17.5.18
Obligations of the Heart. [Rav Behaye ben Yoseph Ibn Pakuda]
I am kind of trying to figure out something in the Obligations of the Heart. [Rav Behaye ben Yoseph Ibn Pakuda] He has ten categories of people that learn. The first ones are about learning the Old Testament. He divides them into a few subcategories (of levels of understanding). Then he gets up to the Mishna. So far everything goes smoothly.
Then he gets to the category of those that learn Talmud, and his first category is those that do it for honor, and not for its own sake.
There is no question that I stumbled on this my first time reading this book in the Mir Yeshiva in NY. And I stumbled on it again today.
But then he gets to the next category of those that learn Gemara for its own sake.
I am pretty sure almost anyone reading that passage is wondering exactly what I am wondering. Why specifically the Talmud? All the other kind of learning one can do also for the sake of honor or cash.
It is confusing.
If you take what he says in his introduction of Metaphysics this might become a bit more understandable.He takes Metaphysics [in the Intro] as important for the sake of Torah-but not being Torah itself. So he must be thinking along the lines of Saadia Gaon about the need for Metaphysics along with Gemara.
[You have to be exacting in his words in the Introduction to see this.]
When I was at the Mir and read the Musar Book of the disciple of the Gra Reb Haim from Voloshin [נפש החיים] I saw he was saying also this same kind of idea.--the need for fear of God along wit learning Gemara.
[Anyone who knows the major book of Reb Nahman from Breslov will already be familiar with this idea that there is a kind of tendency to learn Gemara for the wrong reasons--money, pay, privilege as he brings in Volume I section 12. The idea seems the same--to work on one's fear of God along with learning Gemara so that the learning should be for the right reasons.]
Then he gets to the category of those that learn Talmud, and his first category is those that do it for honor, and not for its own sake.
There is no question that I stumbled on this my first time reading this book in the Mir Yeshiva in NY. And I stumbled on it again today.
But then he gets to the next category of those that learn Gemara for its own sake.
I am pretty sure almost anyone reading that passage is wondering exactly what I am wondering. Why specifically the Talmud? All the other kind of learning one can do also for the sake of honor or cash.
It is confusing.
If you take what he says in his introduction of Metaphysics this might become a bit more understandable.He takes Metaphysics [in the Intro] as important for the sake of Torah-but not being Torah itself. So he must be thinking along the lines of Saadia Gaon about the need for Metaphysics along with Gemara.
[You have to be exacting in his words in the Introduction to see this.]
When I was at the Mir and read the Musar Book of the disciple of the Gra Reb Haim from Voloshin [נפש החיים] I saw he was saying also this same kind of idea.--the need for fear of God along wit learning Gemara.
[Anyone who knows the major book of Reb Nahman from Breslov will already be familiar with this idea that there is a kind of tendency to learn Gemara for the wrong reasons--money, pay, privilege as he brings in Volume I section 12. The idea seems the same--to work on one's fear of God along with learning Gemara so that the learning should be for the right reasons.]
16.5.18
Godel proof of God
I tried once to strengthen the Godel proof of God by the Compactness Theorem, the finite to the infinite. The simplest use of the Compactness Theorem is to show that if there exist arbitrarily large finite objects of some type, then there must also be an infinite object of this type.] The idea if applied to God means that he has infinite perfections.
This would defend Anselm and Godel from critics. Also I recall I used an idea from Anscombe about compatibility of positive traits --that is some possible world all positive traits are compatible. [I do not recall the source where I had seen that.]
This would defend Anselm and Godel from critics. Also I recall I used an idea from Anscombe about compatibility of positive traits --that is some possible world all positive traits are compatible. [I do not recall the source where I had seen that.]
the simple basic path of the Gra and the Mir Yeshiva
For me leaving the simple basic path of the Gra and the Mir Yeshiva was a disaster, but for some reason I was never able to get back to it. The path of Straight Torah.
But as the מעפילים לעלות [those that dared to go up when God said not to] discovered,- you can not just correct a mistake by doing the opposite.
[The event in the Five Books of Moses was after the decree to be in the desert 40 years, some people decided to attempt to enter Israel anyway. They figured the sin of the spies and the congregation was to refuse to go up into the land, so they would correct that mistake by in fact going up. That ended in disaster.]
