What Difference does G-d Make? Rabbi Motty Berger

[Music] so I want to thank you all for coming that's usually we say at the end but I really sincerely mean it now that you came to hear this lustrous and distinguished rabbi oh I met Wow it's gone back thirty one years ago it's possible right I actually had the privilege of being 20 spending 20 years at a shutaura small small yeshiva in the old city and I was oka I really had a lot of merit to organize and run with the cult Jerusalem fellowships for over 10 years and I organized rabbi multi burger to speak there was a part of Asia it was one of the divisions of Asia Torah for visiting college students from well actually all over the world and we wiill we had thousands every season and the truth is rabbi Berger has been one of the star lecturers on discovery ever since he came to Israel about 33 years ago and he still is pumping strong before that ok from Baltimore house from Baltimore and he was very much involved with starting and continuing with an organization called Jews for Judaism and being involved in counter missionary work it was one of my pet peeves I was very involved with different types of counter missionary work myself and I'm glad that I had chosen a satara and one of the reasons many but one of the main reasons was to be able to be in the presence of my burger and hearing the questions the students asks wasn't always the question I would have thought of coming out of my mouth but many things run through your head and you'll see through this year through this lecture that many of the questions that well he'll already answer them but when you have a lot of college students we're really thinking deep thinkers and coming from not such a strong a background it solidifies you know hearing both the question knowing that the deep inside we have the same questions and hearing the answer certainly helps notify our own our own Emunah and knowledge of Torah so without any further ado Riley burger thank you very much for Bowen and thanks ladies and gentlemen okay so a lot of the classes that we give a shatter oh especially for beginners and the truth is everybody is a bit of a beginner nobody's learned everything and whether we have people from secular backgrounds other Jewish backgrounds even Orthodox background a lot of the questions how do you know there's a god how do you know God gave the Torah what's the point of it all but I think that one of the points that I didn't find in explaining Judaism the people was the question of what difference does God make what difference does it make if there's a God or whether God gave the Torah in other words until we come up with an understanding of why it's important what difference would it make whether or not this God we're not going to put much energy into the question give me an example how many of you show of hands how many of you have heard of black holes the idea that there are black holes in the universe how many of you never heard that oh okay just about everybody heard of black holes in the universe another question how many of you believe there are black holes in the universe show of hands oh it seems like all the same hands and now one more question how many of you are nuclear physicists okay there's always one joke in there but other than that so for those of you who are not nuclear physicist you've heard of black holes you believe they're black holes and how much evidence do you have reading a couple of articles in Newsweek magazine Newsweek still Iran oh no right right photos and he has no idea whether it was in the universe or in his backyard and we really don't know what we really have is that why do we believe it because while the evidence we have is sketchy I'm not saying I'm not saying to not believe it I'm just saying that while the evidence we have is sketchy the difference it makes in our lives is 0 and therefore ok they're black holes so what were to happen Rubin right I'm gonna pick on a guy I know so what were to happen if one day there was a banner had a mean across the entire front page in New York Times black holes are a mistake it was actually a picture but it was a it was a smudge on the Hubble telescope and there's no such thing the physicists will go nuts but you know what you're gonna say ok so there no black holes in the universe it knows you know you won't really take a concept seriously and look into a deeply unless you can understand the difference it makes to you now we have a problem with God I think having being a minority religion is very worthwhile I believe it was said in the name of Sigmund Freud although Jewish was very succulent was asked by his friends growing up in Austria why don't you just convert to Christianity and get rid of the pumpkins remember before Nazism people really thought once you convert to Christianity then you're home free safer they didn't picture that nothing will work why did you just convert and that's it after all if not like you believe in anything and that he was said to respond it's worth being a member of a minority because you always are forced to ask the question why are we different see once you're part of a majority like yeah ok I don't have to ask me it's worth being part of a group which is constantly here at why are you doing things differently very interesting idea now up until the coming of Messiah we will Judaism will be a minority religion somewhat tolerated in some places less tolerated in others what is the state religion of the West Reuben what is the state religion in the West Christianity I disagree secularism in other words the Christians and the Jews are both tolerated minorities in fact they may tolerate the Jews in America more because after the Holocaust nobody wants to sound like a Nazi that may be wearing out wearing off but yeah see we think that tolerance is permanent snotty and for a little while that that society may be a little more uncomfortable but anti-semitism than they used to be my guess is they're getting used to it that but the state religion of the West is secularism and therefore a lot of people doing a lot of Jews will say in that quest not really the question of how do you know there's a God why do you think there is what difference doesn't mean the religious what difference does it make whether God exists I think that one of you know every religion has some basic mottos I think the most common motto of secularism is and I'm gonna get around hopefully by somebody yesterday to deal with the fact that it is a statement more false than any other Rooke false religions day one of the secular ideas mantras are it doesn't matter what religion you are as long as you're a good person you familiar with that many of you familiar with that yeah okay Nottingham doesn't matter what religion you are as long as you're a good person and that tries to create the issue of it's your own personal about what difference does it make if there's a god behave at or if there's a particular religion that's true so I think as a Jew we Jews we have to ask the question and perhaps the story Jews we have to what difference does it make if people have a right to hear why they should spend time and energy finding out if it does make it different good idea so we're gonna have to pretend I have a board here so I'm not gonna write too much on it I'm gonna look at three different points each one deserves an evening of its own and we're gonna try to cover each one or about 10-15 minutes what difference should it make to you so Reuben Reuben I always pick good sports and he is good morning Reuben are you an individual or are you part of a group Eugene you have have you been my classism okay Eugene Eugene are you an individual are you part of a group ah very loquacious both you are both alright so you are but and I wanna therefore look at the question of what difference should I make to you Eugene as an individual human being wants you to make what difference should it make to you if there's a god and as part of but being part of a group which group are you part of Eugene are you part of the Jewish people or are you part of humanity as a whole I think so very good he would have done it right away but see demo so let's look at obviously we have more identities as well but let's look at three basic identities we are individual radical individuals what's in it for me oh that sounds so selfish except that a wonderful