Q&A: The Prohibition on Outside Books
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Prohibition on Outside Books
Question
Since the Sages prohibited outside books (such as Ben Sira), it is clear that not every book that is not for Torah study is prohibited (medicine, mathematics, etc.). Is listening to the views of heretics, such as in Richard Dawkins’s book Is There a God?, a problem? And in your understanding, what are the parameters of this issue? And when?
Answer
There are no fixed parameters. It cannot be that there is a prohibition on reading any book that deals with analysis and argumentation.
Discussion on Answer
See my column on “And you shall not stray.”
So why did they prohibit those books?