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The following question and answer session given by Rav Yaakov Weinberg ZTL took place in Cincinnati (Winter 1998).

QUESTION: #1
Q: How can I teach my child about spirituality?

A: Getting your child to read is a wonderful beginning. But you have to make sure that they are reading topics that challenge the mind. We tend to give them comic books and mysteries which simply entertain them. We must be very careful to monitor the books that they read so that the children read meaningful, mind-expanding material. From this comes the message that there is more to life than eating gourmet food and watching television. There is the mind that needs to be satisfied. Emphasizing the mind to the child is the beginning of teaching spirituality. From there, the child will progress to discover for himself that physical gratification is not all that life has to offer. You cannot tecah and preach spirituality in way that will impact upon the child. The child (and adult for that matter) must discover spirituality on their own if it is to last.

QUESTION: #2
Q: We have a question that goes back to the very inception of the Jewish faith. This question has been asked every day, since the day G-d appeared at Sinai and spoke to the Jewish People. The question as it is phrased here(on a passed up card-ed.) is: How can we keep our faith strong when we see good families suffer and bad people prosper? People ask this question daily, Jews and Non-Jews alike. How can we speak of a caring and loving G-d with all the suffering in the world? Is there a deity who runs a world if He can commit the kind of horrors existent in the world?

A: Before we deal with this question, I have to make a comment. These people who ask, dont they have the ability to eat, to walk, to talk, to hear, to lift-that's suffering? They have clothing, friends, beauty to look at, trees and grass, and clouds. Are they suffering or are they rich beyond human words? We lose sight of the incredible blessing which G-d grants us daily. We take for granted the wonder of everything and we only recognize when there is a pain. Life-how rich it is! Before we speak out against the horrors and injustice let us at least recognize that the basic reality is good beyond description. Life is full of everything wonderful and desirable. The price we pay for it may be suffering but the suffering is a worm in meal that is rich and full.

Second, there is a remarkable recognition in the question itself. Listen to the question. Bad people succeed and prosper- why do you care? I understand that it bothers you that good people suffer but will they suffer less if bad people suffer as well-if bad people didn't succeed? There is an assumption here that there must be something called justice. Bad people ought not succeed if G-d s world is one of justice. In a world of justice will there be suffering? Will there be punishment? The question has always been asked this way throughout history because the question is why is there injustice in the world. But to ask it that way weakens the question because it's hard to know what is good and what is bad and who is happy and who is not. The wealthy person whose children are on drugs- is he happy? Does he have a good life? And the poor person whose home is full of warmth and caring- is he suffering? Do we only look at the finances to judge if they are happy? Would you give up one of your hands to see a glowing grandchild? How do we measure true happiness and success?

Having said this the problem remains. No matter what sophisticated answer we are going to give about true suffering and true happiness there is no way we can deal with an innocent child born with cancer. It can t be done. That's where the problem lies in its true profundity. But I want to ask you something else. What should G-d do? What should a parent do? Should a parent prevent all possible suffering from a child? Should we outlaw skiing and smoking or allow people to take risks if they choose. Should every parent keep a child home and not teach the child how to ride a bike because he might get hurt? Or should a parent give the child all the joys that bike riding gives? The true parent who loves the child will give the child joy even though it involves some risk. G-d also has granted us an actuality of being- we make decisions that matter. A loving, caring G-d cannot interfere the minute we do something that will harm us. Otherwise were just puppets and playthings. G-d allows us to live our lives and take risks and then we must live with the consequences. What I do affects all mankind. This is the greatest of all kindness that G-d can give us. We carry the responsibility for ourselves and all civilization and of suffering if we have not made the right decision.

We can shape a world in which a Hitler grows or we can shape a world that will spit out a Hitler. We can shape a world in which a Clinton is president or we can shape a world in which an Eisenhower or a Roosevelt is president. We can put a Churchill in charge or we can put a Chamberlain in charge. Is that not for us to decide? And is that decision not going to make a difference? Can we accept a Stalin and live with it? We can allow bigotry and slavery or we can stay steadfast against it? And in the differences that these decisions make will there not be suffering or cases of injustice? Should G-d interfere and make us nothing more than a doll? G-d made a real human being and suffering must come as a consequence at times. G-d gave us responsibility and freedom-the greatest of all gifts. But he also gave us the path to choose life and avoid suffering. But if we choose death then all of its consequences must follow. It's up to us.

