DEUT874 If this subject [the duties of the heart] were something that you could not fathom intellectually, such as the reasons for the commandments which have their origin in revelation alone, then you would have good reason not to investigate the subject. Or if you were too limited and slow of mind to understand the subject, you would not be punished for negligence. Rather, you would then be like the women and children, who accept what they receive from tradition. If, however, you possess intelligence and insight, and through these [faculties] you are capable of verifying the fundamentals of the religion and the foundations of the commandments which you have received from the Sages in the name of the prophets, and then it is your duty to use these [faculties] until you understand the subject, so that you are certain of it-- both by tradition and by force of reasoning. If you disregard and neglect this duty, you fall short in the fulfillment of what you owe your Creator. This can be demonstrated in two ways. First, from the verse: (Devarim 17:8, 10). When you look at the cases cited in the first verse, you will find that they are of the type that must be broken down to its details, categorized, and analyzed in the method of tradition, not by logical demonstration. Notice that, among the cases cited, no mention is made of any matter that could have been discovered by way of the intellect. The verse does not say: If you have questions on the subject of God's unity, about His Names and attributes, or on any of the fundamentals of the religion-- such as the service of God, trust in Him, humility before Him, devoting to Him all that one does, refining good deeds from any detrimental defects, turning from sin, fear of God, love of God, diffidence before Him, self- accounting which is purely motivated, and similar matters which one can discover through the intellect-- then simply accept them on the authority of the Torah Sages, the bearers of tradition, and rely exclusively on their tradition. Rather, [Scripture] says that you should reflect in your own mind and use your intellect in these matters. First learn them from tradition-- which covers all the commandments in the Torah, their principles and details-- and then examine them with your mind, understanding, and judgment, until the truth becomes clear to you, and falsehood rejected, as it is written: Hashem is the God in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is no other” (ibid. 4:39). This [is an obligation of which] applies [not only to knowledge of the subject of God's unity but] to everything that can be verified by the intellect, as our Masters have stated: “If anything was included in a general statement, and was then specified in order to teach [something], it was specified not to teach about itself but to teach about everything included in the general statement” (Yevamos 7a). Knowledge of the subject of God's unity is but one example of the class of things which can be understood by way of the intellect. Whatever is obligatory in its regard is obligatory in regard to the entire class. (Continued at [[DEUT1681]] Deuteronomy 10:7 ask DUTIES 29-31).
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