I am posting this video for two reasons. First, it’s a great debate. No matter what your belief structure is you should watch it. It is very entertaining and highly informative. Secondly, there is a lot of controversy that swirls around this debate. Since I often post videos from both of these gentlemen, I wanted to address this on the record on this site. What happened with this debate, and why is there bad blood between these two individuals?
Dr. Michael Brown frequently addresses the topic of Rabbi Tovia Singer on his show. Clearly, he believes that he won this debate. Moreover, he seems to think that Rabbi Singer is afraid to debate him again. His claim, however, has to be weighed against the fact that he also claims to have debated Tovia previously and he asserts that Rabbi Singer is somehow pressuring people to keep the tapes of that encounter private. I have no idea if this is true or not. However, it’s hard to imagine that Tovia lost a debate, squelched the tapes, then agreed to debate live on air. This seems contradictory to me, but it is possible.
Rabbi Singer on the other hand largely ignores Doctor Michael Brown on the show which features him as a regular guest. Why is this? I don’t know for sure, but I do have a theory. Rabbi Singer is not an evangelical, so to speak. He is not trying to convert the world to Judaism. Why is that? Simply put, because the Jews believe that there is a place in the World to Come for the righteous of the nations. Therefore, he doesn’t need to convert those who are not Jewish. Rather, he seeks to bring non-religious Jews, or Jews of other faiths back to what he sees as the one true religion. Since Dr. Michael Brown speaks largely to a non-Jewish audience, it is likely that his ministry is of little interest to Rabbi Singer.
So why do I post both Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Tovia Singer videos?
Obviously, I have points of disagreement with both men. However, I also have points of agreement with both of them. More importantly, I believe both of them are good men who love Hashem. They are both very knowledgeable in their respective faiths and traditions. Thus, there is a lot we can learn from each of them. Rather than focusing on any bad blood they might have, I prefer to learn from each man as I grow in my own beliefs. Hence, I ask the reader to watch the debate and draw your own conclusions. I’m not the arbiter of truth here. I’m simply a man on a mission to find my way to God, looking forward to learning from whomever I can. I welcome my readers to comment and share their thoughts on this debate.
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