JLI Course: Class #3- Who Is G-d?

[Music] I said them say I think maybe it's from the Leben and when you come to learn to them you have to feel like a kid in kindergarten because you're going to learn new things that are astonishing when you come to learn Hasid this you have to come with the attitude that you were just born because between birth and kindergarten you develop certain opinions or perception of reality and hosta this is kind of disagree with it so even the most fundamental basics of human experience can be wrong particularly with the limitations of language you want to understand let me explain this to you so that you really understand how could the world come into existence when there is nothing but God and he is infinite good question answer is he hides he conceals himself oh now you understand he does what he conceals himself you know hide and seek this make any sense whatsoever where does he hide behind a rock where does he hide no he conceals himself where behind what well he doesn't really hide because when you're talking you're still like you choose but it's not okay so he's not hiding behind something contracting from where to wit from where to where bye so where is it hiding so before we get to the today's topic just as an example of how we have to understand the limitations of our language God hides the word implies that you're out you're either present or you're absent right it's like how do I hide the glasses well how'd you do this say now it's hidden so no it's not hidden I just changed its location when it's here you see it when is there you don't see it you can't see it because of where you are come over here you'll see it it's blocked from you in others it is not hidden it's not hiding yeah the location is the problem not the glasses so the glasses is not a hidden glasses it's just not where you are so here's here's the point if I don't want to be seen I got a huge pimple and I don't want to be seen and I'm sitting in front of a group of people and I don't want you to see me too bad you're gonna see me if I really can't afford to be seen I have to leave the room I have to be elsewhere and then you can't see me but if I am here you will see me why is that or what does that show it shows that I can control my location I cannot control my visibility so no matter how badly I want to be invisible if I'm in the presence of another person he's gonna see me I don't have control over my visibility so if I don't want to be seen I have to be elsewhere to hide from you I have to be in a place where you're not because if I am where you are you're going to see me even though I really don't want you to we obviously can't say that about God of course God can control his location he can go anywhere he wants but he doesn't have to go in order to not be seen because if he doesn't want to be seen he's not he controls his visibility not only his location but in other words God's presence is to him optional I'll make myself present I'll make myself an unpleasant but I don't have to go anywhere I just don't want you to see me so you don't yes yeah they had that whole song and everything yeah he is everywhere and yet when he wants to be seen he is when he doesn't want to be seen he's not yeah exactly that's why a human being can control his presence but he can't control his visibility right or say it the other way if he doesn't want to be seen he can stay right here he doesn't have to be absent so when you say symptom you don't mean he left and went someplace he just said you're not gonna see me or you're gonna see only this you're gonna see only that we're gonna gonna do a lot of redefining because when you learn hostages it's like being born re-experiencing everything which should really be the theme of this whole of this whole course in Hasid this you have to rethink everything because the impressions you get from the moment you're born are not correct the first impression you get when you're born is that you're the only important thing in the world I'm hungry I'm tired I'm uncomfortable not correct you're not the only important thing in the world and you have to help grow that it's sooner the better never do because it's such a convincing impression I have to eat tomorrow no now so the impressions we get just from being born are not the whole truth and fascist addresses that so what page are we on here 90 question for discussion when you say the word god what do you mean it's really interesting it is a mitzvah to believe that God exists can you say that again it's a mitzvah to believe that God exists I don't know what you're talking about what exists god what's God we can't know so so what are we supposed to do you have to have a complete total and munis leymah that God exists okay I will just tell me what God is and I'll believe in it it him what so you give me a word and I'm supposed to know what that means let's look at text 1 you see if you see the story if there's a sweater then there's a weaver no so the heretic is asking Yoruba Akiva who created the world rebbi akiva says God and the heretic says prove it prove what shouldn't he shouldn't the heretic have said can you define that no he obviously knew what God was he just didn't have proof what does the word God mean and people do this all the time you say I believe in God a person says go prove it prove what what does the word mean you know God no I don't know Rambam says the first Mitzvah is to know to know that there's a god that there's a one so how do people begin we begin with with the definition of God as creator if there's a sweater then there's a weaver so what is God a weaver if there's an Adam somebody created the Adam so what is God an Adam maker and you have to believe that there is an Adam maker because look there are atoms which is completely logical scientifically logical if something moved then something moved move caused it to move if there's movement and there is a mover come on that's just plain logical so we've defined the word God as creator mover shaker because the problem with that is just like there can't be a sweater without a weaver you can't be a weaver without a sweater right if you don't if you don't if you don't weave you're not a weaver so we're actually defining God by the creation and that can't be because he was God before he created the question he was not before and after the question is so what is he before he weaves a sweater a potential sweater weaver but what if he never mechanic than evening right so but that can't be the definition of God because it's like it's like catch-22 you can't you can't have a sweater without a weaver II kind of a weaver without a sweater so how does it start