''Torah Umadda'' ( he, תּוֹרָה וּמַדָּע, "Torah and secular knowledge") is a
worldview
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural p ...
in
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
concerning the relationship between the
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
world and
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
, and in particular between secular knowledge and Jewish religious knowledge. The resultant mode of Orthodox Judaism is referred to as ''Centrist Orthodoxy''.
History
''Torah Umadda'' is closely associated with
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universit ...
. The actual philosophy underlying the combination of Torah and secular wisdom at Yeshiva University was variously articulated, first by
Bernard Revel
Bernard (Dov) Revel ( he, ברנרד רבל; September 17, 1885 – December 2, 1940) was an Orthodox rabbi and scholar. He served as the first President of Yeshiva College from 1915 until his death in 1940. The Bernard Revel Graduate School of ...
, by his successors
Samuel Belkin
Samuel Belkin (December 12, 1911 – April 19, 1976) was the second President of Yeshiva University. An American Rabbi and distinguished Torah scholar, he is credited with leading Yeshiva University through a period of substantial expansion.
...
and
Joseph Soloveitchik
Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( he, יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ׳יק ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion o ...
, and most recently, and formally, by
Norman Lamm
Norman Lamm (December 19, 1927 – May 31, 2020) was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July ...
. Although its roots go back to 1886, it was only in 1946 that the University adopted "Torah Umadda" as its slogan. (In 2005, Yeshiva University president
Richard Joel
Richard M. Joel (born September 9, 1950) is a Jewish scholar who was the fourth president of Yeshiva University (YU), a Modern Orthodox Jewish university in New York City. He has written on topics that include Jewish leadership, the BDS movement o ...
initiated a campaign to append the phrase "Bringing wisdom to life", as a "tag-line" to the university's motto.) Today, Yeshiva University publishes the ''Torah Umadda Journal'' which "explores the complex relationships between Torah, the humanities, and the natural and social sciences", as well as studies on related topics in the ''Library of Jewish Law and Ethics'' (with Ktav Publishing House).
The phrase itself is thought to originate with
Jonathan Eybeschutz
Rav Yonatan Eybeschütz (רבי יהונתן אייבשיץ) (also Eibeschutz or Eibeschitz; 1690 1764) was a Talmudist, Halachist, Kabbalist, holding positions as Dayan of Prague, and later as Rabbi of the "Three Communities": Altona, Hambur ...
, who mentions "Torah u-Madda" in his
''Yaarot Devash'' in at least sixteen places.
This use of "Madda" as "secular knowledge" is, however, recent. In
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writ ...
, "secular knowledge" is usually referred to as ''chokhmah'' . The first book in
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
' compendium of
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
, the
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''h ...
, is entitled "Madda" - there, though, the term refers to knowledge of the fundamentals of Judaism. "In the first book I will include all the
commandments that are
principles
A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, such as the la ...
of the law of Moses and that a man should know before all else, such as the
Unity of God and the prohibitions related to idolatry. And I have called this book ''Sefer ha Madda'' the Book of Knowledge."
Torah and Madda is also the doctrine of the Vilna Gaon as stated in Sefer Kol Hator, that the torah is incomplete without knowledge of the 7 wisdoms.
Philosophy
Torah and secular knowledge
In the view of ''Torah Umadda'', "Jewishness and Jewish faith ... and the universal concerns and preoccupations of humanity" are not "fundamentally inapposite"; Judaism and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
are, "in essence part of one continuum". Jewish knowledge and secular knowledge, ''Torah'' and ''Madda'', do not, therefore, require "substantive reconciliation"; in fact, the study of Torah with other knowledge results in a heightened and enriched Judaism. As articulated by
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Norman Lamm
Norman Lamm (December 19, 1927 – May 31, 2020) was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July ...
