Rabbi Yehuda Brandes spoke on Teaching the Kuzari: Some Introductory Perspectives at the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yemei Iyun in June, 2007. He points out that the Kuzari was written for a person who believes in God. The introduction to the Kuzari describes how an angel appeared to the king in a dream. Only a religious man who already believes in God would have such a dream.
R. Yehuda Halevi did not intend to write a book to prove the existence of God to a non-believer. A modern day teacher, therefore, should not teach a class in the Kuzari and expect to convince a modern, secular, non-believing student to believe in God.
The opening question to ask is not: Do You Believe in God? The answer you get may be in the negative. That is a non-starter for teaching the Kuzari or about Jewish belief in the 21st century.
Rather, the questions should be:
Have you ever prayed?
Has God ever answered your prayers?
In most cases, the answer to both questions will be yes. At that point your student is starting from the same place as the king in the Kuzari and you are ready to roll with the arguments of R. Yehuda Halevi.
Interestingly, on Monday night, at the Young Israel of Midwood, I heard R. Noach Weinberg, Rosh Yeshiva of Aish Hatorah, make a similar point. In his experience, the same people who say they do not believe in God are the same people who will admit to praying to God and having their prayers answered. Reb Noach thinks these people have been brainwashed to say they do not believe in God because that is the litany of modern man.
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1 comment:
Since I attended this lecture, I must have seen you there...do I know you?
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