Chavarah- Jewish Community Learning

A blog of Jewish study and traditions. Notes from classes: Torah Study with Rabbi Marder, Toledot and Shabbaton as well as other details found of interest.

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Tuesday, January 06, 2009

God "Saw"...

Torah Study 1/3 - Dedicated to the Memory of : David Malnick

R. Janet Marder

Genesis 6:5-8

Vayar Adonai - "God saw" - (similar to the 7 times in Genesis 1 - BUT)
This time it wasn't so "good"
What God "saw" this time was corruption.

"saw" is more of a judicial reference rather than a physical one - as 'insight' and 'investigation'

Some see this as problematic:
God should just 'know' God doesn't need to investigate
God doesn't have eyes

Talmudic answers include the concept that the Torah is written in human terms to speak the language that will be understood.
Rambam - Torah is written in metaphor to grasp the intellect. (Guide for the Perplexed - the first part is all about language)
Yochanan Muffs - The Personhood of God - Celebrates the personality of God. God learns and is a 'model for man'. The human qualities attributed to God helps to teach us how to be better.


Word: Rabah - to increase - same word used in the begining of the chapter - population increased and wickedness increased.

Key phrase (6:5): "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."

Yitzer - the two inclinations to goood or evil:

The Evil Inclination

Evil Tendencies

Evil Impulse

All phrases linked to this verse.

The use of the word "heart" here is a reference to 'intelligence' - the heart is seen as the 'cognitive organ' in this reference.

SR Hirsch - on 'yetzer' - derived from the word for 'create'. It is not 'evil' as a force or overwhelming power that makes one do wrong. The term is connected to 'creativity' and implies 'forming' an impulse. His argument is that all energy and drive has potential for either good or evil. (this is an argument against the Christian teachings)

This is not a reference to a judgment of all humans always, only of those at the time before the flood and the time of Noah.

Rabbinic theory: When man was made God gave them two servants - one for good and one for evil. The goal is to strengthen the good and control the evil.

It is all about 'justice' - God has a 'case' against humanity and is implementing the tools of justice.

Life is about learning and channeling our energies in the right direction.

Q: Asked about the timing - people had not been given the commandments and may not have known better...
A: Torah teaches that there are elemental laws of society even before the commandments were given at Sinai.

There is accountability for our actions. Therefore it is important to channel and control what we do.

When people behave badly there is always collateral damage - this is why some innocents may have died in the flood as well.

God admits mistakes?
This is problematic as well.

Rashi ( nun het mem) means 'comfort' but also means 'reversed' - from mercy to justice
6 places where the term is used - "God changes his mind" (Rashi could do this without a computer!)

Can God have regrets?

midrash:

A gentile asked Rabbi Joshua - Holy one sees the future? Why create man in the first place? How can God have regrets?
Rabbi Joshua answers: "did you ever have children? You know that your child will die and yet you give him life. At the time of joy, experience joy. At the time of mourning, mourn."

God experiments with different strategies.

Transcendent vs Eminent God

God is Sad not Angry.

There is a danger in making God too abstract - it deprives God of a personality!

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