The Great Sources with Rabbi Shnayor Burton

How come nobody has been talking about knowing Hashem?0:00 Why is the ideal of knowing Hashem so revolutionary? And doesn't any person who serves Hashem already know Him?3:30 Hashem as the solution to political problems5:15 Is knowledge of Hashem the totality of all knowledge or a specific knowledge?12:30 Is the blessed state of the world a result of knowing Hashem or the reverse?20:00 Why the Redemption is a principle of faith22:45 What would motivate a person to talk about Hashem and seek knowledge of Him?34:30 The mitzvah to love Hashem is to study reality and thus come to desire knowledge of Him42:00 Either we all have been doing this already, or else it is not a legitimate pursuit 46:30 An idea that can't be put into practice tends to wither and die58:30 The tension between honoring the tradition and exploring new ideas1:00:00 Knowing Hashem and politics; why national independence is necessary for knowing Hashem1:00:05 Is the highest human goal action or contemplation?1:08:00 Contradictions in the Rambam; contradictions between Plato and Aristotle; Al-Farabi's resolutions

What does it mean to truly know Hashem? A conversation with Zev Lowy about the prophetic ideal — and why it's still the greatest mission of all.0:00 Knowledge of Hashem is supposed to be the most fundamental subject for humanity but is seldom discussed5:30 Knowledge of Hashem is not well defined. How can it perfect humanity? What should we do to promote it?9:00 Should we articulate how knowledge of Hashem will solve all the world's problems?15:00 Why people don't think about how knowledge of Hashem works24:45 Should we seek knowledge of Hashem for any reason other than its own sake?29:30 Is knowledge of Hashem effective if pursued for any reason other than its own sake?33:30 The experience of relentlessly seeking knowledge of Hashem and how it changes a person fundamentally36:45 What is lacking in Exodus, Exile and Redemption (here: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor/p/introduction-to-exodus-exile-and?r=111271&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false)? Where Rambam and Kabbalah part ways41:00 Even Popperians talk about love and other intense experiences44:00 Phenomenology and knowing Hashem 48:00 The theory of da'as Hashem51:00 The notion of Pure Being and its power to inspire right action57:00 Why it's important for people capable of it to understand da'as Hashem1:01:00 Chasing beauty, wisdom, and knowledge of Hashem1:04:00 Torah and practical wisdom

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

Why does the Haggadah begin by reminding us that our ancestors were idolaters?What is the secret sin of Avraham Avinu, and why did he ask for it to remain hidden?This shiur explores the tension between freedom and servitude, the esoteric struggle with idolatry in every generation, and how the Torah guides us through an annual Exodus that is far from over.Uncover true liberation develops from avodah itself.us #slavery #sacrifice #death #avrahamavinu #AbrahamWhy does the Haggadah begin by reminding us that our ancestors were idolaters?What is the secret sin of Avraham Avinu, and why did he ask for it to remain hidden?This shiur explores the tension between freedom and servitude, the esoteric struggle with idolatry in every generation, and how the Torah guides us through an annual Exodus that is far from over.Uncover how true liberation develops from avodah itself.0:00 The overall structure of the Haggadah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7p74lusVF8&t=1s1:00 The question the Haggadah is answering: Why is the past relevant to today?2:45 The two narratives the Haggadah tells: We were once slaves, and Hashem freed us; we once served idols, and now we serve Hashem6:00 The first narrative explains freedom from slavery; the second narrative explains the purpose of slavery itself8:00 The exile in Egypt as a result of Avraham's doubt; Jewish history as recurring opportunities to recognize Hashem through redemption from suffering16:30 The wicked son doesn't understand that there are moments in history that are crucial for long-term destiny25:45 Both narratives involve escape from servitude, but the second narrative involves escape from one form of servitude to another: from serving idols to serving Hashem30:00 Rambam and Avodas HaKodesh argue whether Avraham himself worshipped idolatry32:45 Avraham Avinu was worried about the idol worship he engaged in as a youth, and Hashem promised him that his sin will disappear like the evaporating dew35:00 The verse written awkwardly to conceal the fact that Avraham worshipped idolatry40:30 The influence of idolatry on the Torah and on how we worship Hashem; the Guide of the Perplexed on sacrificial worship43:00 The purpose of the Torah is to make worship easy45:20 The psychological need that people have for servitude48:00 The link between freedom and being familiar with Hashem53:15 Because we struggle with serving idols, we require servitude directed to Hashem57:30 Why monotheism is the key to achieving world peace59:40 Will the Torah forever contain an element of servitude?1:01:30 The meaning of Avraham Avinu's concern about the idol worship he engaged in as a youth1:08:00 The Torah will never change, but sacrifices will eventually not involve the element of servitude1:08:45 The Rambam's reason for mitzvahs are dynamic and can change over time: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0XAcZW9hUZHAEoteTjjmQL1:13:40 When the Messiah comes, we will find new reasons for the mitzvah of sacrifices, such that they won't involve the element of servitude1:16:15 Every year, we undo somewhat the inclination to idolatry and servitude within ourselves1:20:00 Chad Gadia as explaining why we didn't bring the korban pesach1:22:00 Why the suffering in exile makes us opposed to bringing sacrifices1:23:30 Hashem killing indicates that death is not an evil1:25:00 Sacrifices will not involve an element of servitude when death is viewed as a good that Hashem himself effectsThis lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history.Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠:Please subscribe!This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history.Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠:Please subscribe!This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation00:00 Did Moshe alone perceive Hashem face to face, or did all of Israel perceive Hashem face to face?2:00 Hearing the Voice of Hashem without intermediation of an angel is considered speaking with Him face to face15:00 What is the Voice of Hashem?43:45 We can't know the nature of the Revelation at Sinai nor the nature of Hashem's communication at Mount Sinai46:30 Moshe's request to know the essence of God48:00 The 5 that entered the Pardes: Rabbi Akiva, Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Moshe54:00 One can know Hashem's essence, but one cannot know Hashem's essence and live56:00 Moshe asked to die and effectively did59:30 Moshe was pure intellect since his body had no effect on his mind1:03:00 One cannot speak of pure intelligence at all1:05:30 The function and nature of the Voice1:09:30 Moshe knows the nature of the Voice's generation and therefore understands its verbal content

