Beyond Faith: Exploring Judaism and Comparing It to Other Religions, Philosophies, and Disciplines

By Aaron Minsky

This is an important book which should see the light of day.
- Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, Orthodox Union

I feel this work will be of great value to the thinking Jew.
- Rabbi Yitzhak Rosenbaum, National Jewish Outreach Program

There is little doubt in my mind that this encyclopedic work will be an indispensable resource.
- Rabbi Tovia Singer, Outreach Judaism, Israel National Radio

This book would also be beneficial to non-Jews who wish to know what Judaism thinks of them and their role in creation.
- Rabbi Yisroel Fried, Chabad Lubavitch


CLICK HERE to go to the author's personal website

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 15, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462832019

Aaron Minsky

Aaron Minsky is not the typical author one would expect for a book such as this. He is a composing cellist published by Oxford University Press. Known as rock cello innovator Von Cello, he has released CDs, and performed worldwide. Along with music, Minsky’s passion is the study of religion, especially Judaism. "I believe all religions must be investigated and compared by the standards of logic and reason. Today survival and destruction are closely balanced. Since religion plays such an important role in conflicts around the world, a rational investigation of the world's faiths seems essential if we are to peacefully settle these multi-generational struggles." - Aaron Minsky "This is an important book which should see the light of day." - Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, Orthodox Union "I feel this work will be of great value to the thinking Jew.” - Rabbi Yitzhak Rosenbaum, National Jewish Outreach Program "There is little doubt in my mind that this encyclopedic work will be an indispensable resource." - Rabbi Tovia Singer, Outreach Judaism, Israel National Radio "This book would also be beneficial to non-Jews who wish to know what Judaism thinks of them and their role in creation." - Rabbi Yisroel Fried, Chabad Lubavitch

Book preview

Contents

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY AND LETTERS OF APPROBATION

ARTIST’S PAGE

FOREWORD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1 INTRODUCTION: FAITH VS. RATIONAL INVESTIGATION

2 THE AMAZING JEWISH CALENDAR AND OTHER GOLDEN PEBBLES ON THE MOUNTAIN OF JUDAISM

3 SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE KOSHER LAWS

4 HEBREW: A WISE LANGUAGE?

5 THE BIBLE CODE: SECRET CODES OR HYPE?

6 JEWISH PROPHECY: TRUE PROPHECY OR A GOOD GUESS?

7 WILL THE REAL BIBLE PLEASE STAND UP?

8 RELIGIOUS SCIENCE OR SCIENTIFIC RELIGION? (EVOLUTION VERSUS JUDAISM)

9 WHAT IS MORALITY AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

10 IS GOD MORAL? A SERIOUS RESPONSE TO A SERIOUS QUESTION

11 GO TO HELL? (WHY CHRISTIANS AND JEWS BOTH EXIST)

12 WHAT’S IN A THE NAME?

13 PURIM AND THE HOLOCAUST: A CONNECTION?

14 JEWISH SELF-HATRED AND ITS CURE

15 AN ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN WHO CAN FIND? (FEMINISM VERSUS JUDAISM)

16 LOVE AND MARRIAGE? … MAYBE NOT! THE TRUTH ABOUT CONVERSION AND INTERMARRIAGE

17 HOLIDAYS OR HOLY DAYS?

18 THE BEAUTY OF THE JEWISH LIFESTYLE: PICK A MITZVAH

19 IS JUDAISM LESS SPIRITUAL THAN OTHER RELIGIONS?

20 GETTING BACK TO NATURE MEDITATION, AND THE SEARCH FOR INNER PEACE

21 EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH … BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

22 DIVISION OR UNITY: SHOULD THERE BE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF JUDAISM?

23 ZIONISM: THE JEWISH CLAIM TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL, ISRAEL’S ROLE AMONG THE NATIONS, AND THE PATH TO PEACE

24 WHO ARE THE TRUE UNITARIANS?

25 CONCLUSION: SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

BIBLIOGRAPHY

END NOTES

In memory of my sister, Fran.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth, proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, among all the peoples His wonders.

-First Chronicles 16:23-24

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY AND LETTERS OF APPROBATION

Aaron Minsky is not the typical author one would expect to find for a book such as this. He is a composing cellist whose works are published by Oxford University Press. He is also known as rock cello innovator Von Cello, a Yamaha Artist who has released CDs, performed around the world, and been featured on major radio and television stations. (More information, including audio and video clips, pictures, and articles, can be found on his extensive website: http://www.voncello.com.) His unique musical path earned him inclusion in Who’s Who in America, and the International Who’s Who. How then is he qualified to write a book on religion? Along with music, Minsky’s passion has always been the study of religion, especially Judaism. He approaches both subjects with the same intellectual curiosity, humor, and zeal.

