Chasidic Masters Series: Emunah

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we had our first shiur in the series on Chasidut and emunah.

We began the shiur with an overview of how the mitzvah of emunah was understood by the great medieval Jewish thinkers. The Rambam in his Hebrew writings (the Mishnah Torah) writes as follows:

א מצוה ראשונה ממצוות עשה לידע שיש שם אלוה שנ’ אנכי י”י.

The Rambam says that there is a mitzvah to know that there is a God. However when we go to study the Rambam’s writings in Judeo-Arabic ( the Sefer haMitzvot and his great philosophical work, the Moreh haNevuchim) we encounter a disagreement among his translators.  In his discussions of the subject of awareness of God, the Rambam used the word “.אעתקאד” Rav Kaffach zt”l consistently translated this word as meaning לדעת, to “know.”  The late Prof. Michael Schwarz of Tel Aviv University translated this word as להאמין- to “believe.” The differences in the translation of the word אעתקאד must not lead to any doubt as to what the Rambam expects of us. The Rambam in Moreh haNevuchim says without any ambiguity that it is incumbent upon us to study the meaning of Hashem’s existence, and that that this study should occupy us throughout our lives. The Rambam speaks disparagingly of people who are satisfied with the mindless rote repetition of “principles of belief.” What we must do is to study ever more deeply what it means when we say that “Hashem is One.” This is how we fulfill the mitzvah of belief.[1]

The Rambam was not the first person to say this. He was preceded by Rav Sadiah Gaon in his work הנבחר באמונות ודעות and by Rabbeinu Bachyah ibn Pekudah in his work.חובות הלבבות

These thinkers strove to legitimize the analysis of the Jewish belief. The great opponent to this avenue of study was Rabbi Yehudah haLevi. In his work on Jewish belief, the ספר הכוזרי  he advanced the idea that our belief in Hashem and the Torah is based on received tradition and not on any form of philosophical speculation and inquiry. This is what he wrote on philosophy:

ספר הכוזרי מאמר ב אות כו

…ומי שקבלה קבול שלם מבלי שיתחכם בה בשכלו, הוא מעולה ממי שיתחכם בה וחקר, אך מי שנטה מהמדרגה העליונה ההיא אל המחקר, טוב שיוציא בהם מוצאי החכמה משיעזבם לסברות רעות ולספקות מביאות אל אבדון.

This was the state of affairs until the rise of Chasidut. The systematic analysis of Jewish belief ceased to be an activity which occupied the attention of the great Poskim. Indeed it would seem that this  sort of activity was frowned upon. In the late 18th century the greatest Posek in Europe was Rav Yechezkel Landau, known as the נודע ביהודה. When he asked to advise a בעל תשובה the Noda beYehudah told him to study the Chovot haLevavot but to skip the first chapter which deals with the philosophical analysis of Hashem’s essential Unity;

שו”ת נודע ביהודה מהדורא קמא – אורח חיים סימן לה

והנה אף שאני מיקל בתעניות וסיגופים ותשובת המשקל לזה האיש אבל פטור בלא כלום אי אפשר בפרט לפי רוב התמדת החטא. והנה התמדת התורה הוא עיקר. אמנם ילמוד דברי תורה שיש בהם ממש משניות בעומק העיון עם תוס’ יום טוב ש”ס ופוסקים ותורה נביאים וכתובים וג”כ ספרי מוסר חובת הלבבות מן אחר שער היחוד עד גמירא….

The rise of Chasidut brought about a change in the conception of אמונה. However one translates the word אעתקאד there is no doubt that the Rambam says that to fulfil the first mitzvah in the Torah, one must study. The more that one studies the closer one comes to Hashem. The Ba’al Shem Tov changed all of that. This is how he is quoted by the Slonimer Rebbe zt”l in his work נתיבות שלום  (on the 7th day of Pesach):

אחרי כל מדרוגתי והשגותי הריני מאמין באמונה פשוטה

The Slonimer Rebbe says that this is a most amazing statement. The Ba’al Shem Tov certainly engaged in the most profound meditations and speculations about Hashem. How then could he say that he possessed “simple faith?” There was certainly nothing simple about the Ba’al Shem Tov’s faith.

The Slonimer Rebbe explained that simple faith does not mean that faith is simple. That is far from the case. Rather, the idea of “simple faith” is meant to tell us that try as we may we cannot hope to understand Hashem. Hashem is Infinite, we cannot ever get close to understanding Him. The more that a person studies the more that he or she becomes aware of the gulf that separates us from our Creator. Simple faith is the faith that realizes that when all is said and done we are back where we started, all we have is faith.[2]

In future shiurim I hope to study with you more Chasidic writings on faith. Thanks to everyone who participated in the shiur. Please feel free to write to me with ideas and criticisms. My e-mail address is <fish9999@gmailcom>

Stuart Fischman

[1] Or “knowledge.”

[2] The Rambam also emphasizes the essential unknowability of Hashem. However I do not know if the Rambam would agree with the Ba’al Shem Tov’s saying concerning “simple faith.” The Rambam emphasizes  the necessity of study. The one who studies is superior to the one who does not study.

There is a hint of the egalitarian nature of Chasidut in the Ba’al Shem Tov’s use of the phrase “simple faith” which I do not think the Rambam would have used.

Hello Everyone,

In yesterday’s shiur we discussed one of the most fascinating ideas that were taught by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov zt”l.[1] The idea is the “חלל הפנוי”  – the “empty space.”

