True Belief

Craig, thanks for the support I think differently about G-d creating evil,though. Surely is G-d capable of creating evil, for what is He not capable of? But I believe He has created the 'potential for evil' and not 'concrete evil' in the creation week.He created the potential for evil to set the stage for the 'free choice' to play itself out. If there were no 'free choice' there wouldn't be a need for the creation of the potential for evil.So in total accordance with the 'let them (humans) rule' edict,it is us and only us responsible for the concrete evil in this world,not because we have something inherently evil in our nature, but because we are not in-formed enough.

(There is an interesting Toldot class on you.tube by Rabbi Avraham Sutton. There he argues that the snake was in fact Divinely meant to embody the spiritual capability to descend into darkness to retrieve the Divine sparks trapped there and bring them to Adam to elevate further).But Adam had to be tested first through the snake,the rest is history. Reply

true belief Beautiful! Reply

Re: zeynep I am with you. This universe has the possibility of moral building blocks. Everything that exists comes from the divine creation week. However, just because G+d created something doesn't make it good and moral by nature, as Gd is capable of good and evil. The creation week states, "And let them (humans) rule," and as a consequence to that, humans turn this G'd breathed world into something that is moral (or not), according to our discretion, as rulers over creation. Reply

Rabbi Freeman, I enjoy your daily notes very much. Thank you for reminding me.

Thank you Sir.
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Morality as reason Actually, no. Every 'decision making' does not revolve around survival. Take the case of ones sacrificing their own life for a 'greater good.' That would be the anthisis of personal survival. Morality does not exist without a concious agenda. It's the difference between acting on instinct and with abstract thought. Animals & plants act according to their programming within a given situation. Humans act with reason (though admittedly it sometimes it doesn't seem that way). Reply

Morality as an existential state From this perspective, morality is not seen as an exclusively human attribute playing itself out in a 'non-survival sense' decision-making process (does not every decision-making revolve around survival, however subliminal?), rather it is incorporated to the very texture of existence. Here there can be no question of something being moral or not, here Morality becomes existence. This I believe is what Judaism refers to as The World to Come. Reply

Morality is a DECISION to distinguish between good and bad in a non-survival sense or in an abstract manner. Plants & animals lack the capability to make such an assessment. In this, humans are unique. Thus, while we posses morality, the rest of the universe as we know it runs on survival instinct. Reply

Against the chaos theory Me again.Sorry, but I can't get over this idea of the substance of the universe not being moral. It truly hurts. And now with one other soul feeling the same way (thank you Tuviah) we shall invite the voice of a prophetic soul: Isaiah-Chapter 11,6-9. 'And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid;and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling shall lie together, and a small child shall lead them.And a cow and a bear shall graze together,their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand.They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the L-rd as water covers the sea bed.' May this be our collective meditation. Reply

'The substance of the universe is not moral' I was quite a bit startled when I came upon this sentence,for it seemed to openly contradict a fascinating concept which was posted on Erev Shavuot(281,Penetrating Wisdom).'At Mount Sinai,tradition tells,there was no echo.Torah penetrates and is absorbed by all things,because it is their essence..'This was a true revelation for me, a groundbreaking,reality-transforming Truth (in contrast to a mere conceptual ingenuity).I have intensely meditated upon it;quite in the same spirit as described in 296-Meditation (Thank you Rabbi Freeman,this all works so beautifully, how indebted we are to this wonderful tradition!).So then,latest since Mount Sinai we have a moral universe;that this moral texture of the universe is hidden from human perception is yet another truth (and perhaps this is what the Rebbe is referring to) but only a 'temporary' one.As the cumulative jewish meditation gains in strength,we will be granted the ultimate revelation, which will be our Redemption. Love to all. Reply

Amen! the hardest part is finding that part of you that MAKES you think and feel this way and why it is you make these instinctual choices of right and wrong. Where does it come from? Has society or daily living trained you to think and believe collectively OR does it come from within?

This is why Tefillin is so important, think..feel, heart...soul and to make sure all is one with the creator. Reply

The Universe is Not Moral If the Rebbe is saying that the universe is not moral -- just as plants and animals are not moral, then how can we have trust in Hashem?

If Hashem is part of all this, then the chaos theory is correct. Reply

True Belief Wonderful words from the Rebbe! I guess this answers the excuse of any unbelief folks! It is so nice to learn wisdom of Solomon from him! Thank you rabbi Freeman for bringing the past to the present that I can hear and remember Eternal Truth. Reply

Well said! Reply