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14 Responses to “Question of the Week - Parshat Chukat”

1. Garnel Ironheart Says:
   June 29th, 2008 at 9:38 am

   Koheles is the answer to this question. He notes he spent all his intellectual strength trying to understand the mystery of the Red Heifer but it was beyond him. Does that mean he denied the validity and worth of the mitzvah? Of course not. Lack of understanding does not preclude belief and belief does not preclude an attempt to understand. At the root of it, we cannot understand the true meaning and value of any mitzvah since, as they are products of the Divine Intelligence, they are de facto incomprehensible to us. Yet we are tasked with trying to understand them as much as our human intellect will allow us to but at the same time we must believe they are authoritative upon us. Thus the answer is: the root of Judaism is based on faith but we must strive to rationalize that faith as much as possible.

2. Dan Says:
   June 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am

   I think I agree with your answer. The one thing I would add though is that although Judaism believes in things which are un-explainable, there is nothing which goes against rationality in jewish thought. Some things are too deep for us to understand, but I think they are never against rationality. What do you think? BTW, I'm happy you continue sharing your torah with us

3. Aliza Perez Says:
   June 29th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

   Why was parshat Chukat put in right after Parshat Korach? It obviously has something to do with it. Korach attacked not only Moshe and Hashem's appointing of Aharon as Cohen Gadol. He attacked the mitzvot that seem to make no sense, such as tzitzit, the mezuzah and… I forget the third one. He mocked them, trying to use logic to question them instead of realizing that Hashem commanded it so that's it. Parshat Chukat is therefore a tikun, a fixing of the previous parsha. It discusses those mitzvot which make no sense to our minds, and challenges our faith. We must do those mitzvot because when we do the ones we don't understand, it leads us to do the other ones too. That can be said the other way around too, I suppose., If we do he ones we do understand, it will lead us to do the other ones because we want to do Hashems will.

4. Shimon Says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 12:51 am

   Rationality is the framework. Within it parameters of faith can be defined. Within this framework sometimes we can be required to do things we don't fully understand. Without rationality all behavior would be random==meaningless.

5. Joshua_Reback Says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 1:50 am

   I have to disagree with any comment that dismisses rationality, and establishes faith as the litmus test for Judaism's reliability. They key proof for Judaism is the religion's unique claim of mass revelation, which cannot be logically disproven and provides a substantial, arguably concrete argument for the religion's validity. The Torah quotes Moses at Sinai, who reminds the people that they've "all seen it" with their own eyes and, thus, cannot deny what is an undeniable truth. He then gives them the beginnings of the Torah, which he uses again 40 years later as a proof for G-d's existence and guidance just before Am Yisrael crosses the Jordan: "This mitzvah that I command to you today, it's no wonder, it's not far from you, and it is not in the Heavens." It's right in front of you! You don't need meditation or magic potion or witchcraft to try to communicate with G-d and discover his will! He put it in front of you, and he did it before your very eyes! Your parents told you so! It may seem perfectly legitimate to argue there is circular logic at work, but the argument would not be accurate. This situation demonstrates that a mass of people who rely on another mass of people, back generations upon generations, would have much trouble tracing a reported collective revelation back to one man who converted some apostles and from that point on convinced would be converts. The point is, a mass of people experienced something that they reported to another mass of people, and so forth. One individual who would try to persuade hordes of would-be Jews that he was the sole keeper of a Torah that reported 600,000+ men witnessed the greatest prophecy of all time . . . together. If someone wants to hit back and say they were all downing 'shrooms, they have a less concrete argument than this one does. The incense wasn't being lit yet and the Hebrews had already seen everything G-d had to throw at the Egyptians. Logic and rationality are at the core of the religion's credibility. The points in this argument are much better argued by our intellectual titans, but they are not shooting with BB guns. Judaism stands on rationality unlike any other religion in the world, and so we argue that G-d revealed his Torah before all of Am Yisrael to make this prophecy as meaningful and undisputed as possible. Rationality and Torah are not only intimately connected, but they need each other in order to survive a rationalist's polemic against G-d.

6. miriyum Says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 11:40 am

   Ok right off the bat i'm going to have to say no, we are not supposed to understand everything believe. That's why there are Chukim, ie: kashrut & para aduma. But does that mean in some other dimension it doesn't make sense? No. I think that everything in Judaism can be explained rationally but not necessarily do we have the knowledge, full information, or ability to understand its depth and purpose. We are definately not a religion that does things by blind faith. That is a Christian concept, not Judaic one. We have the Torah and so many meforshim and sefarim with detailed explanations and reasoning behind things. We also at one point in our other lives accepted the Torah and had it revealed and known to us. So it's not blind faith. I'd just like to also note that just because we understand the reasoning behind a commandment does not mean we should be keeping the commandment because 'it makes sense' to us. We should ALSO be observing it because G-d commanded us to.

