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Reprinted from Ladaat, here.

See Forthodoxy’s outline of most issues pertaining to the matter.

I do not agree with Yehudah B. Ilan’s conclusions, but all Torah questions require fresh, honest study, especially those arousing cognitive dissonance. We must, as part of the obligation to study Torah, continually reopen what grabs our attention and let the chips fall where they may. Too few Torah scholars today do so, relying on various slogans which reinforce unjust habit and Appeal to Authority.

An imprecatory verse from Pirkei Avos comes to mind:

ודלא מוסיף יסף

May the author be blessed with many more years and good health to uncover the truth in the Torah!

P.S., Why do I disagree? For one, modern scholars may add prohibitions of permitted activities to the Torah (as long as (1) they are self-consciously doing so and revealing the fact, (2) their reasoning is sound, and (3) there is no unjustified leniency or sin brought about through the new stringency). So Forthodoxy over here is correct, but incomplete.

Examples include not having the Shli’ach Tzibbur pray and say blessings for the congregation, since it is suspected that they do not listen carefully (unlike Chazal’s day), umbrellas on Shabbos (?), some laws of Bassar Bechalav, the Gaon on not going to the Mikveh on Shabbos, et cetera. Perhaps Rambam on Redid might be another (also relevant to Forthodoxy here. YB romanises it as “radhiydh”).

Do post-Chazal scholars keep up to the three aforementioned standards required? Not always.

There is more to say, but not now.

… It is normal that a person has a preference for one specific type of learning and wants to spend the majority of his time on that area, such as Gemara. However, if he does not devote any time to halacho, for example, then he will not be able to observe the mitzvos properly. Similarly, my Rebbe notes that a person may learn Chumash when he is a young child and never again give it any significant time beyond speeding through Shtayim Mikra v’echad targum. The consequence of this is that a ben Torah who learns Gemara in great depth may have little more than a child’s understanding of the maasim in Chumash! Rav Kamenetsy was once in a forum encouraging avreichim to spend some time teaching unaffiliated Jews. To one avreich who was concerned about the bitul Torah involved in teaching, he answered, “And if you have to learn a little Chumash and Nachi it won’t be such a terrible thing.”

Excerpted from here.

The Chovos Halevavos famously writes, Yichud Hama’seh chapter 5:

ואמרו על חסיד, שפגע אנשים שבים ממלחמת אויבים, ושללו שלל אחר מלחמה חזקה, אמר להם: שבתם מן המלחמה הקטנה שוללים שלל, התעתדו למלחמה הגדולה. אמרו לו: ומה היא המלחמה הגדולה? אמר להם: מלחמת היצר וחייליו.

But this story was first told of Mohammed. He is the “Chassid” referred to above. The warriors he met were his own. “Jihad” is the word for “war”, both lesser and greater. For a full discussion see this.

Nor is this the only example of Rabbi Bachye borrowing from their material. Know the one about the carcass’ white teeth? See Otzar Hachochma Forums here on that. Others were similarly influenced, including Rabbi Avraham ben Harambam, who incorporated silly Sufism in his syncretistic “Hamaspik Le’ovdei Hashem”. For a too-wide overview, see this.

There are a whole host of lessons to be learned here. The easiest to ignore is this: the brand of of “piety” sought by the author of “Chovos Halevavos” is not a Jewish one. This is blatantly obvious from the author’s evil, antinomian introduction as well.

I hope to elaborate at some future date.

P.S., I am not speaking of the widely praised “Sha’ar Habitachon”.

מדרש תמחומא פר’ וישב פרק ג’:

…וכתוב אומר כל הגוים כאין נגדו (ישעיה מ’) מעשה באנטונינוס שבא לקיסרין ושלח אחר רבינו הקדוש והלך עמו ר”ש בנו ור’ חייא הגדול ראה ר”ש שם לגיון אחד נאה ומשובח ראשו מגיע לקפאלירס של עמודים א”ל לר’ חייא ראה כמה פטומין עגלין של עשו נטלו רבי חייא והוליכו לשוק והראהו סל של ענבים ושל תאנים והזבובין עליהם א”ל רבי חייא זבובין אלו ואותו לגיון שוין כשעלה ר”ש אצל אביו א”ל כך אמרתי לר’ חייא וכך השיב לי א”ל כל כך נתן רבי חייא הבבלי ממש שהשוה אותן לזבובין לפי שלגיונים אלו אינן ספונין לכלום אבל זבובין הקב”ה עושה שליחותו בהן שנאמר (ישעיה ז’) והיה ביום ההוא ישרוק ה’ לזבוב אשר בקצה יאורי וגו’ וכן (שמות כ”ג) ושלחתי את הצרעה ובכנים וצפרדעים תדע שבשעה שבקש הקב”ה לקיים גזירות ידוע תדע בקטן שבשבטים עושה שליחותו ונמכר יוסף במצרים וירדו יעקב ובניו ופרעו את השטר לכך כתיב ויוסף הורד מצרימה ויוסף הורד מצרימה זש”ה מה גדלו מעשיך ה’ מאד עמקו מחשבותיך (תהלים צ”ב).

• Medrash Rabbi Tanchuma ‘Vayeshev’ chapter 3