Forgiveness from God
9 years ago
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Cool Breezes
Today is a beautiful day outside. I have my windows open and the cool breeze is filling my room. I do not have a point to this post other than to state my gratitude for such an experience and to still be alive to smell the air. To think about what an amazing system we are part of is truly something to smile about.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Format Change
Ok so clearly I have opted to change the color scheme on the blog
I must admit though that I have very little idea as to what colors everything is
so,
if it is totally strange looking and that is a distraction
please dear readers,
tell me.
I must admit though that I have very little idea as to what colors everything is
so,
if it is totally strange looking and that is a distraction
please dear readers,
tell me.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
To my Readers ( all 3 of you)
Ok Ladies and Gents, I have recently had some requests for a color change on the blog, some are having a hard time reading the posts on the blog as the blog is and since a) I want people to read it and b) it is a blog and not a chore, I want to know what people think
Please Keep the Following in mind,
I like the current format and the current color scheme
I am Color Blind so this one is easy for me to read, the Ochre has a font that just doesnt work with my eyes, if someone wants to fiddle with permutations let me know but I cant do it.
Please Keep the Following in mind,
I like the current format and the current color scheme
I am Color Blind so this one is easy for me to read, the Ochre has a font that just doesnt work with my eyes, if someone wants to fiddle with permutations let me know but I cant do it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Feynman and Ahavah through Matter
Growing up my oldest brother was a physics buff. He would read physics textbooks for fun and it is from his mouth that I first heard the name Richard Phillips Feynman (1918-1988). Feynman was a particularly interesting individual who has my eternal love for teaching me every bit of physics that I know. This morning on the train I started re-reading the great work Six Easy Pieces- Essentials of Physics Explained by its most Brilliant Teacher. I always expect to get blown away by something in Feynman's work and this morning was no exception, the passage reproduced below is almost exactly the description that my Rebbi gave me of the way an Ohev Hashem views creation and I wanted to share Feynmans description in hopes of assisting with an ahavah reflection.
Matter is made of Atoms
"If, in some cataclysm, all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis ( or the atomic fact , or whatever you wish to call it) that all things ae made of atoms- little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracing each other when they are a little distance apart , but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence, you will see, there is an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied.
To illustrate the power of the atomic idea, suppose that we have a drop of water a quarter of an inch on the side. If we look at it very closely we see nothing but water- smooth, continuous water. Even if we magnify it with the best optical microscope available- roughly two thousand times- then the water drop will be roughly forty feet across, about as big as a large room, and if we looked rather closely, we would still see relatively smooth water- but here and there smal football shaped things swimming back and forth. Very interesting. These are paramecia. You may stop at this point and get so curious about the paramecia with their wiggling cilia and twisting bodies that you go no further, except perhaps to magnify the paramecia still more and see inside. This, of course, is a subject for biology, but for the present we pass on and look still more closely at the water material itself, magnifying it two thousand times again. Now the drop of water extends about fifteen miles across, and if we look very closely at it we see a kind of teeming, something which no longer has a smooth appearance- it looks something like a crowd at a football game as seen from a very great distance. In order to see what this teeming is about, we will magnify it another two hundred fifty times and we will see something similar to what is shown in Figure 1-1( not shown). This is a picture of water magnified a billion times, but idealized in several ways... Notice that there are two kinds of " blobs" or circles to represent the atoms of oxygen and hydrogen, and that each oxygen has two hydrogens tied to it. ( Each little group of an oxygen with its two hydrogens is called a molecule) The picture is idealized further in that the real particles in nature are continually jiggling and bouncing, turning and twisting around one another. You will have to imagine this as a dynamic rather than a static picture. Another thing that cannot be illustrated in a drawing is the fact that the particles are " stuck together"- that they attract each other, this one pulled by that one etc. The whole goup is " glued together", so to speak. On the other hand, the particles do not squeeze through each other. If you try to squeeze two of them too close together, they repel.
