Over the years, in different
lectures and publications, I have identified the main points of my religious
philosophy. In an attempt to bring them all together, albeit in a succinct
form, I wish to share it in various installments in my upcoming blog postings.
Here is the first one:
PART ONE: KNOWLEDGE
I have always been interested in
history, for, I believe, we cannot know who we are and what we have done unless
we find out where we have been before, and learn from it, for, as George
Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (Life of Reason, Reason in Common Sense, Scribner's, 1905,
p. 284). Yet, I recognize that there is no such a thing as an
“objective” history, because facts still need to be interpreted, and that is
purely subjective. Even if one assumed that “facts” could be established
through scientific methods (e.g. DNA), they still need to be evaluated,
analyzed, sifted through, kept or discarded. As we know, two people can witness
the same accident and come up with two different views of it. There is also the
possibility that the witnesses would ignore or discard some of the facts, just
as every historian picks and selects those events that make a difference. There
is no end to recording every detail of what happened in the past.
For
centuries, philosophers have been trying to find out how we know, and have
developed a series of epistemological theories to explain this puzzle, none of
which answers all our questions adequately. I agree with the empiricists that we know what
we experience, and that, limited human beings as we are, complete knowledge of
the “thing in itself” (das Ding an sich) is, as Kant remarked, beyond
our comprehension or ability to grasp, collect and record. Consequently, if all
knowledge is subjective and if we cannot have full knowledge of things, we are
only left with historical novels.
The
realization that our knowledge is limited has led me to concentrate on concepts
and values in historical and religious texts that are open to interpretation.
Now, that is something we can argue about. Some will approve of these notions,
others will take exceptions, but at least no one would claim that we are
dealing with “the Truth,” which is both elusive and unattainable.
The
discussion about values, however, requires that we acknowledge the variety of valid
positions on similar subjects. This search for choices has informed my entire
rabbinic and academic career from the very beginning. Thus, for example, in Finding
God (NY: URJ Press, 1986) and in Many Faces of God (NY: URJ Press,
2004), I pointed out that throughout history Jewish thinkers have
maintained a variety of God concepts that are based on the principle of the
divine unity. We don’t know what or who God is, but we can cite a number of
Jewish views about God from which people could select as one as their own.
Similarly, in my book, Six Jewish Spiritual Paths (Vermont: Jewish
Lights, 2000) I viewed spirituality from a wider perspective, and offered a few
options (such as, spirituality through study, meditation, ritual, good deeds
etc.) to highlight the variety of spiritual experiences in Judaism.
The search for religious
choices can only be possible through study. Hillel used to say lo a'm
haaretz hasid (“an ignorant person cannot be pious.” See, Avot 2: 6). Reform Jewish teachers have insisted that the
choices we make must be “informed” choices. We must know in order to choose.
THE STARTING POINT: THE SENSE OF
WONDER
When I wake up in the morning and
realize that I am alive in a world that operates in reliable yet mysterious
ways, I am moved to express gratitude to God that made me part of it. Abraham
J. Heschel once wrote, “Wonder or radical amazement is the chief characteristic
of the religious man’s attitude toward history and nature.” (See, God in
Search of Man; Philadelphia: JPS,
1962, 45). The awareness that the universe has an intricate composition has led
many, including me, to revere life. Not only am I in awe before the workings of
the world, but I am equally struck by the way our bodies operate harmoniously
most of the time. I view human beings as bulks of energies stimulated by an
inner force. How does the heart know to beat regularly? It is marvelous to
realize how our digestive system works. The ancient rabbis, noting this wonder,
even penned a prayer to be said after one wakes up: “Blessed are You, God, who
has formed the human body in wisdom, and has created in it intricate passages,
vessels and openings. It is clear to You that if one of them is blocked or
opened, we could not stand before You. Blessed are You, God, who heals all
flesh in a wondrous way.”
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