Why Don't All the Wise People in the World Repent?

Evyatar asks:

"Hello. As an adult, I've studied the many proofs of the truth of Judaism and it significantly strengthened my faith. I chose to live devotedly to our belief, but I struggle to understand why all the non-Jews are not convinced by such clear proofs? Moreover, among them are wise individuals who justify their own beliefs. How can there be wise people and researchers who do not recognize the falseness of their own faiths? For instance, I once read in the works of a non-Jew called Stephen Covey who showed great wisdom in topics such as business success, yet he chose to join a strange Christian sect in America. In short, how is it possible that millions of people, including wise ones, do not see their error?"

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Hello Evyatar, and thank you for your question.

Firstly, it should be clarified that most wise people in the world have certainly reached the fundamental belief that there is one spiritual Creator of the world. Among them are great philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, as well as great scientists like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. However, most stopped there as their investigations did not pursue understanding the divine will further, and were satisfied with a general acknowledgment of His existence.

The people of Israel merited divine revelation and the giving of the Torah because they said "We will do and we will listen," and were prepared to accept the guidance of the Torah in practical life. Judaism demands the most practical commandments because its goal is to shape and impact the Jewish person, bringing them to spiritual perfection and increasing their eternal reward in the world to come. However, most non-Jews are not interested in changing their lifestyle and would not want to take upon themselves the yoke of Torah and commandments. Judaism considers non-Jews, and therefore, they are commanded to keep only the seven Noahide laws, so that even the wise among them who recognize the truth of the Torah can remain non-Jews, as they are not obligated to convert. The choice of Judaism is one of a person seeking Hashem (although there are truth seekers in the world who are unaware because their family or teachers never gave them even the slightest indication where to learn and discover, and only through divine grace might they come to grasp the truth, whether a little or a lot).

You ask why wisdom does not compel all wise people to reach the same conclusion. However, regarding this question, two preliminary questions must be asked:

1. Are all the wise people in the world genuinely seeking the divine will?
2. And those wise who investigated, were they honest in their search for the truth?

The truth is revealed only through a winning combination of honesty + wisdom, but unfortunately, there is no necessary connection between them. Just as there might be honest people who are not particularly wise, there are also wise people who are not honest in their studies. Wisdom alone is not a guarantee of finding truth.

And we shall begin with the question, how many wise people are truly seeking the divine will? King David lamented: "Hashem looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that understand and seek Hashem." (Psalms 14:2).

Most people are not interested in searching for truth, and this is the most unfortunate truth. Even among the researchers, I have found individuals only interested in their professional field and nothing beyond. For example, when I spoke with physicists, I did not find them interested in proofs or refutations of the theory of evolution, and when I spoke with biologists, I did not find them interested in the topic of the creation of the world and the origin of the universe. I discovered that a physicist is mainly interested in physics, and a biologist in biology, and neither generally has an interest in archaeology, nor in religions, nor even in proofs of the soul's existence and life's meaning that concern us all.

I was particularly surprised by conversations with scientists who agreed on the conclusion that there is a creator of the world, but then showed no interest in researching the meaning of life or the truths of the Torah. These topics did not interest them at all, and I felt they were talking with me about the existence of a creator as one would speak about music or painting... Of course, I do not intend to generalize, but this is the reality I encountered in most cases.

Thus the Sages said: "In the way a person wants to go, they lead him" (Makkot 10b), "He who comes to defile himself, they open for him; he who comes to purify himself, they assist him" (Shabbat 104a). Every wise person finds what they seek, so only a truth seeker will merit finding the truth.

Even Einstein, with all his wisdom, did not investigate Judaism or show interest in religions, but only in physics. And that is exactly what he achieved - knowledge in physics. Had he invested his efforts in seeking the divine will, he surely would have achieved understanding of the divine will. For every person attains what they seek after.

Even Stephen Covey, whom you mentioned, did not focus on the search for the existence of a creator or the true religion, and all his interest was in business and success and external impressions. He who seeks materialism will find materialism, and he who seeks truth will find truth. Stephen Covey was satisfied with a "spiritual" cult he encountered that appealed to his emotions, but he had no concern for an authentic inquiry into religions. Had he investigated seriously, he would have easily concluded that only a fool believes every word.

It can be difficult to understand how a wise person can fail to recognize the truth, but to comprehend this, we must delve into the meaning of wisdom.

To understand the matter, let us ask a key question: Is science a good thing or a bad thing?

