In any debate, question, or critique, we first have to set up a modus operandi or an agreed means of communicating and understanding. For that we need to set up what may be termed: "standards of evidence". This is absolutely essential in any discussion. The debate/discussion can end up going on mindlessly without goal or conclusion because a standard on which to judge evidence, facts and opinions was not set up initially.
For example, for the proposition that G-d necessarily exists, we need to:
a.) Define what is meant by G-d.
b.) Define what is meant by Existence.
c.) Define what is meant by G-d Existing
d.) Define what is meant by evidence
e.) Define what one would expect to encounter as admissible evidence for c.)
f.) Propose that if indeed that the definition of evidence in defined in d.) and analyzed in f.) were to be found then definition c.) must necessarily be true.
This means of establishing a standard of evidence is not simply for this kind of debate, but for many different applications and ranges. We judge the standard admissible in a court of law as reasonable evidence for a conviction, or beyond reasonable evidence. What is meant by evidence is also a pre-condition to establishing facts and propositions being true.
Often in many debates, we find that the arguments run counter-intuitively precisely because different standards of evidence are being employed. Often the undercurrent of the argument is "accept our standard of evidence".
The first question in any debate is simply: "What is the standard of evidence being applied to here?" In Torah Judaism, the standard of evidence is defined by the Torah - the Torah itself provides us with a standard of evidence by which to judge evidence, facts and opinion. The Torah itself provides us with a model on how to judge prophecy, on how to establish veracity. The Torah also defines precisely what is meant by a revelation narrative, and how a revelation narrative is to be verified as true.
In this respect we must be careful in our usage of terminology. What do we mean by "proof" or "true". Is proof: "100% veracity"? We don't live like that, we don't demand 100% proof, so when we judge evidence we have to be careful as to what is meant by 'proof' - do we expect or infer 100% proof which is impossible or virtually impossible to achieve, and isn't meaningful, since we don't act or behave or rely on extremes which require 100% proof of certainty? We don't, and therefore to expect it in other areas is to require logic to its absurdity.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Going back to Basics
In the article "Its a Matter of Interpretation" I outlined the means for understanding the Jewish position on understanding the text of the Torah and the Tanakh as a whole. In it, I discussed how G-d gave the Written and Oral Torah as a single indivisible unit, that one is incomplete without the other.
I would like however to make some salient points. The claim made by many groups is that the Judaism of the Torah is entirely different to that of the Oral Torah. We see a world of Sacrifices, a Holy Temple, the Jewish people united in the land of Israel under a just Monarchy which is from the house of David. In terms of the Oral Torah, it seems that the Oral Torah is a Judaism that is about Jews worshiping in prayer in the Synagogue, in various parts of the world, without a Temple, disunited in the four corners of the world, it is largely a Rabbinic Judaism, governed and run by Rabbis who are modern inheritors of the judges and teachers of old. The picture is a stark difference from that of the Torah.
A Closer Look at the Oral Torah....
This is entirely a view that is premature, a straw-man, and superficial. We have to look deep into Rabbinic Judaism, and ask them a very clear and obvious question: "Where is what you do, mandated by the Torah?". The response is usually - the Oral Torah. But the sum total of the Oral Torah is really the Talmuds, Midrash and Kabbalah the three major aspects of the Oral Torah. These are rooted in Biblical Exegesis and are firmly implanted in the Written Word of G-d.
The Talmud's pages are replete with references to the Torah. In fact, it would be a fair estimation that on an average page of the Talmud, there are at least three to four Biblical references, that guide the process of exegesis.
The first Tractate of the Talmud - Berachos - blessings, starts with the mandate to recite the Shema "Deuteronomy 6:4-9", twice daily, and is discussed in absolute detail. The literal meaning of the verses is analyzed, dissected and addressed in the subsequent folios.
Torah Judaism is in essence going back to the Word of G-d, and more precisely the directly spoken words of G-d directly to Moses as embodied in the Torah. Every nuance, every action is predicated on a Biblical injunction in some form or another.
