[Avodah] Just one Hashem in Heaven

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 01:49:11PM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: I admit that Chazal considered the planets and stars to be part
: of shamayim, but I feel that this was merely because it fit their
: understanding of what is "not part of this world"....

Just in case that thread isn't hot enough... Are you saying that
rishonim created new peshatim in the word "shamayim" in response to
changes in science?

In this case, like that, the rishonim make a point of citing a basis
in Chazal. RZL already quoted an example. There are enough quotes
from Chazal placing Hashem in Shamayim (in some sense of the world)
and also placing Him outside even the concept of space. The rishonim
had more than science to work with.

...
: As far as the Shechina not coming below ten tefochim, that's not a
: problem at all, because the Shechina is just one aspect of Hashem...

(The Shechinah is Hashem-as-Perceived. There are no Aspects -- that
would defy Yichud.)

I am not bothered because a height of 10 tefachim divides reshuyos. The
statement is straighforward idiom for "Hashem's presence is least visible
in the reshus of the gashmi". And not really a reference to height at all.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Live as if you were living already for the
micha at aishdas.org        second time and as if you had acted the first
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Fax: (270) 514-1507            - Victor Frankl, Man's search for Meaning