What is the “empty space” and what does it have to do with our subject which is “faith”?

In order to understand the “empty space” we need to understand Rabbi Nachman’s view of the process of creation.

The Kabbalists ( and Rabbi Nachman was a Kabbalist) strove to construct a theory which could explain to the extent that is humanly possible how Hashem who is Infinite and absolutely not-corporeal created a material world. They wanted to explain how our world could exist alongside a God who is Infinite. Why isn’t our world consumed or swept away by Hashem’s Infinitude? The Kabbalists arrived at the conclusion כביכול left a space in the cosmos empty כביכול of His Presence. It is in this “empty space” that He created the world.

Faith, אמונה, according to Rabbi Nachman must be “simple.” We learned last week that Rabbi Nachman derided all philosophical speculation as unnecessary at best and as dangerous at worst. Speculation about Hashem and the nature of the world leads to heresy, אפיקורסות. There is a Mishnah in Pirkei Avot which discusses heresy and Rabbi Nachman quotes it in this discussion of the “empty space”:

משנה מסכת אבות פרק ב

משנה יד

רבי אלעזר אומר הוי שקוד ללמוד תורה ודע מה שתשיב לאפיקורוס

From this Mishnah it seems that people who been influenced by “alien studies”[2] can be brought back to the Torah. The reason that this is possible is that even within “alien  studies” holiness can be found. The reason for this is again to be found in the Kabbalistic theory of the creation. When Hashem created the world ( which exists in the “empty space”) “sparks of light” were scattered about. These “sparks of light” attached themselves to various objects and even ideas. When a person engages in “alien studies” he will in all likelihood be led away from the Torah. However should this person wish to return to Hashem he can find Hashem since even within those alien studies there are sparks of light left over from the creation.

But there is another sort of heresy. There is a heresy which has absolutely no innate holiness. This is the heresy which is produced in the “empty space.”  “Alien studies,” as misleading as they may be have some holiness from the “sparks” and some worth. However the “alien studies” of the “empty space” are what we would label “empty sophistry.” They arise in the “empty space” which is empty of the “holy sparks.” These  ideas have the appearance of knowledge since they raise questions which confound most people, but really the questions that they raise are nonsensical. People who allow themselves to be influenced by the “alien studies” of the “empty space” will never return to Judaism. The reason for this is that since their questions are actually nonsensical there are no cogent, rational arguments that can refute them.These questions have no answers is because their source lies in the “empty space” which is empty כביכול of Hashem’s presence.

The threat of falling under the influence of this sort of thought is what drives Rabbi Nachman to extol the virtues of simple faith. The people who embrace unsophisticated and unquestioning faith will never be tempted to indulge in theological speculation. Those who have simple faith know that Hashem is both Transcendant and Immanent. Therefore the “empty space” is surrounded on both sides by Hashem’s presence. This faith is enough to protect the believers from being tempted to ask the questions of “empty space” philosophers.

The only hope for those have fallen into the trap of the heresies of the “empty space” is that they will be elevated by a tzaddik like Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe Rabbeinu was not a speaker by nature, he protested to Hashem that he was כבד פה. The Kabbalists see great significance in Moses’s lack of speech. Hashem created the world by “speaking.”[3] Our world is a world of “speech.” But there is a higher realm and that is the realm of silence. The Gemarah says that when Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Mount Sinai he was shown Rabbi Akiva. Moshe was shown Rabbi Akiva teaching and he was also shown Rabbi Akiva being killed as martyr by the Romans. When Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem if this truly the reward of those who dedicate themselves to the Torah, Hashem repled,  “Silence- so it has arisen in My thoughts.” We see then that there is a realm where there are questions that are only answered by silence. Moshe Rabbeinu who lacked the ability of easy speech could grasp the idea that silence is an entire realm which is beyond speech.

It follows from this that all the self-styled wisdom of the “empty space” cannot be rebutted by speech. All that can be done to remedy its harm is to have tzadikim who understand the worth of silence to contemplate its issues silently. The silent contemplation of the tzadikim can redeem those who fell victim to its ideas.[4]

This is a summary of yesterday’s shiur. I do not claim to understand Rabbi Nachman’s teachings in any depth but I am happy to share this text with you.

Next week is Shavuot and maybe we can study this text in our communities.

All the best

Stuart Fischman

[1] I mentioned that there has been an absolutely amazing transformation in the broader Jewish community’s attitude to Rabbi Nachman and Breslover Chasidut.. In my youth Breslover Chasidim were viewed with a mixture of amusement and derision. They were called “Toiter Chasidim”- “Dead Chasidim” because their Rebbe died and no new Rebbe was appointed. Breslover Chasidim would hand out free booklets in kosher restaurants in New York but I don’t remember anyone actually reading them. Now of course thousands of people study the writings of Rabbi Nachman which  contain remarkably novel and exciting ideas.

[2] =חכמות חיצוניות

[3] The Torah details the creation as a series of utterances of Hashem.

[4] I would like to add a note here. It has been my experience that many people who write against Judaism quote ‘authorities” and as Rabbi Nachman knew from his own encounters with non-believers debates do not change their positions. However many of these people do return to Judaism when they allow themselves to experience Judaism, not in a debate but as something joyful.

Moshe Rabbeinu was the most humble of people. Perhaps Rabbi Nachman is teaching us that we should not be so arrogant as to think that we have all the answers.

The idea that there is a space in creation where speech fails may also help us to deal with absolute evil such as the Holocaust.