what's the great exactly true so it's like the chicken and the egg and also we spoke last week it's not true that God is a weaver and there's a sweater in him waiting to come out and a little bit that description of Simpson kind of suggests there is a stone in God waiting to come out all you have to do is remove everything else and you'll see the stone that's not true because then it's not something from nothing here's another important principle we talked about the conflict between infinite and finite if God is infinite where did a finite world come from and it almost sets up like an antagonism finite is in conflict with infinite infinite is the Haber style and he is holy and he is great and finite that's that's clipper that's concealment that's denying the truth what we're going to learn is that that is not the case the fact that God can say one word and not the other ten is not a concealment God reveals himself two ways he reveals himself by making himself known and visible and he reveals himself by not because either way your you're learning something about him it's like how do you get to know a person you get to see what he does and you get to see what he doesn't do if you don't know what he doesn't do you don't know him so the ability to be infinite and the ability to be finite are both pure and divine there's no concealment so limitation finiteness is not unholy and it's not hiding God it's showing you another side of him or in different words infinite doesn't mean very very very big there's not infinite that's big infinite means without limit so he can be revealed he can be not revealed he can speak he cannot speak you know that whole description and I was initially a time to speak a time to refine a time for water for whom we think for human beings there's a time for you to speak and time for you to know it's under a burst there's a time when he speaks there's a time when he doesn't speak and either way he's revealing himself so he can be huge or he can be tiny either way it's him there's no concealment real concealment when he said symptom meaning denying or or missing that not realizing that he's there that kind of symptom that that's Klipper ungodliness that hides the godliness but the fact that it's finite is not is not a concealment of God so the stone for example the stone doesn't hide God where does it do to hide that it's a stone it's innocent but it's so finite God is finite I shouldn't say that so is infinity great yes in fact it's really true and this is what a person doesn't do or what a person doesn't say defines him and reveals him more than what he does say so because it brings out with what it's the contrast the contrast you see what person says by any visible activity any outward expression could be completely misleading I am lying to you I am deceiving you I'm misleading you I'm creating a big facade I'm making this big tomb Oh what is it called like a like a wall of words so that you will not know me but what I don't do it you know of course that can be fake too I didn't say what I think of you but what I think of you is really nasty but you'll never know cause I didn't say it so if I don't criticize you it means I agree with you no but there's less artificiality to it than when I talk and talk and talk and then create an impression whereas when I don't say anything it may it may not mean what it immediately appears to me like if I didn't disagree with you that means I agree with you ok maybe not but that's about as far as it goes there isn't much of a facade to hide behind so what you don't do is a little more honest or can be more honest than what you do do so when when we look at the world and it's finite it tells us something more about the a burster than the big impressive things and that's why the simple Jew the ish pasha is closer to the truth than the sophisticated as closer to the truth and the sophisticated you sophisticated yeah there's too many distractions there's a little of this and a little of that so who are you really that's true but of the two whatever they do or don't do of the two which one is more authentic to the person okay a guy gives sadaqa lot at sadaqa so wow what a generous guy no it was not a generous guy he's just trying to make a good impression but then there's a guy who doesn't give to Duncan because he's stingy yeah he is he said I'm saying that's real so the guy who gives to duck gives the impression that his generous may not be but the guy who stingy you know he's stingy he doesn't give and doesn't give it can yes the act is generous but he's not a generous person huh who cares yeah the poor man who gets the sadaqa doesn't care see why that is more real and more defining versus the other one there could be a reason for either one in both cases so wait wait you saw in the clip God can speak infinite words but he said let there be light he revealed something about himself what tells you more about him the words that he did say are the words that he didn't say huh no from the words he said you get a certain impression he's a light maker he said let there be light oh he's into light but the but the unexpressed part of him that's really him know that was also created everybody agrees you cannot define God by creation because he's not a creator right so he creates the world but he's not a creator to call him a creator okay so again he created the world but he's not a creator so which of those two tells you more about him right which means it's not really him it's just our impression of him so relationship so which which of the two is more him the fact that he's not a creator so what he didn't do tells you more than what he did not because there's more of it which is you know true what's greater the words he did say or the amount of words he didn't say well obviously the amount of words he didn't say is infinite but but it's not it's not the amount of words the fact that he says and the fact that he sometimes doesn't say the fact that he doesn't say is not misleading it doesn't give you a false impression but what he does say can be misleading because that's the impression you get you think that's it so even in getting to know a person do you really get to know them by what they say well but that's that's why that's what I'm saying it's not the amount of words is the fact that he can say and he cannot say or he can speak or not speak so the God said let him oh he's a speaker he's a big talker he says all sorts of stuff so that's him that's not him he's not a creator part but it's part and it's our relationship part and that's what everyone know session and that's why we even have a relationship with the show because we're created by Osho so you know the analogy of Rosh Hashanah we have to blow Schaffer and ask God to be our king because the world is in crisis at that moment waiting for the verdict right will he be king or won't he be king so the analogy is to a guy who who meets a woman and falls in love and wants to marry her and she agrees and he is very excited so he hires an architect to build him a home he hires a caterer to make the wedding he hires musicians to perform at the wedding and of course he gets the best of everything the greatest architect the greatest musician the greatest and he's very he's very excited about those things and he's very proud of them I he'll walk around boasting who the caterer is going to be at his wedding now a week before the wedding the woman changes her mind that says I don't want to marry what happens to the caterer as the bee headache what happens to the architect what happens to the musicians they don't exist they don't exist in his life and in his world who needs a caterer a caterer is significant only if she's gonna marry him if he's not marrying him not only is the caterer not necessary he's a nuisance how'd he get rid of him the same is true with Rosh Hashanah there's a world a universe a magnificent immense awesome universe and you can get the impression that that is so important to God because he's so proud of his creation but if you don't blow Schaffer and you don't ask him to be your king universe light grass sky completely irrelevant so here's here's the if a guy says let's get married you hear what he's saying what is he not saying let's get married does it you mean you want to have a wedding oh I don't want to have a wedding I want to have you but I didn't say that I didn't say I want to have you I said let's get married so what I said does not convey what I mean and what I mean is much more real than what I said so that's why in the Med Rouge on the first word bodacious butter the measure says because of Jews be sure yes at all what kind of reaction is that God said let there be a universe and the mayor said yeah for the Jews do you see what that God said let there be a universe and you think God is creating universes no he means let's have a relationship they didn't say that or it's like for also the MiG - make me a Myshkin vishanti so make me a building but that's not where I want to live I want to live with you if yeah but he gave herself away death but if you yep so words can reveal words can conceal but what is concealed is always closer to the truth than what is revealed right so what do you really mean what do you really want and that you reach a point where what I really want I can't say in words and sometimes you need to use a a hint or suggestion and it's better than than explicit words because the hint invites your imagination whereas words kind of yeah that's all she said that's all she wrote yeah use your imagination a little bit but if I give you a riddle and of course you're gonna use your imagination you have to so that's why sometimes they tell you the talks in hints which is the the part of theatre that is called remiz because some things can't be said in prose okay let's go to back to the text before we run out of time so what is God so the first thing is text - according to the Rambam the first mitzvah that we were commanded is to accept the sovereignty of heaven meaning to believe that there's a God who creates all existences bringing them for that of absolute nothingness into whatever state of being they are in and into whatever state of being he desires at any given time which includes miracles God himself said this to us at Mount Sinai I am God your God so the first of the Ten Commandments on the FE Esh emilycarol what is the commandment I am God nice to meet you wish where's the commandment so what is commanded by those words that you accept his sovereignty by believing that there is a God who creates all existences to put in different words they said there are too many there are too many concepts here number one is to believe number two is to accept sovereignty and number three is to recognize that he is the creator of all things if you want to sum it all up since he is the creator of all things you better accept his sovereignty or you're in trouble exactly the threat it sounds like right actually teenagers are the worst believers in the world yeah they believe like it's going out of style they believe their boyfriends no matter what Victor they're totally reckless in their belief or or at that stage you can't differentiate between belief and knowing to be able to distinguish within yourself am i believing this or do I really know this is sometimes difficult because if you really believe it you convince yourself that it makes sense so now I know but you don't know okay so I believe and you keep two sets of books and whichever one works you pull out that book so from so far what we're getting is two things or actually three things you have to believe he is the creator and you better listen to him so Kabbalah so he's the boss the a barista he's the creator of all things bodacious but alikum how do you know this well I don't know this I believe it that's what we have so far and it ain't sounding too good like yeah so Sami trouble so I have to behave myself because the thing I believe in is gonna punish me because he's the boss not respond or not speak or not isn't that's where we get the true buzz when we do things oh we restrain ourselves isn't that that's part of that's juggling him and that's how I that's what I thought like what a sham presents us with something that before we might act differently towards it but after learning life's lessons we realize that the same thing that comes around we have to withdraw ourselves from it because we don't want to repeat the same mistake that's true you just added another ingredient to the puzzle Chua what is that yeah is that is that an act of faith or is that a learning experience you just learned something where you just suddenly discovered your faith what is it or you're so afraid of his punishment which is your punishment remember you're going to suffer and if you're not successful does anybody care but what are the what are the consequences and if I don't live up to my purpose and being a failure is bad what's bad what's bad about it but what is the negative thing it hurts to fail it's embarrassing to fail and so if you fail at your goal what's bad about that and if you don't that's your punishment in other words if you don't fulfill your purpose who suffers what's the damage your purpose doesn't come from you right so actually it's not our purpose it's his purpose yeah so if I don't live up to his