[Avodah] what G-d can't do

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Eli Turkel wrote:
> as mentioned in the article all rishonim seem to agree
> that G-d can't do things against logic or basic physics laws.

I always thought that G-d's violation of "basic physics laws" was the very *definition* of a nes nigleh.

Doing things against logic --- I'm not sure what is meant by this.

Surely He cannot make a five-sided triangle, nor a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it. (See footnote later.) But my understanding of these examples is not that Hashem is incapable of making such a thing; rather the thing is undefined and incapable of existing.

Changing the past: I see no reason why He cannot do this. In fact, it is quite possible that He has actually done it, and we are simply unaware of it (either because we lived through the changes, or because or memories were correspondingly modified). Or maybe we ARE aware of the changes. Consider the many stories where we are told that Hashem "planned" on one course of events, and then "changed His mind", kavyachol -- Leah marrying Esav is just one example -- Perhaps in one universe it really did go one way, and then He changed it all for our universe. Who knows?

Akiva Miller
whose lifelong fascination with science fiction has often been of good service in helping to create metaphors with which I can fool myself into thinking I have an inkling into Hashem's ways

FOOTNOTE:

Upon reviewing this post, I remembered once making the comment that not only Hashem CAN make a rock so heavy that He can't lift it, but that He actually DID so once. Specifically, when He gave us the Torah. My source for this is the Hakdama to the Igros Moshe, fourth paragraph, beginning "Uvazeh".

Here is some of what Rav Moshe Feinstein wrote there, and boy is it ever relevant to this thread! (The emphasis, and what is inside the parentheses, are mine.)

"... Hashem made the letters of the Torah into kings. Each chacham will work, and compare one thing to another, and pasken the halacha according to how he understands the letters of the Torah. When there will be a machlokes, they'll act according to the understanding of the majority of Chachmei HaTorah, despite the possibility that they did not understand it correctly, and did not (interpret) Hashem's intention right. For HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave the Torah to Yisrael, that they should act according to how they understand (both) the writing and that which was given orally at Sinai, as they understand it.

"Furthermore: Hashem Yisborach WILL NOT explain or decide the laws of the Torah, because LO BASHAMAYIM HEE. Rather, He agreed IN ADVANCE to whatever the Chachmei HaTorah would understand and explain. It turns out that the letters of the Torah are kings, because we act according to how the Torah sounds to the Chachmei HaTorah, even though that might not be what Hashem meant..."

.

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