Though raised in the Reform movement, on a trip to Israel Aaron discovered that there was a much stronger rationale behind traditional Judaism than he had known. Upon returning home, he became a regular attendee of the Orthodox synagogue service and spent years researching various aspects of Judaism. What he learned gave him new insights into current events and international politics. Realizing how important it was to share this knowledge, Aaron decided to write this comprehensive book as a resource for all Jews (and anyone else) interested in digging to the roots of traditional Judaism, discovering how it compares with other religions and disciplines, and understanding how it applies to the world today.

In manuscript form under a different title, this book received several letters of approbation (hascamas) from several highly respected rabbis from important Orthodox Jewish organizations. The book has since been edited for style but the substance remains the same.

This is an important book which should see the light of day. It will make a needed and significant contribution to Jewish publishing.-Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, Orthodox Union, New York City

I feel that this work will be of great value to the thinking Jew. Aaron Minsky speaks sharply and clearly, and the Jewish community will certainly benefit with the publication of his book.-Rabbi Yitzhak Rosenbaum, National Jewish Outreach Program,

New York City

There is little doubt in my mind that this encyclopedic work will be an indispensable resource for Jewish outreach work.-Rabbi Tovia Singer, Outreach Judaism, Monsey, New York; Israel National Radio, Jerusalem, Israel

"I found the book informative and inspiring. The author has succeeded in gathering a wealth of information on a wide spectrum of fundamental topics in Judaism, as well as adding his own insightful perspective.

It deserves to be in the library of anyone who is serious about understanding Judaism."-Rabbi Isser Z. Weisberg, Machon Bnos Menachem Seminary,

Toronto, Canada

I was impressed with the wide range of topics that were presented and the level of detail in which they were discussed. The book deals with many issues that confront the modern Jew in an open and intellectually honest way.

-Rabbi Yacov Borenstein, Chabad-Lubavitch of the Mid-Hudson Valley, Pougkeepsie, New York

"I have known Aaron Minsky for over ten years now … He has studied extensively with me as well as with other rabbis, and is quite well versed

in many areas of Torah scholastic knowledge … I am sure that this book will prove to be a valuable resource and a source of inspiration to all Jews seeking to strengthen their connection to Yiddishkeit."

-     Rabbi Shlomo Kugel, Chabad Lubavitch of the West Side, New York City

"It would be of great help to those who are struggling with their Jewish

identity in the modern world. This book would also be beneficial to non-Jews who wish to know what Judaism thinks of them and their role in creation … I feel this book fills a very needed void."

-     Rabbi Yisroel Fried, Chabad Lubavitch of the West Side, New York City

ARTIST’S PAGE

Introduction by Aaron Minsky-

Why include artwork? One could argue that words speak for themselves. However, I see the words of this book as a springboard. Despite the fact that Beyond Faith advocates for the validity of a certain line of thought, it stresses the importance of reason and open-minded discourse. Too long have people been afraid to discuss the issues that lie on the fault lines of our society. Yet things that are not addressed tend to emerge later, often in negative ways. Therefore, I see this book as a way to get people thinking and talking. With that in mind I wanted to open up the book to another perspective. Upon viewing the paintings of David Tobey I felt a kindred spirit. Tobey’s art is infused with a type of religiosity that goes beyond the confines of any one interpretation. He is attracted to the mystery of the cosmos, from galactic fireballs to subatomic particles. Perhaps because he is also a musician, his art comes from a reasoned yet exploratory approach similar to that which underlies this book. It is my hope that his art will inspire the mind of the reader in those secret ways that are beyond words, helping him to ponder the deep, spiritual worlds that this book seeks to unlock.

David Tobey, who created the paintings on the inside and cover of Beyond Faith is a professional painter, sculptor, musician and educator. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City, and a recipient of an MFA degree from The College of New Rochelle where he lives with his family. In addition to being a violinist member of The Westchester Philharmonic and other ensembles, David has had his paintings and sculpture in over a dozen one-man and group exhibitions at Pleiades Gallery in New York City and at other galleries and venues throughout the greater metropolitan New York area. (Color images of the paintings in this book and of David Tobey’s welded steel sculpture, in addition to information about him and his work can be found on his web site at http://www.davidtobey.com.) "I think of God as the Creator, consequently I believe that creativity is the way God expresses His vision. Having grown up in a Jewish family, with parents who were an artist and a musician, I was surrounded by the Creator though their creativity. Through the powerful forces of music and art I have found solutions for my own artistic expressions of creativity. Therefore, due to the combination of my Jewish and creative heritages, when Aaron Minsky spoke to me about participating in this project, I was happy to add my images to Beyond Faith."-David Tobey

Joe Dolice, who did the Photoshop® conversions for the book, is a graphic designer, art director, webmaster, and art exhibition director based in New York City.

Book cover: Reaching for the Cure by David Tobey (created for the American Cancer Society).

FOREWORD

How Can You Believe All That Stuff?

