What is Emunas Chachamim?

Originally published in July of 2007 - and, if I may say so, you can tell it was written then because my style of writing has changed quite a bit. 

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Artwork: Cryptic Command, by Jason Rainville

What is Emunas Chachamim?

The Baraisa in Avos 6:6 lists the 48 qualities through which the Torah is acquired. #23 is emunas chachamim – usually translated as “faith in the Sages.” We must answer two questions: (1) What is the definition of emunas chachamim? and (2) What makes emunas chachamim essential to the acquisition of Torah?

At first glance one might think that emunas chachamim refers to blind faith in the words of the Sages - that we must believe what the Sages say, despite what our minds tell us. This notion of emunas chachamim is incorrect for a simple reason: it is impossible to have blind faith in the words of the Sages. Why? Because whenever we are faced with the words of the Sages we must answer the question: "How do I know what the Sages mean?" In order to have blind faith in a statement of the Sages, you must have some understanding of what that statement means, and that understanding must ultimately come from your own mind. Even you depend on your teacher's interpretation, you must still rely on your own understanding of what your teacher said. 

Rather, emunas chachamim is the conviction that the Sages are chachamim – that they reached the highest levels of abstract thinking and intellectual perfection; that they did not make casual statements, but only spoke or wrote after due contemplation and deliberation; that their ideas are not expressions of personal taste, psychological biases, or cultural trends, but are the products of rigorous intellectual analysis; that their words contain deep concepts and cannot be grasped through a superficial reading, but only after much thought, effort, and training; that they were humble, intellectually honest, and would never say or write anything for egotistical or self-indulgent reasons; that they were aware of the facts in front of them as well as the other conceptual possibilities, and nevertheless concluded as they did because they had a conviction in the mind's ability to grasp the truth. A person who learns the words of the Sages with these assumptions has emunas chachamim. [1]

Does this idea of emunas chachamim imply the Sages were always correct? No. The Sages were human, and even the greatest humans occasionally make mistakes. But this idea of emunas chachamim demands that if we see what appears to be a mistake or a nonsensical statement in the words of the Sages, there is a high probability that it is due to a deficiency in our own minds rather than in theirs. In such a scenario, we should think into their words with all of our resources to come up with a rational explanation. If we are correct, wonderful; if we are incorrect, then at least we will end up with a good idea, even if it wasn't want the Sages intended.

Does this idea of emunas chachamim mean that we cannot form our own opinion, siding with one Sage over the other? No. It is natural for the mind to favor one position over the other. But we should be intellectually honest and ask ourselves, "Do I favor this position because it appeals to my intellectual intuition, or because it appeals to my emotions?" Even if we are fairly certain that we are being drawn by our intellectual intuition, we must knowing how much weight to attribute to it - based on our years and experience in learning - and we should know when it is appropriate to suspend judgment until we reach the position where we are truly able to judge.

Does this in any way relieve us of the task (and burden) of thinking with our own minds? No. If anything, emunas chachamim forces us to work harder - to go beyond our first impressions, gut interpretations, and intellectual and emotional prejudices, and to learn from the words of the Sages themselves, rather than using the words of the Sages as a platform to say our own ideas and confirm our preconceived notions.

By now it should be clear why emunas chachamim is essential to the acquisition of Torah. A person who lacks this type of emunas chachamim will never advance beyond his own, limited way of thinking, and will miss out on the opportunities we have to learn from the greatest intellects who have walked the earth.

Emunas chachamim not only enables us to gain from the ideas of the Sages, but by subordinating our untrained and underdeveloped minds to their superior intuition - all while continuing to think critically and independently - we are sure to improve and perfect our intellectual faculties as well.

[1] Some might find it ironic that the source of this definition of emunas chachamim is my own mind. I've looked and looked in many places, and although I've seen glimmers of it in the works of the Rishonim (Ibn Ezra on Shemos 20:1, the Rambam in the Peirush ha'Mishnayos: Introduction to Perek Cheilek when he talks about the "3rd group" and also at the very end, and several other places), I have yet to see anyone explicitly state a solid definition of emunas chachamim. If anyone has any sources which talk about emunas chachamim, please share!