Worldmask

by Akiva Tatz

Now, you, too, have the opportunity to be uplifted by the profound Torah wisdom of Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, internationally acclaimed author and lecturer on Jewish Philosophy and Medical Ethics at the JLE in London. This bestselling work, Worldmask, contains the keys to unlock the spiritual world that exists behind the mask of the physical. Dealing with perplexing philosophical paradoxes, such as the relationship between God and nature, predestination and freewill, and suffering and joy, this work is sure to exhilarate and enlighten.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, graduating with distinction in surgery. He then spent a year in St. Louis, Missouri as an American Field Service Scholar and subsequently returned there for elective work in internal medicine at Washington University. He then served as a medical officer in the South African Defense Forces and served in the Angolan Bush War. After practising in both South Africa and the United States, he moved to Israel, and worked both in private practice as well as in a hospital setting in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Tatz gives lectures to Jewish student groups and organisations across the UK, including an annual medical ethics lecture at University College London hosted by both the Jewish Society and Medical Ethics Society. He is also a regular lecturer on the Jewish Learning Exchange Genesis leadership programme. He has become a recognized expert in matters of Jewish thought and philosophy, which he covers in his authored texts. Zoketsu Norman Fischer, former abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center and founder of and teacher at the Everyday Zen Foundation, describes Tatz's work, Letters to a Buddhist Jew, as "a fascinating book - the most serious contribution in this field to date.

Tatz is both the founder and director of the Jerusalem Medical Ethics Forum, whose purpose is to promote knowledge of Jewish medical ethics internationally, giving lectures worldwide in Jewish thought and medical ethics, as well as on modern applications in medicine. He is also involved with the Jerusalem Center for Research in Medicine and Halacha, often speaking at their annual European events.

He currently resides in London, England.

Reviews

[Rachel Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fascinating and well written. One of my faves so far! Second book w Esther done!

[Mered · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me begin this review with a reminder: Rabbi Akiva Tatz is brilliant. He is a wonderful author: his books are genuinely deep and meaningful. He explains difficult topics in a very clear way. I recommend you all his books (as a side note: he tends to repeat and even copy-past entire chapters in different books, so be aware).
Worldmask is excellent. A brilliant introduction to many of the most complex issues of a Torah-Judaism (i.e. Orthodox Judaism) perspective. As the author explicitly says at the Acknowledgments, almost the whole book derives from Rabbi Moshe Shapira and Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler lessons. So if you liked this book, yo should run to read Michtav MeElyahu (Strive for Truth! in the English edition) and Akifei Mayim.
The first chapter is arguably the most polemical so I will focus on this one. In a nutshell, Tatz says the following: the Torah is the source of reality. And Torah means not only the written text but fundamentally the heart and mind of Torah scholars (i.e Gedolei Hador). In fact, the only reason why pig is treif is because Rabbi Kanievsky says so. If he says the opposite ("pig is kosher"), then magically the pig changes his anatomy to adequate to the psak halacha of the venerable Rabbi. This is weird (to say the least) and the fact that Tatz specifies that this applies only to few individuals doesn't help to dissolve the weirdness of the concept.
And then we have another problem: in chapter 7, Tatz explains that any word that appears in the Torah is the source of a thing in reality. The conclusion is simple: if a word doesn't appear in the Torah, it's an ilussion. It doesn't exist for real. Examples? Adventure, romance, etiquette, entertainment, doubt and nature. Of course, writes Tatz, we feel they are real so the Sages coined words like "Safek" (doubt), "Vadai" (certain) and "Teva" (nature) but, in fact, are non-existent entities. But wait, you just wrote at chapter 1 that Torah scholars create reality! So if the Sages coined these words, then now the corresponding entity exists in reality. It doesn't matter whether it was originally part of the Creation or not. In fact, according to the logic of chapter 1, that's precisely the meaning of the statement "Lo Bashamayim hi" ("Torah isn't in heaven"). Leaving this (apparently) straight-forward contradiction, Tatz's approach (which, if I'm not mistaken, is taken from Rabbi Shapira) means that "sword", "Sun" or "famine" are real, while "Pluto", "galaxy", "llama" or "television" are inexistent.
So yes, Worldmask is absolutely amazing and mind-blowing. But don't forget the pitfalls and flaws. And more importantly, don't think this is the only Torah approach to this world and life. So please, read the books of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi David Hartman or Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (to put a few accessible examples) and then extract your own conclusions.

[Rgusterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this a primer for his later books ( Letters to a Bhuddist Jew aside) though by no means lacking in their depth or wisdom. Once again R Tatz provides an opening into otherwise hidden dimensions.

[Zach Irvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a wide range of topics within Jewish thought and theology. Parts of it were pretty conservative, although that seems inevitable upon reflection, but in general it revealed a lot of insight.

[Perla Ashouri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening volume on God, human existence, a different perspective of quantum mechanics and the sought-after, pervasive purpose of our lives.

[Esther Kozakevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This alongside Derech Hashem is such an unbelievably deep yet somehow digestible introduction into the foundations of Jewish thought. This will make all other learning flow so much more smoothly!

[Yaffa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Não vai pra lista dos favoritos mas é muito bom

[Avigayil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a great inspiration, it gives such an empowered view of living Judaism. Had me all "naaseh v'nishma" and then naaseh again. Highly recommend.

[Edy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Being alive is a reason for ecstatic exultation even during the most negative experiences- life is opportunity for growth and nothing can be valued against it.”

“The nature of human emotion is such that there is a resistance to doing that which is commanded from outside the self; in such obedience lies a negation of self, a negation of desire and of that deepest level of the personality which is the seat of free choice. And in such obedience there is a sense of death too- a deep level of self is being annulled, negated, slain.”

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing stuff on every single page. a book to read and reread and rereread over and over. Life-changing.

[Mina Herz]

My least favourite of Tatz's books so far.