The atoms are one or two times ten to the neagative 8th cm in radius. Now ten to the negative eight cm is called an angstrom ( just as another name), so we say 1 or 2 angstroms ( A) in radius. Another way to remember their size is this: if an apple is magnified to the size of the earth , then the atoms in the apple are approximately the size of the original apple.
Now imagine this great drop of water with all of these jiggling particles stuck together and tagging along with each other. The water keeps its volume; it does not fall apart, because of the attraction of the molecules for each other. If the drop is on a slope, where it can move from one place to another , the water will flow, but it does not dissappear- things do not just fly apart- because of molecular attraction. Now the jiggling motion is what we reoresent as heat: when we increase the temperature, we increase the motion. If we heat the water, the jiggling increases and the volume between the atoms increases, and if the heating continues there comes a time whrn the pull between the molecules is not enough to hold them together and the fo fly apart and become separated from one another. Of course , this is how we manufacture steam out of water, by increasing the temperature; the particles fly apart becayse of the increased motion."
Feynman continues in this vein throughout the entire book , I thought his ability to illustrate the idea through zooming in on it was particularly useful.
Matter is made of Atoms
"If, in some cataclysm, all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis ( or the atomic fact , or whatever you wish to call it) that all things ae made of atoms- little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracing each other when they are a little distance apart , but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence, you will see, there is an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied.
To illustrate the power of the atomic idea, suppose that we have a drop of water a quarter of an inch on the side. If we look at it very closely we see nothing but water- smooth, continuous water. Even if we magnify it with the best optical microscope available- roughly two thousand times- then the water drop will be roughly forty feet across, about as big as a large room, and if we looked rather closely, we would still see relatively smooth water- but here and there smal football shaped things swimming back and forth. Very interesting. These are paramecia. You may stop at this point and get so curious about the paramecia with their wiggling cilia and twisting bodies that you go no further, except perhaps to magnify the paramecia still more and see inside. This, of course, is a subject for biology, but for the present we pass on and look still more closely at the water material itself, magnifying it two thousand times again. Now the drop of water extends about fifteen miles across, and if we look very closely at it we see a kind of teeming, something which no longer has a smooth appearance- it looks something like a crowd at a football game as seen from a very great distance. In order to see what this teeming is about, we will magnify it another two hundred fifty times and we will see something similar to what is shown in Figure 1-1( not shown). This is a picture of water magnified a billion times, but idealized in several ways... Notice that there are two kinds of " blobs" or circles to represent the atoms of oxygen and hydrogen, and that each oxygen has two hydrogens tied to it. ( Each little group of an oxygen with its two hydrogens is called a molecule) The picture is idealized further in that the real particles in nature are continually jiggling and bouncing, turning and twisting around one another. You will have to imagine this as a dynamic rather than a static picture. Another thing that cannot be illustrated in a drawing is the fact that the particles are " stuck together"- that they attract each other, this one pulled by that one etc. The whole goup is " glued together", so to speak. On the other hand, the particles do not squeeze through each other. If you try to squeeze two of them too close together, they repel.
The atoms are one or two times ten to the neagative 8th cm in radius. Now ten to the negative eight cm is called an angstrom ( just as another name), so we say 1 or 2 angstroms ( A) in radius. Another way to remember their size is this: if an apple is magnified to the size of the earth , then the atoms in the apple are approximately the size of the original apple.
Now imagine this great drop of water with all of these jiggling particles stuck together and tagging along with each other. The water keeps its volume; it does not fall apart, because of the attraction of the molecules for each other. If the drop is on a slope, where it can move from one place to another , the water will flow, but it does not dissappear- things do not just fly apart- because of molecular attraction. Now the jiggling motion is what we reoresent as heat: when we increase the temperature, we increase the motion. If we heat the water, the jiggling increases and the volume between the atoms increases, and if the heating continues there comes a time whrn the pull between the molecules is not enough to hold them together and the fo fly apart and become separated from one another. Of course , this is how we manufacture steam out of water, by increasing the temperature; the particles fly apart becayse of the increased motion."
