[Avodah] proofs of G-d

[Daniel Eidensohn]

R' Arie Folger wrote:
> RZS wrote:
>   
>> You have two choices. Either it's a fact, or he was a liar.  And *that*
>> is a very dangerous position.
>>     
>
> What is the source for either statements, that the Besht studied with A'hayah 
> haShiloni, and the Ari with Eliyahu?
>
>   
The source that the Besht studied with Achiah haShiloni is from the 
Toldos Yaakov Yosef Parshas Balak page 156. The Baal Shem never made 
such a claim. "Achiah haShiloni who received from Moshe Rabbeinu and he 
was one of those who went out of Egypt and afterwards was a member of 
the beis din of Dovid and he was the teacher of Eliyahu haNavi and the 
teacher of my master [the Baal Shem Tov].

Regarding the Arizal and Eliyahu haNavi - this apparently was a dispute 
between the Gra and the Baal HaTanya. The Baal HaTanya wrote the 
following." ... It is clearly known to us that the Gra does not believe 
in the kabbala of the Arizal in general that it is entire from the mouth 
of Eliyahu  except for a small part which he agrees is from Eliyahu and 
the rest he views as being from the great wisdom of the Arizal. 
Therefore according to the Gra there is no obligation to believe it. 
Furthermore the Gra feels that what is written from the Arizal contains 
many errors. Therefore he feels that he has the right to judge and to 
chose what he thinks is good from what the Arizal says and to decide 
what was said by Eliyahu and what wasn't..." [I believe it is the Igros 
Kodesh #35; this was translated from the quote in R' Eliachs book on the 
Gra volume II page 838 in his chapter on the relationship between the 
Gra and the Arizal]

Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OH IV #3 page 2) says that the Arizal 
is not considered Kabbala in the sense that the Zohar is and thus the 
rule that in disputes between poskim kabbala decides does not apply to 
the Arizal. I heard from both Rav Zalman Nechmiah Goldberg and Rav Moshe 
Shapiro that this is a reflection of the attitude of the Gra.

R' Chaim Voloshnzer in his writings on the Gra's commentary on Sefer 
Tzeniusa felt it necessary to refute the charge that the Gra did not 
respect the Arizal.

The Sefardim - as represented by Rav Ben Tzion Abbah Shaul state that 
the writings of the Arizal are from Eliyahu and therefore are binding.

Daniel Eidensohn