man called Hillel said he may not Elim Ely if I'm not for myself will be for me no problem start with yourself so number one I one point I wanna look at is what difference should I make to me as an individual whether there's a God who created us or whether I'm a random collection of molecules what difference does it make to me as a member of the Jewish people what difference should have made to me what submission made to the Jewish people whether or not as a God who gave the Torah and number three what difference should it make to humanity as a whole whether there's a guy [Music] what should we start with we just are as individuals what difference should I make to you as an individual I want to hear a nice small enough group I mean you're kicking what difference should it make to you as a radical individual take each one of you look in the mirror just you what difference should I make to you whether or not there is a God who gave a totem so the rabbi's tell us promotion I'm Lutz Otto points out in CLT Chardon other sources the way the loot Santos says it Loney Bradham ll eaten a gala shemitah new committee man was created for no other purpose but to get the maximum pleasure from the infinite source that if I want to figure out what my essential inner drive is it's the drive for pleasure let's not make the Western mistake of thinking pleasure equals what is physic which is physical because in fact the rabbi's point out not to go through now that there are five different levels of pleasure there's physical pleasure there's emotional pleasure there's the pleasure of doing the right thing where we're willing to sacrifice physical pleasure and emotional pleasure for the sake of do going off to war and because we need it the nation and therefore we do things that are uncomfortable pleasure of doing the right thing wisdom or power the reins of thing and the highest level is the infant connection to the infinite but every human being is a pleasure seeker and what I'm really saying is not just that you are generally a pleasure seeker I'm saying that every decision that you have ever made is based on your drive to get pleasure and if I'd like to hear maybe just a couple of challenges give me an example trying to give me an example the challenge of that give me an example of a decision that a person can make other then that would be a decision to get pleasure moving well are there people that do that no yes or no yes they're people who put their lives on the line to do the right thing there are some people who are given a choice run away and don't to it and so on the question of giving your life for a worthy cause some people do it and some people don't but they both have this one point in common the one who does it says that says I'm saying the reality you may not think about this the one who doesn't says I would rather cut by the way pleasure from the word believe that which pleases me better than the alternative do I eat the ice cream or do I give it to my child one does one one does it which one pleases you more one person says I would rather die for the cause than live with my with the awareness that I went out that I that I gave in the other one says I would rather live with the awareness then than done what they have in common is each one makes the decision of what will please them the most and I'm not saying that therefore it always works out one person says I'm going to give up smoking because I've read that it's bad for me the other one says I'd rather get the pleasure of smoking and take the chances but the common denominators the pleasure drive make mother Teresa of Calcutta devoted her life to the lepers of India Adolph Hitler ordered his life to wiping out the Jews of Europe this is their common denominator they both did in life that which pleased them the most you call him evil and her good based on your value system of what it tells me about who that person was that he is an evil person and she's good a super Nazi with her versions I know he's a much better person but the common denominator is that's the place they are each make letting us know who they are based on what pleased them the most in life yeah they do all right so the Reverend sells the comment and I'm by the way why does it make sense if there's a God who created you simple we're not going to a god class now but can anybody give me the one word in Hebrew English that most defines God in soap or in English the word would be in finite except solutely and my matarese points out it's just a negative because we can't really get the guy but what we mean by God is the infinite source of all that exists that is finite and ruling what can you do for an infinite being and therefore it's clear that it's supposed to arraign God who in his fight with the wind God says I'll give you rain if you give me what I need because he may be a thousand times more powerful than you but the rain God is still needy I mean even Donald Trump needs you for your vote and it doesn't matter how much power and money if you're not infinite you need people sometimes people act as if they don't but we know they do I don't get into politics now but you know in a world where there are two or more gods rain God when you give him what he needs and he give you what you need and that's why talking Aristotle said it's absurd to talk about loving a God again it's a transaction but suppose what we need is that there's not multiple finer there's one infinite supreme being what can you do for him nothing and I didn't make this up it's in the Oh in so dr. mati your incentive if you're righteous what have you given to God the the Encanto summit at 7 if you sin what is he missing crucial it's not really different it's the opposite it's a world where we are here because of an infinite source who needs nothing and therefore olam has a deponent you can only be here moving because there's an infinitely giving beam and therefore according to the Torah what what did Adam and Eve do can i keep on picking on your moving yeah you wife said okay yes and therefore really what what did Adam and Eve do so wonderfully that they deserve being created nothing once created they were put in the Garden of Eden total bliss everything's the best place you could possibly what do they do deserve the garden nothing very good there he makes sense along the way so what's in I want to get I was created to get the most out of life and Hillel says don't apologize that you want to get pleasure he may not nearly meet me if I don't take care of myself no one else will I want to get the most pleasure out of line what do we need most I want to get the most pleasure out of life what is the most important tool I need to get pleasure where with this I'm more likely to get pleasure for my decisions without this I'm less likely it comes to mind that Eugene close enough the rabbi's talk about Emmett truth you use your wisdom to figure out what is true and what is full picture the idea we all want to get pleasure later we'll talk about that called lowly Sh'ma we all want to get pleasure to get pleasure you have to find out the truths of life you use your wisdom to find out what's true and what's false why do we develop why do we have so much literally billions of dollars a year devoted to medical research because we know that with all due respect to the wonderful advances in medicine the more we know the truth about in medicine the more likely we'll make the right decisions and therefore if I want pleasure we have to find out the truth of life in order to get pleasure we make them again and it'll also explain why the thing that makes us most angry is when we find out somebody lied to us somebody knowingly lied to us it gets us angry because we intuitively understand that if we were to follow a falsehood as if it was true it would be bad for us even as I'm not gonna ask any personal court even as we probably all know about times in life that we lied we know how angry we're getting somebody lies to us you means that fear they can all right so what difference does God make to me as an individual I don't have to know if there's a God first I know I want to get the most pleasure out of my existence but to do that I have to find out whether the truth that revolver on my existence and therefore I have to fight when Abraham when said at age three he started asking questions right that asked him what was