Q&A: Regarding The Way of God
Regarding The Way of God
Question
Honorable Rabbi, hello. I wanted to ask about what the Ramchal writes in his book The Way of God: that the Possessor of perfection, God, wants to bestow goodness and grant perfection, and that the way to acquire ownership of that perfection is only by being given the possibility of choice; and when a person chooses the good, he acquires ownership of the good and receives it justly. Is this idea well founded, and can one accept the Ramchal’s words, or is this just his own opinion and not necessarily correct?
Answer
First of all, every position of every person is that person’s position, and is not necessarily correct. Only if something was received in tradition from the Holy One, blessed be He, can one say that it is certainly true. But it seems to me that you can’t say about any idea of this kind that it is a tradition from the Holy One, blessed be He. If I understood correctly, you’re talking about the “bread of shame.” I was asked about this here in the past, and that is what I answered then as well.
Discussion on Answer
I don’t understand what you’re asking. I answered.
Following up on the previous question: leaving aside the issue of the “bread of shame,” can one take the Ramchal’s words as a reliable and rational argument, and as an answer to the question of what our goals and role are here in the cosmos, or is it just another personal opinion to which no special importance should be attached?