Question:
I have a question which I have been discussing with a friend at work: You have mentioned several times that it is encouraged for a Jew to question things. As you know, I've always been a bit of a heretic. For me nothing is sacred, I question everything. But at what point should questioning stop and belief begin? Do we ever draw the line and say, "Enough questions!"?
Answer:
Your question implies that questioning and belief are mutually exclusive - that where one ends, the other begins. In Judaism, it's not like that. Questioning and belief can coexist. They are two very separate and very necessary human traits. They happen in different places inside us, so they can both exist simultaneously.
We question with our mind. We believe with our soul. Just as the hand is used to write, the feet to walk, the heart to feel, so the mind is used to think, and the soul to believe.
When someone says, "I believe," they are really saying, "I feel my soul, and it's alive." And non-belief is a sense of detachment, not from G-d, but from our own soul. Our soul knows G-d already, because our soul is itself divine. It sees G-d all the time and needs no proof.
Our minds, on the other hand, struggle to accept things that are beyond us. The mind wants evidence, it wants things to fit into a logical picture. So, while the soul may believe, the mind may not be so sure.
G-d wants a complete relationship with us. He wants us to connect to Him with our entire self - not just our souls, but our minds, too. So, He wants us to question and investigate. That brings our minds into the relationship. Some questions we can answer, some not yet. But we can believe even before we have the answers, because belief is higher than intellect. Just as you can walk and think at the same time - because your feet are walking and your mind is thinking - so you can question and believe at the same time; question with your mind, believe with your soul.
And you should never stop questioning. In the Haggadah of Pesach, we read a parable of four sons: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one that doesn't know how to ask a question. The first three sons ask questions according to their temperament. The last one is silent. He is not stupid. He just isn't bothered enough to question things. He follows blindly and never stops to think. That's bad news, and that's why he is last of the four sons. Even the wicked son is better. He may be wicked, but at least he asks - he's using his mind, he's present.
If you think you're the wicked son, I'm not worried about you. As long as you're asking - and you really want answers - then you're in the picture. Keep asking, but don't let the questions hold you down. Look into your soul, and who knows - you might find some answers.
I have a question which I have been discussing with a friend at work: You have mentioned several times that it is encouraged for a Jew to question things. As you know, I've always been a bit of a heretic. For me nothing is sacred, I question everything. But at what point should questioning stop and belief begin? Do we ever draw the line and say, "Enough questions!"?
Answer:
Your question implies that questioning and belief are mutually exclusive - that where one ends, the other begins. In Judaism, it's not like that. Questioning and belief can coexist. They are two very separate and very necessary human traits. They happen in different places inside us, so they can both exist simultaneously.
We question with our mind. We believe with our soul. Just as the hand is used to write, the feet to walk, the heart to feel, so the mind is used to think, and the soul to believe.
When someone says, "I believe," they are really saying, "I feel my soul, and it's alive." And non-belief is a sense of detachment, not from G-d, but from our own soul. Our soul knows G-d already, because our soul is itself divine. It sees G-d all the time and needs no proof.
Our minds, on the other hand, struggle to accept things that are beyond us. The mind wants evidence, it wants things to fit into a logical picture. So, while the soul may believe, the mind may not be so sure.
G-d wants a complete relationship with us. He wants us to connect to Him with our entire self - not just our souls, but our minds, too. So, He wants us to question and investigate. That brings our minds into the relationship. Some questions we can answer, some not yet. But we can believe even before we have the answers, because belief is higher than intellect. Just as you can walk and think at the same time - because your feet are walking and your mind is thinking - so you can question and believe at the same time; question with your mind, believe with your soul.
And you should never stop questioning. In the Haggadah of Pesach, we read a parable of four sons: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one that doesn't know how to ask a question. The first three sons ask questions according to their temperament. The last one is silent. He is not stupid. He just isn't bothered enough to question things. He follows blindly and never stops to think. That's bad news, and that's why he is last of the four sons. Even the wicked son is better. He may be wicked, but at least he asks - he's using his mind, he's present.
If you think you're the wicked son, I'm not worried about you. As long as you're asking - and you really want answers - then you're in the picture. Keep asking, but don't let the questions hold you down. Look into your soul, and who knows - you might find some answers.