Abraham’s Perfection, Miracles & the Universe’s Design, and Bitachon —Rabbi Israel Chait— Student’s transcription of the 1990 Pirkei Avos lectures
Judaism requires intellectual tolerance: the ability to entertain a question which could be very difficult. Rav Chaim’s method was that he was not afraid to leave a sugya (a Talmudic theme/category many times running through multiple tractates) with a basic question unanswered. In learning, one cannot expect to always find the answer. Sometimes one must leave an area without knowing its main idea. The alternative, that everyone can understand everything, is false. We are not dissatisfied when we fail to understand. We are happy that we have a question and we move on.
5:4 MIRACLES AND TESTS Ten miracles were performed for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten [miracles were performed] at the [Reed] Sea. [With] ten trials did our ancestors test the Omnipresent, blessed be He, in the Wilderness, as it is said (Num. 14:22): “Yet have they tested Me these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice.”
The commentators go through the miracles in Egypt, and those that took place at the sea were known not through the Torah, but through the mesora. The mishnah then says that the Jews tested God 10 times in the desert. The first time was at the Reed Sea [as Pharaoh and his army were drawing close] when the Jews said, “Are there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness?” (Exod. 14:11). The Jews desired to return to Egypt. The second test was in Marah: “And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’” (Ibid. 15:24). The
third test was “The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death’” (Ibid. 16:3) which took place in Desert Sin. The fourth test was when they left over the manna until the morning [they did not put their full trust in God to deliver more manna the next day]. The fifth test was also regarding the manna. The sixth test was in Refidim, “The people quarreled with Moses. ‘Give us water to drink,’ they said; and Moses replied to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you try the Lord?’” (Ibid. 17:2). The seventh test was the Golden Calf. The eighth test was in Taverah: “The people took to complaining bitterly before the Lord. The Lord heard and was incensed: a fire of the Lord broke out against them, ravaging the outskirts of the camp” (Num. 11:1). The ninth test was in Kivros Hataivah, “Who will feed us meat?” (Ibid. 11:4). And the tenth test was when they sent the spies, about which God said, “They tested Me these 10 times” (Ibid. 14:22). The Jews tested God only 10 times in a 40-year period. Chazal say that this generation was very knowledgeable. They were on a very high-level. But they tested God these 10 times. Of course, when we read the Torah we feel we would not test God and we would follow Moshe. But that is because we do not understand what it means to test God.
5:5 THE 10 TEMPLE MIRACLES Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Temple: No woman had a miscarriage from the scent of the meat; and no holy flesh ever went putrid; and a fly was not seen in the room of slaughtering; and a High Priest did not have an accidental emission on Yom Kippur; and rain did not extinguish the fire of the wood pile; and the wind did not overpower the pillar of smoke; and there was not found a disqualification in the omer (a special barley offering, offered the day after Pesach, which permits grain harvested in the new harvest to be eaten) or in the two breads or in the showbreads; they would stand up crowded and bow down with [enough] space; and a snake or scorpion never hurt a person in Jerusalem; and a person did not say to his fellow, "The place is too cramped that I should lodge in Jerusalem."
These ten miracles related to certain procedures that were carried out in the temple. These miracles ensured that those procedures went on without interference. That was the universal of those miracles. The temple was a unique place and the sacrifices had to be discharged properly, and [miraculously] nothing stood in their way. The mishnah lists the 10 miracles that shielded these procedures from any interference. Of course, the question is what this has to do with Pirkei Avos.
5:6 THE 10 MIRACLES CREATED AT CREATION’S CLOSE Ten things were created on the eve of the [first] Shabbat at twilight. And these are they: The mouth of the earth [that swallowed Korach in Num. 16:32]; and the mouth of the well [that accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness in Num. 21:17]; and the mouth of the donkey [that spoke to Bilaam in Num. 22:28–30]; and the rainbow [that served as a covenant after the flood in Gen. 9:13]; and the manna [that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness in Exod.16:4–21]; and the staff [of Moshe]; and the shamir (the worm that helped build the Temple without metal tools); and the letters; and the writing; and the tablets [all of the latter three are of the Ten Commandments]. And some say, also the mazikim, and the burial place of Moshe, our teacher, and the ram of Abraham, our father. and some say, also the [first human-made] tongs, made with [Divine] tongs.
