Depth Perception in Heavenly Torah

This article discusses the way of thinking at the foundation of Abraham Joshua Heschel's Heavenly Torah – As Refracted Through the Generations (Torah Min Ha-Shamaim). The essence of this mode of thought is a dissatisfaction with tangible and visible perceptions, leading one to search for the deep currents that underly such perceptions. The article terms this way of thinking "depth perception." In Heavenly Torah, Heschel uses depth perception to reveal the currents of thought at the basis of the dispute between Rabbi Akiva's beit midrash and Rabbi Ishmael's beit midrash. However, Heschel does not merely use depth perception as an interpretive method; rather, he wishes to assert that it is the mode of thought used by the Sages. To this Heschel adds a call to his readers, exhorting them to adopt this way of thinking themselves. Therefore, the purpose of the book is not only to propose a new interpretation of a fundamental controversy in the world of Jewish thought, but also to bring about a change in thought, which Heschel sees as part of a larger process for the moral correction of the world. The superficiality of thought, Heschel claims, is what ultimately leads to the moral corruption of human society. Thus, in order to correct the poor moral situation of society, one must first and foremost change the predominant way of thinking. The article presents a close reading of some of the central ideas of Heavenly Torah, demonstrating the pivotal role played by depth perception in Heschel's analysis.