{"id":97,"date":"2013-06-18T07:25:30","date_gmt":"2013-06-18T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/derechhashem.wordpress.com\/?p=97"},"modified":"2013-06-18T07:25:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-18T15:55:30","slug":"derech-hashem-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/2013\/06\/18\/derech-hashem-115\/","title":{"rendered":"Derech Hashem 1:1:5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Class can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next is that G-d\u2019s being is \u201csimple\u201d [1]. That’s to say that while we and everything else around us are a m\u00e9lange of many distinct and dependent capacities and elements, G-d isn’t. His being is a single pure and indivisible reality [2].<\/p>\n

He\u2019s certainly depicted as exhibiting many separate mental, personal, and supernal traits and capacities — after all He\u2019s said to have a will of His own, to be wise, capable, and perfect, among other things — but still and all His own being is singular, pure and indivisibly simple [3].\u00a0 In other words, He\u2019s simply G-d, but He expresses His being in many ways.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just that we need to use such terminology when we refer to Him [4]. In fact, how could we not<\/i> describe Him in such terms? To say that He has none of those traits would seem to deny His omnipotence and would disparage Him in our eyes.<\/p>\n

The point is that in His essence He\u2019s inexplicably pure and indivisible; we just can\u2019t fathom that since it\u2019s so out of our experience which is space-, time-, and material-bound [5]. In fact, Ramchal warns never to \u201cdraw an analogy between what we see in created beings and G-d\u2019s own being, as the two are wholly disparate and we can\u2019t assess one from the other\u201d. Can there be any two things more polar opposite than Creator and created being?<\/p>\n

His being \u201csimple\u201d in essence is another one of those things that we need to depend on the Tradition to know [6]. We can, though, rely on certain logical deductions to bolster our faith in the fact that there\u2019s a creative, purposeful Being above the laws of nature, who is without lacks, imperfections, multiplicity, and relativity. As otherwise nothing else subject to those less than perfect traits could come about or continue to exist.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

[1] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Yesodei HaTorah<\/i> 1:7, Sefer<\/i> HaIkkurim<\/i> 2:9, and Pardes<\/i> 5:4.<\/p>\n

[2] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The original is terse and confusing at this point, so we\u2019ll cite it here and explain it as best as we can.<\/p>\n

Ramchal speaks of \u201cthe (human) spirit\u201d, by which he clearly means the mind, and therefore means to contrast it with G-d\u2019s \u201cspirit\u201d or makeup. That implies of course that he equates the human mind with its spirit (Nephesh<\/i> in Hebrew), and that he means to use it to contrast it with G-d\u2019s being. But that\u2019s very confusing to us, since we don\u2019t equate the mind with the spirit, and we\u2019d never equate either with G-d\u2019s Being, So let\u2019s present his statement with that in mind.<\/p>\n

Ramchal says that the human mind \u201chas many different and distinct capacities — like memory, will, and imagination — and (that) each is separate from the others. Memory (for example) has its own boundary, will has its own; and memory never enters into the boundaries of will or vice versa, with the same being true of the other (mental capacities)\u201d. He means to say that each one of our mental capacities is separate from the others, but that G-d\u2019s \u201cspirit\u201d or essence can\u2019t be subdivided like that: each of His capacities \u201cbleeds\u201d into the others, if you will; and that the lot of them are in fact one \u201csimple\u201d, unadulterated entity that is G-d.<\/p>\n

The point of the matter is that while we can blend our various capacities (we can, for example, evoke a memory of an aroma and thus combine the tactile with the cerebral, etc.) we nonetheless would have to consciously and purposefully combine the two, while everything about Him is simply \u201cthere\u201d, in G-d, and wholly, simply so.<\/p>\n

We presented that idea in easier terms in the above text to prevent this confusion.<\/p>\n

Contrast this with Rambam\u2019s discussion of the oneness of the human Nephesh at the beginning of the first chapter of Sh\u2019moneh<\/i> Perakim<\/i>.<\/p>\n

[3] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Hilchot<\/i> Teshuvah<\/i> 5:5 for a discussion of what sets G-d\u2019s thinking process apart from ours.<\/p>\n

It would help at this point to hearken back to our discussion in 1:1:2 where we referred to the two perspectives from which to approach G-d: as He is Himself, within His own Essential Being; and as He is when He relates to His created phenomena. As such in His own Being G-d is a single, simple entity, but when He relates to us He exhibits certain traits.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use this analogy. Most things in this come about as a result of a single, simple thought. Let\u2019s suppose for example that I have the idea that I\u2019d always like to \u201cdo the right thing\u201d. That single simple thought has countless applications in the world, of course. In much the same way, when G-d relates to the created world He manifests His simple Being in countless ways.<\/p>\n

[4] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See Klallim<\/i> Rishonim<\/i> 1 and Ma\u2019amar<\/i> HaIkkuim<\/i> (\u201cBaBorei<\/i> Yitbarach<\/i>\u201d) as well as Moreh Nevuchim<\/i> 1:36, 46, 47, and 52, and Pardes<\/i> 3:1, 4:9.<\/p>\n

[5] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the past, humankind had too often been struck by its own supposed ability to grasp things fully, and to be able to enunciate what it grasped. And it believed that what couldn’t be enunciated just didn’t exist. So science did its best to plot and graph everything exactingly, literature strove to say things “just so”, art and music tried to “capture the moment” perfectly, etc.<\/p>\n

At a certain point in modernity, though, it became clear that things weren’t what we perceived them to be. So science addressed issues like \u201cchaos\u201d (for example), literature turned to evoking hazy and nuanced senses of things, and art and music allowed for the abstract and discordant. By this point we’ve apparently given up on the struggle altogether and settled for virtual<\/i> reality.<\/p>\n

Now, the Kabbalists always knew that virtual reality is all one could ever hope to understand in this world. For our senses only experience things so deeply and no further. We simply don’t have the capacity to dig deeper down to “actual” reality, much like the ancients didn’t have the capacity to grasp the truer picture that the microscope would have allowed them to.<\/p>\n

As such we’d offer that there are essentially four levels of reality: surface reality, microscopic (and submicroscopic) reality, virtual reality, and the actual reality. Mankind settled far too long for a surface view of things, we were then thrilled with a microscopic view, and we have only now come upon virtual reality in the face of the actual level of reality which we now know is beyond us. Though not often spoken of, this acquiescence to virtue reality is an exciting and profound admission of human limitations.<\/p>\n

Ramchal’s point is that when it comes to spirituality, the best we could ever hope for are virtual depictions. For the life of the spirit is far beyond our grasp. Consequently, G-dliness (which can only be described as “meta-spirituality\u201d) is hopelessly further yet beyond us.<\/p>\n

Rambam evoked a remarkable image relevant to our point in his comments to Perek Chellek<\/i>. He declared that we haven’t any more capacity to fully grasp the spiritual than fish have the wherewithal to grasp the idea of fire! Drawing upon that we’d venture to say that we haven’t any more capacity to fully grasp G-dliness than fish have to grasp the idea of ideas<\/i>!<\/p>\n

[6] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See 1:1:2 above.<\/p>\n

(c) 2013 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":"

Class can be found here. Next is that G-d\u2019s being is \u201csimple\u201d [1]. That’s to say that while we and everything else around us are a m\u00e9lange of many distinct and dependent capacities and elements, G-d isn’t. His being is … 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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jewish-thought","category-kabbalah","category-ramchal","category-torah"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iqof-1z","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}