Although they have received little attention in the English-speaking world, the writings of Shimon Gershon Rosenberg (acronym: Shagar) are widely read in Israel for the way they draw both on ḥasidic teachings and on the work of noted 20th-century philosophers. Here he reflects on the tension between Jewish law (halakhah) and the individual’s inner life. (Translated with an introduction by Josh Rosenfeld.)

[The halakhic] obligation to do specific things at specific times stands in opposition to [a person’s] attunement with and attention to his own inner voice. Our own eyes see—and not just in connection with religious life—that when one prefers his own personal truth, he does not behave according to the dictates and accepted norms of society at large. For example, one who desires to be “more authentic” may be less polite, as the rules of etiquette are seen as external social constructions that dull one’s inner life. Similarly, this type of individual will approach halakhah . . . as a system that holds him back from his own truth, and not only that, but he will sometimes perceive it as a lie: from a halakhic point of view, he must pray at specifically ordained times, but in his heart of hearts he knows that right now his prayers will not be fully sincere, rather [he will just be] going through the motions. . . .

[T]his question has yet another dimension, which we may be able to sharpen our understanding [by exploring]: the chasm between objective and subjective experience. Should an individual seek out the Truth through his own subjective experience, or should he rather find it in the absolute objective realm of reality? . . .

The problem . . . is that our inner lives . . . are prone to ups and downs, steps forward and back. Because of the dullness of our internal lives, they are susceptible to all kinds of outside influences, and thus there is a subsequent lack of authenticity. This is the reason the Shulḥan Arukh [the standard code of Jewish law], not internal spirituality, is the basis for our religious obligations; it is the absolute cornerstone of our lives.

While it is commendable that administrators of several universities finally called upon police to crack down on violent and disruptive anti-Israel protests, the actions they have taken may be insufficient. At Columbia, demonstrators reestablished their encampment on the main quad after it had been cleared by the police, and the university seems reluctant to use force again. The school also decided to hold classes remotely until the end of the semester. Such moves, whatever their merits, do nothing to fix the factors that allowed campuses to become hotbeds of pro-Hamas activism in the first place. The editors of National Review examine how things go to this point:

Since the 10/7 massacre, Columbia’s Jewish students have been forced to endure routine calls for their execution. It shouldn’t have taken the slaughter, rape, and brutalization of Israeli Jews to expose chants like “Globalize the intifada” and “Death to the Zionist state” as calls for violence, but the university refused to intervene on behalf of its besieged students. When an Israeli student was beaten with a stick outside Columbia’s library, it occasioned little soul-searching from faculty. Indeed, it served only as the impetus to establish an “Anti-Semitism Task Force,” which subsequently expressed “serious concerns” about the university’s commitment to enforcing its codes of conduct against anti-Semitic violators.

But little was done. Indeed, as late as last month the school served as host to speakers who praised the 10/7 attacks and even “hijacking airplanes” as “important tactics that the Palestinian resistance have engaged in.”

The school’s lackadaisical approach created a permission structure to menace and harass Jewish students, and that’s what happened. . . . Now is the time finally to do something about this kind of harassment and associated acts of trespass and disorder. Yale did the right thing when police cleared out an encampment [on Monday]. But Columbia remains a daily reminder of what happens when freaks and haters are allowed to impose their will on campus.