• SM

  Sara Metzger -3 years ago

  Questions from Chassidus: Maamar V'Al Hanisim 5729 #2  

  Sarah Goldberg

  Honor the brain, the intellectual, but don't Worship it. 

  Anonymous

  perhaps to connect to the torah or toldos we had recently that the mitzvah doesnt need kavana it itself is elokus so too it doesn’t need the taam for elokus- for the person taam is good just like kavana is beneficial for the person, but the mitva itself is elokus

  Sarah Goldberg

  Doing rational mitzvos because they make sense or just because He said soThe Torah applies to all of mankind via the 7 Noahide Laws. Nonjews are therefore obligated to keep them.  Many nonjews are, by nature, kind people and keep the 7 Laws because of their nature. After all, most people aren't murders by nature. But in keeping such a command because of one's nature, the nonjew is not truly keeping the 7 Laws. Only if he does so because Hashem so commanded Noach, is he truly keeping the 7 Laws incumbent on him.

  Anonymous

  Someone said​ ... Modern science is chookim being Quantum mechanics not logical for Humans

  Sarah Goldberg

  Maybe quantum physicists would say quantum mechanics is logical for them

  Anonymous

  Someone asked...Please repeat the last sentence about going beyond the surface.with joining with another person

  Anonymous

  Perhsps, The difference between all of creation and Man is Two fold. 1. The source of the physicality, 2. The manner of creation.

  1. All of creation was created "ex nihilo", "yesh m'ayin", i.e. something from nothing. But Man was created from the dust that was already created before. "yesh m'yesh", i.e. something from something. Basically what we humans do all the time and can only do, make stuff from other stuff already made. 

  2. All of creation was made through Hashem's words, i.e. He spoke and it came to be. True for the body and "soul" of all of creation. But Man (at least the animating force)   was made through Hashem's breath, not His words.

  It seems that Man's body came from a lower source (pre-existing dust) but his soul or animating force came from a higher source,  Hashem's inner breath not His words.We are a fusion of more extremes than the rest of creation.  

  Sarah Goldberg

  The Greeks were bothered by YOUR chukim and OUR G-D is One and One only.  The Greeks had many G-ds battling it out with each other,  each with his own "department".   Surely their "G-ds" each had their own "chukim", often at odds with the competition!  If so, they should not have been bothered by chukin that are supra-rational. The only difference between their "chukim" and ours is the number of deities issuing chukim.

  Anonymous

  Someone asked ...Who’s Ratzon are you mentioning in this? G-D’S or ours?  The divine will?

  Sarah Goldberg

  Was that New York Times article written By a yid? (Defending his nonobservance?) 

  Anonymous

  Mesiras nefesh chanuka

  ב"ח, אורח חיים תע״ר:ה׳:א׳ומ"ש משום דדברים המותרים וכו' השיג ב"י ואמר ואינו מוכרח דאיכא למימר דכיון דאין בו צד סרך איסור לית לן בה עכ"ל ולפע"ד נראה דדמיא להא דפוסק מהר"ם בתענית שלפני ראש השנה ויום הכפורים ושלא לאכול בשר מי"ז בתמוז דצריך התרה ואע"ג דליכא התם ג"כ סרך איסור מדין התלמוד וה"ט דכיון דקיבל עליו תעניות אלו לשם תשובה ושוייה עילויה חתיכה דאיסורא אסור להקל בהו וה"נ גבי חנוכה כיון שנעשה הנס ע"י אשה וקבלו עליהם איסור מלאכה כדין י"ט שויוה עלייהו חתיכה דאיסורא ואין להקל להן וכ"כ בספר צידה לדרך. וז"ל מהרי"ל קבלה בידינו שאין לאדם לעשות מלאכה בשעה שנרות דולקים בחנוכה. וי"ל גם ביום הראשון וביום האחרון מנהג רבותינו נ"נ לאסור מלאכה עכ"ל ונראה קצת ראיה מדקראו להו חנוכה לומר חנו בכ"ה דאי אין איסור כלל במלאכה מאי חנייה שייך כאן דדוחק הוא לומר דר"ל חנייה ממלחמה ועוד דרז"ל במדרש שחנוכת הנשיאים היתה בחנוכה והקב"ה שילם להם שכרם בימי מתתיהו וכו' הנה כשם שהנשיאים כל אחד עשה ביומו יום טוב גם בחנוכה יש להם לעשות י"ט בענין בטול מלאכה ומטעם זה נהגו להרבות בסעודות ובפרט הנשים שהנס נעשה ע"י אשה והוא הדין לענין מלאכה שאסור לנשים וכדין ר"ח ועיין בהגהות החדשות לספר מרדכי והיה אומר מהר"ם וכו' ואיכא למידק היא גופה קשה למה לא קבעום למשתה ולשמחה כמו בפורים ונראה דבפורים עיקר הגזירה היתה לפי שנהנו מסעודתו ועל כן נגזר עליהם להרוג ולאבד את הגופים שנהנו מאכילה ושתייה של איסור ושמחה ומשתה של איסור וכשעשו תשובה עינו נפשותם וכמ"ש אסתר לך כנוס את כל היהודים ואל תאכלו ואל תשתו שלשת ימים וגו' ולפיכך קבעום למשתה ויום טוב לזכור עיקר הנס אבל בחנוכה עיקר הגזירה היתה על שהתרשלו בעבודה וע"כ היתה הגזירה לבטל מהם העבודה כדתניא בברייתא שגזר עליהן לבטל התמיד ועוד א"ל מצוה אחת יש בידן אם אתם מבטלין אותן מידם כבר הם אבודין ואיזה זה הדלקת מנורה שכתב בה להעלות נר תמיד כל זמן שמדליקין אותן תמיד הם עומדין כו' עמדו וטמאו כל השמנים וכשחזרו בתשובה למסור נפשם על העבודה הושיעם ה' על ידי כהנים עובדי העבודה בבית ה' ע"כ נעשה הנס גם כן בנרות תחת אשר הערו נפשם למות על קיום העבודה ולפיכך לא קבעום אלא להלל ולהודות שהיא העבודה שבלב ולענין הלכה יראה לע"ד דלא כמהר"מ דמנהג זה שמרבים בסעודה כבר נהגו בו גדולי הדור הקדמונים ומהרש"ל כתב גם כן דברמב"ם משמע דימי שמחה הן וכן כתב המרדכי הארוך עכ"ל ועיין ברמב"ם פרק שלישי הלכה ג' וז"ל מהר"ש מאוסטרייך דבחנוכה יש לנהוג שמחה ומשתה וכן מוכח קצת ברמב"ם ויש מביאין ראיה מפ"ב דשבת במרדכי והוכיחו קצת מרבינו יואל שפסק בברכת המזון אם לא אמר על הנסים מחזירין אותו ש"מ דשאני משאר הימים ולא סגי בלא פת עכ"ל: 

  Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

• SM

  Sara Metzger -3 years ago

  Questions from Chassidus: Maamar V'Al Hanisim 5729 #1

  Sarah Goldberg

  It was said that a therapist "hits the spot" when the patient stops giving reasons and rationalizations. The layers of intellectual  and logical wrapping has been stripped and pure rotzon is exposed.  Presumably then, once true rotzon, the true hidden driving force is revealed, healing can begin.  It can't begin with defensive logic,  reasons,  justifications  and terutzim.

  And this mirrors Hashem who we say had pure rotzon to create the world, whose hidden rotzon is behind both mitzvos our seychel cam understand and those seychel can't grasp.  Supposedly He allowed us to try to understand the surface only of part of  the  mitzvos.  But ultimately, all mitzvos come from his rotzon even those somewhat understandable by our logic and seychel.  

  I see a problem here when Hashem's rotzon is compared to the therapist's patient's rotzon.  Hashem is all good. Even what appears to us to be bad will be shown ultimately to be good.  Its just that sometimes the good is covered by what appears to be bad. 

  Let's say Hitler, ym"S was by his therapist. The therapist digs and digs, or the patient digs on his own. Ultimately the logic and rationalizations and terutzim and reasons are stripped away and the core rotzon comes out.  He may have said that yidden control the money, deny xianity,  control this or that, own all the property etc as terutzim.  Then they're stripped away and his core pure rotzon comes out. 

  He simply says "I hate yidden.  Period".What does the therapist then do?  Some core human desires, core rotzon and will are positive, are neutral,  are innocuous, etc. And once the core rotzon is revealed true therapy can begin. 

  Once we know Hashem's core rotzon we realizw we must simply do whether or not we understand.   But in the case of people, especially very sick people,  the core rotzon can easily be bad, even evil. What then?

  What to do when such evil rotzon is revealed. Sure the therapist and the patient have stripped away false terutzim,  but they have revealed a bigger, badder monster.  

  Sam

  Mitzvos are beyond our understanding. If so then why does the Torah write reasons for most of the mitzvos? 

  Sarah Goldberg

  Perhaps a simplistic way of summing it up, there are 3 hierarchical approaches:

  #1. We follow those mitzvos that are susceptible to logic and seychel and do those only. Anything beyond seychel we don't believe and don't do. We can climb up the ladder only so far and not further.

  #2  We understand that our intellect.is limited so we believe and do those mitzvos susceptible to logic  but we ALSO realize as honest people that there are things, matters and mitzvos that are NOT susceptible to logic so we do those also based on pure faith and set aside the need for a logical understanding 

  #3. We realize that ALL mitzvos and indedc EVERYTHING comes from the rotzon Hashem, but can be subdivided into 2 categories, one the matters and mitzvos we can understand and two, those which we can't. I.e. both categories come from the same rotzon. 

