Navigating Orthodox Belief in a Modern World: A Review of Rabbi Gil Student’s “Articles of Faith”
If you're someone who regularly reads Torah content online, you're likely already familiar with Rabbi Gil Student, a pioneer in the world of Torah blogging whose coverage of contemporary Torah subjects and controversies has drawn a wide audience of readers. Some of the original content on his blogs included issues which caught the attention of many in the YU community such as the ban on Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s books and the infamous visits by Roman Catholic Cardinals to the YU Beis Medrash, (events which took place before some current YU students were even born).
While the brief nature of online content can sometimes limit the depth of discussion, Student’s new book “Articles of Faith: Traditional Jewish Belief in the Internet Era” (Kodesh Press, 2024) offers a deeper dive into the issues of faith which confront Jews in the modern era. The individual articles in the 300-page book consist of expanded discussions from Student’s “Torah Musings” website as well as articles which have appeared in academic books and journals. The book offers readers abundant sources and deep analysis in order to confront core challenges facing Orthodoxy, which is increasingly pulled in opposite directions.
The book’s articles, organized by section, vary in topic and length. The studies fall into categories that include general issues of Judaism’s fundamental beliefs, challenges to and limits of rabbinic authority in the age of the internet, contemporary and historical communal issues, attitudes toward Judaism’s sacred texts and lastly, modern issues arising from the current Israeli political situation. Student openly critiques Professor Marc Shapiro’s positions on Judaism’s required beliefs and Rabbi Moshe Meiselman’s positions on Chazal’s relationship with scientific knowledge. Some articles engage in ongoing contemporary debate, such as an analysis of the communal issues surrounding women’s rabbinic ordination, while others, such as the “Mechitza Controversy” of old, capture what seem like issues of a bygone era in American Jewish history. Regardless of the time period in which these controversies arose, Student’s book demonstrates their ongoing relevance by emphasizing halachic analysis rather than sociological and historical context.
Student acknowledges that he found great insight and inspiration from the thought of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Included in the book are two essays published on the first and second yahrtzeits of Rabbi Sacks. In “Judaism and Other Religions,” Student defends Rabbi Sacks’ statements on religious pluralism. In “Judaism and the Stranger,” he analyzes the interpretation and significant attention that Rabbi Sacks gave to the Torah’s command to “love the stranger.” Rabbi Sacks defines the “stranger” as someone who is out of place in society, despite seeming opposition from the Talmud which understands the biblical “stranger” as a ger tzedek or ger toshav. The methodologies used to resolve such contradictions highlight Rabbi Sacks’ own approach of extrapolating ethical obligations from a clear understanding of the Torah’s commands.
Although Student admits to frequently aligning with the positions taken by the ideological right of Orthodoxy, his embrace of Maimonides’ charge to accept truth regardless of its source fosters not only thoughtful halachic discussion but a methodology for exploring ideas that challenge our conception of Orthodox Jewish thought. He demonstrates this approach throughout the book by drawing his sources from a wide range of rabbis and scholars and, when possible, highlighting the benefit of exploring the talmudic positions that we do not accept as law. This culminates in Student’s examination of religious responses to modern biblical criticism, demonstrating that engaging with approaches whose conclusions we reject can still highlight significant issues within our own perspectives and deepen our understanding of them.
All in all, “Articles of Faith” is a recommended read for thoughtful Orthodox Jews who are interested in engaging deeply with controversial topics of Jewish belief. The analytical reading of primary sources combined with a diversity and breadth of material, all in the search for truth, should be appreciated by anyone who dedicates large portions of their time to learning in the Beis Medrash. “Articles of Faith” treats controversy as more than just interesting “hock,” but as an opportunity to discuss and find the Torah’s position on the many concerns which face Jews in the modern era. The book’s afterword serves as an acknowledgment that many who embrace a methodology that engages with diverse ideas often find themselves feeling “hashkafically homeless.” Recognizing this, Student emphasizes the need for absolute clarity about the positions of others before evaluating them. This allows one to rethink their own position or disagree in a more productive way. Additionally, Student stresses the importance of belonging to a community within the masora of Torah and to have the intellectual honesty to defer to those with greater Torah expertise. What emerges is a bikush ha’emes (quest for truth) approach to confronting challenges to our belief, one that can prove helpful when new challenges to faith arise in the future.
Photo Caption: Rabbi Gil Student’s new book
Photo Credit: Yonatan Burns