If in your travels you came across a group of people who had a whole set of beliefs and customs that you found strange and complex, you might be tempted to ask them, How can you believe all that stuff? If you were to probe deeply into the belief systems of most peoples you would find a set of dogmas covering a shallow pool of justifications, resting on a bed of faith. Judaism, however, is like an iceberg: though its surface is interesting its real depth is hidden.

Most people are aware of the remarkable influence that the Jews have had, and continue to have on the world, yet many people, Jews and Gentiles alike, have only a vague understanding of the intellectual basis of the religion that produced the Jews. In all fairness this multi-layered knowledge is difficult to unearth, it takes years of study to get to the bottom of it, but now there is a new tool: this book.

Each generation thinks itself the most advanced and intellectual of generations. Yet today, with all of our freedom and openness, it is still considered bad form to speak about religion in polite company. Of course in religious circles it is acceptable to speak about religion … as long as you don’t dig too deep. No one has a problem discussing how to light a

Chanukah candle, but many people would shy away from a discussion about the modern day implications of the Maccabbee’s guerrilla war with the founders of Western Civilization (the Greeks). Similarly, no Christian would have a problem discussing Jesus’ good deeds, but most would not take kindly to a discussion questioning his character. Even science has a code of silence. For instance, scientists have no trouble discussing the Big Bang Theory … until someone asks, Who dunnit?

Our universities are full of intellectuals who consider a study of Plato, Aristotle, and Shakespeare prerequisites to intelligent discourse, yet most are completely ignorant of Rashi, Rambam, and Akiva. Many of these otherwise intellectual people content themselves with surface understandings regarding the subject of religion, unwilling to dig beyond their own preconceived notions and childhood upbringing. It seems that seeking truth is a vocation left to a brave few.

We live in a dangerous world, a world full of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons; a world in which life and death, survival and destruction, are closely balanced. Religion has been at the root of many wars in the past; however, whereas previous religious wars left many dead, a modern-day religious war could destroy the whole world. Today’s precarious balance of power makes the words of the Jewish sages ring ever more true: Whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved a whole world. (Mishna: Sanhedrin 4:5) After all, who knows what that one life may do? My hope in writing this book is that I may save one life.

PREFACE

Who is Who?

Why does a Jew always answer a question with a question?

Why not?

If you have two Jews you have three opinions.

I bring up these humorous sayings to point out the difficulty in trying to define the traditional Jewish faith. Jews are known to be questioners and they tend to examine issues from every angle. It is therefore hard to pin down an exact set of beliefs that all Jews share. Judaism has broken down into various sects such as the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist. Yet even within these sects there are sub groups, and within those sub groups there are opposing camps and many individual opinions.

Of course this is also true of Christianity. Shortly after the death of Jesus, there were many Christian groups. They were melded together under the Roman Catholic Church, but the Catholics split in two with the creation of the Eastern Orthodox, which then had further splits. Then came the many Protestant groups that sprang up in opposition to the Catholic Church, such as the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Mormons, and others. Other groups splintered off of these groups. In modern times new groups sprang up such as the Born-Again Christians and the Unitarians, as well as many cultist groups. This pattern of splintering is also found in the other major world religions. Therefore it is also hard to define the Christian faith or the Muslim faith or any major world faith.

We must also consider that in every religion there are two extremes and all the positions in between. On one extreme are those people who see their religion as the ultimate truth of the universe and all other religions as false. On the other extreme are those who see their religion as a collection of wise ideas but not necessarily any more valid than the wise ideas of other religions. (Of course there are those who see their own religions as false but I am concentrating on those who are believers on some level in their own religions.) These people would say that there is truth in every religion. Their belief is illustrated in the famous story of the three blind men who each felt an elephant. One felt the tail and thought an elephant was long and thin. One felt the ear and thought an elephant was wide and thin. The other felt the leg and thought an elephant was round like a cylinder. Each was correct in the context of what he had experienced yet none had the total understanding of what an elephant really is. This is a very good analogy to explain the belief that every religion has part of the truth and no religion has all of the truth. But what if two of these blind men walked away convinced that they knew the truth about elephants, and one blind man stayed around and continued to question? Not content with an easy answer, he spent hours by that elephant feeling every square inch of his body. He got a ladder and climbed on top of him, he walked under him, he ran around him, he smelled him, he listened to him, he found his mouth and fed him, he rode on him: in short, he lived with that elephant until he understood him better than a sighted man. Perhaps this elephant story is a more correct representation of the world’s religions.

If upon doing a thorough investigation it becomes clear that one religion is more rational and logical than another it would be a tragic mistake to equate the two (just as it would be a mistake to equate the testimony of two witnesses where one witness was clearly more rational and logical than the other). On the other hand, if all major religions are equally valid then it would be tragic if the followers of any one of them denied the validity of the other religions and solely promoted their own religion.

