Welcome to the Nishma Insight Discussion Forum blog.


The NISHMA INSIGHT is our popular dvar Torah, distributed almost every week by e-mail, that touches upon an important concept in the Parsha, theme in a holiday or event in contemporary society.

Often, readers respond, via e-mail, with comments that initiate a further dialogue. Through this Discussion Forum, we now wish to open this dialogue to others. If you have a comment on the INSIGHT, we invite you place to your comments here; then we invite everyone to join the discussion.

(If you are not receiving the NISHMA INSIGHT, we invite you join our mailing/e-mail list through completing our sign-up form available at our website.)

Friday, July 15, 2016

Insight 5776-39: TRULY ENCOUNTERING GOD

For Chukkat

Not yet available on the Nishma website

Study Question

1)

2 comments:

  1. Belief in a creator and in intelligent Design. No problem.
    Belief in The Creator Who still and always is involved in the world. No problem.
    Cause and effect. No problem.

    Context. I get a severe headache and become depressed thinking about this one.
    Context is the adult version of the child's question: if God made the world, who made God?

    This reality is our context, and God created it.

    But what is the context in which God resides, who created it, and in what context does it exist?

    Every context must exist within a larger context.

    This leads to the headache question:
    What is the ultimate context, and why should it exist at all?

    My answer is, of course, provided in the Torah. God tells us to only be concerned with what is in mankind's domain. We cannot comprehend anything beyond that. That is for God to deal with.

    This whole creation with three dimensionsal space plus time, was a chidush, a new thing. And it is the only reality we can comprehend.

    Maybe God has the same question about the ultimate context, and experiences the same headache and depression that I do.

    So let's give God reason to rejoice in his creation. Then neither He nor we will be depressed.


    Sincerely,

    Paul Appleby

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul, your point is well taken. It is true that God tells us to only be concerned with this reality which is the domain of Mankind. That is our context. Yet it is the recognition of the greater Divine context that also can keep us in line. That is my point. I am not advocating headaches but it is important to recognize the mystery for then we understand our true relationship to God.

      Delete