The Historical Aspect
However, the critic might argue that this 'version' of Judaism was settled at Yavneh in about 90 CE (90 years into the Common Era), this is the Judaism of the Pharisees, and has little to do with Pre-Yavneh Judaism, which was replete with other sects and groups which in the mind of many could be equally valid. The Sadducees (Tzadokim), or the Barthusians are some of these groups that claimed that the Rabbis right to interpret the Torah and mandate the festivals were incorrect. The Sadducees conducted various attempts to de-legitimate this throughout the period which was about 200-100 years before the Common Era (200-100 BCE). They started to attack witnesses who wished to notify the Great Sanhedrin (Great Law Court in Jerusalem of 71 Judges), of the appearance of the New Moon so that the Months could be established, and the Festivals carried out. They also attacked the runners sent from Jerusalem to inform the population of the New Month. This is recorded in the Tractate of Rosh Hashana 22b.
It seems from the Historical Evidence that there what might be dubbed a "Political Sect" called the "Pharisees" in the later part of the Second Temple Period (from about 100 BCE to 100 CE). However, it is the classical historical interpretation on Josephus that attributes a distinct sect as being politically and religiously based on the Scribes and Sages of the exiles that returned from the mandate of Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire. For the period from about 500 BCE until 50 BCE, historians believe (based on Josephus), that four distinct sects emerged, the two - Sadducee and Pharisee, were borne out of a political, economic, and religious distinctions. [See Wikipedia's article ("Saducees") and ("Pharisees")]
The articles in Wikipedia are built on Josephus' interpretations of the various sects, and comes out that the Pharisee sect is the ancestry of modern Normative Judaism. It should be noted the that sources come from Jacob Neusner, Josephus and others, which are not necessarily supportive of Rabbinic Orthodoxy. The article makes sweeping statements about a period that was shaped by tremendous upheaval in Israel. The Maccabees, while they managed to wrestle the Temple from the Greeks, and managed to re-dedicate the Temple; they did not manage to totally abolish the Hellenistic culture from Jewish life. Many Jews had succumbed irretrievably to the Hedonistic Greek lifestyle, and as a result, had a marked influence on society as a whole. Add to this the Roman conquest by Pompei in 135 BCE, in which many Roman influences had come into the country, the schisms of the elite and wealthy against the backdrop of a people torn from exile, makes the climate very different from the pre-exilic Israel. A country dispossessed of its most valuable asset - its people, coupled with assimilation and the tyranny of foes makes the difficulty of living in such a climate to say the least is inhospitable. Josephus was writing in Rome, under the patronage of the Roman Caesars, to an audience that was far more well-off, in monetary and safety terms than their brethren in Israel. Josephus is also playing a unique history, using the history of the Sadducee sect as a spring board to legitimate his own Pharisaic up-bringing. The Sadducees comprised of the elite and corrupted Priestly Caste. However, we know that the Priests entered into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur and some died and some did not, some were Sadducean and some were Pharisaic. To divide up Israel so neatly into unique and distinct Sects fails to appreciate the subtlety and climate of the time. The Wikipedia article ("Pharisees") claims that not a major sect had the majority, although it claims that the common people were supportive of the Pharisees, if not aligned politically nor religiously. If we understand that each sect was not neat, and that religion was not necessarily indicative of a political view (with the exception of the Sadducees in the later period which by enlarge represented a Priestly elite backed by Hellenized views, and ultimately would be supported by the Romans as a politically motivated sect), and we can view post-Maccabean Israel as filled with scribes and sages as simply representative of Judaism - since they inherited the structure and historical framework from the time of Ezra, then from that position, Ezra - being the last spiritual head of the last vestiges of pre-exilic Judaism, then the Pharisees represent normative Judaism as it was practiced from Ezra until the close of the Second Temple Period. It is Josephus' view and belief in sectarian Judaism and he puts it forward in his works; we need not subscribe to that perspective so readily, given the historical climate.
Historically then, we need not view the Rabbinical Judaism, and subsequently Judaism that we have today as being an outgrowth of Yavneh. We can see Rabbinical Judaism as normative Judaism as it was practiced from the time of Ezra.
Going back to the Torah
We can go back to what G-d says about a particular issue; this is key and fundamental - even if the critic finds difficulty with the historical discussion above, our recourse is to what the Torah teaches, and more importantly what G-d says to His people at Sinai - the Torah itself as the living Words of G-d Himself.
