Da’at Tevunot (Sect. 2, Ch. 1, Part 3)

"Knowing the Reasons"

A Kabbalistic Laying-Out of Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Based on Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s "Da’at Tevunot"

by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
______________________________________

Sect. 2, Ch. 1

3.

Short of offering a lengthy treatise on mankind Ramchal engages in a discussion of what's perhaps the central mystery of our makeup -- the fact that we’re comprised of two utterly antithetical, seemingly irreconcilable elements: rank physicality and sublime spirituality which seem to be nothing short of bad, frustrated next-door neighbors [3].

We'll find indeed that the whole subject of the Resurrection of the Dead hinges on this very irony, since both -- body and soul -- will be rejoined then.

Ramchal points out that our being comprised of these two antithetical elements seems to bring up a couple of dilemmas. First off, why would G-d have deemed it necessary to divide us in two, so to speak? He must have had specific reasons, since He could have created us any way He wanted to.

And second, why is it that just one of the two -- the soul -- is said to be rewarded in the end for all the good we do in this world? Why isn't our body also rewarded? After all, isn't it said that "G-d withholds reward from on one" (Baba Kamah 38A)?

Besides, if only the soul were to be rewarded, then the body would have been nothing more than an indentured servant of sorts who worked long and hard for the soul, who was indeed fed and clothed (and sometimes generously so), but would still-and-all have nothing of its own to claim in the end.

So, Ramchal contends that both body and soul will be rewarded in the end, as we'll see.

Understand, though, that the "end" we're referring to here isn't the Afterlife, of course. Since the body will obviously decompose and molder after death and cease to exist (other than on an organic level). The realm in which both the body and soul will be rewarded is the World to Come, which comes about after the Messianic Era and the Resurrection (our subject at hand).

Ramchal will explain that point shortly, but he'll first explore the three stages of the relationship between body and soul: their coming together at conception; their coming apart at death; and their coming together again at The Resurrection of the Dead [4].

__________________________________________
Notes:

[3] Understand of course that the two can't and really shouldn’t be separated from each other as starkly as this depiction might seem to. In fact, we contend that the two serve as joint, component parts of the same "loaf of bread", with the soul as the "soft" part of the loaf and the body as the "crust" -- that is, the loaf come full-bloom and more tangible. We might also do well to conceive of ourselves as a sort of self-contradictory, liquid melange of two halves, the way professionals who are also family-people at one and the same time take themselves to be. And from another perspective, our physicality could also be depicted as something like the screen upon which our spirituality projects itself out, and thus every bit a part of the "film-experience" itself.

Also see Shaarei Ramchal pp. 378-379 (from Iggrot Pitchei Chochma v’Daat) where Ramchal discusses the original and fundamental unity and selfsameness of body and soul!

In any event, Ramchal (and we) will continue to focus upon the apparent -- and temporary -- separation of the two simply to facilitate discussion. The actual unity will be touched on later, when the subject arises.

[4] We might liken this to their "marriage", "divorce", and their subsequent "remarriage". A better analogy though might be the body and soul's tahara-state (when "husband and wife" are ritually pure enough to have intercourse), their subsequent niddah-state (when they’re ritually impure and cannot have intercourse), and their eventual re-tahara-state (when they’re once again ritually pure). The analogy is better because it speaks to a husband and wife's desires to renew a full relationship, to charged energies in the relationship, to the allowance for birth, etc.

(c) 2007 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued and can be ordered from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"

Da’at Tevunot (Sect. 2, Ch. 1, Part 2)

"Knowing the Reasons"

A Kabbalistic Laying-Out of Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Based on Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s "Da’at Tevunot"

by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
______________________________________

Sect. 2, Ch. 1

2.

Now, the whole notion of the dead coming alive is stupendous. No more astonishing in fact than the idea of birth and death in the first place, or of vegetation and the like returning year after year, as some have pointed out, to be sure; but far too beyond our experience to accept outright. After all -- who could fathom the idea of flesh grown fast, full of bones and sinews again, breathing, speaking, recollecting?

“If a man dies, will he live again?” asked Job, then adding that, “throughout the time alotted me I will continue hope (for that) until I pass away” (14:14).

And yet it’s a tenet of our faith that’s cited several times. We’re told for example that, “your dead will be revived” (Isaiah 26:19), and that “many that sleep in the land of dust will awaken” (Daniel 12:2).

The most straightforward depiction of it though was the one that Ezekiel layed out when he reported that, “The hand of the L-rd was upon me ... and set me down in the midst of the valley that was full of bones. He led me around among them. And behold, there were very many in the open valley and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O L-rd G-d, you know’.

