There is a famous Talmudic story that I believe does not get enough attention, as it exemplifies Judaism’s liberal (old, classic sense) character. It recounts (b. Eruv. 13b) that there was a three-year halakhic (legal) dispute between the academies of Hillel and Shammai, two great sages who emerged in the immediate aftermath of the Second Temple’s destruction by the Romans. It appeared that this clash was irresolvable.
Finally a bat kol (heavenly voice) declared: “Both these and these are the words of the living God. However, the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel.” The Talmud then explains the reason for this ruling:
the Hillelites were agreeable and forbearing, showing restraint when affronted, and when they taught the halakha they would teach both their own statements and the statements of Beit Shammai. Moreover, when they formulated their teachings and cited a dispute, they prioritized the statements of Beit Shammai to their own statements, in deference to Beit Shammai.
In other words, the students taught by Hillel and his intellectual descendants were epistemologically humble, open-minded, and willing to reverse course when confronted with new facts or superior arguments. In contrast, those taught in the tradition of Shammai were dogmatic and stubborn. God’s preference for the rulings of the Hillelites is an unmistakable endorsement of the sort of intellectual modesty characteristic of liberalism.
This narrative illustrates two essential aspects of Judaism. First, the “these and these” statement by the divine voice shows that Judaism welcomes controversy. Only through arguments conducted in good faith is progress possible. Otherwise, the prevailing opinion would prevail forever. Second, such progress is only possible with mutual respect between the parties, such that they are willing to change their mind when confronted with new evidence of better arguments.
Come Now, Let Us Reason Together identifies and discusses many other examples, drawn from classic texts, of Judaism’s inherent liberalism