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Friday, December 21, 2012

Insight 5773-14: The Death of a Son

For Vayigash
Not yet available on the Nishma website.

Study Questions

1) We can start with the very question inherent in the Insight. How does one balance a vision of the world totally directed by God with a vision of the world that appears random and demands our involvement in action? Ramchal's Da'at Tevunot may be a place to start.

 2) There is actually a deeper side to the Insight that is clearly implied in its words but is somewhat also deflected in the writing. The question is not only about how we are to respond but also how we are to feel. Yosef's question was existential -- which means that he believed Yaakov would have responded to the ways of the world as is, without a comfort in knowing that everything is ultimately for the good. Yet we are also to believe that everything is for the good which the Chassidic masters indicate is the very basis of the ability to always be in simcha. How can one combine these two emotions?
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4 comments:

  1. scollins123December 28, 2012 at 7:28 AM

    Testing testing

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  2. scollins123December 28, 2012 at 7:32 AM

    Hi,

    But in the examples given, Yosef and Eliyahu don't combine the two emotions. On the contrary, they hold the two worldviews separately with no (evidence of) communication between the two.

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  3. Rabbi Ben HechtDecember 28, 2012 at 12:04 PM

    You are precisely correct. See further Rav Moshe's comments. The question I have is how do they maintain this separation.

    RBH

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  4. scollins123December 31, 2012 at 6:27 AM

    They are set-shifting (this is the psychological term): they are holding the two worldviews in a non-integrated and dissociated manner and then flitting between them, all at the subconscious level. Their behaviour is not cohesive because their worldviews are not integrated (although Izevel shows some cognitive cohesion without emotional/spiritual cohesion, Eliyahu appears completely dissociated).

    It is the same mechanism which allows schizophrenics to sit around fairly contendly on long stay wards whilst insisting they are of exalted status.

    Although I accept this doesn't really do justice to the more emotive question of how!!!??? Eliyahu can do all of that one day and the next morning "forget" about it completely and run away. Also I then don't understand the meaning of Melachim 1, 18, 21 within this context.

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