Jewish Epistemology In Short

What is ‘epistemology’? A branch in the humanities concerning these two questions: What can man know; how can man know it?

Here is my opinion:

  1. We must “choose” some goal or standard. Anything.
  2. Logic cannot guide the initial, subjective choice.
  3. We choose X (alogically, a-rationally).
  4. Once we have accepted the yoke of X, we need to know how to do X.
  5. Logic tells us how not what. We employ logic for the doing of X, such as grasping the source-texts of X.
  6. There is nothing outside of X.
  7. Q.E.D.

* Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you: X = Judaism.

By the way, we referenced the above article in our free, special ebook on answering atheists. To receive the full Hebrew ebook, subscribe to Hyehudi’s Daily Newsletter here.

Heroism in the Face of Heter Mechirah

‘Rebels in the Holy Land’ by Sam Finkel sounds inspirational. From the blurb on Amazon:

The farmers’ simple wish to observe the Sabbatical year of 1889-1890 despite their patron’s opposition thrust them into the swirling epicenter of worldwide controversy. Reviled by the Baron’s administrators, vilified in the press, ridiculed and nearly abandoned even by some of their religious countrymen, they stood firm. Their fight for what later became Mazkeret Batya sheds dazzling historical light on some of the very issues facing Israel today.

Here’s a book review from Jewish Action.