[Avodah] The Kuzari, vindicated

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Dec 3, 2007 5:09 PM, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:

> My opinion on the dispute between the Rambam and Rihal is split:
>
> I'm at home with the Rambam's universalism, the notion that being
> Jewish "just" means having more tools at your disposal to reach the
> same goal. Rihal not only defines Jews as different in composition, he
> makes a distinction between geir and ezrach.
>
> OTOH, the Rambam is overly cerebral for my liking.
> --
> Micha Berger


IIRC The sub-title of Kuzari is about the downtrodden People of Israel.
Hypothesis:

   - There may be various legitimate approaches to G-d and human
   perfection,
   - but there is only 1 societal/communal/national covenant between G-d
   and a people and that is by means of the Torah.

In this  dichotomy you need not take sides which is better..
No matter how 'frum" Shem vo'Ever [or Yisro] were, they did not get the
covenant of lema'an yetzaveh that was given to Avraham Avinu.



E.G. if you were to claim that Mother Theresa was the greatest saint of the
20th century and so  people should emulate her.  I would counter, it  CAN
work for any individual  but as a people the ONLY valid approach is the
Torah. Yisroel v'oraisso, vekudsha brich had hu.  [Aisi Xitans essentially
have never succeeded in creating a Peoplehood or a cohesive Society.]

So all philosophies and approaches to G-d can work, and they can be mystical
or pragmatic. But ONLY Torah creates a Societal Covenant.

AISI Das Moshe is not intrinsically superior for the individual, it is for
Yisroel. That is perhaps why Yisro and Iyyov left no heritage behind. Nor
did the "nefesh asher asu becharan" leave a legacy. ONLY Am Yisroel is the
Am Olam [Eternal people]

The Tibetan Buddhists and the Dalai Lama perhaps have the only OTHER
people/nation/society I have seen that approximates a holy nation in concept
and structure.  But I know of no Divine covenant there.

Rambam seemed to be obsessed with philophising aboutthe absolutely correct
truth re: G-d and the Divine etc.

Rihal was more interested in perpetuating the peoplehood of Israel,etc.
Rambam seemed to be concerned with pointing out the Truth of the Torah as
uspeiror to other sysstems.  Kuzari [to me anyway] was more about the
superiority of the Jewish relationship with HKBH as opposed to other
attempts.

Recall that it has been recommended that those who do hishtadlus should
learn parshas Vayishlach.  Now a case could be made that certain segments or
sects should simply read this parhsa every week of the year for THEIR
perfection. And those in need of parnassa should read the parshas Haman .
etc.  But  what unites us a  "people" is that we all prety much read the
same  parsha every week  [with some  exceptions between EY and the Golah.]
And we are supposed to ma'avir Sidrah to be in step with the weekly reading.
Why? So as a people we are literally on the same page.


Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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