Q&A: Clarifications on Providence and the World to Come
Clarifications on Providence and the World to Come
Question
Hello Rabbi,
First, I would like to thank the Rabbi for his enormous enterprise in spreading his teachings on many important subjects. Many answers and articles have helped me greatly in understanding various topics, and for that I offer my devoted thanks to the Rabbi.
I searched carefully and did not see an explicit treatment of the following issues:
1.
The Rabbi argues that "the Lord has forsaken the land…" and that His providence is defined through the laws of nature, with His intervention in the world being minimal to nonexistent except in rare cases.
So I ask: why should I pray three times a day, devoting a bit more than an hour a day to it, when the prayers mostly call for God's intervention in what happens in the world, His revelation before all living beings, "renew our days as of old," and so on? Forgive me, but is the Rabbi not being false to himself when he prays the Amidah, which is almost entirely a request for God's intervention in the world in nearly every area?
2. What about reward and punishment? If it is not certain that the world to come actually exists as the Talmud and various sages throughout the generations describe it, why should I keep the commandments and refrain from various prohibitions when I get no reward for doing so? And not only is there no reward for it—not in this world, and not in the world to come, whose existence is not certain if I understood the Rabbi correctly—I see every day that "the way of the wicked prospers." So why should I even be a Torah-and-commandments observant Jew at all, forgive me?
Answer
1. It is strange to me that you write that you "searched carefully." Search the site and you will quickly find several discussions of this. Here are a few examples (and there are more):
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%94/
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%91%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D/
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%95%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%92%D7%97%D7%94/
2. I have also addressed this more than once. See Maimonides, beginning of chapter 10 of the Laws of Repentance: one should do the truth because it is true (and not out of hope for reward or fear of punishment). If you serve God in order to gain something for yourself—and note well: not to improve, but to gain—then if you mean in this world, do nothing. And if you mean in the world to come, then in my view that is uncertain. As I wrote, precisely the fact that this is such a compelling idea and so well suited to our longings makes the idea of the world to come somewhat suspect in my eyes. It seems likely to me that such an idea would be invented even if it was not given at Sinai. Of course, that does not mean it was not given; it only raises suspicion.
Discussion on Answer
When there is a principle that strongly answers human longings and desires (gives meaning to life and to our service of God, etc.), it seems suspicious to me as a principle created by human beings through their own reasoning rather than given through tradition from Sinai. The reason is that even assuming it was not given at Sinai, there is still a decent chance that someone would create it on the basis of their own reasoning and the public would adopt it. So now when this principle reaches me, I have no way of knowing whether it was given at Sinai or created by human beings.
And again, this does not mean that this is in fact what happened, but it is grounds for suspicion. It also does not mean that if it was created by human beings then it is not true. On the contrary, reason does indicate that it is true (at least if this is really reason and not just wishful longing), and still its validity is limited, and certainly all the content and details poured into it are highly suspect.
So on the contrary, according to your words, the Jewish religion is no different from other religions, which are nothing more than an "opium for the masses" and merely a means of control or content supplying meaning to life, with no connection whatsoever to truth… Beyond that, if providence has withdrawn from the world, then just a few days ago you were at the funeral of a woman who died of illness at a young age… According to what you are saying, her husband, who recited "Blessed is the true Judge," recited a blessing in vain, since she did not leave this world through providence and justice but simply as a natural accident of bad luck…
How did you leap to such hasty conclusions? What I said was that people have a tendency to invent principles that serve their needs, and that can creep into any religion, including Judaism. And I have several examples of this. How did you get from that to saying that the entire Jewish religion is opium for the masses? And how did you infer that about the other religions? Strange…
The true Judge is the One who enacted the laws of nature because of which the woman died. Therefore there is room for this blessing.
By the way, it is strange to me that this is specifically what troubles you. Don’t our prayers and thanksgivings every day trouble you more? Specifically "the true Judge"? Strange…
"And that can creep into any religion, including Judaism. And I have several examples of this."
Could we get examples of that?
For example, that anyone who dies for Judaism is holy. For example, that everything is found in the Torah ("Turn it over and turn it over"). For example, that the Sages possessed divine inspiration and did not err. And many more.
Thank you very much for the quick reply. I didn’t understand what you meant here: "As I wrote, precisely the fact that this is such a compelling idea and so well suited to our longings makes the idea of the world to come somewhat suspect in my eyes. It seems likely to me that such an idea would be invented even if it was not given at Sinai. Of course, that does not mean it was not given; it only raises suspicion."