This means to say that God did not change nature when these miracles occurred, but during the six days of creation, God programmed the miracles into the universe. For example, Moshe’s staff was required in Egypt. But it was not created then, but much earlier at the close of creation. And the mishnah does not mean that these 10 miracles were the only miracles programmed into creation during the six days, but all miracles were programed into creation doing these days. The splitting of the Reed Sea mentioned in the previous mishnah contained many processes; these miracles too were built into the six days of creation. But the uniqueness of these 10 miracles was that they were programmed into creation just before sunset on that first Friday. Again, we ask what the relationship is between these mishnayos and Pirkei Avos, which is a book that teaches about ethics and morality. Maimonides is sensitive to this question. On mishnah 5:2 he writes as follows:
These generations are the words of the Torah, "x begot y," according to its order. And it mentioned this and that which is after it because of its mentioning [the] ten utterances [with which God created the universe], which has reproach in them for man; to arouse him and to refine his soul with the dispositional virtues and the intellectual virtues, which is the intention of this tractate. Maimonides is aware that something does not align with Avos and does not belong in this tractate. And yet, strangely enough, we find these mishnayos discussing the 10 plagues, the 10 miracles at the sea, the 10 tests with which the Jews tested God, the 10 Temple miracles and the 10 miracles God created on day six at sunset. What is their relationship to ethics and morality? And then in mishnah 5:7 Avos returns to a more fitting matter, namely the seven matters concerning a wise man and a boor. But, mishnayos 4-6 basically have nothing to do with Avos, on the surface. If the mishnah wishes to inform us of the miracles, that is fine, but this is not the place for it. And interestingly enough, I have not seen one mefaraish [commentator] address this problem, including Rashi, Maimonides, and Rabbeinu Yona.
BITACHON: TRUST IN GOD We previously mentioned Abraham’s perfection and his trials. We said that trials do not refer to a test where someone must act in a certain way. Trials refer to acceptance: the attitude of an individual regarding any untoward event. Today, I would like to talk about the concept of bitachon, faith in God. I will first discuss it in practical terms and later I will discuss it philosophically. We say that a person is to have bitachon in God. What is faith in God? Everyone seems to feel intuitively that they know what this means. As Maimonides says, everyone feels they know what Olam Haba is. Of course, they have no idea of it because they do not use their intellects, and they do not care to [attempt to] understand it because they feel they know what it is. This is a bad practice in Judaism. The same applies to bitachon. People feel they know what it is: an imminent catastrophe about which one says, “Have faith in God that He will help you.” Does this mean that my belief in God dictates that He will help, which means to say that if the catastrophe occurs, it does so because I failed to believe in God? This produces a problem as there were people who were paragons of bitachon, and nevertheless they experienced catastrophe. Do we say that Abraham lacked bitachon because the Torah says, “The matter was very evil in Abraham’s eyes regarding the tidings of his son” (Gen. 21:11 regarding Sarah’s wish to exile Hagar and Ishmael)? Abraham had to send away his son while he had natural
feelings towards him. Does this mean that if Abraham had more bitachon, that this would not have happened? It is absurd to say so. The Chazon Ish raises the question of what bitachon is. He answers that bitachon does not mean that God will fulfill a person’s desire. For we see that this is false, for despite a person’s great bitachon, his wishes do not necessarily occur, like Abraham sending Ishmael away. Now, if a catastrophe might occur, what is bitachon and its role? The Chazon Ish wrote on the topic of bitachon and emunah, trust. He said that bitachon is the same phenomenon as emunah. Emunah means that a person believes that everything that occurs is due to God’s will. But we do not know how God is going to proceed [when we encounter untoward events]. The Chazon Ish says that bitachon is nothing more than emunah actualized. This means that person can be walking in the jungle and a lion approaches him. His emunah tells him, “The lion may or may not destroy me; it depends on God’s will.” Bitachon is when he personally feels that way; his emotions are in line with his emunah. Meaning, just as one knows if he would be walking in a dangerous place, whether the danger will befall him depends on