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Rambam writes in the Guide, 3:41:The punishment meted out to anyone who has done wrong tosomebody else consists in general in his being given exactly the same treatment that he has given to somebody else. If he has injured the latter’s body, he shall be injured in his body… And he who has deprived someone of a member, shall be deprived of a similar member: “As he hath maimed a man, so shall it be rendered unto him” (Leviticus 24:20). You should not engage in cogitation concerning the fact that in such a case we punish by imposing a fine. For at present my purpose is to give reasons for the [biblical] texts and not for the pronouncements of the legal sciences. Withal I have an opinion concerning this provision of legal science, which should only be expressed by word of mouth. What was the secret opinion Rambam held regarding this law?

Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

0:00 What is Judaism all about?2:00 Did the forefathers know the Name of Hashem or not?4:00 Exodus initiated two seemingly different things: knowledge of Hashem and freedom from bondage5:55 Where does the Torah fit into Exodus?9:00 "Nobody is free but for he who studies Torah" – how does the Torah make a person free?13:15 The prophets' opposition to sacrifices, in contradiction to the Torah18:45 Midrash is the insistence to read verses closely and exactly21:30 The focus of the prophets on da'as Hashem25:45 The response to "I am Hashem" is da'as Hashem29:30 Summary of the points made thus far32:00 Moshe asked to know Hashem, and his request was denied36:30 The contradiction between the Torah and the Prophets about whether Hashem can be seen38:30 Two meanings of "seeing" and two meanings of "knowing"43:00 A creature of super-human intelligence once visited earth and revealed that the totality of human knowledge is folly46:15 It's easy to see Hashem – but then you die48:00 Why sacrifices and da'as Hashem are mutually exclusive50:30 Why suicide is the root problem of philosophy1:02:00 Law is for those who don't have da'as Hashem1:13:00 Moshe thought that his mission was one of bringing da'as Hashem to the people, just like all the prophets1:18:45 Hashem told Moshe that the impossibility of da'as Hashem is also a fundamental component of the Torah1:20:30 The one who has da'as Hashem is truly free, since his mind is the mind of Hashem1:25:15 Judaism is fundamentally about freedom1:28:45 "They did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of spirit and because of hard labor" – they refused to embrace da'as Hashem1:31:30 You cannot understand anything about the Torah without realizing that there are two contradictory paths throughout the Torah1:33:30 Is it impossible to be completely free; human beings cannot allow themselves to be completely free1:36:30 In order to being thinking freely, there must be guardrails beyond which one wouldn't think1:41:45 How the Torah is a function of the servitude in Egypt1:43:30 True da'as Hashem is the hypothetical ideal 1:45:45 How the Torah supports the convincing illusion of da'as Hashem1:47:30 Many people make the mistake of trying to make the Torah make sense and have it replace da'as Hashem1:49:20 The stronger your da'as Hashem, the stronger your Torah needs to be

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

A shiur on Mishlei as royal education: parable as a technology of rule; Shlomo and the language of animals; the snake as political challenger; and the stabilizing role of the god-fearing woman. How to govern without being governed by one’s own symbols.

In this conversation, Zev and I discuss what role the Torah plays in the pursuit of knowing Hashem 00:30 Why do we require the Torah for the pursuit of da'as Hashem? 9:00 Can a person achieve da'as Hashem without the Torah? 16:30 Is the Torah the exclusive method that brings to da'as Hashem? 18:00 What is the Torah and to what genre does it belong? 21:45 It is impossible to disentangle Jewish values from the Torah 30:30 The Torah's words, narratives and practices anchor a person in da'as Hashem 40:00 Does all da'as Hashem trace its roots to the Torah? 51:00 Torah as Law and its difference from the Prophets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/364132946794... https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor/p/ee-and-r-3_1-between-the-torah-and?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web 52:00 Da'as Hashem is absent from the Torah; Moshe is higher than the prophets by virtue of his recognition that Hashem is actually unknowable 53:30 The Law as guardrails against absolute freedom of thought 54:45 We cannot and will not contemplate infinity, and therefore we need the finitude of the Law 56:00 Paradoxically, restrictions allow for freedom of thought 1:00:00 The Jewish People is the greatest mitzvah 1:05:00 Summary of how the Torah serves da'as Hashem