he looking for was he looking for God no he's saying I know this stuff is wrong they're making mistakes I gotta find out what's true by the way do you at eight Eugene does it make sense to you the rage three a three year old can ask such a good question what little three-year-old I get so I want to tell you this nice cute little story my mom alehsalaam told me that when she was pregnant with me summer of 1949 she was talked to a neighbor outside from the house my sister and brother Sammy and Judy were two houses down and while she is talking to her friend Sammy and Judy age seven and four all of a sudden Sammy yelled out hey mommy is that a baby in your stomach that was 1949 so talking about that in public would seem slightly obscene come to it and at that point I guess I was awake I was moving around in there so my mom showed you know Sammy and Judy how you know is what we're gonna use baby yeah okay Sammy seven year old boy okay you got it you try just a little way and my mom says Judy was standing there just looking very but right it's very in thought and my mom said she asked Judy what what do you sell fat trap what are you thinking about and Judy looked up age for instance but the problem is how did it get in there in the first place so you see a four year old canals good quest bright four year old do you so Abraham was not looking for God he was saying it's not true I gotta find out what's true and if not for the Bible telling us if not for the Navi the not of the in Milan days and now if not from walking tell us pray me I wouldn't have the nerve to say but remember when alia who was fighting the the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel when he called it he said unless I tempest famous day and save him how long will the Israelite will you pan hop on both sides of the fence in Hashem by looking look our furrow if God is God if the if the sham is God follow him if Baal is God follow him I wouldn't have been but he said it I know we can find out what's true they can't both be true you know people ask me well that's cuz you know Judaism you have you look at other religion guess what once you've determined that two plus two is four somebody said wait I know it's not fine but maybe in 726 no no again you can know who better of two plus two is four you can know about all the other ones that disagree I'm mistaken you really can know that and so on the basic question what's in it for me I want to get the most pleasure out of life together you better find out what's true and I think we can understand who says I know somebody converted to Christianity knows somebody he dropped being a tour of the great it's a question not great let me change that I'm sorry but each person is gonna be held accountable I created you to get the most out of life to get it you have to find out the truths of life how much energy do energy did you put in it so for example when I teach at Asia tour I feel saying I'm an eight I believe in God and so what I take to vary all sometimes what it says Wow in others you you've you've gone through the basic the seven basic classical arguments to prove that there's a god and have disproved them all I'd love to hear how you did and it's answer generally is huh you know so let's be real and I was understand I'm not telling you to be a Jew because God needs your membership after all God is infinite what can you do for an infinite beam nothing the issue is you if you want to get the most if you want to get the pleasure of life you better find out what's true now in another class I would go through a lot more to touch on to go through the three problems that in the world Eugene does this make sense that if you want pleasure you have to find out the truths of life why is it so complicated and what gets it done you have to understand that you need to say it's not nearly as complicated could be because what is really complicated is the most essential elements of what am I doing here but the issue of complicated I got good news for you regardless of what is true which part of what really is true life is gonna be complicated I just got to tell you you know Eugenia I once met a man I'll try to cut this show by laughs I like stories and cooking I met a man when he was 80 years old he was involved he's very secular Jew in Baltimore and he was involved without going in details he was very helpful to the Orthodox community in its in an inner conflict between the Orthodox world in the secular world Baltimore and he was I was asked to speak to him I thought he was on the other side he said what can I do to help he basically said look I know I know that the only thing that'll be left in the Torah in the Jewish world has been those who is the Orthodox community I don't want the Jewish world to do anything a Baltimore do anything that would cut off themselves off from that I said look personally I believe that but I don't know many non-orthodox I believe he said yeah what's wondering about it because in a very brilliant lawyer and I came to realize that why that so you see my friends just don't believe it when I say it but I know they have children and they just can't face the fact that they're making a mistake and it'll make a difference in the Jewishness of the guy my wife and I never had kids I can be more honest about it what will work and what won't cuz it's not my kids but I suppose if I had kids I wouldn't want myself to see it even so he asked me Eugene he said if when I die it turns out there is a God I'm going to ask him why did it have to be so complicated right here it's another time my guess is that in anything that you consider significant in life you you know what life is not simple it's and invest yourself in the complexity do you have kids Eugene forget that's enough to know why but it's a good question to start from all right so what difference does God make as an individual and it's a it we were created to get pleasure we have to find out what's true don't start by saying it's God start by saying there is nothing more important to find out and understand that the consequences are gonna affect you most severely making a mistake not to go into now it said that they're basically three issues that get in the way of your finding truth deserves much more time but in its simplest form Eugene how old are you 42 are you a child or an adult ah so I would here I'm here to differ with him I would say that Eugene is both an adult and a child in fact he's more of a child because after all you bet you're 40 to 42 years ago you came into this world as an adult excuse me you came into this world as a child you know how important first impressions are well that's your impression of life you came into this world as a child as a short term thinker but at 13 you became do you believe that no see now he then he blames rabbis for that no no no you didn't at 13 you didn't become an adult at 13 got activated an adult Eugene but the child Eugene who had been there for 13 years refused to leave the adult was activated the child refused to leave him from 13 till now you've been Eugene and Eugene incorporated but in fact you're a 42 year old child fighting for control with a 29 year old adult does that make a little more sense talk about complications Eugene and therefore problem number one is that while as adults we do want truth but we are all more child than we are adult and the child says if it tastes good I don't care what the fact that it may hurt me in 10 minutes or 10 years the search for truth is the adult in which that is the minor figner figure in Rubin and Rubin in corporate I would also say Eugene III as a torah dua I really think we learned so much from modern science Eugene are you an animal or you and me we are both but which are you more well the mo Tara domina bahama am the diversity in human being in an animal is just about zero so I don't have to go to mr. Darwin to confirm vital tells us way before him that we are massively more animal than we are human that are eating and are drinking and are sleeping in our etceteras are all more natural to us than our human thing of saying no of overcoming of disciplines of caring that we are both animal and human being but the animal within us as natural human being takes hard work and only the human being cares about truth and number three we are both individuals and part of a group as I mentioned on my board but we are 99% the result of our group and therefore we are individuals we want truth but we easily will sell out if the world around us will Pat us on the back I can be the most liberal German in the 1920s but when the world gives me more honor for turning the Jew over to the Gestapo it's shocking or maybe not as shocking should be as to how many people will switch on a dime because of the honor of his group to do the wrong thing so when we ask if I want pleasure and I need truth why did because we are in three basic areas pleasure is natural for us but truth is not you have to really overcome your childishness your animalism and your application to your to the group around you to find out what's true but that's one element what difference does God make to me as an individual if I want pleasure I better find out what's true let's go to the other extreme before we get to the Jewish one in the middle let's go to the other me not as a Jew but me as a member of humanity I'm one of seven billion what difference should I make to humanity whether or not there's a God who gave a turret to the Jew any input here what difference should it make to me as one of the seven billion members of humanity whether God gave the Torah to the Jews and this we're gonna have to look at put it back on our board here morality can you be moral without God I mean I asked and remember you're not gonna be on the film here so you can do this anonymously how many people believe here that you cannot be moral without God and then how many people would say you can be moral without God hmm I'm afraid we won't have many for the third one that I agree with and how many people would say the question is totally your own because let's picture a moral system is a system for evaluating behavior as good or evil when people's religious people would say you can't be moral without God I beg to differ that problem is not that without God there's no morality the problem is that without God they're infinite moralities so and therefore the brown first name man sir I'm here picture this a young male I think what you're saying look at all human civilizations present or past you will find that every one of them has a moral code now not only there's no one standard without exception there will not be a human civilization without a moral code saying this is good and this is evil the Nazis they had a moral code obviously say they were involved because they differed with yours but every civilization has a moral code the problem is not that without God there's no morality it's that their infinite morality that is to say every civilization has a code for determining what is good and what is evil but there is no agreement within Humanity on what is good and what is evil and therefore every civilization has a moral code but they don't agree on the particulars of what is good and what is evil now that creates a situation where the average person says well in that case all morality is relative it's not really but I would say I think they're making a mistake I'm saying what is morality relative to is there any possibility where every civilization can agree that with the state with what makes something moral and I'm saying yes I'm saying the Jews and the Nazis just a sample of two extremes Judaism and Nazism with its huge differences can agree with the following statement and that is what makes some Rimmer a moral code is a code that determines whether any particular behavior is good or evil right or wrong acceptable or unacceptable and I think there is a human agreement and that is when we look at all of human civilization we can find that there is an agreement and that is that what is moral that is to say what determines what is good and what is evil depends on what is blank well I wasn't gonna be that easy on you what is good and what is evil depends on what is acceptable no there's something more solid the Jews the Nazis the Christians the Moslems the Atheist every civilization we'll agree what makes something good or evil depends on what is blank it depends on what is true that is the reality within human civilization that that as a minute there if before we said that we'll make something pleasurable depends on what is what makes more pleasure depends on what is true it does you don't think of pleasure and morality on the same side but in fact the human agreement is it will make something good or evil depends on what is true give me an example killing people is that good or evil very good it you can't say killing is good or evil it depends on the circumstances at which point Adolf Hitler comes and gives you a nice pat on the back yeah me too in other words Adolf Hitler and Eugen control it will agree that sometimes killing is good and sometimes killing is evil and even Barack Obama agrees with hand in other words the difference is within humanity are not on any particular Act but what is the circumstance in which it's right or wrong picture you give mr. Hitler all the time he needs to expound on you what he believes is the truths of life who are the Jews who are the horns and he finishes telling you what he believes are the truths of life I can guarantee you that when he finishes talking you'll be able to say mr. Hitler if what you just said is true you were a good man and you did the right thing well are you about to join the Nazis no because I'm saying what you call true is really false and therefore what you call good is evil but in fact do you know what morality morality is relative to its relative to what you believe is true that in all cases both of the Jews or the Nazis whether the Palestinians are the Israelis what makes somebody you said how could they believe that why are you being so silly find out what he sings based on what he believes to be true you can surrender to him if you want you can fight him to the death if you want but don't be idiotic to ask him why is he doing it he really believes that is true he may allow certain amount of lies along the way just to help him in publicity for the rest of the world but what he's what he if he's putting himself on the line if he's willing to risk his life in the life of his kids because of what he believes to be true and therefore we have something very strange if you want as an individual get the most pleasure out of life you have to find out what's true what difference does God make to humanity if you want to figure out what makes something good or what makes something evil it depends on what is true somebody will come and say oh but the tall read says we have it slaves and then too wide I guess what all you're saying is that I am emotionally unready to accept that it's so good so talk to your psychiatrist I'm not interested in your emotional in in discomfort about it I have to find out what is true and in fact no country can survive unless it can answer the one that's not the following two questions what are the principles that you are willing to kill for and what are the principles you're willing to die for yes first thing yeah whether you park on this under Street Monday Wednesday and Friday I'm talking morality since he was a control again no it you have to really see whether you agree with it you can count out to him or find him or die for it that's not he has government government has nothing to do with morality you don't have to live in Israel to know that everybody government has nothing to do with right or wrong it has to do with in order to not kill each other which how are we gonna make the rules that's it that has nothing to do with morality they may be moral they may be a more issue is that we want to have a system where which determines how we will accept what is the law and not kill each other on a regular basis pray for the welfare of the government right very good in others for Tory saying is in a tough world even a lot of anti-semitism can often be worth it in order that it won't kill each other frankly we're gonna clearly we have in Jewish history a vote the Romans were not nice people what he's saying is I know it's not nice but can't imagine what it's like with total anarchy I danced with this and they'll pray for the well for the government because yeah it really stinks but no no no they're not they are simply defining who wears power has enough to do it right or all I'm saying you have to come over and understand and then what kind of world do you want or as Jews to