The Sorites Paradox and the Limits of Human Reason in Matters of Faith

There are those who complicate their lives with unnecessary questions that common sense can’t answer, and that only entangle them for no reason. Some struggle with difficult inquiries about the purpose of suffering, reincarnation, philosophical paradoxes, or complex matters of faith, and end up confused. But our holy Torah provides the Jew with a straight and true guide for life: “Be wholehearted with the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 18:13)

King Solomon offers clear advice: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

Intellect is a wonderful tool, but excessive reliance on human reasoning can mislead and cause a person to go astray: “God made man upright, but they have sought out many calculations” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).

Faith Is Simple – Understanding God Is Beyond Us

Recognizing that the world has a Creator is something even a small child can grasp. However, trying to fully understand God and His ways is beyond our capacity in this world.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov told a famous parable, “The Clever Man and the Simple Man” which tells of a wise man who, through excessive analysis and speculation, begins to doubt the existence of the king of his land. Using clever arguments, he convinces others to deny the king and accuses the royal ministers of inventing him. In the end, this “wise” man is brought to trial, and is saved from death only thanks to his childhood friend — a simple man who lived all his life with simple, honest thinking.

Everything in life is good in moderation. Eat in moderation, and you will be healthy; overeat, and you will harm yourself. Intellect is good within limits, but it can be harmful when it tries to cross its boundaries.

The Sorites Paradox – When Thinking Goes Too Far

To illustrate, let’s examine one of the most famous paradoxes: the Sorites Paradox, also referred to as the Paradox of the Heap.
It asks: If you have one grain of sand, it’s not a heap. Add another grain, it’s still not a heap. Continue adding grains, one by one — at what point does it become a heap? If there’s no single grain that “creates” a heap, the paradox concludes that heaps don’t exist!

Of course, that’s nonsense. The paradox doesn’t disprove reality; it only plays with language and definitions. The flaw is in presenting only two options — “no heap” or “heap.” In real life, there’s a middle ground, a stage where we’re uncertain, a “possible heap.” Over time, the accumulation of many grains undeniably forms what we all recognize as a heap.

The Lesson for Faith

The heap paradox illustrates how overthinking can distort reality. Likewise, some try to use abstract philosophical arguments to “disprove” God, but these are merely linguistic traps, not actual evidence. Reality remains true whether or not our words can capture it. Just as heaps of sand exist regardless of this paradox, so too does God’s existence remain unchanged, no matter how clever the argument against Him sounds.

The warning is: “Do not rely on your own understanding.” Reason has boundaries. Over-philosophizing often leads to self-deception and illusion.

A Little Joke

A philosopher applied for a job at a university, asking for a salary of 10,000 dollars.

They asked: “Would you settle for 9,999 dollars?”
“Yes,” he said, “no big deal for one dollar less.”

“Would you settle for 9,998?”
Again — “Yes.”

They continued, lowering the amount dollar by dollar, until at last he agreed to work for free.

Indeed, following logic without limits can talk you right out of common sense.