Rebbe Nachman of Breslov cautioned people against studying secular and even Jewish philosophy. How could knowledge be harmful? Isn’t more information always better? Rebbe Nachman explains that when philosophy poses unanswerable questions (sometimes along with weak, flawed “answers”) it erodes emunah (faith.) Ultimately, Torah and traditional Jewish wisdom touches on every subject under the sun, but when the faithless give credence to ideas that can best be described as black holes of thought, atheism, hopelessness, and nihilism can take root. Chaya Rivka Z. explains.
Breslov: The Danger of Philosophy (How Can Knowledge Be Harmful?)
written by Chaya Rivka Zwolinski
Chaya Rivka Zwolinski
Chaya Rivka in her own words: What do we want? To feel less pain and more optimism. To be happy and lead meaningful lives. This all requires healthy relationships. If we learn, share, and live his teachings, Rebbe Nachman gives us real, practical tools to improve all our relationships—with Hashem, with ourselves, and with each other. Chaya Rivka Zwolinski “discovered” Rebbe Nachman decades ago and credits his profound wisdom with helping her develop her life path. She loves sharing Breslov teachings with women in her classes and workshops, so they too, can benefit from these exciting, life-changing ideas. Chaya Rivka has written books (Therapy Revolution-HCI, The Parent-Child Dance-Feldheim, and otehrs) writes articles for Breslov.org, BreslovWoman.org, PsychCentral.com, HealthyJewishCooking.com, and numerous other publications; is a consultant to Breslov Research Institute and director of BRI Women it's women's program; and is the director of curriculum and program marketing at BreslovCampus.org. She leads tours for women to Uman with the BRI Uman Experience, and speaks in a variety of venues. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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