However Rabbi Yitzchak Shlomo Zilberman, ZT"L, who was loyal to the
views of the Vilna Gaon, established that also those that hold that all
the world in its entirety = The Holy One Blessed Be He, are mistaken in
a very serious and severe way [See Otzrote Harav Eliyahu M'Vilna U'beit
Midrasho by Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel, Jewish year 5755, page 285]. Now this
is a quote of the Vilna Gaon: "For they are a generation that have
brazenly lifted up their eyes and words against the One Most High, do
they utter: 'These are your gods, Israel, every tree and every
stone'... and they reveal interpretations [lit. faces] of the
Torah that are not in accordance
with the halacha on the verse, 'Blessed be the glory of G-d from his
place' and on the verse, 'and you bring life to all of them' ".
Now in the Book by Volansky {or maybe the English transliteration is
Wolansky} an even harsher statement attributed to the
Vilna Gaon is brought:
[Translators
note: The following 3 paragraphs will not be translated, since I am
afraid that people who don't understand Hebrew, might take these words
out of context. Below the 3 paragraphs the English Translation
continues.]
רדו
לעמק יהושפט לעומקא דדינא לבער הקוצים מכרם בית ה'
צבאות
כל בני ישראל להדפם ולרודפם ברדיפות מלאות הזעם להחרימם ולעקור שרשם
בנפשם ומאדם,
לעקור
אותם ולשרש אתהם כדין
עבודה זרה.
צא
תאמר להם.
הכנס
אל תאמר להם,
המה
הקהל מורידין ולא מעלין לדכאם ולמוגגם כמוץ לפני מים ולהתאמץ להפרידם
איש מאחיו לבלי יתחברו ויתקשרו יחד חבר בוגדים ומנגדים נגד דת תוה"ק
ובכל מקום שהם מצויים לשלחם מן המחנה כדין צרוע וזב
ואני
על משמרתי אעמודה כמאז כן עתה...
ועל
כל מי אשר בשם ישראל יכונה ואשר נגע יראת ה'
בלבבו
מוטל עליו להדפם ולרודפם בכל מיני רדיפות ולהכניעם עד שיד ישראל מגעת כי
עוונם טמון בחבם וכי קשים המה לישראל כספחת
אמוני
בני ישראל החרדים לשמוע בקול דברו.
תצא
אש קנאתם ומצאו קוצים כסוחים נתנו לאכלה,
יכלו
אותם מכרם ה'
צבאות
העם בחר לנחלה לו,
אם
ללצים יליצו יריצו גולגלותם.
מכנים
עצמם בשם חסידים,
חסד
היא.
לא
יחמול עליהם איש ולא יחנם,
ולתת
עדת חנף גלמוד,
והשומע
להם ימתח על העמוד.
לבשו
קנאת ה'
ויצא
רשף לרגליכם,
מפיהם
לפידים יהיו בלהט החרב נוקמת נקם ברית ותורה נוקמת,
והנשארים
יראו וישמחו,
כי
שמחה לצדיק עשות משפט ולפועלי אוון מחיתה,
ה'
יחישנה
בעיתה.
נאום
עורך שוע בצר נפשו,
כי
רע עליו המעשה,
המקנא
קנאתו ואליו הוא נושא את נפשו,
אלי'
במוהר"ר
שלמה זלמן זלה"ה
.ס
In my humble opinion there is support
for the viewpoint of the Vilna Gaon in the words of Rashi to Sanhedrin,
page 60b on the words, which start with the heading, 'And he accepts it
upon himself as a god'. "
And even
just a statement alone, such as one
who says to it, you are my god, for it is linked to sacrificing to it,
for it is written (Shmot/Exodus chapter 32) And they bowed down to it
and
they sacrificed to it and they said these are your gods, O Israel."
And
if those who hold that everything in this world = the Holy One Blessed
Be He, then in essence the person that says that a statue of idolatry
is my god, is at first glance, heaven prevent such an evil, correct.
For according to the view of the opponents of the Vilna Gaon, also the
material of the statue = the Holy One Blessed Be He.
And I found another strong proof on
behalf of the position of Rabbi Zilberman, in the writings of Rabbi
Saadia Gaon, in
Emunot
V'Deot that appears {in Hebrew} at the internet address
http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mahshevt/kapah/1a-2.htm#3
And so too in the writings of Rambam to Moreh Nevuchim 1:70 {edition of
Y. Even Shmuel, Mossad Harav Kook, 5742} [And so too the Rashba writes
in Minchat Kenaot, chapter 6, that he agrees with the words of Rambam]
;
from there it is clear that they considered the creation as separate
from the Holy One Blessed Be He. - For those that do not have access to
the internet, there Rabbi Saadia Gaon attacks the viewpoint that the
Holy One Blessed Be He created the world from his own essence (and one
should comment that Rabbi Menachem Kasher, in his work, Torah Shlaima,
siman 15 forgot to mention this point).
And it is reasonable to assume that
Ramban and Radak agreed that the Holy One Blessed Be He did not create
the world from his own essence for Radak in his commentary to the first
verse in the Torah writes: "And so too did the L-rd create the heaven
and the earth, he created them from nothing"... "he said all of the
world, this is by my name, that they will say I have created it, that
it to say that I extracted from a state of nothingness to existence"
{end of quote}.
