Moreshet Shaul: The Fundamentals of Judaism | Various Rabbis | Beit Midrash

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What is the foundation of Judaism, from which the details branch out? Hillel encapsulated for the convert – "That which you hate, do not do to your friend" (Shabbat 31a). However, that is only a symbol – what are the foundation stones?

The Unity of Hashem – Things are not by chance, as one guiding hand arranges everything. The Primary Intellect is: nothing is created without a Creator; nothing emerges without something causing it; there is no mansion without the mansion’s owner. It requires much haughtiness and coarseness for a man not to recognize this in the world, in the wonders of the enormity of Creation, of life that exists in even the tiniest creatures, millions per millimeter, and, in contrast, the millions of worlds that are spinning with great power in infinite distances in space. "Hashem did all of this, at which they did not look, and the work of His hand they did not see" (Yeshayahu 2:12). We are so used to the wonders of the bodies of the heavens that it does not arouse wonder and contemplation. Only a young child can accept such a simple truth.

Judaism sees a guiding hand in everything, but only one divine hand, not the different powers struggling against each other that early humans believed in: sun/rain, heat/cold, land/sea, day/night, life/death, competing living creatures, man with dominion, followed by death. People saw these things as powerful idols.

Moreshet Shaul (21)

Various Rabbis

3 - Moreshet Shaul: Recognize Your Place

4 - Moreshet Shaul: The Fundamentals of Judaism

5 - Moreshet Shaul:A Crown and its Scepter – part I

What makes one power victorious? Is it when one defeats another? We see in practice the dominion of the powerful, implying that strength is the most important thing. We call this sick way of looking at things – paganism.

When we realize that there is divine unity, then we posit that the world in its essence is not at war. Powers that appear in competition and one thing being built at the expense of another, are just a temporary stage. Everything emanates from one source, and strives to go toward one goal. Shalom is Hashem’s name (Shabbat 10b), and this must be Creation’s goal.

By recognizing unity, we set the foundations of justice and kindness in the world. A Creator who is not lacking and needs nothing can only create a world for kindness. Then, justice will win, being more powerful than power; powerful, evil leaders shall cease.

Reward and punishment: After our conviction that the world was created with intent, the question is what the purpose of the Creation is. No sane person would accept that after Creation, the world would be left to itself. Judaism is based on the concept of Divine Providence, on the stress that although the world enables free actions, the Hand of Providence continues to guide it. Thus, it is impossible that actions will remain without reckoning. It is necessary to determine the criteria for which actions are good and which are bad.

This gives room for natural belief – actions are compared to Hashem’s attributes. If we set something as an attribute of kindness of Hashem, it shows that man’s parallel actions depend on their level of kindness.

It is as if we could say that although Hashem is perfect and lacks nothing, the one thing He was missing was to be able to grant of His goodness to his creations, and actualize the surplus of good that is found around Him. This teaches man he should emulate his Maker.

Torah of divine origin: If Hashem’s attribute of kindness is the main thing, then there must be divine revelation to teach how to get as close as possible to that type of life and guide our every detail and element. This is part of the kindness – He should guide us like a father guides a son. A father will never leave his son in the hands of a teacher without checking the results of his education. This is what Hashem accomplished by providing the Torah. We should view the giving of the Torah as the highest expression of Hashem’s kindness and His desire to guide man to his goal.

The goal is to get man to the highest level of kindness and to the nullification of his ego. "One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than the entire World to Come" (Avot 4:17). That is what Hillel taught the convert.

Moreshet Shaul