There are many if not thousands of statements in the Torah that are manifold and crystal clear as to what G-d wants. We need not revert to interpretation on these verses, since their meaning is perfectly clear. There might be deeper shades, but fundamentally, the plain, simple meaning is straight forward. We can look to these clear verses in the Torah itself as a direct understanding of what G-d says to His people.
In this respect we can now go back to the article: "I believe with perfect Faith" and review Deuteronomy Chapters 4-5 and take out the absolute clarity of thought and fundamental nature of these very important verses.
The Torah is the source of everything (see the article: "We heard G-d Speak!") thus the message is crystal clear as to what G-d expects of us and how He has mandated to His people how to act and live in this world.
I would like however to make some salient points. The claim made by many groups is that the Judaism of the Torah is entirely different to that of the Oral Torah. We see a world of Sacrifices, a Holy Temple, the Jewish people united in the land of Israel under a just Monarchy which is from the house of David. In terms of the Oral Torah, it seems that the Oral Torah is a Judaism that is about Jews worshiping in prayer in the Synagogue, in various parts of the world, without a Temple, disunited in the four corners of the world, it is largely a Rabbinic Judaism, governed and run by Rabbis who are modern inheritors of the judges and teachers of old. The picture is a stark difference from that of the Torah.
A Closer Look at the Oral Torah....
This is entirely a view that is premature, a straw-man, and superficial. We have to look deep into Rabbinic Judaism, and ask them a very clear and obvious question: "Where is what you do, mandated by the Torah?". The response is usually - the Oral Torah. But the sum total of the Oral Torah is really the Talmuds, Midrash and Kabbalah the three major aspects of the Oral Torah. These are rooted in Biblical Exegesis and are firmly implanted in the Written Word of G-d.
The Talmud's pages are replete with references to the Torah. In fact, it would be a fair estimation that on an average page of the Talmud, there are at least three to four Biblical references, that guide the process of exegesis.
The first Tractate of the Talmud - Berachos - blessings, starts with the mandate to recite the Shema "Deuteronomy 6:4-9", twice daily, and is discussed in absolute detail. The literal meaning of the verses is analyzed, dissected and addressed in the subsequent folios.
Torah Judaism is in essence going back to the Word of G-d, and more precisely the directly spoken words of G-d directly to Moses as embodied in the Torah. Every nuance, every action is predicated on a Biblical injunction in some form or another.
The Historical Aspect
However, the critic might argue that this 'version' of Judaism was settled at Yavneh in about 90 CE (90 years into the Common Era), this is the Judaism of the Pharisees, and has little to do with Pre-Yavneh Judaism, which was replete with other sects and groups which in the mind of many could be equally valid. The Sadducees (Tzadokim), or the Barthusians are some of these groups that claimed that the Rabbis right to interpret the Torah and mandate the festivals were incorrect. The Sadducees conducted various attempts to de-legitimate this throughout the period which was about 200-100 years before the Common Era (200-100 BCE). They started to attack witnesses who wished to notify the Great Sanhedrin (Great Law Court in Jerusalem of 71 Judges), of the appearance of the New Moon so that the Months could be established, and the Festivals carried out. They also attacked the runners sent from Jerusalem to inform the population of the New Month. This is recorded in the Tractate of Rosh Hashana 22b.
