SEPTEMBER 1 • 2022 | 9
than discarded it.
Judaism makes specific
truth claims about the world
and the nature of reality, and
these claims are supported
by rational inquiry. We must
discover the compelling
evidence, and the power-
ful philosophical, scientific
and historical proofs for the
authenticity of the Torah and
its claims about the existence
of God,and all He did: the
creation of the universe, the
Exodus from Egypt and the
giving of the Torah to the
Jewish people at Sinai with the
mission to observe its mitz-
vahs forever. For thousands
of years, up until around 150
years ago, the vast majority
of Jews did not dispute these
historical truths.
ADDRESS MATTERS
OF FAITH HEAD ON
Rabbis need to address mat-
ters of faith head on. This
has been my experience both
as a synagogue rabbi as well
as from the almost 18 years
that I have served as the chief
rabbi to the South African
Jewish community. People are
searching for truth. We need
to articulate with absolute
clarity that belief in God and
the authenticity of the Torah
are indispensable to Judaism.
We need to present all of the
many rational and scientific
arguments to uphold these
claims. We need to be fearless
and unapologetic about the
fact that God exists and that
He gave the Jewish people the
Torah at Sinai, and how these
claims are substantiated with
compelling arguments and
evidence. But we need to do
this with love and kindness —
not anger and aggression.
And we need to teach Torah
to as many Jews as possible
as often as possible. A path
to rich, authentic faith lies
in learning Torah. Our sages
(Midrash Eichah, Petichta 2
based on Jeremiah 16:11) tell
us that when we feel distant
from God — even to the point
of losing faith — learning
Torah, with dedication and
depth, offers us a way back, a
means of knowing God and
locating our values and identi-
ty, and connection to Him.
And there is hope. The
very fact that those who have
adopted fictionalism are so
drawn to the mitzvah expe-
riences of the Torah despite
not believing shows how
even they find the system so
attractive. It is remarkable
that the Torah’s way of life is
so compelling thousands of
years after it was introduced
to the world that even people
who think it is based on false
claims cannot let go of it.
The Passover seder as the
model of generational trans-
fer of values and narrative;
Yom Kippur as an immersive,
cathartic experience of per-
sonal growth and accountabil-
ity; Shabbat with its laws that
create the space to rediscover
and reconnect with ourselves
and our loved ones. How did
these and all our other mitz-
vahs survive with us for thou-
sands of years, and yet still
feel as relevant as they were
thousands of years ago?
This inexplicable phenom-
enon gives us a glimpse of the
Divine author of it all. And it
is the bridge waiting for the
fictionalists to make the jour-
ney over to a world of faith.
Rabbi Warren Goldstein is the chief
rabbi of South Africa and founder of
the global Shabbat Project, and holds
a Ph.D. in human rights and law.
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