:
Synthesis
Although ''Torah Umadda'' regards
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
and
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
as separate, where the "wisdom of the world" maintains its own significance, it nevertheless conceives of a synthesis between the two realms. In this understanding, "synthesis does not refer to a logical unity of the theories of science,
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
and Judaism"; rather, the idea of synthesis has a
psychological
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between t ...
and a
sociological
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...
meaning. Here, the "individual has absorbed the attitudes characteristic of science, democracy and Jewish life and responds appropriately in diverse relations and contexts."
Given this conception, the realization of ''Torah Umadda'' may find "different legitimate expressions in each individual."
[Yuweb.addr.com](_blank)
In his book Lamm explores six separate models of ''Torah Umadda'', including those presented by
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
,
Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', his ...
, and
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
. The philosophy recognizes the challenge this is likely to pose to its adherents, and posits a framework in which "the confrontation between Judaism and secular culture results in heightened creativity within Judaism."
Centrality of Torah
Despite its acceptance of both Torah and secular knowledge and culture, ''Torah Umadda'' prioritizes a Torah outlook and Torah knowledge, and in its practice requires strict adherence to ''
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
'' (Jewish law). ''Torah Umadda'' demands "unquestioned allegiance to the primacy of Torah, and that the apprehension of all other intellectual disciplines must be rooted and viewed through the prism of Torah."
In the words of Rabbi Lamm, "''Torah Umadda'' does not imply ... coequality. Torah remains the unchallenged and preeminent center." It is noted that "''Torah Umadda'' can only be viable if it imposes strict limits on
freedom of thought
Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints.
Overview
Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...
in areas that may challenge
fundamental Jewish beliefs." However, as regards observance of Jewish law, "Not a single fundamental of Judaism has been disturbed by us, we adhere to the same ''ikkarim'' (
principles of faith), we are loyal to the same Torah, we strive for the same study of Torah and observance of ''
mitzvot
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
'' that our parents and grandparents before us cherished throughout the generations."
Other paradigms
Another model of ''Torah Umadda'',
[Rabbi Ronnie Ziegler]
Introduction To The Philosophy of Rav Soloveitchik: The Need for Action
/ref>[Dr. David Shatz]
Practical Endeavor and the Torah u-Madda Debate
/ref> less emphasized in Modern Orthodox literature, de-stresses the intellectual role of Madda. Rather, to some degree, "the theories and methods of secular disciplines anbe used to secure not ''intellectual'' ends, but ''practical'' ends in aily life" God's blessing to Adam and Eve "''Fill the land and conquer it''" (Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
1:28) is interpreted by Rav Soloveitchik (as well as Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', his ...
and Isaac Breuer
Isaac Breuer ( he, יצחק ברויאר; 1883–1946) was a rabbi in the German Neo-Orthodoxy movement of his maternal grandfather Samson Raphael Hirsch, and was the first president of Poalei Agudat Yisrael.
Biography
Isaac Breuer was born in ...
) as a positive ''mitzvah'' calling man to develop and improve God's world; this ''mitzvah'' of creative activity expresses the divine image in all branches of human culture. Thus, secular knowledge enables the religious Jew "to fulfill the biblical mandate of "''Fill the land and conquer it''" ... to carry out their responsibilities to others and, further, by increasing the modalities for improving human welfare, to expand the range of these responsibilities; and, finally, to fulfill the mandate of ''imitatio Dei''." See further under and .
Centrist Orthodoxy
Centrist Orthodoxy is the dominant mode of Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world.
Modern Orthodoxy draws on sever ...
in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and the western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. ; it is also influential in the Modern Orthodox movement in Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Characteristics
Centrist Orthodoxy's ''weltanschauung
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural p ...
'' (''Hashkafa
''Hashkafa'' ( he, השקפה, lit., "outlook"; plural ''hashkafot'', ''hashkafos'', ''hashkafas'') is the Hebrew term for worldview and guiding philosophy, used almost exclusively within Orthodox Judaism. A ''hashkafa'' is a perspective that Or ...