Same with Torah. It might be a terrible mistake to leave the world of Straight Torah. [The Gra and the Mir in NY or whatever Litvak yeshiva one is in.] But it can be doubly a mistake to try to get back in once one has left.
The idea then is not to try to get back in, but to learn Torah and Musar at home. In fact, nowadays, it makes sense to avoid the religious world entirely.
But as the מעפילים לעלות [those that dared to go up when God said not to] discovered,- you can not just correct a mistake by doing the opposite.
[The event in the Five Books of Moses was after the decree to be in the desert 40 years, some people decided to attempt to enter Israel anyway. They figured the sin of the spies and the congregation was to refuse to go up into the land, so they would correct that mistake by in fact going up. That ended in disaster.]
Same with Torah. It might be a terrible mistake to leave the world of Straight Torah. [The Gra and the Mir in NY or whatever Litvak yeshiva one is in.] But it can be doubly a mistake to try to get back in once one has left.
The idea then is not to try to get back in, but to learn Torah and Musar at home. In fact, nowadays, it makes sense to avoid the religious world entirely.
discussing Socialism with a Mormon
I was once discussing Socialism with a Mormon whose profession was in economics. This was in regard to the USA during the 1920's and the 1930's.
I was being critical of Roosevelt's policies. [And I had recently been reading Ayn Rand.]
He said that sometimes -like in the case of Roosevelt--the only way to control a crisis is by socialism.
Even though on principle I hold free market is the best thing, still I can see in some cases where strong government control over industry is the only way out of a crisis.
I could see this in the case of Ukraine. All the functioning infrastructure is simply what was left over from the USSR. And though it took time for things to thaw out from the fear people had of the government,-- now all the old criminal tendencies of the Ukraine are rapidly coming to the surface.
It has signs of a country in collapse. Criminals attack people with impunity on the street in broad daylight. The police are nowhere to be found. [With all the problems with the USSR you can see what happens to the Ukraine without it--the criminal come out of the woodwork.]
I was being critical of Roosevelt's policies. [And I had recently been reading Ayn Rand.]
He said that sometimes -like in the case of Roosevelt--the only way to control a crisis is by socialism.
Even though on principle I hold free market is the best thing, still I can see in some cases where strong government control over industry is the only way out of a crisis.
I could see this in the case of Ukraine. All the functioning infrastructure is simply what was left over from the USSR. And though it took time for things to thaw out from the fear people had of the government,-- now all the old criminal tendencies of the Ukraine are rapidly coming to the surface.
It has signs of a country in collapse. Criminals attack people with impunity on the street in broad daylight. The police are nowhere to be found. [With all the problems with the USSR you can see what happens to the Ukraine without it--the criminal come out of the woodwork.]
15.5.18
Pretended Virtue. [Pseudo Virtue]
Nothing is quite as evil as pretended virtue.
I was looking at the Obligations of the Heart section 5. He says there the pretender worse than an idolater of stars. For the idolater worships that which does not disobey God, but the pretender worships human beings who do disobey God.
For that reason I avoid the religious world s much as possible. Ever since the religious world ignored the Gra and Rav Shahk (i.e. the signature of the Gra on the excommunication], they have all fallen deeply into idolatry of worship of human beings.
I would not be very motivated to bring this up except that I saw also in the Obligations of the Heart in the very end and also in the section before the last section this idea of telling people the truth whether they accept it or not.
I was looking at the Obligations of the Heart section 5. He says there the pretender worse than an idolater of stars. For the idolater worships that which does not disobey God, but the pretender worships human beings who do disobey God.
For that reason I avoid the religious world s much as possible. Ever since the religious world ignored the Gra and Rav Shahk (i.e. the signature of the Gra on the excommunication], they have all fallen deeply into idolatry of worship of human beings.
I would not be very motivated to bring this up except that I saw also in the Obligations of the Heart in the very end and also in the section before the last section this idea of telling people the truth whether they accept it or not.
14.5.18
In Shar Yashuv [my first yeshiva in NY, Far Rockaway]
In Shar Yashuv [my first yeshiva in NY, Far Rockaway] and also in the Mir Yeshiva in NY there was a general approach that said if you devote your life to learning Torah and trust in God, He will take care of everything.
