{"id":70,"date":"2016-04-05T12:27:50","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T12:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/?p=70"},"modified":"2016-04-05T12:27:50","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T12:27:50","slug":"daat-tevunot-16-36-cont-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/2016\/04\/05\/daat-tevunot-16-36-cont-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Da\u2019at Tevunot 1:6 (# 36 [cont.] – 37)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/em> 1:6 (# 36 [cont.] – 37)<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

What believing in G-d’s Yichud<\/em> — His supreme sovereignty — comes down to is having faith in the fact that nothing whatsoever can thwart Him, as He alone reigns supreme. Among other things that implies that not only is there no opposing deity to Him who controls wrong and injustice, but that in fact He Himself created both good and evil [1].<\/p>\n

Unlike the ancient idolaters, we believe that nothing under Him — no “ruler” or “governor” — has command of the world. In point of fact, G-d Himself oversees each and every created entity personally. And nothing comes about without His willing it and bringing it about, as nothing happens by chance or as a consequence of nature or “fate\u201d; everything is on purpose and on target, and G-d’s own idea [2].<\/p>\n

We also believe that G-d is the lone Judge over everything celestial as well as the most mundane of things [3]. Since He’s compelled to do nothing, He needn’t even comply with His own edicts and requirements if they disagree with His ultimate will [4]. That’s not to say that He hasn’t granted us the freedom to do what we will [5], yet He can decide to not<\/em> take our actions into account and to be benevolent to whomever He cares to [6].<\/p>\n

That in fact has always been our people\u2019s consolation and has allowed us hope for our ultimate future. For we\u2019ve been taught that G-d will always abide by the vow He made with our ancestors and will never abandon His people despite our failings, and that He will indeed bring on the long awaited redemption when He sees fit. For \u201cHe is the L-rd\u201d, as Ramchal reiterates, \u201cso He can do that whenever He wants to\u201d.<\/p>\n

And the other point to be made is that no one can oppose G-d, even if he uses the very supernatural or natural mechanisms that G-d set up to challenge Him. For since He allowed for those mechanisms He can undo them all the same or change the \u201crules\u201d as He wills.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

In point of fact, the only reason why we don\u2019t realize all of this viscerally and must accept it on faith is because G-d\u2019s utter sovereignty has been hidden away from us [7]. But there\u2019ll come a time when G-d will openly display His absolute sovereignty, His Yichud<\/em>. For as Ramchal asserts, it was toward that end alone that G-d established the world and all of its ways<\/em> [8].<\/p>\n

Indeed, everything but everything<\/em> will prove to have played a role in the great drama of the revelation of G-d\u2019s Yichud <\/em>in the end. And once it\u2019s revealed, we\u2019ll be able to understand in retrospect the singular role that each and every element of the cosmos en toto<\/em> has played in that reality. For each thing and every moment will prove to have served as a clue and solution to the great and dazzling fact of G-d\u2019s absolute sovereignty [9] .<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ll also learn that our having been created imperfect and having been granted a way to perfect ourselves, of being rewarded, and of drawing closer to G-d in the process will also all prove to be an offshoot of the phenomenon of the revelation of G-d\u2019s Yichud <\/em>[10].<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Isaiah 45:7.<\/p>\n

This and the following affirmations are intended to countervail the mistakes cited in 1:5.<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This is what’s referred to as “radical monotheism” — the belief that G-d is the lone cosmic protagonist.<\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And that He’s also the sole administrator of His judgments.<\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That is, if they disagree with His ultimate goal. For, in G-d’s eyes the ultimate end justifies all<\/em> means.<\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which would seem to expose us to disobedience. And by the way, free choice will itself be undone in the end: see 1:11 below.<\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As it’s said in G-d’s own name, “I will be gracious unto whomever I care to be, even if he isn’t worthy of it” (Berachot <\/em>7a). Also see Job 35:6, Jeremiah 50:20, Isaiah 43-25 and 48:11, and Zachariah 3:9, all of which underscore the fact that G-d can undo the rules, so to speak, if He cares to.<\/p>\n