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠: Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This guest lecture was hosted by Bais Medrash HaGra, Jerusalem https://beit-midrash-hagra.com/home

This guest shiur was delivered at Kollel and Congregation Shaarei Tefillah, under the leadership of Rabbi Margalios, located in Ramat Beit Shemesh (RBS).

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠here⁠⁠: Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠here⁠: Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation.

This lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

Highlights: 4:00 Knowing Hashem and seeing Hashem 7:15 Moshe sought moral knowledge of God's ways, not metaphysical knowledge of God's nature 10:30 Moshe sought to understand why some righteous people suffer, and other righteous people prosper; why some evildoers suffer, and other evildoers prosper 16:30 Moshe couldn't understand the goodness of God as it is manifest in the universe; the prophets could understand it 18:15 Completely righteous people don't suffer, whereas incompletely righteous people do suffer 22:00 What completely righteous people believe to be right will occur to them 26:00 The answer to the question about the suffering of the righteous was acceptable for the prophets but not for Moshe 29:30 Is God good if He is good only to the extent that people are completely righteous? 32:30 Seeing Hashem's back means seeing the end of His actions, in the future; seeing His face means seeing Him in the present 36:00 A person should emulate Hashem if and only if His actions are known This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation.

Highlights: 0:00 The position of our Rebbe, the wicked King Manasseh, that idolatry is appropriate 5:00 Manasseh's case against the Isaiah in which he charged the prophet with heresy and executed him for that crime 8:45 Can Hashem be seen or not? Moshe's stance and the prophets' stance 12:00 Can Hashem be known or not? Moshe's stance and the prophets' stance 20:30 Moshe uses words differently than all the prophets do, and is therefore termed "not a man of words" 24:15 The contradiction between the Torah and the Prophets regarding the importance of sacrificial worship (https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor/p/ee-and-r-3_4-between-the-torah-and?r=111271&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web) 29:45 The prophets do something fundamentally different from Moshe and the Torah 34:30 Moshe's request to see God indicates that Moshe is supposed to see God 36:30 The last of the books of the Torah implies that Hashem can be known 38:15 Idolatry is wrong only for those who are familiar with Hashem and know Him 43:00 Manasseh's argument why idolatry is appropriate according to the Torah itself 46:00 Manasseh considered the Torah to be aspirational until such time that its great potential is unlocked 48:00 Manasseh considered avoiding idolatry to be akin to rushing the end of times before we're ready for it 51:15 The unrequited overture to the Nation of Israel at the time of the Exodus offering them knowledge of Hashem 54:30 The Torah has always been aspirational

