As the days of Chanukah draw near, we are stirred to a profound reflection on the essential nature of our enduring dispute with chachmas Yavan—Greek wisdom. This conflict, which continues to affect us to this day, is fundamental and deeply rooted, impacting the entire structure of our lives throughout the year. Yet it is precisely during these days that we are moved strongly to re-examine the values and principles at the heart of our disagreement with Yavan, and to grasp its profound significance for us.
The Shared Goal, the Divergent Paths
Our holy Torah seeks to build komas ha’adam—the stature of man. The Torah and its mitzvos are entirely directed toward fashioning komas ha’adam and developing his personality. The Greek philosophers, too, aspired to shape komas ha’adam; one of their sages is said to have walked by day holding a lantern, declaring that he was searching for a man. It is at this very point that the fundamental dispute arises: How is komas ha’adam to be built?
Our dispute with Yavan is described in the sefarim as a clash between the chachmah of Torah and chachmas Yavan. Ostensibly the desire of both is the same—to build man—yet the wisdoms differ. Wisdom is the path, the approach to understanding and realizing the desired goal, and our disagreement with Yavan concerns the proper way to achieve it.
Greek Wisdom: Man is Built by Society
The Greek philosophers held that the shaping of man is accomplished by constructing a functioning and organized society. To this end they invested greatly in social structures—fashioning culture, authoring books, and emphasizing the importance of a cohesive communal framework—all in order to transform man into a thoroughly social and communal being.
Torah’s Counter-Vision: Bechirah and Torah Dilei
The holy Torah, however, disputes this approach at its very root. It maintains that the entire edifice of man is founded upon his possession of bechirah—free will—and upon his ability to act with full autonomy. To such an extent that Rav Yisrael Salanter, in Ohr Yisrael (Michtav 30), expressed wonder at Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel: How could an entire group think identically and not possess individual opinions? He answered that lofty forces beyond the intellect were at work. From his words we learn that it is man’s personal bechirah that builds his stature from beginning to end, whereas conducting oneself solely according to communal norms often suppresses personal choice and disregards it entirely.
When we delve deeper, we see that the ‘period of the zugos’ which began at that time was itself a consequence of this battle. For on Chanukah it was revealed that the individual possesses “Torah dilei”—his own Torah; he has a personal place in the progression of chachmah, and his opinions and perspectives are significant. This stands in direct contradistinction to chachmas Yavan, which sought to shape a society in which the collective is paramount and individual, personal opinion is eclipsed.
Where Is Our Own Torah Dilei Today?
Our perspective and individuality must find expression across the broadest spheres of avodas Hashem. We must not imagine that our independence is expressed only in overcoming the yetzer hara or in chiddushim within narrowly defined areas. We are therefore obliged to examine ourselves honestly: Where is our own Torah dilei? After all, society occupies the very center of our lives today. The Mashgiach, Rav Volbe zt”l, once remarked that he found it difficult to distinguish between people, for everyone looked the same and thought the same thing—yet this is precisely what we fought against in chachmas Yavan, and it is a battle we must continue to wage to this very day.
Chalilah that we should think the Torah’s demand to build an independent and individual person grants license for hefkerus or unrestrained freedom of action. It goes without saying that we remain fully obligated to the laws of the Torah, and we need society as well. Yet all of these are intended to build an individual and personal human being. How, then, are we built through them?
Engagement, Not Mere Conformity: Lessons from the Chayei Adam
The Chayei Adam was a mechutan of the Gra’s family and regarded the Gra as his rebbe, yet at times he disagreed with him and ruled differently. Some wondered at this, but in the second introduction to his sefer the Chayei Adam explained that true kavod haTorah lies in engaging with Torah; the honor consists in wrestling with the Rebbe’s words. There is no contradiction whatsoever in disagreement, after genuine shakla v’tarya and deep engagement with the Rebbe’s words. From his words we learn that a person is built through his engagement with Torah and mitzvos, while bringing his own personal and individual perspective to bear. Merely quoting halachos does not enable a person to grow.
It may be that in our generation we are too small to rule definitively against the Rav, but we must know that the primary building of man occurs through avodah and engagement with divrei Torah—with the Rav’s words—together with one’s own personal and individual perspective. This must be our approach to society as well: we absolutely need it, and we are even obligated to it. Yet our building does not come through its shaping us or, chalilah, nullifying us—as the Greek philosophers would have it—but rather through our personal bechirah and active engagement with it.