Torah, Science, and Kefira

Rabbi Natan (Nosson) Slifkin - The Zoo Rabbi (Wikipedia)

It was a subject of major discussion. And it was extremely upsetting to me at the time. I spilled a lot of virtual ink on it then. But  as upsetting as it was for me, surely it must have been a thousand times more upsetting to Rabbi Natan Slifkin and his family. 

That feeling came rushing back to me this morning as I read Rabbi Slifkin’s remarks upon the 20^th anniversary of his books being banned by Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Books that did a good job trying to reconcile Torah and science. Those of us that have had a decent education in both subjects appreciated any intelligent discussion that reconciled the two.

Until that ban, discussions and books on this subject were widely accepted and well within the parameters of accepted Jewish theology. Even in Charedi circles. I recall that the Chicago Community Kollel (a Lakewood Kollel) had featured speakers that dealt with this subject in a positive way. One of whom was Rav Shalom Kaminetzky, son of Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky, currently an elder on Agudah’s Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (often referred to as Daas Torah). He has been on it for many years. 

And then there was the late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, a physicist of note and prolific writer on a variety of Torah topics. A favorite of the Charedi world. 

Rabbi Kaplan wrote a paper using classic and accepted sources making a strong argument that the age of the universe was about 15 billion years old. He presented it at a conference of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. During the course of his presentation, he actually ridiculed those that did not accept the science that proved the same. 

Suddenly, this view which was what Rabbi Slikin’s books also promoted was determined to be Kefira (heresy). 

I recall talking to one of the CCK Roshei Kollel about this ban. He basicllay said he was flummoxed by it, and quite upset. But he neverthless abided by the ban since it was issued by a man that was considered by Charedim to be the Gadol Hador.

Then came the Kol Korei, a published ban signed by 24 prominent Charedi leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rabbi Slfkin was up to that point somewhat of a celebrity in the Charedi world because of his astounding knowledge about the animal world and its relationship to the Torah. (He was affectionately known as the Zoo Rabbi.)

Suddenly he went from being a celebrity to being accused of promoting Kefira!  He was relentlessly attacked (verbally) from just about every corner of the Charedi world. A world that treated Daas Torah as the infallible word of God.  And of course no one had better insight to that then the Gadol HaDor. Although there were a few courageous prominent rabbis that did not abandon Rabbi Slifkin, most rabbis that once supported him now abandoned him like rats from a sinking ship.

Then there was the way this ban happened. Rabbi Slfkin’s books were written in English. Rav Elyashiv did not read English. Apparently the contents of those books was related to him by one of his trusted activists. Based on that he banned the books.

How could all these prominent rabbis support him one day and reject him the next based on the view of - even a highly respected Rav who based his ban on second hand information - is still a mystery to me. On the other hand, I suppose  if you believe that the Gadol HaDor’s view is the closest thing we have to God, challenging his views is like challenging God, I suppose.

Aside from leaving Jews educated  in both Torah and science out in the cold, the damage done to Rabbi Slfkin and his family was enormous. I cannot imagine for example what it means for religious parents who are proud of their son’s accomplishments in the Torah world to suddenly see his writings considered heresy. As Rabbi Slifkin points out in his post today, the animosity towards him by some rabbinic leaders was fierce and ongoing. About 10 years ago YU (Yeshiva University) was accused by a leading Charedi publication to be lacking Daas Torah because they supported him. And then there is this: 

And eighteen years later, a Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva declared that there is a litmus test for which rabbis Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, one of the most prominent Litvishe Rosh Yeshiva in the US, will hate: it’s those who fail to be “hot and angry” against Slifkin. 

That is really infuriating. Let them disagree and leave him alone. Why must they continue to ‘beat him to death’?! And why have they not done the same to Aryeh Kaplan whose views surely fell within the scope of Rav Elyashiv’s ban? Why is he still so accepted and his memory so honored by them while Rabbi Slifkin is so viscously smeared? 

I’m happy to see that Rabbi Slifkin has long ago  moved on with this life quite successfully and in positive ways. Fortunately he is not seen as a heretic by the most of the rest of the Orthodox world. 

Here are some questions with which I will end this post.  If Charedi leaders still feel that Rabbi Slifkin’s views reconciling Torah and science are considered Kefira - how can they trust the Hechsher of the OU whose rabbis are mostly YU trained? How can they permit eating at their homes, count them for a Minyan, trust their Batei Din (religious courts for Gitin (religious divorce) and not consider children of a remarried woman divorced that way –  Mamzerim?