[Avodah] Tiqun Olam

[Michael Makovi]

> In brief, Rav Hirsch's machloket with Rambam is also his machloket
> with Kuzari and Ramhal. That is, whereas Rambam saw the purpose of
> life as the perfection of the intellect and cleavage to the Active
> Intellect (and G-d) via metaphysical speculation, and the Kuzari saw
> the purpose of life as the perfection of holiness and cleavage to the
> Inyan haEloki via performance of the ritual mitzvot, and Ramhal
> similarly - by contrast, Rav Hirsch saw the purpose of life to be
> justice and righteousness in mundane life.
>
> Yours truly

I forgot to add one other point. Rambam, in his Introduction to the
Mishnah, and in Shemonah Perakim (see Professor Lawrence Kaplan's
elucidation of the point I am about to, in his "An Introduction To
Maimonides’ "Eight Chapters"", at
http://www.edah.org/backend/JournalArticle/kaplan2_2.pdf), and in
Moreh, holds that the rational mitzvot exist only to create a stable
society, conducive to metaphysical speculation. The Kuzari, in 2:48,
agrees, only he replaces speculation with performance of ritual
mitzvot. In Kuzari 2:44, the Haver says that all mankind and creation
exists for those who cleave to the Inyan haEloki, and Rambam in his
Introduction to the Mishnah agrees, only he replaces Inyan haEloki
with the Active Intellect, and he limits perfection to Jews (Rambam
would seem to include non-Jews in the capability of perfection).

(It is likely, I believe, that the Kuzari's Inyan haEloki is a
concession to the Active Intellect. The Greeks had the Active
Intellect, and the Kuzari wished to apologetically one-up the Greeks,
by saying we had something even better, and only for Jews moreover.
Professor Haim Kreisel, at
http://hsf.bgu.ac.il/cjt/files/electures/kuzari1.htm, notes that the
Kuzari makes such apologea rather often. The Kuzari's oft-made
repetition of prophecy seems to be also a concession.)

Professor Harry Wolfson, in "Maimonides and Halevi"
(http://www.archive.org/details/maimonideshalevi00wolfuoft), makes the
same criticism on Rambam that Rav Hirsch does, only with extensive
quotes from Rambam's own words, to prove his point. I believe,
however, that all these criticisms can be leveled at the Kuzari as
well, as long as we make the following substitutions between Rambam
and Kuzari:
--- ritual mitzvot (via theurgy and drawing Inyan haEloki) =
metaphysical speculation (drawing Active Intellect)
--- Inyan haEloki = Active Intellect
--- kedusha = intellectual perfection

Michael Makovi