{"id":40,"date":"2016-01-18T11:09:20","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T11:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daattevunot.wordpress.com\/?p=40"},"modified":"2016-01-18T11:09:20","modified_gmt":"2016-01-18T11:09:20","slug":"daat-tevunot-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/2016\/01\/18\/daat-tevunot-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Da’at Tevunot 1:2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/em> 1:2 (#\u2019s 20-31)<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Now that we know that G-d wants us to perfect both ourselves and the universe we\u2019ll need to unravel this next series of mysteries: just how are we im<\/em>perfect and what are the consequences of that? What is human perfection in fact, and how does achieving it perfect all of creation? How do we come to it and what are its consequences [1]?<\/p>\n

Well, there are Torah verses and quotes from our sages\u00a0 we can cull from and some conclusions we can arrive at logically\u00a0 to depict what perfection would be like. So we’d do well to use them to contrast perfection with, and to understand our current imperfection.<\/p>\n

But Ramchal first indicates that in general perfection comes to \u201cattaching oneself onto G-d\u2019s holy presence [2], and to delighting in the act of grasping His glory without any of the impediments\u201d [3]. He acknowledges that \u201cwe don\u2019t really have the ability to understand just what this \u2018attaching’ and \u2018grasping\u2019 is all about\u201d at this point of our development, that is, \u201cas long as we\u2019re imperfect\u201d [4]. But we\u2019ve been granted allusions to it, as we’ll see.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

This phenomenon is depicted in the following verses: \u201cThen you will delight in the L-rd, and I will have you ride on the heights of the earth\u201d (Isaiah 58:14), \u201cThe upright will dwell in Your presence\u201d (Psalms 140:13), and \u201cIn Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever\u201d (Psalms 16:11). It\u2019s spoken of in the Talmudic statement that \u201cIn the World to Come there will be neither eating nor drinking, nor procreation or business transactions, nor envy or hatred or rivalry; but the righteous will sit enthroned (there) with crowns on their heads, enjoying the luster of the Divine presence\u201d (Berachot<\/em> 17a). And it can be derived from the fact that like all things that yearn to return to their source, the soul likewise yearns to return its<\/em> source, G-d Himself, and that achieving that would be perfection [5].<\/p>\n

Nonetheless as long as we don\u2019t yet cleave onto G-d\u2019s presence and grasp His being we\u2019re imperfect, and the fact remains that we were indeed created to achieve that and have been charged by G-d to set out to do it [6]. But there are a couple of other things we\u2019d need to understand now that are rather mystifying before we can go forward.<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

First off, it\u2019s clear that G-d could have created us and the universe as utterly perfect to begin with, so why didn\u2019t He? In fact we\u2019d have expected Him to have, given His omnipotence [7]. The answer, we\u2019re taught, lies in the fact that rather than create worlds and things in accordance with His own<\/em> needs and abilities, G-d created them to fit ours<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As such, G-d could be said to have purposefully \u201cheld Himself back\u201d, if you will; to have stifled His infinite ability to create perfectly when He formed the universe and ourselves. So, He didn\u2019t create us as perfect to begin with simply because He deemed it necessary for us to perfect ourselves (and the universe with us) by ourselves. And that was so that we\u2019d be able to achieve His goal that we be self<\/em>-actualized [8].<\/p>\n

Another legitimate question we could then ask is this: Given that we\u2019re indeed imperfect, what then can we draw upon to perfect ourselves [9]? We\u2019ll have to wait till we can answer that one, though [10].<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/p>\n

[1] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 These themes will be expanded on later on in the book.<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Derech Hashem<\/em> 1:2:3 and Messilat Yesharim <\/em>Ch. 1.<\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are thus two aspects to this: first \u201cattaching oneself onto G-d\u2019s holy presence” itself which is followed by the experience of “delighting in the act of grasping His glory without any of the impediments\u201d. But the latter aspect would seem to suggest a certain detachment<\/em> from G-d — a stepping back in order to fully assess on one’s own his grasp of His glory — while the suggestion has always been that we’d enjoy an eternal attachment.<\/p>\n

It seems the implication is that one would first enjoy the utterly unfathomable state of adhesion on to G-d’s very being due him, but then he’d pull back to realize that it was he himself who was experiencing that as his reward for all of his efforts and service to G-d, and that he’d then adhere once again ad<\/em> infinitum<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Much the way a four year old couldn\u2019t be expected to fathom being forty.<\/p>\n

After all, how could a mortal being subject to the exigencies of space and time ever fathom being attached on to and experiencing G-d Himself?<\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s to say that the perfection we\u2019re capable of achieving is the state in which we\u2019d dwell and delight in G-d\u2019s lustrous presence joyfully as we soar above all human concerns, don regal \u201ccrowns\u201d, and realize our dream of returning to G-d.<\/p>\n

The idea that all things naturally yearn to return to their \u201csource\u201d is classical. It was used for example by the ancients to explain why fire flickers upward — to return to the source of fire in the heavens, etc.<\/p>\n

While that concept no longer rings true to those of us with a scientific background, the basic notion behind it is still valid on a human<\/em> level and helps to explain many things, including why children cling to their mothers, why individuals tend to stay close to their people or are drawn to others from their hometown or alma mater, why our minds and imaginations often draw upon archetypical ideas and longings, why people often regress into childhood patterns when they grow old, and most significantly (as Ramchal indicates) why we would want to draw close to G-d.<\/p>\n

This model is in fact found in many Kabalistic works, including but certainly not limited to Leshem Shevo v\u2019Achlamah<\/em> which states that \u201cthe goal of everything is to return to its Exalted Source\u201d (Chelek HaBiurim<\/em> 1, p. 83), and that \u201ca lower light always longs to rise upward and to attach itself up above, so as to garner more and more light and blessings from the Infinite Light on high\u201d (Ibid. 2, p. 14).<\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thus to answer the questions raised at the top as to what’s imperfect about us that needs to be rectified — it’s our disconnection from G-d; the consequences of that are our sinfulness as well as our toxic sense of purposelessness; and the consequences of our actually perfecting ourselves would be the sort of unalloyed joy that comes upon the soul when it realizes its full potential.<\/p>\n

[7]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That is, would Almighty G-d have been expected to do anything less than perfectly? It follows that His having created an imperfect world was on purpose. And we can extrapolate from there that everything<\/em> G-d does is purposeful and premeditated, which is an axiom of faith and trust in G-d’s being and actions.<\/p>\n

[8] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This too refers to the Kabbalistic concept of Tzimtzum <\/em>(see note 7 to 1:1 above).<\/p>\n

[9] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This won\u2019t be fully explained until Section Two below.<\/p>\n

[10]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, to sum up the last chapter and this one, we learn that G-d calls upon us to perfect ourselves and the universe at large, and that we\u2019re to be richly rewarded for doing that; that the reward in fact will be an experience of G-d Himself, which we sorely lack now; that G-d purposely fashioned us and the entire universe to accommodate our mission; and that there\u2019s something within us that allows for so bold and otherworldly a phenomenon.<\/p>\n

(c) 2016 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

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

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman 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 on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot 1:2 (#\u2019s 20-31) 1. Now that we know that G-d wants us to perfect both ourselves and the universe we\u2019ll need to unravel this next series of mysteries: just how are we imperfect and what are the consequences … 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":false,"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-40","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-E","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","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=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}