MODERN RABBINIC THOUGHT
By Rav Yitzchak Blau
Shiur #08:Philosophy, Categorization of Mitzvot, and Rationales for Mitzvot
One of R. Hirsch’s most significant contributions to Jewish thought is his intensive effort to find rationales for every aspect of each mitzva. He outlines the foundation for such a project in The Nineteen Letters and carries out this project in great detail both in Horeb and in his commentary on the Torah. The Nineteen Letters and Horeb, R. Hirsch’s two early works, both set forth R. Hirsch’s unique and innovative six-part classification of mitzvot.
The choice to focus intellectual efforts on analyzing the reasons for mitzvot fits R. Hirsch’s general worldview. R. Hirsch had little interest in metaphysical speculation about God, favoring more practical kinds of philosophic activity. “Judaism has no regard for the kind of speculation that does not aspire to contribute to active productive life” (The Nineteen Letters, letter 15, trans. Karin Paretzky, revised by R. Joseph Elias). In letter 18, he criticizes Rambam for introducing foreign modes of thought into Judaism, rather than analyzing it from within. For example, according to Rambam, “Knowledge of God was considered an end in itself rather than a means toward the end.” Clearly, for R. Hirsch, knowledge of God is not the end goal.
This practical bent emerges clearly from his analysis of the eighth chapter of Tehillim. The second verse of that chapter says: “O God, our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth.” One would expect the subsequent verses to outline in detail God’s grandeur; instead, they turn to a discussion of humanity. R. Hirsch argues that this psalm reflects a characteristic Jewish truth.
Knowledge of God is not a metaphysical insight into the existence, essence and metaphysical attributes of God. The true knowledge of God is the ethical insight into the essence of man, his calling and his task rooted in the concept of God and His relationship to the world.
Moreover, R. Hirsch contended that any knowledge of divinity is rooted in revelation and that human speculation could tell us very little about God (commentary on Shemot 19:4). Letter 15 states that “we are warned against misconceiving our intellectual powers and probing into bottomless depths, no matter what glittering constructions and theses such a quest may produce.” According to R, Hirsch, the eighth psalm mentions “out of the mouths of babes” to teach that the mind of every child is sufficient to understand what we need to know about God. “The maturest mind of a philosopher knows no more about the essence of God than the simple mind of a child” (cited in I. Grunfeld, page xlii).
The above idea finds powerful expression in an essay written by R. Hirsch about Shavuot and revelation. There, he objects to calling Judaism a “religion” or a “theology.” He rejects the former term because “religion” refers to the inner thoughts of man rather than to outward physical expression. Other religions are made by man and their external religious acts merely attempt to realize those inner thoughts. In the case of Judaism, however, God gave us the commandments and we try to understand the divine thought manifest in those commandments. The commandments constitute the primary essence of Judaism.
R. Hirsch continues to explain that Judaism is not a “theology” either:
For, whilst theology contains the thoughts of man on God and things Divine, the Torah contains the thoughts of God on man and things human. There is little said in the Torah which refers directly to God and things Divine; and of the inner essence of the Godhead and the supernatural we find in the Torah nothing at all…. The Torah does not want to tell us how things look in heaven, but how they should look in our hearts and homes (ibid., p.189).
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