Just last night I was reading the חובות לבבות [Obligations of the Heart] that more or less was saying a similar kind of thing. [The idea of the Obligations of the Heart is when one accepts the yoke of service towards God, then God takes care of things. Certainly not in the way you would expect--but still in his own way.]
This idea stuck with me. I still think it is true. I see very little reason to devote time toward making money. I still think that the claim is true--trust in God and you will be helped.
But my idea of what constitutes learning Torah has expanded to include Physics and Metaphysics.
That is the Physics thing is stated openly by Maimonides but this approach definitely think this is something that my parents were trying to convene to me without saying so openly.
You can see variations of this in the Gra, and מעלות המדות- Saadia Gaon, and חובות הלבבות
[Not saying the Ramban (Nahmanides- Moshe ben Nahman) would have agreed or many of the other Rishonim.]
The Obligations of the Heart divides wisdom into three parts natural, applied, and חכמת האלהות.{The author uses the Arabic term for "metaphysics"} Ibn Tibon calls the second division חכמת השימוש. So this is not what we would usually call the seven wisdoms. That is I think the Obligations of the Heart is creating a new category of wisdoms that use natural science in order to make practical stuff. [He must have been aware of Sancta Sofia.He might also have been thinking about medicine.]
At any rate, I am pretty sure that The Obligations of the Heart and Maimonides are both thinking of Aristotle's Metaphysics.
Christians obviously when they think about serving God are thinking more along lines of charity. But I think the same principle applies. You do you best to figure out what the service of God is for you in your situation and do it and then leave everything else in your life up to God.
People in the Mir yeshiva and Far Rockaway were certainly not thinking about Physics and Metaphysics as being a part of learning Torah because the entire approach to Torah really went into two directions. One the more rational Maimonides approach and the mystical approach of Nahmanides. The world of Litvak yeshivas definitely goes in the direction of Nahmanides.
I asked Rav Eliyahu Silverman the rosh yeshiva of Aderet Eliyahu in Old City of Jerusalem (a yeshiva that goes by the Gra) if learning Electrical Engineering is included in the Rambam's idea of learning Physics and he said yes.
Just last night I was reading the חובות לבבות [Obligations of the Heart] that more or less was saying a similar kind of thing. [The idea of the Obligations of the Heart is when one accepts the yoke of service towards God, then God takes care of things. Certainly not in the way you would expect--but still in his own way.]
This idea stuck with me. I still think it is true. I see very little reason to devote time toward making money. I still think that the claim is true--trust in God and you will be helped.
But my idea of what constitutes learning Torah has expanded to include Physics and Metaphysics.
That is the Physics thing is stated openly by Maimonides but this approach definitely think this is something that my parents were trying to convene to me without saying so openly.
You can see variations of this in the Gra, and מעלות המדות- Saadia Gaon, and חובות הלבבות
[Not saying the Ramban (Nahmanides- Moshe ben Nahman) would have agreed or many of the other Rishonim.]
The Obligations of the Heart divides wisdom into three parts natural, applied, and חכמת האלהות.{The author uses the Arabic term for "metaphysics"} Ibn Tibon calls the second division חכמת השימוש. So this is not what we would usually call the seven wisdoms. That is I think the Obligations of the Heart is creating a new category of wisdoms that use natural science in order to make practical stuff. [He must have been aware of Sancta Sofia.He might also have been thinking about medicine.]
At any rate, I am pretty sure that The Obligations of the Heart and Maimonides are both thinking of Aristotle's Metaphysics.
Christians obviously when they think about serving God are thinking more along lines of charity. But I think the same principle applies. You do you best to figure out what the service of God is for you in your situation and do it and then leave everything else in your life up to God.
People in the Mir yeshiva and Far Rockaway were certainly not thinking about Physics and Metaphysics as being a part of learning Torah because the entire approach to Torah really went into two directions. One the more rational Maimonides approach and the mystical approach of Nahmanides. The world of Litvak yeshivas definitely goes in the direction of Nahmanides.
I asked Rav Eliyahu Silverman the rosh yeshiva of Aderet Eliyahu in Old City of Jerusalem (a yeshiva that goes by the Gra) if learning Electrical Engineering is included in the Rambam's idea of learning Physics and he said yes.
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