explain why does Judy doesn't think that this is good and this is evil oh very good there's a reality God Torah etc etc dealing with based on that information it will makes perfect sense of that's good in that Siegel we didn't matter I don't like that of course because you don't accept though some of the things we say are truths so then if what we're saying is false then of course we should be doing it differently and what so but let's go back to it you're not really saying that even if everything in Torah is true it should be like that you're talking about you did for on what is true great I understand that's where our difference lies but the common denominator you know can you have ideal when people say that without God there's no morality it's worse than that without God they're infinite Morales in any area you as an individual or you as a group what you understand to be moral or immoral will depend on what you understand to be true or false you know nowadays a kid can come and say look I don't have to believe in God to be nice to people I wouldn't kill people for fun but he's not facing the bank the 2000 the Roman Empire and he was secular he'd go to the Colosseum and watch people have fun and by killing each other what was the name of the great philosopher who spoke out against it in Rome the rest of them are correct nobody in this damned hey what happened no because ray and they were played before that right in other words no aerosol talked about the fact that when you have hunger so you leave the babies out to die rather than we should that again everybody it makes sense based on what they know too and that's why finding out what's true is so important now this doesn't prove that there's a God who gave a Torah it's telling you though that what the world becomes depends on what humanity understands to be true and therefore be very careful we haven't yet got into the proof that there's a God to give you but you had better understand that there is no natural morality in a world where everybody if there's any agreement it's that sometimes it's okay to kill and sometimes such as you tell my children to be willing to die yeah it doesn't get any worse there is no natural morality of when we don't hurt people and if I can give you a little example a few years ago I remember cuz it's the year 2014 cannabis a young man who was sunny to be a reformed rabbi came to he came to question and answer and the Talmud says you learn more from questions of your students and I never really it's no question and he's a very nice guy name was mad very nice fellow and he kept in touch with but he said rabbi can you please explain what you Orthodox Jews have against gay marriage mmm feel free to cut it out but I'll say you can do what you want what do you have against gay marriage and at that point I said you know I don't know what I would have said had I been able to think about but I couldn't so I'm telling you I love teaching at Asia Torah because it's clear to me you know people think I'm pretty smart really it's not that it's that when a young person asks me a question God gives me an understanding well even though he wouldn't have given it to me because I don't deserve it or he deserved it so he has to give it to me to give it to him and that's one of the my interpretations of that you learn more from your students so for yourself you just learn on your own but for the people who have to hear it for that alone God may help you get something that he has here so I said no I can't explain why not ultimately this week's parts at the on Shaco - dearly when it says you should be holy people don't eat dead animals in the field not because it's not healthy for you it's because I'm trying to take a high level of the animal kingdom called homo sapiens and turn you into human beings beings that can connect to the Infinite Creator and I'm telling you we're not talking about scientific reality talking about how to create a different human being and if in fact the two betas basic drives human beings have is food and sex don't be surprised if the two biggest areas of the discipline is limiting your food choices and limiting your sex choices there's a holiness has to do with not doing things because it's part of the animal kingdom you're gonna enjoy it for something more than that human being it but I didn't talk to him about that he said what do you have against gay marriage I said I'll tell you why I can't explain it here we are in the year 2014 and you're asking me what I have against gay men let's go back a hundred years it's the year 1914 and we're in America and you're a reformed rabbi and I maneuver tedx rabbi and I say to man you don't believe that God gave the Torah to the Jewish people Torah is you Jew you enjoy Jewish people that's why they thought about God we can change things we can respect what they thought would change so you believe the Torah is not a gun given here we are in 1914 what would prevent you if you don't believe God gave the Torah what would prevent you from doing a marriage between a man and another man for the purposes of them having sex now what would you say in 1914 would you say why shouldn't I or would you say rabbi that is the sickest thing I ever heard and I can't believe that just because I'm reformed that we would ever do such a thing what would be your answer and with 15 other guys shifting the gaze for me back to him he said yeah probably that that second answer that because 1914 I would think hey don't do things like that okay this man so that's why I can't explain it to you because there's no you there that you are going to give me the answer of what ever the what you think it's you but it's not in 1914 you would say this that in 2014 you say that and you really think they're both you not realizing that your answer is massively whatever the world around you feel comfortable hearing from you by the way parenthetically I would say that's the major reason that an Orthodox rabbi cannot really debate issues of Judaism with a reformed rabbi you can try it as entertainment but you can't because the words are a bit stuck with reality as well the reformer I read said like what do people want to hear this time and it depends 1940 2014 20 86 they said I can't tell you ask you a different question and then it's here we are near 2014 if you don't believe that God gave the Torah what will prevent you from doing a marriage between a man and a dog for the purposes of having sex of course you're gonna say it's ridiculous out of the question but I can know that if X number of years on our people are doing it bark mitzvahs aren't the only thing that you'll be doing I remember somebody saying wait wait but there's a difference because two men can have consent while an animal canal I read it in there men in there Matteo better oh don't compare the two you can't have the consent of an animal but to just to show how superficial the statement is I asked the guy who said it are you ready terian no oh well you then you weren't negotiating over that stake killed the animal roasted it and ate it so you're telling me that for eat for your for eating a steak you can kill the animal but somehow for having sex with a unique consent come on be real it's a superficial nonsense it's like Immanuel Kant saying you don't need God the categorical imperative will teach everybody that you don't want to do it to them to you so you can't do it to them Oh the brilliant German thinker the Germans really impressed with that 200 years later right no it's superficial nonsense is the Golden Rule do unto others where you had a nothing when you would want others to do to you or don't do unto others what you would others but not one others to do unto you but more likely the golden rule is he who has the gold makes the rules and that's basic again or it's one person told me do unto others before others do unto you right I mean but the basic point is if there is no God now I think the great the most absurd religion is atheism was a nothing comes from nothing except for every new it comes justifying it again again in Jewish terms it's the only way to escape personal human responsibility but but to understand that if there is no God and everything that exists is equally meaningless dog can cow chicken turkey human being and that the reason you kill the animals because the turkey clearly I would the cow I can prove the cow