Q&A: Torah from a Gentile
Torah from a Gentile
Question
Hello and greetings,
A. From a halakhic standpoint, is it permitted to watch videos by Jordan Peterson in which he gives an analysis (mostly psychological) of Genesis and the Book of Jonah—or is there a problem with learning Torah through a gentile?
B. For the purposes of the question: I’m currently in high school, and on the one hand people warn me that I might fall into “traps” (that I might form a Christian conception of the Torah), but on the other hand I feel that I’m capable of watching things like this alertly and with skepticism toward what’s being said, without being harmed by it, and the videos could דווקא help me grow… If in fact, despite that, it still isn’t appropriate for me to watch this kind of content at this stage, is there some later stage in life when it could be permitted?
Thank you very much in advance!
Answer
There is no problem at all. Accept the truth from whoever says it. Beyond that, this kind of study is not really Torah study. People are expressing their own ideas and connecting them to the Bible. They could have done the same with any other book.
Discussion on Answer
What the Talmud said applies only if you make him your rabbi. Meaning, you accept his words as truth beyond dispute. Meaning, you believe in him (until you grow up and discover the truth for yourself)—that’s what Rabbi Shimon Shkop wrote in the introduction to Sha’arei Yosher. That’s not what’s happening here. This is not called that she is learning Torah from his mouth.
By the way, Jordan Peterson is a friend of the Jewish people and Israel, and one of the greatest enemies of the progressives in the U.S. and around the world.
The Talmud says that only if the rabbi is like an angel of the Lord of Hosts should they seek Torah from his mouth, etc., and apparently this gentile in question is not exactly like an angel….