'') is characterised by "education, moderation, and the centrality of the people of Israel." In general, differences between Centrist Orthodoxy and other Orthodox movements (both Haredi and Modern - e.g. Open Orthodoxy
Open Orthodoxy is a Jewish religious movement with increased emphasis on intellectual openness and a more expansive role for Judaism and women, women. The term was coined in 1997 by Avi Weiss, who views ''halakha'' (Jewish law) as permitting more ...
) result from the particular emphasis placed on each of these characteristics; see further discussion under Modern Orthodox Judaism.
Education
''Madda'' entails "worldly involvement" in addition to its intellectual component - and places a high value on contribution to general society. Adherents of Centrist Orthodoxy are thus well represented, proportionately, in the profession
A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...
s and in academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
- and to some extent in politics. Members of Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
communities, by contrast, will typically not undertake any post high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
secular education (except for specific exceptions for livelihood purposes), and will, in general, minimize involvement with the secular.
Moderation
For Centrist Orthodoxy, moderation "is the result neither of guile nor of indifference nor of prudence, it is a matter of sacred principle ... it is not the mindless application of the arithmetic mean
In mathematics and statistics, the arithmetic mean ( ) or arithmetic average, or just the ''mean'' or the ''average'' (when the context is clear), is the sum of a collection of numbers divided by the count of numbers in the collection. The colle ...
... atherit is the earnest sober and intelligent assessment of each situation... hus
Hus or HUS may refer to:
Medicine
* Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a disease characterized by haemolytic anemia, kidney problems and a low platelet count
People
* Hus (surname)
* Hus family, an 18th-century French dynasty of ballet dancers and ac ...
moderation issues from a broad weltanschauung rather than from tunnel vision
Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.
Causes
Tunnel vision can be caused by:
Eyeglass users
Eyeglass users experience tunnel vision t ...
." This moderation, "seeking what is allowed rather than forbidden", is manifest in three ways. Firstly, along with the Haredi community, the ideology demands adherence to the halakha; however it is not insistent that strictures (''chumra
A ''chumra'' ( he, חומרה; pl. ; alternative transliteration: ) is a prohibition or obligation in Jewish practice that exceeds the bare requirements of Halakha (Jewish law). One who imposes a ''chumra'' on oneself in a given instance is sai ...
s'') are normative
Normative generally means relating to an evaluative standard. Normativity is the phenomenon in human societies of designating some actions or outcomes as good, desirable, or permissible, and others as bad, undesirable, or impermissible. A norm in ...
, rather, these are a matter of personal choice (see 3.1 and 4.1 under Modern Orthodox Judaism). Secondly, relative to the Haredi community - but less so than in non-orthodox communities - women are starting to play a public role within the community (in roles other than strictly religious). Thirdly, the movement will engage with the broader Jewish community, as discussed below, and with the secular world, as opposed to the Haredi approach of minimizing such contact.
Centrality of the People of Israel
All Orthodox ideologies place a high value on ''ahavat yisrael'' (love of ones fellow Jews) and all regard the Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
as holy - and residence there as a ''mitzvah
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
''. However, for Centrist Orthodoxy, the "People of Israel", additionally, play a central role. The resulting difference, relative to other philosophies, manifests in two ways. Firstly, involvement with non-orthodox will extend beyond "outreach
Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...
" - in which many Haredi organisations engage - to continued institutional relations and cooperation (despite the "deviationist violations of Torah and Halakha" of the non-orthodox). Secondly, Centrist Orthodoxy places a high national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
, as well as religious, significance on the State of Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. Centrist Orthodox institutions and individuals are therefore Zionist
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
in orientation, and rates of ''Aliyah
Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...
'' (immigration to Israel) from this community are high relative to others; study in Israeli '' Hesder Yeshivot'' is also common. Thus, although Centrist Orthodoxy and Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, Romanization of Hebrew, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religiou ...
are not identical, they share many of the same values and many of the same adherents.[Findarticles.com](_blank)
/ref>
Institutions
The institutions of American Centrist Orthodoxy include:
* Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.["About YU]
on the Yeshiva Universit ...
and The Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...
