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August 27, 1996

Tolerance Lecture - Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts (1996)

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On Tolerance (1988)

Set this in a broader philosophical perspective: The conflict between the demand of free will on the one hand and the demands of socialization on the other. Insofar as the individual is concerned, without free will there is no Torah, and the halakha regards coercive behavior as a denial of freedom. On the other hand, there can be no community without accepted norms of conduct, and the community must socialize individuals into accepting its basic principles both of theory and practice.If we go too far in the direction of freedom, we have destroyed society. If we tip the balance to society and community, we have robbed the individual of his freedom.Hence, what is necessary is an ongoing dialectic between both extremes, such that the basic integrity of a human being is preserved, allowing him to express his freedom, and provision is made for the orderly continuity of the society.Refer to the Gemora (Shabbat 88) that the Torah was not normative as long as it was forced upon us, and did not become authoritative until it was reaccepted in the days of Mordechai and Esther.
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Tolerance - The Delicate Balance (1996)

These words on tolerance are totally non-political, and yet it is a sign of the charged atmosphere and the high degree of nervous tension that prevails in both Israel and America, that the very topic is immediately interpreted as a partisan statement – which, of course, it is not. The theme as such is germane both to the Israeli and to the American scenes. And if it was occasioned by the most intolerant act in recent Jewish history, namely, the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the unfortunate reactions to that macabre event, it applies as well to much of the discourse that characterizes what passes for the internal dialogues in both our communities. As a result of the assassination, I appointed a group of scholars and educators, mostly from Yeshiva University faculties but from elsewhere as well, to constitute a Commission on Judaism and Human Values, to study and report on the sources in Judaism on the themes of tolerance, democracy, and the ethics of dissent. I asked that there be no apologetics. The presumption is that our sacred literature speaks in more than one voice, and that while all views be recorded, special attention be paid to those which speak most directly and relevantly to our situation. That commission has been assiduously at work, and its final report will, I expect, prove to be a major contribution to elucidating an authentic Jewish view that can help us resolve our dangerous dilemmas. The present treatment of the subject does not at all pretend to be exhaustive; it is not systematic, and is but a preliminary effort to sketch some ideas on the attitudes to tolerance in the various sources of Judaism.The British historian Toynbee maintained that Judaism, as the advocate of monotheism, was intolerant; its single-minded rejection of idolatry left it with little patience for other forms of worship. Was he right?Yes, partially. For at the outset it should be made clear that tolerance is not an absolute. There are things and ideas tha…
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Tolerance and its Limits (1997)

This lecture=totally non-political; I have no partisan end in mind, I do not refer at all to the religious/political controversies that afflict both Am-Jy/Israel. Is occasioned by the terribly intolerant acts in recent J history: Baruch Goldstein massacre in Hebron, assassin'n Yitzhak Rabin and, most recently, the shooting by a demented Dati soldier in Hebron.. As result Rabin assass'n, I appointed ...Com on J’sm & Human Values... tolerance/dem'cy/ ethics dissent...fr w-i J sources...Com assiduously at work, should report several months. This present lecture=introduction to the theme; not a systematic treatment, but effort to sketch ideas on role of tolerance in sources of JudaismArnold Toynbee: J'sm, as advocate of monotheism=intolerant; its single-minded rejection of idolatry left it with little patience for other forms of worship. Was he right?Yes, partially. Posit at outset: tolerance=not an absolute. There are things/ideas that= intolerable to any decent/civilized persn. Hence, there are examples aplenty of intolerant attitudes in Tor: (ג״ע שפ״ד ע״ז (״תועבה״; or עיר הנדחת ובן סורר ומורה. So too לה״ר ורכילות Nor should we today tolerate rapists/drug-pushers/muggers. Unlimitd tol'ce betrays intell'l cowardice & =invit'n to soc collapse and the deterioration of all standards.Yet: to tolerate is divine! R. Elijah de Vidas (ראשית חכמה), God tolerates the sinner even at the very moment of his rebellion by continuing to grant him the gift of life.W.V. Quine (Quiddities pp. 206-210): "delicate balance of tolerance." This balance-not easy: ס-ב-ל=root of both suffering and of patience (סבלנות)— & tol'ce (סובלנות)Bec balance=so delicate, is presumpt's offer advance clear direc'n all cases. Most cn hope f =fw guide-lines as examine each case own merits/try f bst accomm'n bth conflict'g theses.Indirect reference to "balance of tolerance": —מינוי יהושע כמנהיג ישראל אחרי משהיפקד ה' אלקי הרוחית לכל־בשר איש על־העדה (פר׳ פנחס, במדבר כ״ ז: טו-כג)-רש״י (פס׳ טו ד״ה אלק…
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