Regarding Last Week...

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Principles

Last week we took a look at Maimonides’ Second Principle and that seemed to raise quite a few related and un-related questions and concerns. Now, considering that this was the Shabbos beginning a new reading of the Torah at tysarb (Genesis), let me first add a bit of doggerel for your contemplation:

“The earth was made in six days, and finished on the seventh.

According to the contract, it should have been the eleventh.

But the carpenter got sick and the mason wouldn’t work;

so the only way to finish it was to fill it up with dirt.”

___Anonymous

And what has that to do with our discussion(s)? Well, it seems that our Khakham began to consider HaShem (the Creator of all) in reference to what we now know - or think we know - about the universe, its beginning, where it’s going and how it all came about. So the first thing that I need to state is that in this “class” or “discussion group”, I am presenting the Traditional Jewish concepts and beliefs. It is important to understand that I am not presenting another religious concept, a scientific theory, a questioner’s point-of-view, or a Jewish view that is not historically held or is not “mainstream”. Therefore if someone brings to the discussion ideas, concepts or beliefs that differ we can certainly discuss this; as long as we realize that this is coming from a different point of view and that which is “unorthodox” (with a small “o”) and does not reflect the opinions of sages and rabbis over, say, the past 3500 years. If we take the position that the Torah-Tanakh-Bible was written for a people where were ‘ignorant‘ of the wonderful knowledge that we now have and can “Twitter” and share on Skype and Facebook; but was written to explain to people who did not even know that there was anything beyond the desert in which they lived - let alone that fact that the earth was round and but a speck in our own solar system, not even considering the greater universe - then we must become bogged down in semantics and never get to the core issues.

For our Shabbos Torah Study Group to progress we must argue and discuss - but we need to have a foundation for our discussions. That foundation - right or wrong - is the faith, the belief, that the Torah was written for all time. The TRADITIONAL Jewish concept is that it was ‘dictated‘ by HaShem to Moses and that he (alone) wrote it down. On that base we can then consider other opinions and concepts. To start a discussion without any base at all is a futile endeavor and is certainly not the basis for this Group. As the facilitator and agent provocateur, I will always make the opening presentation on the basis of the Traditional Established Jewish Belief System. Then we can progress.

And with that said, we can progress to review some more of Maimonides’ Principles - beginning with the Third Principle, which states:

Gimmel

Yigdal

He does not have bodily form. His not a body.

He is beyond compare in His Holiness.

Maimonides

I believe with perfect faith that G-d does not have a body. Physical concepts do not apply to Him. There is nothing whatsoever that resembles His at all.

Does anyone have a comment to make regarding how Maimonides begins each of these Principles: “I believe with perfect faith...”. It seems that there are at least three of those five words which would trigger discussions. No?

If Moses saw G-d (at least His back)... and G-d has nor physical form... what DID Moses see?

For those who are familiar with the Hebrew language syntax, you will have noticed that He is spoken of sometimes in the masculine and sometimes in the feminine genders - what does that mean if He has no body?

“The hand of G-d...” “written with His finger...” “ beneath His feet...” What - why do we use these terms?

Dalet

Yigdal

He preceded all things that were created,

He is first, yet without beginning.

Maimonides

I believe with perfect faith that G-d is first and last.

“The eternal G-d is a refuge.” Meaning what?

_from the Guide to the Perplexed:

Everything, other than HaShem Himself, was created by G-d out of absolute nothingness. In the beginning, G-d alone existed. There was nothing else... He created everything that exists from absolute nothingness...

As children of G-d [The G-d of Avraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob], we should ask the ‘childish’ question: Who created G-d?

And for the last consideration for today: When did time begin? Was that ever “no time”? How can that be?