A Relationship With G‑d
For man and G-d to be in relationship with each other there must be some common denominator that bridges the gap between the finite and the infinite.
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| Topics: | G-d and Man, Mitzvah, Tanya |
Rabbi Immanuel Schochet (1935–2013) wrote and lectured extensively on the history and philosophy of Chassidism and topical themes of Jewish thought and ethics. He was a renowned authority on Jewish philosophy and mysticism. He was rabbi of Cong. Beth Joseph, and professor of Philosophy at Humber College, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael Chighel (Kigel) received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Toronto for his dissertation on the Book of Job, after a specialization in 20th-century French and German thought. In Canada he taught in the departments of philosophy and of Jewish studies at the universities of York, Queen’s and Waterloo. He produced Passages and Messages for eleven seasons on Canadian television (CTS). Until this year he held the Rohr Chair of Jewish Studies at the Lauder Business School in Vienna, where he taught Torah, European ethics and political economy. He has translated a number of books and published various articles in Jewish thought. Michael and his family have made aliyah, and now live in Jerusalem.
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I found this discussion interesting. I think what they are touching upon is the balance between appreciation of what G-d has given us, appreciating the physical, the beautiful sun set, the tangible, and creating within our own appreciation a working relationship that is a constant mentor to our inner development, so we can integrate the outer beauty and inner beauty into one. In our physical world it is so hard to understand the infinite, just as it is hard in a spiritual world to understand the finite. I feel as if it is part of the purpose of both women and men to create the middle ground of communication, so we can see G-d in not just what we do not do, but in also what we do and we can see the levels of our connection with G-d become higher as we do more and more. That innersight is something as all humanity we can work towards. It is easy to say look at that beautiful sunset, it is not as easy to say look at that beautiful person, there is G-d too.