit, I explained these differences at length and tried to define what Torah is and what Torah study is.
You are also mistaken if you think it is easy to study Jewish law and know what to do. Maybe for day-to-day life, but every halakhic question requires judgment and not just knowledge, and that requires significant analytical skill.
My advice to you: leave the other areas aside and focus on in-depth study of halakhic passages. That is where yeshiva has added value, and that is also where help is needed (as opposed to the field of thought, which, even if one wants to study it, can also be learned alone).