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture series is a project of כרם בין תורה לחכמה, generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger Highlights: 2:15 What is achieved by humans thinking in non-human terms? 4:15 Humans are the most important aspect of reality; viewing the world from God's perspective involves viewing humanity accurately 8:30 The actions are God can be understood only by understanding humans 12:00 God is good only if humans are good 16:00 By bringing things back to God's perspective, we simultaneously value the way things are and remain open to progress 18:00 The tension between progressivism and conservativism 22:00 God's will as the ultimate constant that allows for infinite progress 30:45 The Golden Mean as the way of God 33:10 Finding law within human behavior brings human behavior back to God 35:45 A person cannot know the ways of God without knowing himself 37:25 The prophets call God righteous and thereby make Him righteous, since humans, His ultimate creation, will be inspired to be righteous, making Him righteous 40:00 The difference between the philosophers and the prophets about whether human perfection involves intellectual perfection or moral perfection 47:20 What makes the Torah divine: the connection between ordering society and thinking about God

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture series is a project of כרם בין תורה לחכמה, generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger 00:20 How to achieve the ideal society is the most burning practical question of humanity and is also the fundamental subject of the Torah 3:00 One who cannot reason political questions from first principles cannot understand the Torah 4:15 To agree with the Torah is to understand the Torah 7:00 Judaism begins with the divine command to Abraham to establish the good society along with instructions how to do so 9:30 The notion of the land's holiness is universal and isn't limited to the Land of Israel 12:00 The Torah's approach to achieving the ideal society https://www.ebay.com/itm/374477700772 https://shnayor.substack.com/p/7_4 14:30 Viewing the world from God's perspective 17:30 The Torah model for humanity is that humanity should become as a race of angels 18:30 Philosophy's approach to establishing the ideal society 20:00 The Guide of the Perplexed 2:40 on the natural need for law 24:00 Maimonides implies that law is not necessary because people naturally do things that are wrong, but only because people need to function within society 27:45 If it's human nature to be cruel, then we can't assert that it's wrong to be cruel 31:25 The meaning of divine command is that there is a right way to do things beyond following your nature 33:30 Maimonidean ethics and the Golden Mean 35:30 The function of the Golden Mean in expanding a person's identity to include his society; this is a sensitivity that we can recover 41:30 What is the point of thinking for God? What does it add to human success and flourishing? 43:00 What is the relationship between the Torah's approach to achieving the ideal society and Philosophy's approach? 44:00 Various possibilities about the nature of the relationship

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

בעניין קשים גרים כספחת; לא הגלה הקב"ה את ישראל לבין האומות אלא כדי שיתוספו עליהם גרים; גרים מעכבים את המשיח; האם יש גרים שיש לקבלם ולא לדחות אותם.

This lecture series is a project of כרם בין תורה לחכמה, generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger. 0:00 Man is both a composite of body and soul, and pure soul 2:30 The question of the eternity or createdness of the world underpins the two different ways of viewing human beings 7:00 Seth was similar to Adam, who was the only man created ex nihilo and therefore uniquely spiritual 11:00 Why bodily affairs matter

This lecture series is a project of כרם בין תורה לחכמה, generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger. 00:30 Moses perceived the whole of the universe, which is "all of God's goodness" 2:15 In order to understand the true nature of reality, one has to transcend the body 10:00 Was Moses' great perception the whole of the created universe or God's transcendence? 14:00 One cannot understand God's transcendence without understanding the whole of the created universe; and one cannot understand the whole of the created universe without understanding God's transcendence 21:00 What is actually meant by "God saw that it was good"? 24:00 The world is right but by no metric 29:30 To see the goodness of the world is to be blinded 33:30 Everyone perceives evil since they perceive reality through the lens of the body 35:00 The perception through the lens of the body is also important and a part of nature 42:00 The hamoni in the Guide is not the other guy – everyone has some hamonism within themselves 44:00 The tension between whether man is defined by his intellect or by his body as well 45:00 How to prevent evil actions – through knowledge or character training? 48:00 Does human perfection involve intellectual perception or doing good?

