Q&A: The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World
Question
Hello Rabbi. I finished the Rabbi’s lecture series, “The Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the World,” and I would appreciate a few clarifications:
- Why did the Rabbi say that one cannot rule out occasional intervention by the Holy One, Blessed Be He, in nature if that contradicts the sufficient condition? After all, if there are occasional interventions, then the laws of nature are not always the only condition.
- What does the Rabbi do with the many rabbinic homilies, stories of righteous figures, the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and synagogue sermons? I don’t mean how the Rabbi’s approach fits with what is written there; rather, I mean to ask how the Rabbi feels when he encounters them, what the Rabbi thinks—does the Rabbi simply ignore these things?
- According to this approach, is there any certainty that in the end things will be good? That we are progressing in the right direction morally / redemptively, or by any other parameter of good?
Answer
- I didn’t understand the question.
- I do indeed ignore them.
- I have no idea.
Discussion on Answer
What wasn’t clear?
You can also find an explanation in the columns here on the site. Search for involvement in the world.
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1. I simply didn’t understand why the Rabbi said in the lecture that one cannot rule out any involvement of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, in the world