My understanding of "chakirah al pi ha'Torah," based solely on the words (rather than on an in-depth understanding of the Eitz Yosef's hashkafah) is something along the lines of what R' Bachya ibn Paquda writes in Chovos ha'Levavos:
"I asked one of those who are thought to be Torah scholars some of the questions on the science of the inner life that I have shared with you here, and he answered me that [relying on] tradition can substitute for independent thought in all these matters. My answer to him was that this is acceptable only in the case of uneducated women, children, and men who, because of limited perception and comprehension, cannot reason on their own. But whoever has the intellectual capacity to verify what he receives [from tradition] and yet is prevented from doing so by his own laziness, or because he takes lightly God’s commandments and Torah, he will be punished for this and held accountable for negligence.
"To what can this be compared? To a servant who was ordered by the king to collect money from the servants of the kingdom, and then count it, weigh it, and test it for fraud. The servant was capable and expert in what the king had asked him to do. The royal servants, however, were cunning and, through flattery, won the servant’s confidence. Then they brought him the money and assured him it was the whole sum, perfect in its weight and quality. He believed them and, out of laziness, did not bother to check the truth of their words, disregarding the king’s orders. When this reached the king, he ordered that the money be brought before him. The servant, when asked its weight and sum, could not answer the question. The king found him guilty of having disregarded his command, and for having relied on the words of others in a matter which he could have verified himself – even if the money were later found to be exactly as they told him. If he had not been an expert in the matter, he would not have been blamed for having relied on them.
"It is the same way with you. If this subject (i.e. God’s Oneness and the other duties of the heart) were something you could not intellectually fathom, such as the reasons for the commandments which have their origin in revelation alone, then you would have good reason not to investigate the subject. Or if you were too limited and slow of mind to understand the subject, you would not be punished for negligence. Rather, you would then be like women and children, who accept what they receive from tradition.
"If, however, you possess intelligence and insight, and through these you are capable of verifying the fundamentals of the religion and the foundations of the commandments which you have received from the Sages in the name of the prophets, then it is your duty to use these [faculties] until you understand the subject, so that you are certain of it – both by tradition and by force of reasoning. If you disregard and neglect this duty, you fall short in the fulfillment of what you owe your Creator."
In short, verifying with reason what we learn through Torah. I realize that that whole topic is a lot messier than that, but if one of my students asked me that question on the Eitz Yosef, that would be my initial answer.
Beautiful. The love for your students and the craft of expression in the light of Torah blends into a blessing all its own. Nicely done!!
Thank you! 😊 Now I just gotta work on my speech tics! 😅
I read it :) but will
Listen later. Speech ticks only stand out when you re-listen. It’s your meta cognition inner critic!!
Excellent speech both in content and delivery. Perfect message for this occasion.
Thank you! Amen!
My understanding of "chakirah al pi ha'Torah," based solely on the words (rather than on an in-depth understanding of the Eitz Yosef's hashkafah) is something along the lines of what R' Bachya ibn Paquda writes in Chovos ha'Levavos:
"I asked one of those who are thought to be Torah scholars some of the questions on the science of the inner life that I have shared with you here, and he answered me that [relying on] tradition can substitute for independent thought in all these matters. My answer to him was that this is acceptable only in the case of uneducated women, children, and men who, because of limited perception and comprehension, cannot reason on their own. But whoever has the intellectual capacity to verify what he receives [from tradition] and yet is prevented from doing so by his own laziness, or because he takes lightly God’s commandments and Torah, he will be punished for this and held accountable for negligence.
"To what can this be compared? To a servant who was ordered by the king to collect money from the servants of the kingdom, and then count it, weigh it, and test it for fraud. The servant was capable and expert in what the king had asked him to do. The royal servants, however, were cunning and, through flattery, won the servant’s confidence. Then they brought him the money and assured him it was the whole sum, perfect in its weight and quality. He believed them and, out of laziness, did not bother to check the truth of their words, disregarding the king’s orders. When this reached the king, he ordered that the money be brought before him. The servant, when asked its weight and sum, could not answer the question. The king found him guilty of having disregarded his command, and for having relied on the words of others in a matter which he could have verified himself – even if the money were later found to be exactly as they told him. If he had not been an expert in the matter, he would not have been blamed for having relied on them.
"It is the same way with you. If this subject (i.e. God’s Oneness and the other duties of the heart) were something you could not intellectually fathom, such as the reasons for the commandments which have their origin in revelation alone, then you would have good reason not to investigate the subject. Or if you were too limited and slow of mind to understand the subject, you would not be punished for negligence. Rather, you would then be like women and children, who accept what they receive from tradition.
"If, however, you possess intelligence and insight, and through these you are capable of verifying the fundamentals of the religion and the foundations of the commandments which you have received from the Sages in the name of the prophets, then it is your duty to use these [faculties] until you understand the subject, so that you are certain of it – both by tradition and by force of reasoning. If you disregard and neglect this duty, you fall short in the fulfillment of what you owe your Creator."
In short, verifying with reason what we learn through Torah. I realize that that whole topic is a lot messier than that, but if one of my students asked me that question on the Eitz Yosef, that would be my initial answer.
I agree that the Rambam's view is different.