[Avodah] Creation eternal heretical - hashkafa question

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 12:36:28PM -0400, Hankman wrote:
: Basic hashkafa dictates the fundamental reason for the creation and
: existence of the universe is the desire by HKB"H to exercise his hatava
: which requires a recipient. HKB"H is outside of zeman and He and his
: ratzon are never changing and "eternal" [for lack of a better word -
: quotes because this word implies time]. This requires that the existence
: of creation be always present [to comply with His ratzon to be maitiv]
: and "eternal" despite parshas Bereishis that seems to imply otherwise?

: Perhaps this is delving into areas beyond human ken that we should not
: ask about [ma lefnim uma lachor]. Perhaps this is part of the reason not
: to translate the word bereishis in the sense of chronological order but
: as "beshvil reishis" as per rashi and the medroshim...

This is a Jewish version of Plato's concept of the eternity of the
universe.

Interestingly, the Rambam calls Aristo's version "against all our prophets
and sages" but never says the same against Plato's theory. So perhaps
it isn't kefirah to say the First Cause comes before the universe in a
manner other than time.

There are even rishonim and academic scholars who believe that the
Rambam himself held of this theory. See Moreh 2:30, where he explains the
sheishes yemei bereishis as being logical stages, not a sequence in time.

R' Dr Meir Triebitz discusses the topic. (My daughter tells me RMT
has a degree from Juilliard School of Music and a PhD in Mathematical
Physics from Princeton, aside from teaching at Machon Shlomo, publishing
Reshimu, and his podcast "from an undisclosed location in Yerushalaim"
at hashkafacircle.com .) Leshitaso, he believes the Rambam's position
was dialectical. For the hamon am, who wouldn't get the dialectic, the
Moreh emphasizes that creation ended millenia ago. However, RMT argues
that the Rambam also believes in Platonic eternity.

See also Moreh 2:13:
    Those who follow the Law of Moses, our Teacher, hold that the whole
    Universe, i.e., everything except God, has been brought by Him into
    existence out of non-existence. In the beginning God alone existed,
    ...
    We consider time a thing created: it comes into existence in the
    same manner as other accidents, and the substances which form the
    substratum for the accidents. For this reason, viz., because time
    belongs to the things created, it cannot be said that God produced
    the Universe in the beginning. Consider this well; for he who does
    not understand it is unable to refute forcible objections raised
    against the theory of Creatio ex nihilo. If you admit the existence
    of time before the Creation, you will be compelled to accept the
    theory of the Eternity of the Universe. For time is an accident
    and requires a substratum. You will therefore have to assume that
    something [beside God] existed before this Universe was created,
    an assumption which it is our duty to oppose.

To the Rambam, then, the essential bit about ex nihilo is that HQBH is
the sole Cause. Not that there was a time of nihilo -- according to the
Rambam that makes no sense since time itself must be nivra. Continuing...

    This is the first theory, and it is undoubtedly a fundamental
    principle of the Law of our teacher Moses; it is next in importance
    to the principle of God's unity. Do not follow any other theory.
    Abraham, our father, was the first that taught it, after he had
    established it by philosophical research. He proclaimed, therefore,
    "the name of the Lord the God of the Universe" (Gen. xxi. 33); and
    he had previously expressed this theory in the words, "The Possessor
    of heaven and earth" (ibid. xiv. 22).

So, RMT argues, we see the Rambam understands "qonei shamayim va'aretz"
as referring to Platonic eternity and the essence of what Avraham
brought to the table above Malchitzedeq's theology.

More than that, he argues that nihilo is an existential thing. Until
there is a human being who could contemplate the world as it isn't, we
can't really define the existence of absence of the world. At no point
in time was there an alternative.

And once he makes the contrast between the world as it is and reality
without Creation as being existential, there is room to speak of
dialectics between two positions rather than a contradiction.

Creation 6,000 years ago vs G-d as Eternal Cause of an Eternal Universe
is thus explained as a matter of perspective.

Not that I buy all of the above. However, if RMT sees the Rambam that
way, I can't call it kefirah.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 43rd day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 1 day in/toward the omer.
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