Absolute Truth
I have recently begun reading “One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues that Divide Them“. One of the first issues brought up was the concept of absolute truth.
Rabbi Hirsch writes:
“You write that [Orthodox Jews] ‘believe without question that there is an absolute truth and that it is contained in our Holy Torah.’ At the same time, you write: ‘Orthodox Judaism is without question about the search for truth.’
What is it? Are you in possession of truth, or are you searching for truth?
If you are searching for truth, then I am with you. It is not Orthodox Judaism alone that is about the search for truth.” (page 6)
I have been thinking about this issue and where I fall within the argument between the traditional Reform perspective and the traditional Orthodox perspective. I believe that the underlying disagreement is about the authorship of the Torah and its subsequent transmission.
*WARNING - GENERALITIES*
Reform Judaism believes in a multi-author documentary hypothesis which proposes that Moses received the Ten Commandments (and some other scripture) beginning at Sinai but he did not write the entire Torah. In addition, Moses also did not receive the entire Oral Torah beginning at Sinai. So, if Moses did not receive all of the written and Oral Torah (and it was not subsequently passed down as described in Pirkei Avot) then it is easier to say that the Torah is not absolute truth in and of itself and relying on Torah as the only source for truths in the modern world is not a wise or responsible idea.
The Orthodox perspective is that Moses received both the Written and Oral Torah beginning at Sinai and concluding before his death on Mount Nebo. Moses receive the Torah and passed it on to Joshua and the Elders and Joshua passed it down to others (see Pirkei Avot - Mishnah 1). So, if Moses received all the written and Oral Torah and it was subsequently passed down as written in Pirkei Avot, then it is easier to say that the Torah is absolute truth. Relying on the Torah for truth in the modern world is the wise and responsible thing to do.
I think that the Torah is the absolute truth but we do not know that absolute truth in its entirety. This is part of tikkun olam (repairing the world) - seaching for the absolute truth.
What do you think?
Being a Chassid,but a member of a Reform Temple, I would agree that Torah is absolute truth. I will concede that sometimes the fence we build around it can become distorted at times. What I mean by that is, there are parts that were added as tradition way back when that do not necessarily apply in today’s world. An example of this is I have a gentile wife who keeps the Noachide laws and who I love very much and is the mother of my children. Under Orthodoxy she has to totally convert or I would have to divorce her. Under Reform this is not a problem. The point would be, that I don’t find the need for her to convert in the written Torah. It came in later and was historically added to keep Jews from intermarrying. I think sometimes instead of being a light to the nations we alienate ourselves from them. I would be interested in hearing any thoughts on this.
Shalom,
Sensei David
Torah Warriors International
My brain must have gone on hiatus even before the blog, rachel-esther. Otherwise, I cannot account for how I missed this very fine post.
In short, I think I’m with you in your assessment of Torah’s truth but fuzziness on the details. I am not particularly interested in the documentary hypothesis or biblical criticism in general. I find the stuff gleaned by religious scholars much richer and more relevant to my life. But to each his own.
As for Sensei David’s impression that the written Torah lacks explicit mention of conversion, this is not the case. While conversion in biblical times was probably much simpler than it is now (Ruth recited a simple formula but also steered her life in a new direction, away from her Moabite upbringing), Jews consorting with non-Jews is frowned upon. See the end of Parshat Balak where Zimri, a prince from the tribe of Shimon, brings his non-Jewish date Kosbi to the Mishkan and “co-habits” with her in plain view of the other princes. Not only was this part of the avodah zara practiced ritually by Kosbi’s people, it was a deliberate act of provocation against Moses and the other tribal princes. The response to this behavior by Pinchas (i.e. making shish-kebab out of Zimri and Kosbi), far from being condemned as intolerant, extremist, or violent, earned him the promotion to Kohen Gadol. This is not to say that any such fate would or should befall you and your chosen mate. But it’s a clear statement that endogamy is the preferred marital state in the written Torah.