It seems from the Historical Evidence that there what might be dubbed a "Political Sect" called the "Pharisees" in the later part of the Second Temple Period (from about 100 BCE to 100 CE). However, it is the classical historical interpretation on Josephus that attributes a distinct sect as being politically and religiously based on the Scribes and Sages of the exiles that returned from the mandate of Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire. For the period from about 500 BCE until 50 BCE, historians believe (based on Josephus), that four distinct sects emerged, the two - Sadducee and Pharisee, were borne out of a political, economic, and religious distinctions. [See Wikipedia's article ("Saducees") and ("Pharisees")]
The articles in Wikipedia are built on Josephus' interpretations of the various sects, and comes out that the Pharisee sect is the ancestry of modern Normative Judaism. It should be noted the that sources come from Jacob Neusner, Josephus and others, which are not necessarily supportive of Rabbinic Orthodoxy. The article makes sweeping statements about a period that was shaped by tremendous upheaval in Israel. The Maccabees, while they managed to wrestle the Temple from the Greeks, and managed to re-dedicate the Temple; they did not manage to totally abolish the Hellenistic culture from Jewish life. Many Jews had succumbed irretrievably to the Hedonistic Greek lifestyle, and as a result, had a marked influence on society as a whole. Add to this the Roman conquest by Pompei in 135 BCE, in which many Roman influences had come into the country, the schisms of the elite and wealthy against the backdrop of a people torn from exile, makes the climate very different from the pre-exilic Israel. A country dispossessed of its most valuable asset - its people, coupled with assimilation and the tyranny of foes makes the difficulty of living in such a climate to say the least is inhospitable. Josephus was writing in Rome, under the patronage of the Roman Caesars, to an audience that was far more well-off, in monetary and safety terms than their brethren in Israel. Josephus is also playing a unique history, using the history of the Sadducee sect as a spring board to legitimate his own Pharisaic up-bringing. The Sadducees comprised of the elite and corrupted Priestly Caste. However, we know that the Priests entered into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur and some died and some did not, some were Sadducean and some were Pharisaic. To divide up Israel so neatly into unique and distinct Sects fails to appreciate the subtlety and climate of the time. The Wikipedia article ("Pharisees") claims that not a major sect had the majority, although it claims that the common people were supportive of the Pharisees, if not aligned politically nor religiously. If we understand that each sect was not neat, and that religion was not necessarily indicative of a political view (with the exception of the Sadducees in the later period which by enlarge represented a Priestly elite backed by Hellenized views, and ultimately would be supported by the Romans as a politically motivated sect), and we can view post-Maccabean Israel as filled with scribes and sages as simply representative of Judaism - since they inherited the structure and historical framework from the time of Ezra, then from that position, Ezra - being the last spiritual head of the last vestiges of pre-exilic Judaism, then the Pharisees represent normative Judaism as it was practiced from Ezra until the close of the Second Temple Period. It is Josephus' view and belief in sectarian Judaism and he puts it forward in his works; we need not subscribe to that perspective so readily, given the historical climate.
Historically then, we need not view the Rabbinical Judaism, and subsequently Judaism that we have today as being an outgrowth of Yavneh. We can see Rabbinical Judaism as normative Judaism as it was practiced from the time of Ezra.
Going back to the Torah
We can go back to what G-d says about a particular issue; this is key and fundamental - even if the critic finds difficulty with the historical discussion above, our recourse is to what the Torah teaches, and more importantly what G-d says to His people at Sinai - the Torah itself as the living Words of G-d Himself.
There are many if not thousands of statements in the Torah that are manifold and crystal clear as to what G-d wants. We need not revert to interpretation on these verses, since their meaning is perfectly clear. There might be deeper shades, but fundamentally, the plain, simple meaning is straight forward. We can look to these clear verses in the Torah itself as a direct understanding of what G-d says to His people.
In this respect we can now go back to the article: "I believe with perfect Faith" and review Deuteronomy Chapters 4-5 and take out the absolute clarity of thought and fundamental nature of these very important verses.
The Torah is the source of everything (see the article: "We heard G-d Speak!") thus the message is crystal clear as to what G-d expects of us and how He has mandated to His people how to act and live in this world.
A Personal Relationship with G-d
Whenever we speak about having a "Personal Relationship" regardless of the subject (G-d, our spouse, loved ones, friends etc.), we have to clarify what is meant.
"Personal Relationship" is really a code word. We don't want a Personal Relationship, we want an emotional, physical connection. We feel a certain lacking, and we feel pain, distance, difficulty, coldness lack of connection. These are emotional feelings. They are brought about through a variety of factors. Some of them are psychological, some are emotional, some are spiritual. Imagine a child (say her name is Aliza) that was abused emotionally, physically and psychologically. Aliza, if she is able to rebuild her life, will want to feel an emotional attachment, she will want to full the gap that was created by the abuse. She felt hurt and disconnected from her parents or from G-d, or from love itself. That emotional lacking can be replicated in different ways. If she has siblings, she might feel that she would want a closer attachment to her sisters (emotional). Due to her abuse, she might find respite in talking to a close friend (psychological), and she may become spiritually more open and more desirous to seek out having an emotional connection with G-d (spiritual).
