KNOWING G-D
Hashem
chose to create man … each and every one of us.
G-d does not make mistakes. We
are important to G-d and He gives us the respect and the freedom to choose to
be in relationship with Him. As with
each of the Biblical greats, we need to realize for ourselves the unique
qualifications G-d built into each one of us so that we can embrace His Torah,
come to know G-d as much as finite humans can in this present world, and learn
to live in harmony with His Word and His world.
What does
it mean to “know” G-d? G-d is not
finite, He is not a human being, He cannot be seen, we cannot reach out and
touch Him, and yet He is omnipresent, there is no place that He is not. How does a finite human being “know” that
which is truly, by definition, unknowable?
Derech
Hashem by the
RamCHaL (Moshe Chaim Luzzato) is a classic work which explains the most basic
concepts regarding the existence of G-d and His purpose in Creation. It is a perfect source to turn to when it
comes to understanding what it means to “know” G-d.
The basis
upon which one begins to ‘know’ G-d is to “believe and know that there
exists a first Being, without beginning or end, who brought all things into
existence and continues to sustain them all.
This Being is G-d.”[1]
This is the
place which Avraham arrived at through the natural human process of observation
and reasoning, using his G-d-given intellect to question and to weigh evidence.
The RamCHaL
tells us that it is “necessary to know that G-d’s true nature cannot be
understood at all by any being other than Himself. The only thing that we know about Him is that
He is perfect in every possible way and devoid of every conceivable deficiency. These things are known by tradition from the
Patriarchs and prophets. With the
revelation at Sinai, all
The RamCHaL
gives a practical example to illustrate this latter concept of the all
inclusive, indivisible Oneness of G-d.
The example he offers for comparison is that of the human mind. The human mind is like an amazing factory. It has and oversees many diverse
functions. Each of these functions has a
particular area or domain within the brain, yet it is a single organ without
any of the unique areas for memory, desire, reasoning, motor function, etc.
impinging on the other. The human mind
has many structures within a single entity.
However, the RamCHaL makes the observation that the human mind is not
‘simple’ in the context to which he refers to G-d as being ‘simple’:
“G-d,
however, does not require a separate ‘domain’ for each of these powers. In fact, He does possess these powers which
in man, are different from one another, for G-d, we can say, does ‘desire’ and
is ‘wise’ and ‘capable’, and is perfect in every conceivable way. On the other hand, G-d is actually One, these
phenomena being present in Him without being separate parts of Him, their being
included in Him by virtue of His perfection.
All types of perfection exist in G-d, not as phenomena which are
separable from his absolute Oneness, and it is impossible that G-d does not
possess every perfection.”[3]
It is a
challenge for our human minds to grasp these transcendent realities because our
intellect and imagination are only capable of grasping things bound by the
natural limitations that G-d has built into Creation. Our senses cannot detect or interpret
phenomena that are outside the realm of these limitations and natural
laws.
“We are
incapable of conceiving these different qualities as a simple single Essence
since, among created things, they are different, separate concepts.”[4]
So, while
we can discern characteristics of the Creator by studying His Creation, we
really cannot say that the nature and Essence of the Creator and the Creation
are one and the same. Creation is
finite, G-d is infinite. It’s a bit like
looking through a glass, though darkly, or perhaps more accurately, it is like
trying to peer through may successive veils.
The process of veiling, or constrictions, is the process identified by
Kabbalah as the means in which the infinite Creator constricted and contracted
His Essence down into a manageable level of Revelation that we, as finite
beings, could relate to and not be consumed by His Power in the process.
Rabbi
“[G-d]
directs the planet with a power that has neither limit nor end, with a power
that is uninterrupted, so that the planet always revolves. And it is impossible for something to revolve
without there being a force to cause it to revolve. And He, Blessed be He, causes it to revolve
without a hand and without a body.”[5]
The RamCHaL
in Derech Hashem explains further that:
“It must be impossible that this Being cease to exist or have any
deficiency. This Being must furthermore
be divorced from all addition, structure, relationship, comparison, or any
other quality that exists in created things.
