[Avodah] The Definition of G-d

Zev Sero zev at sero.name
Fri Jul 26 07:43:24 PDT 2019


On 25/7/19 3:34 pm, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:
> Notice that for the purposes of the mitzvah of Emunah, believing in
> Yetzias Mitzrayim and Matan Torah are not distint mitzvos from belief
> in G-d. Rather, RYMS holds that if you do not believe Hashem did these
> things, you believe in a different G-d.

Or, you believe in the same G-d but are not fulfilling the mitzvah, 
because you don't believe what the Torah says about Him.  What if you do 
believe He did Yetzias Mitzrayim, but don't believe He defeated Sichon & 
Og?  Either you think that's a made-up story, or you think it happened 
by itself, or even that some other god did that.  None of these mean you 
don't believe in the same G-d.

Otherwise you end up saying that if I believe in a G-d Who intentionally 
made the leaf I'm looking at fall when and where it did, and you believe 
in an almost-identical G-d Who didn't make that decision, then we're 
somehow believing in different gods.  Or even if you do believe G-d 
makes each leaf fall, but you don't believe my claim that that specific 
leaf did fall, your line of reasoning might imply that we're believing 
in slightly different gods; in which case no two people really believe 
in the same G-d, which is either an absurd notion or a useless one, or both.

If I'm not making sense, ascribe it to not enough coffee.

-- 
Zev Sero            A prosperous and healthy 5779 to all
zev at sero.name       Seek Jerusalem's peace; may all who love you prosper


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