Philtrum of the Angels
There are those in the so-called Orthodox community who unfortunately think that the holy stories in our Talmud need not be taken literally. Who are uncomfortable with the holy traditions of our forefathers.
Fortunately, Rabbi Weinberg, the Rosh Yeshiva of Aish HaTorah (the Orthodox Union’s partner) is not one to let apologetics stand in the way of a literal understanding of medrashim.
According to the Talmud, before we were born, when we were safely ensconced in the comfort of the womb, we all had access to the ultimate search engine. God dispatches a personal angel to each and every utero, and this angel sits beside each and every one of us, and actually teaches us all the wisdom we will ever need to know on this planet. Everything. And then…just before we are born…the angel gives a little “tap� between the nose and upper lip and everything he taught is immediately forgotten. This is how all human beings receive this small indentation in the skin beneath the nose, anatomically known as the “philtrum.�
But does Rabbi Weinberg really advocate taking this story literally? I mean, he wouldn’t get all heavy handed in order to push this one through, would he? He wouldn’t resort to the ole “If you believe in God, then there is no problem believing in anything that counters basic science,� like say, the fact that the “philtrum� does not suddenly appear three seconds prior to birth. Not the Orthodox Union’s partner in kiruv chief!
“Proving the existence of angels is not an easy chore, nor is it the purpose of this book. However, if we believe in God (and four out of five people say they believe in some kind of deity), trusting that He would have some kind of deity), trusting that He would have some kind of ministering work-corps is certainly not very far removed.�
Charedism believes the Talmud to be both literal and infallible. It may not always be proven logically, but it is a very logical extension. No holes here, rabosai!
This is who the Orthodox Union is partnering with. Fundamentalists who insist that it is completely reasonable to believe that humans have a “philtrum� because of an angel’s “tap,� which all humans receive “just before we are born.�
4 comments
Reading that made my philtrum twitch.
Seriously, Kvetcher, why the hard-on for Aish? You seem a little, uh, obsessed.
Ok, so something is not reading right. Your post doesn’t flow, or something… Medrashim are not usually literall - as you know, they’re used to carve out some type of lesson or deeper understanding into the minds of the biblical “charachters”.
You write, “Charedism believes the Talmud to be both literal and infallible.” Umm, no, not true. Infallible yes, but literal, not always. There are hundreds of medrashim through the talmud, and they certainly are not all taken literally.
The rabbi mentioned is not saying, “then there is no problem believing in anything that counters basic science.” He writes that “trusting that He would have some kind of ministering work-corps is certainly not very far removed.” This is not pushy at all. He is making the suggestion that there may be a correlation and a possibility that if one believes in Hashem it may not be so hard to believe in angels.
There is no mandatory belief in angels in the torah, just a beleif in G-d.
I think you are joshing up his words a bit, Kelsey. Just relax some, huh?
TM,
My problem is that Aish is gaining tremendous ground (on campus), and with partners such as the OU, an organization that should not be willing to work with them, since Aish odes not approve of the Modern Orthodox at all. People do not seem to appreciate how charedi Aish really is, and how fundamentalist. Their continued unchallenged growth is alarming to me.
Illana B,
It is clear from his writing that Rabbi Weinberg prefers we believe in angels tapping us right before we are born and that this is truly somehow connected to our having a philtrum. Maybe medraishim aren’t taken literally by all charedim, but this appears to be taken literally by the Rosh Yeshiva of Aish HaTorah.
You have an opportunity to contribute to this discussion:
http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=1127
Leave a Comment