QUESTION #3
Q: How should one approach the child who finds reading unexciting?

A: This is a good question. I wish I had a good answer. I don't know whether I do . . .. I know I don't because I have grandchildren that doesn't like to read. My children all do like to read. I think Ill just say- I don't know. It's too hard for me.

QUESTION #4
Q: If we have free will to do good or evil, how do we know when we suffer a punishment that it is G-d given or perhaps it is our bad luck that a person is exercising his free will to hurt us?

A: Well, listen. If free will is real, then people can exercise their free will to hurt us. You can't get away from that. Is there a difference between shooting somebody or using free will granting him a loan? But Ill ask you something better. We Jews have an absolute prohibition of worshipping an idol. It is THE main prohibition of the entire Torah. The entire Torah is, in the main, given to teach not to worship idols. Of course, this means that worshipping involves much more than one would see at first glance. Included in this, is that we may pray only to G-d. We may not pray to an angel because then we are saying that the angel is G-d. It can grant or not grant-it has power. And if it can grant, you'll give it a sacrifice here and there wont you? Tell me, if you're in the army, who do you give a present to, your sergeant or your general? The general is in charge of the army but you deal with the sergeant. The general does not decide if I get a weekend pass, the sergeant does. If G-d is in charge of the world, but He has little agents here and there who can decide whether I get the prize or I don't, to whom will I pray? Will I bother with G-d? Wont I deal with the little angel? There is no power but G-d-angels have no powers and we must pray only to

G-d. There is no other power in the world but G-d-except man. Do we pray to man? When you say, Do me a favor, aren't you praying to him? Do you pray the king to grant your request? When you supplicate, Give me a loan-Buy my goods-please have mercy its because man has power- he can make a difference in our lives and existence. So where does G-d come into it?

Jim wants to kill Joe. As Jim pulls the trigger, he can trip, the gun can lock or explode. So if Joe ought not to die at all, G-d can interfere and see to it that Jims decision not realize itself. So mans freedom exists and G-d guides us through full respect for mans freedom. Both are true and to whatever extent that mans free will affects another's life negatively, G-d will make up for injustice, either in this world in some way, or in the World to Come.

QUESTION #5
Q: Why are so many spiritual, religious people seemingly non-spiritual- in over-attending to strict, detailed, and confining laws?

A: That is a very meaningful question. I have to start the discussion with an objection. I object- I don't think there are any Jewish laws that are confining at all. They are all liberating and enriching. G-d doesn't confine us.
I have a relative who is not well. The doctor has put her on a strict diet- a very detailed diet. She can't have one extra potassium pill without dire consequences. How terrible a doctor! He's confining her to details! Details matter to the whole body chemistry, don't they. Details make a difference-you have to have details. But G-ds details are never confining. They free us. It is only a question of how, which is probably a little hard to go into now.

But G-d is never confining. He is protecting and He opens up vistas to us that otherwise would be totally closed. And if He prescribes what you can and can t eat, it is because it makes a difference to our potential of being able to seek out that which is noble and true. We don't see how it makes a difference? No, we don't. But do we know what a pig is? Do we know what a human is? Do we see the relationship between a pig and a human that will affect one's spirituality? Do we even know what spirituality is? But G-d does. And He tells us to trust Him. He means only for our good. Remember, He gets nothing out of it-whether you do or you dont eat a pig. It is only for us. He tells us to not do things which will take away from our ability to achieve that which we really want to achieve. That is the mitzvos of the Torah- or they are false. If you believe G-d gave us the mitzvos this is how it works. If you don t believe that G-d wrote the mitzvos then of course they are confining and meaningless. To say, that we will keep mitzvos or not eat pig, or refrain from marrying a non-Jew for Jewish cohesiveness, is a nice idea but it won t last. It can help for a little while-maybe one generation, but ultimately people will not give up a ham sandwich for cohesiveness, let alone someone they love. It has to be real if I am to limit my choice of a spouse. It can t be for a romantic notion of maintaining a noble tradition. Judaism is either true or it s dead-it can t last. Otherwise, why be a Jew and separate from the others. Why can't I marry that nice handsome boy? Because of your romantic tradition?

