Reflection on the Mesorah
A vort, with a disclaimer. Not everything here is verifiably true hashkafa. I try my best, but some krum hashkafos may crop in my writings because of my nature to read everything my eyes see. Forgive me in advance. If I haven't scared you away yet, and you have ventured to read what I think, (of course, it is understood, with the perogitive to change my hashkafa if the right idea is presented in the comments,that makes me feel happy) I am greatful that you have took it upon yourself to trust little ol' me to spoon feed you something that I believe is THE TRUTH. The road and mechanics of Torah is hard to describe in words. It is like describing an orgasm. Not possible, right? The basis, is the question and answer. Without them there would be no questions and no answer (Am I making sense yet?) . Let me ask you a rehtorical question, (and don't answer no, you haven't heard me out yet!) Why did g-d give us a brain? A loaded question, right? To understand Torah properly, would it be possible to program a computer with all the sefarim ever written and spit out an answer? Wouldn't that be great, to have a computer and no more rabbis arguing what is right and what is wrong? We'll have a convention and gather all segments of the Jewish people and have them submit their views and a computer will randomly generate a response and everyone would agree to abide by the results. Sounds crazy right? My(our) belief is that we respect someone, commonly called by the title Rabbi, who has spent years honing his brain to a point where he sees th Torah in DEPTH as well as length. This is only possible if he shuns the outside world and its views. Even though there are parts of Torah that are forgotten, and there are holes in the chain, but g-d granted us a brain and to use it properly to come to a conclusion. However if one does not have the right training (and sorry girls, you DO NOT have this training or the connections, and I'm not blaming you its not your fault) it is impossible to see right from wrong. This is why IMHO (and my rabbi's) we have emunas chachamim. Because we don't have the experience to judge for our selves true logical interpitations. Even though we might think we are so smart and we can understand everything. The people who have this depth are recognized by the masses (maybe not all, but by those in the know) and are RESPECTED for their dedication and passion to the Torah. Examine history and it will tell you that we only stand here today because of a few individuals who were able to continue the tradition from Sinai. Has some of it been corrupted and forgotten? Unequivocally, yes. But that shouldn't stop us from using our minds to seek out the truth.
posted by EN at 12:18 AM
3 Comments:
EN -
I am probably not the one who should be sticking up for Brianna here, because I know she is fully capable of doing it herself, but your comment on her blog is completely indicative of the problems I have with men in full-time learning. What on earth are you learning all day long in yeshiva that would make you feel comfortable being so openly mean-spirited to someone? Torah is about being loving and kind, it is all about sensitivity towards others. I am not sure what you are learning exactly, but if it is Torah, you don't seem to be getting it. You say in your post that we shouldn't stop using our minds to seek truth - that is what Brianna does, though maybe not in the same way you choose to. We are all Hashem's creations, and we were each created uniquely, therefore there is not one way in which everyone should think or behave. I apologize for this comment not being inredibly kind, but it is this kind of attitude that I believe makes many turn away from Torah, and it really bothers me. You are free to delete this comment if you so desire, but please send me an e-mail (you can find my e-mail on my blog) with a response to justify your agressiveness towards others in a Torah framework, because I would like to know why you feel it is appropriate.
I am having difficulty understanding your message. I never meant in any way to be man to Bri. I respect her immensly. If you are refering to my constructive criticisim that I called her a Balas Gaiva, I hope she didn't take it in a mean way. It is my way of joking around. I agree Torah is multi faceited and everyone has the right to expres their opinion and expressive mean of coming to the same thing. If someone would make fun of me and call me a loser and say you don't know Torah, I would put up my fists and fight, not lower my head and get insulted. This is the nature of the give and take in life. Let things pass. No one means to hurt anyone. It is a way of seeking the truth in my opinion. How else can you get to know concepts with out expressing it. I never judge anyone. If they know something i don't I am always happy to listen. But if I think something is right I am going to fight it to the daeth. I have conviction of what I learnt is right and if you think I am wron g you are going to have to prove me wrong. Be it any way possible, even if it means hurting my ego. I don't care what anyone thinks, I beleiev in the truth and nothing but the truth. If I come out to strong it is because I believe so strongly in everything you wrote. It is a tough battle and I am very confused and I am sruggling to know the truth. Is arguing going to solve it? Maybe, maybe not. Any suggestions on improving my attitude and to make me a better person are always welcome. Even if I might hurt my feelings, (don't worry I have tough skin).
EN -
I apologize if I misunderstood your comment to Brianna, I did not realize that you were joking, and if you were, it wasn't right for me to respond in the way that I did. I agree that people should fight for what they believe is truth, but you also must remember to be respectful of other's thoughts and opinions as well. There are seventy paths to Torah, and no one connects in exactly the same way to Hashem. As long as someone is working within a halachic framework, we should tolerate their individual expression of that.
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