“And he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the L-rd: Thus says the L-rd G-d to these bones, Behold, I will have breath enter into you and you will live. I will lay sinews upon you, lay flesh upon you, cover you with skin, put breath in you, and you will live and you know that I am the L-rd.’

“ ... There was noise and behold a shaking, and the bones came together bone to its bone. And as I beheld, indeed, sinews and flesh came up upon them, and skin covered them above but there was no breath in them. And he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath ... and say, Thus says the L-rd G-d: Come from the four winds, breath, and blow upon these dead so they can live.’

“I prophesied as He commanded me and breath entered into them and they lived and stood upon their feet, a very large army. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the House of Israel ... Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the L-rd G-d; Behold, My people, I will open your graves and have you come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel ... And you will know that I am the L-rd when I will have opened your graves, My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put my spirit in you and you will live’” (Ezekiel 37: 1-14).

We cite the Resurrection of the Dead in daily and special prayers (Elokai Neshama Shenanatta Bi, Shemone Esrei, Keil Malei Rachamim), and the Tradition cites many proofs for the central role it plays in the Torah world-view (see Berachot 15b, Ketuvot 8b, Kiddushin 39b, Megilah 7b, Sanhedrin 90-91, Shabbat 88b, Yoma 72 as well as Rambam's Commentary to the first Mishna to last chapter in Sanhedrin, and Hilchot Teshuvah 3:6, 8; also see Tosafot, Bava Kama 16b "veHu"). So it becomes clear that Ramchal would need to explain it in order to continue to apprise us of G-d’s ways in this world.

Before he can get to it though, he apparently felt compelled to discuss another major theme: the human situation and mankind's "mission" [2]. For indeed everything other than G-d's direct rule, of course, hinges on us humans, who assume so vital a role in the great plan.

As such, Ramchal set out to discuss three things about humankind: our makeup, what we’re capable of doing, and the consequences of what we do (and don't do). But he delays exponding upon that by first alluding to the following.

__________________________________________
Notes:

[2] The theme had certainly been touched upon already to some degree in chapters 2, 6, 8, and 9 of Section One.

(c) 2007 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued and can be ordered from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"

"Eight Chapters" (Chapter Seven, Part 3)

“Spiritual Excellence” with Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Our Current Text: Moshe Maimonides's (Rambam's) “Eight Chapters”

-- Rabbi Feldman's on going series for Torah.org

**********************************************************

"Eight Chapters"

Chapter Seven (Part 3)

Here's a layout of the twelve basic degrees of prophecy as Rambam understands them (see "The Guide for the Perplexed" 2:45). The first two are actually stepping-stones to prophecy rather than prophecy per se, as we'll see.

The first is termed “Divine Inspiration”, and those who attained it were inspired to engage in or to lead others in great, lofty, important deeds, though the one experiencing the inspiration couldn't prophesy. And those who achieved the second degree, termed “The Spirit of Holiness”, had a sense of being overtaken by something or another quite impalpable that somehow moved them to wisdom, moral insight, or to engage in important civil action, but they too couldn't prophesy.

Here's how the other degrees are depicted. Those who achieved the third degree of prophecy would experience a vision in a dream; the fourth would involve hearing voices in a dream as well, without seeing anyone; the fifth involved being actually addressed by someone in a dream; and those who'd arrived at the sixth degree would be addressed by an angel in a dream.

Those on the next levels would experience a revelation while fully awake. Those who'd arrived at the seventh level would be addressed by G-d’s voice, the eighth was characterized by having symbolic visions, the ninth by hearing voices in a vision, the tenth by a human form addressing the prophet in a vision, and those who'd attained the eleventh degree of prophecy would see an angel who'd then address them in a vision.

The twelfth degree of prophecy was unique to Moses, and we’ll describe it later on.

Here's how the actual experience of prophecy was portrayed. The prophet would sit alone and concentrate while in a cheerful and benevolent mood (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 7:4). He’d then enter into a state of mind Rambam and others termed “active reason” and conjoin that frame of mind with G-d’s own “active reason” (Peirush Perek Chellek). That implies that the prophet would consciously immerse his mind with thoughts of G-d and try to attune it to G-d's thoughts and intentions.

An “emanation” would then flow down into the prophet’s intellect which would pass through to his creative mind ("Guide for the Perplexed" 2:36) -- though, as we said, a prophet could also receive a vision in a dream state -- which would itself allow for a vision that would then have the prophet shake and grow weak, and would temporarily confuse him (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 7:2) but would become crystal clear to him after a time.

In any event, all prophets had to come under the tutelage of an older prophet when young, and had to have been of a certain type, which we'll explore next.

