[Avodah] Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, hashgacha pratit, and free will

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 09:52:54PM +0000, rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com wrote:
: My chavrusa in Nefesh hachayyim says that RCV opposes this d'veiqus uber alles.  
: Are ramchal and RCV arguing?

Well, the RCV, like both of the movements he spawned (Yeshiva and Mussar)
as well as his rebbe the Gra, defines the goal in life to be sheleimus,
not deveiqus. This was a key issue, and perhaps the key issue, separating
the Chassidim from the Litvaks.

>From this deveiques-centric worldview comes the Chassidic focus on an
immanent G-d, which in turn demands a different understanding of tzimtzum
than that of misnagdim, etc...

However, as I already posted quoting MY ch. 1 (and I could have equally
cited Derekh H' ch. 4 or ch. 5, if they were as readily available for
cut-n-paste) the Ramchal places deveiqus as a goal for olam haba, and
olam hazeh is a place where one develops the sheleimus necessary for
that deveiqus to be possible.

So I disagree with your chavrusa's assumption about the Ramchal's
position. Yes, RCV says that this life is not all "deveiques uber ales".
Not no, that's not in opposition to the Ramchal.

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Zion will be redeemed through justice,
micha at aishdas.org        and her returnees, through righteousness.
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