Friday 22 June 2007

The Perception of Torah

Originally published 6/22/07, 5:13 PM, Eastern Daylight Time

How are we to be viewed by the world? On the one hand, our laws are seen by many as somewhat odd. Does Rashi not state, in the beginning of parshat Chukkot, that the nations of the world will mock us?

Yet, does Devarim 4:6 not also declare that the nations of the world will also see us, through our laws, as a "wise and understanding people"? So what is it? Should we expect to be mocked by the world or praised by the world, in our observance of mitzvot?

We invite you to look at the following Nishma Spark of the Week for a response to this question.

2 comments:

DrMike said...

There are two aspects to this post. The first is regarding those odd customs like the red heifer. Of course people will mock that. It sseems cultish without any good reason.
Other laws such as civil laws, however, would be understood by other nations as being just.
Another aspect: something initially mocked might eventually be accepted for being wise. Consider the concept of the ketubah. One could only imagine the ridicule from other peoples when it was conceived, given the unprecedented rights it granted the wife in case of divorce. Yet now alimony is a given in any divorce settlement. Perhaps both verses should be read this way. What they start off by mocking they will eventually praise.

Rabbi Richard Wolpoe said...

Note: Many meforshim assume Chok to refer to those laws that are "irrational"

Hirsch changes this definition to state that Chok refers to those laws that show mastery of Nature or dealing with the relationship ofhumans to nature etc.

Thus, Mishpat refers to the civil law between fellow humans. Other laws are towards God. Chukkim are towards nature, animals, dead bodies, nega'im, etc.

A Wise people might produce intuitively obvious civil law.

But how is it rational to treat disease X with Chemical Y? It might WORK but do we understand HOW? 99% of us do not. This is becasue unless one is a chemist, pharmicist, or an MD in Internal Medicine, the connection is a mystery - at least on a detail level.

Chukkim behave the same way. They are not irrational so much as beyond explanation to anyone lacking the detailed knowledge of how the human-nature nexus works.

It was not long ago, about 100 years or so, that physicisians - seeing that diabetics urinated sugar - prescribed adding MORE sugar to the diabetic in order to replace the sugar lost in urine! Now we would consider that conclusion hilarious if not tragic. Yet that approach was logical in its own way- yet ill-informed.

And how can we explain to the world that stimulants such as Ritalin CALM DOWN hyperactive children! It defies logic. Yet it works [or seems to work in many cases] and could be construed as a kind of Chok.

RRW