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Wisdom
From Below
Part 1
– The Axioms * In connection with 20 Menachem Av,
Yartzeit of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson
By
Prof. Shimon Silman, RYAL Institute and Touro College
“In
mathematics as well as in every intellectual matter, there must be two elements:
1) elementary concepts and axioms; for example, that the whole is greater than
any of its parts, and 2) all the [mathematical] concepts and theories that are
built on the above. These two categories are called chochma and bina. Chochma is
basic concepts and bina is those concepts built upon the basic concepts. This
can also be referred to as the ‘ban’ of ‘Tohu’ that preceded the ‘mah’ of ‘Tikkun.’
‘Ban’ is similar to the basic concepts and ‘mah’ is similar to the concepts that
are built on them.”
(From
a letter written by Rabbi Levi Yitzchok to his sons, the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach
and Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib, Likkutei Levi Yitzchok, Igros Kodesh, p. 250)
The
famous prediction of the Zohar regarding the flood of wisdom beginning in
the year 5600 (1840 CE), which is a preparation for the Era of Moshiach, speaks
of wisdom coming down from above and wisdom coming up from below. The Rebbe
Melech HaMoshiach explains that the wisdom from above is Chabad Chassidus, which
clearly prepares the world for the Era of Moshiach since it has flooded the
world with the knowledge of Hashem, preparing it for the fulfillment of the
Messianic prophecy that “the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem
as the water fills the ocean bed.” The wisdom from below, on the other hand,
refers to the discoveries and innovations in the sciences - the birth of modern
science - which began at that time.
The
focus of this paper is on the wisdom from below. There are two things that must
be explained. Firstly, how could it be that the sciences, historically
considered the enemy of religion, prepares the world for the Era of Moshiach, a
time that the world will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem? Secondly, what
actually happened from 1840 and on that prepares the world for Moshiach?
The
first question is answered by the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach in a sicha
dedicated entirely to explaining the statement of the Zohar. The Rebbe
defines three ways in which modern science prepares the world for Moshiach: 1)
Modern communications technology, such as radio, video, satellite, and internet
can be used to fill the world with the knowledge of Hashem at unprecedented
speeds and to an extent never before imagined. 2) The very existence and manner
of operation of various technologies can serve as a visual analogy for what we
know about Hashem. For example, the Mishna says that one should always be aware
that “there is an eye - of Hashem - that sees and an ear that hears, and
everything that one does is being recorded in a book.” While we believe
this, we no longer have to accept it on faith alone, since video and satellite
technology now serve as visual examples of this. We see how even a human being
can observe and record events without being detected.
These
first two ways in which modern science prepares the world for Moshiach relate to
the use of modern science and technology. But there is a much deeper level that
relates to the scientific theories themselves: 3) The scientific theories
discovered and developed since 1840 show a high degree of unity within nature.
Forces of nature, such as electricity and magnetism, which appeared to have
nothing to do with each other, were found to actually be different
manifestations of the same force - electromagnetism. Materials thought to be
vastly different from each other, such as steel and water, were found to be just
different arrangements of the same fundamental building blocks - electrons,
protons, and neutrons. Thus, awareness of unity in the physical world prepares
us for the revelation of the ultimate unity, the absolute unity of Hashem, which
will be revealed in the Era of Moshiach.
In
searching for the fountains of wisdom from below, we will first look for
unifying theories discovered in approximation to 1840, and an explanation as to
why we refer to the year 1840 as approximate when the Zohar actually pinpoints
that exact year.
In
addition to unifying theories, we will also look for theories and discoveries
that answered ancient fundamental questions about nature, regarding which
scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers were either confused or in error
for centuries. Similarly, theories that represented radically new innovations in
our understanding of nature, such as quantum mechanics, will be considered.
Finally, we will point out theories that brought science closer to the
realization that there is a Creator who created and maintains the universe.
These
four categories are not mutually exclusive, as some developments in modern
science belong to more than one of these categories. An example of this is the
realization of the role that axioms play in any mathematical or scientific
system. Modern science has come to the realization that no rational system of
thought can be said to be absolute or “true.” Every such system must be based on
a set of axioms or assumptions people are free to accept or reject. (See the
quote from Rabbi Levi Yitzchok at the beginning of this paper.) The most
dramatic example of this concerned the very concept of space itself, or
geometry. For many centuries everyone accepted the system of Euclid that was
based on his axioms. But in the 19th century
a few mathematicians proposed their own sets of axioms yielding different
geometries, and it was understood that these new non-Euclidean geometries were
just as valid as Euclid’s. They were later used by Einstein in his development
of General Relativity. We will discuss this in detail, b’ezras Hashem, in
Part 2.
The
fundamental role of axioms has deep implications in understanding the difference
between the sciences and, l’havdil, Torah. The Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach
discusses this in various sichos and letters. For example, in the
sicha of Shavuos, 5755, the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach writes:
“It
says (Midrash Eicha Rabba 2: 13) ‘If one tells you that the nations of
the world have wisdom, you should believe it; if one tells you that the nations
of the world have Torah, you should not believe it.’ From this very statement of
our rabbis…we can understand the difference between wisdom and Torah.
“In
order to understand an intellectual concept one must have elementary concepts
and rules of wisdom, or in the terminology of research, rules of logic. The
rules of logic together with the elementary concepts necessarily imply the
concept under consideration as a conclusion.
“Thus
it follows that one is forced to draw the conclusion because of the
elementary concepts and rules of logic. But the elementary concepts and rules of
logic themselves have no foundation. There are no prior concepts that
necessarily imply the elementary concepts and rules of logic as a conclusion. It
depends only on one’s good will. If one wants to accept the elementary concepts,
then he accepts the conclusion. But if he doesn’t want to accept the elementary
concepts, he is free to choose not to accept them, and it follows that he will
also not accept the resulting conclusion.
“This
is one of the ways in which intellect itself forces us to include in our system
a level that is higher than intellect. Inside the intellectual process itself it
is felt that the point of origin of intellect is not intellect, because the
starting point of the entire intellectual process, the elementary concepts, are
not forced upon us by intellect. Rather we use them because we like them. This
is a matter of faith, an assumption.
“This,
then, is the difference between wisdom and Torah. Accepting a science (chochma)
depends on one’s good will. If he likes the relevant rules of intellect, he
draws a certain conclusion, but the science itself does not force him to. This
is in contradistinction to Torah, which means instruction (Zohar III,
53b). Torah teaches a person what he must do, what he may do, and what he may
not do. These are the three categories of the prohibited, the permitted, and
the obligatory or mitzvos. Furthermore, Torah requires that we
transform the ‘permitted’ into mitzvos.
“Torah
teaches this in a manner independent of our acceptance - that if a matter suits
us then we accept it. Rather, Torah instructs and demands that one conduct
himself in a certain manner, independent of one’s own desire.
“This
is the meaning of the statement that ‘If one tells you that the nations of the
world have wisdom, you should believe it; if one tells you that the nations of
the world have Torah, you should not believe it.’ Wisdom, which is accepted
because of one’s will and desire to accept it, exists also by the nations of the
world. If one accepts the axioms and rules of logic of the discipline, then he
accepts the concept [which follows as a conclusion]. But Torah, which must be
accepted regardless of one’s agreement, i.e., he must accept something not as a
result of his liking it - such a thing does not exist among the nations.” (Likkutei
Sichos, Vol. 2, pp. 561-562).
(To be continued.)
“Questions & comments on
this series should be directed to RYALinst@aol.com
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