Finally, this Being must be the true cause of everything that exists and
happens. Unless all this is true, the
existence and continuance of things as we know them would be utterly
impossible.”[6]
Rabbis
Clorfene and Rogalsky echo this foundational principle to knowing G-d:
“… If
all the creatures in creation should cease to exist, He alone would still exist
and in no way would He be nullified because of their nullification. For every creation needs Him, but He, Blessed
Be He, does not need any of them or all of them, and His truth is not like the
truth of any one of them. Their
existence is not imperative, but depends on His existence. Therefore, their existence is relative. But the First Existence is uncaused. His existence is absolute.
Of Him
the prophet says, ‘The L-rd G-d is truth’ (Jeremiah 10:10). He alone is truth and there is no other truth
like unto His truth. And of Him the
Torah says, ‘There is nothing else besides Him’ (Deuteronomy 4:35).”[7]
The RamCHaL, in Derech Hashem, states there six basic
principles involved in our understanding of G-d:
1.
The fact of His existence,
2.
His perfection,
3.
The necessity of His existence,
4.
His absolute independence,
5.
His simplicity,
6.
His unity.
What do we
need to know about G-d’s unity? Rabbis
Clorfene and Rogalsky state it clearly and simply:
“This
G-d is one. He is not two or more than
two, and there is no single existence that is unique and singular like His
existence. He is not in a category that
includes others of His species. And He
is not divided into portions or sections as is a body, but His is a oneness and
a uniqueness that no equal in the universe.”[8]
They go on
to elaborate this concept of Oneness:
“If
there were many gods, they would perforce have bodies, because there is no way
to differentiate one being from another except by bodily or material
differences. And if the Creator had a
body or any material form, He would have both a limit and an end, because it is
not possible for there to be a body that has no termination point and
everything pertaining to a body also has a termination point. But because of our G-d, Blessed Be His Name,
Whose power is endless and uninterrupted, the planet revolves perpetually, for
His power is not a bodily power, and because He has no body, there are no
accidents or occurrences of the body that happen to him which might divide or
separate Him from another being.
Therefore it is impossible for Him to be anything but One.”[9]
Isn’t
simple, straightforward logic wonderful?
We all agree that the Creator of the Universe is infinite. The existence of two or more infinities of
equal or lesser powers means that there have to be limits which define their
infiniteness. This is simply
impossible. Infinity is one and all
inclusive and supremely indivisible into aspects, extremities or forms. No pantheons, no trinities, no dualities …
ONE.
Deuteronomy
4:39 tells us that “Hashem, He is G-d in Heaven above and on the earth
below, there is no other.” From this
we learn that He is in both places at the same time. A body, which is finite by nature, cannot be
in two places at once.
In
Deuteronomy 4:15, Moshe warns the Children of Israel, “For your own sake,
therefore, be most careful – since you saw no shape when Hashem your G-d spoke
to you at Horev out of the fire…” The
many descriptive phrases in Torah and Tanach which attribute sight, a hand, a
finger, feet, a back, etc. to G-d, or which imply that He descended or stood or
sits, are all literary expressions called anthropomorphisms, which attribute human
attributes to that which is not human in order to communicate qualities that
humans can identify with such as knowing, strength, taking action, giving,
resisting, caring, etc. In other words,
G-d and the Hebrew scribes of old were trying to convey Divine concepts in a
manner in which even a child could relate to them. They were not describing Divinity cloaked in
a finite reality. As we have seen, one
cannot limit the limitless.
We have
also determined that if Hashem were to withdrawn His Presence, all existence as
we know it would cease to exist. We see
this each time a person dies. It is the
Divine breath within that animates us our bodies are merely carrying
cases. When the time comes that G-d
recalls that Divine spark, only the carrying case remains and, left to natural
process, it soon decomposes. “For
dust you are and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).
G-d created
the world out of nothing. The Torah
tells us that G-d spoke and Creation was formed. Simply put, G-d’s speech, His utterance, is
the sole life force in Creation. This is
why Torah is our life, it is G-d’s utterance, the blueprint of all
Creation. Torah sustains the
universe.
If Hashem
were to withdraw His breath, to withdraw the Utterances that brought forth the
world, all would cease to exist because independent of Hashem creation has no
existence, even though things appear to us to have a separate existence and
vitality. Rabbis Clorfene and Rogalsky
explain that “the reason that every created being appears to possess an
independent self-existence is that we do not grasp or see with our physical
eyes the power of G-d and the breath of His mouth that is within creation. If permission were granted the eye to see the
life force and the spirituality that flow from G-d to every created thing, then
we would no longer see the physicality of material existence.”
