Not everything is rational
On rationality, balance and criticism
Parsha and its Implementation - Chukat - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - 5779
The Mitzva of the Red heifer is the best way to point at the limits of the ability of human rationality.
"I have tried all with wisdom… Shlomo said: did not place wisdom in the world that I did not stand by, and then I came to the Parashah of the "Parah Adumah," and said,
כָּל־זֹ֖ה נִסִּ֣יתִי בַֽחָכְמָ֑ה אָמַ֣רְתִּי אֶחְכָּ֔מָה וְהִ֖יא רְחוֹקָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
"All this I tested with wisdom. I thought I could fathom it, but it eludes me". (Midrash Zuta- Ecclesiastes 7:23)
King Solomon was the wisest of all men: "
… הִנֵּ֣ה נָתַ֣תִּי לְךָ֗ לֵ֚ב חָכָ֣ם וְנָב֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֤ר כָּמ֙וֹךָ֙ לֹא־הָיָ֣ה לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְאַחֲרֶ֖יךָ לֹא־יָק֥וּם כָּמֽוֹךָ׃
I grant you a wise and discerning mind; there has never been anyone like you before, nor will anyone like you arise again." (1 Kings 3:12). The wisdom of King Solomon brought human rationality to the highest peak and to its fullest potential. From it, almost everything could be explained by logic and human reason:
וַיִּתֵּן֩ אֱלֹקים חָכְמָ֧ה לִשְׁלֹמֹ֛ה וּתְבוּנָ֖ה הַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וְרֹ֣חַב לֵ֔ב כַּח֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיָּֽם׃ וַתֵּ֙רֶב֙ חָכְמַ֣ת שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה מֵֽחָכְמַ֖ת כָּל־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם וּמִכֹּ֖ל חָכְמַ֥ת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
וַיֶּחְכַּם֮ מִכָּל־הָֽאָדָם֒ ...וַיְהִֽי־שְׁמ֥וֹ בְכָֽל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם סָבִֽיב׃
"G-d endowed Solomon with wisdom and discernment in great measure, with understanding as vast as the sands on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the Kedemites and than all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was the wisest of all men, His fame spread among all the surrounding nations". (1 Kings 5: 9-11).
His main advantage was in understanding the wisdom and logic of the world's reality: "Even Moses was not like him in the Nature's Wisdom… (Radak on I Kings 3:12-2)
"שהיה קהלת חכם עוד לימד דעת את העם איזן וחקר תיקן משלים הרבה לימד דעת את העם דאגמריה בסימני טעמים ואסברה במאי דדמי ליה איזן וחקר תיקן משלים הרבה אמר עולא אמר רבי אליעזר בתחילה היתה תורה דומה לכפיפה שאין לה אזנים עד שבא שלמה ועשה לה אזנים" (עירובין כא ב).
Rava also taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And besides being wise, Koheleth also taught the people knowledge; and he weighed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs” (Ecclesiastes 12:9). Rava interpreted homiletically: He taught the people knowledge, meaning he taught it with the accentuation marks in the Torah, and he explained each matter by means of something similar to it.
With regard to: “And he weighed [izzen], and sought out, and set in order many proverbs,” Ulla said that Rabbi Eliezer said: At first the Torah was like a basket without handles [oznayim], until Solomon came and made handles for it. By means of his explanations and proverbs he enabled each person to understand and take hold of the Torah, fulfill its mitzvot, and distance himself from transgressions. (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:8, Eruvin 21b). From then on, 'everyone began to study Torah' - even in the logical and rational way. Shlomo's point of departure was that wisdom and human rationality are the main tool for understanding the world, God's leadership and His Torah.
The midrash describes the dramatic turning point that took place when King Solomon dealt with the Parasha of Parah Adumah: "This is what it's written in the Scriptures:
בִּקֵּ֣שׁ קֹהֶ֔לֶת לִמְצֹ֖א דִּבְרֵי־חֵ֑פֶץ וְכָת֥וּב יֹ֖שֶׁר דִּבְרֵ֥י אֱמֶֽת׃
Koheleth sought to discover useful sayings and recorded genuinely truthful sayings. (Kohelet 12:10)
ביקש שלמה לעמוד על עסקי פרה דאמר ר' יצחק כל העוסקין בפרה מטמאין בגדים והיא עצמה מטהרת טמאין. (מדרש תהילים ט':ב')
Shlomo wanted to deal regarding Parah Adumah, said R' Itzhak: all who deal with the Parah impurifies clothing and itself purifies the impure". (Midrash Tehillim 9:2)
The systematization of human rationality cannot contain such a logical contradiction. When the same thing is in itself a contradiction. It purifies the impure and at the same time impurifies the pure. This leads Shlomo Hamelech to understand that wisdom and human rationality have a glass ceiling, from which it is at a dead end. That the world is also composed of things that cannot be put into rational patterns. That the pretense of "I thought I could fathom it" about everything that exists, and all the commandments of the Torah, is forced to conclude that "but it eludes me". To accept that there are things that are above logic, and where acceptance and faith are required.
The legacy of Parah Adumah and Shlomo's wisdom is very relevant today. Modern humanity must manage itself wisely and rationally. However, it must not ignore the fact that there are irrational elements in human behavior that the attempt to introduce them into rational patterns is intended to fail. Certain systems of the modern world give exclusivity to rationality and disrespect for anything perceived as irrational.
But in order to get a complete picture of the world, we must combine the two in a balanced way. To operate a balancing control system that will mark the rationality boundaries. On the other hand, there are other systems in the modern world that their purpose is precisely through the use of the irrational, emotional and social tools such as politics, advertising, public relations and public opinion design, etc. Which can be overwhelming from all sides and affect mainly the emotional and irrational human levels. In contrast, a balanced system of criticism must be applied to rational thinking that balances the irrational effects.
Even in the world of Judaism, Torah and faith require today more than any balance between the use of logic and rationality and the belief and acceptance of a Divine spiritual reality. On the one hand there is in Emunah, layers that can be understood with rational human logic. In the sense: "I thought I could fathom it". On the other hand, faith has higher layers that are not "not intellect and not emotion," in the sense that " but it eludes me".
There is a need for in-depth clarification of Torah and faith, while utilizing the tools of human logic. The world of faith and Torah cannot be based solely on acceptance and faith.
On the other hand, it must be understood that the understanding of the logic and rationality of the commandments is not a condition in the observance of the commandments! And even if it turns out that the mitzva is "but it eludes me" and it is impossible to understand the purpose and reason of the mitzva, it is not an exemption from receiving the yoke of Torah and fulfilling the mitzva with acceptance and faith.
On the contrary, the end of King Shlomo and the decline of his greatness when he failed in the mitzvot that were written explicitly in the Torah indicates that one should not rely solely on the understanding the reason for the mitzva:
אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי: "אַרְבֶּה סוּסִים, וְלֹא אָשִׁיב אֶת־הָעָם מִצְרָיְמָה", וּבַסּוֹף הֲשִׁיבוֹתִי. אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי: "אַרְבֶּה נָשִׁים וְלֹא יָסוּר לְבָבִי", וַהֲרֵי נִכְתַּב עָלַי "נָשָׁיו הִטּוּ אֶת־לְבָבוֹ".
"I said, “I will get many horses, but I will not return the people to Egypt,” but ultimately, I returned. I said, “I will take many wives, but they will not turn my heart away,” but it is written about me, “his wives swayed his heart.” (Rashi on Ecclesiastes 1:17:4).