Whenever we say we want a "Personal Relationship", we have to be careful as to what we mean. Do we mean that we feel a certain lacking on an emotional, psychological, spiritual level, and as a result that gap we require to be fulfilled? Many people are fulfilled emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually, but they feel a lacking in their spiritual sphere. They go to Synagogue and they feel spiritually connected. Others do not. Perhaps it is due to an over desire to do something spiritually more than others, perhaps it is connected to emotion, intellect or abuse or some other psychological need.
G-d says to His People:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad:
Vahavta es Adonai Elohecha, b'chol levav'cha, uvchol nafsh'cha, uvchol m'odecha. V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh, asher anochi m'tzav'cha hayom, al l'vavecha.....etc...
4. Hear, O Israel: HASHEM is our G-d; HASHEM is One and Only. 5. And you shall love HASHEM, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means. 6. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart. 7. And you shall teach them to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for ornaments between your eyes. 9. And you shall inscribe them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. (Deut 6:4-9) (translation from Judaica Press)
G-d wants us to love Him, because that is the greatest means to connection - creating a relationship with Him, "to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your means/resources...." With that relationship in place, you will "feel" that G-d loves you. When one is emotionally centered, psychologically grounded, then spiritually, this is perhaps the most concrete means to feeling a personal, loving emotional/spiritual connection with the infinite Creator of the Universe.
How awesome, unbelievable and great it is to be totally connected and in communication with the Creator of Everything! He can do anything, and He is directly involved in every minute action that I relate to. There is no intermediary, there is just a direct line to the Master of the Universe. It is awe-inspiring. He is the infinite Creator of Everything, and He is directly involved in what I have, what I want, and He wants a personal connection with me!
Our ability to connect to the Creator is to Love Him! To perform details and to relate to Him on a personal, every-day level, so that we can feel that connection. The details just like in any relationship between a father and son, man and woman, is predicated on details, remembering birthdays, talking to each other, relating to each other, doing special, unique things for each other is all built on the same fundamental understanding - that relationships take work and are formed with the details with which we connect and communicate with. The same is true with G-d, the more we give of ourselves, to the creator, the more we feel Him and relate to Him. Those details are tied up in doing what G-d commands. There are 613 little details and points that G-d is waiting for us to do, so that we can relate to Him and have that awesome, awe-inspiring connection.
G-d is real, He understands us, and He knows where we are and what we have done. He knows our faults and difficulties, He is intimately aware of our ups and downs, and yet, He wants us to return to Him. He says it:
1. And it will be if you obey the Lord, your God, to observe to fulfill all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord, your God, will place you supreme above all the nations of the earth.
2. And all these blessings will come upon you and cleave to you, if you obey the Lord, your God. (Judaica Press Translation)
1. And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you,
2. and you will return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children,
3. then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you.
4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there.
5. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.
6. And the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life.
7. And the Lord, your God, will place all these curses upon your enemies and upon your adversaries, who pursued you.
8. And you will return and listen to the voice of the Lord, and fulfill all His commandments, which I command you this day.
9. And the Lord, your God, will make you abundant for good in all the work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will once again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your forefathers,
10. when you obey the Lord, your God, to observe His commandments and His statutes written in this Torah scroll, [and] when you return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.
11. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.
12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
13. Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
14. Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.
15. Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,
16. inasmuch as I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it.