God’s will, that is the way he feels at the time. That feeling is bitachon. Bitachon it was nothing more than emunah translated it into emotional, practical terms. Those are the words of the Chazon Ish. I would like to elaborate more on bitachon. Bitachon is a certain kind of change in a person that takes place due to his knowledge of God. Everyone has basic fears. How do they handle them? Fear is a powerful force. By nature, most people handle their fears with some type of protective device, a manufactured psychological device that they create. It is like the Chofetz Chaim says: “When someone hears that another person died, at first it strikes him, but then the person denies his own death.” The mind creates such devices to offer a personal security and peace of mind. Some people engage in certain activities to protect them from their fears. But the ultimate expression of these manufactured security devices is idolatry. Idolatry is created by man precisely to ward off any evil that might befall him. It is fueled by fear. Chazal say that the denial of idolatry is the essence of the entire Torah because idolatry has many forms, such as primitive idolatry and sophisticated idolatry. In the latter, a person becomes the idol, whether it is another person or his own sense of omnipotence with which he protects himself. In modern society the protective device or sense of greatness is usually some aspect of the self. An actor once commented after suffering a heart attack, “I never thought that it would happen me, because I am one of nature’s favorites.” This feeling also prevents a person from doing chessed because he has no identification with the person stricken with unfortunate circumstances. Maimonides says the one who does not mourn over a loss is an achzar; two words, “ach” and “zar,” “only a stranger” mentioned in the book of Job (30:21). He is a stranger to others without any identification. God created man in a way where he is not in constant psychological pain. The force in man for immortality and for omnipotence is so powerful that it emerges even from those who deny immortality. But if you listen to what such people say, you hear that
what drives them is a sense of immortality, but in a disguised form. Many of their activities are attempts to grab immortality; they live a life riddled with the fear of death. Their actions were an attempt to overcome their own mortality, and their plunge into enjoyments were also an attempt to grab immortality. That is why it important [to them] to have certain words inscribed on their gravestones. But as a person who passed on is no longer here, there is no way to enjoy such words. [His desire for a gravestone inscription reveals a sense of immortality, for he feels he will not leave Earth and will somehow enjoy those words.] But the immortality fantasy is unavoidable. A person can disguise it and try to fool himself that he is above it. But it is the most powerful force in man. Then you have a person who listens to the Torah. He davens on Rosh Hashannah and says: Man’s foundation is from dust, and his end is dust. We labor by our lives for bread, we are like broken shards, like dry grass, and like a withered flower; like a passing shadow and a vanishing cloud, like a breeze that passes, like dust that scatters, like a fleeting dream. But You are the king who lives eternal. (Unisaneh Tokef prayer) He recites the beautiful prayer that differentiates between God—the true king—and between man—the subservient king, who grasps for immortality as he tries to protect [perfect] himself before the inevitable dangers that lie before him. Old age and death cannot be talked away. But, as immortality is such a powerful force, even one who follows Torah and accepts his mortality, where is all that psychological energy—that until now was directed towards immortality—going to be directed now? The answer is that it is converted. God created man in a way that he can exist in a psychologically happy state. Where does all that energy go? Yours, Lord, are greatness, might, splendor, triumph, and majesty—yes, all that is in heaven and on earth; to You, Lord, belong kingship and preeminence above all. (I Chronicles 29:11) Man takes all his unrealistic emotions about himself and transfers them to God. All that man wishes to ascribe to himself can only be ascribed to God. And regarding the person who lives according to Torah, this transfer of energies from himself to God is what takes place. The emotions cannot be changed. God did not create man where his emotions will be frustrated. Perfected man will transfer all his emotions to God. This is the concept of the entire book of Tehillim. It is a practical book, a unique book. It is a book [through] which the human emotions are translated and given directly towards their realistic and true expression. What book talks more about bitachon than Tehillim?