Feynman continues in this vein throughout the entire book , I thought his ability to illustrate the idea through zooming in on it was particularly useful.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Highways of Perfection
The following is also posted on Rambamsystemreview.blogspot.com and was the result of my ride home this evening:
So I was driving home tonight from the Beis Hatzelamim, ( Brooklyn not YU). I am on the Southern State Parkway and I look into my mirror. What I saw behind me struck me although its nothing I haven't seen before. It was a long line of headlights stretching as far as I could see.Then I looked at the other lane, the Westbound lanes and it was the same thing. Then I looked at my GPS and saw the long expanse of highway.
These cars seemed to go on forever , until you look at the Highway itself which is so much bigger. The great thing about the GPS is you can literally "zoom" out and when I got home just now that's what I did. First all of Long Island appears then New York and New Jersey, then the East Coast then the entire Country . As much as these cars seemed to go on forever, the highway was bigger. As long as the Highway seemed to be the State was bigger as expansive as the State is it pales in comparison to the Continent, the Planet and the Universe. Think about it! That is insane. And every part of this huge universe is governed by law from me sitting in my car at 80 mph to the Planets revolving at their speeds and everything in between.
In short: Wow.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
How I Use the Mishneh Torah
My last post on Bizui Talmidei Chachamim violated some fundamental rules of my understanding of the operating system of the Mishneh Torah. Thanks to Matt for catching it. I wanted to detail what I think the proper way in general to approach the work is and then delineate the misstep that I took in the last post.
The Basic Organization of the Mishneh Torah
As I stated in the presentation of Psalms 119 earlier, the Rambam had a very specific organizational scheme in the writing/ presentation of the Mishneh Torah. The work is comprised of 14 books. The entire Mishneh Torah is headed by two verses,
בשם ה', אל עולם בראשית כא,לג
אז, לא אבוש--בהביטי, אל כל מצוותיך תהילים קיט,ו
33 {And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-sheba}, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God
6 Then should I not be ashamed, when I have regard unto all Thy commandments.
Immediately after the initial two verses the Rambam places his Hakdamah, his preface to the entire work.The Hakdamah itself has multiple parts, first the preface, then the minyan Hamitzvot the numbering of the commandments both aseh and Lo Ta'aseh and the chalukas haSeforim the delineation and division of each book including the theme of each book and the entire list of every commandment in each book. Following the end of the Hakdamah there again is a verse which heads the first book sefer HaMada'a.[ Sefer HaMada'a I believe is the first book because of its fundamental necessity to the entire corpus of knowledge to follow]. After the verse at the head of each book is the listing of the Halachik sections that are included in the book, these are divided into the mitzvot in each section. Each Halachik section is titled and headed. The heading counts the number of commandments included and lists them. After the heading "Koteret" the chapters begin. Each chapter is divided into laws, each progressing into the next.
How to utilize the Organization
To my knowledge and according to my understanding of the training I have recieved from the scholar of Maimonides' System I have come up with the following rules to properly using the Mishneh Torah.
The Hakdamah is of utmost importance. This is true of any work of a chacham and especially true with Maimonides. The Rambam wrote the preface to give a background and explanation for the necessity of the Mishneh Torah. Within the Hakdamah the numbering of the commandments and divison of the books are carefully written to instruct about the organization of the system. Before using the Mishneh Torah it is highly important to carefully study the preface.
Each book starts with an initial verse. [ This paragraph applies to the two verses before the hakdamah as well] These verses give a general guidline for what the book is about. For example, the verse at the head of Sefer Hamada'a is :
משוך חסדך, ליודעיך; וצדקתך, לישרי לב
This verse " continue your kindness to those who know you and your Justice to the upright of heart" contains ideas that are necessary to the understanding of each and every law contained in the book.
Each Halachik section contains the heading with the number and formulation of the commandments contained in it. It is necessary to read through this section carefully noting the formulation of the commandments. Each Law will fit into one of the commandments listed.
