[Avodah] The Vilna Gaon and Secular Studies

[hankman]

R’ Marty Bluke wrote:
“R' Chaim Manaster wrote a long piece saying that secular studies especially
science "literally create emuna and awe of the borei olam". While this may
be true, the Charedi response is that learning Torah is by far the best way
to create emuna and awe of the borei olam and of course the most important
activity that a person can do bar none. So why should we try to learn emuna
from science when we can get it from the ultimate source, Torah.”

My response to R’ Marty makes a number of assumptions that may not be universally accepted but that I firmly believe.

The times are different, the level of knowledge is different both in the physical sciences and in Torah hakedosha. Dare I say that these as a function of time seem to be moving on trajectories that are unfortunately inverse to each other – particularly in the latter time frame that we live in – most intensely over the last 10 to 12 decades but can already be clearly seen over the last 4 centuries. With each dor we can see an ongoing diminution in the level of our Torah havanah while a commensurate level of greater scientific understanding has come about (with perhaps the exception of a very few yechidei de’ah such as the Gra and a few others who may have achieved levels more common in much earlier times before them).

While Chazal tell us “haphoch v’haphoch d’kol bah” and that certainly for those who are capable of a great level of Torah understanding such as those of Chazal  who were doresh all the essin or all the taggin in the Torah probably could have been able to find quantum mechanics or tensor analysis or molecular biology in the Torah if they so chose.  Certainly if the scientists of our day were able to discover these facts, Chazal certainly were able to as well. But I would point out that there is no maimre in Chazal that relates to having discovered any of this knowledge through their pilpul and passing this on to us. Perhaps they did not feel it important enough to report. But this level of understanding in Torah in our times is sadly not available in our times. Given the level of limud for the average person (unlike for some of the gedolim of our times) in our time the level of yira and emuna they might achieve may be more readily attained through a more readily available scientific study of the wonders of the very small and the vastness of the very large and the highly  intricate and awe inspiring workings of the biological world at all scales and the beauty in how it all fits together so perfectly and so beautifully described by mathematics. The average person (maybe I am just giving away my matsav) will not find much yira or emuna from learning that which is typical of our yeshivos (say a sugia in shas say “succa govoah m’esrim ama or a sugia on movuy or on tumas negaim – of hilchos melicha or muktsa  in shulchan aruch etc). For the average person these are not awe inspiring subjects and unfortunately only a true godol or great talmid chochom could extract yira and emunah from these cut and dry subjects. Such inspiration for the average yid are fewer and much further in between from most of his limud of Torah. This as a result of our sad diminution in our Torah learning ability.  Today, given our greater abilities in understanding the Borei’s briah it is much easier for us to find yira  and emuna from our hisbonenus in them. So “of course the most important activity that a person can do bar none” is Torah, but a very solid adjunct in our times for a vehicle to further inspire yira and emunah would very effectively be math and scientific knowledge.

Part of the mitsva of emuna, is not simply belief, but to go out and prove to your satisfaction (to be doresh v’choker) the truth of the Borei and  his achdus and that he is the Borei olam and revealed Himself to us at matan Torah and so on. To the extent that science facilitates this search it is a MITSVA and not just mere secular studies at the cost of Torah studies. Clearly the experience our ancestors experienced at yetsias Mitzrayim, al hayam (ma sheroaso shifcha al hayam etc) and revelation on sinai etc was more than enough to inspire tremendous yira, awe and emunah without the need for any help from science (which was not great in their period in any case) and on through the period of the nevi’im and the batei mikadash and later Chazal inspiration was possible through there havana of Torah alone. But I do not see that to be the case in our generation and times.

“So why should we try to learn emuna from science when we can get it from the ultimate source, Torah”? Because in our day it may be another additional (I hesitate to say “more” effective way b’avonoseinu harabim for most people) very effective way for most average people.”

So today, for the yechidei olom the tried and true method of attaining great yira and emunah through limud Torah may be the best way to go as we have witnessed these great traits in our great gedolim, but that recipe may not work so well in our times for everybody else without additional help.

I am also not comfortable with the notion that there are certain areas of knowledge that are off limits to even our gedolim. I feel quite confident to assert that in our time, non of even our gedolim come to discover the great advances in science through there limud hatorah. If they know these subjects it came from sources outside of their  linudei kodesh. But Chazal was not constrained in their knowledge. They were required to know shivim loshonos, they studied kishuv and astrolgy and the chukos hagoyim and certainly the science of their day (sometimes even quoting chachmei ha’umos and cf the Rambam quoting Aristo often etc [I also imagine the Rambam learned his medicine in the conventional way mostly including sources outside of Torah]). I feel sad for many talmidei chachamim in our day who lack the background in (sometimes in even minimal) math and science to grasp that they are saying a peshat in a sugia that could not be, and to seek out another peshat therein or to at least realize there is a problem they need to deal with to get a proper havana.

Also the chiyuv to teach a son an umnus, obviously means, other than the chiyuv to teach one’s son Torah. We do not assume that his limud haTorah will suffice to teach him an umnus as well. The conventional “secular” methods of teaching an umnus are to be followed. If you want your son to be a carpenter, send him to carpentry school – do not expect him to come from yeshiva a talmid chochom AND a carpenter just from his limud haTorah.

Kol tuv
Chaim Manaster






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