Kaisipang Hudyo sa Mga Kawikaan 16:4: Akeidat Yitzchak, Netivot Olam & Guide for the Perplexed

Just as the precision and predictability of events based on laws of nature testify to the true existence of its Master, so on occasion does the suspension of laws of nature proclaim the Majesty of the Almighty. Philosophers have conceded the existence of G-d and enthroned Him, when they agreed that He is the ultimate Cause of all that exists, and that if one were to imagine that He did not exist, nothing else could exist either. However, if the universe were to disappear, it would not have any bearing on Him at all. These philosophers erred when they tied His existence to the existence of the universe. By so doing, they compared the relationship between G-d and His world to the relationship of intelligence to that which has to be comprehended. They should have compared it to being more like the sun is to light. Should light disappear, fire would not therefore cease to exist. The philosophers' way of explaining G-d’s relationship to the universe makes Him no more than a partner in the universe. This in turn leads to the error of denying G-d’s eternal nature. He has indeed preceded all, was absolute ruler before He decided in His infinite wisdom to create all, for the sake of the universe and those in it, not for His sake (Proverbs 16,4, "G-d created everything for a purpose, for their respective sakes"). Should you ask how the remainder of this verse can be understood, i.e. "also the wicked for an evil day," i.e. surely evil was not created for its own sake or benefit?! The answer is that on the "evil day" the lesson we derive from the existence of the wicked becomes clear, namely when we observe him get his just deserts. In His wisdom, G-d has divided the universe into three layers. The upper layer consists of disembodied intelligent beings, active intellects close to the throne of G-d. The lower layer is our world, in which the most advanced living creature is the talking human species, which has been endowed with potentially pure intelligence, and who with the help of G-d and His Torah, can obtain actual intelligence almost to the point of partnership with the beings in the uppermost of the three layers. The middle layer is the world of planets with its four basic material elements. It has been placed between the other layers since it governs the lowest layer, being in turn guided by the abstract intellects in the uppermost layer. Therefore, it functions in two ways: 1) the normal manner governed by the rule of the intellects in the upper layer, i.e. natural law; 2) however, there is also a second way, activated by the members of the third layer, when they have achieved the kind of perfection that it is possible to achieve through Torah, which has then made them equal to and partners with the beings in the top layer of the universe. In such instances, on rare occasions, the rule of the beings in the "top layer" can be superseded, and "natural law" becomes "super natural law," known as "miracle". This is due to the profound changes that tzaddikim themselves undergo in ascending to the level of righteousness and piety that makes prophets out of them. They are granted powers similar to, or even greater than, those of the intellects in the upper layer of the universe.

In the fourth chapter of tractate Nedarim (Nedarim 22a): “Rabbi Shmuel the Son of Nachami said: Rabbi Yochanan said: Anyone who is angry – every type of punishment of Gehinom shall rule over him, as it is written: “Therefore remove vexation from thy heart, And put away evil from thy flesh; For childhood and youth are vanity” (Ecclesiastes 11:10), and ‘evil’ is only Gehinom, as it is written: “The LORD hath made every things for His own purpose, Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4).” And the meaning of this is that one who is on fire with rage is essentially Gehinom, because the power and greatness of the strength of Gehinom is connected to the power of fire, and thus it is said in every place [in rabbinic literature] ‘the fire of Gehinom’. And because man has a spiritual soul, when he becomes angry and departs from the order, every type of Gehinom rules over him, because the Gehinom also is a departure from the order of the world; thus every type of Gehinom rules over he who is angry, and thus it is written, ‘And put evil away from thy flesh’. And because his soul that is angry is spiritual, and he departs from the Name May He Be Blessed by way of the anger, thus the Gehinom which is also spiritual and departs from the balance rules over him. [Nedarim 22b continues…] “Rava Bar Rav Huna said anyone who is angry – even the Shechina is not important to him, as it is written (Psalms 10:4), “The wicked, in the pride of his countenance [, saith]: 'He will not require'; All his thoughts are: 'There is no God.'” Rabbi Jeremiah from Difty said: he also forgets his Torah learning and adds stupidity, as it says (Ecclesiastes 7:9), “For anger resteth in the bosom of fools,” and it is written (Proverbs 13:16), “But a fool unfoldeth folly.” Rav Nachman said it is known that [as a result of getting angry] your sins will be greater than your merits, as it says (Proverbs 29:22), “And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression.” ” And that which is written that the Shechina is not important to him – this is as I will explain, for when a person is angry, he departs from the appropriate order and therefore leaves the order until the Shechina is no longer important to him on a large change, because the person is aligned with the Name May He Be Blessed, who is his Cause, and when he is angry he departs from the order, and thus it says also the Shechina is not important to him because he does not recognize his Cause, may He be blessed, when he departs from the order. And it is said also that he forgets his Torah learning, as it was explained above, because his wisdom is the organization of his intellect, from the angle that he departs from the order and therefore his intellect leaves him. And thus that which is written that he is a sinner is also this idea, for every sinner departs from the fitting path, which the Name May He Be Blessed set for him, and because of this he is a sinner, and this idea is obvious. And these three ideas mentioned here - that the Shechina is not important to him, and that he forgets his Torah learning, and that he becomes a sinner – each one adds to the other: when the Shechina is not important to him, this is the primary root [lit. first] – when therefore he departs from the order until the Shechina is no longer important to him; and more, when his wisdom is removed from him when he does this there is an impression on himself until his wisdom departs from him; and it adds even more that he becomes a sinner himself. And this is also because the anger is a completely foreign departure from the fitting order until he will find these three ideas, which are foreign, and by way of these three he will depart from the order in everything when he understands these three ideas. ...

I consider therefore the following opinion as most correct according to the teaching of the Bible, and best in accordance with the results of philosophy; namely, that the Universe does not exist for man’s sake, but that each being exists for its own sake, and not because of some other thing. Thus we believe in the Creation, and yet need not inquire what purpose is served by each species of the existing things, because we assume that God created all parts of the Universe by His will; some for their own sake, and some for the sake of other beings, that include their own purpose in themselves. In the same manner as it was the will of God that man should exist, so it was His will that the heavens with their stars should exist, that there should be angels, and each of these beings is itself the purpose of its own existence. When anything can only exist provided some other thing has previously existed, God has caused the latter to precede it; as, e.g., sensation precedes comprehension. We meet also with this view in Scripture “The Lord hath made everything (la-ma‘anehu) for its purpose (Prov. 16:4). It is possible that the pronoun in la-maanehu refers to the object; but it can also be considered as agreeing with the subject; in which case the meaning of the word is, for the sake of Himself, or His will which is identical with His self [or essence], as has been shown in this treatise. We have also pointed out that His essence is also called His glory. The words, “The Lord hath made everything for Himself, “express therefore the same idea as the following verse, “Everything that is called by my name: I have created it for my glory, I have formed it; yea, I have made it” (Isa. 43:7); that is to say, everything that is described as My work has been made by Me for the sake of My will and for no other purpose. The words, “I have formed it,” “I have made it,” express exactly what I pointed out to you, that there are things whose existence is only possible after certain other things have come into existence. To these reference is made in the text, as if to say, I have formed the first thing which must have preceded the other things, e.g., matter has been formed before the production of material beings; I have then made out of that previous creation, or after it, what I intended to produce, and there was nothing but My will.