Influencing the Divine
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“If you are righteous, what do you give Him?” (Job 35:7)
It is axiomatic that mortal actions are completely insignificant to an infinite creator. Yet the Torah provides examples of where human actions set off a chain reaction throughout the cosmos, affecting the supernal realms or reality. What are some of these examples, and how should they be understood?
(Hebrew)
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| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Paper Type | Sources |
| Pages | 4 |
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How did man come to possess the arts of the occult? What is the scope of their influence over reality? How were they transmitted and shared? Are they still in existence?
In what way are Kabbalistic practices to be distinguished from the occult? Our tradition tells of sages who used the secrets of Kabbalah to manipulate the powers of creation. Does this fall under the same rubric?
Related: Bones and Broomsticks: Sorcery in the Torah Part I
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“Why do the wicked prosper?” (Jeremiah12:1) This question has troubled the faithful from the times of Job and Jeremiah until today. Ought our faith in an unknowable G-d be weakened when witnessing the prosperity of the wicked? A smorgasbord of classic approaches.
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Love is not bound by time. Even after a loved one passes on, they continue to live on in our hearts; we treasure the memories of the times we spent together and immortalize them through noble deeds.
But may we communicate with them after they’ve gone? The Torah (Devarim 18:11) instructs us to avoid all occult arts, such as sorcery, divination and necromancy. What are the details of these laws and what practical relevance do they have?
Related: Familial Bonds in the Hereafter and תפלה על קברי צדיקים
Table of Content
(21 PAGES)
Query from a Shliach in France
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Accustomed as we are to the world’s natural order, our notion of sorcery and other occult arts is accompanied by some level of fascination and intrigue.
How does the Torah explain the mechanisms used to achieve divination and witchcraft? More importantly, how do we reconcile the existence of evil forces that are capable of inflicting harm on humanity that was not ordained by Heaven?
Finally, how does one attain immunity against ominous spiritual realities?
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Men have forever clung to non-rational practices to ensure their safety and success. But the Torah requires faith in G-d and avoidance of divination and the like. Where is the line between prohibited and permissible divinations or superstitions? Does a Torah-true lifestyle include its own Omens, good signs and practices which are permitted and even encouraged? What is the background of many of our more well-known Segulos?
Related: It’s Written in the Stars: The Jewish Approach to Astrology, Zodiac and the Horoscopes
and Bones and Broomsticks: Sorcery in the Torah
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Life is an endless gauntlet of tests and challenges. Judaism teaches us that G-d never gives us a challenge we can’t surmount, but the question remains: why? Why does G-d continuously test us? What purpose does it serve? Can we not succeed without them? And how can we learn to thrive in the face of challenge?
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כי בצלם אלקים עשה את האדם. האומנם? והרי אינו שייך ציור גופני אצל הקב״ה ח״ו? להלן חקר ועיון תמציתי משלל הפירושים שנאמרו בזה על ידי מפרשי המקרא, הוגי מחשבת ישראל, ומאורי הקבלה והחסידות.
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Hashgachah Pratis literally means, “Personal divine providence.” This refers to the ever-present eye of G-d that watches and directs our every step. Where did this concept originate from? Who coined the term? Once the world has been created by G-d, why is it necessary for Him to continue to “manage” my life? How is free choice to be reconciled with Divine Providence?
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In recent decades, thousands of Jews have gravitated to the East in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. More recently, several Eastern Practices have been secularized, popularized, and repackaged as physical and meditative exercises. Does this make them kosher? Which practices are problematic and should be avoided? And what was the Rebbe’s response to the popularization of Yoga and Transcendental Meditation back in the ’70s?
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Submitted by a Shliach in New York
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How can we reconcile the fact that the length of a person’s life is predetermined by G-d and those behaviors that can shorten one’s life? Do we have any control over life expectancy? How much significance ought one give to medical intervention in terms of lengthening life?
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מעיקרי האמונה הוא החיוב להאמין שהקב”ה מושלל הוא מגשם וציור גופני. אך האומנם זאת היא הדיעה המוסכמת אצל גדולי ישראל לדורותיהם? והאם ביכולתו ית׳ הבלתי בעל גבול להתלבש גם בדמות גופני? על שלילת הגשמות והנמנעות אצלו ית׳ בספרות החקירה והחסידות.
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If we believe that G-d is the ultimate good who does only good, why would we pray for a change to our fate? This paper solves the paradox between perfect belief in G-d’s benevolence and the centrality of prayer in Jewish belief.
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