My conviction is that every religion can and must be investigated, and that religions must be compared in order to ascertain which, if any, are more valid than others by the standards of logic and reason. That is not to say that religions do not exist on levels beyond logic and reason, but if we cannot establish any means of comparison beyond emotional or spiritual feelings (i.e. faith), then we could not argue that there is any possibility of discovering truth through religion. A fairy tale would be equal to a religion. However, one can make reasonable comparisons between religions. One can look at historical and archeological verifications, intrinsic consistency, intellectual clarity, fulfillment of prophecy, the standard of scholarship, the level of education of the authors (their familiarity with what came before, and their overall level of literacy), the extent to which questioning is tolerated or encouraged, the extent to which the religious beliefs coincide with scientific discoveries, the extent to which the original religion has stood the test of time, the influence that it has exerted, the extent to which it stands up to detailed criticism, the levels of meaning that can be found in the texts of this religion (and in the language itself), the effectiveness of its moral teachings on its adherents, the inclusiveness of its world view, the extent to which it promotes peace or creates hostility, the number of miracles or unexplainable events it claims that can objectively be shown to exist, etc. There are however, two big problems in comparing religions. First, most people who are extremely knowledgeable about their religion also tend to be strong advocates of their religion. It is hard to find people who are extremely knowledgeable and open minded and objective. The other problem is the one we began with and that is the problem of how to define a religion’s core beliefs.

For the sake of this book I will define religions, for the most part, by their members who are on the side of seeing their religion as the ultimate truth and who are knowledgeable and passionate defenders of their religion. These people will tend to see their religions as espousing literal truth and not simply as a collection of wise sayings, or a symbolic representation of a good path through life amongst other good paths. It is these people who, if they could be objective, might actually be able to convene investigations to discover which, if any, religion is the truth or is closest to the truth. I single out these people because these people concede the possibility that there may actually be such a thing as truth and that religion may be a path through which it is revealed. I believe it is premature to dismiss this possibility and to proclaim all religions equal. It is also premature to claim any one religion as the winner because no one has yet convened a long-term project with recognized scholars on all sides to make an objective determination. Because wars develop over these issues I feel that this must be done eventually, the sooner the better! In the meantime I have done my own extensive investigations into Judaism and to a lesser extent into Christianity, Islam and other faiths. I will present many of my findings in this book. I hope adherents of other faiths will do the same and perhaps through this method the groundwork will be laid for a world dialogue: a dialogue based on facts, not emotions.

Now that we have established who is who, let’s see if we can start to figure out who is right. If it turns out that all religions really are equal then I will gladly join in the worldwide interfaith embrace. But if some are clearly more rational and logical, and if one is clearly the most rational and logical, that should be acknowledged.

Of course, there are people who do not like the concept of comparative religion. There are those who do not like the concept of applying logic and reason to religious study. There are those who would remain unaffected by a comparative study of religions that revealed a clear and significant difference in the logic and reason existent within various religions. I believe, however, that there are also people who would find such information very helpful in evaluating religions and forming opinions about them.

One last note: this book is meant be read as a whole because it compiles evidence of many types in an attempt to make its case. Yet it was also organized so that each chapter may stand on its own and be referred to in the future. For this reason there is some repetition in the various chapters. Nevertheless, seeing the same information in different contexts tends to solidify the points being made.

Let the investigations begin!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book contains some of my own thoughts but is based largely on traditional Jewish sources. These include: The Torah (Chumash) and the rest of the Jewish Bible (Tanach), Rabbinic writings: Talmud (Midrash, Gemara), Kabbalah; other books about various aspects of Judaism published by Jewish publishers, lectures and seminars given by Orthodox Jewish groups in the United States and Israel, and many long conversations with rabbis. (See Bibliography.)

I thank the following rabbis in particular for their time and patience with a very questioning Jew: Rabbi Shlomo Kugel, Rabbi Yisrael Fried, and Rabbi Yoel Kenny.

I thank Robert Lind and Robin Hastey for formulating my endless handwritten pages into a manuscript.

I thank my friends and family for putting up with my driven attitude in pressing ever onward in the completion of this book (a two-decade project)!

I would also like to thank Rabbi Meir Shuster …

When I first traveled to Jerusalem I wanted to see the Western Wall. I walked several miles through the city and just as I approached it a rabbi in a long black coat and hat seemingly came out of nowhere and rather aggressively tried to convince me to go with him to a yeshiva! Somewhat perturbed, I said, I came to see the wall. He stepped out of my way and said, O.K. you’ve seen it. It’s a wall. Now let’s go to the yeshiva! I said, I just want to stand here and get a feeling from it. He said, You’ll get more of a feeling once you understand the meaning behind it. Come on, let’s go to the yeshiva. After several minutes of rather heated debate we finally compromised and I agreed to meet him later, and I did go to the yeshiva and started on the journey that led to this book.

The first time I saw the Wall it was just a wall.

The last time I saw it was an experience I will never forget!