("RIETS"), the main institution for the training and ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...
of Orthodox congregational Rabbis in America. See also .
* The Rabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union (OU). It is the main pr ...
, the central body of Centrist Rabbis. Its "Bet Din of America
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
", long headed by Rabbi Soloveitchik, is a respected source of Jewish legal decisions.
* The Orthodox Union
The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...
("OU"; Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America) established in 1898, is largest union of American Orthodox congregations. Its activities include the administration and certification of kashrut
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
; support for a broad range of religious educational institutions and projects; lobbying the American government on various issues of importance to religious Jews (and occasionally, on matters related to Israel). It also incorporates NCSY (National Conference of Synagogue Youth
NCSY (formerly known as the National Conference of Synagogue Youth) is a Jewish youth group under the auspices of the Orthodox Union. Its operations include Jewish-inspired after-school programs; summer programs in Israel, Europe, and the United ...
) which offers social, educational and outreach programming in hundreds of communities.
* Young Israel
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) or Young Israel (in Hebrew: , ''Yisrael Hatza'ir''), is a synagogue-based Orthodox Judaism organization in the United States with a network of affiliated "Young Israel" synagogues. Young Israel was found ...
(The National Council of Young Israel) founded in 1912, serves as the national coordinating agency for nearly 150 Orthodox congregations; the goal of NCYI is "to broaden the appeal of the traditional community synagogue as the central address for Jewish communal life by providing educational, religious, social, spiritual and communal programming".
Relationship with ''Torah im Derech Eretz''
:''See also under Azriel Hildesheimer
Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, yi, עזריאל הילדעסהיימער; 11 May 1820 – 12 July 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany an ...
, Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world.
Modern Orthodoxy draws on sever ...
and below
Below may refer to:
*Earth
*Ground (disambiguation)
*Soil
*Floor
*Bottom (disambiguation)
Bottom may refer to:
Anatomy and sex
* Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...
.''
''Torah im Derech Eretz
''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>)
is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to variou ...
''—"Torah with worldly involvement"—is a philosophy of Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
concerning the relationship between Torah Judaism and the modern world, first articulated by Samson Raphael Hirsch
Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', his ...
in c. 1840. In some senses ''Torah Umadda'' and ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' are similar. Both value the acquisition of secular knowledge coupled with adherence to halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
; both, additionally, emphasise worldly involvement. In fact, ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' is sometimes put forward as one paradigm
In science and philosophy, a paradigm () is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field.
Etymology
''Paradigm'' comes f ...
upon which ''Torah Umadda'' (and Modern Orthodoxy
Modern Orthodox Judaism (also Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to Torah Umadda#Synthesis, synthesize Jewish principles of faith, Jewish values and the halakha, observance of Jewish law with t ...
in general) is based.
At the same time though, the two are distinct in terms of emphasis. Whereas ''Torah Umadda'' maintains two separate realms—religious and secular—and accents the idea of (psychological and sociological) synthesis, "Rabbi Hirsch's fight was not for balance and not for reconcilement, nor for synthesis and certainly not for parallel power, but for domination—for the true and absolute domination of the divine precept over the new tendencies" (Isaac Breuer, Hirsch's grandson).
Another difference is that ''Torah Umadda'' does not disavow communal partnership with the non-Orthodox Jewish community, whereas for Rabbi Hirsch "'' Austritt''" (the Halachic requirement to have no official ties with non-Orthodox communal institutions) was a defining characteristic of his community, and a major theme in his writings.
While these distinctions can seem subtle (particularly the first), they have manifested in markedly divergent religious attitudes and perspectives. In fact, Shimon Schwab
Shimon (Simon) Schwab (December 30, 1908 – February 13, 1995) was an Orthodox rabbi and communal leader in Germany and the United States. Educated in Frankfurt am Main and in the ''yeshivot'' of Lithuania, he was rabbi in Ichenhausen, Bavaria, ...