And so too Ramban wrote in his
commentary to the first verse of the Torah, "The Holy One Blessed Be He
created all the creations from an absolute nothingness. And there is
nothing in the Holy Language [Biblical Hebrew] that describes the
extraction of something from nothing except for the word or concept
ברא {pronounced in English as:
Bara}".
An additional reason to assume that
Radak and Ramban and many of the other Rabbis in the category of the
Rishonim, intended to negate the concept that
the Holy One Blessed Be He created the world from his own essence was
that they used the term that Rabbi Saadia Gaon used,
creation
ex-nihilo [יש מאין] . It is unlikely that they
would use this
term of Rabbi Saadia, unless they agreed with him.
Now this is a quote of Rabbi Saadia:
"and the third viewpoint is the viewpoint of the
person that said that
the Creator of the bodies created them from his own essence.
And I found that these people can't deny
the maker, however, it was not acceptable in their opinion according to
what they imagine that creation can come to be from nothing [creation
ex-nihilo]. And since there is no detail outside of the Creator, they
assumed in their minds that he created all the things from his essence.
[A refutation of the third viewpoint]
Now these individuals, let the Almighty
have mercy on you, are more foolish than the first ones. And I saw fit
to reveal their foolishness in 13 ways".
And afterwards I discovered other
explicit supporters of Rabbi Saadia. In Sefer Haplia on the words
starting
Yara Even
Pinata:
"There is
no escape {my comment: the intent is according to the opponents} from
one of 2 possibilities, either there was eternal matter from which the
world was invented both above and all that fills it or there wasn't
material at all but rather the ultimate cause of all causes {or
ultimate catalyst} was alone.
If we respond to him that there was something there that is eternal,
behold you verify that there is something eternal outside of G-d alone
and if so this is a denial of our religion, and if we respond to him
that there wasn't anything. Rather the Holy One Blessed Be He created
the world from his self; if so, heaven forbid, his essence became
material and this too is a denial of our religion. And if so what will
we respond to him...
"Rather regarding the ultimate cause of all causes one should not say
that there existed there material, nor was the creation of the world
from his essence but rather from his forces {or powers}, which are
wisdom and
understanding he invented the world".
In the commentary of the Raavad to Sefer
Yetsira
that is attributed to the Raavad who offers critical comments on the
works of the Rambam [but the Arizal did not agree that the 2 authors
are identical] we find that he wrote similar to what was
written
above:
For
the Philosophers say that it can not be, that creation can take place
from nothing, rather one of a kind comes out of its own kind,
while in our opinion and according to our Holy Torah the world was
created new; if so the Heretics
have a mouth's opening to ask of us, the world can not escape from one
of 2 possibilities; either it has eternal matter from which the world
was created which is outside of G-d alone and this is a denial of our
Torah; and if we say that there wasn't anything there; rather
the Holy
One Blessed Be He created the world from his self, if so his essence
became material, and regarding this as a foundation in his explanation,
he said, where were you when I founded the earth, if you knew
understanding. The meaning of this: with the power {or force} of Wisdom
and with the power {or force} of Understanding did the world come into
existence" {end of quote of Raavad}.
I will not hide the fact that Rabbi
Avraham Yitzchak
Kook who founded Mercaz HaRav Kook Yeshiva in 5684
(1924),
considered both "the monotheistic view" as well as the "Monotheistic
outlook that leans towards Pantheism,
when it is refined from its
dross" as
Kosher [Orot Hakodesh volume 2 pages 399, 400]. And seemingly he
himself, held more or less in accordance with the view of Rabbi Chaim
of Volozhin {Rabbi Tzuriel brought a proof to this (Kvatzim, Kovetz 1,
Piska 65)}. Now perhaps Rabbi Kook gave validity to the "second
outlook" that I recounted, for many of his legal rulings clearly have
Kabbala
and Agada integrated within them, which is a method that deviates from
the classic Ashkenazic responsa [ thus wrote Rabbi Neriya Gutel in a
general appraisal of Rabbi Kook's rulings]. Now one should
note
that also Rabbi Kook admits [in his article in Orot Hakodesh] that the
viewpoint that is more famous in Israel is the monotheistic viewpoint.
And elsewhere Rabbi Kook strongly hints that the "Monotheistic
outlook that leans towards Pantheism", just became accepted by a
community of significance in Israel after the time of the apostate,
Spinoza. For behold, Rabbi Kook wrote regarding Spinoza:
Within an
inner layer of his thought there is a fundamental principal that after
much refining enters into the camp. RMBM"N (someone said here this is an
abbreviation, for Mendolsohn) began the process but did not complete
his rectification, However the Baal Shem Tov refined him without
knowing who he is refining... however the process was not completed"...
The Mishna Brura ruled, siman 25 comment
42: "
the
Knesset Hagdola wrote as a principle of the Poskim that whenever the
Kabbalists and the Zohar argue against the Gemara and the Poskim go
after the Gemara and the Poskim", {end of quote}.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in his book Handbook of Jewish Thought 13:47
explained that because the Kabbala emanates primarily from Divine
Inspiration one does not have the obligation to obey the customs of the
Kabbala.
