Introductory thoughts to the study of The Duties of the Heart and

the Philosophical thought of the Rambam

By Professor Avraham Apatow

There is a great and unresolved question in our history that centers

around the knowledge of Hashem and His oneness. This issue is
raised in the debates concerning the philosophical explorations of this
topic among the great Torah sages such as the Rambam and R.
Bachya ben Yosef. There are some rabbis who went as far as to ban
the study of these subjects. Today such a ban is not really called for
because for the most part these sections are considered by most as
historical anomalies. In other words, they were merely written because
of the cultural context and since that context has changed, they are no
longer necessary or relevant to the contemporary study of Torah.

The argument for this position is further supported by the Ramban who
lived in the same cultural context and also seems to deny this
"philosophical" approach to the knowledge and oneness of Hashem.
The Ramban considered the Rambam's view that Moshe approached
the elders in Egypt to teach them the holy name I am that I am as a
logical argument an absurdity (Ramban Philosopher and Kabbalist,
Henoch p.15). Our historians teach us that this is because the Ramban
was enlightened by the tradition of the Zohar and Kabbalah that
supposedly the Rambam never received.

However, this perspective is complicated by the fact that both the

maggid of Rav Yosef Caro and the greatest master of Kabbalah, the
Arizal, gave instructions for the daily study of The Duties of the Heart,
a book which is founded upon this philosophical approach (see page 1
of the Feldheim edition).

I have a unique perspective on this issue because I am a former

professor of Greek philosophy. After receiving my Ph.D. and teaching
for five years, I began the process of teshuva knowing absolutely
nothing about Judaism. However, I did know Greek philosophy.
Philosophy was not just an academic study for me, it was a spiritual
and religious path based on the work of Plato and his students the
Neoplatonists.

I am an historical anomaly. I, therefore, approached the work of the

Rambam and The Duties of the Heart from their proper historical
context. I can share with you that these texts are not dry logical
arguments as they may appear. They are part of a living spiritual path,
a path that has a natural integration of the spiritual and intellectual, the
right brain and the left brain. Today we live in world that does not
understand the harmony of these two aspects of life. The reason for
this is that such a vision of life demands a very specific kind of
education, and that approach to education has been lost, even to the
most highly educated individual Jew or gentile.
It is a sign that this vision of life has been lost when some of our
teachers and historians tell us that it is a relic of history and no longer
relevant. But how can the vision of the greatest minds of our tradition
be a mere relic of history?

Historically, the rejection of the Torah of Chochma has been defended

by a belief that the true wisdom of the Torah is found in the Kabbalistic
tradition, and that the Torah of Chochma came from the non-Jewish
world. First of all, this is not a view that was unanimously held; and
anyone who looks into the historical literature will see that it is
dominated by polemics and rhetoric, which is very sad to see in
rabbinical debates. It is also clearly disputed by the Arizal's instructions
for Haim Vital to constantly study one of the greatest works of this
school. In the future I believe it will be revealed and clarified that these
distinctions between Kabbalah and Philosophical Wisdom are artificial
and misleading. (Rav Ariel Tzaddok makes an important contribution to
this perspective in this important article
http://www.koshertorah.com/PDF/Maimonides.pdf).

I will share a short story that perhaps illuminates this point. When I
came to Jerusalem, I had the opportunity to study with one of the
leading teachers of Kabbalah in the english speaking, orthodox world,
Rabbi Moshe Schatz. I was in a shiur (class) of his where he
presented an overview of the principles for understanding the Eitz
Chaim. To my great surprise nearly everything he said in terms of
understanding the structure of the Ari's system were principles of
wisdom I had learned in philosophy. I asked him where he learned
those principles. He told me in the Eitz Chaim itself and he explained
to me how. Rabbi Schatz had to learn principles of philosophy in order
to understand Kabbalah and he discovered that those philosophical
principles were contained within the holy boundaries of Kabbalah.

I share this story to reveal to you that the truth of history and the truth
of our wisdom tradition is very different from what we often hear.