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

0:00 How to wage war for Hashem1:45 Rambam's treatment of the laws of Chanukah – a celebration of military victory – ends with the teaching that peace is the purpose of the whole Torah4:45 Why Jews can't be inspired to wage war8:15 The motivations of war11:45 People who believe in fighting tend to fight more effectively; why polytheists are the better warriors15:30 A person who believes that war will never be completely eradicated from the world will wage war with more conviction18:30 King David couldn't build the House of Hashem because he was a man of war20:25 Mashiach will wage war and also build the House of Hashem26:30 Before the war of Gog U'Magog, Eliyahu the Prophet will come to make peace in the world29:30 People are motivated to war because they value one thing more than any other thing; Hashem is not a thing, but rather the possibility of all things being harmonized32:45 Hashem will tell Mashiach to smash his enemies with a metal bat, and Mashiach will refuse and instead offer Shalom35:15 Mashiach can't fight for Hashem because Hashem is not a thing36:15 The word "Shalom" is the thing for which Mashiach is motivated to fight 37:45 Polytheists have things to which they are dedicated and committed; the Jews have words instead of things41:15 Jews care about nothing but words43:45 Why Hashem alone has a Bible and the other gods don't45:30 The Torah is a method of making something out of nothing47:15 "Davar" means both thing and "word"; "Shalom" is the ultimate word because it is not a thing52:30 By declaring the word "Shalom," a motivation for war is generated55:45 Why Eliyahu's teaching of "Shalom" will trigger the ultimate war59:45 Mashiach will wage war because he stands for peace1:01:45 What makes Hashem effective in this world is words1:05:00 Everything that Hashem does is for the good because of the people who say that everything that Hashem does is for the good 1:07:30 "Shalom Aleichem" is a verbal offer

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

In this conversation, Zev and I discuss the 1000-year era of prophecy, how the perfectly righteous man bends the world to the perfect good, and the challenges of the new prophecy.1:45 Summary of the lecture "How to Reclaim Prophecy":    • The New Knowledge of Hashem: How to Reclai...   6:00 Prophecy 1.0 is the guide to prophecy 2.08:20 Why we consider the era of prophecy to begin with the Exodus despite the great prophets who preceded it10:00 The one thousand years of Jewish history recorded in Tanach stand as the paradigm of Divine Providence, when nothing occurred that lay outside its order12:30 On public and private prophecy; why widespread public prophecy requires the Ark of the Covenant and the Mikdash20:00 How the perfectly righteous man bends God's will to what is good in his eyes26:15 Tefillah is the absolute commitment to what is right32:30 The perfectly righteous man is the one who cannot abide any evil38:30 Those who forgive some evil in themselves will forgive some imagined evil in God42:30 Are we living in prophetic times?44:15 Between the Rambam and R' Yehudah HaLevi48:00 How come the great books don't discuss the new prophecy?52:45 Would someone be able to do the original kind of prophecy today?1:01:45 Today, even the greatest righteous person will accept the impersonal laws of nature as being righteous1:07:00 The challenges of the new prophecy

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].

When the yetzer for idolatry was abolished, prophecy vanished with it. The world, once speaking, went silent. In that silence, was born science: the study of a universe that follows law but no longer reveals purpose.We follow the transformation from the enchanted world of the prophets, through the impersonal age of universals, to the modern possibility of a renewed da’as Hashem. It asks whether we can once again see the world as personal — without falling back into idolatry — and what kind of self would make that possible.00:45 The abolition of the inclination to idolatry2:00 With the abolition of the inclination to idolatry, prophecy came to an end4:30 What conditions would favor the reawakening of the inclination to idolatry and prophecy?6:20 Why are sources and texts necessary for learning about ideas or reality? 3 models15:15 The connection between the abolition of the inclination to idolatry and prophecy — the world, once enchanted, lost its enchantmentOn the enchanted world: https://shnayor.substack.com/p/how-to...18:00 Is the world personal?20:00 The question of whether the world is personal hinges on the problem of evil23:45 To converse with God through His creation is completely natural for one who conceives of His good character manifest in His creation25:00 If the good divine character is manifest in only a part of reality, polytheism results28:30 What "good" means30:00 The problem of evil for the unified personal God32:00 Moshe's request to know Hashem was a quest to understand evil: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...33:30 The denial of Moshe's request is the reason the Torah teaches Hashem's unknowability: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...Between the Torah and the Prophets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/364132946794...35:00 The perfectly righteous man bends Hashem's action to the good he knows in his human soul: https://www.ebay.com/itm/364134646725...38:00 The prophets see God as good in their own image; why Moshe rejected that anthropocentric goodness43:30 Free will is central to the question of whether Hashem is good on the basis of human goodness44:15 The thousand-year era of prophecy when Hashem was known in His goodness: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...48:00 Why the prophetic relationship with Hashem leads imperfect people into idolatry51:45 The end of prophecy and the beginning of science53:00 Science and the depersonalization of nature54:45 In the post-prophetic era, Israel didn't need to be independent, since Hashem's impersonal unity is universal and not particular to His revelation among Israel59:25 Can we yet make the world personal again?1:00:00 The shift in the sense of self from what is temporal to that which is eternal1:02:00 The eternal moral laws are purely good, without contradiction1:08:45 Are we ready for the shift to the new prophecy?1:10:00 Why do we require a particular nation in the era of universal knowledge of Hashem? https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...https://www.ebay.com/itm/3744777007721:11:30 The reality of Jewish sovereignty suggests it is time for the new da'as Hashem1:13:30 Q & AWhy would the new da'as Hashem be any safer?What would idolatry look like under the new paradigm?Would religion that requires such a shift in the sense of self be meaningful to people?1:18:00 Why the prophets took the easier path at first1:21:00 Where the notion of a self came from1:23:00 On the centrality of respecting parents and how that shifts our sense of self: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...Why would a soul not care about the destruction of the body?Would the new prophecy be different?

"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history. Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe! This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to [email protected].