How is a person meant to develop the skills and proclivities they’ve identified as their unique package, allowing them to contribute to the “Mishkan” of this world like those craftsmen whose hearts lifted them up to build the actual Mishkan?

Many of them, such as future doctors, engineers, psychologists and social workers, will need to attend college to learn the necessary material as well as receive necessary certification. This reality raises two separate questions: What perspective are we meant to take on the importance and relevance of what is often termed “secular studies?” Additionally, are there other areas of knowledge that a person should invest time in, or should he focus narrowly on his particular area of study?

Chochmah BaGoyim, Taamin¹

It is clear from a number of sources that Chazal appreciated the reality that knowledge of Hashem’s world is an asset to avodas Hashem. This does not take away from the primacy and overarching importance of talmud Torah; rather, it asserts that there are areas of knowledge that are able to enhance either our narrow talmud Torah or more broadly, our avodas Hashem.

• The most famous source is likely the well-known Midrash Eichah Rabbasi: “If one tells you that there is chochmah ba’goyim, wisdom among the nations of the world, taamin — believe them. But if they tell you that there is Torah ba’goyim, that the nations of the world should be the sources of ethico-moral guidance, al taamin — do not believe them.”
• Chazal instituted a bracha on a non-Jewish sage: “One who sees a Jewish sage recites: ‘Blessed… who distributed His wisdom to those who fear Him.’ [One who sees] a non-Jewish sage recites, ‘Blessed… who gave His wisdom to flesh and blood’ (Berachos 58a).

This orientation is eminently reasonable and simple to understand. Hashem created an orderly but complex world and left it to us to figure out. It would be impossible for us to make any real progress in “conquering the world” and taking advantage of the resources it has to offer without developing our awareness of how the world works.

There are a number of possible benefits to this exploration:

• Pesak Halacha: It is often impossible to decide questions in Halacha, especially those pertaining to modern technology, without a thorough understanding of the science involved. For example, it is well known that Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach did significant research into electricity before writing his groundbreaking sefer on the topic. Most recently, during the coronavirus epidemic, piskei halacha evolved as medical professionals learned more about how the virus operated and spread.
• Understanding Torah: A number of areas of Torah are enhanced, and sometimes only properly understood, with an understanding of the worldly knowledge involved. Rav Aharon Lichtenstein provided this list: “Consider simply the aid we derive, by elucidation or comparison, from linguistics in Amos, history in Melakhim, agronomy in Zera’im, physiology in Niddah, chemistry in Hometz u-Matzah, philosophy in Yesodei Ha-Torah, psychology in Avodah Zarah, political theory in Sanhedrin, torts in Bava Batra — one could continue almost indefinitely…If pursuing such knowledge is not talmud Torah, it is, at the very least, hechsher talmud Torah.”²
• Applying Torah to Life: A proper understanding of many different disciplines is useful or necessary in order to apply Torah and halacha to modern realities. For example, the Tzomet Institute uses technology to invent solutions to challenges posed by Hilchos Shabbos, from the Shabbat Pen and Shabbat Phone to the Shabbat Scooter.
• Developing a Relationship With the Borei Olam: The Rambam (Yesodei HaTorah 2:2) writes that a relationship with Hashem is predicated on learning about the world that He created:

And what is the path to love and fear Him? When a person will reflect on His incredible and wonderful actions and creations, and see His unlimited wisdom reflected in them, he will immediately come to love, praise, and glorify, and he will desire greatly to know His great name… And when he thinks about these things themselves, he is immediately thrown back in fear/awe… And for this reason, I will explain principles in Hashem’s creation to allow an opening for one with understanding to come to love Hashem.

The Rambam proceeds to describe his understanding of Hashem’s world — for three perakim, a bit less than a third of Yesodei HaTorah!

• Developing the World: Even apart from a specific connection to Torah, there is still tremendous value in a proper understanding of different worldly subjects needed to make meaningful contributions to people’s lives and the development of the world (think: finding a cure for cancer). While there is no clear area of Torah or mitzvah enhanced by these pursuits,³ it is a clear fulfillment of the Torah’s orientation towards gemilus chasadim and allows for the fulfillment of the call of l’ovdah.
• Navigating Life: Finally, beyond exploring chochma for the sake of a profession, there are certain areas which are helpful for anyone to know to help navigate the challenges of life. The basics of developmental psychology are helpful for all parents; rudimentary psychology can open doors in self-awareness and self-development, as well as contribute to understanding other people; the fundamentals of economics and personal finance are often needed for people to manage their money responsibly.

Thus, we have six areas, both of Torah and life, that are enhanced by an exposure to different subjects of worldly knowledge. A proper understanding and application of Torah, a deep relationship with Hashem, and the ability to impact and navigate the world in both a strictly halachic, and also broadly religious, sense often relies on a grasp of the relevant areas of chochmah ba’goyim.

Tzvi Goldstein graduated from Yeshiva University with semicha and a degree in Psychology. After making aliyah, he taught in Yeshivat Hakotel for five years and now edits sefarim for a number of publishers. He recently published a sefer with Mosaica Press called Halachic Worldviews, exploring Rav Soloveitchik’s approach to developing hashkafa from halacha, and writes at tgb613.substack.com. You can reach him at [email protected].

1 For a fuller presentation of many of the issues in this section, see Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Leaves of Faith Vol. I, chaps. 4 and 5: A Consideration of Synthesis from a Torah Point of View and The End of Learning.

2 A Consideration of Synthesis from a Torah Point of View, 93.

3 The most obvious ones would be lasheves yetzarah, v’rapo yerapei, v’hasheivoso lo, and l’hidamos laHashem as a Keil rachum v’chanun.