[Avodah] Fwd: [DTT] A new Fear of Gd?

[Micha Berger]

In http://torahbyemail.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-fear-of-gd.html
R' Modechai Torczyner quoted RSCarmy, "Yet My Soul Drew Back", Tradition 41:3
(both CC-ed):

: To fear G-d [in our era] is to fear abandonment by G-d. The desolate
: soul is less frequently overwhelmed by G-d's numinous presence than by
: His thundering absence. In a word, the dominant emotion of spiritual
: apprehension is anxiety rather than fear.

I am reminded of the Ramchal's distinction between yir'as ha'onesh and
yir'as hacheit. He considers the latter to be the default definition
of Yir'as Hashem. (See MY ch 24, both title "Bebei'ur Yir'as haCheit"
and the distinction drawn between the "minei hayir'ah heim 2 sheheim 3".)

Yir'as hacheit is the fear of sin itself. Not a personal fear of getting
punished, but a yir'ah of doing something wrong "sheyehei neged Kevod
Shemo yisbarakh" as a problem in itself. AIUI, it's like the fear of
doing something to offend one's spouse simply because that spouse is
important to them -- not because they'll get back at them somehow.

R Prof SC is discussing a different kind of relationship-generated
fear. Not that I would harm the relationship or belittle the Kavod
of the Beloved, but that I could lose contat with the relationship.
Perhaps something more akin to yir'as ha'onesh, in the sense that the
ultimate reward is leihanos miZiv haShechinah, such that feeling out of
touch is onesh. After all, isn't that the essence of kareis?

This, in turn, reminds me of song lyrics that I had a theological question
about. They are taken from the Baal haTanya, translated from Yiddish to
Hebrew, and appear different in Breslov sources (which the songwriter
used) than in Lub originals. But it boils down to:

    Ribon haOlamim:
    I don't want anything else, [Or: I am not afraid of Your gehenom,]
    I don't want Your gan eden
    I don't want Your olam haba [Or: I forgive my claim on Your mal'akhei elyon]

    Do You know what I desire?
    Just You alone!

What is gan eden if not a "place" where tzadiqim sit, ve'atoroseihem
berosheihem, venehenim miziv haShechinah? What is the Baal haTanya's
distinction between a taavah for Dayn gan eden, and a taaavah for
Dir Alein?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 10th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        1 week and 3 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Tifferes sheb'Gevurah: When does strict
Fax: (270) 514-1507                  judgment bring balance and harmony?