And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave - וַיַּצֵּב יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה, עַל-קְבֻרָתָהּ

כ וַיַּצֵּב יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה, עַל-קְבֻרָתָהּ--הִוא מַצֶּבֶת קְבֻרַת-רָחֵל, עַד-הַיּוֹם. 20

And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; the same is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

I will be away for a few days in Israel, jointly with my father La'arichut Yamim and my siblings for the Hakamat Matzeivah on my mother's A"H grave.

Action Oriented Knowledge

Upon descending from the mountain and the forty days and nights of meditation and learning, Moshe Rabbeinu was confronted with the idolatry of the Golden Calf. Here was a man who took responsibility for the long-term plan and goal of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov to create a nation that knows God, and is at a loss of how to continue implementing this objective. He has dedicated several years to reintroducing the people to the theology of their ancestors and in the process freeing them from enslavement to the dominant culture of the era. He has also introduced with great fanfare the experience of intellectual union with the unique God at Sinai. Just when he thought he had succeeded, he is confronted with unquestionable recidivism – the Golden Calf. He is at a loss and turns to God for guidance.

יג וְעַתָּה אִם-נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ
, הוֹדִעֵנִי נָא אֶת-דְּרָכֶךָ, וְאֵדָעֲךָ, לְמַעַן אֶמְצָא-חֵן
בְּעֵינֶיךָ; וּרְאֵה, כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה

13 Now therefore, I pray to you, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your ways, that I may know You, to the end that I may find grace in Your sight; and consider that this nation is Your people.' (Shemot 33:13)

Moshe was saying, “I am at a loss. Please teach me how to proceed so that I can accomplish my goal and lead the people to the truth.”

The reply was –

יט וַיֹּאמֶר, אֲנִי אַעֲבִיר כָּל-טוּבִי
עַל-פָּנֶיךָ, וְקָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם יְהוָה, לְפָנֶיךָ;.

And He said: 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; (Shemot 33:19)

Rambam notes that the word טוּבִי refers to “וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד”
Moshe was directed to look at creation and learn from it.

“The words "all My goodness" imply that God promised to show him the whole creation, concerning which it has been stated, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). When I say, "to show him the whole creation," I mean to imply that God promised to make him comprehend the nature of all things, their relation to each other, and the way they are governed by God both in reference to the universe as a whole and to each creature in particular.” (MN 1:54)

The only way a person can attempt to act in a really constructive way is if he understands the consequences of his actions. To be able to have a true picture of that he has to know the true reality in which he is acting. He must therefore learn, not only the specific science that regulates each component of that reality, but also understand the interrelationship of all the components and try to get a picture of where this is all going. It is a long process that never brings complete certainty but that is the human condition (more about this point in upcoming posts). Moshe represents the paradigm of what a human being should strive to become. When we say that the search for God is the ultimate goal of a man, we are not talking merely about an intellectual quest. We are talking about an intellectual quest that is necessary for man to know how to act by emulating God in creation. Rambam explains the second part of the verse above when Moshe asks for help,

“For his saying: “Show me now Your ways, that I may know You,” indicates that God, may He be exalted, is known through His attributive qualifications; for when he would know the ways, he would know Him.” (MN 1:54)

The purpose of knowing Him is not merely intellectual but –

“He says, however, that man can only glory in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of His ways and attributes, which are His actions, as we have shown (Part 1:54) in expounding the passage, "Show me now thy ways" (Exod. 38:13). We are thus told in this passage that the Divine acts which ought to be known, and ought to serve as a guide for our actions, are, Chesed, "loving-kindness," Mishpat, "judgment," and Tzedakah, "righteousness."” (Mn3:54)

Rambam ties together our verse with the one in Yirmyahu 9:23

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה, עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ: כִּי-בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי, נְאֻם-יְהוָה.

…that I am the LORD who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the LORD.

Rambam explains the words “for in these things I delight, says the LORD” to mean,

“My object [in saying this] is that you shall practice loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. In a similar manner, we have shown (Part 1:54) that the object of the enumeration of God's thirteen attributes is the lesson that we should acquire similar attributes and act accordingly. The object of the above passage is therefore to declare, that the perfection, in which man can truly glory, is attained by him when he has acquired--as far as this is possible for man--the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Providence, and of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence. Having acquired the knowledge he will then be determined always to seek loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, and thus to imitate the ways of God.” (MN3:54)

The key point here is the knowledge “of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence”. That knowledge is the basis for imitating the ways of God and guide man’s actions.

