Because I Say So

According to many Rabbis and Talmudic Scholars there are a couple commandments in the Bible that are beyond our comprehension and which we will never understand, yet which we are still commanded to keep.

So too, some religious people teach children that they must listen to their Rabbis and/or parents, regardless of whether or not they understand why. They are of the opinion that children should be taught to accept when a Rabbi or parent tells them “Because I Say So” merely on that merit alone, no questions asked.

I disagree for multiple reasons.

What bothers me most, are the false impressions that such a philosophy can lead to.
The false impression that Judaism doesn’t encourage questions.
That there aren’t deep reasons for the commandments which we can and should learn about. 
That you can’t question authority.
That you must follow blindly, etc. 

Basically, such a philosophy can give off the impression that Judaism is an irrational, illogical, radical cult, that only survives through forced suppression of free thinking and logical analysis.

This could not be further from the truth of what Judaism is meant to be, and yet I sadly see it getting closer and closer to what Judaism is becoming.

(Perhaps a Biblical example of how detrimental such a philosophy can be is found in Jeremiah 44,17.)

Even if I were to put my personal issues aside, can this be a Biblical or Jewish viewpoint?

Such a view was clearly not held by the patriarch Avraham, nor by any convert EVER!! For if Avraham had listened to his father without questioning, we would all still be serving idols.

Do we only praise Avraham for his conclusions and yet secretly disagree with his methods? Clearly it’s not that simple.
To just pull out one tiny strata of information from the Bible and use it to draw conclusions doesn’t seem like the best idea.

I’m not saying that we need to understand everything in order to listen to God.
I’m just trying to tell whoever is reading this article that “You’re NOT God”.

In general, if you are trying to find a justification for your actions, you will always be able to do so. As the Talmud teaches us:

“If a person says ‘I have labored and I have successfully found’, believe him.” (Megilla 6b)

One must employ a true Talmudic method of learning though, if they are seeking truth. They must look to disprove their own theories, and then seek to reconcile seeming contradictions by rethinking what they know, re-examining what they found, and developing new theories and distinctions. Only then can we fit each piece into its appropriate place, and hope to finally see the big picture. 

May God help us seek in truth and uncover the wisdom of His Torah!