tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.comments2023-06-11T05:08:09.273-04:00Olive Seedlings - שתילי זיתיםLazerAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-33826212692681244212019-01-24T12:20:41.243-05:002019-01-24T12:20:41.243-05:00Excellent blog post, it was most informative.Excellent blog post, it was most informative.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08859438646761858118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-88841558018777888022017-01-25T09:16:00.066-05:002017-01-25T09:16:00.066-05:00Thnk you! what a beautiful article!Thnk you! what a beautiful article!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-86809710372430226682016-05-22T11:09:45.642-04:002016-05-22T11:09:45.642-04:00I have to admit to having some difficulty followin...I have to admit to having some difficulty following the premises of your question. The third foundation expresses the principle that God is not physical. The concept of reward and punishment, i.e. justice, is certainly not a physical concept and describing God as dispensing justice would therefore not violate the third foundation.<br /><br />On the contrary, as you point out, in the physical universe the concept of justice, like all moral principles, exists only among humans. Animals have no concept of right and wrong and certainly no concept of justice. (Humans make use of the concepts of reward and punishment with regard to animals only in the sense of conditioning behavior.) As such, one could argue (and many do) that the human sense of justice and morality is actually an expression of the Divine image (<i>tzelem Elokim</i>) in which God created Man, and it is therefore an expression, in human terms, of a fundamentally Divine attribute.<br /><br />The idea that God is just (which, by definition, must include <i>both</i> reward and punishment) is a basic theme of Jewish scripture, as is the idea that God punishes those who disobey His commands.<br /><br />Of course, as with all such things, we have to understand that ultimately nothing about God can be understood in human terms, and that the human conception of justice is, at best, only a pale shadow of Divine justice.LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-73951355416375741822016-05-22T10:03:22.072-04:002016-05-22T10:03:22.072-04:00Doesn't 11 contradict 3? Punishment is a human...Doesn't 11 contradict 3? Punishment is a human action or reaction to a perceived or actual deed that is counter to the desires of an individual or society. It is a behavior mostly seen in human beings. So why are we attributing this human behavior to Hashem?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-14417625599052001512015-12-04T11:45:23.710-05:002015-12-04T11:45:23.710-05:00well done!
Hillelwell done!<br /><br />HillelHGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10024137334370421521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-52670390513744172942015-05-05T17:58:11.843-04:002015-05-05T17:58:11.843-04:00I found your blog via a comment on FinkorSwim. It...I found your blog via a comment on FinkorSwim. It is a thoughtful and penetrating analysis that avoids the usual spinfest and partisan political name-calling. As antisemitism grows in the US, do they imagine their liberal friends and colleagues will come to their rescue? It is also disingenuous, considering R' Walt does not reside in Israel, and therefore has no experience with the realities of life there.Chayanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-72959797934811461372015-05-05T14:45:22.767-04:002015-05-05T14:45:22.767-04:00I was given this book as a gift right after the sh...I was given this book as a gift right after the shiva of my son who was taken from us by cancer after a long illness. Once I read it and realized that the connection between us still existed and learned how to maintain it through time-honored traditions, I found our situation much easier to deal with. Our whole family has come together to organize many of the projects described in the book, and it has been a tremendous source of satisfaction to us to feel that we can still help our child, brother and cousin. I highly recommend the book to everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-88438910777779996562014-07-08T22:51:13.886-04:002014-07-08T22:51:13.886-04:00I came across your blog by chance and want to expr...I came across your blog by chance and want to express my gratitude for this post. I was looking for a very long time for the origin of this story - popularity of the name Alexander among the Jews.<br /><br />Thank you very much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-35318038413333409532014-03-11T13:12:55.644-04:002014-03-11T13:12:55.644-04:00This is similar to the idea that we wash our hand ...This is similar to the idea that we wash our hand in the morning, preferably before doing any activity, like the cohen wash his hands before his service.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-609663751396716022014-02-12T14:40:31.405-05:002014-02-12T14:40:31.405-05:00A big Talmid Chacham once told me that he believes...A big Talmid Chacham once told me that he believes that the "No Machlokes in Metzius" rule seems not to apply to Midrashim, and that there is often two conflicting groups of Midrashim. The example he gave was one group of Midrashim that seem to identify Osnath bas Potifera as the daughter of Potifar & his wife, while others as the daughter of Dinah adopted by Potifar & wife. Potifar's wife "sensing" that Yosef's children would be through her is unlikely if Osnath was an adoptee, for example. (I'm aware that this seems to fly in the face of "Nima matza veHikpid" Gittin 6., but there are too many examples where it's impossible to reasonably square the 2 approaches.)<br />In which case, Shifra & Puah as Yocheved & Miriam identified by their Egyptian titles or their activities, or Shifra & Puah as non-Jewish palace appointees or anonymous Jewish women may not need to be melded.<br />Parenthetically, if the midwives were non-Jewish political appointees, is it possible they believed the propoganda that the Hebrew women "were skilled in childbirth, not like the Egyptian women", and since they never had the children on the birthstool, they weren't legally required to kill them, since it wasn't a 'late-term abortion' any more?Yisroelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-79190482182195073582014-02-11T21:09:40.385-05:002014-02-11T21:09:40.385-05:00Thanks! Definitely thought-provoking!
