Research and discourse
In a new column, Meir Ettinger tells of what brought him to a joint partnership with anthropologist Idan Yaron and the difference between objective research and conversation between different people
In the past year and a half I have been studying regularly with Dr. Idan Yaron, who sees himself as "a researcher of the extreme and radical right." In the joint study we learned a number of articles from Rabbi Yitzhak Ginzburg's book "Malchut Yisrael" Which I believe to be at the heart of the debate between the religious right and the secular left.
The first issue I chose to study was "War Ethics," a subject that Idan went to many times as a military psychologist, and naturally preoccupies me too. Over time the study became profound, challenging, and in my personal opinion also original, this is why despite my firm opposition at first I finally agreed to put things down in writing and publish.
The connection between us is not easily created, the fears and doubts - is this a correct thing to do? Is there much benefit to the damage - the existing one -? I do not have a complete answer to these questions, and certainly I do not want anyone to look at this as a role model without thinking good to himself whether this is the right step. Over the years, many journalists and researchers have approached me who wanted to write about the world of hilltop youth or the extreme right.
I think that the gap between the worlds is so great, so that even if we assume that these are people who are not politically biased (and such cases are very rare) without translating the language and the basic assumptions without going into the depths of Jewish life, even if they can accurately paint the external appearance of reality, the image that the reader will see it will look strange and distant. Because I truly believe that the logic of the Holy Torah is based on a completely different view of the world, of the values that guide it, and any attempt to 'explain' our world, especially public affairs in the democratic language, is impossible - a platform too complicated and long to spread out.
This is the response I answered to Idan the first time he approached me, and sent a passage he wrote about me, which included a description taken from the press. I explained to him that such work is superficial to me, and that ultimately - despite his explanation for creating understanding and connecting different parts of the Jewish people In fact produces only separation and hatred. We talked about how work like the one he did on the so-called "Bat Ayin underground" is superficial to me, since he is trying to learn about a completely foreign world, from that particular world view.
I argued that it is precisely an understanding of the size of the gap between "Jewish" and "democratic" that will eventually be able to establish a stable bridge, without having to lie or blur our positions. Idan continued to insist that he was really interested in learning and knowing, and was ready to interview me in the "Jewish language." After consultation with a friend, and with the consent of my Rabbi I suggested that he study, and this is how our Havruta (study companionship) was born, which also led to a joint trip to Rosh Hashanah in Uman.
As I wrote earlier, the study and cooperation did not come easily to me and I have been deliberating about it until now. Among other things, the claim was made that this reflects a non-Jewish world view that there is no single truth, and all opinions are equal. I completely agree with this argument. I will have a lot to discuss on this point with Idan: The external view is foreign to Judaism. The Torah is a Torah of life. We believe that it is an absolute truth, a tree of life, and when you disconnect it from the "Giver of the Torah", from the absolute faith, it is really impossible taste it, or to understand her depth and secrets.
I think that the "hilltop youth", among other things, grew up out of the understanding that the same academic and media world is not the same as the heretical spirit in the academic and media world. The separation from the real world, from the connection to nature, and the excess of sophistry cause the loss of the natural faith and the love of the land "for God made man straight, and they sought many accounts."
We talked about it a lot during the course of the study and tried to emphasize that in my opinion the problem is not what the results of the study will be, but the research itself. Among other things, during a joint conversation in Uman, I came to the conclusion that R. Nachman, who was undoubtedly a great sage, can summarize his central advice in the sentence "Do not talk about, talk to ..." Do not talk about the Creator, speak to Him.
It was not for nothing that Rabbi Nachman objected to research and the enlightenment. The external investigation stands in contrast to the internal attentiveness, the position of the examiner and the observer places the person in a distant position that never enables real attachment. In the language of Hasidism it is called 'If there is no opinion - a Havdalah (separation of holy from profane) what is for". Knowledge is interpreted as communication and connection. Indeed, when essentially any connection is remote, there is no need for differentiation or reservation. Only a relationship that has an opinion based on separation (similar to a marriage relationship whose beginning is the act of kiddushin)
So far, one side that mainly emphasizes why not, and what is the other side? There are simple things: that it is never right to give up or close a door to any Jew. That I really believe we have something to say, that if only we can speak our language, in the language of the neshamah, there is no doubt that this will speak to every Jew. That I believe so much in the Holy Torah, that I have no doubt that if we release ourselves, ask the difficult questions, and answer (to the skeptic in you, the famous proverb of Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk) there is no doubt that the Torah will prevail.