Those who know Your name trust You, for You do not abandon those who seek You, O Lord (Psalms (9:11). Trust in the Lord and do good, abide in the land and remain loyal (Psalms 37:3). Happy is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who turns not to the arrogant or to followers of falsehood (Psalms 40:5). Many are the torments of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord shall be surrounded with favor (Psalms 32:10). O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield (Psalms 115:9). It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in mortals (Psalms 118:8). It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the great (Psalms 118:9). A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion that cannot be moved, enduring forever (Psalms 125:1). Bitachon is constantly mentioned in Tehillim. Bitachon is a yesod hadas (a fundamental of Judaism). Now let us return to our question in Avos. What are these mishnayos 5:4, 5:5: and 5:6 doing here? They do not seem to follow Avos’ theme of ethics and morality. And one of the mishnayos seems out of place. The second half of 5:4, the 10 tests with which the Jews tested God in the desert, does not relate to what comes before or after it. The 10 miracles in Egypt refer to God, as do the 10 miracles on the Reed Sea, the 10 in the Temple, and the 10 miracles God created at sunset. But the 10 tests now refer to the Jews and not God, which seems out of place. Another question is, what is meant by the Jews “testing” God? And why is what they did called a test? According to Maimonides, trials or tests are intended for the observer, [not the one subjugated to the test]. According to Ramban, the test is for the person undergoing the trial. But what can be meant by “testing god?” In my opinion, there is an idea shared by these few mishnayos. The 10 miracles in Egypt, the 10 miracles at the Reed Sea, the 10 in the Temple and the 10 miracles that
God created on the sixth day just before sunset are all related: they are a buildup. And the fact that the 10 tests with which the Jews tried God are inserted into these sets of 10 miracles, ties in to those tests in a very special way. As a matter of fact, these three mishnayos are all a continuation of Abraham’s 10 tests. There is an interesting Ibn Ezra on parshas Terumah on the verse “And see and create as their structures that are being shown you on the mountain” (Exod. 26:40). Ibn Ezra is a bit lengthy, but it is a theme throughout the chumash. It is an interesting Ibn Ezra and I cannot fully explain him, but I think there is an idea that can be gleaned…an important idea. And there is a previous Ibn Ezra in parshas Mishpatim on the verse “You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will remove sickness from your midst” (Ibid. 23:25): There are great wise men of the written Torah and the oral Torah and they never studied nature. Therefore, I cannot explain these blessings without explaining a small amount from the sciences. Man’s body is from the lower world and his higher part, the soul, is tied to the body. And in between these two are a means of connecting them. On the whole they are called nefesh and ruach. The neshama is wisdom and it resides in the head and from there go out to all the nerves, sense perceptions. The ruach is related to the heart (viz., one’s heart beats faster when the ruach is active) and this ruach is the part of man seeking power and to overpower any opposing force. This part of man is also the part that gets angry. The nefesh is the parts seeking pleasures. [Thus] the three parts of man are the intellect/soul (neshama), power/dominance (ruach), and the pleasure-seeking element (nefesh). And God gave the Torah to give strength, power and greatness to the intellect, the part of man partaking of wisdom. And thereby, the body will not overpower the soul. And if the Torah is not kept, then the body will rule over the soul. And I will give you metaphor: God chose the Jews and taught them the Torah, and if they keep it, He will give them wisdom. If they go in the proper path, nothing bad will occur to them. The rule is that one’s physical nature should be guided by wisdom, and not the opposite. And when the soul becomes powerful, then the power from heaven which protects the body will increase. The blessing will come through all that man eats and drinks. For all illness comes from food and this is referred to as “blessing your bread.” And some diseases originate outside the body due to the
atmosphere or other matters and on this it is written “I will remove sickness from your midst.” But one who follows Torah won’t need doctors. Now I will speak about the stars. All that occurs to a person is related to astrological phenomena in which one finds himself. This matter is very deep. If according to nature a person cannot conceive, if the person is related to God, that person’s nature will change, and he will beget children. That is what God said to Abraham, “I am the mighty God, walk before Me and be perfect.” There is no conflict between God and other forces. The heavens were not created to perform good or evil, they have no powers. They follow God’s will. This is a strange and cryptic Ibn Ezra, as is his usual style. First he refers to astrology, but then he denies it. That’s one Ibn Ezra. Then there is the first one I cited in parsha Terumah (Exod. 26:40): Anything that exists, exists in two ways. One is a physical existence like a substance, and then there are nonphysical existences such as angels and also man’s soul. These two things [physical substance and the nonphysical beings] are created, and a created being cannot create any of these two existences [viz., a person can never increase the amount of matter in the universe, nor can he create a soul or an angel]. It is equally impossible that man could remove matter. There is something that is related to matter, and that is the essence of the thing. And there are also forms. One type of form are sanctified forms, like the soul. Also, there is something else that is related to matter which is subject to change, such as temperature and moisture. In the second class of things, they do not remain, but they change and this, a person is capable of altering. Therefore, it is impossible that God should have physical form because God is the creator of all that exists. Thus, God cannot have any physical property. I will give you a metaphor: the darkness of the moon, when the earth’s shadow enters between the moon and the sun. Now I will give you another metaphor: know that the power of the soul is in the entire body and that there are certain places in man’s body that have connected links to the brain (nerves) and they are more sensitive in other places in the body like the eyes and ears (bones, for example, do not have nerve sensation). And the heart is in the center part of the body, explaining why many things serve the heart. The same is true regarding God. His honor fills the world, but there are some places where one sees God’s power in a
greater degree than in other places. This is because of two reasons: the nature of the recipient, and God’s will. That is why the temple mount was chosen. And if God gives you wisdom in your heart, you will understand the secrets of the Ark, the kaporess and the cherubs that have the wings spread out, and outside of that [room] is the menorah, the incense alter and the table. And outside of that is the alter of animal sacrifice and all its vessels, and the washing vessels, and all these are to honor God. And this is the reason I hinted this to you, because there are in our generation, men who are wise in their own eyes. And maybe they will mock my words. And the one who knows the principle of his soul and the form of his body will able to know the whole universe, because man is in the image of a small universe. And he was the last creature to appear on the earth and the sign for this is “He started with the greater and with the lesser He completed [creation].” God started with universe—the greater—and he concluded with man—the lesser. The Gaon said there were 18 things in the Tabernacle and 18 things in the upper world. Here is the rule: every cherub is made to receive the upper force. In parshas Mishpatim, God says, “Behold, I will send an angel before you” (Exod. 23:21). Ibn Ezra comments: All those who know astronomy (math) brought conclusive proofs that the moon is a recipient of the sun’s light; by itself it casts no light. That is why the moon is eclipsed. This is due to its position in relation to the sun, and they are both round. And when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, the moon has no light. And we know that at nighttime the moon casts light on the Earth. If Ruben would say this is the moon’s light, he would speak the truth. And if Shimon said that this is the sun’s light, he would be speaking the truth. That is why in Terumah, Ibn Ezra says that he is giving a metaphor. When he discusses God, he says that God cannot be physical, and then he says, “I will give you a metaphor: the spherical shape of the moon.” And he says he will give another metaphor. What does Ibn Ezra mean? Let us look at the mishnah: “10 things were made at sunset.” This is a delicate matter and I don’t want you to misunderstand. All miracles were programmed into the plan of creation. But what was so crucial for Chazal to communicate that these miracles were created at sunset at the close of creation, and why state this in Avos? Also, what is Ibn Ezra’s point that man is a miniature world? One must be very