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation and was generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger. Highlights: 00:00 The meaning of "good" according to Crescas; Plato and Aristotle on the meaning of "good"; Maimonides' strange silence on the issue 18:30 Maimonides shifts theodicy from ethics to metaphysics 20:00 Privation as a principle of reality 31:00 The dynamic interplay between being and non-being 37:00 Understanding the nature of being is how beings learn to appreciate being 50:30 Why do all humans think there is evil if there really isn't any? 54:00 Knowledge and the forms are eternal 57:00 Privation and its association with matter 59:30 Humans can't help but see evil since they are embodied

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation and was generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger. Highlights: 1:00 Goodness is what is real, and evil is privation 3:20 The goodness of the universe is the foundational notion of the whole Torah 9:00 Are the masses of today similar to the masses in the past? 11:30 Existence is good as judged by all existents 14:45 Creation ex Nihilo and evil as privation 16:45 Non-existence is evil only relative to existence 28:30 Confronting evil is confronting the nothingness that preceded Creation, and induces fear of God due to its absurdity 33:00 Confronting evil is confronting the notion that perhaps nothing at all should exist; fear of God is the antidote to evil 38:00 When a person judges existence to be good, existence is judging itself; God does not "exist," and therefore He doesn't judge things to be good 46:00 The Torah talks about God as if he is part of the same system of existence as everything else

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation and was generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger. Highlights: 2:30 The problem of evil 5:30 The foundation of the Torah is that the universe is good 8:30 All evils are privations, made by God only indirectly 17:20 What does it contribute to a theodicy to say that God makes evils only indirectly? 21:00 What determines that existence is good? 23:00 What does "good" mean? 26:00 "Good" is a value-judgment of approval 31:30 A person can't take a position of disapproval on existence 39:00 Judging reality is participating in reality and thus involves taking a position on the value of reality 44:30 God's viewing of the universes is a significant aspect of Creation itself 47:00 Taking a stance on existence is not equivalent to taking a stance on evil, which is merely a lack of existence 49:00 Judging is a big part of being human 57:00 "And God saw that it was good" is said only from the limited human perspective 101:45 Is the universe "good" because it meets God's purpose in creation, or did He create it because it is good? 103:45 God doesn't give the value-judgement of approval on existence, since His existence is something other than existence 107:15 Summary

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-e... Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-exodus-to-exile-to-redemption ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

What is the nature of the relationship between Yisrael and the nations? What does the Torah expect from the other nations? Is conversion a positive or a negative? What is the function of conversion to Judaism in the Torah's plan and in the destiny of Yisrael? Guest Shiur in Kodesh, North Woodmere

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-exodus-to-exile-to-redemption ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

0:00 Q: Is the Messiah something we generate or something that happens to us? 4:00 What the Messiah will do and how he will do it 7:15 Why do we study Torah these days if we don't truly have the Torah in exile? 8:30 What is the Torah about? 11:00 Why the Torah doesn't work outside of Eretz Yisrael 13:15 The most burning question is: "What is the Torah about?," i.e. "What is da'as Hashem?" 18:00 How can the Torah assert that man is in the image of God if people kill each other? 20:00 Are there fundamentally unbridgeable differences between human beings? 22:45 The Torah doesn't reveal truths as much as it gives a vision of what can be 24:45 Torah as a radical document suggesting what can be 26:45 In order to understand the Torah, we have to view it within a historical lens as well 28:45 We can't tell people they don't have Torah 31:45 Not everyone could be Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi who lived in the past and the future 36:00 Why there developed a concept of the Redemption as something that will happen to us miraculously 40:30 In the past, there was no way to talk about Redemption without using miraculous terminology 43:00 Why people believe in being passive; the great danger of hastening the End before its time45:15 Whether the world is ready for something depends on whether we are ready for it 47:00 Those who have no understanding of Redemption should indeed do nothing about it 50:30 Summary This lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

4:50 Getting angry is akin to idolatry 6:00 Why is Judaism's vision so challenging to achieve? 7:00 God's unity is approached through 3 pathways, represented by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 11:00 The problem of evil is the reason that humans can't weave all of being around one good principle 13:10 Isaac represents the problem of evil 15:40 Why would God tell Abraham to slaughter Isaac? 19:30 How can we organize our psyche around one principle given that there is both good and evil? 22:15 The great men who attempted to bring the Messiah - Yehudah and Hezekiah, sons of Rabbi Chiya 26:00 Redemption depends on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob being in harmony 27:45 The book of Malachi and its vision; the role of Elijah the Prophet in effecting a rapprochement among the forefathers 32:00 How to effect that rapprochement and solve the problem of evil 33:15 The problem of evil is based on taking our subjective existence as a source of value 36:00 Thinking of yourself as cause instead of effect 40:00 Sacrificial worship is nihilistic, until Malachi reinterpreted it 47:00 Sh'ma and Hashem as our father 51:15 How we can achieve the Jewish vision This lecture is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shnayor.substack.com/s/from-exodus-to-exile-to-redemption ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please subscribe! This series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing projects of the foundation, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.