purpose who suffers so what are you afraid you're not afraid of punishment you're afraid No if it's his purpose and you failed him why does that scare you and there was what is the fear of Hashem what are you afraid of that he's gonna punish it so in a marriage for example Oh a wife is afraid that she's gonna hurt her husband that's fear or that's love that's right so what does your such a mean I'm afraid for him not afraid of him are you trying to say so you agree with that you want to go over it again no no I agree okay I could like the guy who stuttered terribly but he was a very successful salesman he sold encyclopedias they said how can you be successful you're sick you stutter so badly he says I knock on the door and I say you want a but the buy one or should I read it to you so you want to agree with me or should we do this all over again I agree I agree so again we're so far our definition of God is that he's a creator our obligation to him is to believe in him and then accept his kingship his authority text 3 desire says in contrast to what we just read you shall know that I am God your God you shall know this commandment is primary - all Commandments to know that there is a supernal ruler who is the master of the world who created all worlds the heavens and the earth and everything in them so what is the commandment to know so that contradicts seemingly the first mitzvah of believing like that Ambon says that is another problem our definition of God as a creator doesn't work look what Alta Deborah says until you died Louisa who ecat all the coos mashallah illumise miss having me Meno this is not what God is really all about that the worlds came from him or Makka bloom hi use of the chiffon the manliest butter and continue to get their life from him that's not really a description of him Shehadeh Otto who actually live alone oh the Africanism they say another and add a new lung you are who you were before you created the worlds and you are who you are after you created the world meaning that before-and-after is be shovin Amish not that he is before and he is after he is the same before and after creating the world's made no change in him so he didn't become him when he created the world because he's not a creator the god evil the higher beta L amazed how your Hawk Hill shovel the fun of his body if he hadn't created the world there would be no difference in him right he would be he him good good in another place the Alta Deborah says that guy has to be creating the world all the time and if he would stop for a second the world would stop existing and the altered every rights has to show him he created he's not a creator that's not him it's like as a feminist I have children I am NOT a mother I'm a woman he's the creator yeah he creates in his frequent he creates in his free time it's a little so if there's a mitzvah to get to know him and you figure out that he created the world that's it you fulfill the Mitzvah of knowing him to believe sovereignty right right to know that he created which makes you dependent on him and therefore you should accept his decrees but here's a contradiction in one what we just read that ever says that God doesn't need to create a world and if he didn't create the world it would make no difference to him and then in the other places as if God stopped creating the world hostage Allah okay what's hospital if creating the world doesn't make a difference to him so if he stopped creating what's the fastest Shaolin so is the world essential to him or is it not we're not gonna finish this in time so let's let's go into a very very central definition of things part of the part of the issue that we're gonna have here is you believe that God what does that mean you believe that he is is what no no no he is what does that mean you're limiting it by trying to explain what it is yeah we can't believe something until we've defined it because if you haven't defined it what are you believing you're saying yeah whatever that's called belief then what now I know thanks for clearing that up I believe in God whatever that is okay yeah so before in order to understand what Hashem is can you tell me what it means that it is so here's when you're talking physically this is what do you mean it is what does it mean what does that mean it does what it has a function now I know that it's a cup is a detail that it is a cup as a detail what do you mean that it is what is the opposite of is huh right what's the opposite of cup plate but I'm saying a cup is not a plate but but what what is the opposite of is isn't so what makes this an is that's a function that's a function what can't be no because I'm I'm trying to define it's to define its being its presence how is it present don't tell me what it does okay so you say well yes but but its shape is not fundamental to its existence I'm not talking about the function of a cup what does it mean that this is this is this is I am that is by doesn't see it you can hear it on the table no no no no I'm not asking why this is a book what does it mean that it is yes what would happen if suddenly it isn't then it would turn into a cup it does not exist and what is it so existence means being something what makes us something wow this is really something you're really something something yeah not nothing so again in the physical the words existing has a completely different meaning than in the spiritual a spiritual thing you say it is you're talking about a completely different reality then this is because this is by occupying its space it becomes a physical existence because I can't it it takes up at space and that's true of everything in the physical world including feelings feelings take up the space in your heart and thoughts take up space in your brain how do we know because you can't think two thoughts at the same time okay you can't think to thoughts at the same time and remain sane they take you away so to say God is is not the same as saying this is so when you say God exists you may takes up space no he doesn't take up space then what makes him be that's where we're headed so in the spiritual that God in the spiritual world what does it mean it exists there is the world of at sillas oh it takes up space no no then what makes it exist what is the nature of being we're supposed to believe that God is that he be what does that mean can't mean take up space can't mean he was created into existence what does it mean so really it could be correct to say God isn't now we're really in trouble you believe in God you believe what that he isn't that he does not take up space and that's what it seems to be saying you have to believe that God is not