And if so, that most of the Kabbala is
Divine Inspiration [
or
less than this], there is a principle,
Lo Bashamayim Hi,
namely that halachic matters are not to determined by heaven [as
explained in Bava Metzia 59b] and we do not accept the decisions of a
Bot Kol [a type of Divine Inspiration] in opposition to the conclusion
of the Sages of the revealed Torah {
Nigla}.
In an article that I saw on the internet
http://2905.hydepark.co.il/topic.asp?topic_id=981194,
arguments [in Hebrew] are brought that further weaken the authority of
the Zohar, etc. against the halacha.
- Sefer
Yochasin of MHR"A Zechut in the name of R"Y Dmin Acco the student of
Ramban brought firsthand testimony that the book of the Zohar was
written by means of one of the secret names of G-d {Shaim Hamiforash}and
is not the work of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. We are dealing with a
witness who saw firsthand!
- Rabbi Yaacov Emdeen in his book
Mitpachat Sofrim brings many proofs to contradict the claim of the
antiquity of the Zohar beyond all doubt and so too did he write in his
comments to Sefer Yochasin, see there.
Furthermore I recommend that you listen to the lecture in English of
Rabbi Alan Brill of Yeshiva University to understand some of the
background behind the Kabbala in general.
http://www.yutorah.org/showShiur.cfm/712013/Rabbi_Alan_Brill/Introduction_to_the_Kabbalah_01
and perhaps also his second lecture
http://www.yutorah.org/showShiur.cfm/712417/Rabbi_Alan_Brill/Introduction_to_the_Kabbalah_02
I bring all this just to strengthen the notion that one should not
determine halacha based on the Kabbala when it opposes the masters of
the revealed Torah {
Nigla}.
Now for someone that bases his viewpoint "that everything is the Holy
One
Blessed Be He", upon the words of the Arizal (
translator's comment: he is a
famous Kabbalist), I wished to bring to
attention the following point, that perhaps what is said in the name of
the Arizal does not represent his final refined conclusions. Such is
implied from an article that dealt with the topic, how by mistake Log
Ba'omer was transformed from the day of happiness of Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai to the day of his death.
Recently it
became known that a photocopy containing passages from the original
handwriting of Rabbi Chaim Vital made it by some way to the National
Library of Israel in Givat Ram. Armed by means of the photocopy, Rabbi
Kosman came to the Library and after a strenuous examination of the
original handwritten text, he succeeded in finding the relevant passage
and found the passage that was subject to dispute. Now it was clarified
beyond any doubt that the true text is indeed what appears in the book,
Shmona Sh'earim.
Now it was
possible to reconstruct the chain of errors that led to the errant
text. A comparison between the various editions and between another
early ancient handwritten addition in the Oxford Library teaches us
that the scribal error was caused as a result of copying from a
handwritten text, with the words: "the reason שמ'0
[ a Hebrew abbreviation] Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on
Lag
Ba'Omer is because ..."
The person that copied the text chose to
decipher the abbreviation to mean the
day he died and such he wrote down, while
according to the truth he should have deciphered the
abbreviation to stand for, for
the day of joy of
. It turned out that the day of joy of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was
transformed by an error to the day of death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
How did it occur that such a fundamental copying mistake took place?
The Chid"a himself already offered a hint to the answer and thus he
wrote, "and it is already known that among the texts attributed to the
Ari {short for Arizal} there fell confusion"... Behind this vague
statement is hidden a concealed or unknown historical event. It turns
out that after the Holy Ari died, Rabbi Chaim Vital contacted all his
disciples and gathered from them the writings that were in their hands
with the reasoning that the fit time had not yet arrived to reveal the
secrets. The writings were all gathered under his hand {guard and
control}for the duration of 15 years. One of the sages of Tzfat {Safed}
by the name of Yehoshua Bin Nun pleaded with him that he would be
allowed to look at the manuscripts but Rabbi Chaim Vital rejected his
request and said that the time had not yet arrived. When Rabbi Chaim
Vital was extremely ill and was taken to Damascus, Rabbi Yehoshua
exploited the opportunity and paid Rabbi Chaim Vital's brother 50 gold
coins in order to allow him to copy the manuscripts. He brought 100
scribes who worked during a 3 day period and they copied all the
manuscripts. In this hasty copy, which was made without the knowledge
of
Rabbi Chaim Vital, many mistakes and errors were introduced and it is
no wonder that also in the detail dealing with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
was written in a short way. A matter which led to the story, as if the
day of the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is on Log Ba"Omer.
The Mishna that appears in tractate Brachot 33b states that he
who
says {in the Shmona Esrei prayer} ... Modim, Modim [in English, we give
thanks to you, we give thanks to you] we silence him. The Talmud
commented: "it is understandable Modim, Modim {should not be stated}
since it appears "as if there are 2 authorities" {by making such a
statement}. In his commentary on these words of the Mishna, starting
with the words Modim, Modim, Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura explained: "that
it appears as if he is accepting 2 gods". This implies that the
prohibition of 2 authorities = 2 gods. However, there is
no prohibition
of 2 authorities, for someone who holds that there is a partner to the
Holy One Blessed Be He in good deeds, who is not a god, rather just a
person. As explained in Tosafot to Sanhedrin 63a on the words that
start with "
All that
associate the name of heaven".
