Q&A: Two Questions
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Two Questions
Question
- How can I know whether my faith is based on reason? I grew up in a religious home. I consider myself very rational, I’ve read the Rabbi’s writings and those of others, and I’ve become fairly convinced that being religious is the rational thing to do. But I don’t know whether I reached that conclusion through reason, or whether because of various psychological pressures I accept this position even though it is actually less plausible. I assume there’s no answer to this other than trying to examine myself, but this question troubles me מאוד so I still wanted to know what you think (I know that the Rabbi became religious, and in that situation the question is really less relevant. But I don’t really feel like becoming non-religious just to see whether I become religious again…).
- Is there a need for emotion? That is, should a person develop his emotional capacity? Or alternatively, suppress it?
Thank you very much
Answer
1. Indeed, it’s impossible to answer that. Even about the answer I give you, you could wonder whether it is genuine or stems from internal conditioning. This is a pointless and valueless preoccupation. By the way, I did not become religious in the usual sense. I always had a kippah on my head.
2. Neither develop nor suppress it (I also don’t really understand what it means to develop emotion). Emotion is a fact, and one has to live with it.