On one hand, Nazi scientists used science to kill 6 million Jews in gas chambers in an exceptionally calculated manner; other scientists built nuclear bombs capable of destroying the entire world; many industries have used science to achieve profits at the expense of polluting the Earth. But on the other hand, other scientists use science to find cures for harmful diseases, to increase crops, and to better understand nature. Does this mean that science is a good thing or a bad thing?

The true answer is: science is neither good nor bad. Science is merely a tool. In good hands, science will be a helpful and good tool for humanity, and in evil hands, science will be a harmful and dangerous tool for humanity.

So is wisdom.

In the hands of a good and honest wise person, wisdom will achieve truth, and thus it will bring benefit, justice, and morality to humanity.

But in the hands of an evil or even biased wise person, wisdom will justify lies and moral wrongs and promote harmful selfishness among people.

Learn, therefore, that finding the truth depends more on honesty than on wisdom. The fact that there are wise people in every nation, and every wise person contradicts the words of another wise person, is itself proof that wisdom alone cannot prove where the truth lies, for there is one resource that is rare, precious, and much more necessary for finding the truth than wisdom - and that is honesty.

Suppose there were two judges in a court. One judge is impressively wise, a genius, and the other is average in wisdom.

But there is one difference between the two judges: the genius judge has been bribed by the accused. The average judge, on the other hand, is perfectly honest and would never agree to take a bribe. Who do you think is more likely to arrive at the truth in judgment?

Everyone will unanimously agree: the average judge is more likely to reach the truth than the genius judge.

And here it should be said that not only will the genius judge's wisdom not work in his favor, but on the contrary: the genius will use all his wisdom to justify the accused with clever evidence and will bring justifications and evidence in his intricate way to deceive and justify to himself even the bribe he took.

Therefore, in the search for truth, it is better to be honest, for even a straightforward child can state: "The emperor has no clothes!"

A similar difference exists between a lawyer and a judge:

Every lawyer tries to justify his client, and therefore he can skew evidence and highlight the data that justifies his client who pays him. The judge, however, must adjudicate judgment without receiving favors from anyone.

Every person must check with themselves, are they a lawyer or a judge?

People who make light of and ridicule the sacred Torah use demagoguery, thereby proving themselves to be lawyers. As our sages said: "One mockery pushes aside a hundred rebukes" (Mesilat Yesharim, Chapter 5).

Wisdom is merely a tool for the investigator's use, but the internal motivation determines the quality of the investigation and the honesty of its conclusions.

Most of the wise people I met in my life were individuals whose honor, comfort, careers, and social status were more important to them than the search for truth, and they preferred rationalizations and philosophies to justify their preferred way of life. Bribery swayed their hearts, as it is said: "Bribery blinds the eyes of the wise" (Deuteronomy 16:19).

Of course, no wise person will testify about themselves that they are not honest, but it is enough to see who goes with straightforward and simple logic, and who "philosophizes" with justifications to justify their stance.

I believe that every honest person seeking truth merits finding the truth, as Hashem guides them towards Him. Nonetheless, most people in the world, even the wisest among them, do not seek the truth about life because they are comfortable in their current state. Every wise non-Jew justifies their comfortable viewpoint with sophisticated and clever rationalizations according to their wisdom, for wisdom is but a tool, just like science, which can be used for good or evil.

Despite all this, I believe that even if I were born to another nation, with straight logic, I would always reach Judaism. Because the two largest religions in the world are a cheap imitation of it. The Torah is what revealed monotheism to the world, and it is the only religion based on divine revelation to millions, so Judaism has no "competitors." Therefore, I believe any honest person will reach the same truth if they only seek it. The issue is that not everyone is honest with themselves, and most people are biased towards believing what is comfortable for them to believe in.

Millions believe in Christianity, and millions in Islam because it is convenient for them to believe in these religions. In the past, the entire world believed in idols and images because that was convenient in those times.

Better to have one Abraham our father in the world who genuinely seeks Hashem and achieves His truth through honesty, than a billion idol worshippers who live blindly according to their desires. The Midrash explains in allegory why Hashem revealed Himself to Abraham:

An analogy to a man traveling from place to place until he saw a light in one city. He said to himself, "Is it possible this city has no ruler?" The city's owner saw him and said, "I am the city owner." Similarly, Hashem turned to Abraham and said, "I am the world owner" (Genesis Rabbah 39:1). May we merit to be both wise and seekers of Hashem.