"It is not comparable to what was written {in Shoftim/Judges
7:20} '
A
sword
for G-d and for Gidon' and so too, '
we have
spoken against G-d and
against you' (Bamidbar/Numbers 21:7) for it is only
prohibited in
matters
relating to being a god". That is to say that as long as they don't
ascribe something outside of G-d by the name of a god there is no
violation of the prohibition of making a partnership or association
with G-d with something else. I brought all this because there are Jews
who say that all the creation = The Holy One Blessed Be He and
they claim
that on the contrary, to believe that there exists something
outside of the Holy One Blessed Be He is the prohibition of service of
a G-d who is associated with something else.
In the supplement section to the book of Shmot/Exodus in the work of
Rabbi
Menachem Kasher, Torah Shleima, siman 15 we learn:
that the
viewpoint
of the Vilna Gaon on the explanation of the words "the whole earth is
filled with his glory", is a reference to his providence as described
in Lkutei Hagra that were printed at the end of Safra Dtsniuta
page 38a (Vilna 5642).
However the disciple of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, though
he admired his Rabbi as if he were one of the Tana'im {Rabbis of the
Period of the Mishna} on this point he did not follow after the his
{rabbi's} viewpoint. Those who deeply investigate Shaar 3, of his work,
Nefesh Hachaim will clearly see that he read Sefer
Hatanya {written
by the founder of the Chabad or Lubavitch Chassidic movement} and
accepted that author's view in almost all
details.
One should comment that even according to Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin who
holds that on the level of the absolute truth, even after the creation
of the world, in a way that is not understood by us, there is no
material or existence outside of him {G-d}; however, he too admits that
for every single matter and issue, we from our part, are obligated to
relate to the Holy One Blessed Be He, as separate from the created
world; see for example, Shaar 3, chapter 6.
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin for the most part bases
his
viewpoint on his explanation to the wisdom of Kabbala. And I have
already brought as "a remedy to the plague", the words of the Mishna
Brura siman 25 comment
42: "
the
Knesset Hagdola wrote as a principle of the Poskim that whenever the
Kabbalists and the Zohar argue against the Gemara and the Poskim go
after the Gemara and the Poskim", {end of quote}.
Now I have already brought in the beginning of this article, that
according to Rabbi Saadia Gaon, Ramban, Rashba, and more,
even on the
level of the absolute truth, there is a difference between the Holy One
Blessed Be and the Created World.
In the book
Kashrut Arbaat Haminim,
page 194 [
Chelek HaIyuni,siman
7] it is brought:
Howbeit in the responsa of Tuv Taam and
in the opinion of Rabbi Shlomo Kluger...it is written explicitly that
one should not rely on the examination of a magnifying glass, not to be
lenient nor to be strict. And he brought a proof from the fact that
according to the scientists in all water there are unseen bacteria;
will all the water become forbidden because of this? And so too in
every knife used for slaughtering, by means of a magnifying glass,
defects {in the knife's smooth edge} will be seen; would we invalidate
it because of this?
On a practical level the poskim have
already decided and ruled that viewing from a magnifying glass does not
alter the halacha, and all that according to the eye appears to be a
deficiency, even though by magnifying glass, the deficiency isn't seen,
behold this is invalid; see the responsa Dovaiv Maisharim, siman 1 on
the matter of a letter which does not look like it is surrounded by
parchment, except when one looks in a magnifying glass, that it is
invalid. And see in the responsa of She'airit Yisrael of the Rabbinic
Genius, Z. Mintzberg.
Now according to all of this, it is implied that even if you were to
claim, that according to the absolute truth in reality all the material
of this world is part of the Holy One Blessed Be He,
that truth would
be pushed away in favor of the halachic reality that established the
opposite is true.
How
In Truth Can A Person Explain the Verses of the Hebrew Bible that the
Other Side Brought as Proofs For Their Viewpoint?
You have been shown, so that you know
that G-d is the L-rd, there is no other beside him.
(Dvarim / Deut. 4:35) |
In the commentary
of Kli Yakar to Shmot /Exodus 7:17, it is written regarding the ten
plagues,
regarding the last set of 4 plagues [which the Passover Hagadda] called
by the Abbreviation B.A.CH.B., Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel explained that
they came to verify the ability of G-d, may he be blessed. But it
appears to me that Pharoah claimed that there were 2 authorities;
therefore it was stated in the first plague of this
set B.A.CH.B.
"in order that you know that there is none like me on Earth". That is
to say, there is no
other beside him, May G-d Be Blessed, namely, no
other authority.
And so it appears to me that also according to the commentaries of the
Netziv and the Malbim to Dvarim / Deuteronomy 4:35, one should explain "there is
no other beside him" as a negation of the concept of 2
authorities
[each one expresses this idea in his own style].
It is
implied to me from Rashi's commentary to this verse [Dvarim / Deut.