I will be writing in upcoming posts about this quest for knowledge, how to make sure it is not distorted by our own subjectivity and imagination and how the Avot and those who bought into their goals, used it to guide them in their actions. We also will address the role of Torah and Mitzvot in this. I will also try to flesh out what these actions expected of us are and how they affect the whole of existence.

The Importance Of Humankind And Its Role In Creation.

In an earlier post, I discussed Rambam’s conclusion that it is futile to try to find a purpose or reason for the existence of the universe as a whole, other than that God willed it into existence and provided it with a built in mechanism for continuity and survival. Indeed, when we look at our universe we observe that there is an interrelationship and interdependence between its different components and that all components of the universe are necessary for the existence and survival of the other components and the whole. Just observing the innate urge for self-perpetuation that biological entities have, the survival of the fittest genetic adaptation that evolution teaches about species and their survival, is enough to confirm that idea. As the world we know was willed into being by God, we can say that this system of self-survival that we observe is God’s will. Understanding the role of each component for the survival of the whole is a way of deciphering God’s will. Rambam in a slightly different context writes:

“Study the book which leads all who want to be led to the truth, and is therefore called Torah (Law or Instruction), from the beginning of the account of the Creation to its end, and you will comprehend the opinion which we attempt to expound. … This is expressed by the phrase, "And God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:4, etc.). You know our interpretation of the saying of our Sages, "Scripture speaks the same language as is spoken by man." But we call "good" that which is in accordance with the object we seek. When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1:31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated. This is especially pointed out by the word "exceedingly"; for sometimes, a thing is temporarily good; it serves its purpose, and then it fails and ceases to act. But as regards the Creation it is said that everything was fit for its purpose, and able continually to act accordingly.” (MN1:13)

In other words, each component is “good” because God put in place a mechanism for its own self-survival and “all that He has made” becomes “exceedingly good” when it can exist in perpetuity. Looking at the entities that make up our environment, we note that each one has a built-in mechanism for self- survival adapted to its particular characteristic. Comparing the different biological categories, plants versus animals, each one has certain attributes that are geared to its specific needs in addition to common characteristics. Looking at animals, we note that they all have common characteristics while each species has its own particular ones geared to its own survival. The herbivores have characteristics that allow them to procure, digest and survive on vegetation while the carnivores have characteristics that give them the ability to hunt. Humans too have certain characteristics that are adapted to their special needs. God’s evolutionary law has allowed man to evolve with the ability to make tools to allow him to control his environment. That ability is needed for his own survival and makes up for the deficiencies in strength, agility and digestion. The human mind is necessary for all these special activities and from that standpoint is just another physical attribute no different from the ability of a monkey to swing between trees. The human mind however has an attribute that goes beyond that immediate physical necessity; it can think about abstract matters and, more importantly, can make choices that will affect how things will be in the long term sometimes many generations later. Human beings can change the natural progression of events. Nature is predictable while humans are not allowing them to affect nature’s predictability. This makes humans unique giving them an ability that exceeds what would be needed for the survival of the individual or even the species. I understand that to be Rambam’s statement quoted earlier, “When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1:31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated.” The verse where everything is “exceedingly good” appears after the creation of man. The world can exist in perpetuity only once man was created. Man is the key to its parte post (going forward) eternity. That unique ability that humans have plays an important role in the perpetual continuity of our existence. The idea of searching for God and learning about His ways to emulate them is therefore no longer a purely intellectual quest but a very practical one. It is man trying to understand his role in creation and how he has to act to play his part in the continuity of the whole of existence.

The world was not created so that man can exist but rather man was created as a key component for the perpetual survival of the whole of existence. When God created man, He completed a perfect universe that now is self-sustained and eternal.

Harambam - A Collection Of Essays Edited By Professor Aviezer Ravitzky

I just finished reading several articles in a collection of essays on Rambam edited by Professor Aviezer Ravitzky. Professor Ravitzky, for the last several years has been suffering from the aftermaths of a very serious traffic accident and we all wish him a refuah shleimah, so I imagine this book was in the works before and only printed lately. It is available at here and is well worthwhile if you are a Hebrew reader.

Articles that I found especially outstanding:

Professor Gad Freudenthal - The Four Spheres In Rambam's Cosmos: Four Notes on MN 2:9-10.