careful to formulate this idea, as we deal with areas that are dangerous regarding Judaism’s fundamentals. Therefore, we must be careful to say the bare minimum and [say] nothing more than necessary. Metaphorically, and not a conclusive concept, Ibn Ezra is saying [regarding Ruben and Shimon’s statement that the moon’s light is both the moon’s and the sun’s light] that both Ruben and Shimon are correct. But only one is the true source [of light]. All the universe’s phenomena stem from God, but there are intermediaries. Strictly metaphorically speaking, God is the “soul” of the universe. That is why Ibn Ezra gives the metaphor of man as a miniature universe. Just as the soul directs the body of man when man is perfected, and there is a relationship between the metaphysical soul and the physical body, this same relationship applies to God and the universe [man]. One philosopher who was an apostate, was an intelligent student of Ibn Ezra, from whom he derived his philosophy. As the area is very abstract and he misunderstood Ibn Ezra, he became an apostate. Again, Chazal teach that God programmed all miracles into creation. Every miracle was programmed from the start. This means that God is a source of wisdom that we cannot relate to Him the way that we wish. A person would prefer to feel that God intervenes [in our time and space]. But that is alien to Judaism. Because of his physical nature and his desire for security, man is driven by his religious emotion. But Judaism denies man that satisfaction. Chazal and Ibn Ezra are teaching that God’s relationship to man is completely through wisdom. During the first few moments of creation when everything was set to unravel, God’s providence was also set. But it emerges as a part of God’s wisdom. [God’s relationship to man and the world is] impersonal, in the sense that man searches for a personal relationship. But nevertheless, God’s providence is imminent in creation. This is why it is important for us to know that these 10 matters were created just before the close of creation. This means that Judaism is telling us that the God who we accept—the creator of heaven and Earth—relates to man only through His infinite system of wisdom. But man is unhappy with that, unless he is on a very high-level. Perfected man is extremely happy with this relationship. And that which we mentioned before about bitachon, ultimately cannot reach its proper conclusion unless a person partakes of this idea of God. Ultimately, it is impossible to have bitachon on the so-called “religious level.” True bitachon is found in recognizing God as one who reveals Himself through His infinite wisdom, and not one that satisfies man’s emotional search for security. There is only one instance in Torah that openly states that the Jews tested God, using the word “nissa.” If you analyze that case, you will understand all cases of the Jews testing God. That case was Refidim: From the wilderness of Sin, the whole Israelite community continued by stages as the Lord would command. They encamped at Refidim, and there was no water for the people
to drink. The people quarreled with Moses. “Give us water to drink,” they said; and Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” (Exod. 17:1,2) Ibn Ezra comments: Not the entire nation [quarreled with Moshe] like the case of the manna, because there were two groups here. One group had no water, and that was the group that quarreled with Moshe. The second group had water, and they were the ones who wanted to test God to see if He would give water. [Thus, there were those who quarreled, and then there were those who tested God.] Moshe replied to those quarreling with him [the ones who wanted water due to thirst] “Why argue with me? Let’s cry to God.” But to the second group who had water, Moshe said “Why do you test God?” What does Ibn Ezra mean to say? Every one of the Jews’ tests of God were the same. When they complained about wanting meat, they had plenty of animals they could have slaughtered. Here, the Jews had water, but [yet], they wanted water. Maharal from Prague asked why the Gold Calf was a test of God. The answer is that every test had one common denominator: Is God in our midst or not? (Exod. 17:7) This means is the Jews could not extricate themselves from seeking satisfaction from a “human type” of being who would satisfy them. That [precisely] was the Gold Calf [sin]: When the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for the man Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. This he took from them and formed it and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” (Exod. 32:1-4) The Gold Calf was a tangible being [that catered to the Jews’ desire for a human type of being to satisfy them. This explains the people’s use of the word the man Moses].