What they
are saying is that Creation is nullified to its Source. If we could see G-d and the spiritual realms
in our present finite state, our physicality would cease to exist. This is what G-d meant when He responded to
Moshe’s request to see His Glory. G-d
replied, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim
before you the name Y-K-V-K, and the grace that I grant and the compassion I
show, but … you cannot see My face, for
man may not see Me and live” (Exodus 33:19-20). What G-d was telling Moshe is that man,
while his soul is attached to a physical body, lacks to level and power of
intellect necessary to behold the spiritual realm and cannot see this truth
clearly. Once our soul, which is Divine
in origin, returns to its Source, the realm of our understanding will
change. For the present, Creation displays G-d
goodness to us, His Torah proclaims His Name to us, and His Providence and intervention
in our daily lives proclaims His grace and compassion.
The
RamCHaL, in Derech Hashem, comments that “G-d’s purpose in creation
was to bestow of His good to another. … Since G-d desired to bestow good, a
partial good would not be sufficient. The
good that He bestows would have to be the ultimate good that His handiwork
would accept. … His wisdom therefore decreed that the nature of this true
benefaction be His giving created things the opportunity to attach themselves
to Him to the greatest degree possible for them. … The purpose of all that was
created was to bring into existence a creature who could derive pleasure from G-d’s
own good, in a way that would be possible for it. ”[10]
That
‘creature’ is man, created “tselem Elokim” – in the image of G-d. But a gift received is not usually
appreciated as much as a treasure that has been earned, and so it was G-d’s
wisdom that we be created with bechirah – free choice – and that we have
the option whether or not, when and how we seek to attach ourselves to G-d to
take advantage of the goodness available to us.
Creation
was therefore brought into being with elements of both perfection and
deficiency – a perfectly imperfect world – a world that is presently 6/7
of a whole, but will, at some future time, become the perfect 7 that is
represented by Shabbat. Man was created
with equal access to both the elements of perfection in this world and the
elements of deficiency. Our task, our tikkun,
is to acquire perfection and avoid deficiency.
If we strive to pursue perfection, to the extent that it is possible in
this finite world, we will increase our resemblance to our Maker, our tselem
Elokim.
In response
to this ‘arousal from below’ as it is called in Kabbalistic terms, this seeking
to draw near on the part of man, G-d responds by helping us and drawing us
close to Him to discover and enjoy the pleasure of His goodness. This is called ‘cleaving to G-d’. The more we cleave, the more our lives reveal
G-d upon this earth, and the more we ‘know’ G-d. G-d is the Root and the Source, we have the
choice to become fruit bearing branches by cleaving to and drawing sustenance
from our Source, or we can chose to define our own existence, making up our own
‘rules of the game’, as it were, and end up as dry and broken twigs. Basically, all manmade religions are simply
man’s attempts to make up their own rules of the game.
The RamCHaL
helps us to understand how good and bad co-exist in G-d’s world. The Prophet Isaiah tells us that G-d has
created both good and evil. If G-d is
ultimate perfection and goodness, where does evil fit in?
“If we
understand that G-d alone is the true perfection, it follows that in nature and
in creations, every fault is merely the absence of His good and the concealment
of His Presence. That is, closeness to
G-d and Illumination of His Presence is the root and cause of every perfection
that exists, while concealment of His Presence is the root and cause of every
fault, the degree of deficiency depending on the degree of concealment.”[11]
When we
chose to go against the protective guidelines and laws that G-d has revealed
through His Torah, we conceal His Presence, and depending on the nature and
degree of the transgression, evil is the result. When we guard His commandments, G-d is revealed
and goodness and perfection are the result.
According
to the RamCHaL, “All other created things, whether above or below man, only
exist for his sake, to complete his environment through their various different
qualities, appropriate for each of them.”[12]
The world
as we know it is a universal laboratory of sorts in which man has all the
elements necessary to perfect his nature and this perfectly imperfect creation,
or, alternatively, destroy both.
It was
necessary for man to be given bechirah (free will) in order to complete Hashem’s
purpose that His goodness be freely given to the ultimate level desired
and acceptable to this creature that He created with the capacity to cleave
unto G-d. If G-d had compelled us to
cleave to Him, He would be responsible for our choices and He would therefore
be responsible for our cleaving unto Him.