Thus, it could be said that rather than enabling humans to possibly rebel, G-d Himself<\/em> can rebel, if you will, against the very system He has set in place, and do as He will whenever and in whatever instance He cares to. This is once again an indication of the\u00a0 radical and thorough-going nature of G-d’s sovereignty, His Yichud<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[7]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This harkens back to the point the Soul made in Ramchal\u2019s Introduction that while he accepts certain principles of the religion on faith, he nonetheless doesn\u2019t actually sense<\/em> them to be true on his own. Ramchal\u2019s point here is that he — and we — will indeed sense the truth of all of them in the end.<\/p>\n

[8]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Put plainly, everything is as it is because G-d wanted it to be so, so as to allow for the revelation of His Yichud<\/em> which is the point of it all.<\/p>\n

This revelation will begin in the Messianic Era (see Klach<\/em> Pitchei<\/em> Chochma<\/em> 49) and will conclude in the Great Day of Judgment (Ibid. 79, 87 and Da’at<\/em> Tevunot<\/em> 170.)<\/p>\n

[9]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Given that, we can now grasp something of the depth and breadth of the eventual revelation of G-d\u2019s Yichud<\/em>. It will entail an infinite and utterly unearthly series of revelations of the meaning behind and the processes embodied in this world which will go deeper and deeper, wider and wider ad infinitum<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What that means to say is that we\u2019ll each come to understand G-d\u2019s ways in this world on an endlessly more and more profound level. So for example while we might at first understand how we\u2019d been influenced by our parents\u2019 actions and how we\u2019d influenced our own children’s actions in the great course of things (which is no small feat), we\u2019d then perhaps come to realize the role our grandparents played on our beings, and how we\u2019d influenced our own grandchildren\u2019s lives, etc. We might then transcend that too by understanding our parents\u2019 thoughts<\/em> and motivations<\/em>, as well as our children\u2019s, etc.; then what instigated those motivations, etc., and so one. And then we\u2019d go past all that to the point where we\u2019d understand G-d\u2019s<\/em> role in all that by degrees.<\/p>\n

[10]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He’s referring to the questions raised back in 1:2:1 about why we were created imperfect to begin with; his assertion here is that that, too, will become manifest once G-d’s Yichud<\/em> is revealed.<\/p>\n

There very are many references to the fact, centrality, implications and revelation of G-d’s Yichud<\/em> in Ramchal’s writing. See for example Klach<\/em> Pitchei<\/em> Chochma<\/em> \u00a01, 4, 16, 30, 39, 47-49, 79-80, 92, 113, and 138., Adir<\/em> Bamarom<\/em> pp. 197-199, 210, 225-227, Ma’amar<\/em> Sod<\/em> HaYichud<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n

Refer to the following for discussions of G-d\u2019s\u00a0Yichud<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0Ramchal\u2019s\u00a0thoughts: R\u2019 Shriki\u2019s\u00a0Rechev<\/em>\u00a0Yisrael<\/em>\u00a0pp. 167-228 and his essay\u00a0HaYichud<\/em>\u00a0in his edition of\u00a0Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/em>\u00a0pp. 61-66; R\u2019 Yoseph\u00a0Avivi\u2019s\u00a0Zohar<\/em>\u00a0Ramchal<\/em>\u00a0pp. 178-191, 213-216; and R\u2019 Friedlander\u2019s edition of Klach<\/em> Pitchei<\/em> Chochma<\/em> pp. 35-37.<\/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

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Da\u2019at Tevunot 1:6 (# 36 [cont.] – 37) 1. What believing in G-d’s Yichud — His supreme sovereignty — comes down to is having faith in the fact that nothing whatsoever can thwart Him, as He alone reigns supreme. Among … 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-70","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\/p7iqo7-18","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70","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=70"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions\/72"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/daattevunot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}