[Avodah] The [Lubavitcher] Rebbe’s View: Secular Subjects

[Prof. L. Levine]

Someone sent me an email bringing my attention to the article at

https://anash.org/the-rebbes-view-secular-subjects/?unapproved=17006&moderation-hash=f3c762a3809830d0b519197e00dba99c#comment-17006

While it has become normal, in some places, for frum schools to include secular subjects, this was never the case in chadorim of old. Throughout the nesius, the Rebbe fought strongly for teaching children pure Torah exclusively.

See the above URL for the entire article.

I simply cannot understand RMMS's position on this issue. From
SECULAR STUDIES AND JUDAISM - Tradition<https://traditiononline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Secular-Studies-and.pdf>

In the light of the foregoing, it is obvious that secular learning
for the purpose of earning a livelihood is approved. A father's
duty is to teach his son a trade.32 There is no restriction as to
the type of trade or profession as long as no violation of the Torah
is involved.

See the above article for much more.

I posted the comment sbelow on the web site of the article about RMMS's views on secular studies. I sincerely doubt that that they will be posted.

I fail to understand how RMMS could hold the positions outlined in this article. First of all, secular education is mandated by NYS law. How could he take a position that violates Dina d’Malchusa Dina?

 Secondly, secular knowledge is crucial to Torah knowledge. The following is from The Debate Over Secular Studies Among the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon by B. Raphael Shuchat The Torah U-Madda Journal , 1998-1999, Vol. 8 (1998-1999), pp. 283-294B. Raphael Shuchat Source: The Torah U-Madda Journal , 1998-1999, Vol. 8 (1998-1999), pp. 283-294 The Vilna Gaon (Gra) saw value in the study of secular knowledge and made a point of educating himself in these fields. R. Israel of Shklov, the youngest of his disciples, writes: This is what he [the Gra] said, “All knowledge is necessary for our holy Torah and is contained therein.” He knew them all thoroughly and mentioned them; the wisdom of algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and music which he greatly praised. He used to say then that most of the inner meanings of Torah and the secrets of the Levites’ songs and the secrets of Tikunei Zohar cannot be understood with- out this [knowledge of music]. . . . Only concerning medicine [did he limit his study thereof]. He knew human anatomy and all things relevant to it, but concerning the composition and prescription of medicines, which he wanted to learn from contemporary physicians, his saintly father commanded him not to study it so as not to diminish his Torah study in case he might have to save lives . . . and of the wisdom of philosophy he said that he had studied it thoroughly.” and Despite studying philosophy “thoroughly”, the Gra had a negative attitude toward it; this, however, was not the case with the sciences in which he showed great interest. It was this love for sciences which motivated him to write an essay on geometry trigonometry called Ayil Meshulash, an unusual act considering he wrote nothing else in book form.5 A further proof of the positive attitude toward the sciences can be found in the introduction to R. Baruch Shick of Shklov’s translation of Euclid’s geometry. tells the following story: When I was in the holy and grand community of Vilna, by Rabbi, that great light, the great Gaon, my master and teacher, illuminator of the exile, the well-known saint, our honorable teacher Elijah, may God guard and protect him, in 5538 [=1778], I heard from his holy mouth that to the extent that one lacks in knowledge of other wisdom, he will lack one hundred fold in Torah know- ledge, for Torah and [general] knowledge are linked to one another . . . and he commanded me to copy into our holy language whatever is possible from general knowledge.

R. Yhonason Eybeschutz in Yaaros Devash 2:7 (as translated by L. Levi in Torah and Science pages 24-25) writes: For all the sciences are “condiments” and are necessary for our Torah, such as the science of mathematics, which is the science of measurements and includes the science of numbers, geometry, and algebra and is very essential for the measurements required in connection with the Eglah Arufah and the cities of the Levites and the cities of refuge as well as the Sabbath boundaries of our cities. The science of weights [i.e., mechanics] is necessary for the judiciary, to scrutinize in detail whether scales are used honestly or fraudulently. The science of vision [optics] is necessary for the Sanhedrin to clarify the deceits perpetrated by idolatrous priests; furthermore, the need for this science is great in connection with examining witnesses, who claim they stood at a distance and saw the scene, to determine whether the arc of vision extends so far straight or bent. The science of astronomy is a science of the Jews, the secret of leap years to know the paths of the constellations and to sanctify the new moon. The science of nature which includes the science of medicine in general is very important for distinguishing the blood of the Niddah whether it is pure or impure … and how much more is it necessary when one strikes his fellow man in order to ascertain whether the blow was mortal, and if he died whether he died because of it, and for what disease one may desecrate the Sabbath. Regarding botany, how great is the power of the Sages in connection with kilayim [mixed crops]! Here too we may mention zoology, to know which animals may be hybridized; and chemistry, which is important in connection with the metals used in the tabernacle, etc. (It is worth noting that similar lists may be found in R. Abraham Ibn Ezra’s introduction to Chibbur Hameshicha Vehatishbores and R. Bachya’s commentary on Avos, end of Chapter 3.) Dare one suggest that RMMS was unaware of all of the above, because if he were, then how could he hold the position on secular studies outlined in this article?

Professor Yitzchok Levine


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