Science and Torah
Feldman, Emanuel
BOOKS Science and Torah The Wings of the Dove- Jewish Values, Science and Halachah by David W. Weiss B'nai B'nth Books, 1987.205 pp, $19 95 Reviewed by Emanuel Feldman True or False: a) The...
...Here is a rationale for kashrut anc1 Shabbat that is stimulating, provocative and insightful...
...As one who lives successfully in both worlds, Weiss embodies in himself the wholeness and synthesis that can embrace the two, and he creates a path that helps us do the same...
...While there are outstanding works that deal with the literature of halacha, and similar contributions on the ways of science, it is rare to find an author who possesses in-depth knowledge and love of both science and halacha...
...But these are minor flaws that do not seriously detract from the fine quality of a work that should be read by every curious and intelligent person...
...More important, halacha can make one human...
...Weiss's discussion of a widespread platitude—-the apparent contradictions between evolutionary hypotheses and the classical tenets of Judaism—is most valuable...
...Often mistranslated as "Jewish law," halacha is more than a series of do's and don'ts...
...When he does kill to eat, he is constrained: the slaughtering must be humane, by a person known for his kindness...
...Much of it is lyrical, rhapsodic—a paean of love from a man who cares passionately both about halacha and science...
...The Jew voluntarily refrains from creative acts on Shabbat and holy days...
...That is why The Wings of the Dove is such a welcome addition to serious American Jewish literature...
...b) Torah and halacha are rigid and closed, demanding robotlike performance of dry ritual...
...a force beyond nature as nature's progenitor and lord...
...In halacha there is no act without significance, no creature without purpose: even inanimate objects (such as the challah on Friday night) must be granted dignity, for by learning to care about the sensitivities of even non-living things, one becomes disciplined enough to care about living things...
...The author, David Weiss, is a respected scientist who has a strong background in Jewish learning and Jewish tradition, having studied and experienced the Torah and halacha since childhood...
...What the natural sciences are saying— that there is no randomness or chance in nature—has its parallel in the Torah's view of life...
...c) Since science and halacha are sworn enemies, there is eternal conflict between them and never the twain shall meet...
...They are still in their infancy and have "cast light only on the outlines of the individual processes that make up the functioning of cells and organisms . . . ." Scientists are not omniscient...
...Occasionally, however, the material becomes wordy, with long, convoluted sentences crying out for crisp and precise editing...
...not everything that flies and flutters, swims, crawls, or walks is for his consumption...
...Thus: No suffering may be inflicted on an animal . . . [The Jew] must limit the dominion given to man over the physical world by his own sensitivity...
...Evolutionary theory "deals only with the earth as it is, and attempts to reconstruct the past from the present, but it does not address the ultimate questions of beginnings, ends, and the purpose of the universe . . . ." Further, we must not ascribe infallibility to the natural sciences...
...And it is the halachic network olmilzvot and holy deeds, casting its glow into every corner of life, which underscores the ever-present quality of God and sanctity...
...The halachic regimen raises the consciousness, heightens awareness and imparts sense and meaning to all things...
...4Original yet based solidly in Judaism, poetic yet rigorous in its analysis, this book delights the heart and the mind and is to be savored by every thinking person...
...Beyond its guidelines, it is an attitude, a way of living and a mode of thinking that is the inner dynamism and generator of Judaism...
...Halacha and the mitzvah system ' 'provide the most cogent blueprint today, as in the past, for a sane, compassionate, and sanctified society," according to Weiss...
...A person cannot become disconnected from God: There is no randomness in our relationship to the divine, nor is there any determinism in the sense of a natural order independent of God...
...The origin and diversity of matter, the beginning of life and its unfolding, cannot be explained by randomness or chance, and this "has impelled not a few scientists to make the initial affirmation of religious belief...
...All of the above are false...
...A small caveat: As is often true of collections of articles written over a long span of time, Weiss's writing tends now and then to be uneven...
...In these fields, so beclouded by cliches, prejudgments and ignorance, Weiss serves as a lucid, sympathetic and illuminating guide...
...BOOKS Science and Torah The Wings of the Dove- Jewish Values, Science and Halachah by David W. Weiss B'nai B'nth Books, 1987.205 pp, $19 95 Reviewed by Emanuel Feldman True or False: a) The natural sciences are open and flexible and hold the answers to the secrets of life...
...they must know their own limitations, for "the illusion of human hegemony in any area is dangerous...
...The blood of the beast is covered, for it symbolizes its life...
...Halacha has no separate spheres of holy and profane, thus no human act is beyond the possibility of sanctification...
...In reading this book, you will be rewarded with new insights and under-standingabout traditional Jewish values, teachings and practices on the one hand and the methods and approaches of the natural sciences on the other...
...Emanuel Feldman, rabbi of Atlanta's Congregation Beth Jacob, is editor-in-chief of Tradition magazine...
...He serves as adjunct professor of Jewish law at the Emory University School of Law...
...Halacha—literally "the way" or "the going"—is the all-encompassing framework that brings the Torah's sanctity into daily life, giving shape, substance and purpose to Jewish living...
...Not everything in his strength is permitted to him...
...If you answered "True" to any of the above, you are mistaken—but you can take solace in the knowledge that there is a large fraternity within American Jewry that would make the same error...
Vol. 14 • March 1989 • No. 2