4:35] that
he agreed that the intent of "there
is no other beside him" is to
negate the concept of 2 authorities. However, in his opinion, the proof
that "there is no other
beside him", is not from the ten
plagues,
but rather from the revelation of the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai.
As it is written there: "that when the Holy One Blessed Be He gave the
Torah, he opened up for them, the seven heavens and just as he tore
open the upper realms so too did he tear open the lower realms and they
saw that he is single, therefore it was stated you have been shown, so
that you know".
From the words of the Talmud, tractate
Chulin page 7, it is implied that the expression "there is no other
beside him", comes to inform us, that if we have merits,
the system or
order of sorcery that G-d himself produced to deny his heavenly
entourage, will not be able to harm; just as the system of sorcery did
not harm, at the time of the ten plagues, and at the time of the
sorcerer, Bilaam. Now here I will quote:
"There is
no other beside him", Rabbi Chanina
said, even sorcery "{end of quote}.
The Talmud afterwards explained, that there was a witch that
tried to perform witchcraft against Rabbi Chanina. And he responded,
that the witchcraft did not succeed against him, "there is no
other beside him". The Talmud asked, behold, did not Rabbi
Yochanan
say, that these matters are called witchcraft {or sorcery}because
[the name for these things in Hebrew imply that] they deny his heavenly
entourage? {That is to say, that it is implied that witchcraft/sorcery
do have the ability to cause harm}. The Talmud answers, Rabbi Chanina
is different, for his merit is great.
In Rambam's
opinion as recorded in Hilchot Yesodei Torah chapter 1, halachas 3 and
4, the purpose {in summary} of "there
is no
other beside him" is to come and negate the Greek notion,
that the
world or that matter is eternal. And the Rambam established "that all
those that are present need him, and He, Blessed Be He, does not need
them nor even one of them, therefore his truth is not like the
truth of one of them". {The commentary of Rambam La'am explains: the
existence of the rest of the things that exist is not of absolute
necessity, for they are dependent upon others, namely, by the reason
that caused them to come to be - therefore they are just possible
existence: it is possible that they endure and it is possible that they
do not endure; however the first presence which is before every other
thing that doesn't have a cause for its existence, this existence is a
necessity...}
Now one should comment in the Hilchot
Yesodei Hatorah, Rambam did not go to the trouble to explain, what did
the nation of Israel, see ("you
have been shown, so that you know")
that proved that there is no eternal matter which exists outside of the
Holy One Blessed Be He ("there
is no other beside him"). |
Blessed
be the glory of G-d from his place.
(Yechezkel/Ezekiel 3:12) |
Radak explained:
Blessed be the glory
of G-d from his place, that is to say that when he departs
from his
place above the ark cover between the two cherubs; for Israel was
lessening his glory when he was among them with the image of jealousy
that provokes jealousy {ie. an idol}(so it is) as if his glory was
increased when
he departed from them.
Metzudat
Dovid: "And I heard from behind me a voice with a great tremorous noise
say, Blessed be the glory of G-d
from his place; as if saying to the
prophet, do not think that when the Divine Presence departs from its
place inside the Holy of Holies it will not be blessed and extolled;
however, Israel they indeed will be the ones that are lacking when the
Divine Presence departs from among them but the glory of G-d will
continually be blessed and extolled. |
If a man hides in the hidden places but
shall I not see him, says G-d? Is it not so that the Heaven
and the Earth I fill, says
G-d.
Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 23:24 |
To summarize the
commentary of Radak
one should understand this verse similar to the phrase, "and the glory
of G-d filled the Mishkan{Tabernacle}" {see: Exodus 40:34 and 35}. This
is a
reference to a light that was created.
The
Hebrew words Ani Malay אני מלא in this verse of
Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 23:24 are to be understood as I fill. That is to
say, that I am in every place. And this is just a parable, for the Holy
One Blessed Be He, is not a body that fills space, rather his
providence
is in every place in the Heaven and the Earth and so too explains
Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel, that the verse {of
Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah
23:24} tells us that his glory
fills the Heaven and the Earth.
Rabbi Saadia Gaon explains in his work, Emunot
V'Deot :
And
I say: How shall we establish in our understanding his
presence in all places, to the point where there is no place that is
empty of him. Because he is prior to every place. And if the places
would have separated between his parts, he would not have created them,
and if there would be situation that the bodies would grab space in
whole or partially, he would not have brought them into existence.
Now since the matter is such, behold his existence after he
created the bodies is like his existence before this, without change,
unhidden, and without division. And it is, in accordance to what was
said: "If
a man hides in the hidden places but
shall I not see him, says G-d? Is it not so that the Heaven
and the Earth I fill".
Now
I draw the matter near for the sake of comprehension, and I will say:
If not for the fact that some of the walls do not form a
barrier against sound, and that we have become accustomed to the fact
that glass does not hide the light, and we know that the dirtiness in
the world does not harm the light of the sun, we would then be
astounded about this. Now behold all these things teach us about the
truth of his state {of being}.
I asked the Rabbi, Dr. Alan Brill {in English} how should we understand
Rabbi Saadia Gaon's words that the Holy One Blessed Be He is
present everywhere. He answered me in English.
