Meshuga. . .
The following recently appeared in Hirhurim:
I received this via e-mail from R. Daniel Eidensohn, with permission to post:
This Shabbos (June 17, 2006) I had the opportunity to ask Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky about the issue of the age of the universe. As some of you are aware, the issue is heating up again. There are some who would claim that Rav Shmuel has changed his position on the matter or deny that he ever permitted belief in a greater than 6000 year old universe. I had only a short time to speak to him so I limited myself to this issue.I asked him, "Is it permitted to believe that the world is more than 6000 years?"He responded that it was permitted . . . .
This is so crazy I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. ASK R. Kaminetzky if you're allowed to believe that the earth is as old as it is? When your toilet doesn't flush do you go to a Rav or a plumber? When you're sick you go to a physician; when you want to build a bridge you go to an engineer. When you want to know how the physical universe works you go to scientists! What's next? Should be humbly ask R. Kaminetzky if we're allowed to believe that the earth is round, that it revolves around the sun, that two and two make four? The Kaminetzkys of the world are becoming more and more irrelevant every day, and more and more bright young Jews are being alienated from Torah. Keep it up, and don't forget the blue pills. Oh right, those were developed by scientists.
I received this via e-mail from R. Daniel Eidensohn, with permission to post:
This Shabbos (June 17, 2006) I had the opportunity to ask Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky about the issue of the age of the universe. As some of you are aware, the issue is heating up again. There are some who would claim that Rav Shmuel has changed his position on the matter or deny that he ever permitted belief in a greater than 6000 year old universe. I had only a short time to speak to him so I limited myself to this issue.I asked him, "Is it permitted to believe that the world is more than 6000 years?"He responded that it was permitted . . . .
This is so crazy I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. ASK R. Kaminetzky if you're allowed to believe that the earth is as old as it is? When your toilet doesn't flush do you go to a Rav or a plumber? When you're sick you go to a physician; when you want to build a bridge you go to an engineer. When you want to know how the physical universe works you go to scientists! What's next? Should be humbly ask R. Kaminetzky if we're allowed to believe that the earth is round, that it revolves around the sun, that two and two make four? The Kaminetzkys of the world are becoming more and more irrelevant every day, and more and more bright young Jews are being alienated from Torah. Keep it up, and don't forget the blue pills. Oh right, those were developed by scientists.
posted by Zev Stern at 8:23 AM
3 Comments:
You running the Chase challenge today, kofer?
I was discussing this last night with my wife.
I came to the following conclusions:
1) The question was incorrect: The questioner asked if it is "permitted to believe the world is more than 6000 years?" Of course it is. You can believe anything you want. It is permitted to believe the moon is made of green cheese. It doesn't make it so, and it has no impact.
2) The real question could be: "Since we have a tradition that the world was created less than 6,000 years ago, and modern science has evidence that the world is much older, how should we act?
3) The answer could be: "We act within halacha. For the purpose of understanding Hashem and our relationship to Hashem, we can consider the earth to be 'young.' For the purpose of scientific and technical benefits to humans, we can consider it 'old.' There is no contradiction between the two."
i just found your blog through Haemtza. great name! ;-)
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