1 INTRODUCTION: FAITH VS. RATIONAL INVESTIGATION

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The Flood

Should one accept a religion on faith or should one first make a rational investigation? The same could be asked about other subjects, like philosophy or science. In those fields it would be considered ignorant to come to conclusions based on faith. Yet many people give religion a free pass.

According to the Torah, before the Jews left Egypt they saw ten wondrous plagues fall upon the Egyptians. Moses foretold each plague. These included the turning of the Nile River into blood, fireballs and hailstones falling simultaneously from the sky, and the killing of the first born of all Egyptian human and animal life on the same night. When the Jews left Egypt, the sea split, allowing them to cross it on dry land. When the Egyptian army entered the seabed in pursuit, the sea closed in on them and drowned them all. During their wanderings a cloud led the Jews by day and a column of fire by night showing them where and when to travel or camp. Food, called manna, miraculously fell every day from the sky. According to the Talmud, their clothing did not wear out or age. They lived in a world in which they were constantly surrounded by miracles. Only then did God appear to them from the midst of a gigantic fireball atop a mountain, and with a booming voice that shook the earth, asked them to believe in Him! They weren’t asked to take a leap of faith; they had ample evidence to make a rational decision. Indeed, they had overwhelming evidence! "You have seen what I did, says the Lord." (Shemos/Exodus 19:4)

Most of us have been taught to believe that religion is not a rational subject. There are even famous philosophers (like Kierkegaard) who argue that it is the very irrationality of religion that gives it its validity. To the extreme contrary, the Torah says again and again, "And you shall know that I am the Lord." Judaism clearly places knowledge over faith.

Before making a rational investigation of a subject, we must define rational. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as pertaining to reason, and it defines reason as, intellect, the faculty of understanding, inferring, deducing. Rational thought or action, therefore, is not based on absolute certainty. There is nothing of which we can be absolutely certain. Most of what we know we were told by other people, whether we’re talking about history, politics, science or religion. We believe George Washington was the first president of the United States because we have been told this by teachers, who have been told this by authors, who have been told this by various historical accounts. We do not know for certain that this is true, but there is so much evidence to support it that it becomes irrational to doubt it. We don’t even know if our parents are our parents. How many people live years of their lives before finding out that they were adopted? Yet we can investigate the question and come to a reasonable conclusion without complete certainty. Since we do not live by absolute certainty it is unfair to judge the Torah, or belief in God, by this standard. Conversely, we shouldn’t judge these by a lesser standard. We should rationally investigate everything before we accept it. Anything else would be … irrational!

What do an atheist and a believer in blind faith have in common? They are both irrational and closed-minded. They have ceased to search for the truth; therefore they have no hope of finding it. An intelligent person will analyze a system before accepting it. While any one piece of evidence may not be convincing, if all the evidence taken in toto is convincing, it becomes rational to accept it. Even after accepting a system an intelligent person will continue to search, study, and compare, discarding those things that don’t make sense and looking further into those things that do make sense.

When investigating a subject, if we discover a new phenomenon that is contrary to all other phenomena, the intelligent thing to do is to seek to understand it. If no known force can explain it, it is rational to postulate a new force. Astronomers did this when they noticed strange orbits of certain stars. They postulated the existence of black holes, collapsed stars of such strong gravitational pull that even light can’t escape. Then they searched for evidence to verify the theory.

When investigating mankind in nature and history we observe that civilizations grow, reach a peak, and then die out, as was the case of the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, as well as the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Mongolians. We also find that the larger and more powerful the group, the more influence they exert on the world. Furthermore, none of these civilizations knew its history before it happened. In light of this how do we explain the one exception: Israel?

After some initial growth the population of the Jews remained relatively constant throughout the centuries. Outside of minor adaptations to local conditions the basic laws of this people remained unchanged for thousands of years. Their religious beliefs remained unchanged in the face of tremendous challenges from world conquering religions and ruthless political regimes that tried to destroy and even annihilate the Jews. When every other group of people would either accept or incorporate the beliefs of a strong conqueror, this one group would not budge. In time the conqueror would pass from history while they would remain. Representing a fraction of one percent of the world’s population and remaining powerless through much of its history, they have had a tremendous influence on the world, arguably more than any other group. They have produced leaders in many fields (Einstein, Freud, Marx, Mahler, Gershwin, Chagall, Seurat, Salk, Maimonides, numerous actors, authors, businessmen, politicians, educators, and of course, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and Jesus). Two of the world’s major religions are direct outgrowths of Judaism. And, unlike any other people, the history of this nation was outlined in astounding accuracy in a book … before it happened! Clearly, Israel defies the normal laws of nature and history.