Each chapter is a progression Law into Law principle into principle. Therefore , it is necessary to read the ENTIRE CHAPTER in order and NEVER to CHERRY PICK an individual law.
The order of each chapter is itself intentional. Ideally one should read the entire section thoroughly and see a progression from chapter to chapter.
In other words, the verse at the head of the work contains a general idea into which the entire work will fit, each and every law. The individual book in turn has a verse that contains the principle that the entire book, each and every law will fall in line with. Each section's heading contains the commandments that will be dealt with in that section. Each law must follow from one of the listed commandments. It is possible to go from the verse at the head of the work to the verse at the head of the book to the section, commandment, chapter and eventually down to the very individual law and they will all fall into a hierarchichal system. [ Or vice versa, it is possible, and a good excersize that I was shown by the scholar of Maimonides' System to go from law, to chapter, to commandment to verse all the way up the ladder to the core principle of the work]
It could be that one who carefully studies the Mishneh Torah will come to see that the system works differently than I have described. I would not be surprised. It is clear however, that there IS a system of the Mishneh Torah. If one fails to study this system they will be failing to utilize the work as was intended. If you do not think this is important look at it like this. You go to the dealership and buy a brand new sports car. Its a hot little number and you can not wait to go out on the highway and get it up to speed, Oh to think about just how much joy this little blue car will give you! There is only one problem. The car is a stick shift and Alas!, you only know how to drive automatic. You would not risk ruining your investment , burning out the clutch and ending up a heaping wreck on the side of the road after deciding not to learn how to drive a manual. What you would do is go to a teacher and make very sure that you know how to drive that car so that you ensure that you get the maximum returns on your investment and G' forbid destroy it before you even got to enjoy it. I think the same is true with the Mishneh Torah. The author carefully organized and formulated the entire work. It is important to understand what the organizational scheme of the work is and how it is meant to be used so that you ensure the proper functioning and maximum returns.
The Basic Organization of the Mishneh Torah
As I stated in the presentation of Psalms 119 earlier, the Rambam had a very specific organizational scheme in the writing/ presentation of the Mishneh Torah. The work is comprised of 14 books. The entire Mishneh Torah is headed by two verses,
בשם ה', אל עולם בראשית כא,לג
אז, לא אבוש--בהביטי, אל כל מצוותיך תהילים קיט,ו
33 {And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-sheba}, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God
6 Then should I not be ashamed, when I have regard unto all Thy commandments.
Immediately after the initial two verses the Rambam places his Hakdamah, his preface to the entire work.The Hakdamah itself has multiple parts, first the preface, then the minyan Hamitzvot the numbering of the commandments both aseh and Lo Ta'aseh and the chalukas haSeforim the delineation and division of each book including the theme of each book and the entire list of every commandment in each book. Following the end of the Hakdamah there again is a verse which heads the first book sefer HaMada'a.[ Sefer HaMada'a I believe is the first book because of its fundamental necessity to the entire corpus of knowledge to follow]. After the verse at the head of each book is the listing of the Halachik sections that are included in the book, these are divided into the mitzvot in each section. Each Halachik section is titled and headed. The heading counts the number of commandments included and lists them. After the heading "Koteret" the chapters begin. Each chapter is divided into laws, each progressing into the next.
How to utilize the Organization
To my knowledge and according to my understanding of the training I have recieved from the scholar of Maimonides' System I have come up with the following rules to properly using the Mishneh Torah.
The Hakdamah is of utmost importance. This is true of any work of a chacham and especially true with Maimonides. The Rambam wrote the preface to give a background and explanation for the necessity of the Mishneh Torah. Within the Hakdamah the numbering of the commandments and divison of the books are carefully written to instruct about the organization of the system. Before using the Mishneh Torah it is highly important to carefully study the preface.
Each book starts with an initial verse. [ This paragraph applies to the two verses before the hakdamah as well] These verses give a general guidline for what the book is about. For example, the verse at the head of Sefer Hamada'a is :
משוך חסדך, ליודעיך; וצדקתך, לישרי לב
This verse " continue your kindness to those who know you and your Justice to the upright of heart" contains ideas that are necessary to the understanding of each and every law contained in the book.
