לזכות רפואת שרה לאה בת רבקה
There are four common, fundamental yet false and specious claims of the כופרים - deniers of Torah [so ubiquitous and loud in our interenet age].
1] Keeping Torah makes one depressed or neurotic.
2] Every religion claims that theirs is the true one so how do we know that we are right?
3] Scientific claims and hypotheses seem to contradict the Torah.
4] Biblical criticism which seems to undermine the faith in Torah min Hashomayim.
There are many ways to answer these question. Here is one approach [question by question].
1] I will introduce you to PLENTY of people who are FILLED WITH JOY as a result of their observance. When religious people have emotional disorders they are the source of the problem - not their religious observance. The Torah is the BEST guide for happiness and meaning.
2] Every religion may be true [!!] - partially. Meaning, that within all of the falsehood and [often times evil] there are also correct beliefs and practices. There is a spark of G-d in everything. Every other religion is on a lower level which meets the needs of it's practitioners who are also on a lower level. The only religion that is completely true is Judaism which is on the elevated level of the jewish people who accepted it.
Also - as is well known, every other religion is based on the claims of individuals whereas Torah is based on the experience of millions of people. Nobody in their right mind would even claim that millions of people experienced Divine revelation unless it actually happened. Otherwise, people would say - "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! I never saw what you claim I saw." Yet we never hear of the Jews denying Maamad Har Sinai [until the 19th century - with a few individual earlier exceptions].
3] Torah is not a science book so don't look for science in Torah. Look for science in science books. Torah is a moral code for a holy people. THAT can't be contradicted by science. Torah and science are two completely different disciplines. [Others try to reconcile Torah and science with the understanding that the Torah also teaches scientific truths.]
4] Let us for a moment grant the [often anti-semitic] bible critics that their claims have veracity and parts of the Torah were added on afterwards or that our text isn't completely accurate - we still have to keep the Torah. Why? Because we accepted the Torah as a nation and as an expression of loyalty to our nation there is a moral obligation to keep the Torah.
Since we have the Torah in its present form it is safest to assume that this is the Torah Hashem wants us to observe and learn.
After keeping the Torah and living a Torah lifestyle it will become eminently clear that the Torah is absolute truth and the Divine word of G-d and that all of the naysayers are fools.
Also, if we doubt what our tradition teaches us then we should logically doubt everything. How do we know our parents are really our parents?? So maybe we should stop honoring them? Maybe they lied and we are adopted?? We should also not ride a bus because maybe the driver is drunk or is a psychopathic killer and is planning to crash the bus? And maybe the food we are about to eat is laced with cyanide? Not trusting what we are told would destroy society.
We can't live our lives that way. When we are told something we have to believe it unless we have strong reson not to. So assume that your parents are your parents and that the bus company did a background check on the driver etc. etc.
Those are some answers in a small nutshell.
PLEASE READ [it is much better in the original]:
PLEASE READ [it is much better in the original]:
