Tuesday, July 3, 2012

You don't see the Sun, you don't see G - d !


Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

Without going into too many details, I am just mentioning the teaching in brief because I love it. 

The Gemara in the Talmud Tractate Chullin 59b / 60a mentions a conversation between Caesar and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananyah. 

Remark: When it says CAESAR in the Talmud, it doesn't necessarily refer to the Roman emperor but rather to a Roman governour.

Caesar asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananyah to show him G - d. The Rabbi placed Caesar standing in front of the sun and asked him to look right into the bright sunlight. Caesar said that he can't, as the sunlight is too much for his eyes. Rabbi Yehoshua replied: "If even regarding the sun, which is one of the servants that stand before G - d, - you say that you are unable to gaze upon it. How then could you ever be able to behold the Divine Presence ?

The MAHARSHA as well as the MAHARAL commentate: If you are unable to gaze upon the sun, which is a physical entity, surely you cannot see G - d, who is metaphysical !

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Source: Artscroll Talmud / Stone Edition

2 comments:

  1. I disagree. I look at Great Maker the same way I look at the following Chuck Norris joke, which goes, "If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, you may be seconds away from death." Seeing GM (Great Maker, a.k.a G-d), or not isn't important. Our bosses sometimes are in another room, does that mean they don't exist if we can't see them? Knowledge of G-d, to me, is more important than "gaz(ing)"

    The commentary from Rav Yehoushua discriminates against the blind. ;)

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  2. B"H

    I am sure that no one intended to discriminate the blind but I like the teaching, as it is very true. People want to know everything but don't realize that their human mind is very limited.

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