[Avodah] Does God Change His Mind?

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 11:04:31AM +0200, Michael Makovi wrote:
: I guess I don't see the problem. Rather, the negative attributes
: approach seems to make Hashem into an automaton with no personality.

Calling Him "an automaton" is a positive attribute. Negative attributes
are based on the ideas that:
- There is no way to understand what He is, therefore we can only discuss
  what He isn't
- Positive attributes imply divisibility -- Hashem's essence and the
  attribute

Thusk, He isn't emotionless; Hashem is such that emotion is simply not a
relevant concept. Hashem has as much emotion as the Star Spangled Banner
has mass, or the color of "1+1 = 2". The adjective isn't appropriate
for the noun. Emotionless is saying it's appropriate, but the value is
zero. A photon has no mass in a different way than the Star Spangled
Banner has no mass.

: If Hashem really does get angry when we sin, nu? It's not a change in
: His essence, it's merely a change in how He considers us...

But, as I wrote, change itself is a nonsensical concept when speaking
of the Creator of time. Without time separating these emotions, even
if one said HQBH has emotions -- they would all have to be (for want of
better language) "at once". Meaningless.

...
: So I fail to see the theological problem with Rabbi Berkovits's
: approach; adarabba, the negative attributes approach strips Hashem of
: personality and moreover seems to be based on Aristotelian and
: Muslim-Aristotelian philosophy, with no Torah basis that I know of.
...

And yet EVERY seifer machashavim from a rishon that we till have agrees
with this "Muslim-Aristotelian philosophy". Even the scraps we have
left of Meqor Chaim (ibn Greirol) never mind more famous texts like
RSG, the Rambam, the Ikkarim, Rashi on Chumash, the Kuzari.... WADR,
that would make /me/ question my assumptions.

And does demonstrate how REB is willing to again step beyond the
mainstream.

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
micha at aishdas.org         'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
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