From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: Tanya and Secular Science
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 18:49:27 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.040428.27829@cs.tulane.edu> david@bourbon.ee.tulane.edu (David Kaufmann) writes:

>Well, with all the noise on the net of late (redundant threads on
>false messiahs and other foolishness), I guess I shouldn't be
>surprised someone got around to Chabad-bashing, although I thought
>better of Herman Rubin.

>He writes (the article got eaten by the phone line) about a statment
>in Tanya  the science of the nations is worse than idle chatter and
>uses that to lambast isolationist Judiasm. It would be nice if people
>spent half as much time studying sources before talking as they did
>gaining expertise in their area of livelhood.

I got this information from an article written by a rabbi some time ago.
The material posted by Mr. Kaufmann does not indicate that I have made
any error, or that what the rabbi wrote was in any way incorrectly
interpreted by me.

			......................

>The Alter Rebbe does not object to the study of science, per se, but
>only to the study of anything when that time could be spent studying
>Torah. Quoting from the English translation (p. 33-34):

>"Likewise, he who occupies himself with the sciences of the nations of
>the world is included among those who wsat their time in profane
>matters, insofar as the sin of neglecting the Torah is concerned..."

>The next quote needs some explanation. First the quote:"Moreover, the
>uncleanness of the science of the nations is greater than that of
>profane speech, for the latter informs and defiles only the _middot_
>which emanate from the element of the holy _ruach_ within his divine
>soul with the contamination of the kelipat nogah that is contained in
>profane speech...yet he does not defile the [intellectual] faculties
>of Chabad in his soul..."

>What this means is that profane, idle speech only touches the middot,
>emotional attributes or character traits, not the higher intellectual
>aspects of the soul. It defiles because it is directed to personal
>pleasure, rather than serving G-d. 

>"Not so in the case of the nations' science whereby he clothes and
>defiles the intellectual faculties of Chabad in his divine sould with
>the contamination of the kelipat nogah contained in those sciences..."

>The original Hebrew term, by the way, is Chochmah, meaning wisdom. It
>refers, I think, not to science per se, but to intellectual endeavors
>(philosophy, art, etc.) as well. What the Alter Rebbe means here is
>that spending time studying any subject other than Torah, when the
>time could be spent studying Torah, defiles the kedushah of the
>intellect, since one is engaged in self-indulgence, rather than using
>one's time to serve G-d, even and especially with his intellectual
>faculties. This becomes clear from the final passage of chapter 8.

>"Unless he employs [these sciences] as a useful instrument, viz., as a
>means of a more affluent livelihood to be able to serve G-d, or knows
>hos to apply them in the service of G-d and His Torah. This is the
>reason why Maimonides and Nachmanides, of blessed memory, and their
>adherents, engaged in them."

>In other words, studying science or the wisdom of the nations in order
>to earn a living, so that one may properly perform mitzvot and serve
>G-d, or using them to enhance Torah observance and kedusha (working on
>computer programs either to earn a living or to enable forums such as
>scj for dissemination of Torah, for example). In such cases, learning
>the wisdom of the nations is not only permitted, but commanded
>(assuming the knowledge itself, such as medicine, is kosher.
>Statistics, I'm not so sure about (just kidding, of course)).

>As the purpose - or one purpose - of Tanya is to show the average Jew
>how dedicate his life to the service of G-d, despite all the
>difficulties and conflicts, this discussion of one's activities is
>only part of that. Since earning a living is a mitzvah (six days you
>shall work), if one has a talent for an area of science, one should
>earn one's livelihood that way. But the purpose should not be for
>selfish reasons, but in order to serve G-d.

>And through the individual's proper service of G-d, he/she brings
>holiness to the whole world, non-Jews included.

>I hope this clarifies the point. 

It does, but in my opinion, it only makes it worse.  I agree that one
should use one's knowledge, skills, etc., to serve God.  But one does
not serve God by not using one's secular knowledge in religious matters.
I am not willing to accept the idea that the reasoning of the sages,
necessarily ignorant of the physical world as were their contemporaries,
can stand if it defies secular knowledge obtained later.  

In particular, I completely reject the idea that one can even hope to 
understand Judaism properly without taking into account secular knowledge.
Sanctity is no substitute for knowledge; as the American folk saying goes,

	It ain't what you don't know that hurts you;
	It's what you know that ain't so.

Instead of placing the reasoning of our sages above secular knowledge, our
religious leaders should learn about the physical world BEFORE they get
indoctrinated by those who do not know.  Even in interpreting both the
commandments and the narrative ofthe Torah, a great scholar like Hertz uses
many things learned about ancient civilizations to understand it.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!pop.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
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