Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer: Questions Need to Be Welcomed, Not Disparaged

Opinion Piece in the Jewish Press from the author of "Search Judaism":

I was apprised of the fact that a renowned rav and posek in Flatbush dedicated his Shabbos morning drasha to the plight of a young lady who was recently dismissed from her Brooklyn Bais Yaakov. It seems she vexed the administration because she asked her teacher incisive questions about the nature of Gan Eden. Thankfully, due to the intervention of this prominent rav, she was reinstated to her school.

Thousands of frum individuals grow up with gnawing questions about the fundamentals of Yiddishkeit. Their questions may be trite and simplistic (i.e., Why do we keep Shabbos?) or profound and weighty (i.e., How do I know there is a God? or Hashem knows everything, including every move I make; yet I have free will. How can the two co-exist?).

It’s not the particular question that is germane - every sincere and thoughtful question is relevant and important. Rather, it’s the way the question is received and handled. Sadly, most often the questions are either rebuffed or repudiated by parents and teachers. Some adolescents are even slapped or labeled with the pejorative “apikores.” The outcome is that in some cases the seeker despondently resolves to trudge through life with lingering and unresolved doubts in ikrei emunah, and in other cases, tragically, they throw in the towel, religiously.

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(HT: Matzav.com)

Review: "Search Judaism"

When I am back in my hometown I often have the opportunity to work in one of our local seforim stores, which is a dream come true for a Jewish bibliophile like myself. Despite the fact that you do have to tend to customers, more often than not there is still plenty of time to take a look at all the books lying around and see what looks good. My bosses are great and on my last work day at the store this past summer I was told that I could pick out a book for free. It was a tough decision (iy'h it should be the toughest I am ever faced with), and I finally chose the subject of today's book review, Search Judaism by Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer.

One of the first things that drew me to Search Judaism was that it bills itself as another book in an ever growing category of attempts to answer some of the often posed tough theological questions, such as whether there is a G-d, are we inhabited with divine souls, and does mankind truly have free choice. I believe that these and the other questions in the book, which relate to fundamental tenets of the Jewish belief system, are important for everyone, especially frum Jews to know. I personally try to solidify my commitment as a religious Jew by attempting to learn that which is within my capacity to understand about Judaism, Hashem, and the Torah, and this book is an appropriate catalyst towards that mission. Other topics that were addressed by Rabbi Fingerer that interested me were how the Torah and science can be compatible and insights into the subject of reincarnation. Each chapter is filled with delightful stories and anecdotes that expound on the designated topic, and all answers are referenced to leading Rabbi's and secular authorities. Actually, there is a strong emphasis on secular references which is great because it's no chiddush to back up Jewish beliefs with Jewish sources, rather when the outside world also comes to the same conclusions that the Torah does, that is impressive.

This book is similar in subject style to "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" by R' Shmuel Waldman and "The Eye of the Needle" from Aish HaTorah. For those of you have read similar books some of the sources and arguments may be a little old but there is fresh material here as well. Search Judaism stands out in that is is very easy to understand and could be read comfortably read by Jews of all kinds. Rabbi Fingerer really does a great job posing tough questions and giving good answers. Something that really showed me how much this book is meant for everyone to be able to learn is that on the last page there is contact information for Rabbi Fingerer and links to websites for furthering Jewish education. As I mentioned before, I believe that it is important for frum Jews to review this material because it is through doing so that we can also try to transmit this information over to our less knowledgeable brothers and sisters so they too can come to an understanding about what a wonderful gift it is to be a Jew.