I also like...Thanks! Definitely thought-provoking! <br />I also liked your answer to "Unknown" - Imagine a courtroom that would disallow visual evidence because it may be an illusion. Though I wouldn't expect one where questions that cast doubt on that visual evidence are eschewed, either.<br />I always found interesting (though I'm not sure how to process it fully) the argument that if something was able to be done through illusion, it would've surely have been done multiple times - or at least more than once. Hence, if a staged G-dly revelation to an entire tribe or nation was doable, where is the second time that ever happened?Yisroelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-60185913096509514582013-11-23T13:29:41.810-05:002013-11-23T13:29:41.810-05:00Thank you. As usual you have woven together a beau...Thank you. As usual you have woven together a beautiful piece of Torah. I enjoy these very much.Gavnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-20841115050189283862013-10-29T19:15:40.998-04:002013-10-29T19:15:40.998-04:00I'm afraid I don't have much information o...I'm afraid I don't have much information on the Hebrew translation of the Nicomachean Ethics. Seder HaDoros has a brief note on a translation by a R' Meir Rofeh (ר' מאיר רופא בן אלוואריש), with a commentary by R' Yosef ibn Shem Tov.<br /><br />(It should be noted that there are many Hebrew works with the title Sefer HaMiddos.)<br /><br />Hebrewbooks.org has a translation of Aristotle's Sefer HaMiddos (http://hebrewbooks.org/38876), but this appears to be a 18th centry translation.<br /><br />In general, it seems to me that the medieval rabbis basically just picked and chose quotes and ideas from the writings of the non-Jewish philosophers (especially Greek, but also Latin and Arabic) that fit in with whatever point thy were trying to make. Even those who make much more serious use of these philosophers (like Maimonides) are largely focused on demonstrating that the truths found by the philosophers are already present in the Torah (and that that which is contrary to the Torah is to be rejected).<br /><br />The entire issue of "influence" is a difficult one. Judaism has its own ethical tradition, of course, which already existed long before Plato and Aristotle. So when we encounter a Jewish idea which happens to agree with or resemble an idea found in Plato or Aristotle, is this an indication of influence? Or just an interesting parallel?<br /><br />Even when later writers explain Jewish ideas in terms taken from non-Jewish sources, are they actually giving new meaning to these ideas? Or are they simply presenting old ideas in what was, for them, modern terms? (This process continues to this very day, and, even today, it can be very difficult to know when we are dealing with actual influence.)LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-34520338745219242352013-10-29T13:00:50.563-04:002013-10-29T13:00:50.563-04:00Thanks for the helpful article!
Do you know more a...Thanks for the helpful article!<br />Do you know more about the how the Nichomachean ethics became the sefer hamiddos? I am doing a research paper on whether Jewish ethics are influenced more by Platonic or Aristotelian philosophy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-44300056079321553982013-06-27T23:21:09.555-04:002013-06-27T23:21:09.555-04:00I love reading about judaism.I love reading about judaism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-37691473951608599762013-06-18T20:55:46.235-04:002013-06-18T20:55:46.235-04:00Unknown, thank you for your comment.
Unfortunatel...Unknown, thank you for your comment.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I'm afraid I have to disagree with your statement that "they were only being realistic." Even though, as I point out on the essay, given their previous experiences with human beings, their reaction was understandable, this does not mean that it was actually rational or "realistic".LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-51364791910788116642013-05-31T12:11:32.084-04:002013-05-31T12:11:32.084-04:00I agree with what you said wholeheartedly. I would...I agree with what you said wholeheartedly. I would add that in their view, they were only being realistic. Of course this was not the time for realism, but the time for Bitachon.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15305691610395972586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-86646813145160224102013-05-26T23:38:45.640-04:002013-05-26T23:38:45.640-04:00The Arugas HaBosem was a prominent chassidic rav a...The Arugas HaBosem was a prominent chassidic rav and posek in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. (The Pupa chassidic dynasty is descended from him.) He wrote a number of works, many with the same title. As I wrote in the article, the specific sefer I quoted is his commentary on the Torah.<br /><br />If you are looking in a seforim store, this sefer would be in the section on chassidus. Although there are modern prints of the sefer, I don't know how available the sefer is.<br /><br />An old print of the sefer is available at hebrewbooks.org. The specific commentary I cited can be found here: http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39275&st=&pgnum=261<br /><br />Please bear in mind that the piece is much longer and more complex than the small amount that I cited in the article. <br /><br />Also, just glancing it over, I see that there is at least one significant printing error in that edition that could be confusing. (In the eighth line of 128c, when it says "לראובן" it should say "לזבולן".)LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-815665088864429542013-05-26T23:06:04.588-04:002013-05-26T23:06:04.588-04:00Where can I find the Sefer of Arugas Habosem? I ha...Where can I find the Sefer of Arugas Habosem? I have tried looking for it but am not being successful!<br /><br />Thank you for this amazing article Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-37057917175700804542013-05-22T18:05:39.943-04:002013-05-22T18:05:39.943-04:00Devorah, I tried to be as clear as possible as to ...Devorah, I tried to be as clear as possible as to the sources. If you are having difficulty finding a specific source, let me know and I will do my best to help.LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-45543033323961099582013-05-22T17:01:16.032-04:002013-05-22T17:01:16.032-04:00This article was very interesting, but is it possi...This article was very interesting, but is it possible for you to add the sources missing and be specific in order for me to find them. <br />Thank youDevorah Dahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15242893317061045650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-40608278232700673782013-05-01T23:00:51.334-04:002013-05-01T23:00:51.334-04:00Very, very nice post! I was especially pleasantly ...Very, very nice post! I was especially pleasantly surprised to see you take such a forceful stance against the claim of belief in something while denying evidence of it, a notion that has always struck me as nonsense.Yirmiahuhttp://machzikeihadas.blogspot.com/2013/05/olive-seedlings-on-emunah-peshuta.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-16139266010484298782013-04-15T14:58:13.096-04:002013-04-15T14:58:13.096-04:00Akiba, thank you for your comment.
