RABBI DANIEL LAPIN - ASK THE RABBI
Shalom,
Are there tests/questions for some ideas/concepts to see if they are true?
Toda Raba (thank you),
Isn’t it interesting that throughout history the idea of being uncertain about truth is a common theme? Much of Greek tragedy revolves around the oracle at Delphi that gave cryptic answers that were misinterpreted. In other periods as well, we see many examples of good people who thought they were doing the ‘right thing’, when hindsight makes it clear that they were sorely mistaken in their actions.
Evidently, there is no foolproof method by which to discern the truth. However, we do need to make an effort and there are a number of clues that spring from ancient Jewish wisdom and the Hebrew language. We actually have an entire chapter on truth in our book, Buried Treasure. One point we make is that in God’s language the Hebrew word for truth, EMeT is composed of the first, middle and last letter of the alphabet. So often we, or others wishing to prejudice us, present part of a situation rather than the whole story. In seeking truth, we need to make sure that we have an entire breadth of knowledge. We need to trace the seeds of an issue back to their very beginnings, not skip any important details along the way and finally conclude with the end of the story – that may mean making honest projections into the future.
For this reason, we should be wary of ‘new’ ideas that are presented as truths. Often, a little exploration will reveal that they are gussied up remakes of concepts that brought misery in the past. For us, the Bible with traditional transmission of its meaning stands as the most trusted guide.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin
Evidently, there is no foolproof method by which to discern the truth. However, we do need to make an effort and there are a number of clues that spring from ancient Jewish wisdom and the Hebrew language. We actually have an entire chapter on truth in our book, Buried Treasure. One point we make is that in God’s language the Hebrew word for truth, EMeT is composed of the first, middle and last letter of the alphabet. So often we, or others wishing to prejudice us, present part of a situation rather than the whole story. In seeking truth, we need to make sure that we have an entire breadth of knowledge. We need to trace the seeds of an issue back to their very beginnings, not skip any important details along the way and finally conclude with the end of the story – that may mean making honest projections into the future.
For this reason, we should be wary of ‘new’ ideas that are presented as truths. Often, a little exploration will reveal that they are gussied up remakes of concepts that brought misery in the past. For us, the Bible with traditional transmission of its meaning stands as the most trusted guide.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin
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