would rather live than die but you don't like tofu so it does it's the same thing is no reason why I wouldn't work for any human being once you've determined that there is no significance to anything that exists more than it's very non-existence you can make any rules you want like no parking on this side of the street Monday Wednesday Friday but it has no moral backing it's nothing more than to take care of it well I won't kill him so he shouldn't kill me but that make doesn't make a right or wrong and if you change it I'd sit to met you're really explaining to me why in the 1920s Germany was the most accepting paper place in Europe for the Jews it was most liberal open society that you Jewish people have ever had the 1920s and the 1930s their most viciously anti-semitic and it makes perfect sense people how psychologically how could people have changed from being ultra liberals to fascism the answer is they didn't they didn't become go from ultra liberal to fascist they were always asking one same question what should I do now for people to say I'm ok that's it they didn't notice it but we know in the 1920s the question is what do I have to do to be a good German in the 1930s what do we have to do to be different to be a good general and the question was the same the answer was very different but I can't no I can't know this that in the world were all morality the plan depends on what is true this week I know that if in fact the Indians indiscernible wonderful people but they said the based on what we believe to be true based on what we believed to be true then when an important man dies we burn his living wife on his funeral pyre because she obviously so horrified even stay in life I mean she may not say so but deep down I'm sure and what SETI and so they burnt the wife on the funeral pyre and I can guarantee you that Indians are no less intelligent than any other group Hoffman but going Tommy in every group of people are the same the same range of wisdom from real smart doubt right down to Thomas Rock some of my students say but aren't Jews known to be smarter than Gentiles no the Talmud says no it's really a secular conceit the Jews are smart see because we take well if how is it the Jews have lasted through a history you no matter what happened and others didn't oh no wasn't God which was smarter than going you know they started out as liberals and they end up as fascists main you think about but but so resist no there is no difference Jews are as capable of stupidity as anyone and I tell my students how long have you been in Israel two months I'm sure two months in Israel's long enough to know that correct Jews are not smarter than us I mean no I mean you don't have to be here very long to get that one down it's just that second rather how else are we going to explain that usually civilizations make a certain amount of mistakes where at a certain point it causes their collapse the Jews we keep on go that's because Lukas we're not capable of mistakes as God cannot allow the disappearance of the Jews because of the Torah we which is why those who drop Torah disappear from the Jewish people the Jewish people continue but very important to understand let's suppose let's take Judaism and Nazism as two systems all systems make sense based on what they believe to be true according to Judaism the essential two essential principles that make Judaism sensible intelligent is number one that there's an infinite supreme being a number two he transmitted information called Torah that is the basic point the Judaism infinite creator and he transmitted Torah Nazism we are all a random collection Amala - there is a if there is a greater it's simply the creator of nature there is we are part of the animal kingdom and it's only the arrogance of the Jews that said we should overcome nature and in order for the human race to continue we need to the strong has to crush the weak social Darwinism missionary Taoism okay so Judaism makes perfect sense if there's a God who gave a Torah but not C is to make perfect sense if there is no God again tell me if there is no God can anybody explain what makes it wrong to turn you and beings into soap of course not it's just your old beliefs your old systems of the way you used to think people were important but we know it's wrong be willing to change your mistakes based on mistaken views or what you thought was true judy's it makes perfect sense if there is a God who gave a Torah Nazism make perfect sense if we take their beliefs essential principle seriously no God and we're all part of the animal kingdom it's certainly closer to the truth than Judaism if there is no God now does that mean there is a God of course them maybe yes maybe no but you'd better understand the consequences to humanity as a whole and the Jewish people in particular about what are the truths what difference does God made to the human concept of morality when it always depends on what we believe to be true and the third element before this should be the shortest and we'll go to questions discussion so what difference does it make to me as an individual if there's a god if I want pleasure I better find out what's true what difference should I make to humanity as a whole if I want to have a moral system that makes sense that we better find out what's true and then getting out with my Judaism insists that we are here to make a difference to humanity don't tell them what to do you know I'll tell what to do or you'll end up rivers of blood following us like it follows the Christians and Muslims who in a very nice way they wanted the world to become a better place and as a result by trying to tell people how to change their evil ways end up with body mass we're we are also missionary religion I don't want to think we're not Torah says that by living Torah the world changes better in a better way and by dropping interchanges in a worse but we are here to make a difference and the ultimate goal it's a messianic age where humanity comes to us and says we know you're right teach us to or let us live those principles as well the Jews will live the totality of Torah called the kingdom of priests and the segment for humanity's ability to connect to God will be learned by the rest of humanity ISM and asthma out many rabbis point out the Christianity and Islam are part of that process of them without us being missionaries that the pagans become around us become more accepting of the concept of the Jewish God and giving the tone what about the third element as an individual I want pleasure need to find out what's true as humanity we want what moral system make sense got to find out what the truth what about as a Jew as a Jew can a person be a Jew if he doesn't believe in God yes what about if a person says I do says I believe in God but I don't believe he gave a Torah can he be a Jew yes no not very no no you're getting too close to the answer just a little slower okay what's your name sana when it comes to being a Jew if even the most Orthodox ultra Orthodox Jew says that a Jew doesn't believe in God is still a Jew so it would seem that while as an individual I gotta find out if there's a God it as a humanity we have to find out but as a Jew it seems that whether you believe in God or not it doesn't matter because even the Orthodox a you're still Jewish so what's the difference as a Jew whether I believe in God or not I think it was just recently and he was yet your Lapidus said he believes in God but his father a grandfather forget what came up he was an atheist and he was just as good a Jew as him in other words if in fact illogically whether you believe in God or not you're a Jew then what differences me so what I would say is the difference is what is your definition of a Jew and when we look at that we'll be able to see its application historically so suppose a person says a I don't believe in God or B I believe in God but I don't believe that God gave the Torah to the Jewish people so now I ask question good so according to you what is a Jew what are the Jewish people and I would posit the following I'm willing to hear an argument if you don't believe in God or if you don't believe God gave the Torah the Torah the Jewish people the Jewish people according to you are a group of Gentiles who mistakenly thought God gave him a Torah now how many of us are supposed to suffer and die to preserve that