[Avodah] The Vilna Gaon and Secular Studies

[Prof. Levine]

At 10:29 AM 4/9/2018, Micha Berger wrote:
>And this would be the only thing such Chassidish chadorim disagree with
>the Gra about? Why do any of these sources matter in this context?
>
>You are again putting yourself in the position of arguing for one derekh
>in favor of another by working within the givens of your favored derekh,
>rather than the one you're critiquing.

And what do you do with the GRA's statement

When I visited Vilna in Tevet 5538 (1778] ... I heard from the holy 
lips of the Gaon
of Vilna that to the extent one is deficient in secular wisdom he 
will be deficient a
hundredfold in Torah study, for Torah and wisdom are bound up 
together. He compared
a person lacking in secular wisdom to a man suffering from 
constipation; his disposition
is affected to the point that he refuses all food. .

simply ignore it?

This statement is a statement of fact, so how can anyone disagree 
with it? The GRA certainly knew what he was talking about.  A derech 
cannot  go against the facts.

Also from http://personal.stevens.edu/~llevine/rabbinic_openness_leiman.pdf

Friesenhausen's critique, however, was hardly confined to the left; 
he also had to
contend with the right:

I appeal especially to all those who fear God and tremble at His 
word, that they not heed
the false claims of those who plot against secular wisdom . . . , 
unaware that those
who make such claims testify against themselves, saying: "We are 
devoid of Torah, we
have chosen folly as our guide." For had the light of Torah ever 
shone upon them, they
would have known the teaching of R. Samuel bar Nachtmeni at Shabbat 75a and the
anecdotes about Rabban Gamaliel and R. Joshua at Horayot 10a. Also, 
they would have
been aware of the many talmudic discussions that can be understood 
only with the aid
of secular wisdom. Should you, however, meet a master of the Talmud 
who insists on
denigrating secular wisdom, know full well that he has never 
understood those talmudic
passages whose comprehension is dependent upon knowledge of secular 
wisdom. . . .
He is also unaware that he denigrates the great Jewish sages of the 
past and their wisdom,
as well. Worst of all are those guilty of duplicity. They speak 
arrogantly in public, either
to appease the fools and gain honor in their eyes, or out of envy of 
the truly wise,
disparaging those who appreciate secular wisdom, yet in their hearts 
they believe
otherwise.

See in the above link the Chasam Sofer's evaluation of Rabbi 
Friesenhausen.  He was indeed a talmud Chacham.

YL
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