[Avodah] The Main Idea of Judaism

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Jul 05, 2012 at 12:21:26PM -0400, Prof. Levine quoted Chabad.info
on Areivim:
> From http://fwd4.me/14q6
...
> The main topic of the meeting was how to bring Moshiach, and how to make 
> sure that Lubavitchers don't forget about the main idea of Judaism - 
> Moshiach.
...

Interestingly, the only one of the Rambam's iqarim not in R' Albo's Seifer
haIqarim as an iqar (a required belief that is a first principle) nor
a shoresh (other required beliefs). He classifies belief in mashiach is
an anaf, not something necessary to nourish the "tree". For that matter,
the Rambam spells out the subypes of minim, apiqursim and koferim baTorah
(Hil Teshuvah 3:7-8) before getting on to those who lose olam haba for
non-belief reasons, and those who deny techiyas hameisim or bi'as hago'el
are in their own separate categories. It would seem the Rambam holds that
someone who doesn't believe in mashiach won't make it to olam haba, but
he doesn't include them in his definition of the terms that are reused
when discussing things like stam yeinam. So the Rambam might hold you
could drink his wine, perhaps.

Also, it's not the answer Hillel gives the geirus candidate for kol
haTorah kulah al regal achas, nor R' Aqiva's nor Ben Azzai's kelal
gadol, nor in Mes' Avos's lists of things upon which the world is omeid
or qayam. Not is it one of the beliefs that constitute the Chinukh's
Shishah Mitzvos Temidios.

I'm raising this not to get into a discussion of Lub messianism in
particular, but to open the question of how one decides what is "the
main idea", as variously explained by the numerous derakhim.

This question is sparked also by my reading R' Dr Gidon Rothstein's
"We're Missing the Point: What Wrong with the O Jewish Community and
How to Fix It" (Ktav 2012). R/D GR rules out using aggadita (such as
Hillel and the geirim) because it often uses exageration to make a point,
and tries to derive an incontravertible answer from halakhah, looking
at the mitzvos that apply more often or that have the greater oneshim.

I have problems with the notion that there is one right answer. But in
that part of the book, before getting to the "how to fix it" part, RGR
effectively raises the question of how one would find /any/ right answer.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

PS: If anyone has R/D GR's email address, could you please send it to me?

-- 
Micha Berger             It's nice to be smart,
micha at aishdas.org        but it's smarter to be nice.
http://www.aishdas.org                   - R' Lazer Brody
Fax: (270) 514-1507