-
Saadayah does not hold "God" is everywhere only
the kavod {glory},
which is not the same as the unknown God.
-
Rishonim
differentiated between finding divine as an efficient cause, a final
cause
or a formal cause. Finding God everywhere
as an efficient cause or final cause is not the same as being a
material cause like in chasidus
0
- All hakhmei hanigleh hold that divine essence
is
not on earth. For them God is not material so the divine cannot be in
the material world. 0For Sadyah, God is not corporeal, material ,
or attached to matter- he says that outright.
0
- God is also above
time, motion, and change.
0
As the passage that
you quoted says " he is primordial" even after the creation of matter
he is as he always was.0
So how does he fill space???0
0
There are 4 causes for a the classical world - material, efficient,
formal, and final.0
0
If God is not material, then it leaves 3 choices. The Ibn Ezra and
Rambam limit God to the final cause . 0
The passage you cited can be interpreted as formal
{Here ends my quotation of Rabbi,
Dr. Alan Brill}
|
For the Earth
shall be filled to know the glory of G-d as water covers the sea-bed
(Chavakuk/Habakkuk 2:14) |
Radak explains: for
the Earth shall be
filled to know the glory of G-d
- and the explanation is
that all will
recognize and know that from G-d was this vengeance, the vengeance of
the nation of G-d and the vengeance of his sanctuary, for he brought a
miraculous wonder against Nevuchadnetzer {Nebuchadnezzar}that he was
driven from living with people, when the matter was still in his mouth,
that he was haughty as it is written {Daniel 4:28}"The matter was still
in his mouth", etc...And so too to Beltshatsar {based on Daniel 5:30,
it should be printed, Belshatsar} the son of his son, he brought a
mighty sign by what was written on the wall of the palace and on
that same night Beltshatsar {based on Daniel 5:30, it should be
printed, Belshatsar} the king of the Casdians was killed and
Koresh {Cyrus}Mada'ah {it needs further investigation why he wrote
Mada'ah and not the Parsi} said after Bavel {Babylon} was conquered all
the
kingdoms of the Earth did G-d the L-rd of the Heaven give to me. Behold
all the nations admitted and recognized the Almighty, may He Be
Blessed,
at that time, and they recognized that from G-d came all the evil upon
Bavel {Babylon} and by this thing everyone knew the glory of G-d, very
much as the waters cover over the sea-bed. They knew that truly the
Almighty does supervise over the actions of people to give to each man
according to his ways. |
For
I G-d
have not changed and you
the sons of Yaacov {Jacob} have not been consumed
(Malachi 3:6) |
Radak explains: For
what I have said though it has not taken place year by year
and even though it may take a very long time, so shall it be, for I G-d
have not changed and my words will not change and all the future events
that I said to you by means of my prophets, so shall they be ...
Metzudat
Dovid explains: For I G-d have not changed. My opinion has not changed
from what it was in the past, to start loving the evil. Not as you have
said "all who do evil are good in the eyes of G-d" and you the sons of
Yaacov {Jacob} have not been consumed; but you have not been consumed
from before me and even if you die in a state of being evil without
having received retribution, behold in the future when you stand at the
time of the resurrection, you are then also in my hand and at that time
you will receive the retribution that is fitting. |
{The Hebrew 4
lettered name for } G-d is your
name forever {The Hebrew 4 lettered name for}G-d is your
remembrance for {each} generation and generation
Tehillim/Psalms chapter 135 verse 13 |
Translators Note: Due to
the holiness of the Hebrew name for G-d, the exact pronunciation of the
name is not provided here.
Malbim explains: G-d
is your name forever, that is to say that we have seen
from you 2 types of systems of actions. A] A system of action that is
ordered from the six
days of creation
and this is called by the {Hebrew 4 lettered} name,{for} G-d; for this
is the name by which he is known continually from for all time without
change B] The miraculous system of actions that originates at specified
times and this is called your remembrance, as one who does a great
action for a short period of time in order that they remember him and
this is not fixed for all time without change. It is just for each
generation and generation. That the miraculous system of
actions
is just according to the generation and in accordance with the need in
each generation. |
This is the
blessing that Moshe {Moses} the man of the L-rd blessed the children of
Israel before his death.
Dvarim/Deuteronomy 33:1 |
Targum Unkelos
explains the expression "the man
of the L-rd" = a prophet of
G-d. |
You
are G-d alone, you have made the heaven and the heaven above the heaven
and all of its host, the Earth and all that are on it, the seas and all
that are in them; and you bring life to all of them and the host of
heaven to you, do they bow.
Nechemia/Nehemiah 9:6 |
Metzudat Dovid
explains the expression "you
bring life" = you bring vitality and
food to all of them. |
For you are not an Almighty Being who
desires wickedness; evil does not dwell with you.
Tehillim/Psalms 5:5 |
Rashi explains: Evil
does not dwell with you =
does not dwell by you.
It appears to me that according to the viewpoint of Rashi,
the
Holy One Blessed Be He is not present on a physical level in the place
of evil, in contrast to the outlook of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin.
