Why does belief in Judaism require irrationality?

Question

In conversations with Rabbis, and in watching debates between Rabbis and atheists, I have often found that the response to questions which attack Judaism either on the basis of some of its perceived picayune laws (for example, “Why does God care what food we eat?”) or on the ramifications of its theology (for example, “Over the history of civilizations, Jews have historically been very small in number; why would God want only a minor percentage of his creation to experience ‘the truth’ and serve him properly?”), has been some version of “there are some parts of the Jewish faith which require a person to go beyond rational belief and simply have faith”.

My basic question is, Why would God create Judaism in such a way as to require irrational beliefs? If the goal is to lead a moral life in the face of temptation and to serve God, why not create Judaism in such a way as to be 100% rational? People would still have free will to do bad things, act irrationally, etc.

Answer 1

You might just be asking the wrong Rabbis. However, to give you a sort-of answer to why this is the case regarding specific details of the religion (such as the food question, and similar questions), belief that the Torah in all its details as it's been passed down to us as the will of God is a rational belief. Therefore, even if certain aspects of it (either its laws or theological positions) seem irrational, we can presume that God knew what He was doing. It is a rational thing to believe a doctor when he or she tells me that a certain medication will help me and another one could kill me, even if I do not understand why (and might think he is wrong based on what instinct or what I have heard elsewhere), because it is rational to believe that the doctor, as an expert, knows what he is doing. Similarly, as the benevolent, omniscient creator of the universe and all its inhabitants, it is rational to believe that when God tells us something, as expressed through the Torah, it is right.

There's another question as to why God would give us laws that seem inherently unintelligible to human beings. Some, such as the Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 2:40 and elsewhere), believe that in fact all laws should be intelligible to humans and merely require some thought to figure out what their purpose actually is. The Ramban (Vaykira 19:19) indicates that God gave such laws in order to drive home the point that human intelligence is so vastly far from God's, so that we'd have a greater fear of Him. The Ramchal in Adir Bamarom gives a mystical reason for this, and though I don't understand it myself I'll quote it for the sake of completeness: חוקים הם דברים שטעמם נעלם, והקב"ה רצה להעלים הדברים כך, כדי שהסטרא אחרא לא תוכל להדבק.

R. Mecklenberg, the Ksav Vehakabbalah, also notes that כפי שהשי"ת נהג עמנו למעלה מהטבע, כן נעבדהו בעבודה נעלית משכל אדם - just as God acts on our behalf in a way that sometimes contradicts the natural laws of the universe, He obligates us in performing commandments that may not have any reason or function according to the natural order of the universe. However, almost all Jewish thinkers believe that even the חוקים, the commandments that don't seem to have any reason, do provide some metaphysical benefit. (see for example the Alshich to Shemos 20:8)

Answer 2

I wanted to address the general question without getting into your specific examples of which beliefs require accepting irrationality.

G-d is infinite and we are finite. The most basic thing that we can understand about G-d is that He is beyond our understanding. The Rambam writes in several places (Hilchos Teshuva, Moreh Nevochim part 3) that G-d's "knowledge" is not in the same realm as our knowledge, and we cannot comprehend what G-d's knowledge is. Even the fact that G-d is unlimited is not a description of essence, but just an expression of the fact that we cannot assign any definitions (Vilna Gaon's explanation of אין סוף).

I once heard R' Yaakov Weinberg explain that this is a function of G-d's existence being absolute while the existence of everything else is not (Rambam Yesodei Hatorah 1:1-5 and 1st Ikkar). Thus, this state is inherent in the nature of existence, and not merely something G-d held back from us.

That being the case, there will obviously be some things that we cannot grasp, because they are beyond the faculties of human knowledge to grasp, and a person only understands what he can experience (Derech Hashem 1:1:5). The infinite is beyond our grasp, and how an infinite Being could create or relate to a finite creation is also beyond our grasp, and there will therefore be parts of existence which are inherently incomprehensible to us.