Judaism is centered on the Torah because of its amazing qualities. One of the central prophecies of the Torah calls for an explanation. It speaks of the Jews gaining control of Israel, getting exiled off the land, regaining it a second time, getting exiled a second time, and regaining it a third and final time. It says a neighbor would cause the first exile (which turned out to be Babylon). The second would be caused by a distant power (which turned out to be Rome). It says the Jews would be scattered all over the world in the second exile but not the first (which happened). And who could know this? The Romans didn’t exile other peoples like the Greeks or the English; Why the Jews? It says the Jews would be persecuted wherever they went yet never die out (which happened). It says the Jews would regain control of Israel (and they did, after 2,000 years!). The secular Zionists spoke of Argentina and Uganda as alternative sites for a Jewish homeland, but the course of events led them back to Israel as predicted.

The Torah predicts many other specific things related to this overall outline that also came true. If you really ponder this you will see the uniqueness of it. There is not another nation on earth with a similar history. Can all of this really be just a large series of coincidences? Is there something in the physical makeup of these people that allows them to do what no other people on earth has been able to do? How do you explain the complicity of the other nations to Torah prophecy? Isn’t it worth considering, as a possible explanation of this contrary phenomenon, the existence of some type of force that exerts control on the events that surround this people? I am not saying that this is the answer, but as in the case of black holes, it is certainly reasonable to postulate an unusual force to explain an unusual phenomenon. What we call this force is a whole other discussion, but for now, we are establishing the rationality of considering the possibility of such a force. It is certainly rational to postulate a force, yet even if one were inclined to not postulate a force, the utter uniqueness of the history of the Jews still cries out for an explanation!

2 THE AMAZING JEWISH CALENDAR AND OTHER GOLDEN PEBBLES ON THE MOUNTAIN OF JUDAISM

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Exuberance

We may well wonder why people would continue to believe in a religion that is over 3,000 years old, especially in light of modern science and other advances. Of course some people believe in religion just because they need to, but there are amazing things in Judaism that should make even the most skeptical person stop and think. One such thing is the Jewish calendar.

The Julian calendar was adopted by Rome in 46 BCE Because of a slight error it lost approximately one day every 128 years, so that in 1582 CE, Pope Gregory XIII directed that 10 days be eliminated! October 5th became October 15th! The leaders of the great western civilization, with all their knowledge and power, could not figure out this most basic element of organized society: the accurate counting of time. This, as we shall see, however, was no easy task. Even the great astronomers had differences in their calculations of the lunar month:

The problem they all faced is that, due to gravitational forces, the lunar month varies slightly from cycle to cycle. To compensate for this, astronomers would measure the time between lunar eclipses and find the average lunar month. It has recently been shown, however, (by Dr. Hugo Mandelbaum) that a true repeating lunar-solar cycle occurs only once every 689.273 years! It is no wonder then that astronomers were all off in their calculations. It would have taken constant accurate record keeping for thousands of years to have found the average lunar month. In fact, it is only in our time, with atomic clocks and satellite technology that NASA determined the actual average lunar month at 29.530589 days. But over 2,000 years ago the Jews determined it at 29.53059 days. The difference is .000006 (six millionths) of a day! This seemingly different result is due to the Jewish calculation not going into as small a fraction as the scientific one. The unit used by the Jews was a halakin, equal to 3 1/2 seconds, whereas NASA went down to 1/1000 of a second. Because of the different units involved, a difference between the two approximations could be as large as 1.75 seconds, even when they refer to the same true irrational numbers, and therefore would not contradict each other. (Dr. Hugo Mandelbaum, Proceeding of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, Vol. 3-4) Therefore, in view of the incredible closeness of the result (off by six millionths of a day), and the fact that the Jewish unit of measurement was not as small (3 V2 seconds vs. 1/1000th of a second), it is quite reasonable to assume that the Jewish calculation does in fact refer to the same actual number as the NASA calculation, and was correct! (Even assuming it was off by six millionths of a day that is virtually the same and much closer than anyone else.)

This is truly amazing! How can we explain this? The Jews were not known as great scientists. Was it a lucky guess? Jewish tradition has its own explanation. In the Torah, it is written, And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt saying: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Shemos/Exodus 12:1-2) Commenting on this verse, the Talmud says, At the moment Moses received this commandment, the Holy One, Blessed be He, transmitted to him the precise rules of calculating the new moon. He made known to him the way to intercalate the year and establish the months. (Midrash: Sod Ha Ibbur) Later in the Torah it is written, Behold I have taught you rules and laws as the Lord, my God, has commanded me … you shall guard and you shall do, for this is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations. They will hear all these rules and say: ‘This great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ (Devarim/Deuteronomy 4:5-6) Commenting on this verse, the Talmud says, ’You shall guard and you shall do’. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman said in the name of Rebbe Yonaton, From where do we know it is a mitzvah (commandment) for each man to calculate the seasons and the months? It is written, ‘You shall guard and you shall do, for it is evidence, in the eyes of the nations of the wisdom and understanding that has been given to you’. What is the wisdom and understanding that Israel possesses in the eyes of the nations? We must say that it refers to the calculation of the seasons and months. (Midrash: Yalkut Shimoni)

The Talmud is the official compilation of the Jewish interpretation of the Torah. Orthodox Jews consider it equal in holiness with the Torah. The Talmud attributes the knowledge of the Jewish calendar as being directly transmitted to Moses by God, over 3,000 years ago. The Talmud, written approximately 2,000 years ago, further boldly states that the wisdom and understanding that Israel possesses in the eyes of the nations is the knowledge of the perfect calendar. Could you imagine the fallout if the Jewish calendar were proven wrong by NASA? This could have put the whole Talmud, and by extension the whole Torah, into doubt. This could have created a tremendous scandal!