And for those that deny that there is evil in the creation,
see
Yishayahu/Isaiah 45:7 "fashions light and creates darkness, makes peace
and creates evil, I G-d, do all of these". |
The
Almighty is not a man that he should deceive or the son of a man that
he should regret; he has said, shall he not do or has he
spoken
but not bring it to fulfillment?
Bamidbar/Numbers 23:19 |
Rashbam
explains: The Almighty is not a
man. He is not a man to retract his
blessing after such a short time like this, for behold, they did not
rebel after the blessing which I have blessed them today. |
Three times in a year all your males
shall appear by the face of the master, G-d, the L-rd of Israel.
Shmot/Exodus 34:23 |
Targum Unkelos
explains the expression "the
face of the master, G-d": before the
master of the Universe, G-d. |
And to
Eiver{Eber} was born two sons; the name of one of them, Peleg,* because
in his days was the Earth divided and the name of his brother, Yawktawn.
Bereshit/Genesis 10:25
*This Hebrew word connotes: section, part, half ; faction |
Rabbi Yosi says,
the first generations
by the fact that they recognized their {total} line of descent, would
issue their names based on the event; but we who do
not recognize our total line of descent, we issue names
based on the names of our ancestors. Rabbi Shimon son of Gamliel says
the first generations by the fact that they were using Divine
Inspiration, they issued {their names} based on the event, but we who
do not use Divine Inspiration, issue names based on the names of our
ancestors. Rabbi Yosi son of Chalafta said, Eiver {Eber} was a big
prophet who issued a name in accordance to the event. This is, as it is
stated, "And to
Eiver{Eber} was born two sons", etc. [Bereshit
Rabba 37:7}. |
Behold there are days that will come,
says G-d, and I will raise up for Dovid {David} a righteous sprout and
he shall reign as king and act wisely and perform justice upon the
Earth. In his days Yehuda {Judah}shall be saved and Yisrael
{Israel} shall dwell securely and this is the name that they will call
him, G-d Tzidkeinu .
Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 23:5 |
See what I have
already brought on the verse "And
to
Eiver{Eber} was born two sons", etc. that the first
generations and the prophets named a person's name based on
the event.
And see Rashi on the verse of Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah
23:6 where Rashi explains:
G-d
Tzidkeinu = G-d makes us righteous {or justifies
us} in the days of this one.
And see the words of
Radak's commentary there, "In
his days. This is the
name that Israel will call him, namely, they will call the messiah by
this name, G-d Tzidkeinu, for in his days the righteousness {or
justice, in Hebrew, Tzedek} of G-d will endure for us continually, it
will not depart. And this naming is in the same manner that Moshe
{Moses} our Rabbi, peace be unto him, named the altar, {see
Shmot/Exodus
17:15} "G-d is my banner {or some translate, my miracle}". And Yaacov
{Jacob} called the altar, Almighty the L-rd of Yisrael { [see
Bereshit/Genesis 33:20]}. Each one according to the matter which was
relevant to
it. And similarly, "And the name of the city from that day, "G-d is
there" [end of the book of Yechezkel/Ezekiel], " .
|
And G-d said,
behold there is a place with me and you shall stand upon
the rocky mountain.
Exodus 33:21 |
Rashi on the words "Behold there is a place with
me".
On the mountain where I speak with you continually, there is a place
prepared for me, for your need, that I will conceal you there that you
should not be harmed and from there you will see what you will see.
This is the simple meaning. And the midrashic interpretation of the
phrase is: every place that the Divine Presence speaks there;
and
the verse says, the place is with me and does not say I am in the
place; for the Holy One Blessed Be He is the place of the world and the
world is not his place. [In contrast to the position of the author of
Nefesh Hachaim, and Chabad, that the world indeed is his place.] |
And I will miraculously set aside on
that day, the land of Goshen, where my nation is based; so that there
will not be there, a mixture of destructive creatures, in order that
you know, that I, G-d, am in the midst of the Earth.
Exodus 8:18 |
Rashi: "In
order that you know, that I, G-d, am in the midst of the Earth."
Even though my Divine
Presence is in the Heaven, my decree is fulfilled in the lower realms.
And if Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin were correct, there would
be no need
for Rashi to explain that his Divine Presence is in the heaven.
|
Midrashim
The
Holy One Blessed Be He said to Yechezkel {Ezekiel}, son of man, say to
Chiram the king of Tzor{Tyre},
why have you become arrogant, you are born from a woman! The Holy One
Blessed Be He brought a wind by the loose hairs of his head and brought
him up to Chiram. When Chiram saw Yechezkel {Ezekiel} he became
frightened and he trembled; he said to him, who brought you up to here?
He responded, thus did the Holy One Blessed command me, go
and
say to him; why have you become arrogant, you are born from a woman!
He answered, Am I indeed born from a woman? Rather I live and
exist eternally, just as the Holy One Blessed Be He is in the
firmament, so too am I; and furthermore, indeed many kings have died
and I continue to survive, 21 kings from the kings of the
house of
Dovid {David}, and 21 from kings of Yisrael {Israel} and five prophets
and ten high priests. I have buried them all, yet I live, am I not
Divine?
