Q&A: Two Questions
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Two Questions
Question
Hello, honorable Rabbi, I have two questions for the Rabbi:
1. What exactly is the problem that all the philosophers have with attributing essential attributes to God?
2. Does one need to be punished for a sin committed for its own sake in the right cause, if there were witnesses and prior warning (even though the Talmud says that a sin committed for its own sake is great, etc.)?
Answer
1. Excellent question. I ask it too.
2. In principle yes, but I assume that in practice they would not punish.
Discussion on Answer
You’ve retreated one step back. From where do we know that He is not composite (in that sense)?
I don’t know, Rabbi. I was hoping you might be able to offer some insight into this intuition they bring.
From the little I’ve read, I got the impression that for them this makes Him composite, whereas they assume there is no distinction within Him. And by “distinction” they don’t mean only that He would be made up of different parts, but that there is differentiation in Him simply by virtue of being able to distinguish different aspects in Him / of Him.