And, in my opinion, there is a tremendous mission, to stop talking about public affairs as political issues, and to continue to apologize and stammer in the media when the Torah is submissive to Western thinking. I believe we should start treating public affairs as 'spreading Judaism', talking about the Land of Israel just as we talk about putting on Tefillin, and security matters just as we talk about prayer work, speaking Judaism, speaking to the neshamah (soul) of the Jew.
There is a constant dilemma, on the one hand, we are interested in spreading and explaining, and there is no doubt that "spreading your springs outward" is not only about matters of private repentance but certainly also and perhaps primarily about what the Torah has to innovate and add to all matters of public leadership and repair society that the world thirst for Hashem, and on the other hand remain determined and adhering to the goal, not to marvel at 'what they will say' and to know 'between light and darkness'.
On the one hand, we are interested in creating a dialogue with distant Jews, especially with very distant Jews (that is, "the greatness of G-d's greatness as Rabbi Nachman said), and on the other hand to maintain distance and not be influenced by them. The two asymmetries do not legitimize the passage over the Shulchan Aruch or opinions that are against the Jewish faith.
Two years ago, Rabbi Ginsburg spoke about "the work of the generation - advancing together", how should the secular public be treated today? In this wonderful conversation, the rabbi explained that in our generation (unlike the Lubavitcher Rebbe's leadership) it is less correct to emphasize the connection between observant and non-observant people, the attitude of one who influences and accepts, but rather to emphasize the feeling that "we all progress together" Secular Jews have a lot to follow in the search for truth (and there is no truth but Torah). He explained that today it is right to treat the entire people of Israel in a state of equality, "and everyone must influence and receive from others."
How do you apply this? This is an endless question, a certain explanation I answered myself following the controversy that was here regarding Idan's writing on the site, there is a sentence attributed to R. Nathan (I did not find a source) who said that he could interpret the entire Torah, but to give an explanation of a Jew he does not know. Learning Torah can only be learned from those who observe Torah and mitzvot, but "learning Jews" also teaches us how they feel and how they meet Hashem and learn how they see us, in this we can proceed a lot.
I think that as far as we can really understand what Jews think, even those who are far away, even those who are wrong, not because of the thought that the Torah may be wrong, but out of a genuine desire to speak and express as much as possible, to explain about ourselves, more real, deeper, not in the sense of giving up the mountain peaks, on the contrary we can give up the creation of artificial disputes and focus on what we really disagree.
Nevertheless, I received a certain reinforcement from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg's commentary: In his commentary on the Passover Haggadah, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginzburg describes the sixth son as a continuation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's famous Wort about the fifth son - one who does not even come to the Seder table and needs to be invited in a special way. Rabbi Yitzchak explains that in our generation there is also a reality of the "sixth son" - that son appears at the Seder table, as a researcher and interested, he claims to come to look from side to side, perhaps even to tell his experiences later. But if we are equally allowed to explore it, and look at it from the side, it is easy to recognize that the "objective" view hides an internal connection, and curiosity shows interest and even identification in a very, very deep place.
What is the work of the "sixth son"? Rabbi Yitzchak explains that the sixth generation has an advantage if the outer layer, which is ostensibly objective and detached, will remain a sort of "looking from above" that can bring order and give a comprehensive, semi-external picture that can reveal a special depth in Judaism.
In my eyes, the joint study and the work that we do together does not give us legitimacy for everything that Idan brings with him, just as he does not think that everything I do is positive, there are also things that in in my eyes are sinning to the truth, he probably thinks the same thing about me. But I do pray and hope that our joint study can bring about an original and interesting product - one that can be seen precisely from the distance, and perhaps it will become a bridge of understanding between the people, a bridge that can be overcome without compromising.
Meir Ettinger - "Research and Discourse"