Q&A: Is there proof of HaShem without any emuna [faith]?

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Q: I learned that our world is entirely the work of the Creator, and that it is impossible to believe that even one little part of it was formed by chance – but this is all based on emuna* [faith]. My question is, can a person come to understand that G-d exists without even a drop of emuna?

Natan Alterman

[Answered by Rav Yitzhak Greenblatt, https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/]

A: Several years ago, the famous Israeli poet Natan Alterman wrote a fascinating poem called The Little Cleric. He writes there about the naturalness of emuna – even, or especially, for one in the situation you describe.[1]

This touches on a very profound point that Rav Kook wrote about. He wrote that emuna is something natural and inner to a human, and nothing need be done in order to bring it about. Only when a person grows up in an unhealthy manner, with all sorts of blocks and difficulties, then he must gather the strength to return to his emuna. And the tools he will need for this are his intellect and emotions.

But it is important to know that emuna stems neither from emotion nor from the intellect; emuna is rather something internal.

I therefore won't get into questions about those with no background or fundamental knowledge, for there is no one like that; ever single person has these fundamentals, these abilities, these deep points of emuna - and therefore if we listen to the internal voice within us, without outside influences, we attain emuna in the most natural manner.

But this discussion is a bit philosophical, and the real point is: Where is the person at? Is he or she willing to enter into a real clarification of the matter, with all that that entails? It is important, in such situations, to make the inner clarification.

*For a definition of what emuna really means ("faith" is a poor translation), see this previous Q&A post.

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[1] The poem is about a boy indoctrinated in the ideology of Marxism, but insists on asking his parents, “Who is it that sits in the light-filled heavens / Who causes the dew to fall?" / And other questions like these / Of the people of the black century,” and finally wants to know “if there is a God.” His alarmed parents seek advice on how to “protect our child from unwelcome influences,” but “There was a friend, wise and logical / And he said without thinking twice: / To make sure of that, you must first of all / Hide from his eyes the heavens and earth.”