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1994

The Jewish Jew and Western Culture: Fallible Predictions for the Turn of the Century (1994)

Torah Umadda
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Article

Scriptural Allusions to Torah Umadda (1998)

I have written elsewhere on the theme of Torah Umadda, especially in my volume by that name, at some length. The present article is in the nature of a footnote to that work, and consists of an interpretation of a verse in Psalms (36:10). It is not intended as a "proof" of the Torah Umadda thesis, and is by no means to be taken as "scientific" evidence of Torah Umadda in the Psalms. It is, rather, as the title of this short piece indicates, an allusion to Torah Umadda. And I believe it reflects the peshat of the verse and is more than homiletical.The verse reads, *Ki Imcha Mekor Chaim B’orcha Nireh Ohr*.The standard English translation is, "For with Thee is the fountain of life; Thy light do we see light." This is a fairly accurate translation, but it does not avoid a difficulty which arises in Hebrew as well. That is, how does one see light in the light of God? It is in the nature of light that a stronger light overpowers a weaker one. A small match struck in a totally dark room gives much wanted illumination, whereas the same amount of light in the outdoors on a sunny day is hardly noticeable, if at all. The Talmud (Hullin 60b) asks, rhetorically, what use is there of a lamp in the daytime?!It would seem therefore, that the most powerful light imaginable, whether physically or metaphorically, is the light of the Divine, the *Ohr Hashem*. When a mere mortal has attained that spiritual or prophetic category of the divine light, all other "lights"—again, whether physical or metaphoric—should effectively disappear. When exposed to the light of Godliness, all other lights shrink into insignificance. The conclusion, therefore, is that in immersing one’s self in Torah, in attaining the spiritual illumination of divinity, all other sources of enlightenment fade away and are meaningless. Apparently, *Madda* has no standing in the face of Torah.But that is not what the Psalmist says. When King David cries out, *B’oracha Nireh Ohr*, "in Thy light do we see light," he is decl…
Torah Umadda

Speech

The Jewish Jew and Western Culture: Fallible Predictions for the Turn of the Century - Speech (1992)

I shall not be speaking directly and exclusively about the conference theme of "Jewish Identities in the New Europe." Instead, I shall concentrate on what I surmise is the future course of those Jews who are intensely committed to Torah and the Jewish Tradition, and at same time do not wish to segregate from other Jews, do not want to ignore worldly culture, and who do believe—as a matter of principle and not merely convenience—that critical engagement with the environing culture and a profound feeling of fraternity with fellow Jews regardless of their own differing convictions is what, to borrow the prophetic style, "the Lord doth require of us." My intention is that because such a group undoubtedly exists, in greater or lesser measure, in Europe, my words will be germane to the situation in the "New Europe" as well, and that my American experience will not prove irrelevant to the subject of this conference.I speak as one of this self-same group: as a religious, Orthodox Jew, who believes that without Torah there is no future for Am Yisrael, but who wants all Jews, no matter what their religious or ideological orientations, to survive and thrive; whose firm commitment to his own vision of Judaism and Jewishness sometimes makes him impatient but never intolerant of other, competing views; and whose outlook is best summed up in the words Torah Umadda, the integration or confluence of religious commitment and worldly learning. Hence, my title: "The Jewish Jew and Western Culture."The sub-title, "Fallible Predictions for the Turn of the Century," can be explained only on the basis of my outrageous lack of modesty; for the Talmudic Sages taught that since the destruction of the Temple, the gift of prophecy was taken from the prophets and given to children and fools...The polarization of the Jewish community is by now a truism. On the one side, a high mobility rate and the displacements of war have produced a situation whereby, as one scholar estimated a number of years…
Torah Umadda Europe

Outline

Torah Umadda Speech (1992)

1. apolgy f treatg thme here/book. *TuM so self-evdt... Many/most yshvot except far Hasidic: nght collg; All – HS; halkhc diff'ce? *True, attackd mny reasns. But note, e.g.: *R. Hayym Brisker: totl rjctn M – evn lang/nwspprs... any ready forbd Eng tdy? *same tm: nt true w no precdnts! Evn in hal'c commy *Exs: הרמ"א התעניין גם בלמודי פילוסופיה, קבלה היסטוריה ואסטרונומיה. בספרו "תורת העולה" מצטט הוא בתמידות חכמים רבים במקצועות אלו, אע"פ שבנוגע לתורת חכמי האומות שאב את ידיעותיו מכלי שני. הוא מתיחס
Torah Umadda