[Avodah] Emunah and Proof

[Micha Berger]

We often discussed emunah, how rishonim took the central role of proofs
for granted but modern philosphy wouldn't, whether emunah is an idea or
an experience, etc...

A translation of R Melamed's piece on the subject recently went on-line.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

Weekly Article
Revivim
by R Eliezer Melamed

Natural Faith and the Cause of Disbelief
November 1, 2024

Humans naturally believe
 * If one explains faith incorrectly, questions will arise
 * As faith becomes freed from the limited explanations that sufficed
   for previous generations, faith will return to pulse in peoples
   consciousness
 * The trait of humility is essential for absorbing faith
 * Since Jewish faith manifests in all areas of life, it is a commandment
   to establish it in three circles that encompass human life: in
   consciousness, in emotion, and in life as a whole

The Foundation of Faith
""" """""""""" "" """""
Faith in God is a foundational assumption in Jewish tradition, and
therefore the Prophets and Sages did not try to prove it, but only to
explain its meaning and concepts. This is because as faith is explained
and revealed in all areas of life, the consciousness of faith becomes
stronger in intellect, emotion, and life as a whole. One can say that
humans naturally believe, but if they explain faith incorrectly, such
as describing God in physical and limited terms, questions will arise,
such as: How is it possible that God who is perfect has deficiencies,
and how is it possible that God who is good, does evil? As such questions
strengthen in ones consciousness, more doubts about faith will arise that
may even cause them to deny what they defined as faith. And when these
intensify further, they may sometimes even cause them to lose faith in the
existence of correct faith. This is like a person who has been deceived
numerous times by many people and may lose faith in all people and think
they are all deceivers; but after time passes, people naturally return
to believing, except for those who were so disappointed in faith that
they decided to stubbornly deny it, even when their nature is drawn to it.

The Crisis of Faith in Recent Generations
""" """""" "" """"" "" """""" """""""""""
In recent generations, through the development of natural sciences,
human and social sciences, human consciousness has developed and
expanded greatly. Many areas that were mysteriously unexplained, became
understood and explicable. The expansion of science improved human living
conditions beyond recognition, cures were found for diseases that were
previously incurable, and life expectancy increased significantly. Through
technological development, the production of food, furniture, clothing,
and housing improved beyond recognition, and today, an average person
can live in conditions that in the past only the greatest kings could
afford. Through social sciences, more efficient methods for organizing
society and economy were developed, and additional methods were developed
for treating mental illnesses.

In this context, some of the explanations about faith that were
accepted in the past are no longer sufficient today. For example,
some explanations relied on diminishing human capability, based on the
fact that humans cannot understand their world, and only God can save
them through miracles. Therefore, when science continues to develop and
succeeds in finding solutions to many hardships, these explanations appear
refuted. Thus, beliefs that were previously universal became undermined,
and became objects of criticism and mockery.

The Revival of Faith
""" """"""" "" """""
As faith becomes freed from the limited explanations that sufficed for
previous generations, faith will return to pulse in peoples consciousness,
and correct explanations will be found that will illuminate the path of
humanity toward a meaningful, good life.

Moreover, as Jewish faith becomes more clearly explained, it will
increasingly illuminate the world with a great vision, and drive Israel
to call in Gods name, and work toward Tikkun Olam (world repair) through
the guidance of Torah, its commandments, and values. For this purpose,
one must engage in Torah study with awareness of the general vision of
Tikkun Olam within the Torah, and contemplate the inner, faithful ideas
in all its details. Through this, all the achievements of natural and
spiritual sciences will not only not interfere with the revelation of
faith, or become an obstacle to it, but will enhance and elevate the
revelation of faith. Both in that humans created in Gods image discovered
them and understood them as divine wisdom, called the work of creation,
and in that faith gives them ethical, moral, and divine meaning.

Rational Proofs
"""""""" """"""
There were great Jewish scholars in the Gaonic and Rishonim periods,
from about thirteen hundred years ago until about five hundred years ago,
who strengthened faith through rational proofs. Their arguments can be
divided into three main points. Well mention them briefly:

1- Causality, the Cosmological Argument: If we accept the principle of
creation, regardless of which theory, including the Big Bang theory and
evolution, we must assume there is a reason why the creation process
began, and a reason for that reason, until we must reach the conclusion
that there is an ain-sofit (infinite) first cause. Even if we accept
the view that the world is eternal and was not created, there must be
a reason for its existence, since it cannot rely on itself, as it is
itself limited, and therefore, we must conclude that it relies on an
ain-sofit cause, which is God.

2- The Principle of Purpose, the Teleological Argument: Since we see such a
complex and ordered world, we must assume there is someone who arranged
it for a certain purpose. That is, the previous argument referred to
existence itself needing a cause, while this argument refers to the
nature of existence being ordered with wisdom for some purpose.

3- Human Consciousness, the Ontological Argument: This argument proves Gods
existence from the fact that God is present in human consciousness, for
no person can think about something that does not exist and cannot exist,
but only about something that exists in reality. And if the concept of
God exists in human consciousness, then God exists in reality.

