Decoding the Universe - Part 30
"Anthropomorphism!"
With Rabbi Ari Sollish
(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on July 14, 2019)
Is G-d wise? Is G-d kind? Is G-d compassionate? Looking at Scripture and the many verses that describe G-s as being "wise," "kind," and "compassionate," the answer would seem to be yes.
But Jewish wisdom begs to differ.
The great scholar and philosopher Maimonides himself debunks this notions in his Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith. He writes:
"We believe that this Oneness is neither a body nor a bodily force, nor is He subject to any bodily characteristics... For if He had a body, He could be compared to other bodies. All the corporeal terms used in the Scriptures to describe Him -- such as walking, standing, sitting, speaking etc. -- are metaphorical... This is the third Principle, as affirmed by the verse (Deuteronomy 4:15) 'You have not seen any image,' that is to say, you cannot conceive of Him as having any form because, as stated, He is neither a body nor a bodily force."
Why, then, does Torah speak of G-d in anthropomorphic terms? And what practical lesson can we learn from this?
In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee we explore these perplexing descriptions of G-d and discover their mystical meaning.
