Home › Forums › Inspiration / Mussar › Is Learning Science Spiritually Dangerous? › Reply To: Is Learning Science Spiritually Dangerous?
646
Why bother? Chazal accepted the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, with all the rigid spheres, fixed orbits, “windows”, “curtains” and suchlike heavenly debris that was used by the Greeks. This went unchallenged until after the Middle Ages, neither by the scientific world, nor by the Jewish one.
While nobody knows the true meaning of the “Rakia”, it certainly isn’t a crystal ceiling in the sky, as despribed in our own sefarim. To pound one’s fist that Chazal’s scientific interpretation of T’NaCH was impeccably accurate despite concrete and obvious evidence to the contrary will only serve to devalue the Torah itself as having been written by men, and not given from Above. After all, how could one claim that it is the ultimate truth, if it verily contradicts the basic facts of life. It makes infinitely more sense to maintain that Hashem’s Torah IS perfect, but that humans, even Divinely inspired ones, explained the scientific parts thereof according to what they understood to the best of their ability. Just as a Navi in his visions saw what he could relate to, and used the terminology that he was used to, Chazal employed the latest knowledge obtainable in their time to explain the Torah.