The Emergence of Philosophical Proofs
""" """"""""" "" """"""""""""" """"""
Until the Gaonic period, Jewish scholars did not engage in philosophical
proofs for faith (except for Philo). Even during the Gaonic and Rishonim
periods, most Jewish scholars did not engage in philosophical proofs for
faith, and it is worth understanding why, at the end of the Gaonic period
and during the Rishonim period, many Jewish scholars such as Saadia Gaon,
Rabbeinu Bachya, and Maimonides engaged in philosophical proofs for faith.

It seems there were two reasons for this: First, the engagement with
philosophical proofs appeared following the rise of philosophical
discussion among scholars of other nations, and since faith needs to
appear in all forms of consciousness, there arose a need to express it
in philosophical tools as well.

Second, following the low state of Jews in exile, doubts arose about
Jewish faith, which seemed to have failed. In this context, severe
attacks against it arose from people of different religions, and there
was a need to defend it with philosophical tools as well.

However, it must be noted that according to many of our Sages, despite the
great value of philosophy in clarifying concepts, philosophical proofs
about faith are not binding. This is because faith precedes intellect,
just as life precedes intellect. Therefore, intellect can explain the
appearance of life and the appearance of faith, but cannot prove, or
negate it.

Summary of the Relationship to Rational Proofs
""""""" "" """ """""""""""" "" """""""" """"""
Ultimately, it is appropriate for every Torah student to briefly know
these proofs as well, but most Jewish scholars did not rely in their
faith on philosophical proofs, but rather used rational discussion to
cleanse faith from any trace of physicalization. However, their faith
itself relied on the trait of faith that exists in humans, that just
as they know they are alive, so they believe. And the content of faith
itself relies on the precise and faithful tradition from generation to
generation, whose foundation is in the divine revelation where God was
revealed to the patriarchs, to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai,
to Moshe Rabbeinu, and to all the prophets after him.

The Trait of Humility and Jewish Faith
""" """"" "" """""""" """ """""" """""
The trait of anava (humility) is essential for absorbing faith, because
we cannot think or speak about Gods essence, as God is beyond all
comprehension. In contrast, we can think and speak about what is revealed
to us. This principle is hinted at in the Torah, which does not begin
with the letter alef, (ed., the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet),
meaning, it does not begin with a description of the Creator Himself,
but begins with the letter bet (the second letter), in other words,
with creation, as it is said: In the beginning, God created the heavens
and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

Among all faiths and religions, only Israel refrains from speaking
about Gods essence, and this does not weaken their faith, but rather,
strengthens Jewish faith. Like a person who tries to look at the sun,
who will end up damaging their vision and will not be able to see
anything properly, so too, one who errs and tries to think and speak
about Gods essence will not only fail to understand God, but will also
fail to understand the purpose and goal of creation. But if one focuses
on what is revealed to us, one can cleave to God with all their heart,
soul and might.

Jewish Faith Manifests in All Areas of Life
"""""" """"" """"""""" "" """ """"" "" """"
Precisely because Jewish faith bounds itself with humility, and does
not try to define the Creator Himself, it deals with the full divine
revelation in the world and in humans, and thus, encompasses all of human
life. This is its main uniqueness, because from the perspective of strong
feelings of faith, members of different nations can also reach heights
as high as Jews. Similarly, in philosophical clarification ability,
which deals with the divine source and strives to cleanse it from all
physicalization, scholars of other nations can reach achievements as
high as Jews. However, only in Judaism does faith manifest in all areas
of life, in the 613 commandments as guided by the Torah, and from here,
comes its strength and blessing, which extends to the whole world (Rabbi
Kook in the article Daat Elokim pp. 135-136).

In Consciousness, Emotion, and All of Life
"" """""""""""""" """""""" """ """ "" """"
Since Jewish faith manifests in all areas of life, it is a commandment to
establish it in three circles that encompass human life: in consciousness,
in emotion, and in life as a whole.

In todaah (consciousness), meaning in the study of emunah (faith) and
its meaning, as written: Know this day and take unto your heart that
the Lord is God in heaven above and upon the earth below; there is none
else (Deuteronomy 4:39); and I am the Lord your God (Exodus 20:2). Also:
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One (Deuteronomy 6:4); and
Know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a
willing soul (Chronicles I 28:9). As mentioned, in Judaism, the study of
faith is the study of divine revelation in the world, and not an attempt
to understand His essence, which is beyond our comprehension. The study
of divine revelation is the study of the words of Torah and prophets who
explain Gods guidance in the world, as well as contemplation of creation,
which is also divine revelation.

In regesh (emotion), through the commandments of loving and fearing God,
as written: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your might (Deuteronomy 6:5), and also:
The Lord your God shall you fear, and Him shall you serve, and by His
name shall you swear (Deuteronomy 10:20).

In all of life, through studying Torah and fulfilling all its
commandments, as written: In all your ways know Him (Proverbs 3:6). Our
Sages said: This is a small passage, on which all the fundamentals
of Torah depend (Berachot 63a), because it includes the fundamental
position of Jewish faith that faith needs to be expressed in all areas
of life. And the more commandments a person fulfills, thereby revealing
faith in more areas, the stronger they become in faith and it empowers
them, for one commandment leads to another.

This article appears in the Besheva newspaper and was translated from
Hebrew.