This could be likened to a forced marriage, or hypnotizing the bride in
order to ensure that the marriage goes through.
A bit of an insult to the one creature created tselem Elokim,
wouldn’t you say?
Of all the
species of creation, man was bestowed with a unique power, that of choice. We find ourselves balanced between good and
evil and able to chose knowingly and willing which side we will favor. Our choices mold the nature of our souls. As a result, we either cleave to G-d or push
Him away. We are born with a pure
spiritual soul and an unenlightened physical body. The soul naturally inclines towards its
Source, namely G-d. The body inclines
towards its source, namely dust … the material and mundane. Given that the two come as a single unit in
this world, when they are elevated or debased by our choices and actions, one
will affect the other. If our soul
prevails in its pursuit of G-d, it will elevate the body. If we allow our bodies to prevail and pursue
only the material and mundane, we will debase our souls and distance ourselves
from Hashem. In order to rectify
distance that we have placed beyond ourselves and G-d, we must do t’shuvah,
we must subjugate our physicality to our soul and intellect and repent.
What is
man’s obligation to G-d? According to
the RamCHaL, man was created for the sole purpose of cleaving to G-d. The prophet Micah expressed man’s obligation
in simple terms:
“He has
told you, O man, what is good, and what Hashem requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and
to walk modestly with your G-d.” (Micah
6:8)
One should also
strive to love and fear G-d. The Chofetz Chaim in his book The Concise Book
of Mitzvoth tells us how we grow to love G-d:
“This is
the way toward love for Him: When we
will meditate on His activities until we comprehend Him to the extent of our
ability, the heart will become inflamed with a love for Him; this is the love
that is essential for us. So let a
person set his entire thought on affection for the Blessed G-d. A man cannot love the Holy One, Blessed is
He, except through knowledge, by comprehending Him. Through this knowledge the affection
comes: if it [the knowledge] is little,
then a little [love]; if it is much, then much.
Therefore a person needs to set himself solely to understand and grow
wise through the fields of wisdom and comprehension that convey the glory of
his Make, to the extent of the ability that a person has to understand and to
realize.”[13]
But what if
a person does not have access to teachers and books? Hashem has put a ‘fail-safe’ mechanism into
the world for our benefit. When we stop
and take the time to seriously consider the magnitude of Creation, the
diversity of species, the intricate artistry of flowers and plants, the majesty
of the skies, the power of rain, wind, lightning and thunder, the flawless
rhythm of sunrise and sunset, the internal programming that motivates animals,
the amazing distances that birds travel unerringly in their migratory patterns,
how can we not realize that G-d exists and that nothing exists outside of
Him? His manifest wisdom is unequalled
on earth. It has occupied scientists,
philosophers and astronomers for centuries and has provided endless inspiration
for artists and authors. If one takes
the time to seriously reflect on the glory of G-d proclaimed daily by Creation,
then the normal responses should be akin to those of Avraham which are awe,
praise, and the fear and love of G-d.
David
haMelek wrote in Tehillim 8:4-5: “When
I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You
set in place, what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that
You have taken note of him …”
Not only
has G-d taken note of man, He purposefully made man the reason for Creation. What should be our response? Shlomo haMelek was the wisest man in the
world. He set himself to explore,
experience and discover all things. At
the end of his explorations, he summed the purpose of life in the following
words:
“The sum
of the matter, when all is said and done:
In the
Chassidic writings, we learn that when the day comes that we do stand before
the Creator and Judge of the Universe, it will not be our sins that cause us
shame … it will when G-d reveals to us what we could have been … the potential
He created within us and how we wasted it.
Something to think about.
[1] Derech Hashem, Moshe Chaim Luzzato, Ch.1:1
[2] Ibid., Ch.1:3-5
[3] Ibid, Ch.1:5
[4] Ibid.
[5] The Path
of the Righteous Gentile,
[6] Derech
Hashem, Moshe
[7] The Path
of the Righteous Gentile,
[8] Ibid.,
[9]
[10] Derech
Hashem, Moshe
[11]
[12]
[13] The Concise Book of Mitzvoth, Chofetz Chaim, pg. 15