Q&A: How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is perfect?
How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is perfect?
Question
How do we know that God is perfect in every kind of perfection, without any deficiency? (If possible, a proof other than the ontological proof…) By the way, thank you very much, Rabbi, for the site and for the answers. It’s really wonderful that there is such a place where one can clarify questions in faith and Torah.
Answer
Hello Shay,
The ontological proof does not prove this; it assumes it. It seems to me that there is no clear source for it aside from the accepted tradition. There are sources in the verses for various exalted abilities and characteristics of the Holy One, blessed be He. I do not recall a source saying that He is perfect in all perfections. Some philosophers argued that the concept of perfection must be embodied in some being that stands at the top of the pyramid, as the source of the partial perfections found in the world. In other words: why should the pyramid of perfections stop somewhere in the middle? I do not think this is a very strong argument, though I would not dismiss it.