, leader of the "Breuers" community in Washington Heights, has been described as "spiritually very distant" from Torah Umaddah.
Note further, that given both of the above, some have proposed that today, followers of ''Torah Umadda'' in fact assume a "non-Hirschian position", resembling more closely that of Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer
Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, yi, עזריאל הילדעסהיימער; 11 May 1820 – 12 July 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany an ...
.[Findarticles.com](_blank)
/ref>
Criticism
Haredi Judaism
Critics of ''Torah Umadda'', particularly within Haredi Judaism
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
, see the complementarity of Torah and secular knowledge proposed by the philosophy as suggesting that the Torah is not of itself whole or complete. In their view, Torah Umadda is thus premised on a flawed appreciation of Torah. Furthermore, they believe that Torah Umadda is problematic in that its synthesis allows for an "encroachment" of the scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
worldview
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural p ...
on Jewish theology
Jewish philosophy () includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern ''Haskalah'' (Jewish Enlightenment) and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcil ...
. Torah Umadda thus represents a dilution of the "pure sanctity" (''taharat hakodesh'') of the Torah.
Hasidic Judaism
Criticism by Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
groups includes an additional Kabbalistic
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
dimension. Here, since the doctrine of ''Tzimtzum
The ''tzimtzum'' or ''tsimtsum'' (Hebrew ' "contraction/constriction/condensation") is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the process of creation by "contracting" his ''Ohr Ein Sof'' (infinite ...
'' is understood to imply that since the physical world in fact ''conceals'' the existence and nature of the creator, study of the natural world will be unlikely to deepen one's appreciation of God or understanding of Torah
(see ; also, ).
A further consideration - in common with the Haredi view - arises in that the role of the Jew in this world
''In This World'' is a 2002 British docudrama directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film follows two young Afghan refugees, Jamal Udin Torabi and Enayatullah, as they leave a refugee camp in Pakistan for a better life in London. Since their jour ...
is understood, primarily, to be concerned with fulfillment of the Law and study of Torah: " ne shouldlive by the light of these three things: love of God, love of Israel, and love of Torah" (Baal Shem Tov
Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
). Thus, the study of secular ideas and devotion of time to secular activities not directly for the sake of Torah - or as is necessary for supporting oneself - may constitute "spiritually damaging behavior".
The sciences in particular are considered problematic:
Neo-Orthodoxy
As above, critics within Neo-Orthodoxy
In Christianity, Neo-orthodoxy or Neoorthodoxy, also known as theology of crisis and dialectical theology, was a theological movement developed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movement was largely a reaction against doctrines of ...
, the movement directly descended from Hirsch's Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
community, claim that the ''equality'' between Torah and secular posited by ''Torah Umadda'' in fact results in a diminution in the status of Torah - and a misrepresentation of the teachings of Rabbi Hirsch: "even to suggest that anything can be parallel to Torah is a blasphemy of the highest order". The distinction between the two approaches, though subtle, manifests in markedly divergent religious attitudes and perspectives; as above, Shimon Schwab
Shimon (Simon) Schwab (December 30, 1908 – February 13, 1995) was an Orthodox rabbi and communal leader in Germany and the United States. Educated in Frankfurt am Main and in the ''yeshivot'' of Lithuania, he was rabbi in Ichenhausen, Bavaria, ...
, second Rabbi of this community in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, is described as being "spiritually very distant" from Yeshiva University.
See also under where Hirsch's commentary on Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy ( grc, Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, second law) is the fifth and last book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called (Hebrew: hbo, , Dəḇārīm, hewords Moses.html"_;"title="f_Moses">f_Moseslabel=none)_and_th ...
br>6:7
is quoted; here, echoing the above ''Hasidic'' critiques, he explicitly cautions that "We are not to study Torah from the standpoint of another science or for the sake of that science."