10 things were created at sunset at the close of creation (avos 5:6)
It all ties in, starting with Abraham’s 10 trials. Abraham accepted everything that reality threw his way. This was because of his concept of God [God willed reality to be as it is, this must be a good and man is to embrace it]. All miracles were programmed into creation, as God relates to man through His infinite wisdom and not in a way that man desires. True bitachon is when man takes his emotional energies and directs them towards God, who is the source of all creation and all events. And that can only be done if one knows that all miracles were created long ago during creation. The concept of bitachon in God can never be complete as long as one remains on the primitive level. This is the tie between Abraham, the miracles and the Jews testing God. Abraham represents the proper attitude, and this is based on the principle of the miracles. [In contrast] the Jews testing God shows the improper attitude. It is one theme throughout. The Jews sought a humanistic relationship with God. For although they had animals and water, they tested if God would “respond”: “Is God in our midst or not?” Man senses greater comfort when fitting God into his time-oriented existence. “Will God respond to me here and now?” is man’s primitive desire. So, although not needing food or water, the Jews tested God. [On many occasions Rabbi Chait explained why man seeks this humanistic relationship God. This stems back to man’s original relationships, which were with his parents. The frightening insecurity and dependency of the infant finds psychological comfort in his physical parents. But man is to mature and recognize God as his sole security and abandon the security mage of parents. If he does not, the psychological dependency on the parent that he carries from youth through adulthood in his infantile-stunted mind finds new expressions in idolatry, and the Jews’ sin of testing God. In both of these cases, man projects the humanistic image onto reality and attributes truths to idols—which he actually carves in forms of man (Isaiah 44:13)—and expects God to respond to all his vain cries.]
But the miracles that were programmed into creation teach that God relates to man through wisdom, and this relationship is not the emotional one that the Jews sought, but how Abraham lived. Ibn Ezra says that if one is successful and reaches the level of real wisdom, then he attains a sense of bitachon which is impossible to attain on the primitive level. Perfection is only through man’s true apprehension God. Ibn Ezra gave a metaphor for how God relates to the world: the body and soul. He said that the brain which is the faculty and force of thought, is more closely related to the soul than any other faculty. And there are certain parts of the body that are more sensitive to receive the brain’s neurological messages. He means that in creation there
are different levels. The Tabernacle [too] displays different levels. First there is the Ark and the cherubs, and as you move outward there are different levels. The sun and moon are the same. [The source of light is the sun that moves outward towards the moon, which merely reflects sunlight.] But man is a creature who relates to God in a different way than inanimate matter. It’s like the heart is more sensitive than bone. That is Ibn Ezra’s metaphor. God’s expression in the universe is proportional to the recipient. Man’s soul is a more sensitive receptor to God than inanimate matter. The entire universe is an expression of God’s infinite wisdom. As man is more receptive to God, in creation, God took into consideration man’s existence and also less receptive creations. The universe is a harmonious whole. Man is a higher recipient of [relating to] God’s honor and therefore God programmed these miracles for man. Had God created the universe and only afterwards created man, if man would act in a certain way, God would have to alter something in universe to accommodate man. This is not a harmonious universe, but a dichotomized universe. Therefore, in creating the universe, man was considered, and miracles were built into nature [the world is thereby designed from creation to accommodate man’s needs without future intervention]. Our concept of God is that He is the source of the universe; it is all a system. Others viewed this as pantheism. While Torah maintains creationism, so to speak, God is the “soul” of universe, but He created it [unlike Aristotle’s view that the universe is eternal]. The philosopher who was Ibn Ezra’s student became a pantheist as he derived his view from Ibn Ezra. He drew that conclusion as he operated with human categories. But in approaching God, one cannot do so. Ibn Ezra says that the concept of the Tabernacle is the idea that the cherubs and the Holy of Holies are recipients of God’s wisdom to a higher degree, and then there are other vessels and varying degrees. Ibn Ezra means that the Tabernacle is a miniature duplicate of God’s relationship to universe.