Each Halachik section contains the heading with the number and formulation of the commandments contained in it. It is necessary to read through this section carefully noting the formulation of the commandments. Each Law will fit into one of the commandments listed.
Each chapter is a progression Law into Law principle into principle. Therefore , it is necessary to read the ENTIRE CHAPTER in order and NEVER to CHERRY PICK an individual law.
The order of each chapter is itself intentional. Ideally one should read the entire section thoroughly and see a progression from chapter to chapter.
In other words, the verse at the head of the work contains a general idea into which the entire work will fit, each and every law. The individual book in turn has a verse that contains the principle that the entire book, each and every law will fall in line with. Each section's heading contains the commandments that will be dealt with in that section. Each law must follow from one of the listed commandments. It is possible to go from the verse at the head of the work to the verse at the head of the book to the section, commandment, chapter and eventually down to the very individual law and they will all fall into a hierarchichal system. [ Or vice versa, it is possible, and a good excersize that I was shown by the scholar of Maimonides' System to go from law, to chapter, to commandment to verse all the way up the ladder to the core principle of the work]
It could be that one who carefully studies the Mishneh Torah will come to see that the system works differently than I have described. I would not be surprised. It is clear however, that there IS a system of the Mishneh Torah. If one fails to study this system they will be failing to utilize the work as was intended. If you do not think this is important look at it like this. You go to the dealership and buy a brand new sports car. Its a hot little number and you can not wait to go out on the highway and get it up to speed, Oh to think about just how much joy this little blue car will give you! There is only one problem. The car is a stick shift and Alas!, you only know how to drive automatic. You would not risk ruining your investment , burning out the clutch and ending up a heaping wreck on the side of the road after deciding not to learn how to drive a manual. What you would do is go to a teacher and make very sure that you know how to drive that car so that you ensure that you get the maximum returns on your investment and G' forbid destroy it before you even got to enjoy it. I think the same is true with the Mishneh Torah. The author carefully organized and formulated the entire work. It is important to understand what the organizational scheme of the work is and how it is meant to be used so that you ensure the proper functioning and maximum returns.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Bizui Talmidei Chachamim-וכל המבזה את החכמים--אין לו חלק לעולם הבא Repost to illustrate faulty Methodology
I have left this post as is to illustrate the OPPOSITE of what I was explaining in the post immediately above this. The major mistake that I committed was to ingore the end of the chapter. I read the entire chapter , as I should have and then conveniently forgot it. Thus, I violated one of my rules and " CHERRY PICKED" a halacha. What resulted was a 'problem' that did not exist.
משוך חסדך, ליודעיך; וצדקתך, לישרי לב
" O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee; and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart
The laws pertaining to Talmidei Chachamim are codified by the Rambam in the Laws of Talmud Torah. There are two commandments in this section:
יש בכללן שתי מצוות עשה--(א) ללמוד תורה; (ב) לכבד מלמדיה ויודעיה. וביאור שתי מצוות אלו בפרקים אלו
A) to Learn Torah B) To honor its teachers and those who know it.
Chapter Six law 13:
יג [יא] עוון גדול הוא לבזות את החכמים, או לשנוא אותן: לא חרבה ירושלים, עד שביזו בה תלמידי חכמים--שנאמר "ויהיו מלעיבים, במלאכי האלוהים, ובוזים דבריו, ומיתעתעים בנביאיו" (דברי הימים ב לו,טז), כלומר בוזים מלמדי דבריו. וכן זה שאמרה תורה, "אם בחוקותיי תמאסו" (ויקרא כו,טו)--מלמדי חוקותיי תמאסו. וכל המבזה את החכמים--אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, והרי הוא בכלל "כי דבר ה' בזה" (במדבר טו,לא
" It is a tremendous sin to denegrate Chachamim, or to hate them. Jerusalem was only destroyed after Talmidei Chachamim were denegrated in it, as the verse states ,'16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets,{ until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy}' Which means the degradation of the teachers of his word. This is like what the Torah states, '15 and if ye shall reject My statutes, {and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant}', the teachers of my ordinances you reject. Anyone who degrades Chachamim has no portion in the World to Come, and he is in the category of '31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken His commandment; that soul shall utterly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him.'