a body and he's not limited and he's not in other words he isn't he isn't physical that's true that's true very true he isn't a creation he's the Creator so he's definitely not creation he doesn't exist the way we exist we exist by taking up space how does he exist he doesn't that's why it's yesh met iein what exists comes from what doesn't exist yeah somewhere if it's not it should be okay so so far what we know is that he is not the same as us his existence is not how her existence usually we know we're told his mind is not like your mind his thoughts are not like your thoughts but but he exists like we exist no his existence is not like your existence so does that mean we can't know him let's go to page text 997 yeah page 97 in in a safer idiom he writes concerning the knowledge of God he will you die T of her Youssef philosophically speaking how do you get to know God you can't know something you're not so God is unknowable because to know him you would have to be him and since you can't be him you can't know him in trouble because it's true of human beings as well how can I know you I'm not you so to really know you I have to be you to some things about them but to really know them you would have to be them in other words what separates you from the other person you'll never bridge that exactly and therefore you can't really know another person you can only know what you have in common functionally yes but it's a little disappointing that we can't really Nisha so you can be godly but you can't really get to him because to get to him you would have to be him yeah okay here's this is this is the conflicts we're getting different messages here okay but but this was written before the Tonia know things about him in other words right so so according to what the Economist saying if you really want to succeed in getting to know him there's a certain ceiling beyond what you can't go because to get to know the real him you have to be him and the same true with husband and wife so the urban a shop said concerning their ever shop was was the the the way that he presented hostages were so thorough and so deep and so and people were saying you you really think you're gonna get to know God you can't get to know God you have to be him so so that so that ever I shop said how are you reading this we can't get to know God because to know him is to be him so so be him if that's what it takes and the same is true with marriage you really can't get past that barrier and know your spouse because to know him you have to be him so be him yeah house we will see okay so [Applause] so Ram bond says the Mitzvah is to believe Rambam says the Mitzvah is to know the safer I am says to know him you have to be him so he's not knowable now what is the need to know him why is believing that enough text 14 103 - Alec a avakov of they will believe shall above a nefesh half Itza know the God of your father's and servant with a whole heart and a willing soul in other words the importance of knowing him is so that you can serve Him sincerely and personally if you don't know him you believe in him you can serve him obediently but that's not wholehearted obedience almost implies without feeling and without feeling means without you obedience means you're not important just do what you're told that's not serving with your whole heart that's cancelling your heart get to know God and then you can serve Him with your heart if you don't know him you can be obedient but you can't really serve him as the famous example the nature of belief by its text 11 the nature of belief page 99 Gunvor upon medalta the thief when he starts digging his tunnel into your house to steal everything you have before he enters the tunnel rockem on the quarry he calls out to God and Davin's for success in his theft so what does this tell us he believes in God and he believes that you cannot succeed without God's help because God runs the world and nothing can happen without him and yet he's stealing so you could say to him boy that you're such a hypocrite you're actually asking God to help you do a live alien but it's not really hypocrisy because Emunah is too distant from who you are to really affect your behavior and Munna is impersonal so why should it affect how I behave my a Munna is God is powerful he runs the world without him nothing happens so that's why I can't steal that's the problem with em Munna IRA spoke about the Robot Chicken saga he was able to remain completely unaffected by the prison because of his Emunah no m1 that doesn't do that his Emunah is impersonal which is the nature of m1 and therefore his emunah would have said to him I don't have to be completely observant God understands God knows everything he knows that I'm an in trouble so if I don't do the mitzvot if I don't Davin if I don't he'll understand that's what his Emunah would tell him so obviously there was something else at work it's not his MO no it's his knowledge his knowing God stopped him from misbehaving from taking shortcuts from giving in to that world or that reality so at the Gemara is telling us it's not it's not hypocrisy it's the nature of M Luna that it takes you into a place higher than yourself and therefore it doesn't affect your behavior the greatness of emunah is that it's impersonal it's not about you the problem with them owner is it's not about you so that's why you need the Emunah but you also need the knowledge so there's my god and there's the God of my father's the God of my father's is my Emunah I was told this is the tradition this it and I believe it my God means the God that I know and in order to serve him properly I need to know so that it can affect my emotions and munna does not affect your emotions why [Music] and what makes them simple they don't complicate their Emunah their Emunah is in the a Bristol himself like but everybody has a mother this is knowledge the uniqueness what makes the simple Jew unique that he has a Munna tell me the Hama don't have a movement no Emunah is not a product of learning and yet there's a Mona and there's a Munna Putra a simple Jew has a simple omona what does that mean simple Emunah means direct personal without without adjectives a person who learns his Emunah is is comprised some degree of God's greatness God's infinity God's brilliance to the simple Jew he could put yeah you could say it that way simple and Munna means what can I do for you he cuts right through all the what is God why does he it's so just personal but that's a gift how does a person who's not a simple Jew how does he get to that kind of direct personal what do you need what do you want by getting to know him look for the Talmud haha if