Q&A: Haredi Logic
Haredi Logic
Question
In many arguments I’ve had with Haredim, I’ve noticed a recurring logic: exclusive reliance on the Torah and the Sages (even on midrashim), and turning them into absolute truth. One example that really stands out to me: someone told me there’s no need to study core curriculum subjects in school, because if you calculate it, that’s 4 hours a day (minimum), and during that time you could study Talmud; and since there is a World to Come, they’ll demand of you that you could have gained another 4 hours of an “infinite commandment,” as he called it, and instead you wasted it on core studies. Likewise regarding ordinary non-Torah literature, he brought me some midrash that says everything is contained in the Torah. In short, it’s a bit hard to argue with the logic that says, “The Torah and the Sages are everything in life, and that is the absolute truth.” My question is: how do you think one can attack this way of thinking from a logical or Torah perspective? Because I have this feeling that all these arguments are unfounded, but it’s hard for me to explain exactly why.
Answer
You can’t. Anyone who relies on unfounded premises and remains consistent with them holds a position that can’t really be attacked. At most, you can show him that he isn’t consistent. For example, that he does in fact waste time on other things, or that he doesn’t give the same weight to other midrashim of the Sages. Usually, an argument like that is itself Torah-study neglect. Of course, you can also try bringing the Sages themselves, who required a person to teach his son a trade, and for some reason were not alarmed by the Torah-study neglect involved in that. But it’s a waste of time.
It’s Torah-study neglect to argue with a Haredi about Torah-study neglect 🙂