Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Derech Hashem - The Way of G-d Introduction
4:33 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
The Ramchal in his introduction tells us that when a person is confronted with many details and does not know how they relate to each other, it is a very difficult test. Also, when one studies a subject, one must understand the place of each element within the general scheme.
When dealing with general principles, one must be very careful to grasp all their aspects and areas of validity. Even elements that may seem superfluous should not be ignored, but should be carefully preserved and taken to heart.
The Ramchal then tells us that in his work, he has put together the general principles of Jewish belief and religion, expounding its true nature in such a way that it can be clearly understood and provide an adequate picture, free of ambiguity and confusion.
This means that when one understands these fundamental beliefs, then it is easier to understand man's purpose in the world and how the world works in general. This is regards to this world, the next world, how spiritual forces function... Creation and all its entity is confusing and it is very difficult to make sense of what happens around us.
The Ramchal sets up his book into four sections: The first section is about the general basis of all existence and its details. The second section deals with G-d's Providence, the third with prophecy and the fourth with religious observance.
Although this gives the reader a very general basis of how things work in this world, it does not make our existence easy. This means that when we learn about the ongoing battle between the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and the yetzer ha'tov (good inclination) and how it all happened through Adam eating from the tree of knowledge, the struggles that we go through in this world, just don't end. Rather, we now have the basis from where it comes from!
Understanding these concepts from where they come from is half the battle in utilizing this world for our benefit to reach our true potential. Once we understand how G-d set this up and why He set up in such a way, it gives us tremendous more meaning in our everyday life.
At the same time, knowing why things are the way they are and working with these elements in our day-to-day lives certainly helps. There is a big difference, though, knowing what the right thing is and actually doing it! The Ramchal through his introduction shows us that there is a lot going on behind the scenes in this world and prepares us for this and how we are supposed to relate to it.
When dealing with general principles, one must be very careful to grasp all their aspects and areas of validity. Even elements that may seem superfluous should not be ignored, but should be carefully preserved and taken to heart.
The Ramchal then tells us that in his work, he has put together the general principles of Jewish belief and religion, expounding its true nature in such a way that it can be clearly understood and provide an adequate picture, free of ambiguity and confusion.
This means that when one understands these fundamental beliefs, then it is easier to understand man's purpose in the world and how the world works in general. This is regards to this world, the next world, how spiritual forces function... Creation and all its entity is confusing and it is very difficult to make sense of what happens around us.
The Ramchal sets up his book into four sections: The first section is about the general basis of all existence and its details. The second section deals with G-d's Providence, the third with prophecy and the fourth with religious observance.
Although this gives the reader a very general basis of how things work in this world, it does not make our existence easy. This means that when we learn about the ongoing battle between the yetzer hara (evil inclination) and the yetzer ha'tov (good inclination) and how it all happened through Adam eating from the tree of knowledge, the struggles that we go through in this world, just don't end. Rather, we now have the basis from where it comes from!
Understanding these concepts from where they come from is half the battle in utilizing this world for our benefit to reach our true potential. Once we understand how G-d set this up and why He set up in such a way, it gives us tremendous more meaning in our everyday life.
At the same time, knowing why things are the way they are and working with these elements in our day-to-day lives certainly helps. There is a big difference, though, knowing what the right thing is and actually doing it! The Ramchal through his introduction shows us that there is a lot going on behind the scenes in this world and prepares us for this and how we are supposed to relate to it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment