2008 Woodie Awards
Academic Bible
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Letters to the Editor
To the Editor,
I was bothered by the article "The Examined Life: Academic Bible at Stern," published in the January issue of The Observer. As someone who has spent her entire educational life studying Tanakh, I find it difficult to understand how someone could dismiss the intense amount of depth provided by the "traditional and medieval" commentators. Similarly, I cannot believe that anyone who truly comprehended and appreciated these sources would dare to say that people who accept the viewpoints of these gedolim merely "dance through life."
When choosing what Judaic Studies classes to register for, I came across classes entitled "Philosophy of the Rav,", or "Modern Jewish Problems," classes in which names like Rav Moshe Feinstein and other contemporaries are dropped frequently. How could one be upset that there is no class which discusses a more contemporary and scholarly view concerning the Torah? That no one knows what the Documentary Hypothesis is?
It must be noted that the goal of Yeshiva University is to provide not only a college education, but a Yeshiva one as well. Not Hebrew school. Not Sunday school. It is impossible to accept the idea that YU is an Orthodox institution, but simultaneously reject the stance that it should only teach Orthodox viewpoints. There is an inherent contradiction in that belief system. The courses that the article's author proposes would only take away from the Orthodox aspect of the YU, making the institution appear more secular than it already might.
For a person to subscribe to what the Documentary Hypothesis actually says would be to deny the idea that the Torah is written by God. It would appear to me to be a lot more convenient to accept the notion that four humans wrote the Torah, as opposed to accepting the concept that there is something greater than all of us that rules the world, and governs us all.
I cannot fathom how those of us who believe in the divinity of the Torah, even without studying it through the lens of someone who believes that "the Bible were the work of a human being," are the lazy ones. There is no reason to study the Torah as though it were written by a human being, simply because it wasn't. Through studying the commentaries, and allowing oneself to journey with the meforshim through the various intricacies of the Torah, one can maybe begin to understand just how important these commentators and their contributions are. Don't be so quick to assume that newer commentators know better.
I was bothered by the article "The Examined Life: Academic Bible at Stern," published in the January issue of The Observer. As someone who has spent her entire educational life studying Tanakh, I find it difficult to understand how someone could dismiss the intense amount of depth provided by the "traditional and medieval" commentators. Similarly, I cannot believe that anyone who truly comprehended and appreciated these sources would dare to say that people who accept the viewpoints of these gedolim merely "dance through life."
When choosing what Judaic Studies classes to register for, I came across classes entitled "Philosophy of the Rav,", or "Modern Jewish Problems," classes in which names like Rav Moshe Feinstein and other contemporaries are dropped frequently. How could one be upset that there is no class which discusses a more contemporary and scholarly view concerning the Torah? That no one knows what the Documentary Hypothesis is?
It must be noted that the goal of Yeshiva University is to provide not only a college education, but a Yeshiva one as well. Not Hebrew school. Not Sunday school. It is impossible to accept the idea that YU is an Orthodox institution, but simultaneously reject the stance that it should only teach Orthodox viewpoints. There is an inherent contradiction in that belief system. The courses that the article's author proposes would only take away from the Orthodox aspect of the YU, making the institution appear more secular than it already might.
For a person to subscribe to what the Documentary Hypothesis actually says would be to deny the idea that the Torah is written by God. It would appear to me to be a lot more convenient to accept the notion that four humans wrote the Torah, as opposed to accepting the concept that there is something greater than all of us that rules the world, and governs us all.
I cannot fathom how those of us who believe in the divinity of the Torah, even without studying it through the lens of someone who believes that "the Bible were the work of a human being," are the lazy ones. There is no reason to study the Torah as though it were written by a human being, simply because it wasn't. Through studying the commentaries, and allowing oneself to journey with the meforshim through the various intricacies of the Torah, one can maybe begin to understand just how important these commentators and their contributions are. Don't be so quick to assume that newer commentators know better.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 7
observer
posted 4/17/08 @ 4:08 PM EST
Finally! It's about time someone infused this paper with some yiddishkeit. Too bad it had to come from the outside with the letters to the editor. I hate when adherents to Modern Orthodoxy need to constantly tread left to feel accepted and satisfied with their academic achievements. (Continued…)
Yael Brodsky
posted 4/17/08 @ 8:09 PM EST
Yes, Ms. Wiznitzer argued in her article that students at Stern should have the opportunity to study Documentary Hypothesis and other forms of biblical criticism. (Continued…)
Simcha
posted 4/18/08 @ 12:14 AM EST
Besides for this article being redundant, as there was a better written letter in the previous observer responding to this letter, the article was also poorly argued, and filled with incorrect information. (Continued…)
silvergleam
Chana Wiznitzer
posted 4/18/08 @ 12:47 AM EST
Hello Ms. Brodsky,
I agree with everything you wrote.
I do believe in Torah min Shamayim.
I do not believe in the tenets of the Documentary Hypothesis, namely that the Torah was written by four authors without divine guidance. (Continued…)
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