27 Jan READING CHARLIE KIRK

I. Shabbos and
Popular Culture
Stop, in the Name

of G-d is a surpris-
ing book of praise

for a traditional
Jewish practice by
a leading Christian

figure. Charlie Kirk, the right wing polit-
ical activist and devout Christian, wrote a

book about Shabbos observance that was

published posthumously after his tragic as-
sassination this past September. I recognize

that some people view Kirk as a hero and

others as a villain. I have no interest in en-
tertaining that debate so if you are offend-
ed by a discussion of his book praising a

traditional Jewish practice then please stop
reading this article now.

I believe that it is a blessing to see Shab-
bos observance celebrated in popular cul-
ture. For a long time, American culture has

barely tolerated Shabbos observance due
only to legal employment requirements.
It is refreshing to see it celebrated, by an
outsider to the Jewish community, as the
solution to many social and spiritual ills.
At the very least, the cultural conversation

may influence some non-religious Jews to
begin keeping Shabbos and some religious
Jews to see greater depth in their Shabbos
observance. I began wondering whether,
given the potential benefits, Jews should

read this book as a source of chizuk, en-
couragement. There are a number of issues

to discuss.
II. Gentiles and Shabbos

First, the very idea of a gentile observ-
ing Shabbos is halachically questionable.

Shabbos is a uniquely Jewish religious

practice and gentiles are halachically for-
bidden from observing it (Sanhedrin 58b).

However, we can see from a mid-nineteenth
century controversy that Charlie Kirk’s
proposal runs consistent with halachah. In
1848, an American named Warder Cresson

converted to Judaism in Jerusalem. His cir-
cumcision took longer to heal than expect-
ed and he did not have time before Shab-
bos to immerse in a mikveh, and thereby

complete his conversion. The leading rabbi

in Jerusalem at the time insisted that Cres-
son write a few letters of the alphabet in

order to violate Shabbos because, until he
completes his conversion, he is forbidden

to observe Shabbos. This led to an interna-
tional controversy with many opinions of-
fered as to whether this is a problem and, if

so, whether there are better solutions. (Rav
J. David Bleich discusses this at length in
Contemporary Halachic Problems, vol. 4,
pp. 145-170.)
Regardless, we see that even according to
the strictest opinion, if a gentile commits
a single act of labor on a biblical level,

he cannot be considered to observe Shab-
bos and therefore avoids the prohibition.

If a gentile cooks food, tears toilet paper,
sorts items, sews, turns on an incandescent
light, or a variety of other common actions,
he is not observing Shabbos. Since Kirk
does not advocate a halachic observance
of Shabbos, there does not seem to be any
problem with his proposal.
III. Studying From a Christian

Even if the book’s concept is true, are we al-
lowed to study from someone who is not an

Orthodox Jew? There is a risk that some of
his ideas may be wrong. Rav Shlomo Luria
(Maharshal; 16th cen., Poland) harshly
criticizes his student, Rav Moshe Isserles,
for quoting Aristotle in a letter sent to the
teacher. Rav Isserles replies that this is an
old debate. We already see great medieval
scholars disagreeing whether it is proper to
study Greek philosophy. Rav Isserles says
that he only studies science and its related

philosophy, not metaphysics (and presum-
ably theology). He adds that personally

he only studies this from the writings of
Jewish scholars, although that only pushes
the question onto those scholars who must

have studied from secular sources (Re-
sponsa Rema, nos. 6-7). The upshot is that

significant Torah scholars allow studying

non-Jewish ideas from non-Jewish sourc-
es. If Kirk’s book contains positive ideas,

then there are some who would approve
of studying those positive ideas and some
who would not.
However, that might be a step too far, too
soon. Kirk was a Christian and his writing
contains Christian theology, which for Jews
is a foreign religion. The Gemara (Berachos
12b) explains that the verse (Num. 15:39),
“You shall not stray after your hearts…”
refers to heresy and idolatry. That would
seem to forbid us from reading a book that

includes foreign theology. However, a his-
torical conundrum offers another path. On

the one hand, Rambam quotes this passage
as law (Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Avodah
Zarah 2:3). On the other hand, Rambam

explicitly invokes Greek and Muslim phi-
losophers in his Moreh Nevuchim and

even writes that he read ancient books

of idolatry. There are a few ways to rec-
oncile this seeming

contradiction. Rav
Yirmiyahu Loew

(19th cen., Hunga-
ry) distinguishes

between studying
from a teacher and from a book. A person
might convince you with his charisma. In
contrast, a book is something you can read
slowly and consider soberly and carefully.
Rav Loew suggests that it is permissible to
study from a heretic (and presumably also
an idolater) in writing but not in person
(Divrei Yirmiyahu, Hilchos Talmud Torah
4:1; see also R. Yosef Zechariah Stern,
Zeicher Yehosef, Yoreh De’ah, no. 173).
While Rav Loew says this regarding the

problem of studying from a heretic, I sug-
gest that this also explains how Rambam

studied ancient works of idolatry. He read
them critically from a Jewish perspective,

looking for worthwhile ideas that can in-
form his Judaism and never remotely con-
sidering them as even possibly true. Rav

Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer (19th cen., Poland)

takes a slightly different approach, sug-
gesting that as long as you are fully com-
mitted to Jewish theology, you may study

contrary views (Emunah Yesharah, Pesach
Ha-Da’as, ch. 3).
IV. Conclusion
With all that said, it takes training to be

able to read Christian theology from a Jew-
ish perspective. First, you need a strong

command of Jewish theology to which
you are firmly committed. Then you need

to understand Christian theology, particu-
larly where it differs from Jewish theology.

Only then, when you read a book such as

this, you will see not only the many ex-
plicit mentions of Christian theology but

also the subtle nuances of a comment or
explanation that emerges from a Christian
perspective. From my reading of the book,
there are only a few examples of this subtle

theological influence but at least one con-
cerns me about its potential influence on

unprepared readers. I worry that the aver-
age reader is insufficiently trained in both

Jewish and Christian theology to appreci-
ate the differences or even to read the book

from a strictly Jewish perspective.

Therefore, I cannot recommend that a fel-
low Jew read the book. We should be con-
tent to know that some Christians recog-
nize and respect the wisdom and sanctity of

Shabbos. We do not need their approval but
for various cultural reasons it adds to our
pride and our ability to defend our religious

practices in a hostile world. (Put different-
ly: I read the book so you don’t have to and

should not.)