Q&A: Self-Sacrifice for the Torah
Self-Sacrifice for the Torah
Question
Hello and blessings,
It seems from your statements that we have no certainty about any piece of knowledge, claim, or proof. Even when you say, “I believe that God exists,” you are not absolutely certain of that statement.
You were asked in the past: if you are not certain about anything, then why would you be committed to Jewish law? It takes precious time out of your life.
And you answered something along the lines of: a person acts according to what seems right to him. I have no feeling of certainty even when I drink water in a restaurant, yet I still drink it, because it is not reasonable to assume that it is poisoned. And the same applies to faith.
I would like to ask: how far would you go with that commitment?
The Sages expounded regarding the matter of “be killed rather than transgress” in relation to idolatry: “with all your soul” — even if they take your soul. In the Talmud there is a narrower opinion, that of Rabbi Ishmael, who holds that only idol worship done in public falls into the category of “be killed rather than transgress.”
So I ask: given that you are now in a situation where you are forced to bow to some idol, and this is taking place in the marketplace, a public place, crowded with people —
Would you, Rabbi, choose to bow, or would you endanger yourself and even die if necessary?
Answer
I have said and written more than once that I have no answer to that. If there is a step that demands a very heavy price, I would certainly weigh it against the level of certainty I have. When I am in the situation, I will be able to answer you.
Discussion on Answer
Thank you very much for the reply.
What I meant to ask was about your position on the theoretical level, if that changes anything in your answer.
What you would actually do, only God knows — and maybe not even that.
As of today, from where you stand, do you think it is proper to do this or not?
I don’t know. On questions like these, I think one should decide only when one experiences the situation directly.
By the way, the question is not unique to me. Anyone who says he is certain is lying to himself or to us. No person can be certain of anything. Certainty is unrealistic arrogance. The difference is that I am willing to say this out loud as well, while others prefer to lie or repress it.
I once brought here the comment of the Hasid Yaavetz, who said that at the expulsion from Spain the simple people withstood the test, while the Torah scholars found ways around it. Do you really think the ignoramuses are more God-fearing? They are simply more foolish and think there really is certainty. Intelligent people understand that there is not. About this I invoke the saying: “an ignoramus is not pious.”