We've lasted a long time and it leads to some assumption that Judaism is real. But if it's not a reality and we dont teach it as such, Judaism will not survive.

QUESTION: #6
Q: Can there be spirituality without belief in G-d?

A: Yes. There can be and there is. Man knows that he has more in life than meeting his material needs. But ultimately there can't be meeting full spiritual desires without coming to G-d. Let me put it this way, if there is no mind on a higher level than just the brain, what do you mean by spirituality? There is none. The brain can be explained in purely physical and chemical reactive terms. What we call spirituality then would just be escape from boredom. But if there is a higher spirit, then it must inevitably lead to belief in G-d. The only way to escape belief in G-d is if only the material body exists.

QUESTION: #7
Q: If spirituality is a goal, shouldn't we live in the most spiritual place- Israel?

A: Of course! How could there be any other answer. But then why not- why don't all of us go there? I'm not going to go into the more negative reasons [Rav Yaakov Weinberg ZTL privately explained what he meant- that it is not simple to adjust to the different kind of society. If a person cannot be happy (thereby detracting from his Avodas Hashem) in Israel then he should not live there if he can be happy living outside Israel.-ed.] , only the less negative ones. Practically, it is not simple for everyone to make a living there. The reality is that spirituality needs a good healthy functioning body in order to exist. You have to make a living. So many dont go there, even those with spiritual aspirations.

For myself, I am persuaded, rightly or wrongly, that what I have to offer in the U.S. is more important than the spirituality that I could achieve in Israel.

Otherwise, of course, everybody should live in Israel.

QUESTION: #8
Q: Is there any advantage to Judaism being complex in practice?

A: I have to digest that one a bit. It's difficult for me. . . in all sincerity - in no way do I mean this in a condescending way, it's difficult for me to relate to this question because I don't know what you mean-complex. You mean difficult to observe?

Q: (The anonymous questioner spoke up.) I mean difficult to know what G-d wants of you. So many rules and regulations.

A: G-d does not want from you more than you can give honestly. He is just. But the first requirement of a Jew and that which sets Judaism aside from every other religion that man has been able to formulate is that we are the only people who have a spiritual obligation, a moral command to learn! Each individual is commanded to study, learn, know, grow! A holy law, a G-d driven law to study and learn. And this results in such an amazing differences that if I tell it to you, you wont believe it even though you know that it s a fact. How old is free public education in this country-in the world-150 years? You know how long we Jews have a public school system built on taxes? 2500 years! 25 centuries! 2 and a half millennia! The world didnt get to it until 150 years ago. But its a miracle thats far beyond that.

Until printing was invented there was no such thing as a literate people. How can you be literate without books! You know how difficult it is to get a manuscript. A whole book written by hand. Who can afford it? A monastery- a king. You cant be literate without books-except the Jews! They were literate always. They gave everything to have those manuscripts written. Every Jewish home had a Chumash and later Rashi. Why? Because its a mitzvah to learn. You have to learn, you have to study. You have to develop your mind. Every Jewish child had to go yeshiva- everyone had to study and develop the mind. So Mitzvos dont become complex. You think and you study. Most cant do it all on their own so they need to go to the rabbi. Needing a rabbi is a sign of failure. Youre supposed to be as knowledgeable as he is. But people have to work and dont always have the time to be as knowledgeable as they would like to be. A rabbi is merely a teacher. He has no powers. For example, a priest creates the marriage but a rabbi is only there to make sure that its done properly- he doesnt create the marriage. But if you get a good rabbi you have no complexity.

QUESTION: #9
Q: Is spirituality a function of the intellect or of the emotions?

A: The emotion is what provides for human creativity and growth. Einstein discovered his Theory of Relativity using the emotion. Newton discovered Gravity through his emotion. The intellect is then used to measure and guide the emotions. But emotion is where the potential for growth lies. The mind measures and criticizes and without it your emotions will lead you to destruction. The mind must impose the discipline for the emotion. Mind must restrain creativity to avoid destruction. But the reality of the spirit is emotion. The reality of all humans being and activity is emotion. Think and you will see that it is inevitably so.

QUESTION: #10
Q: How can we resolve the pluralistic divisiveness within the Jewish people?

A: That seems like an impossible one, doesnt it? In reality the answer is very simple. Let Moshiach come!

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