משוך חסדך, ליודעיך; וצדקתך, לישרי לב
" O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee; and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart
The laws pertaining to Talmidei Chachamim are codified by the Rambam in the Laws of Talmud Torah. There are two commandments in this section:
יש בכללן שתי מצוות עשה--(א) ללמוד תורה; (ב) לכבד מלמדיה ויודעיה. וביאור שתי מצוות אלו בפרקים אלו
A) to Learn Torah B) To honor its teachers and those who know it.
Chapter Six law 13:
יג [יא] עוון גדול הוא לבזות את החכמים, או לשנוא אותן: לא חרבה ירושלים, עד שביזו בה תלמידי חכמים--שנאמר "ויהיו מלעיבים, במלאכי האלוהים, ובוזים דבריו, ומיתעתעים בנביאיו" (דברי הימים ב לו,טז), כלומר בוזים מלמדי דבריו. וכן זה שאמרה תורה, "אם בחוקותיי תמאסו" (ויקרא כו,טו)--מלמדי חוקותיי תמאסו. וכל המבזה את החכמים--אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, והרי הוא בכלל "כי דבר ה' בזה" (במדבר טו,לא
" It is a tremendous sin to denegrate Chachamim, or to hate them. Jerusalem was only destroyed after Talmidei Chachamim were denegrated in it, as the verse states ,'16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets,{ until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy}' Which means the degradation of the teachers of his word. This is like what the Torah states, '15 and if ye shall reject My statutes, {and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant}', the teachers of my ordinances you reject. Anyone who degrades Chachamim has no portion in the World to Come, and he is in the category of '31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken His commandment; that soul shall utterly be cut off, his iniquity shall be upon him.'
It would appear that the degradation of a Talmid Chacham is a major infraction. It is such an imperfaction that the person who commits this act loses his share in the world to come. What is the sin in denegrating a Chacham?Furthermore, the Rambam delineates those who lose thier portion in the world to come in the laws of repentance and does not mention " Hamevazeh talmideai Chachamim" how do we resolve this discrepancy.
יד [ו] ואלו שאין להן חלק לעולם הבא, אלא נכרתין ואובדין, ונידונין על גודל רשעם וחטאתם, לעולם ולעולמי עולמים: המינים, והאפיקורוסים, והכופרים בתורה, והכופרים בתחיית המתים, והכופרים בביאת הגואל, והמשומדים, ומחטיאי הרבים, והפורשים מדרכי ציבור, והעושה עבירות ביד רמה בפרהסיה כיהויקים, והמוסרים, ומטילי אימה על הציבור שלא לשם שמיים, ושופכי דמים, ובעלי לשון הרע, והמושך עורלתו
The following types of people have no share in the World to Come, and are cut off, destroyed and excommunicated for ever on account of their very great sins and wickedness: A Min; am Apikores; one who denies the Torah; one who denies that there will be a Resurrection; one who denies that there will be a Redemption; one who converts from Judaism; one who causes a lot of people to sin; one who withdraws from communal ways; one who publicly sins in a defiant way like Jehoiakim did; an informer [against Jews]; one who instills fear in the congregation but not in the Name of God; a murderer; one who relates loshan ho'rah; and one who pulls back his foreskin.
The Rambam details the definition of each and everyone of the types of person that lose their portion in the later laws. However, he does not mention the previously stated law of one who disgraces Talmidei Chachamim. What is the general concept of Chelek Olam Habah and what would it mean to lose the Chelek. Additionally what is the principle governing the Rambam's listing?
To be continued...
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