A very intriguing understanding of Rambam's fascination with the number Four and its repercussions on his interpretation of Ma'asseh Merkavah - The Vision Of The Chariot in Yechezkel. This article really stands out and the two volumes are well worth if only for this essay.

Professor Lawrence Kaplan - Diminshing Esotericism and the Goal of Moreh Nevuchim -

Addresses the boundaries between Ma'asseh Breishit and Ma'asseh Merkava.

One article I found extremely superficial .

Professor Alfred Ivry - Moshe in Rambam's Thought.

He is trying to argue that Rambam in reality did not see Moshe as different. I am tired of these articles who are trying to show that Rambam did not mean what he said. They are all competing with Leo Strauss trying to show how much they can distort the great man's words.

What Is The Purpose of Existence?

As we have discussed many times, there is no empirical proof that the world was created. Although the existence of a First Cause can be proven empirically, that God created our existence in time from absolute nothingness is an ontological and theological belief. There are two possible explanations on how we came into being; that God created our existence in time or that existence is eternal in parallel with God. There are also two possible explanations for the mechanism of how creation happened; our existence came into being as a necessary result of there being a First Cause or that God willed us into existence whether from absolute nothingness or from the Platonic first matter (Materia Prima)[1]. The answers to these questions are ontological and the Torah teaches that there is will and that existence was created in time.

The question that I want to address in this post is whether there is any reason, purpose or goal for the whole of existence. Were we to ask that question from the point of view that existence came into being necessarily from the First Cause or for that matter from an atheistic perspective, there is no point in looking for any purpose other than existence per se.

“For according to Aristotle, who holds that the Universe has not had a beginning, an ultimate final cause cannot be sought even for the various parts of the Universe. Thus, it cannot be asked, according to his opinion, what is the final cause of the existence of the heavens? Why are they limited by this measure or by that number? Why is matter of this description? What is the purpose of the existence of this species of animals or plants? Aristotle considers all this as the result of a permanent order of things.” (MN3:13)

Things are as they are because they are! But from the standpoint that God willed the world into existence, at first blush, the question seems to be reasonable – did God have a goal or purpose in the creation of the universe? The answer we are used to read and hear in Yeshivot is that everything was created so that humans exist to serve God. At least that was how I was taught. What always bothered me was why would God need that? One answer which was given and I tried to understand was that as God is good, and one cannot be good unless there is someone on whom this goodness can be bestowed. So here again, I was confronted with another absurd possibility that God needs existence to make Him perfect!

“Even if the Universe existed for man's sake and man existed for the purpose of serving God, as has been mentioned, the question remains, what is the end of serving God? He does not become more perfect if all His creatures serve Him and comprehend Him as far as possible; nor would He lose anything if nothing existed beside Him. It might perhaps be replied that the service of God is not intended for God's perfection; it is intended for our own perfection,--it is good for us, it makes us perfect. But then the question might be repeated, what is the object of our being perfect? We must in continuing the inquiry as to the purpose of the creation at last arrive at the answer, It was the Will of God, or His Wisdom decreed it; and this is the correct answer." (MN3:13)

Rambam is saying that the purpose of the whole of existence cannot be known even according to our belief that the world was willed into existence by God in time. There is therefore no real difference between the philosophers and the Torah understanding of purpose; they both agree that we cannot know it except that we attribute existence to God’s will and the philosophers to necessity. Having come to this conclusion, we however observe that self-sustainability and continuity seem to be an objective. The philosophers clearly agree with that assessment, as does the Torah.

“When therefore Scripture relates in reference to the whole creation (Gen. 1: 31), "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was exceedingly good," it declares thereby that everything created was well fitted for its object, and would never cease to act, and never be annihilated.” (MN3:13)

We therefore conclude that as God willed the universe in a way that it becomes self-sustainable and eternal going forward (a parte post), that continuity is a goal in itself. All the components of this universe are therefore there to keep the whole in existence. Continuity and existence are therefore goals in themselves and are seen as the will of God.

It is important to note that the verse Rambam uses in the above quotation refers to the last of all creations – man. It is only after man was created that the words Tov Me’od – exceedingly good – are used. Which brings us back to the question, what is the status of man in relation to the other components of the universe? True he is not the goal of the whole of creation but does he have a special status among all other created things? I will address this in my next post.





[1] See my posts under the labels “belief”, “cosmogony”, “will” and “existence of God” for extensive discussions of these hypotheses.