Sunday 6 November 2011

Rationalism and Religion - can they co-exist?

Intensity of Religious Experience appears to be dominated by very "Holy" people. In Judaism that usually means by Hareidim.

While some Rationalists do profess to obey Halachah, Rationalism has usually been championed by largely anti-Religious types such as the late Dr. Albert Ellis.

The question is, can a really rational, yet intense spiritual brand of Judaism be minted? And if it can, can it work for a community, or for just a few "y'chidei S'gulah" [Think: Rambam and RYD Soloveichik]

R Natan Slifkin offers us his world view here:


Rationalist Judaism: The Making of Post-Haredim
http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2011/11/making-of-post-haredim.html?m=1


Shalom,
RRW

2 comments:

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

There are limits to rationalism.
Ultimately the existence of God cannot be proved beyond doubt. All the fanciest arguments and Aish HaTorah statements have flaws. Belief is irrational since if it were rational it wouldn't be belief, it would be knowledge.
Therefore there is a place for rationalism but only once one has made the irrational decision to believe in the system's claims.

Avraham said...

To the Rambam reason is the only way to perceive God. But his idea of reason in this context is wide. it is not the simple reason of being able to perceive logical contradictions. The Rambam held the faculty of Reason is wide. And yet the Rambam held that it can be made wider by the specific type of divine service that he was proposing. (Incidentally I don't think he was the first to propose this. I think there was a Jewish philosopher (that is in general not studied in yeshiva) that suggested this approach also.) I think the Rambam in this case should not be ignored. One of the greatest Kabalists in history Avraham Abulafia held the secret of the final redemption is contained in the first forty chapters of the Guide for the Perplexed.(R Avraham Abulfia quoted at length the by the Remak and R. Chyim Vital.)