Volume VIII, Issue 2 January 2014 Tevet 5775 KOL HAMEVASER The Jewish Thought Magazine of the Yeshiva University Student Body Editor’s Thoughts: The Battlefield of Belief Raphael Ozarowski page 3 JUDAISM AND OTHER FAITHS Orthodox Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue Daniel Abboudi page 7 Learning from Other Nations: An Exploration of “UveHukoteihem Lo Teileikhu” Miriam Pearl Klahr page 5 “They Worship Vanity and Emptiness” An Attack on Christianity? Jennifer van Amerongen page 12 www.kolhamevaser.com EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Shoshana Halpern KOL HAMEVASER THE WORLD of THE BEIT MIDRASH Dovi Nadel The Jewish Thought Magazine of the Yeshiva University Student Body ASSOCIATE EDITORS Eleorah Sandman Raphi Ozarowski Editor’s Thoughts: “The Battlefield of Belief” 3 This piece explores a number of potential issues regarding Judaism’s relationship with other religions. KOL HAMEVASER KOL STAFF WRITERS Raphael Ozarowski Sam Berkovitz Samuel Dratch Learning from Other Nations: An Exploration of “UveHukoteihem Lo Teileikhu” 5 Sima Grossman This article discusses the implications of the laws of hukot hagoyim. Miriam Pearl Klahr Alex Maged Tuvy Miller Orthodox Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue 7 Daniel Shlian A presentation of the approaches of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on the Orthodox view Aryeh Sklar of interfaith relationships. Miriam Pearl Klahr Danny Abboudi Sarah Robinson Ari Schwartz Revel and the Cross 10 New Column exploring the thoughts and opions of YU’s past leaders: Rabbi Dr. Revel is asked a “halakhic” question LAYOUT EDITOR by the Dean of St. John’s College of Law Miriam Jacobson Aryeh Sklar “They Worship Vanity and Emptiness” An Attack on Christianity? 12 WEBMASTER The article explores the meaning behind a line that many of us say three times a day, while others ommit it completely Daniel Shlian Jennifer van Amerongen COPY EDITORS Sima Grossman On the Role of Reason in the Ethical Thought of Aristotle and R. Saadia Ga’on 13 Michal Schechter A comparison of Rasag and Aristotle’s approaches to living an ethical life Alex Maged Bilga and Synthesis: An Ancient Response to the Clash of Universalism and Particularism 16 Perspective on a Jewish approach to universalism through a Talmudic passage about the Bilga priestly family Aryeh Sklar ABOUT KOL HAMEVASER Kol Hamevaser, the Jewish Thought magazine of the Yeshiva University student body, is dedicated to sparking discussion of Jewish issues on the Yeshiva University campus and beyond. The magazine hopes to facilitate the religious and intellectual growth of its readership and serves as a forum for students to express their views on a variety of issues that face the Jewish community. It also provides opportunities for young thinkers to engage Judaism intellectually and creatively, and to mature into confident leaders. Kol Hamevaser is published monthly and its primary contributors are undergraduates, although it includes input from RIETS Roshei Yeshivah, YU professors, and outside figures. In addition to its print magazine, Kol Hamevaser also sponsors special events, speakers, discussion groups, conferences, and shabbatonim. We encourage anyone interested in writing about or discussing Jewish issues to get involved in our community, and to participate in the magazine, the conversation, and our club’s events. Find us online at kolhamevaser.com, or on Facebook or Twitter. 2 www.kolhamevaser.com Volume VIII Issue 2 Editor’s Thoughts: The Battlefield of Belief Judaism and Other Faiths By: Raphael Ozarowski community among whom too are encouraged Blessed are You, Lord our God, King we have both adversaries to offer sacrifices of the Universe, who has given us the and friends.” Rabbi and pray to the one Torah of truth, planting everlasting life Soloveitchik continued by true God. However, in our midst. Blessed are You, Giver of affirming his hope that ”our acceptance by God the Torah. friends in the community seems to hinge on - Blessing after Torah of the many will sustain acceptance of the Reading, ‘The Koren their liberal convictions covenant, perhaps Siddur’ and humanitarian ideals employing Shabbat by articulating their here as a particular Even if we do not realize it, as Orthodox position on the right of the example. It is not Jews we are accustomed to asserting community of the few to merely any non-Jew the objective truth of our own religious live, create, and worship who may worship beliefs. We say it multiple times a day God in its own way, in God alongside us; in our prayers; we say it before and freedom and dignity.”2 only “the eunuchs after publicly reading the Torah; and Famously staking out a who keep My we may say it casually when discussing (subtle) position against sabbaths” have an Judaism with others.1 interfaith