Walk Through the Parsha by Rabbi David Walk

Infallable
Toldot 5768
November 8, 2007
Recently we've been studying the Chassidic Masters at Seudah Shlishit here at Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT. It's basically impossible to discuss these gentlemen without telling stories. Stories are the mother's milk of the Chassidic movement. I've observed that there are two kinds of these stories. The ones I like and the ones I don't like. Sorry for making it personal, but these stories call for visceral reactions on our part. The ones I don't like are basically geared to demonstrate the greatness of the Rebbe in question. The Rebbe performed a miracle or knew things that it was impossible for him to be aware of. The ones are like give a new twist on a well known concept or anecdote. The former demand a 'wow!'; the latter an 'hmm'. I'm uninterested in the whole genre of stories designed to impress me with the Rebbe's renown.

The non-Chassidic version of these tales of wonder is the Daas Torah legend of Lithuanian Jewry. Both of these ideas are based upon the infallibility of Torah giants. This make-believe world is populated with creatures from whom all humanity has been drained. And they're just not true. There have been Jewish scholars to whom truth is only an inconvenience which gets in the way of a good morality tale. However, I heard Professor Lev OBM from Machon Lev in Jerusalem describe how Reb Ya'akov Kamenetzky Z"L instructed him to throw away a biography of Reb Moshe Feinstein Z"L, because it said that he never read newspapers. A statement that they both knew to be false. Sadly, Rabbi Kamenetsky's own commentary on Chumash was edited after his death in 1986 to delete a passage revealing that the great Rabbi had watched something on television.

Claims of either omniscience or infallibility are discounted in the Talmud itself. There are stories of the Sages learning garnering facts from the most humble sources. They didn't know it all, and had the intelligence and modesty to admit it. The legal system itself discusses when an ordained rabbi making a mistake is liable for his error and when exempt from culpability. Clearly the Talmudic Sages didn't believe that they were infallible. Why should I think that a contemporary scholar is all-knowing and incapable of error? Isn't that the premise of another religion?

I embark upon this tirade this week because our parsha is so candid about the lives of Rivkah and Yitzchak. At the beginning of the Torah reading, Rivkah is having difficulties conceiving, and after many years (traditionally 20) she finally becomes pregnant. The pregnancy is a hard one. "She goes to seek out God (Genesis 25:22)." Where did she go? How come she didn't know what was going on in her womb? And why didn't she ask Yitzchak or the still living Avraham, or better yet, why didn't Yitzchak or Avraham tell her what the issue was even before she asked? Many Chassidic stories seem to revolve around the fact that the Rebbe gives the answers to questions before they're even asked. The traditional response to the mystery of where she went is that she sought out Noach's son, Shem, but that's an unimportant detail (which is based on a Gematria, numerical equivalence of the word for seek and Shem's name). What's truly significant about the incident was that she had problems, just like us, and didn't know the solutions, just like us. Therefore, I can behave just like her. I can emulate my beloved bubbie and zeidie. The Patriarchs and our spiritual guides are not omniscient.

The parsha goes on to describe many stresses in the lives of Rivkah and Yitzchak. There was particular anxiety over the boys. There was clearly a serious disagreement about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the young men. Yitzchak favored Esav, and Rivkah preferred Ya'akov. This difference of opinion culminated in Rivkah plotting with Ya'akov to appropriate the blessings which Yitzchak had targeted for Esav. How could there be such a discrepancy in the designs for Jewish destiny? Weren't they prophets with incredible insights into the Torah and its future reality? So, how could Yitzchak be wrong about Esav and the blessing (S'fat Emet, Parshat Toldot, 5632)? Simply stated, the Patriarchs and our spiritual guides are not infallible.

So, have I diminished the stature of the Patriarchs and our Gedolim? God forbid! However, I can't buy into a world of humans who either know everything or who can't make mistakes. Shlomo Hamelech clearly states that there is no such thing as a human who doesn’t miss the mark. I believe him literally. Now, what is the status of the Torah giants in our midst? I believe that there are two answers to that question. Firstly, they are the experts in their field, namely Jewish Law. We should go to the greatest possible sources for information needed in our lives. We wouldn't trust Medicine For Dummies, if a loved one were seriously ill. We'd find the best doctor in the field. Well, we must do the same for our souls as well as our bodies. When there's a serious Halachic issue, go for the best expert available.

Secondly, we do believe that a life of intense Torah study does provide a spiritual sensitivity which can inform our lives with guidance and assistance. Refusing to discuss major life issues with a spiritual mentor would be foolish. I firmly accept as true, and have personally experienced, a heightened level of awareness in these great individuals. Does that mean that they never err? No, way! Does this mean that they intuit things that I could never have imagined? By all means! That's Daas Torah, and it's a big deal.

Yitzchak and Rivkah clashed over parenting issues. I'm glad to know that, because now I can feel that I'm not a loser when I have these difficulties. Part of their charm, attraction and greatness is their overcoming adversity and maintaining their spiritual excellence. I can learn a lot from their spiritual pre-eminence, and their simple humanity.