- Risk
-
- Moshe Ben-Chaim
-
- Question:
- Bible Criticism. What is your take on it?
-
Response:
- Bible criticism is an attempt to analyze the Bible without knowing
the process of analyzation. The Torah was given both in Written form
and in Oral form. The Oral Law is integrally joined with the written
law. Without it, one cannot understand the Bible. As well, it takes
years of mastery to understand the process of analyzation.
-
- As an example, if one entered the world of physics, and began to
analyze it as if it was American law, one will use his frame of
reference (law) and impose those techniques onto physics. He will see
very soon that "finding a reasonable doubt" about a theory
in physics does not necessitate it as being false.
-
- When one enters into a new area, all he has to use to understand
this new area is his frame of reference. And one frame of reference
will not suffice for another.
-
- An added problem when trying to understand the Bible, is that since
there is no "laboratory" to prove the results, one will be
mislead by his own misconceptions, and his ego, and feel correct in
his own interpretations. He will feel that the Torah is literature,
and look at it the same way. The idea that one can easily slip into
Torah analyzation from being involved in the secular world, is
ludicrous. G-d designed the Torah, and as such, it deserves the years
of learning which all Torah scholars spent to just get a handle on how
to approach this carefully designed book.
-
- The Torah deals with basic concepts in philosophy and psychology,
and without a firm foundation in these areas too, one will not
understand the benefit for man in all the laws and ideas.
-
|