falsehood you're telling me that we are not-- we are gentle we are a group of Gentiles and you know what makes us Jewish some Gentiles made a mistake believing that God gave amatory what are you trying to preserve the mistakes of your ancestors do you begin to understand why after a few generations of believing that the intermarry or disappear or in this country really have a less and less of a connection to what what are they paying a price for here you see we really think that we can make it here because we have nukes tanks and planes and the other side that's much less I'm afraid the other side has something very powerful and that is the deep belief that they are right and I think that what's really going on is the Jewish people do not have that same deep belief that they are right and that's usually more important than nukes tanks and planes it's certainly determined the outcome in Vietnam when America thought they couldn't believe lose we Westerners like counting material things these many bombers there's many tanks I would posit the following first let's look at it jury in general to the Jews as a I don't believe in God or B I don't believe God gave the Torah oh but I am proud of what I am proud of Jewish culture with the hora you are proud of the mistakes that the Jews made that made them Jewish but if God didn't give the Torah or there is no God Judaism is the mistakes of a group of going who formed those things were true what are you dying to preserve the mistakes of your ancestors isn't that silly the real question is not why is it that by the fourth generation of a reformed family the kids intermarry the real question is why didn't they enter me from the beginning as soon as they said we don't believe God gave the Torah why didn't they drop it and the answer is psychologically speaking because it's the nature of human beings that even when they change their belief systems they desperately tried with some superficial intellectual gymnastics to justify keeping their old identity again like Immanuel Kant he couldn't admit they well if there is no God we're all part of in the animal kingdom no well come up with something three generations later the Germans have no problem catching babies on their bayonets and what happens is a clash between the intellect and the emotion that when you intellect says there is no point to what I used to think is important but I am emotionally traumatized so I come up with superficial nonsense so I'm gonna say God didn't give a turret to the Jewish people some of them then just become Gentile or convert not that they believed in Christianity but why be stick out like a sore thumb but some of them create and create something called reform where we where the who made a mistake but I just can't let go of it I personally because I'm supposed to interpret things in the best possible light that tells me about what a Jewish neshama those people had reformed conservative they knows if God if there is no God or if he didn't give a Torah then you should say okay let's dump him no the Jewish and the Shama couldn't let them do it the problem is I understand they meant well but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and therefore once they tell their kids that yeah it's a bunch of guys made it up alright so that first generation feels very strongly Jewish they're gonna do 2nd generation a little Esther but the time you get to the 3rd 4th or 5th generation the kid comes up this is the most ridiculous thing ever heard I agree with him that if being Jew is the mistakes of a bunch of Gentiles for that purpose I should say no to ninety-nine point seven percent of the girls I run into because the difference demeanor is my ancestors were Gentiles who made a mistake and hers were Gentiles who didn't make a mistake what if she's willing to forgive me for my weird ancestors and at that point we'll just call it an even deal of course it can't last more than because Jews if we're not smarter than going we're certainly out unbelievably dumber than them and therefore sooner or later you didn't get to the point where the intellect is in place the emotion is gone because you don't he didn't know your boobies boobies boobies about without you realizing it all that's left is the awareness of the meaningless of what we do to preserve the mistakes of our ancestors and of course they intermarried that I almost think that the guy who can't stay shutaura who says listen if it's true let me know but if not why shouldn't they intimate it's more clear it's easier to talk to him he has a clear intellect and not overburdened emotionally his parents were more Torah connected as non-orthodox Jews but by their very element they were emotionally traumatized about the fact that we may be right and they do the guy who's more likely the inter marries also the guy was more likely to come to Torrance if it makes sense let me hear it if not not cuz he's cleared the emotional baggage which if it's valuable let me hear it if not not but on that third level what difference does it make does God make to be in the Jew is the essential definition of what it is to be a Jew and if I don't care if you call yourself conservative a reformer secular if you're saying eh there is no God or be God did not transmit the information called Torah to the Jewish people what you are saying is that the Jews our group of Gentiles are made a mistake he cleared out and if you don't because of the emotional baggage your children our grandchildren will because sooner or later all the screamy left is the absurdity of how many of our ancestors mistakes am I supposed to be preserved so that another group of should shoot us kill us get rid of us gas us doing your kid a favor young man and I can understand why we're having a problem here in the in the State of Israel you read mr. Herzl book mr. Herzl book called the altmile on mr. Itzel said what it will be like fifty years after the creation of a Jewish state Wow wonderful everybody into people get along we have security you read the book thank God I think Zionism is lucky people don't read anymore you read that book and you realize that mr. Herzl didn't have a clue about what the world the conflict between Jews and dan tells really about everything they'll be fine read it and understand he didn't have a clue and I can understand the inner trauma where we think we're doing real well but the a lot of Israelis didn't say you know what we're still at the focus of an attempt to wipe us out missile off destroy us and we are well we have the nukes tanks planes we have the economy we have all that stuff we don't have the reason perhaps only a minority ever and think of Who am I god this is what God expects of me and I'm gonna have to go through it until the redemption but to the guy who says what Redemption there's no God all that we needed and as it becomes more and more obvious that it isn't going to work out in natural turn that you have a political trauma in Israel where you have a right wing and left wing in which frankly nobody is even willing to say look at our great leader with him he'll solve the problem we've gone beyond that and when I was growing begging sharone hey it's not there anymore we're living in a country where nobody thinks there's anyone on his side who can solve it all we know that if the other side takes power or keeps in power we're all finished when you have a system that I have no solution but their death and both sides thinking about the other of course we're in a disastrous situation and they our enemies have not very little except the certainty that this is what God expects of them to get well we're in big trouble not just in foot slots in terms of intermarriage but here and with all due respect I don't see myself as a liberal but I understand the era position perfectly we want control and we know that as of perhaps Oslo no different point but at a certain point there I'd say the Jews are not willing to suffer for the land they said here we think said we're terrorists were terrible based on what those Jews believe they're willing to trash what they used to say is true there's no reason in the world for us to go to for any deal because if we can't do it now we'll do it in five years and if we can't do it for I will do in 50 years all we have to do is hold up it's almost perhaps like what happened in the colonialist world in the Africa