The Problem with Faith "A thief, at the opening of the tunnel, calls to G-d", is the Talmud's colorful depiction of the problem with faith. The cynic would argue that the thief's faith in G-d is not authentic; after all, if the thief truly believed in G-d would he not refrain from stealing? Chassidic philosophy, however, explains that in truth, the thief's faith is genuine, yet faith alone is insufficient to affect authentic transformation of personality and behavior. That is why, immediately after the great revelation at Sinai, the Torah proceeds, in this week's portion, to introduce the "mishpatim", the logical civil laws of the Torah. The message the Torah conveys is that a revelation at Sinai is not enough to transform a person; but rather, in order to affect our character, we must seek to understand divine wisdom, and internalize the logic of Torah. But the story does not end there. After the detailed description of the logical laws of Torah, the narrative breaks the chronological order and returns to describe the events of the revelation at Sinai, indicating that rational exploration is, by definition, limited. Just as the eye can perceive only part of the spectrum of light, so can the mind grasp only a glimpse of the true reality. The human mind cannot grasp the infinity and essence of G-d. The pattern of the Torah's narrative, therefore, is revelation, logic, and revelation. The Torah begins by describing the foundation of our relationship with G-d, the revelation at Sinai, which, like faith, is beyond knowledge. The Torah then continues to describe the logical laws because we must proceed to explore our faith with logical analysis. We then go back to read about the revelation because the ultimate knowledge is the realization that the essence of G-d is beyond understanding. Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Lekutei Sichos 16 Mishpatim 1
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