  Like the child that understands that he must obey his parent precisely because it is the parents will, whether or not the order is understandable  to the child. 

  Notice some understand more, some less but if we do it because that's His will it doesn't matter that we understand.  (Stillwell are also commanded to.try to understand as much as possible) 

  I would add, perhaps, a fourth approach,, below #1 above: those who will only do the logical mitzvos they agree with and not the mitzvos, even though logical, that they don't agree with! (and even more will do aveitahs like the yidden who reversed their bris so as to participate in greek sports) ) This category doesn't evdn make into the maamer and certainly didn't bother the Greeks! 

  Sarah Goldberg

  What's the difference, if any,, between A parent saying to a child "because I'm the parent and I said so" in response to the child asking why he has to do something and Suprarational mitzvos. Both are the unexplained and perhaps unexplainable rotzon of the parent and Hashem .

  Sarah Goldberg

  We yidden should not be limited to the seycheldik parts and mitzvos of Torah, yet Ironically, for some of us bts, it was the logical proofs of the veracity of  Torah, e.g. the Kumari and other proofs of Mattan Torah, that led us to yiddishkeit. But. After accepting the veracity of Torah by logical seycheldik proofs, eventually we come to realize that seychel and logic is insufficient and incomplete.  Chasidus especially shows this. Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that there isn't much seychel per se in chassidus.

  Aharon

  I once asked Reb Berish Horowitz, z'l, the oldest son of the Spinka Rebbe, Reb Hershele, z'l a philosophical question one time about why there's so much war in the world or something along those lines.      He chuckled and replied:  "Aharon, i've told you before and i'll tell you again.  Go back to the foundation that all the great tzaddikim go to.  It says in ashrei "v'ligdulaso ain cheker" - "to Hashem's greatness there is no investigation".    We can't understand everything cuz we are finite and H" is infinite.  So remember what the great tzadikim rely on - that we were given a Torah and we have mitzvos to do and when you get that down really good then you will have free time to think about these other things.

  This vort has been very good and reassuring and supportive for me.  I like it very much.  It seems like a real pashut/simple answer yet so powerful.   How does this fit in with what we are learning in this maimer?

  Sarah Goldberg

  The Greeks could tolerate supranational mitzvos per se but not YOUR supranational mitzvos I.e. the concept of  a Deity ordering such mitzvos bothered them. But, they had their own panoply of G-ds. The only difference is quantity of Deities,  not the fact or belief in one. 

  Sara

  So what you're saying is that at the end of the day, sechel doesn't really matter, regardless of the fact that logic and analysis is so much stressed and appreciated in Judaism.

  Sarah Goldberg

  Perhaps its more accurate to say that we must believe in that which is subject to and capable of logical analysis AND ALSO  believe in and perform that part of Torah which is beyond iogic and not susceptible to logical proof.

  Sara

  Maybe. And I'm not discounting logic, but I think that what the Rebbe might be saying is that the true connection to GD relies less on sechel or logical proof than it does on an internal knowledge and awareness that resides deep within the person.

  Sarah Goldberg

  The logic and logical mitzvos of Torah didn't bother the Greeks

  We see that today many yidden, having been misled by those that were also misled about the divine source and purpose of  Torah,  also believe in and perform the logical parts of Torah while denigrating and ignoring the  dupra-rational parts. .  How is this different from the Greeks?

  The Greeks were an external group that sought to enforce their philosophy on us. Today, these yidden are an internal source that seek to enforce their philosophy. And they are not a minority but a majority of yidden, albeit a shrinking group while Torah yidden are still a minority but a growing minority.  (See the Pew research studies). 

  In time by pure demographics the Torah yidden will become the majority especially when the halachic definition of  a  yid is applied. There was a Jewish professor at Brown who wrote about 50 books on Judaism,, a real scholar whose scholarship was accurate, (where's yours?) though  he wasn't Shomer Shabbos. He was disappointed when he was shunned by the frum world.

  Mayer Stark

  Mara mekimois of rashbam in your drasha of Parshas Vayishlach greatness with fear. Please tell me where is this Rashbam from the Drasha you said with the title scene, please let me know, Mayet Stark 347-302-3077. Thank you very much. I love your Droshois.

  YY Jacobson

  Which shiur? please give link

  Reply to this comment.Flag this comment.

Chassidus: Maamar V'Al Hanisim 5729 #3

Rabbi YY Jacobson

• December 10, 2020
• |
• 24 Kislev 5781
• |
• 460 views

Related Classes

• 

  1 hr 5 min

  Chassidus: Maamar V'Al Hanisim 5729 #1

  If You Try to Understand Your Spouse, You Missed the Boat

  What the Greeks Could Not Accept About Judaism
• 

  1 hr 11 min

  Chassidus: Maamar V'Al Hanisim 5729 #2

  The Greeks Said Everything Is Logic; The Jews Said Everything Is Love

  The Courage to Surrender Your Soul to Infinity