An argument we seem not to be a party to

And finally, our discussion of Ma’amar HaVichuach also helps us to understand another puzzle about Klach — why it’s very first Petach begins with the statement that “The Infinite One’s Yichudimplies that — only His will functions fully and that no other will functions other than through it…., as if we were wondering what God’s Yichud, His supreme sovereignty, means. But, who raised the issue in the first place, and what does it have to do with the Kabbalistic system? The issue in fact carries a lot of weight, as we’ve seen and will continue to, but we’re still baffled by the idea that the book seems to start in the middle of an argument that we readers seem not to a party to.

The mystery is only solved when one reads Klach in the context of Ma’amar HaVichuach. For the latter contains the following statement made by the Kabbalist there: “the fundamental axiom of this science (i.e., Kabbalah) is God’s Yichud — (i.e., in the belief in the fact) that He is one in all senses of the term” (p. 45); in the statement that “God is the Lord in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is no other” such being whose reign is that thorough (Deuteronomy 4:39); and in the idea that “He oversees and governs absolutely everything celestial and mundane” (pp. 77-79), all of which implies that God’s reign is supreme and exclusive. Thus, the idea of God’s Yichud is central to Kabbalah in Ramchal’s understanding as well as to Klach Pitchei Chochma, which only becomes clear when Klach is seen in context.

(c) 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org

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AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here at a discount.

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Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence” and “Ramchal”.

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