17. But if your heart deviates and you do not listen, and you will be drawn astray, and you will prostrate yourself to other deities and serve them,
18. I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to come and take possession thereof.
19. This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live;
20. To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.
"Personal Relationship" is really a code word. We don't want a Personal Relationship, we want an emotional, physical connection. We feel a certain lacking, and we feel pain, distance, difficulty, coldness lack of connection. These are emotional feelings. They are brought about through a variety of factors. Some of them are psychological, some are emotional, some are spiritual. Imagine a child (say her name is Aliza) that was abused emotionally, physically and psychologically. Aliza, if she is able to rebuild her life, will want to feel an emotional attachment, she will want to full the gap that was created by the abuse. She felt hurt and disconnected from her parents or from G-d, or from love itself. That emotional lacking can be replicated in different ways. If she has siblings, she might feel that she would want a closer attachment to her sisters (emotional). Due to her abuse, she might find respite in talking to a close friend (psychological), and she may become spiritually more open and more desirous to seek out having an emotional connection with G-d (spiritual).
Whenever we say we want a "Personal Relationship", we have to be careful as to what we mean. Do we mean that we feel a certain lacking on an emotional, psychological, spiritual level, and as a result that gap we require to be fulfilled? Many people are fulfilled emotionally, psychologically, and intellectually, but they feel a lacking in their spiritual sphere. They go to Synagogue and they feel spiritually connected. Others do not. Perhaps it is due to an over desire to do something spiritually more than others, perhaps it is connected to emotion, intellect or abuse or some other psychological need.
G-d says to His People:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad:
Vahavta es Adonai Elohecha, b'chol levav'cha, uvchol nafsh'cha, uvchol m'odecha. V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh, asher anochi m'tzav'cha hayom, al l'vavecha.....etc...
ד שְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל: ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, ה' אֶחָד. ה וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ. ו וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--עַל-לְבָבֶךָ. ז וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ. ח וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת, עַל-יָדֶךָ; וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת, בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ. ט וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ. (דברים ו.ד-ט)
4. Hear, O Israel: HASHEM is our G-d; HASHEM is One and Only. 5. And you shall love HASHEM, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means. 6. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be upon your heart. 7. And you shall teach them to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for ornaments between your eyes. 9. And you shall inscribe them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. (Deut 6:4-9) (translation from Judaica Press)
G-d wants us to love Him, because that is the greatest means to connection - creating a relationship with Him, "to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your means/resources...." With that relationship in place, you will "feel" that G-d loves you. When one is emotionally centered, psychologically grounded, then spiritually, this is perhaps the most concrete means to feeling a personal, loving emotional/spiritual connection with the infinite Creator of the Universe.
How awesome, unbelievable and great it is to be totally connected and in communication with the Creator of Everything! He can do anything, and He is directly involved in every minute action that I relate to. There is no intermediary, there is just a direct line to the Master of the Universe. It is awe-inspiring. He is the infinite Creator of Everything, and He is directly involved in what I have, what I want, and He wants a personal connection with me!
Our ability to connect to the Creator is to Love Him! To perform details and to relate to Him on a personal, every-day level, so that we can feel that connection. The details just like in any relationship between a father and son, man and woman, is predicated on details, remembering birthdays, talking to each other, relating to each other, doing special, unique things for each other is all built on the same fundamental understanding - that relationships take work and are formed with the details with which we connect and communicate with. The same is true with G-d, the more we give of ourselves, to the creator, the more we feel Him and relate to Him. Those details are tied up in doing what G-d commands. There are 613 little details and points that G-d is waiting for us to do, so that we can relate to Him and have that awesome, awe-inspiring connection.
G-d is real, He understands us, and He knows where we are and what we have done. He knows our faults and difficulties, He is intimately aware of our ups and downs, and yet, He wants us to return to Him. He says it:
א וְהָיָה, אִם-שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹתָיו, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--וּנְתָנְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, עֶלְיוֹן, עַל, כָּל-גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ. ב וּבָאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל-הַבְּרָכוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, וְהִשִּׂיגֻךָ: כִּי תִשְׁמַע, בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ.
(דברים לח.א-ב)
(דברים לח.א-ב)
1. And it will be if you obey the Lord, your God, to observe to fulfill all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord, your God, will place you supreme above all the nations of the earth.