Answer 3

The second question about being small in number is flawed, because, we don't believe that everyone should be jews. There are 7 Noahide commandments for the rest of the world, and the 613 for us. Note that the seven basically amount to being an upstanding human being who participates in civilized life. Non-jews who keep the seven are considered by rabbinic judaism to be righteous gentiles and merit the hereafter. So clearly there is not one objectively right way to serve God.

As to the first question, in light of the above, evidently there are different roles in this world. My understanding of the role of Jews stems from Ex 19:6 and Isaiah 42:6. We are meant to be held to a higher standard of devotion to God, so as to set and example for the rest of the world, so that they can keep their seven.

Sometimes living an upstanding, moral life by the 7 is hard. Sometimes doing something wrong may feel right. Sometimes the reason you do something is not because you want to or because its fun and easy, but because it is for the greater good. So you disregard your own thoughts and feelings, and do what needs to be done.

As a holy nation of priests, and a light unto the nations is our role, our way of life takes that discipline to an extreme. We do many things that don't even make a particular amount of moral or rational sense, that put us out and inconvenience us, that draw attention and are strange, solely out of devotion to God; to principle. We do those things so that when people notice those practices, that commitment, and see the community it cultivates, the caliber of people it raises, and the favor it evokes, the can be inspired to maintain their moral code, one which is a purely rational and morally upright one, even when it is hard or their feelings and desires pull them away, and misconstrue basic morality to "not make sense".

So our role as Jews is to be held to an inconceivably high standard, that doesn't make rational sense, so as to help the rest of the world maintain the simple standards that do, even when their thoughts and feelings dissuade them from what is just bottom line the way you should live.

EDIT: It bears mentioning that, since we entered Canaan over 4000 years ago, we have at best tenuously upheld our end of the deal, (see also). Consequently, the curses detailed in the two preceding sources have come upon us, in place of the blessings. So currently our observance is a more introverted exercise, as we are attempting to show that we have changed and that we can 'do it', so that we may witness the messianic era, be restored to our position, and in earnest fulfill our role. see Ray's answer here.

All of that said, by design, the irrational portions of our faith in fact have an ultimately rational function. May we SOON realize that purpose!

Answer 4

If you would talk to a computer about the factory worker who made the computer in Taiwan that would not make sense to the computer. Nor would it make sense to talk to the computer about what the world looks like when the computer is switched off.

The word chok, which relates to mitzvot that have no reason, also relates to the act of carving or chiselling. In other words, chukim are those mitzvot that define us and therefore we cannot understand the reason for the existence of the mitzva because that would require knowledge that is axiomatically external to the human condition.

Answer 5

I believe the Maharal explains chukim as gezeirot hamelech (decrees of the King) which are not kept because the keeper finds them independently compelling. Rather, by keeping them, he shows his subservience to the King. (Ultimately, even if one assumes the chukim have little independent purpose beyond this, that hardly means that their observance is irrational, inasmuch as serving G-d is rational which includes keeping the chukim.)

Answer 6

its pretty irrational to think we can understand God.

see this for example http://www.simpletoremember.com/media/a/rmb-whyisthereaworld/

nevertheless, we can still answer these to some satisfactory extent. see these lectures by Rabbi Becher who answers most of these types of questions

http://www.simpletoremember.com/authors/a/rabbi-mordechai-becher/

he used to work for ohr somayach's ask the rabbi website and can pretty much handle all questions.

Answer 7

In this lecture by Rabbi Shai Held he argues that there is a need to not "know" in absolute terms that there is a God, this allows one the space for belief. He does not say so explicitly but I believe he would accept the understanding that this is the role for irrationality in Judaism. It is what allows space for a person of faith to believe. In other words, if everything made complete sense a person themselves would never truly know if they are keeping God's commandments because they make sense or if he's doing so in order to fulfill the will of God. The former is self-serving, the latter is what Judaism is all about.