{"id":1029,"date":"2012-01-04T10:31:59","date_gmt":"2012-01-04T15:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ramchal.wordpress.com\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2012-01-04T10:31:59","modified_gmt":"2012-01-04T15:31:59","slug":"ramchals-own-take-on-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/2012\/01\/04\/ramchals-own-take-on-worlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramchal’s own take on “worlds”"},"content":{"rendered":"

After listing and characterizing the four worlds (leaving out Adam Kadmon<\/em> because it\u2019s too sublime, as we said) Ramchal defined a world as an \u201camalgam of many objects in a certain place that are divided into many parts that are (nonetheless) related to each in various ways\u201d [1]. All that is rather straightforward.<\/p>\n

(We\u2019re sorry but we already offered the next two paragraphs, but they really belong here). Elsewhere, though, Ramchal understands a world as a system consisting of \u201ca benefactor (\u05de\u05e9\u05e4\u05d9\u05e2) and a recipient (\u05de\u05e7\u05d1\u05dc)\u201d. That suggests that each facet of reality — each world — must consist of an environment in which two polar opposite entities can form a mutually beneficial relationship and produce vital results [2], much like an electric circuit which, despite or most especially because of its polar opposite elements, manages to generate power.<\/p>\n

Not only is it that so, but it\u2019s likewise true that \u201cevery world exhibits various sorts of engarbments\u201d, or instances in which one world steps into another one which thus surrounds it, and in which the inner one governs the outer one and acts as a soul to its body (as depicted above in R\u2019 Vitale\u2019s name); each world has its own individual \u201cmakeup\u201d despite the broad strokes we\u2019ll be painting them all with; each has its own \u201ccouplings\u201d between the various parts; and each has its own \u201cascents and descents\u201d and other movements. It\u2019s thus clear that a world is a dynamic, unique realm with infinite numbers of interactions between its parts [3].<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

[1] Derech Hashem 4:6:13<\/p>\n

[2] We\u2019re comparing the \u201cbenefactor\u201d and \u201crecipient\u201d functions here to the reciprocally beneficial relationship of the “upper waters” of the heavens which are taken to be male and beneficent, and the “lower waters” of the earth which are taken to be female and receptive (see Breishit<\/em> Rabbah<\/em> 13:13; Zohar 1, 29b, etc.)<\/p>\n

[3] Ramchal\u2019s own comments to Petach<\/em> 31.<\/p>\n

(c) 2012 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":"

After listing and characterizing the four worlds (leaving out Adam Kadmon because it\u2019s too sublime, as we said) Ramchal defined a world as an \u201camalgam of many objects in a certain place that are divided into many parts that are … 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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/ramchal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}