{"id":153,"date":"2017-02-21T21:16:16","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T21:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/?p=153"},"modified":"2017-02-21T21:16:16","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T21:16:16","slug":"daat-tevunot-117-54-56-beg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/2017\/02\/21\/daat-tevunot-117-54-56-beg\/","title":{"rendered":"Da\u2019at Tevunot 1:17 (# 54 \u2013 56 [beg.])"},"content":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/em> 1:17 (# 54 \u2013 56 [beg.])<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something not to be denied about G-d\u2019s interactions with us, and it\u2019s this 1<\/sup>. There are times when He acts in an open and above-board sort of way with us, as when He punishes or rewards us for our deeds, \u201cshowing us His hand\u201d if you will and directly responding to our actions, measure for measure.<\/p>\n

And then there are times when His actions don\u2019t quite fit that pattern and His reactions aren\u2019t at all straightforward, as when He functions in response to what Ramchal terms His own \u201cprofound counsel\u201d 2<\/sup> — His own plan which aims to lead us all toward the ultimate rectification and sees to it that everything contributes to that end.<\/p>\n

In fact, that only stands to reason. After all, haven\u2019t we been taught that \u201ceverything done by Heaven is (for the) good\u201d (Berachot<\/em> 60a); and hasn\u2019t the prophet said, \u201cIn that day we will say, \u2018I will praise You, G-d; for though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away and You have comforted me\u201d (Isaiah 12:1)3<\/sup>?<\/p>\n

Indeed, we\u2019ll come to understand for ourselves in the end that behind everything <\/em>that happens in the world lies the fact that G-d will eventually make His ways known to us, that only goodness and blessings will come about despite our travails, that utter goodness will always rise up out of the bad, and that no one will ultimately be rejected as a consequence of his sins so much as \u201ctreated\u201d for and cleansed of them, and that everything will be set right. It will become clear that all G-d intended from the first was to rectify things.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

It will also become manifest in retrospect that G-d\u2019s ways have always been far more \u201cawesome, and infinitely wide and deep\u201d than we imagined, as Ramchal puts it, and staggeringly<\/em> beyond our ken. And it will be understood how \u201ceven the least significant of His actions is so full of wisdom and depth that it\u2019s impossible to plumb them\u201d.<\/p>\n

For, while G-d\u2019s actions \u201cmay seem to be straightforward\u201d at times, still-and-all \u201ctheir contents are (in fact) esoteric\u201d and a by-product of G-d\u2019s occult plan to do good; and they\u2019ve always been rooted in \u201cgoodness rather than harm\u201d even if we can\u2019t \u201csee them or understand (them in that light) now\u201d. For, we can only grasp a \u201cdrop from the great sea\u201d of His deeds and intentions 4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also eventually come to know that even when He chides us and has us suffer trial and tribulation, things are not what they appear to be — it\u2019s all for the good, as G-d only means to rectify us. He isn\u2019t set on rejecting wrongdoers as the notion of \u201cretribution\u201d would seem to indicate. For, as He Himself said, \u201cHave I any pleasure at all when a wrongdoer dies? \u2026; (I\u2019d rather) he repent of his ways and live!\u201d (Ezekiel 18:23).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s to say that we\u2019ll sooner or later see through the apparent<\/em> and peer onto the meant<\/em>. For, \u201cas soon as G-d enlightens our eyes with insight\u201d, Ramchal says, \u201cwe\u2019ll come to understand (in retrospect) through the very things that happened\u201d to us themselves before we became aware all contributed to His goal 5<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

So let it be reiterated that whatever happens to us now as a consequence of our bad or good actions is still-and-all rooted in our ultimate perfected state, when \u201cthe eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped\u201d (Isaiah 35:5), For we\u2019ll come to see and to understand the truth of G-d\u2019s ways then as we never could before, and we\u2019ll catch sight of the wisdom that runs through them like a rivulet of quicksilver 6<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/p>\n

1<\/sup> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This chapter returns to 1:15 and reiterates the important idea expressed there that G-d is always tilting the cosmos in the direction of perfection, and that nothing could ever thwart that. But it does underscore another point, which we\u2019ll address below.<\/p>\n

The truth be told, there are several instances in Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/em>, here and there, where Ramchal seems to be redundant. But it\u2019s our contention that he purposefully repeats himself in order to underscore just how vitally important it is for us to grasp the things being said.<\/p>\n

But see Klallim Rishonim<\/em> 7 for other shades of meaning suggested here. They touch on the mystery of the \u201cimmanent\u201d versus the \u201ctranscendent\u201d lights spoken of by the Kabbalists. Ramchal contends that the imminent lights represent the way things seem to be while the transcendent ones represent things beyond our ken.<\/p>\n

2<\/sup> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See 6:1:2 below, Clallei Milchamot Moshe<\/em> 7, and Breishit Rabbah (Eikev)<\/em> for use of this unusual and captivating turn of phrase.<\/p>\n

3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>That is, \u201cIn that day\u201d, i.e., in the end, \u201cwe will say, \u2018I will praise You, G-d; for though You were once<\/em> angry with me,\u201d I have come to understand that \u201cYour anger is now<\/em> turned away and You have comforted me instead<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>This is Ramchal\u2019s additional stance here, referred to in note 1 above: that not only can\u2019t we understand G-d Himself but that even His actions<\/em> are frequently unfathomable.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>That\u2019s to say, we\u2019ll eventually sit stunned assessing it all and say, \u201cNow I understand why this and that (seemingly bad thing) happened to me \u2013 it was so that thus and such (good thing) could come about\u201d.<\/p>\n

6<\/sup> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ramchal is careful to point out here in the text, though, that the overwhelming benevolence that we\u2019re to experience will only come our way to the degree that we can handle it — it will not be to the degree that G-d\u2019s own inherent essential benevolence could express itself. That\u2019s to say that even though there\u2019s much more to remark about the stupendous things we\u2019re to experience than we\u2019ve indicated, the point remains that there\u2019s an even more stunning level that can\u2019t even be cited.<\/p>\n

Ramchal sets out to encapsulate this chapter at the end which we\u2019ll offer here rather than above to avoid redundancy.<\/p>\n

As he puts it, \u201cG-d\u2019s own inherent perfection is utterly unfathomable. But since He wanted to express His benevolence through acts that are in our ambit and not beyond it, He brought about various things that would eventually have us achieve perfection and a state of rectification. This factor underlies all His actions (here) and is their common denominator. Some<\/em> and only some of this hidden factor can be caught sight of in G-d\u2019s actions themselves when G-d wants us to open our eyes (to the truth of things), but G-d\u2019s awesome and profound wisdom keeps the vast majority of it hidden away and unfathomable.\u201d<\/p>\n

(c) 2017 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

Rabbi Feldman’s new annotated translation of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag\u2019s \u201cIntroduction to the Zohar\u201d is available as \u201cThe Kabbalah of Self\u201d on Kindle here<\/a>. His annotated translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> and his annotated translation of Rabbeinu Yonah\u2019s “The Gates of Repentance” is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes torah.org entitled \u201cSpiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d that can be subscribed to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot 1:17 (# 54 \u2013 56 [beg.]) 1. There\u2019s something not to be denied about G-d\u2019s interactions with us, and it\u2019s this 1. There are times when He acts in an open and above-board sort of way with us, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,3,4,5,6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hashkapha","category-jewish-thought","category-kabbalah","category-luzzatto","category-ramchal","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iqo7-2t","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions\/155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}