Southeast Asia most of the time the neighborhood nadir is the natives were not powerful enough to beat the white invaders all they had to do is say you will have no peace until you leave but where should we go that's not their problem but when they look at the Arab position and you'll say nothing crazy don't they realize you can get a deal they don't want to deal they want to win to me and perfectly sensible but in terms of foot slot what difference does God make if in fact you don't believe in God or you don't believe God gave the Torah you are saying we the Jews are the Gentiles we made a mistake why do you want to keep on preserving that mustaine any questions statements as an individual I can only get the most out of life if I know that's true and live accordingly humanity will only come to an agreed understanding of what is right and what is wrong if humanity as a whole comes to that understanding and while I know that is ultimately the messianic age I can know that the process which the rabbi's point out of the pagans becoming Christians the pagans becoming Moslems is part of the process of effect that the more we do it right the more Humanity has changed for the better and the more we do it wrong more humanity has changed for the words because there is in the end one human soul in which the Jews are the heart and what we do makes difference and what difference does it make to us surviving as Jewish people is to know that if the Jewish people are the people who have that information to how to create a true humanity then there's nothing more available than for me to have it and if not it's waste of time okay and like I said the first couple generations would but it won't sooner or later you kids will be smart enough to realize if it isn't so why waste my energy your beginning though meaning that would be I can repeat everything which the consequence and the question of pleasure whether you can get that in morality what humanity understands to be right or wrong in terms of the Jewish people what is it being a Jew no not at all silly idea what they would look at the gas lutely the basic element of take me to your leader even Martians not to do that your tour it is there what determines hey what's that box over there that you don't turn on Shabbos and so they'd have to check the basic I'll offer that they had at that time and how it applies to this particular balance yeah and why does he need it love so gets right back to it you knows what can you do for God nothing what can you do for God take advantage of the offer and as in a world where God is infinite love then what God wants most is for you to take advantage of that ability to be as almost an equal to God that God created the world where he offers a relationship and you respond and the concept therefore overly Sh'ma the highest level of a mitzvah is when I do it out of love of God and help and then create a world where God let dependent on me to create that world but the Gomora tells us before you were born you swore that you would come here and do mitzvahs on that level right hey wait sir what are you talking about before you were born you swore you'd be exotic you would do the mitzvahs to respond to God with love in this world if every sadiq tells you that that's where you did it you could you achieved it assuming that wrong because there is nothing more destructive than thinking that that's why you're doing mitzvahs so always keep in mind that that's your goal always the Gomora says even if every sadiq in the world says no you did it assume they're wrong nothing more dangerous to think that that's what you are it's like kind of like marriage we don't get married yeah USA you didn't marry a girl because you love her you may hate a person because you loved you and when you came to the conclusion that that person will be great for you your gal or your God you say whoa what do I do to make a connection if you do a write you actually end up by giving in the relationship you end up creating love by giving it's the same thing with God by God let's sing back and allowing you to make the decision to give invest in the relationship that creates a love of God but the worst thing you can think of that you really got there but if you're in a marriage in thing there's a little difficulty don't know after all that I've done for love no say okay let's see Ryan let's see after all I got married because I knew it was good for me all right let's figure out how to make it better come behind the Hollywood line meet the things we do for love but that'll explain the Hollywood divorce rate be a little more realistic it gets back to we've said about unity or add to that amount McGann D said every man has his own religion once we understand that every man no matter how religious or how secular has his own religion you will find that he does his best to promote his religion a secular person is as much likely to try to promote his religion as a member of Isis promoting his and the question is how much power does he have to do it there is no neutral ground to stand up everybody has is when a person says I don't believe in God should be more realistic I do believe that there is no God okay what evidence do you have how do you stand behind there what are the consequences so i'd saying that there there is an academia in israel and a media who do represent a religion but it's not judaism an idea that there is neutral ground is always promoted by by the state religions that actually rule and that may tolerate minorities but that they determine the public spain so a religion called secularism is in control here they make power a judaism but that is what the academia and the media are here and when it seems that the minority whether or Jewish seems to be growing because I have a more of a birthrate then you shouldn't be surprised that the people who are in charge will be very nasty about the people who are attempting to take over it's nothing has changed every country is the same the people in power will do what they have to to maintain power in the face of the growing minor that may do things differently that's really a question that both is part of God's plan to spread morality or messianic concepts one God what will happen to those religious people who just fade away explain mentioned the prophecy and people come to the Jews and say well follow you well the Rambam used the description that they were when was he up comes they'll understand that they were right about a B and C and they were wrong about XY and Z and let's say okay I'm that which makes us different we were mistaken now let us go with you it sounds very unlikely until you realize that if you were living in the greco-roman period to believe that the would say you know what you're right we shouldn't have gladiator fights and we should know that there's one god we should get rid of our idols we should care about how we deal with other people yeah that it was as absurd then as it would seem now are you under fifty yeah under fifty so more optimistic than those verses that we give Americans X but extra years for under fifty even if they went over fifty um so I am one of my favorite writers is George F will syndicated columnist billion pull us in again he's very good writer the Gentile right wing very pro-israel and I don't know if he quoted somebody or said it himself but many years ago I learned this quote George Orwell said the advantage of being a pessimist is they were either you are always either proven to be correct more pleasantly surprised well you know so give money now there's a there were two types of anti-semites in Europe Germans and Romanians it's a type that were more than just them Germans were not capable of being bought Romanians were anti-semites but you could buy them off the Jews did much better in Romania than in Germany then when evil people take control much better to have them sell out than to be so evil that they won't even sell out so you know good people should not sell out for money but if you can have evil people much better to have them beans take long another Romanian Jewry was able to last in a way that jariya written because they the Romanians were anti-semites but they were they were able to be born I think was wasn't Richard Daley of Chicago who when asked what's his definition of an honest politician he says once you buy any stays bought all right so [Music]