A few years ago I was asked to lead a "SEED" programme in a provincial city. The idea was to take ten or so Yeshiva Bochurim and set up a mini Yeshiva which welcomes anyone who may wish to come and learn. It had been a particularly successful week and the finale was to be an ask the Rabbi session. I know this particular city very well and I received a tip off that one of the towns personalities was coming along with some of his friends to put these "Frumers" in their place! The usual sort of question flowed from the audience and everything was going very well when the "place putter ", stuck up his hand. " Mr. Chairman " he began " I wonder what the panel would say if they knew, that as far as I and my friends are concerned the stories in the Torah, are as relevant and hold as much significance as the Norse legends and mythology". I indicated to the Chair that I wanted to reply. I told him that I was very intrigued by his question and the comparison between the Norse myths and the Torah . He smiled . I continued , " I wonder if you could explain to the audience, the significance and relevance of the phrase " Ha Sadeh Asher Koneh Avraham........ The field which Avraham bought " , which occurs in the Sedra of Chaye Sara. ( This particular phrase when viewed through the Talmud in Keddushin establishes the Halachah that money can be used to contract a marriage )The "place putter" squirmed a bit and I quickly followed with a second question. Then perhaps you could tell the audience the story of Thor's drinking horn and it's significance and relevance ". Now what I was trying to demonstrate, was that the Torah's stories actually establish principals of Jewish Law , whereas the story of a drinking competition between a god and some giants ( The giants attach Thor's horn to the sea and he drinks half the sea ) is just a story . I didn't expect him to know the answer to the first question, but I was astonished to see that he didn't know this story either. He was just as ignorant about Norse mythology as he was about Judaism. I must admit , I then saw his question as totally dishonest and a complete chutzpah . If someone is completely ignorant about any two things, then of course they equate in his mind . If a Distributor and a Carburetor are mysteries to you , then they are identical , things underneath a car's bonnet . I told this fellow that he really should consider starting to learn about what Judaism really says, he might be surprised.
Belief in G-d demands the exact same approach. The Hebrew word for World is Olam The root of the word is the three letters Ayin Lamed Mem, the word which means hidden. Why do we call the world by a name which means "Hidden" . It's an interesting word , hidden , it suggests that something is there, it's just that you can't see it..... unless you look that is . Imagine a Jew goes into a MacDonalds. He orders his Big Mac and his Root Beer and goes to sit at a table . He takes a sip at the Root beer and is just about to start nibbling when suddenly there's a blinding flash and standing in front of him, is a great big white shimmering angel. "Cohen?" the angel inquires, Cohen nods. "Kosher?" the angel asks, Cohen shakes his head. The angel slaps Cohen firmly on the cheek and throws the Big Mac on the floor. "Don't do that again Cohen" and disappears. Now imagine you were Cohen ( hard , I know ) would you buy a second Big Mac ? if you answered , No , then I'm sorry , that's a non-Jewish answer , all Jews want a second opinion.
I think you would think to yourself , I must have imagined the whole thing , I've been working to hard , I've been staying up too late . After all no one else saw the incident Your food is on the floor...... but No! , you dreamt the whole thing !. You go and buy a second Big Mac. You return to your table and sip your Root Beer. You put the Big Mac to your lips and PING! a blinding flash. "Are you deaf Cohen ? " . The Angel takes the B. M. and grinds it into nothing. He picks you up and punches you hard on the nose . " Don't do that again Cohen " and disappears.
Would you buy a third Big Mac?
The reason that there are no MacDonalds Angels, is that Judaism is predicated by the fundamental principle of freedom of choice. Freedom of choice means as much reason for believing in G-d as for not believing in G-d a balance of 50 - 50. If it was different say more reason for believing in G-d than not , then there would be no freedom of choice.
Let us accept a Hypotheses. If the smallest biggest word in the language ) G-d does exist . Then the system of Freedom of Choice we have outlined is innately a falsehood . G-d does exist , he's just hiding the fact from us . And the reason is obvious we are supposed to start trying to find him.
A long time ago, I was speaking to students in Glasgow. I outlined the basic points of this article and then it was question time. Someone stuck up his hand and said "Your argument's rubbish! Your lot ( You will notice that in this chaps mind I had no individuality at all, I was a cartoon; Homo Frumius ) always say that. You say the reason that we're not Frum, is because we didn't go to Yeshiva or Sem . But if we do go to Yeshiva or Sem and come back and we're still not Frum, you say it's cause we weren't there long enough ". I asked him, " Did I say that ? " He replied that I hadn't personally said it. "As far As I'm Concerned " I replied, " If anyone goes and tries to see if it's true, then they get my respect."
It goes without saying that were this fellow to enrol in a Yeshiva for six months or so, with the avowed intention of coming back to declare his pure state of non religiosity, then of course he would have proven nothing to himself over that six months . A prerequisite of finding the truth , is a willingness to accept the possibility of the hypothesis.
Judaism declares that it is not in fact a matter of belief, rather of proof. In Sefer Ha Mitzvot , the Rambam declares "The first Mitzvah is to know and believe in G-d. If one was willing to accept the hypotheses that G-d exists , then it would make sense to go and try and see if you're right. One would take the same critical baggage along, that one would carry on any investigation. If it is true and right , then it would prove itself to us in the same way that you could prove that Physics exists or that Biology exists. That is the challenge that Judaism offers, look and see. If one decides instead to refuse the challenge, then one shouldn't be surprised if Judaism seems to have as much relevance as Etruscan basket weaving. But we'd have to admit if the reason why we don't believe, is because we never looked.