The great difficulty a reader has in studying the Duties of the Heart and
the Rambam on the issue of knowledge and oneness of Hashem is
primarily because these discussions come as part of the educational
context of the ancient world. Our great sages are recounting
arguments that are part of a long historical discussion. In many ways,
what they are doing is summarizing and concluding those discussions
from the perspective of the Torah. In order to truly understand them,
one has to take on two important personal challenges:

1. One has to become part of that discussion. One has to sincerely

care and ask those questions from the perspective of people in that
discussion. One has to do this not in an academic or as a logical
exercise, one has to understand why the perspective of those
questions is important to the ultimate meaning of your life. The main
difference between the ancient world and our world today is how
people view the sechel or the intellect. In the ancient world they viewed
it as a gift from Hashem and something that could and must be trusted
in the path to discover truth. Today we have a very different view. We
trust rabbis, scientists, doctors, authorities We do not have the same
relationship to our own powers of reasoning, for reasons I will explain
shortly.

2. One has to try to understand the true nature of the relationship

between the right and left brain and to heal the great divide between
the spiritual/mystical and the intellectual, because ultimately these
aspects of life must flow in harmony. (This is a great challenge
because it goes against the current of our time.)

As I mentioned earlier the gap between our world today and the
ancient one has been caused by a change in approach to education. A
sage in the ancient world possessed a mastery of mathematics and
reasoning that allowed him to determine the course of nature in the
heavens and upon the earth. Our sages, for example, were
responsible for establishing the calendar. This demanded a detailed
understanding of mathematics and astronomy. These studies were
also the basis for the higher study of metaphysics, which is the study
of Being Itself. Reason could be applied on every level of being, from
the physical, to the logical/mathematical, to the spiritual. These studies
formed the basis of wisdom, a wisdom that was shared by all educated
peoples in the ancient world. As Chazal teach us that there is wisdom
among the nations. This shared wisdom is also the basis for the
discussions in the Rambam and The Duties of the Heart.

We read these arguments today assuming we are prepared to enter

the discussion. But one should really question if he is truly fit to enter
such a discussion. Jews often say that we have training in Torah and
therefore have sharp minds for any subject. However, there is an
important difference between a sharp mind, and one who truly
appreciates and understands the nature of the mind and its power of
reason.

In the past a Chocham in our tradition was a master of classical

mathematics, astronomy, medicine, etc. However, today, Talmudic
students and teachers do not generally possess such knowledge.
Even one who has an advanced degree does not possess the same
kind of education. The mark of a classical education is one that leads a
person to experience the awesome nature of the intelligence that
pervades every aspect of thought and the natural world in a
magnificent harmony. Modern education does not seek to reveal this,
because modern education is secular. Classical education was
founded upon the perspective that the world is the work of the genius
of the Creator, the Almighty G-d. Included in this magnificent creation
is the most remarkable work and power, the human mind, the very
"eye" that beholds G-d's beautiful handiwork. After studying the
creation in all its beauty, the ultimate study is to turn one's attention to
beholding the nature of the Creator Himself and His oneness.
However, this study is the top rung of a ladder that few have climbed
today.

Along the way, however, there is an intermediary goal that is much

more accessible and practical. It is the one that is presented on this
website by Rabbi Sebag, the editor and translator of this presentation
of The Duties of the Heart. This is to use the text as a window through
which to see the awesome wisdom of our Creator. We live in an age
that has a profound appreciation of science and Rabbi Sebag offers
many examples of how science reveals Hashem's glory in the natural
world (here and in his work the "Marks of Divine Wisdom" at
www.dafyomireview.com/427 ). We can then use these experiences of
awe in Hashem's awesome wisdom and the wonders of creation to
reflect upon our own intellectual powers of understanding that allow us
to have such experiences. It is this exercise that helps us to gain a
deeper appreciation of the mystery, wisdom, and greatness of our own
minds -- for it is the mind or sechel which is the power that most
closely links us with Hashem.

Avraham Apatow, Ph.D. is the author of several books and articles

including a recent translation and commentary on Beresheit that
unfolds the hidden structure of the Torah. A free download of the book
is available at genesisrevealed.com.