Maimonides, Spinoza and Us

Marc D. Angel

Description

A challenging look at two great Jewish philosophers, and what their thinking means to our understanding of God, truth, revelation and reason.

Moses Maimonides (11381204) is Jewish historys greatest exponent of a rational, philosophically sound Judaism. He strove to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and rabbinic tradition with the principles of Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that religion and philosophy ultimately must arrive at the same truth.

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Baruch Spinoza (163277) is Jewish historys most illustrious heretic. He believed that truth could be attained through reason alone, and that philosophy and religion were separate domains that could not be reconciled. His critique of the Bible and its teachings caused an intellectual and spiritual upheaval whose effects are still felt today.

Rabbi Marc D. Angel discusses major themes in the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza to show us how modern people can deal with religion in an intellectually honest and meaningful way. From Maimonides, we gain insight on how to harmonize traditional religious belief with the dictates of reason. From Spinoza, we gain insight into the intellectual challenges which must be met by modern believers.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Spinoza
• Maimónides
• Sephardic law and customs
• Jewish philosophy
• Orthodox Judaism
• Maimonides
• Judaism
• Religion
• Baruch Spinoza
• Moïse Maïmonide

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 16 novembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580235440
• Langue: English

Extrait

Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism
Rabbi Marc D. Angel, PhD
Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism
2010 Hardcover Edition, Second Printing
2009 Hardcover Edition, First Printing
2009 by Marc D. Angel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or reprinted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please write or fax your request to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Angel, Marc.
Maimonides, Spinoza and us: toward an intellectually vibrant Judaism / Marc D. Angel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-411-5 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58023-411-9 (hardcover)
1. Philosophy, Jewish. 2. Philosophy, Medieval. 3. Judaism-History-Medieval and early modern period, 425-1789. 4. Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204. 5. Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632-1677. I. Title.
B755.A54 2009
296.3-dc22
2009035462
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Manufactured in the United States of America
Jacket Design: Melanie Robinson
For People of All Faiths, All Backgrounds
Published by Jewish Lights Publishing
A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc.
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, VT 05091
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.jewishlights.com
Other Jewish Lights Books by Rabbi Marc D. Angel, PhD
Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality :
The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire
In honor of the members of our Sunday Morning Rambam Class at Congregation Shearith Israel, New York City
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1 Faith in Reason, Reason in Faith
2 The Nature of God, the God of Nature
3 Torah from Heaven
4 Divine Providence
5 The Oral Torah and Rabbinic Tradition
6 Religion and Superstition
7 Israel and Humanity
8 Conversion to Judaism
9 Eternal Torah, Changing Times
10 Faith and Reason
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
About Jewish Lights
Copyright
Acknowledgments
F or many years, I have been teaching a Sunday morning class at Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, in which we have studied the works of Maimonides-Rambam. Several years ago, we devoted quite a few sessions to comparing ideas in the writings of Spinoza with those of Rambam. The discussions were lively and challenging. This book is a direct outgrowth of those classes, and I thank each of the class members for sharing ideas and insights that have helped me-and all of us-think more clearly about basic issues in Judaism.
I thank the members and supporters of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals ( jewishideas.org ) for their friendship and encouragement. I established the Institute in October 2007, with the aim of fostering an intellectually vibrant, compassionate, and inclusive Orthodox Judaism. The teachings reflected in this book have been central to the work of the Institute.
I am grateful to Stuart M. Matlins, publisher of Jewish Lights, for his interest in this book and for his genuine commitment to Jewish ideas and ideals. I express sincere thanks to the Jewish Lights professional staff, who did a wonderful job in producing this volume: Emily Wichland, vice president of Editorial and Production; Tim Holtz, director of Production and Design; Kristi Menter, typesetter; and Melanie Robinson, who designed the book cover.
My daughter, Ronda Angel Arking, did a magnificent job editing the early drafts of this book and asking me all the right questions. I thank Randall and Hannah Miryam Belinfante for their prompt and helpful research assistance.
I express my gratitude to my wonderful wife, Gilda, and our children: Rabbi Hayyim Angel; Dr. Dan and Ronda Angel Arking; Dr. James and Elana Angel Nussbaum; and our beloved grandchildren: Jake Isaac Nussbaum, Andrew Zak Arking, Jonathan Marc Arking, Max Joseph Nussbaum, Charles Victor Nussbaum, and Jeremy Victor Arking.
