Pemikiran Yahudi Mazmur 27:12: Akeidat Yitzchak & Guide for the Perplexed

Rabbi Shimon is quoted in Bereshit Rabbah 8, as describing the following dialogue having occurred in heaven prior to the creation of man. The representative of chessed, morality, favoured the creation of man, since it was foreseen that man would act morally most of the time. Emet, truth, however, opposed man's creation, claiming that man's tendencey to lie made his creation pointless. Similarly, tzedek, righteousness favoured man's creation, pointing to the righteous deeds man would perform, whereas "justice" opposed man's creation citing the perversions of justice he would become guilty of. G-d resolved the dilemma by consigning "truth" to earth. The angels then remonstrated with G-d, saying "why do You denigrate and besmirch Your own treasures!" Let "truth" come back up here!" Rabbi Hunna added to this dialogue the comment that while the angels were still arguing with G-d, G-d had already created Adam. What the rabbis were trying to convey is that the inner personality of man is based on the development of morality and intellect. The latter guides his feelings of being moral towards perceptions which are true. The outward manifestations of this, generally motivated by functional considerations, are viewed as righteousness and peace. Since both the innate moral qualities of man and his sense of righteousness are deeply rooted, there was support for the creation of man among celestial beings. The opponents who could point to the many aberrations man would become guilty of, both in "intellectual truth" and quarrelsome behaviour, felt that these aberrations nullified the plan a priori. G-d, by despatching "truth" earthwards, prepared the way through Torah, (Torat Emet, the Torah of truth) so as to minimise the power of the ego (yetzer hara, evil impulse) . Thus He decided to proceed with the creation of man. The opponents were still not satisfied, calling for the Torah to be withdrawn from earth. They felt that man who sins while in possession of the teachings of "truth," i.e. Torah, would be an even greater blot on G-d’s handiwork than if he sinned without having had the benefit of Divine teaching. When the rule of law is based on decree, it is called tzedek. When it is based on concensus between people, it is called shalom, peace, harmony. In view of the fact that man's intellectual achievements are what he calls emet, truth, and in view of the fact that the conclusions arrived at by man's unassisted intellect are often faulty, at best subjective "truths," G-d dispatched the Torah to earth, to lessen the danger that man's "truth" would result in a complete distortion of morality. Therefore, by banishing "truth" to earth, He made sure that Divine teachings would predominate in man, allowing for ideal man to become a distinct possibility. In order to make Torah not appear so far removed from earthly considerations, He garbed it in a language easily understood by man. "The Torah employs the mode of expression usually favoured by man himself." (Nedarim 3) A homiletical example of this is the passage where the Torah states that G-d instructed Moses concerning a certain type of wood. Moses threw that wood into the water and the water immediately became sweet. Immediately afterwards the Torah says "there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them." (Exodus 15,25) The "wood" refers to the tree of life; the Torah, the laws, reconciled conflicting views. Speculative reason,-philosophy- in its effort to portray G-d as perfect, perceives Him as lacking many attributes which if He possessed them would involve Him personally in all manner of events. In order to forestall such heresies, "truth" argued against man's creation. G-d, well aware of that danger, allowed Torah to be written in a manner that portrayed Him as possessing anthropomorphic qualities, in order to emphasize that everything that man sees, smells, feels, hears etc. G-d Himself also smells, hears feels etc. However, G-d does so in an infallible manner, His senses never deceive Him. This is why the sages say the Torah employs a syntax which is used by humans. This does not mean, of course, that G-d is corporeal. It is only designed to counter the prevalent and misleading philosophic conceptions about G-d’s aloofness. These ideas have been discussed in connection with akeydah in chapter 4, the ten commandments (directives) in chapter 5, and at the report of the completion of the tabernacle in chapter 48. The continuing argument of the angels against man's creation was the warning "they will besmirch Your treasures," meaning that the remedy of "Torah uses human language" will lead to other blasphemies based on what is written in the Torah being understood literally. Therefore, the angels asked for Emet-Torah to be recalled from earth and returned to the celestial regions. Since the arguments appeared balanced, G-d decided in favour of the lenient view and created man. G-d gave man the benefit of the doubt, so to speak.

THE Hebrew nefesh (soul) is a homonymous noun, signifying the vitality which is common to all living, sentient beings. E.g. “wherein there is a living soul” (nefesh) (Gen. 1:30). It denotes also blood,” as in “Thou shalt not eat the blood (nefesh) with the meat” (Deut. 12:23). Another signification of the term is “reason,” that is, the distinguishing characteristic of man, as in “As the Lord liveth that made us this soul” (Jer. 38:16). It denotes also the part of man that remains after his death (nefesh, soul) comp. “But the soul (nefesh) of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life (1 Sam. 25:29). Lastly, it denotes “will”; comp. “To bind his princes at his will” (be-nafsho) (Ps. 105:22); “Thou wilt not deliver me unto the will (be-nefesh) of my enemies” (Ps. 41:3); and according to my opinion, it has this meaning also in the following passages, “If it be your will (nafshekem) that I should bury my dead” (Gen. 23:8); “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my will (nafshi) could not be toward this people” (Jer. 15:1), that is, I had no pleasure in them, I did not wish to preserve them. When nefesh is used in reference to God, it has the meaning “will,” as we have already explained with reference to the passage, “That shall do according to that which is in my will (bi-lebabi) and in mine intention (be-nafshi)” (1 Sam. 2:35).