Religious Zionism
The philosophies of Torah Umadda and Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, Romanization of Hebrew, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religiou ...
are not in any direct conflict, and generally coexist sharing both values and adherents. However, more conservative Religious Zionists differ with ''Torah Umadda'' in its approach to secular knowledge. In this view, engagement with secular ideas and situations is permissible and encouraged, but only insofar as this benefits the State of Israel. Here, then, secular knowledge is viewed as valuable for practical ends, though not in and of itself. Thus, for example, in contrast to ''Torah Umadda'', the study of literature and the humanities is discouraged here, whereas the study of engineering or medicine (and with subsequent practice in Israel) is deemed to be valuable.
Modern Orthodoxy
Within the ''Torah Umadda'' camp itself, there are those who question whether "the literature on ''Torah u-Madda'' with its intellectually elitist bias fails to directly address the majority of its practitioners"; further, there are suggestions that "the very logic of the practice is far removed from the ideology" ("The community works with an ideology of Torah combined with a suburban logic of practice"). The contention here is that the "''Torah u-Madda'' suburbanite" does not in reality engage in secular studies in order to achieve the intellectual synthesis described above, but rather "view a college degree as the gateway toward professional advancement." Thus, although ''Torah Umadda'' may allow students at Yeshiva University "to navigate the use of their college years", it may not provide a directly applicable theology for the contemporary Modern Orthodox family. See also .
In '' The Crisis of Zionism'', Peter Beinart
Peter Alexander Beinart (; born February 28, 1971) is an American liberal columnist, journalist, and political commentator. A former editor of ''The New Republic'', he has also written for ''Time'', ''The New York Times'', and ''The New York Revie ...
writes that while the motto of Yeshiva University is Torah Umaddah, many Modern Orthodox leaders have abandoned that intellectual openness "in favor of an insularity that bespeaks both fear and insularity: fear that Orthodox Judaism cannot survive a dialogue with the outside world and arrogance that the outside world can add nothing of value to the world of Torah."
See also
* Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
– a Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
based university which aims "to blend tradition with modern technologies and scholarship, and teach the compelling ethics of Jewish heritage to all."
* Hebrew Theological College
The Hebrew Theological College, known colloquially as "Skokie Yeshiva" or HTC, is a yeshiva in Skokie, Illinois. Although the school's primary focus is the teaching of Torah and Jewish tradition, it is also a private university that is part of t ...
- a Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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based institution, "preparing its graduates for roles as educators and Rabbis", while providing "broad cultural perspectives and a strong foundation in the Liberal Arts and Sciences."
* Islamization of knowledge
The phrase Islamization of knowledge has been used by some. The phrase "Islamisation of knowledge" was first used and proposed by the Malaysian scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in his book "Islam and Secularism" (first published in 1978). Ca ...
* Jerusalem College of Technology
The Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center (JCT; he, המרכז האקדמי לב) is a private college in Israel, recognized by the Council for Higher Education, which specializes in providing high-level science and technology ed ...
- a Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
based college, founded to "educate students who see the synthesis of Jewish values and a profession as their way of life"
*
* Kabbalistic approaches to the sciences and humanities
* Lander College
The Lander College for Men is a private men's division of Touro University System located in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York City. Its stated goal is to provide a college curriculum while maintaining a traditional Yeshiva environment. Gene ...
- a New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
based college, combining Torah study with secular, University study, based on a philosophy of ''Torah Uparnassa'' (Torah and Livelihood)
* The Zomet Institute
The Zomet Institute ( he, מכון צומת, ''Makhon Tzomet'', Tzomet being an acronym for ''Tzevtei Mada veTorah'' ( he, צוותי מדע ותורה), lit. ''Teams of Science and Torah'') is an Israeli high-tech non-profit organization speciali ...