he learns to know the a broish that properly he will have him wound up Shiva he will become an itch potion which which is what the Baal Shem Tov was I don't know if it the word despite all his learning or despite though he was simple like the Alton Evan after all is said and done I just want you that's simple because simple means you are real you not things about you the fact that you created the whole world and in our generation most of us need to get there through learning and that's why if I said this became available you're much better off that you weren't raised that way but you're not distracted by details and you go straight to him you're asking me you're the ball sugar you tell me I mean here you stop blaming me for anything all right now I'm in trouble you learn how you learn how locker to know how to serve him but how do you get to know him I see this I see this or what we're doing right now so let's do it okay so we're gonna get a little bit distracted what does it mean to exist the physical definition is to take up space in other words to be exclusive one thought doesn't allow another thought because every thought is exclusive it excludes everything else from its space which is kind of nasty that one cup will not allow another cup one book on the shelf doesn't allow another book on the shelf the witnesses yes yep so living in the world of space gives us a definition for existence if you are an existing being in the world of time and space you have to take up time you use up time and take up space that gives you your existence and that's why everything exists in exactly the same way this is this is and this is they all take up space what is the function well this function is a cup this function is a table and that functions as a recorder right but they all is the same way but you can't use that definition for things that are not part of space so spiritual things have to exist by some other property some other definition let's try this when God created the world he worked with a plan with a design that's the Habad of creation actual creation begins with facet sunday was fast that Monday was Guerin rent that's actual creation but the design for creation that's Hama bina das so in God's hokhmah the design that he chose in in creating the world is a principle called yes and no positive and negative when God imagined creating a physical world he made the rule that when something is it does exist it is an existence than it is not a non-existence if it's a non-existence then it doesn't exist yes and no to be or not to be so so when God thought let me create a world what kind of a world a world in which things either are or they're not so logically we say look you can't be and not be at the same time either you re or not really who created that who made that rule so again when you're learning Hasid this it has to be like you're a newborn child all the assumptions that we make are not are not necessarily correct two and two is four why because that's how God decided if God had decided that two and two it's 5 it would be 5 ok well that doesn't make sense it doesn't make sense that two and two is four it just happens to be that way and we're used to it so you can't be and not be at the same time that's a contradiction a contradiction where did that come from the first principle with which God created the world is that there are contradictions either yes or no you can't be both what about him he can be both why not huh he is not victim of his own design I'm gonna create a world either it will be or it won't be uh-oh now I'm gonna have to know he doesn't have to live by that law he created it so does God exist or doesn't he exist two eggs to exist means either you are or you're not is that true did that true of him either he is or he isn't who put that limit on him look I mean you're gonna be what are you dictating the rules to him and yet the eggs and yet they exist how do they exist the word exactly how do they exist because because they're not not if you're not nothing then you're something if you're something you're not nothing exactly but doesn't matter yeah so again if the rule of creation if the rule of creation is you can't be and not be at the same time then it can't be the rule for the Creator only a creation can either be or not be whereas the Creator he can be he cannot be he can both be and not be why not in other words these logical restrictions that we have in our brains don't apply to him as logical as they are in the physical in the spiritual it means you are rather than not but by the a Burstyn both definitions don't apply he doesn't exist by taking up space and he doesn't exist by following the law of yes or no we know this but our knowledge is a process of elimination we don't know what it's like to be and not be but we know that he is that way that makes sense so when we say we can't understand him of course you can't understand him because those are not your conditions but it makes perfect sense that he is that way so I know how he is and I can't relate to it because I'm not so getting down to practical you can't say about God he can't how could he be finite when he's infinite are you talking about God you're you're making rules that he has to follow come on either you re or not there's no such rule that so when we say he's infinite we don't mean to restrict him to being infinite infinite means all things possible all things he can be and not be he can be completely present and absolutely absent oh no you can't Hoshi you can't you're talking about God so the rules of nature don't apply to him any more than nature applies to him so he is not a physical body he is not the principles of a physical body so you can say a physical body you can touch can't touch God if he wants but it's more than that so you know God is not a body can't touch him that's it a body is also a structure that follows rules the brain has to sit here the the blood has to move there are no such rules in God so when we say he's not a body we don't just mean you can't touch it oh so mean he's not governed by these rules a body needs nourishment he doesn't so even the principles of creation don't apply to him they say how can he be here and not be here at the same time come on come on who created the rule that you're either here you're not here good an arbitrary decision is that well you can't be here and not be here at the same time why not why not it just doesn't work that way because he chose to create it that way so now the question really is if he can be or not to be then why is he so you can say because he's God so he is and he isn't that's just him trader comes along and says he can be and he cannot be