Monday, July 7, 2014

Rav Yaakov Ariel Meets With Orot Guidance Students

by Ravid Tirosh and Arieh Cohen 
Graduate Students, Guidance Department 

As the 5774 school year came to an end, Rav Yaakov Ariel, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan and a veteran Orot Israel College lecturer, met with all the graduate students from Orot’s guidance department. Rav Professor Neria Guttel, President of Orot Israel College, greeted the attendees and extolled Orot’s guidance department. He noted that everything is contained in the Torah - "הפוך בה והפוך בה דכולא בה" (“delve into it and delve into it, for everything is in it” – Avot 5:26) – but we must also use universal tools in order to uncover and acquire all this wisdom and knowledge. Thus, Rav Guttel explained, Rav Ariel’s invitation to Orot represents the integration of the Torah approach with the professional, scientific approach. In other words, the idea of "חכמה בגוים תאמין" (“you may believe that there is wisdom among the nations of the world”) is combined with Torat Yisrael.
Rav Ariel began his talk with a focus on values. He said that science and research tools are designed to help us understand this world, but by definition and by their very nature, they are not concerned with “values.” Science does not set values. Rather, it investigates and presents facts. In contrast, the Torah establishes the values that we use in science. Hence, there is no fundamental contradiction between Torah and science.
Next, Rav Ariel addressed various halachic questions, which the students had submitted in advance. Before answering the questions, he stated that scientific literature can often help us understand reality. For instance, he referred to the case of an OCD patient who repeatedly washes his hands for netilat yadayim. Although such a person may seem like a “tzadik” who is only trying to perform the mitzvah in an ideal manner, a scientific approach reveals that in truth, such a person suffers from a psychological condition and requires treatment. Rav Ariel cited the Chatam Sofer’s unequivocal ruling that such a person be instructed not to repeat the mitzvah - even if he is concerned that he did not fulfill it properly. Other issues addressed by Rav Ariel included teaching homosexual students; encouraging (forcing?) students to attend davening; situations where there are conflicts between the school and the home (e.g., a mother who does not cover her hair while the school teaches that married women must do so); Internet use; smartphones in yeshiva high schools and ulpanot; modesty; and more. Rav Ariel spoke out forcibly against those who “bury their heads in the sand” about a lack of modesty in the religious community and claim that “we don’t have that problem.” According to the Rav, the phenomenon exists everywhere, in every sector, and even in our own educational institutions.
The entire discussion was open and frank, and Rav Ariel stressed that even if we do not always have immediate answers, we must continue to ask the questions. He recommended creating a forum where these issues can be discussed and cited the words of Mishlei: "ותשועה ברב יועץ" (“and salvation comes with much council” – Mishlei 11:14).

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