Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Belief

R. Chaim (Howie) Jachter, in an essay titled Strengthening Our Belief in Hashem and His Beautiful Torah offers the following arguments for why he is "completely convinced of the truth of Hashem and His Holy Torah." He offers the following six arguments:

1. Rav Elchanan Wasserman – The Argument from Design
2. Ramban and Kuzari – Mesorah
3. The Argument from Jewish History – The Aruch Hashulchan
4. Rav Soloveitchik – The Argument from Halacha
5. Rambam on Ahavat Hashem
6. Rav Yoel Bin Nun on Megillat Esther

His conclusion is:

Bertrand Russell (a British philosopher and mathematician who was a foremost proponent of atheism in the early twentieth century) once was asked what he will respond if after he dies he meets God and He will judge him for his lack of belief. Russell responded that he would ask God, why did You not provide sufficient evidence of Your existence. Hashem might respond, why didn’t you exercise your common sense and look beyond the secular surface of the world, and see the overwhelming evidence of My existence and of My Holy Torah.


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