At some point ...Akiba, thank you for your comment.<br /><br />At some point I would like to work on a post that goes into this concept in greater depth and fleshes out the relevant sources. Unfortunately, this would be a larger scale project than I am currently able to do.<br /><br />One of the difficulties involved is that virtually all the sources that discuss this idea, do so in very veiled terms. (Offhand, the most explicit such discussions are to be found in various chassidic sources.) Nevertheless, in my opinion, this idea is the underlying premise of innumerable sources, including the rishonim. Moreover, in my opinion, once one fully grasps the nature of this idea, it becomes almost self-evident.<br /><br />I suspect that one of the main reasons why this concept is not discussed explicitly is that it can easily be misunderstood to mean that spiritual reality is purely subjective. Similarly, it could also be misunderstood to mean that any subjective "spiritual" feeling is valid, and that that our spiritual goal should be to attain such a subjective sense of "spiritual connection".<br /><br />These ideas are not only false but dangerous, as they can (and often do) lead to heretical beliefs.<br /><br />As should be self-evident, God and His Torah exist entirely independently of our thoughts, and our thoughts have no effect on Him whatsoever. Thus, when we speak of our thoughts creating our spiritual reality, we are not saying that our thoughts change any aspect of the objective spiritual universe, but only that our thoughts have a profound impact on our own status within that universe. <br /><br />Thus, for example, any basic error in our understanding of the nature of God - such as expressed in idolatry or heresy - results in a profoundly negative impact on our status in the spiritual realms. This is true regardless of the subjective feelings of "spirituality" that the idolater or heretic may be experiencing. To imagine that is drawing close to God while denying basic principles of the Torah is actually to separate oneself from God.<br /><br />Thus, as I have written previously, the most basic reason why the mitzvos bring us closer to God is precisely because they are God's commandments and we do them to fulfill God's will. The power of a mitzva to connect us to God isn't inherent in the act itself, but in the fact that we are expressing not only our acceptance of God's authority but also that He has is aware of and interested in our actions. It is this recognition, which can only be expressed through the actual performance of the mitzvos, that brings us closer to God.<br /><br />(This doesn't mean that the mitzvos are simply abirtrary actions that God "randomly" chose for this purpose. It means only that the function of the mitzvos to connect us to God is not dependent on the reasons why God chose to command us to do these specific actions. Thus, every mitzva operates on (at least) two levels, the general function of all mitzvos as described above, and the specific function of each particular mitzvoh (which varies from mitzva to mitzva).)<br /><br />Thus, while physically fulfilling the mitzvos in the correct manner (including proper attention to every apparently "minor" detail) is absolutely necessary to connect to God, the ultimate cause of this connection is not the physical action in of itself, but the expression of submission to God's will implicit in that performance and the effect that the performance has on our perception of God and His relationship with ourselves and the world.<br /><br />This is why, without at least some basic belief in God and the Torah, the performance of a mitzva can have little, if any, spiritual meaning, for in such a circumstance the action is not actually being performed as a mitzva (i.e. commandment) at all.LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-81729634408193429572013-04-15T11:38:54.341-04:002013-04-15T11:38:54.341-04:00Again, thank you for illuminating dibrei Torah. Th...Again, thank you for illuminating dibrei Torah. This fueled wonderful discussion at our shabbat table. Can you recommend additional sources regarding creation of our spiritual reality? Perhaps among the Rishonim?<br /><br />Shalom rav,<br />AkibaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027817976851056094.post-51098090861402391932013-03-27T21:30:25.218-04:002013-03-27T21:30:25.218-04:00Pearleaf, thank you for your comment. (I would jus...Pearleaf, thank you for your comment. (I would just point out that almost every major commentary on the Hagada discusses the fact that Ha Lachma Anya is written in Aramaic. So I'm not sure why you feel this is something that "few mention.")LazerAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10463856909521693296noreply@blogger.com