<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 5:18 PM, Micha Berger <<a href="mailto:micha@aishdas.org">micha@aishdas.org</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br>
My Hindu co workers speak of belief in a single Deity who is so<br>
incomprehensible that man perceives it as millions of gods. This is<br>
different in philosophy to the Rambam's description of AZ's<br>
beginnings. But then, Hinduism is influenced by Benei Qeturah, and<br>
thus probably isn't the most raw of AZ.<br>
<br>
.<br>
SheTir'u baTov!<br>
-micha ("Mitchel", belaaz)<br>
<br>
--<br>
Micha Berger <br></blockquote></div><br><br>I'm not an expert in Hinduism but from my superficial POV it is EXACTLY what Rambam was addressing. Namely - the problem of a God that is SO remote and out-of-touch that the intermediaries became an almost essential crutch. <br>
<br>The Mishkan/Kruvim might have been an alternative "crutch" so to speak - IF you hold is was an alternative to the eigel masecah [viz. Rashi -As opposed to the RambaN who holds tht the mishkan was always a prt of the divine plan.] <br>
<br>My grandparents refused to have their photos taken. I guess I have inherited a similar iconoclastic streak Or maybe coming from new England I ahvea puritanical streak at any rate I would prefer that shuls be devode of ALL such pictures. The only imagery that is my personal comfort zone are osiyyos and words [such as Sjhivis etc.] IOW if you needed a visual crutch of G-D then put up a YKVK in big letters.<br>
<br>If you want decorations on the Parroches I would put pesukkim [e.g ki Mitziyyon or Toras Hashem Temimah etc. I am totally il-at-ease with any other pictures designs etc. I ma surprised in our age of Humra that we do not take the passuk of ...temnuah zulasi kol... more seriously... <br>
<br><br><br><br><br><br>Kol Tuv / Best Regards,<br><a href="mailto:RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com">RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com</a><br>see: <a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a>