Guest Post: The Science Dilemma

A Breslover weighs in

Yaakov Moshe Lerner is a pretty famous Breslover on various frum Whatsapp groups. After reading my (don’t worry, still ongoing - I’m just busy! Torah and Science series, he wanted to share what he feels is the authentic Breslov view. Note that the following is not reflective of my opinion and everything written here should be attributed to him alone. Let me know what you think in the comments! -Ash

Some people stew on the science vs. Torah "dilemma." They take the scientific evidence stuff very seriously and agonize over "problematic contradictions." Well, evidence is evidence, so they are forced to pervert the Torah as needed.

Contaminated by חכמות חיצוניות, they plunge into אפיקורסות, with their downfall masked as a search for truth. If that's not enough, they mock the מאמינים who believe in חומש רש"י, etc., for being uneducated.

The deniers can ridicule all they want, but whoever doesn't have Emunah doesn't have a Neshamah. Fortunate is the believer. When חז"ל say something, we know it's true and aren't interested in knowing why or how. It's true because they said it. Whatever they said, that's the way it is. So who cares if nothing shtims and everything clashes? Torah is not a science book; it's the word of Hashem.

For example, if you look in the Pirkei d'rav Eliezer, towards the beginning there are a few perakim about the ששת ימי בראשית. Anyway, it says all sorts of fascinating things, and probably everything clashes with science. But, everything was written with Ruach HaKodesh and is the word of Hashem. It wasn't written through scientific methods; it wasn't written through collecting evidence and deliberating what is evidence or if there's evidence, blah blah blah. No, it is Ruach HaKodesh, the word of Hashem.

There are many, many different levels in Ruach HaKodesh itself, but anything that's the word of Hashem is Emes.

Hisbodedus is also the word of Hashem. Hashem gives you the words to speak - to each person according to his בחינה.

So, if you have Emunah, it's very simple. Science says what it says, and you have Hashem saying what He says, so you go with Hashem. Science can argue on Hashem? Does the fake truth of science have any meaning or any relevance once we know what Hashem says? Once you have Emunah that this is written with Ruach HaKodesh and is the word of Hashem, you can skip over all dilemmas and complications. You don't need to figure things out and try to shtim things, which is pointless, because it's irrelevant. You can skip over all the books and articles written on this subject through the invincible Emunah. This power stands against the whole world and obliterates mountains of "scientific evidence" כלאחר יד in an instant.

If there are some questions, so what? Who cares? We know the truth, and the truth is the truth despite any lackluster questions. With Emunah, we dance past all questions blissfully.

Moreover, in truth, there is no science or nature. There is no such a thing as physics or mathematics, etc. There is only Hashgacha. Hashem creates and runs the world כרצונו and not through any natural laws of the natural philosophers. All of nature is really entirely Hashgacha. That means it's because of Hashem's will as opposed to the laws of nature. Purely Hashem's will. And this is true regarding anything and everything. One plus one isn't two because of mathematics - it's whatever Hashem wants it to be. If Hashem wants, He can make a square triangle.

When Hashem performs nature-defying miracles, it becomes apparent that everything is according to His will. Even when thinks work according to nature - like all of technology and medicine, etc. - in truth, there is no nature, and it is solely in accordance to Hashem's ratzon.

However, nonetheless, there is nature (sometimes, Hashem is not משגיח on someone and dumps him on טבע), but even though there is nature, there is no nature. Take that to the bank, arrogant professors. It's impossible to comprehend how they can both be true except through faith.

(This incomprehensible novelty is in Likutei Moharan, vol 2, Torah 17.)

The king (Sipurei Masiyos, The Seven Beggars) became a heretic through all his חכמים. He had good in him, so he experienced tremendous pain over his state. How did he end up like this? But everytime he used his intellect to figure things out, the אפיקורסות just became stronger and stronger... It was a disaster - he wanted to get out of the mud, but he just sunk deeper...

Only the seventh beggar without feet could help him...