but he prefers being though is now we're getting personal as far as his abilities he can be he cannot be it makes no difference if he didn't create the world it would not change him at all but he doesn't like that so now you're attributing personality to an infinite being infinite and always so when we say God can be or not be does that tell you what he wants what he likes no it's just telling you how he be and if you use marriage as an example a guy is completely totally successful he has everything his existence is absolutely perfect and he asks you to marry him why why see that question is the only part we don't understand why we understand you are perfect you're omnipotent you're all-powerful all-knowing you're infinite you always work you always will be and no rules apply to you you can be and not be whatever but you want why I'll never understand so it's not that we can't understand God's existence we can't understand his desire if you can have anything you want and you chose to want this why don't know that's the mystery of God and that's why you have a Munna and you have your dear you know everything about God's being there's no mystery there for that you don't need a Munna a moon that applies to when he says I want you this we don't understand why don't we understand see even from not understanding there has to be a logical explanation oh this we can't know why alaa we just don't know but you're saying you can't know what what rule says you can't know here's here's the beauty of it if you were to ask the a burster why did you choose us what were you saying why ask the a barista why are you hung up on me what would he say I don't know you're trying to figure out what reason does he have for choosing me ask him he'll tell you I don't have a reason you will never know the reason cuz there isn't one so it's not like there's a reason but I'm not telling you you're too stupid to understand you will never know why he chooses you because there is no why there isn't so there is nothing to know he doesn't know because his choosing us came before he created knowledge any knowledge the existence of knowledge came in hokhmah and his choosing us is in Teaneck [Music] so there were two things that existed before creation what are they and the Shama Siuslaw which means there are two things that God has for which there is no reason it comes down into hokhmah but it starts as his pleasure Shabbos jewish souls a tiny Torah and they are both items of pleasure for him which precedes all reason because in the in the in the order of things there's pleasure ty nuk Judson hokhmah pleasure will and then intelligence where's our question is that why Java says hot special on the assumptions choose to stop cheap enough thank you now we wouldn't beer well-known a chef would stop accusing us the world know if the world would stop existing that means he no longer needs us and that's a special relationship reason which is painting Jesus yeah same time why can't tide of change so I know possibly I mean that's two things existed before creation which creation the creation of light the creation of grass no before any part of creation which means before the design before the plan even before the even before the interest in creating a world so that cannot change that's no no yeah because that's him and he can't change a true desire can't change an acquired desire can change even in human beings so when we say before there was any thought of creation he desired this that means that that's him so what do we know about him the most original primordial first fact of him that he created the world and know that he is infinite know that he hides himself the first thing we know is he wants you and that's why he chooses to be rather than not be because he could be or not be nothing no he can't not be him and that's not a limit that means he's real that's right it's not like oh it's about to happen it's like perish the thought I have half pity like like spare me ya see that that's a proper question why does he desire there is no why that's him it's like saying why is God God but what is it that he desires that's a very good question that's what the whole toy is all about not to tell you that he desires that wouldn't take 40 days and 40 nights on house a night what does he desire what about you gives him pleasure your neshama your body combination of they have to have this name and so they had a little Squire cook that in them but they're not I mean is this part of God's design that there could be so many people in the world that might have a Jewish name or think they're Jewish and they're not or people who don't know they're Jewish are I mean I don't really have a question except that if that was what came up for me is Jim created the Jewish neshama why is it so diluted I mean is this what you wanted it's a big question for me I don't I mean what a shame I have both Jewish parents yeah but the question is when there's so much confusion because at the time of Hester punim he still wants us even more so perhaps much more so to acknowledge you do you have any insight on God acts in mysterious ways but maybe as a of course but not forever the homing instinct will prevail but again the conclusion of it all is and this is really something you gotta get to understand properly God doesn't have to be he chooses to be why does he choose to be so that he can have a relationship with us his daddy's not choosing that he's not fact that he wants a relationship not a choice it's a real need it's not a church yeah it's not just a choice but I think we spoke about this last last week if if your desire is for something then that's a contradiction to being God and being infinite because God can't need anything in other words you can't add more being to his being so he doesn't desire anything but he desires someone there's a huge difference between desiring things and desiring a relationship with someone desiring things means greedy and whatever level I want something I need more and if I have that I will be more complete more perfect more desiring someone means I'm gonna be less this is not about me to bring someone into my life I immediately have to make room for somebody else that's symptom symptom means I don't want to be exclusive I don't want to be alone that's a symptom the the feeling that I that I am not enough there has to be someone else also that's symptom and that by definition is vulnerability what makes a person vulnerable talked about this last week no Kansas does vulnerable mean subject to hurt isn't that how most people think of it vulnerable means you can get hurt yeah well then vulnerability is a weakness to be vulnerable means you