<br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/11/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Micha Berger</b> <<a href="mailto:micha@aishdas.org">micha@aishdas.org</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br><br>Gnosis is experiencing G-d. Knowing G-d the way one knows one's best<br>friend.<br><br>The Rambam writes about knowing as much about G-d as possible. Knowing<br>G-d the way one knows Geometry -- with solid proofs. But as ideas,
<br>not a first-hand experience of the Divine.<br><br>Frankly, the way I read the Rambam it looks like he blurs the distinction<br>when he places the Chokham on the same scale as the Navi.<br><br>Tir'u baTov!<br>-Micha
<br><br>--<br>Micha Berger <br></blockquote></div><br>I agree, BUT somewhere or other the Rambam waxes a bit poetical about how great it is to Experience JUST GOD. AIUI, his path is intellectual, but his goal is kind of a very close relationship, like a Rebbe/Talmid symbiosis of sorts.
<br><br><font size="4">v'ho'dom yada</font> goes beyond intellectual knowing into a kind of relationship, too! But let's substitute ECSTATIC for CARNAL. Then just as Adam had an Ecstasy whilst knowing Hava, so, too, a Navi would have an ecstatic experience KNOWING Hashem. Hence a form of Gnosis, granted with a Maimonidean intellectual approach, but not necessarily devoid of the emotion of Ecstasy!
<br><br>Lemashal, a Chess player might have a "high" seeing a brilliant move by a grandmaster.<br><br>-- <br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>
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