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I'm looking for clear sources in gemara or in rishonim that indicate the learning secular studies is something that should be done lechatchila as opposed to perhaps a necessary evil. I've been told by a talmud of Rav Soloveitchik that he didn't like the Yeshiva University motto "Torah U'Mada" because he felt that mada was an integral part of torah. I'm basically asking if something like that exists in gemara or rishonim. (I know it may seem a bit picky, but I'm looking for a source which explicitly says that secular studies are equally important as other mitzvot) Thank you!!

Shmuel Koppel
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  • Thanks guys, but i couldn't find a hebrew text of the Avraham ben Rambam, and the mishna in Pirkei Avot isn't such a compelling argument, at least not compelling enough for me, and the other answers are not from gemara or rishonim. But thank you both for your suggestions. – Shmuel Koppel Jan 01 '20 at 16:20
  • Why are you looking for R Avraham b HaRambam in Hebrew? – Joel K Jan 01 '20 at 16:33
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    Shu"t Harashba 1:418 (to Rashba, not by Rashba) might be a good place to look (starting at the bottom of this page) – b a Jan 01 '20 at 18:16
  • How about from an Achron? Especially a surprise achron like Chassam Soffer? – user6591 Jan 01 '20 at 18:42
  • @user6591 what does the Chatam Sofer have to say on this issue? – Yaakov Pinchas Jan 01 '20 at 23:00
  • @Yaakov Pinchas Ever since the Torah was translated into Greek Jews got used to learning in secular language and lost touch with the secrets hidden in the lashon hakodesh. So the only way we can find the secrets in the Torah is by working backwards and reading secular works and trying to find their logic in the words of the Torah. He gave kidush hachodesh as an example. He believes that all the secrets of ibur chodesh are hidden in the psukim, like Ramban says, but he says we can't figure it out so we needed Greek calculations like Rambam brings in Moreh. See Toras Moshe parshas Shmos. – user6591 Jan 01 '20 at 23:09
  • He writes the same in his drashos too. He ties it into megilas taanis about 10th of Teves so this idea is timely. – user6591 Jan 01 '20 at 23:10
  • @JoelK I'm looking for the R' Avraham ben Rambam in it's original hebrew because it's given as a response in the similar question that was suggested to me. Btw if anyone knows where to find it, preferably online, please share. – Shmuel Koppel Jan 06 '20 at 22:29
  • @ShabiKoppel It was originally written in Judeo-Arabic, not Hebrew – Joel K Jan 07 '20 at 04:27
  • @JoelK so be it, regardless I would love to see it in it's original text – Shmuel Koppel Jan 07 '20 at 12:02

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Genesis 1:26 states,

“Let us make man in our demut." Verse 1:27 relates that “G-d made man in His tzelem, in the tzelem of G-d, He made him.”

Thus, people are made in the image of G-d, in the tzelem. It cannot mean “likeness" since G-d has no body and is one. Onkelos renders 2:7's “a living being,” to ruach m’mal’la, “one with the power of speech,” a characteristic of man's intelligence. Maimonides also felt that this denotes intelligence, interpreting the "Garden of Eden" story to be a parable about using one's intelligence. Thus, Maimonides considered it a mitzvah to study science.[1]

In his introduction to book 2 of the Guide, Maimonides states that:

“A man should never cast his reason behind him, for the eyes are set in front, not in the back.”

and

"The truth is the truth no matter the source."

Thus, he had no quarrels accepting the philosophy of the Greek pagan Aristotle.[2]

[1] Guide 1:1 and 3:27 and Mishnah Torah, Sefer HaMada, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, chapter 2

[2] See introduction to the Guide

Jonathan
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