Faith and the Question of its Certainty in the Thought of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas

Abstract

This article examines the various levels of certainty in the thought of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas, as expressed in his Sermon for Passover and his major philosophical work, Or Hashem. In the first part of the article, the main discussion of R. Crescas on this subject in his Sermon for Passover is analyzed. In the second part, the findings are compared to the opinion of R. Crescas in his major philosophical work. Additionally, the article seeks to explain why this topic is more developed in the sermon than in his major philosophical book. Ultimately, it concludes that R. Crescas identifies four distinct levels of certainty: (1) irrefutable proofs and experiencing prophecy; (2) reasonable logical proofs and witnessing miracles that have no earthly explanation; (3) less likely proofs and miracles of a dubious nature; and (4) accepting the plain meaning of the text of the Torah and tradition in general. It is likely that R. Crescas did not mention this subject in the Light of the Lord due to the low degree of certainty of tradition, which he chose to keep concealed.