(c) 2007 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman and Project Genesis

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued at *at a discount*!
You can order it right now from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"

Da’at Tevunot (Sect. 2, Ch. 1, Part 1)

"Knowing the Reasons"

A Kabbalistic Laying-Out of Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Based on Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s "Da’at Tevunot"

by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
______________________________________

Sect. 2, Ch. 1

1.


We said at the very beginning that Ramchal would be "explicating many often-expounded-upon Jewish themes in an utterly new light" in the course of this work, and that some of those themes would include providence, reward and punishment, the coming of the Messiah, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the like.

For good reasons, though, Ramchal first delved into other, more fundamental issues, including the meaning of life and the ultimate truth of the universe, in Section One. So he now turns to the Resurrection of the Dead in this section (along with the Messiah by implication), in order to return to his orginal intentions [1].
__________________________________________
Notes:

[1] See references cited in notes 7 and 8 to the Introduction; also see note 12 there.

(c) 2007 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued and can be ordered from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"

"Fundamentals of the Jewish Faith" -- Introduction

"Fundamentals of the Jewish Faith"

An adaptation of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s Ma’amar HaIkkurim

-- Rabbi Yaakov Feldman's series on www.torah.org

__________________________________________________

Introduction

There are a number of basic things we'd have to clear up about the stuff and substance of the Torah's world-view if we're ever to understand what's expected of us. And it's all here in Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto's Ma'amar Hikkurim ("Fundamentals of the Jewish Faith"). It's one of those rare Hebrew works that many Torah scholars term "brief but substantive" since it manages to cover a world (and beyond) of ideas in short order and to avoid the extraneous.

Like Ramchal's "The Way of G-d" which discusses some of the same themes, this work also follows in a logical sequence, beginning with the belief in G-d. So let's try to follow the flow of ideas presented in Ma'amar Hikkurim.

What do we know about G-d after all? Is He in fact the huge, long-bearded "Ancient of Days ... whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool" who sits Up Above on a throne as depicted in the prophetic vision (Daniel 7: 9) which so many take literally? Does He speak, see, hear, think out loud, react, and act as He's often depicted in the Torah as doing? If we say that all of those are merely poetic portrayals of the Creator, then is He even knowable as He is? Or is He merely the sort of nebulous Force for Goodness or Higher Power somewhere out there that many submit He is?

But even if we come to understand the Torah perspective on G-d we'd still need to explore the spiritual forces there are in the Great Beyond and even in our midst that carry out His intentions. What are they made of and how do they function? Do we have anything in common with those forces?

We're said to have been created to carry out G-d's intentions ourselves and to do even more. What does that mean and what in fact is expected of us? And to what end? What are we capable of in the big picture after all? Can we get close to G-d or even draw away from Him (G-d forbid), and how so?

Are we humans free to do as we see fit in general, or are we bound by certain limitations? Must we answer for what we do, given those limitations? Is that to be done here in our lifetimes, or in an Afterlife? What's the Afterlife like? Is it one blanket experience for all, or is each person's afterlife unique?

If we're assumedly responsible for our actions, how then does G-d interact with us on a day-to-day basis? What role does He play in the actions and interactions of other species and entities? And is He aware of everything going on between each being, and perhaps even within it?

If we're indeed responsible and G-d does in fact interact with us, then how are we to know what He requires of us? Does he elect people to communicate His wishes to us, and if so, what sorts of people are they? What sets them apart from each other? What distinguishes the greatest of them from the others, and what are the limitations of his abilities?

What sets our people apart from others? Is it a racial distinction, a spiritual one, a physical one or what? What are we meant to do if we're set apart? How can we ever accomplish it and exactly what does it entail? Is there a time limit? Will someone lead us in it? And how will we know when we'd accomplished it? Will others go through the experience with us? What will we have achieved in the end?

We're told that a lot of miracles will occur in the process, but what's a miracle? Is it something like a "glitch" in the ordinary way of the world or more substantive? And why would G-d resort to miracles after all? Are there mystical implications to all this, and what are they?

We're taught that what we accomplish in our everyday, non-miraculous lives is vitally important. What system does the Torah provide us with to fill our lives with intentionality? And how does that connect us to G-d and His system of interacting with us, with the Jewish tradition at large, and most especially, with our role in the world as Jews?

There's clearly a lot to explore, and we'll touch upon each in sequence.

(c) 2007 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman and Torah.org

(Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org )

********************************
AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman's translation of "The Gates of Repentance" has been reissued at *at a discount*!
You can order it right now from here
Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon "The Path of the Just", and "The Duties of the Heart" (Jason Aronson Publishers). His new work on Maimonides' "The Eight Chapters" will soon be available.
Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled
"Spiritual Excellence" and "Ramchal"

Da'at Tevunot (Section 1, Chapter 15)

... can be found at ...

Toras Ramchal