I thank the Almighty, who has given me life, sustained me, and brought me to this special moment. I pray that readers will find this book helpful in deepening their understanding of Torah, Judaism, and God.
Preface
A rabbinic teaching has it that the way of Torah is a narrow path. To the right is fire and to the left is ice. A follower of Torah must be focused and balanced, so as to avoid veering off the road in either direction
To the right is fire-the fire of a religious passion that has lost control of itself. This is the fire of religious zeal that slips into extremism, fanaticism, and self-righteousness. Turning to the right entails a surrender of a person s power of reason in favor of a transcendent and mystical relationship with God. Yet, with the suspension of reason comes the possibility of chasing after false gods and superstitious beliefs.
To the left is ice-the ice of skepticism, of rationalism run amok. The warmth of Torah is lost, its inner beauty and power negated. Moving to the left entails a surrender of a person s spiritual sense in favor of a cold philosophical view of life. With the increase in ice comes the possibility of living without ever confronting and experiencing God.
We live in an age when it is increasingly difficult to walk in the path of Torah in a focused and balanced way. The intensity of fire on the right has created a religiosity characterized by extremism, obscurantism, authoritarianism. We witness a deadening conformity-in thought, behavior, even manner of dress. Thousands of people suspend their reason in order to follow the dictates of their rebbes or halakhic authorities. Kabbalists and pseudo-kabbalists thrive, dispensing amulets, red strings, and magical blessings.
The threats on the left are equally dangerous. The widespread secularism and agnosticism create a deep void. Sociologist Peter L. Berger has referred to the modern condition as spiritual homelessness. To live without a sense of God s presence is to miss a vital and meaningful aspect of life.
Is it possible for us to maintain a balanced, intellectually sound view of Judaism? Is it possible to avoid veering to the anti-rationalism on the right or the super-rationalism on the left?
This book is an attempt to reclaim the narrow path of Torah. It rests on the classic traditional foundations of Judaism as a religion based on divine revelation and as a way of life governed by halakha (Jewish law). It also rests on the premise that we have the right-and responsibility-to engage in intellectual inquiry in a spirit of freedom, using our reason.
Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) is the single greatest thinker in Jewish history who stressed the role of reason and philosophy in the understanding of Torah. Although many of his teachings have become mainstream Jewish thinking, his rational outlook is largely ignored among those who have veered to the right. By revisiting the philosophical views of Maimonides, we can come to a deeper appreciation of the role of reason in Judaism. We are challenged to use our own intellectual faculties in our confrontation with God and Torah.
In rabbinic circles, Maimonides is generally known as Rambam, an acronym for his Hebrew name, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon. In the academic community, he is generally known as Maimonides (that is, son of Maimon). In this book, I will be referring to him interchangeably both as Rambam and Maimonides.
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) is the single greatest thinker in Jewish history whose commitment to reason led him to abandon traditional Judaism. By evaluating his views on biblical religion, we are challenged to rethink our assumptions, to answer his critiques, and to learn from his insights. While Maimonides lays the foundation for an intellectually sound Judaism, Spinoza challenges Maimonides views every step of the way. While I am clearly a devotee of the Maimonidean approach, I believe that Spinoza is a vital stimulus to fostering careful and independent thinking on major topics discussed by Maimonides.
To reclaim a balanced Judaism, we need the wisdom and strength of Maimonides vision. But we also need to address the serene, perceptive views of Spinoza.
Maimonides was a medieval philosopher. Spinoza was a premodern philosopher. Both have much to teach us. Yet, much has happened in the world of philosophy and religion since their eras. Modern thinkers have moved away from metaphysics and toward such movements as logical positivism and existentialism. Advances in science, psychology, anthropology, and other fields have generated new knowledge and new ways of thinking. Since our intellectual and spiritual worlds are so different from those of Maimonides and Spinoza, we need to add a third component to this book: us. We live today in a modern (or postmodern) world, where change is a basic feature of our reality. We appreciate the value of human reason in our search for truth and meaning, but we also are very aware of its limitations. Whereas Maimonides and Spinoza both believed that there is one ultimate Truth (with a capital T ) to which the human intellect can aspire, moderns are more likely to speak of multiple truths.
This book focuses on the teachings of Maimonides on such topics as the role of reason in religious faith, the nature of God, the authoritativeness of the Torah and rabbinic tradition, and the role of Jews and Judaism in the world. It factors in the insights and critiques of Spinoza. Chapters 8 and 9 , dealing with conversion to Judaism and other issues in Jewish law, are presented through the teachings of Rambam, since Spinoza-who rejected the ongoing authority of halakha-has nothing to contribute to these topics. The discussions in this book are intended to encourage us to work through the issues usin