[Avodah] Must We Agree With The Torah?

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 11:41:49AM -0400, cantorwolberg at cox.net wrote:
: So does it mean because He loves his People Israel that he doesn't 
: love people outside of Judaism? And if you say that it means He loves
: His people more than why didn't it say "Who loves His People Israel MORE
: than the other nations? ...

That's the idiom. Just as Yaaqov's less-loved wife is called "hasenu'ah"
even though she wasn't actually hated. These terms are used in a relative
way in general.

And if it didn't mean He loves us more, what's it doing in "Atah
vechartanu"? What would be the tie between "ahavas olam" and "Torah
umitzvos... osanu limadta"? (Notice that here too, the love is listed
first -- as cause, not effect, of matan Torah.) In both cases, the love
is being itemized as part of our uniqueness.

:                    Remember too, the midrash that says: "My creatures
: are drowning and you're singing (rejoicing)!" 

Which means what? That "less" is still far from zero.

:> Israel is dear because they were called children of the Omnipresent.

: L'havdil, it's interesting that the xtians have applied this concept to their 
: messiah and call him the son of G-d. 

It's also interesting that most rishonim explain Yeshaiah 53's suffering
servant to refer to BY in galus, and they steal that for their guy too.
Yahadus teaches that we have the power to bring redemption ourselves. They
have to take all those concepts and assign them to their savior.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Every second is a totally new world,
micha at aishdas.org        and no moment is like any other.
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