7. miriyum Says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am

   oops, take out the word ALSO in my last sentence. It should read,' We should be observing it BECAUSE G-d commanded us to.' :$

8. Joshua_Reback Says:
   June 30th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

   Chukim can arguably be put into the framework of Judaism, which provides an external rationale for following the laws like you said. But, that needn’t provide an inherent rationality to certain precepts. For example, there is no rational, naturally logical reason to avoid eating a pig. But, if someone were to argue that G-d commanded it in the context of being a holy nation, or to try to discipline Am Yisrael, then we can make some logical extensions even if they are not complete: “There seems to be a connection between a certain type of diet and holiness.” OR “Maintaining these commandments will allow us to remain faithful to the Torah, which enriches our people by giving us values and a spiritual connection that uplifts the collective morale of our people.” These are not the only, and perhaps not the best, justifications for chukim, but they are examples nonetheless.

9. Avi Says:
   July 1st, 2008 at 1:18 pm

   In my Talmud Tora group(facebook) in daph 17a in massehet Berahot i speak about the personal prayers of many tanaiim in Babel. one of them who sticks out is Rava. Rava was known for studying Tora, gemara and more with a lot of logic and wisdom and analytical thinking, so his prayer was(and i find it beautiful):"God give me the wisdom to understand your Torah, and to use logics and analysis and research methods in getting answers that are very difficult…BUT PLEASE God if i reach a point or a passuk that i cannot comprehend with my logics make me always think that it is due to my OWN shortcomings and not has veshalom the Torahs'!!!" that is powerful and without talking about para aduma, or shaatnez or bassar vehalav, that is the foundation of Torah learning associated with the laws, the decrees named Hukim.

10. Avi Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    PART2)Rational has a limit, faith is like the step after the edge of a mountain, you take it or not. Torah, mitzvot and mysteries of life are to a point the test of your faith, emunat hashem. why do we say after shema at night "Ve'hemuna kol zot vekayam aleinu…"? we are proclaiming our blinded faith, our most sincere inner faith to God that we believe in you that you will bring back my soul in the morning(Mode ani…) in conclusion, should we believe blindly and forget rational or use rational and then believe… best example is Avraham avinu with akeda…where is the logic in that?!? he still did it and he was blessed. the sons of Job, what is the logic behind the death of his whole family?? the kid who did kivud av vahem and went to do the mitzva of shiluah aken that guarantees long life, and the kids dies climbing the tree?!?!? where is justice, and thats where we fault, we try to use logics and reasoning for things we dont want to accept or believe in but the simplest think one will accept it blindly-the sky is blue!

11. AVI Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    PART 3)bottom line, Torah was given to men, not angels, therefore men has to toil in tora, has to research and ask questions and find the truth and use logics but there is a finish line, where at that point a person who doesnt have faith, studied not Tora(the great Tora of Hakadosh Baruh Hu) but studied a history book(which by the way isnt chronological, go figure?!!?) where is the logic in that!! ahahahahah

12. rodolphe bourgeoys Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    Prima facie, I would say the answer is : Maimonide. The rationalist approach to Judaism. We are supposed to understand as much as we can but some things, like the red cow, are either tests of faith, either exceed our boundaires. It is said that we have to abibe by torahs (teachings), commandments, ordinances (rabbinical decrees) and decrees. the first three can be understood by men, the last one must be obeyed blindly. Why blindly ? Either as a test or because we cannot understand. In the later case, maybe observence and study will bring us to a level allowing understanding. In the later, it is like the Akeida, a test. But why would G-d demand a test of blindful obedience, which ressembles kind of a divine ego-trip, if he is incorporeal and that all of his feelings are approximative anthropomorphism ? Because everything is part of G-d, even our egoist, flattery sensitive human nature. G-d knowing our nature, adapts and verify our level according to our structure of though, hence demanding test of blindful obedience like a human king would.

13. Mordechai Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    even though we are given reasons for most of the mitzvot, they are all in actuality chukim, because if we were given the real, or main reason for everything we are commanded to do, there would be no free will because we would become overcome with the absolute purity and truth of it all that we would be compelled to follow in all of Gods ways without any thoughts otherwise, but these chukim mentioned in thje Torah are just a litmus test to tell just how pure our intentions are in following the Torah, as to whether we need a reason to follow it or if love for God and his Torah and Judaism is enough to follow in all its ways without any questions or objections, even if we dont completely understand the reasoning behind it.

14. Dan Says:
    July 3rd, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    If all mitzvot are chukim, why are they organized in different types in the torah?

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