can get hurt so what does it mean flexible so vulnerable means flexible affected by means subject to hurt what else and why are you calling it vulnerable why not just open minded that's vulnerable okay so I think the definition is this vulnerable means I am NOT complete unless there is somebody else by myself I'm not completely in other words the need for someone else that's my vulnerability and because of that yes I can get hurt yeah cause I get pleasure but what makes me vulnerable I'm not complete there's nothing negative about that it's not I'm missing something I'm not missing anything but just me is not enough by that definition is God vulnerable that's the that is the closest definition to him that we can get what do we know about God at the very beginning of of everything at the very beginning of everything God has a desire which means he's not enough for himself why does he want he doesn't because it's fun but that's like this guy who gets engaged and this is happening a lot he gets engaged and the thought of getting married doesn't want to get married he just wants to be engaged because it's so much fun what's gonna be an area seems like a hobby the marriage will be completed by definition according to what we're saying only somebody who is omnipotent can be truly vulnerable only somebody who has everything can really want someone because if you're still missing things you're just gonna use that someone for the things yeah to really just want someone beside yourself you have to be perfect in other words when the times that you didn't by not understanding who brought terrible things upon something like that something like that but again hester upon them let me give an example hester punim means you're raising your children and you want them to be independent how do you achieve that you're raising them and they should be independent of you you're giving them everything you're everything to them but they should be independent of you how do you pull that off that's hester upon them hester prana means god doesn't want to control you he wants your independence so what is he hiding he's hiding his control over you so for that he has to go away he has to leave town no he wants your independence which means he is limiting his control over you so how do you raise independent children if you want their independence they will be independent if you want to control them they will feel controlled so how do you give them independence remove your controlling influence so does that mean you're not involved in their lives anymore your absent no you don't have to be absent and some parents who do that I want my kids to be independent so I don't want to hear from them I don't want to deal with them let them fight their own battles and grow up on their own they're gonna be so dependent on the other hand you have parents who say I want my kid to be secure and independent when they grow up so I will be involved in everything they do I will make every decision for them I will give them total security and then they'll be independent no they won't so how do you give them independence be more involved in their lives less involved in their life it has nothing to do with that some aspect of yourself that leaves room for them so anytime you want someone you have to give up parts of yourself they're getting married means move over make some room for another person so the a broish that creates the world at a price to himself it's a good it's a good it's I'm sure it's mutual I'm sure it's mutual but when the debe kept saying Cola Cola kits in time he's saying from the a business perspective hoping that we would respond appropriately and that's what he got really upset because nobody was responding the way you're so if you if you're here the a brush that is waiting he can't stand goalless anymore and your reaction is that's okay that is so frustrating so it's got to be mutual he that he was ready for that he wanted so many times you've seen we've read about efforts that we're taking bites 'deacon if only they were able to do this Michelle could come if they were able to get to this line Michelle Quigg economy thing met up with that person Michelle Shem didn't want straight up he didn't want he wasn't ready for it now he's ready Mary's desperate to complete the marriage and we're still yeah we want mushy but you know in two weeks and two weeks I know but that's not really one thing where she if the kid comes out of the hospital okay nevermind friend like you know with a parking space and that's why in the terrible terrible times certainly they wanted mashiac more than we know because they didn't really they didn't really want mushiya they wanted a solution to their problem so it was like please send mushiya or or make Stalin died you know one will be good all right take away the pain or some Mejia I'm having machine he's back to what it was in the beginning he just had this it's not going back to the beginning because in the beginning there was just him in the end there has to be us not just him that's marriage yeah in the end of days he's no longer yachting he is in the beginning he was exclusive he doesn't want that in the end it's going to be a total oneness not exclusiveness a unity by a mahalia hashem echad Sushma hehad he was a hot before also but he was effort to the exclusion there was nothing that's a very good question [Music] so you know you know the Madras the Madras that says that when Messiah comes he is going to stand on the roof of the base HaMikdash and he's going to say a novena humble ones the time of gula has come why all of a sudden were the humble ones that we were the stiff-necked people so why is it relevant that we're humble so that everyone said the a bridge that wants the end of goes your nefesh a bahamas wants the end to go us because nobody wants to be a Bahama so who's who's not ready for mushiya the nefesh holy kiss why because it's humble and to the nefesh a leak is when everyday a bridge that decides is fine with me so mushiya comes and says can you stop with the humble already the humility is now getting in the way it's not a virtue anymore so everything in the world wants Messiah except our humility but like people actually say we want mushiya now that's not humble mushiya will come when they wish to decides be humble

Channel: Chassidus with Rabbi Manis Friedman

Views: 42,440

Rating: 4.7018633 out of 5

Keywords: Rabbi Manis Friedman, Manis Friedman, 11213.org, 11213org, Chabad Chassidus, Chabad, Chassidus, Tanya, Kabbalah, Torah, Daily Study, Judaism, Jewish Thought, Jewish

Id: O5An6jsH4tA

Length: 123min 59sec (7439 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 11 2018