What occurred to him at the end?
The Holy One Blessed Be He
brought Nevuchadnetzer {Nebuchadnezzar} upon him ... [Yalkut
Shimoni 367] |
Artscroll's translation of Tractate
Brachot 10:
He
[ie. Rav Shimi bar Ukva or Mar Ukva] said to [ Rabbi Shimon
ben Pazi ]. When I asked
this, this is what I meant to say to you - these five
verses of Bless my Soul -
regarding whom did King David state them?
Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi answers:
He stated them regarding the human soul. Each of the verses
corresponds to a G-dly attribute that is shared by the human soul.
These are the five shared attributes:
Just as the Holy One Blessed is He, fills all the
world so too does the human soul fill the body.
Just as the Holy One Blessed is He, observes but is not
observed
- so too with the soul - it observes but is not observed.
Just as the Holy One Blessed is He, nourishes all
the world so too does the soul nourish the entire body.
Just as the Holy One Blessed is He is pure, so
too is the soul pure.
Just as the Holy One Blessed is He, abides in rooms within
rooms
so too does the soul abide in rooms
within rooms.
Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi concludes King David is
saying:
Let one who possesses those five attributes come and
give praise of the One who possesses these five attributes.
[End of the Quote
of Artscroll]
Iyun Yaacov comments on the words, "so too does the soul abide in rooms within rooms". Yet nevertheless it gives its strength
in all the limbs, so too the Holy One Blessed Be He, though he dwells
in the heaven above, nevertheless he supervises {or provides his
providence} within the lowly world and provides nourishment {to a range
of creatures} from the eggs of lice to the horns of the Re'aim { the animal mentioned in Dvarim/Deut 33:17.} [Translator's note:
I have not provided an original translation and commentary to Brachot page 10, in particular for the difficult, Hebrew concept, "Chadrei Chadarim", which has been translated by Artscroll as "rooms within rooms". I found no need to give a deeper understanding of Brachot page 10, since my goal was not to talk about the soul. My citation of the Artscroll's translation was just an introduction to Iyun Yaacov, who explains Brachot, page 10 in a way that supports the classical monotheistic viewpoint held by the Rishonim.] |
| Rabbi Yehuda Bar Simone said, you
find that idolatry is near and far while the Holy One Blessed Be He, is
far and near, for it was stated," Though he screams to it, yet it won't
respond" (Yishayahu / Isaiah
chapter 46), behold it is far. Yet the Holy One Blessed Be He is far
and near. In what way? Rabbi Yehuda Bar Simone said from here until the
firmament is the distance of 500 years of travel {by foot},
behold, this is far. And
from where do we know that he is close? For a person stands and prays
and contemplates within his heart and the Holy One Blessed Be He is near to
hear his prayer, for it is stated (Tehillim/Psalms chapter 65) "he
hears the prayer of his congregation all flesh shall come" {end of
quotation from Dvarim Rabba, Vilna, Parsha 2, starting with "for who
is" and see also Yalkut Shimoni, Vaetchanan, remez 825, Ki Mi Goy, for a
similar quote}. |
The Letter of Recommendation of
the Chief Rabbi of the
Old City of Jerusalem, Rabbi Avigdor Neventzal, Shlit"a [Shlit"a being
a blessing for longevity and good fortune].
With
the Assistance of Heaven during the period of the year where, "And the
Cohain shall purify him" {is read in the synagogue} 5768, The Holy City
of Jerusalem, Let it be Built and be Established Well
Speedily In
Our Days, Amen.
Great Peace to the Honorable R. Shlomo
Moshe Scheinman, Shlit"a!
I received your well-versed letter {alt.
translation: crammed full of information}.
In my humble opinion, it is a good thing that you publicize your
conclusions, but on the other hand there is no need to refrain from
helping people who hold like Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, the disciple of
the Vilna Gaon.
With a Word of Encouragement
With the honor of the Torah
The Youth Among the sons of Levi
Avigdor Neventzal
{To view the original Hebrew letter
press here.}
A
Clarification From Mr. Shlomo Moshe Scheinman, Nissan 5768
In general, I do not have the
authority to issue halachic decisions and here I wrote based
on the mitzva to rebuke fellow, religious Jews together with
the fact that I have the approval of
a distinguished Torah scholar. And if others sometimes honor me by the
name Rabbi, this is just based on what is written in Pirkei Avot
{Ethics of the Fathers}:
He who learns from his
companion, even one chapter, one
halacha, one verse, one statement, or even one letter, is obliged to
treat him with respect. For so we find concerning Dovid {David}, King
of Yisrael {Israel}, who learned only two things from Achitophel and
yet he called him his Rabbi, his Mentor, and his intimate friend, for it
has been stated: "You are a man whose value is like my own, my Mentor {alt. translation: my General}, and my intimate friend"
{Tehillim/Psalms 55:14}. Now, we may infer as follows: If Dovid
{David}, King of Yisrael {Israel}, who learned only two things from
Achitophel, addressed him as his Rabbi, Mentor, and intimate friend, how
much more should one who learns from his companion, one chapter, one
halacha, one verse, one statement, or even one letter, treat this one
{who taught him} with honor.
