Intellectual Honesty

Intellectual Honesty

One of the salient problems of today’s world is that so many people, whether they be of the intellectual class or common folk live in an echo chamber that admits no facts that would argue against their preformed opinions.

I found in a commentary by a medieval rabbi of great renown a most amazing statement that essentially when you analyze it contradicts the assumption that the text of the Bible that we have is the exact word of God.

Rabbi Shelmoh ben Yitzchak, known as “Rashi,” the abbreviation of his name, is considered in Jewish tradition as the “Parshandata” (the commentator par excellence) of both the Bible and Babylonian Talmud. (1040-1105)

It is therefor with great surprise that when turns to his commentary on Leviticus 14:44 that he comments that the verse is out of order! A simple statement probably glossed over by readers without thinking of its implications. Interestingly enough the critical commentators Abraham Ibn Ezra and Rashbam (Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, Rashi’s grandson) do not comment on this verse. The Bartenura(Obadiah ben Avraham of Bertinoro (1445-1515) (whose commentary to the Mishnah uses both Rashi and Maimonides turns to the commentary of the Ramban (Rabbi Moses ben Nachman 1194-1270) who while not outright disagreeing with Rashi goes into a very long exposition avoiding Rashi’s comment.

It may be added as icing on the cake that in his first commentaries to the Book of Genesis Rashi states that this first description is not the way the world came into being!

Rashi who gave his life to the explication of rabbinical texts cannot be cast as an unbeliever or scoffer. Yet when confronted with texts that strained his credulity, he was not hesitant to offer what he thought to be the true interpretation even if it denied the Bible being the exact word for word of God. Unfortunately, there are not many like him today and certainly not yesterday!

As the rabbis would eulogize a great sage:

“Alas they are lost and not found!”