How could the Talmudic rabbis have taken such a risk? How could they have been so sure that they figured out what no other civilization could?

Not only were the Jews not known as great scientists but without space-age technology it would be virtually impossible to figure this out. Yet these rabbis, of2,000 years ago, passed down a calendar, for which they claimed no credit, but humbly claimed was given to Moses by God. It turned out to be the world’s only perfect calendar. Was it really given by God?

This type of mysterious phenomenon exists concerning the kosher laws. Most people think of the kosher laws as a collection of old dietary laws, yet there are aspects of these laws that are as amazing as the Jewish calendar. The Torah states (Vayikra/Leviticus 11) that for an animal to be kosher it must have split hooves and chew its cud. (Any animal that has neither of these signs is not kosher. Also, any animal with only one of these signs is not kosher.) The Torah then names four animals that only have one of the kosher signs. Commenting on this, the Talmud says, Was Moses a hunter or an archer? This refutes those who maintain that the Torah was not divinely revealed. (Talmud: Hullin) What did the Rabbis mean by this cryptic statement? They interpret the Torah as stating that the four animals listed are the only ones in existence that have only one kosher sign. Therefore they ask in rhetorical amazement, What was Moses’ background that he could know, that out of all of the animals in the world, only these four had only one kosher sign? The Talmudic Rabbis must have observed that no other animal had been discovered, besides those four that had only one kosher sign. Nevertheless didn’t the Rabbis stick their necks out again and take a big risk? After all, if another animal were ever to be discovered that had only one kosher sign, this would put the whole Talmud, and by extension, the whole Torah, into doubt. In our time, thousands of new species of animals have been discovered all around the globe and yet not one other has been found with only one kosher sign!

This mysterious phenomenon, however, is not limited to the land. The Torah states that for sea animals to be kosher they must have scales and fins. Commenting on this, the Talmud says, Whatsoever has scales has fins but there are some that have fins and no scales … Then why did not the All Merciful write scales, and there would be no need for the mention of fins? To make the teaching great and glorious. (Talmud: Nida) Why did the Rabbis think that this simple Torah statement was great and glorious? They interpret the Torah as stating that all sea creatures that have scales have fins. As with the kosher laws of the land animals, they are again amazed that the author of the Torah could know about every single animal in the vast oceans of our planet. Here again though, aren’t the Rabbis taking a big risk? After all, the Torah didn’t overtly say that whatever has scales has fins; it just mentioned the two together. If the Rabbis were ever proved wrong this could create a tremendous scandal. In our time, with all of the new sea creatures discovered, even in the deepest ocean, not one has been found with scales and no fins! As with the Jewish calendar, we are faced once again with the uncomfortable task of trying to explain this phenomenon. Could this have been known from scientific observation? Impossible! The Jews of 2,000 years ago could not possibly have known about every single animal on the whole planet, let alone in the sea. This too was either a lucky guess, or the product of an extraordinary source of knowledge.

As incredible as these things are, in the Torah scheme of things, they are just details. The central theme of the Torah is divine revelation. The Torah states that God spoke directly to the whole Jewish nation at Mt. Sinai. It further states that no other nation would ever make this claim (Devarim/Deuteronomy 4:32-34). This is, in fact, Judaism’s greatest claim: God didn’t just speak to a prophet or a group of disciples, He spoke to the whole nation at once as they assembled together as one group, to receive the law. Certainly anyone trying to promote his religion as more legitimate than Judaism should try to match this claim; but this is very difficult. Christianity tries to establish the legitimacy of its claim that Jesus was the Son of God mainly through two miraculous events: (1) his birth to a virgin woman and (2) his rising from the dead. Unfortunately for Christianity, in the first instance only his mother could know for sure, and in the second instance, the New Testament reports that there were no witnesses to the actual rising (although it does claim that he appeared in spirit-form to small numbers of disciples later on). In the case of Islam, the Koran claims that Mohammed had divine revelations, but the nation as a whole did not receive these revelations except through him. You cannot claim that a whole nation saw something that didn’t happen because eventually the truth will come out!

