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Dr. Deena Zimmerman
Religious or Secular
It’s Up to Us
hanukah – our celebration wisdom can then be explored and Another meaning of bishvil is “in the
of the Temple rededication studied. In the face of an appropriate path of.” Here, bishvil haTorah means
Cafter the Maccabees’ victory attitude, exposure to foreign thought in the path of the Torah. The world
against the Seleucids rulers – tends will not undermine one’s belief in G-d. was created in the path of the Torah
to lead to discussions regarding the and thus the two are inseparable,
conflict between Western civilization The Sifra also takes having a hence there is no distinction between
and Torah. This is not surprising, solid foundation in Torah into the secular and the Divine.
as Antiochus IV enacted a number consideration but is more concerned
of decrees with the clear purpose about the balance. “You shall do my If one truly believes that G-d created
of preventing the observance of key commandments and observe my rules the world and all of its physical
elements of the Torah such as brit to follow them I am the L-rd your manifestations, no “secular study”
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mila and Shabbat. This is stressed in G-d.” What does it mean to follow actually exists. If one views humanity
the words of Al HaNissim: them? as a Divine creation, then study of the
humanities is the study of the Divine.
“In the days of Matityahu, the son That you make them primary (ikar) What makes something “secular”
of Yochanan the High Priest, the and not secondary (tafel). That all is actively removing G-d from the
Hasmonean and his sons, when the your business shall be in them. You discipline, not the discipline itself.
wicked Greek government rose up shall not say, I have finished learning
against Your people Israel to make all the wisdom of Israel and now I With this approach, there is no
them forget Your Torah and violate can go on and learn other wisdom. conflict between a religious approach
the decrees of Your will.” This was further expanded by Rav and the secular world, because
Shimshon Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888), they are inseparable. All areas of
While the Maccabees were initially specifically to discuss the balance study, whether they be science, law
victorious, the cultural battle between secular and Torah studies. or the arts, are potentially holy if
continued with increased Hellenism Secular studies can be pursued, but one approaches them with that
infiltrating the dynasty until its final one has to be sure of the primacy of perspective.
demise. The connection was not lost the Torah.
in Rabbinic tradition. During the If one realizes that the basis of wisdom
civil war that followed the reign of I would like to offer yet another is the fear of G-d and prioritizes
Shlomtzion the Queen, a certain sage approach by going back to the very Torah, then what we are doing is
who knew “the wisdom of the Greeks” beginning, the first verse of the Torah. Whether it is religious or
contributed to the downfall of the Torah. In his commentary on the secular is up to us.
Temple worship. “At that point, they word bereishit, usually translated as
stated: cursed is the man who teaches “in the beginning,” taking the bet 1 Sotah 49b.
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his son the wisdom of the Greeks.” to mean “in” and reishit to mean
“beginning,” as in the verse of Psalms 2 Psalms 111.
Much has been written about this quoted above. Rashi, however, offers 3 Vayikra 18:4.
decree and its application to modern another possibility: the bet means
secular studies. One approach is that bishvil, usually translated as “for” and
of the medieval biblical commentator, says the creation of the world was
Rav David Kimche (1160-1235): “The bishvil haTorah, for the Torah. We
beginning of wisdom is the fear of generally understand Rashi to mean Dr. Deena Zimmerman is a pediatrician
G-d.” If one first assures their solid that the Torah was the purpose of the and Director of yoatzot.org, a website for
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foundation in the fear of G-d, other Creation. women’s health and halacha
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