- a crossroad between Halacha and the modern world
References
Notes
Sources
An Inaugural Address
(PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
), in "Essays in Traditional Jewish Thought", Rabbi Dr Samuel Belkin
Samuel Belkin (December 12, 1911 – April 19, 1976) was the second President of Yeshiva University. An American Rabbi and distinguished Torah scholar, he is credited with leading Yeshiva University through a period of substantial expansion.
...
, Philosophical Library, 1956.
Diverse Orthodox Attitudes to Torah U'Maddah
Rabbi Saul J. Berman
Judaism in Culture: Beyond the Bifurcation of Torah and Madda
Rabbi Alan Brill
Contemporary Fads and Torah u-Madda: A Response to Alan Brill
Rabbi Yitzchak Blau
American Orthodoxy in the Twenty First Century
Rabbi Yosef Blau
Rabbi Aryeh Carmell
Aryeh Carmell (1917 – September 2006) was a British Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and author.
Biography
Early life and education
Aryeh Carmell was born in London, England, in 1917, to a Russian family of Jews. He was educated at public (i.e. Stat ...
Orthodox Judaism and The Liberal Arts
Rabbi Shalom Carmy
Shalom Carmy (born May 1, 1949) is an Orthodox rabbi teaching Jewish studies and philosophy at Yeshiva University, where he is Chair of Bible and Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva College and an affiliated scholar at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of ...
Orthodox women's calls for recognition being heard
Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Michael Kress
Some Comments on Centrist Orthodoxy
(JPG
JPEG ( ) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image ...
) Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm
Norman Lamm (December 19, 1927 – May 31, 2020) was an American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July ...
"Torah Umadda: The Encounter of Religious Learning and Worldly Knowledge in the Jewish Tradition"
Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm, Jason Aronson, 1990.
Torah and Secular Knowledge: An Interview with Dr. Norman Lamm
1990 interview with Rabbi Norman Lamm on his book, "Torah Umadda"
(Hebrew), Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm, daat.ac.il
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
Shlomo Riskin (born May 28, 1940) is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Israeli- ...
The Idea of Synthesis
(PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
), in "The Jewish idea of Community", Rabbi Sol Roth, Yeshiva University Press, 1977.
Religious Zionism: Between Openness and Closedness
Prof. Avi Saguy
Torah Umadda Revisited
(PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
), Rabbi Jacob Schachter
American "Centrist" Orthodoxy
Prof. Eliezer Segal
Modern Orthodoxy in crisis: a test case
Prof. Edward S. Shapiro
Practical Endeavor and the Torah u-Madda Debate
Rabbi Dr David Shatz
Rabbi Mayer Twersky
Dilemmas of modern orthodoxy: sociological and philosophical
Prof. Chaim Waxman
Prof. Chaim Waxman
The Commentator, December 31, 2002
Resources
Torah u'Maddah Journal
Articles by topic
Articles by author
The Library of Jewish Law and Ethics
*''Halakhah and Politics: The Jewish Idea of the State'',
*''Economics and Jewish Law'',
*''Economic Public Policy and Jewish Law'',
*''Jewish Woman in Jewish Law'',
*''Business Ethics: A Jewish Perspective'',
*''Case Studies in Jewish Business Ethics'',
*''Free Enterprise and Jewish Law: Aspects of Jewish Business Ethics'',
*''Equity in Jewish Law: Halakhic Perspectives in Law : Formalism and Flexibility in Jewish Civil Law'',
*''Equity in Jewish Law: Beyond Equity : Halakhic Aspirationism in Jewish Civil Law'',
*''Morality, Halakha and the Jewish Tradition'',
*''Jewish Ethics and Halakhah for Our Time: Sources and Commentary'',
*''Contemporary Halakhic Problems'' (5 vols), , , , ,
*''Judaism and Psychology: Halakhic Perspectives'',
*''Holocaust and Halakhah'',
*''Medicine in the Bible and the Talmud'',
{{OrthodoxJudaism
Jewish philosophy
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Yeshiva University
Judaism and science