The Talmud records controversy among the great rabbis on the details of almost every issue under the sun, but there is no evidence of any controversy over this most unusual claim. The Bible itself is remarkable for the honesty with which the Jews recorded their rebellions and failures, yet nowhere is there any record of any questioning of this dramatic event. Even nations who routinely falsified their histories to put themselves in the best possible light never had the audacity to make such a claim. This all argues for the legitimacy of the Torah’s claim. Even if one were to argue that there is no corroborating evidence to support it, one would have to concede that there is no evidence to deny it. What is amazing is that the Jews are in the unique historical position of being able to make this claim! No other nation on earth can have any credibility in this area whatsoever. The Jews are the only ones who make this claim because the Jews are the only ones who can! In fact, by their belief structures, which include the Torah as the word of God, Christianity and Islam tacitly endorse the Jewish claim. Therefore, aside from a few million Jews, there are hundreds of millions of Christians and Muslims who also believe that God spoke directly to the whole Jewish nation. This, of course, doesn’t prove that it is true, but it is astonishing to realize how many people accept this event as an established historical fact.

With this in mind we must face a very important question: If God wanted to change His law or His chosen people, as Christians and Muslims claim He did, then why didn’t He reveal Himself, before hundreds of thousands of Christians or Muslims, as the Torah says He did before the whole nation of Jews? This would only be fair and proper. What could be more legitimate? After all, are we to believe that after picking the Jews out of every nation on earth and revealing Himself and His law before the whole Jewish nation, God would then change His law, or His chosen people, through the statements of one or two men? In fact, the Torah completely rejects this line of thought, as does the rest of the Jewish Bible, stating time and again that God’s law, and His covenant with Israel, are eternal.

But beyond all this, the Torah makes the extraordinary comment that no other people would ever make the claim that God spoke before their whole nation. How did the author of the Torah know what every nation in history was going to do? Now we are no longer talking about calendars or animals; now we are talking about history, about nations, about the conduct of human beings. How could the author of the Torah, over 3,000 years ago, have taken the risk of making a pronouncement about what was going to happen in every corner of the globe for the rest of time! And yet history has proven the Torah correct again.

We have thus far observed amazing insights in the Torah concerning the movements of heavenly bodies, all of the animals of the earth and sea, and the course of nations in history, but according to the Torah, in biblical times, even the land of Israel acted in miraculous ways. There are two Torah laws that are truly bizarre. One would think the author of the Torah would be careful to make truthful statements so that the Torah couldn’t be proven wrong. After all, if statements in the Torah could be proven wrong that would cause people to stop believing in it. How then can one explain its agricultural policy? If you were to design an agricultural policy for a desert-like environment like Israel, would you ban the practice of farming every seventh year? It would seem that such a policy would last six years, because during the seventh, everyone would starve to death. Yet the Torah proscribes just such a system! And how does it deal with the problem of what people will eat during the seventh year? And the Lord spoke unto Moses on Mount Sinai, saying … I will direct My blessing to you in the sixth year, and will produce enough crops for three years. (Vayikra/Leviticus, 25:1-23) What kind of answer is this? Were the Jews supposed to risk their lives every seven years based on a claim of a cycle of supernatural intervention? If this didn’t come true it would have proved the Torah false, yet there is no evidence, during the many centuries that the Jews dwelt in the land of Israel, of this verse being challenged or questioned.

The other bizarre law concerns The Three Festivals. Three times a year, all of the males of the country were commanded to go to worship God in Jerusalem. This would have made the country completely vulnerable to attack. How does the Torah deal with this problem? No one will be envious of your land when you go to be seen in God’s presence three times a year. (Shemos/Exodus, 34:23-24) Another strange answer!

Since we know that the teaching of the Torah was always an important part of Judaism, it is unlikely that the people didn’t know about these laws. We must conclude therefore, that either they were ignored, or challenges to them were suppressed, or they were followed and the remedies mentioned in the Torah also occurred. Indeed, if they were followed and the sixth year didn’t produce abundantly, causing starvation in the seventh year, or if Israel had been attacked during a festival, causing massive loss of life and property, we would expect to have some record of this. We would also expect that there would have been a mass revolt against the Torah. There is no record of either of these things. The Torah is renowned for its insight, logic and intelligence. What was the author thinking, when he wrote these things that seem so obviously impossible, and so easily disproved? Certainly it would have been against his interests to make claims that couldn’t be fulfilled. It is one thing to make claims about events that will happen in a distant future, but these were things that the Jews of that time would have plainly seen year by year. Unfortunately, we can’t verify whether or not these things really did happen. But the possibility is certainly tantalizing.

Unlike other books, the Torah is not only amazing in its words, but even the letters of the words. It is said, for instance, that the five books known as Psalms correspond to the 5 books of the Torah. In fact, after reading a whole book of Psalms, Orthodox Jews say a prayer which states that this first book of Psalms corresponds to the first book of the Torah, or this second book of Psalms corresponds to the second book of the Torah … etc. Isn’t it strange that these books should be said