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August 25, 2017

For Moses Mendelssohn, Miracles Could Not Prove God’s Existence

Reason, revelation, and tolerance.

A major debate among medieval rabbis concerns the question of whether the Torah commands belief in God. To many, the opening words of the Ten Commandments, “I am the Lord your God . . . ,” constitute just such an injunction; to others, these are simply a preamble. The 18th-century Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn favored the latter view. Drawing on both Mendelssohn’s primary treatise on Judaism, Jerusalem, and on his less-studied commentary on the Torah, Judah Kerbel explains how this opinion reflects his interpretation of revelation itself:

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August 25, 2017

  1. Radical Islam Must Be Fought on the Cultural as Well as the Military Front

    Let us now praise Muslim apostates.

  2. Will Turkey Join the Russia-Iran Axis?

    The three countries share a common interest in opposing the U.S. and its regional allies.

  3. What a Chinese Naval Base on the Red Sea Means for the Middle East

    A declaration of intentions.

  4. A New St. Louis Ordinance Is an Attack on Religious Liberty

    Catholic leaders could be fined for firing a rogue priest who impregnated a woman and then paid for her to secure an abortion.

  5. For Moses Mendelssohn, Miracles Could Not Prove God’s Existence

    Reason, revelation, and tolerance.