2. And all these blessings will come upon you and cleave to you, if you obey the Lord, your God. (Judaica Press Translation)
א וְהָיָה כִי-יָבֹאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה, אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי, לְפָנֶיךָ; וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ, אֶל-לְבָבֶךָ, בְּכָל-הַגּוֹיִם, אֲשֶׁר הִדִּיחֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁמָּה. ב וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד-ה'אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְקֹלוֹ, כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר-אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ, הַיּוֹם: אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשֶׁךָ. ג וְשָׁב ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-שְׁבוּתְךָ, וְרִחֲמֶךָ; וְשָׁב, וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל-הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר הֱפִיצְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, שָׁמָּה. דאִם-יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ, בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם--מִשָּׁם, יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וּמִשָּׁם, יִקָּחֶךָ. ה וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ--וִירִשְׁתָּהּ; וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ, מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ. ו וּמָל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-לְבָבְךָ, וְאֶת-לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ: לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ--לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ. ז וְנָתַן ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֵת כָּל-הָאָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ וְעַל-שֹׂנְאֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר רְדָפוּךָ. חוְאַתָּה תָשׁוּב, וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל ה'; וְעָשִׂיתָ, אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֹתָיו, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ, הַיּוֹם. ט וְהוֹתִירְךָ ה'אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶךָ, בִּפְרִי בִטְנְךָ וּבִפְרִי בְהֶמְתְּךָ וּבִפְרִי אַדְמָתְךָ--לְטֹבָה: כִּי יָשׁוּב ה', לָשׂוּשׂ עָלֶיךָ לְטוֹב, כַּאֲשֶׁר-שָׂשׂ, עַל-אֲבֹתֶיךָ. י כִּי תִשְׁמַע, בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו, הַכְּתוּבָה בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה: כִּי תָשׁוּב אֶל-ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשֶׁךָ.
יא כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--לֹא-נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ, וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא. יב לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם, הִוא: לֵאמֹר, מִי יַעֲלֶה-לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ, וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ, וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה. יג וְלֹא-מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם, הִוא: לֵאמֹר, מִי יַעֲבָר-לָנוּ אֶל-עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ, וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ, וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה. יד כִּי-קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר, מְאֹד: בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ, לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ.
טו רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם, אֶת-הַחַיִּים וְאֶת-הַטּוֹב, וְאֶת-הַמָּוֶת, וְאֶת-הָרָע. טז אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ, הַיּוֹם, לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו, וְלִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו; וְחָיִיתָ וְרָבִיתָ--וּבֵרַכְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-אַתָּה בָא-שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ. יז וְאִם-יִפְנֶה לְבָבְךָ, וְלֹא תִשְׁמָע; וְנִדַּחְתָּ, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים--וַעֲבַדְתָּם. יח הִגַּדְתִּי לָכֶם הַיּוֹם, כִּי אָבֹד תֹּאבֵדוּן: לֹא-תַאֲרִיכֻן יָמִים, עַל-הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹבֵר אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן, לָבוֹא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ. יט הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם, אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ--הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה; וּבָחַרְתָּ, בַּחַיִּים--לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה, אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ. כלְאַהֲבָה אֶת-ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ וּלְדָבְקָה-בוֹ: כִּי הוּא חַיֶּיךָ, וְאֹרֶךְ יָמֶיךָ--לָשֶׁבֶת עַל-הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע ה' לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב, לָתֵת לָהֶם.
(דברים ל.טו-יט)1. And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you,
2. and you will return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children,
3. then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you.
4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there.
5. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.
6. And the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life.
7. And the Lord, your God, will place all these curses upon your enemies and upon your adversaries, who pursued you.
8. And you will return and listen to the voice of the Lord, and fulfill all His commandments, which I command you this day.
9. And the Lord, your God, will make you abundant for good in all the work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will once again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your forefathers,
10. when you obey the Lord, your God, to observe His commandments and His statutes written in this Torah scroll, [and] when you return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul.
11. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away.
12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
13. Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?"
14. Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.
15. Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,
16. inasmuch as I command you this day to love the Lord, your God, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it.
17. But if your heart deviates and you do not listen, and you will be drawn astray, and you will prostrate yourself to other deities and serve them,
18. I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to come and take possession thereof.
19. This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live;
20. To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.
(Judaica Press Translation) [Emphasis Mine]
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