Chochmas Hagoyim Vs. Chochmas Hatorah
This is a nice and interesting thought from Rav Hutner. (I expanded and changed much of it using poetic license but in essence this is my understanding of Rav Hutner's idea.
The Gemara in Brachot states:
ת"ר הרואה חכמי ישראל אומר ברוך שחלק מחכמתו ליראיו חכמי עובדי כוכבים {אומות העולם} אומר ברוך שנתן מחכמתו לבריותיו
The Gemara in Brachot states:
ת"ר הרואה חכמי ישראל אומר ברוך שחלק מחכמתו ליראיו חכמי עובדי כוכבים {אומות העולם} אומר ברוך שנתן מחכמתו לבריותיו
Why is the bracha for Chacmei Umos Ha'olam rather than for Chachmas Ha'amim. Why if that Chacham is a Yisrael but his chachma is in science, physics, or mathematics do we seem to not make a bracha? The Bracha should be about the material and it should not matter who the owner of that material is. Understood that a Umos Ha'olem will not justify a bracha for his knowledge of Torah but why does a Yisrael not get a bracha for other chachmos?
Rav Hutner expounds about the fundamental difference between "Chachmas Hatora" and "Sha'ar Chachmos". Other Chachmos are all in the mode of discovery. The world exists. Science is busy discovering the secrets of the universe. There is no creativity (creation) per se. Torah, on the other hand is "Creation" One is not discovering the secrets of the Torah but when a Yisrael learns he is creating. Kudsha Brichu, Yisrael, Ve'oraysa, chad hu. Yisrael is a partner with Kudsha Brichu in creation. The Torah is part of creation and a partner in creation. As a Yisrael learns Torah he is creating Torah and creating the world around him. "ShivimPanim Le'Torah", there are seventy different ways to correctly study Torah. Every individual is an artist who is creating art with Torah as he is studying the Torah and understanding it using his own God given tools. The learner is the creator. The studier of all other Chachmos is a discoverer.
Yisrael was created to further create and help finish God's job by creating through God-given tools namely Torah and his own abilities. Umos Ha'olam were created to continuously serve the worlds purpose by discovering, uncovering and utilizing all of God's creations for the betterment of man. There is no creating in that process.
The halacha by Bircas Besamim is that if a flower or fruit is used primarily as a food rather than specifically for its scent one does not make a bracha of Boreir Minei Besamim even if one is just utilizing it for its scent. The question is that since the Bracha is a Bircas Hanehenin why does it matter what the primary purpose of the object is since you are gaining pleasure from that particular aspect of the object. It seems that even though one is making a Bircas Hanehenin one still has to take into account the source of the pleasure and consider what is its primary consideration. The Bracha is not only on deriving pleasure from an object but also on the object itself and its primary purpose.
When a Yisrael studies Chachmas Ha'amim he is in fact engaging in the same study as a non-Yisrael. However, just as in a good smelling fruit one does not make a bracha of Besamim because that fruit has a higher purpose so to a Yisrael has a higher purpose namely studying Torah which is intrincly different than other Chachmos in that it is a creative study rather than a discovering/uncovering discipline. Hence only when meeting non-Yisrael that is a Chacham in Chachmei Umos Ha'olam does one make a bracha "Shenatan Mi'Chachmato" and not when meeting a Yisrael with the same qualifications.
Chanuka is the essential Holiday of the victory of Yisrael over the Hellinists, or the victory of Chachmas Hatorah over the nation which is considered the father of all non-Torah chachmos. We are celebrating the special bond that Yisrael has with Chachmas Hatorah over Chachmas Ha'amim.
We say on Chanuka in the prayer of "Haneiros Hallalu" that we can only look at the light but we cannot use the light. This symbolizes the difference between Chachmas HaTorah and other Chachmos. The Torah is the "Ner" itself, the source of the light, and we can and should see it and enjoy it. The light radiating from the Ner which is a byproduct of the flame symbolizes the other Chachmos which already exist. The Ner gives man the ability to discover/uncover the beauty of the world but Yisrael is involved in a much greater purpose, creating that light. Others can enjoy all that that light reveals but Yisrael must continue providing that light.
Yisrael was created to further create and help finish God's job by creating through God-given tools namely Torah and his own abilities. Umos Ha'olam were created to continuously serve the worlds purpose by discovering, uncovering and utilizing all of God's creations for the betterment of man. There is no creating in that process.
The halacha by Bircas Besamim is that if a flower or fruit is used primarily as a food rather than specifically for its scent one does not make a bracha of Boreir Minei Besamim even if one is just utilizing it for its scent. The question is that since the Bracha is a Bircas Hanehenin why does it matter what the primary purpose of the object is since you are gaining pleasure from that particular aspect of the object. It seems that even though one is making a Bircas Hanehenin one still has to take into account the source of the pleasure and consider what is its primary consideration. The Bracha is not only on deriving pleasure from an object but also on the object itself and its primary purpose.
When a Yisrael studies Chachmas Ha'amim he is in fact engaging in the same study as a non-Yisrael. However, just as in a good smelling fruit one does not make a bracha of Besamim because that fruit has a higher purpose so to a Yisrael has a higher purpose namely studying Torah which is intrincly different than other Chachmos in that it is a creative study rather than a discovering/uncovering discipline. Hence only when meeting non-Yisrael that is a Chacham in Chachmei Umos Ha'olam does one make a bracha "Shenatan Mi'Chachmato" and not when meeting a Yisrael with the same qualifications.
Chanuka is the essential Holiday of the victory of Yisrael over the Hellinists, or the victory of Chachmas Hatorah over the nation which is considered the father of all non-Torah chachmos. We are celebrating the special bond that Yisrael has with Chachmas Hatorah over Chachmas Ha'amim.
We say on Chanuka in the prayer of "Haneiros Hallalu" that we can only look at the light but we cannot use the light. This symbolizes the difference between Chachmas HaTorah and other Chachmos. The Torah is the "Ner" itself, the source of the light, and we can and should see it and enjoy it. The light radiating from the Ner which is a byproduct of the flame symbolizes the other Chachmos which already exist. The Ner gives man the ability to discover/uncover the beauty of the world but Yisrael is involved in a much greater purpose, creating that light. Others can enjoy all that that light reveals but Yisrael must continue providing that light.
posted by funnyfundamentalist at 9:06 AM
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