dialogue, he open invitation. At Yeshiva University, we are argued for the impropriety Though many have constantly exposed to and involved and impossibility of pointed to this text in intra-religious dialogue. It is communicating the as evidence of a something which permeates the fabric language of religious belief more accommodating of our everyday and Jewish perspective lives, which It is easy to get so ensconced in the end-time, we occupies hours in our own bubble that we must note that God’s of our mornings, forget there is an entire world claim that His house afternoons, and of religions out there, each Rabbi Soloveitchik’s words, “create will be a “house of evenings. It is one bearing ownership to theology to those and worship God in its own way.” prayer for all peoples” does not quite easy to get so an entirely different belief outside one’s own One of the central texts in our Yamim reach the level of pluralism. Though ensconced in our system than our own. faith. Nora’im liturgy already hints at this it is not clear if the prophecy predicts own bubble that The contemporary tension regarding how Jews should that non-Jews will actually convert, we forget there is an entire world of relevance and application of Rabbi relate to other religious believers. God, the stipulation remains. In this text, it religions out there, each one bearing Soloveitchik’s ideas have been speaking through the prophet Isaiah, is only those non-Jews who commit ownership to an entirely different belief considered as well as contested in more states the following about the time of to God’s covenant who may join in system than our own. The absence of a recent years.3 Many leaders still follow salvation: Temple worship.6 The Jewish God is Religion department in YU also means his rulings devoutly, while others like “As for the foreigners who welcoming, but not all-welcoming. that many students are overwhelmingly Rabbi Shlomo Riskin have advocated attach themselves to the Lord, A trope I often hear recited among ignorant about religions that are not a more open approach to theological to minister to Him, and to love observant Jews is that “Judaism is not Judaism—religions which dominate dialogue with other religious groups.4 In the name of the Lord, to be his a proselytizing religion.” Though this our country’s population. any case, we can discern what I believe servants—all who keep the may not always have been the case7, This is unacceptable. to be a fundamental caveat underlying Sabbath and do not profane it is certainly true of contemporary Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, in his Rabbi Soloveitchik’s thought: once we it, and who hold fast to My Judaism. A religious sect that believes in famous 1964 essay Confrontation, declare that Jews have an inalienable covenant—I will bring them to its own cosmic “truth,” when combined insisted on an unwavering commitment right to feel comfortable in their own My sacred mount and let them with an attitude of non-proselytization, to Jewish beliefs in the face of eschatological projections and other rejoice in My house of prayer. can lead to a number of interesting growing pressure to capitulate to the miscellaneous beliefs, surely other Their burnt offerings and and peculiar conclusions. If we are in theological demands of others: “Only a religions should be entitled to the sacrifices shall be welcome on fact a religious sect that fundamentally candid, frank, and unequivocal policy same level of unabashedness in their My altar; for My House shall be believes in the certainty of its own reflecting unconditional commitment beliefs as well. Barring any attempt to called a house of prayer for all truth, should we not be attempting to 5 to our God, a sense of dignity, pride hurt others or violate basic morality, peoples.” ‘show others the light,’ so to speak? and inner joy in being what we are… we can safely state that any and every On the one hand, this ideal vision insists Should we not be promulgating the will impress the peers of the other faith religious group has equal right to, in that foreigners will be received with ideal path to serving God, endowing all open arms in the Temple of God; they Volume VIII Issue 2 www.kolhamevaser.com 3 individuals both Jewish and non-Jewish other religions by acknowledging the world of technology and flight means of Faith’ before none other than a Catholic sem- with the requisite tools and knowledge fallibility of our own, or can we perhaps that ideas travel across continental lines inary in Brighton, MA. for entrance into draw some middle quicker and more effortlessly than ever 4. See Shlomo Riskin, “Is Christian –Jewish 8 heaven? Perhaps Our question becomes the theological before. Instead of simply practicing Theological Dialogue Permitted? A Postscript to we can suggest that following: