Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum expands on the whys and wherefores behind his new book
“Rafi, can you help?” We were standing in the middle of a large shul kiddush after Shabbat morning services. Not the ideal location for an intimate chat, but often the best place to catch me. “My son doesn’t want to come anymore. He’s read books by those new atheists and thinks I’m so old-fashioned. ‘Mum!’ he says, ‘no one really believes in an all-powerful God anymore!’ Sam is a smart boy and isn’t impressed with the explanations he’s been given. Please Rafi, what should I say to him?”
There are a lot of Sams. Many of us doubt the faith of our forefathers. Modern science seems to overshadow religion. In times past, we felt the need to pray for the rain to fall, for crops to grow and for illness to pass. Today we channel and retain water as necessary, we use fertilisers and sophisticated agricultural technologies to maximise yield, and stunning advances in medicine have enabled us to live long and healthy lives. When we’re in trouble, we’ll call our doctor, lawyer or insurer rather than the rabbi.
To be honest though, I welcome these challenges. If people are asking questions, it means that they perceive a tension between the Judaism they grew up with and the life they now lead. And that tension is good. It can be explored because it reveals an expectation that our traditions should be meaningful and relevant. The issue is then how best to respond to tough questions.
My approach is to try to avoid confirmation bias and to answer in good faith. Questioners deserve decent responses, so I raid our rabbinic texts for novel interpretations that breathe new life and meaning into Judaism. This is the angle I take in my new book, Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt. Darwinian evolution aligns with Genesis; The Flood was a regional phenomenon; being the Chosen People is a responsibility rather than an elitist snobbery; relating to God is a quest not a creed; and faith is more about affiliation than affirmation.
Shimon ben Azzai was a second century rabbinic scholar, who would walk up and down the bustling market in Tiberius declaring, “I welcome anyone asking about the Torah and I’m ready to respond”. He typified the positive attitude of our sagest of questions. They wanted to discuss what we believe and practice. They relished challenges, not just to help the inquirer but because the process invariably deepened their own understanding. Rabbi Chanina, who lived a century before ben Azzai, used to say: “I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned most of all.”
This is why I wrote the book. Investigating challenging questions uncovered fresh readings and insights. The journey has led me from a defence of my faith to a reassessment of Judaism for the modern age. Catch me after kiddush, or find another way to contact me, and I’ll tell you all about it.
By Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum
Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt (Toby Press Ltd, 2024) is out now. korenpub.com
Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum is dean of the London School of Jewish Studies, where he holds the Rabbi Sacks Chair of Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family. See him speak at our free Judaism in an Age of Doubt online event on Thursday 23 May.