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Beit Midrash
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- Chassidish Stories
One of them replied, "The Rambam writes that Aristotle understood the celestial spheres better than Ezekiel the Prophet. Is it surprising, then, that people do not agree with him?"
The Rhoziner responded, "The Rambam is right. Two people entered the king's palace. One of them walked through each chamber and studied scrupulously the magnificent vessels and treasures, and he could not satiate his eyes. The second also walked through the chambers of the palace, but his only thoughts were: This is the home of the king; here are the vessels of the king...soon I shall surely see the king himself, face to face!"
Chassidish Stories (17)
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
15 - On the Spiritual Hunting Grounds
16 - The King's Palace
17 - Judgement and Accountability
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Because of his strong connection with philosophy, the Rambam created new definitions of what perfect faith is. In his opinion, reaching human perfection calls for observing and understanding God's presence via the intellect.
The first of Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith is the knowledge of God – knowledge, not faith. Even reward in the World to Come wears an intellectual garb in Rambam’s doctrine. According to Rambam, the passage "The righteous sit, wearing their crowns, enjoying the glory of God’s presence" refers to enjoyment that comes from grasping intellectual axioms and the pleasure that comes from acquiring an intellectual knowledge of God’s existence. On this scale, Rambam held Aristotle in great esteem as he who had reached the highest possible level.
All of this sheds light on the way Rambam was viewed by the Hassidim. It leads us to the claim, enunciated in our story, that Rambam held Aristotle in higher esteem than he did Ezekiel the Prophet. This statement compares two ostensibly disparate worlds: the world of prophecy and the world of philosophy. Ezekiel is mentioned in this context because of his vision of the Divine Chariot; Aristotle is mentioned as he who represents the world of philosophy because Rambam so espoused his thought.
From our story it becomes clear that the Rozhiner Rebbe was not disturbed by the comparison of the two. He did not tend to draw a fundamental distinction between the prophet and the philosopher.
One who studies Rambam’s "Yesodei HaTorah" will discover that his ideas appear to be very similar to well-known Kabbalistic ideas. The first four chapters of "Yesodei HaTorah," which deal with the realms of God, the angels, the spheres, and creation, are likely to be viewed as paralleling the four "worlds" of Kabbalah – the "World of Emination," the "World of Creation," the "World of Formation," and the "World of Actions"; Rambam’s ten "intellects" can be seen as paralleling Kabbalah’s ten "sefiroth" (divine attributes or powers), and so forth.
It appears possible, then, to arrive at intellectual cognizance on either a prophetic or philosophical level.
The Rozhiner Rebbe justifies the claim that Rambam compares Aristotle, who comes from the world of philosophy, and Ezekiel, who comes from the world of prophecy. If we look at things from an intellectual standpoint, we might well say that Aristotle understood the fabric of the sublime worlds better than Ezkiel the Prophet.
However, here the Rozhiner Rebbe changes the system of values by which he judges matters. Perhaps Aristotle knew more than Ezekiel, but does it matter if he knew more or less? The real question is not what you know but how that knowledge affects you.
Two people walk through the king’s palace. One of them turns his attention to the precious objects, magnificent vessels, and treasures. For him, the palace is a fascinating place that must be analyzed. He recognizes that the contents of the palace are all beautiful, wise, interesting, but he stops here; he refrains from seeking out the king himself.
It may well be that the second person walking through the palace knows less about the palace itself, but as he walks along he is permeated with a sense of attachment to the king. For him, the palace has no essential significance; it only has meaning inasmuch as it arouses man to attach himself to God.
Ezekiel picked up where Aristotle left off. Aristotle reached an understanding of all celestial forces, but for him the cosmic activity was everything. Ezekiel too saw the Divine Chariot of the cosmos, but for him this was only and introductory vision to the personal bond between man and God.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
