literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org

Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

literarydiscussions: they also have "Life of Pi" available there, also

ms_danae : i have it
ms_danae : i read it
ms_danae : it is good....

literarydiscussions: very few people realize the connection between

the mention of Luria on page 1, and the name of the ship, Tsimtsum
literarydiscussions: it is quite important

ms_danae : is it?
ms_danae : why

literarydiscussions: yes.... Luria, in the Kaballa, develops the notion of

Tsimtsum, which means contraction or withdrawal...

literarydiscussions: the mystical Jewish teaching is that Hashem (GOd)

is such a fullness, completeness, perfection, that there would be no

room for creation

literarydiscussions: so, Hashem withdraws or contractions to create a

space/place ("Makom") for creation

literarydiscussions: Makom or place is one of the euphemisms for
Hashem in the Torah

literarydiscussions: the Talmud states, that "Hashem is not IN the

world, rather Hashem is the PLACE of the world"
ms_danae : tell me more
ms_danae : you are a Jew??

literarydiscussions: no.... but i have some considerable knowledge of
certain things in Judaism

ms_danae : interesting

literarydiscussions: I have a knowledge of many religions

literarydiscussions: that is one of the things i write about for the past
8 years

literarydiscussions: on the internet

literarydiscussions: I have written about Moses Maimonides
(Rambam)....

ms_danae : Maimonides!!

literarydiscussions: and "The Guide for the Perplexed"

ms_danae : he was from spain

literarydiscussions: yes.... wrote in arabic

ms_danae : have u read Averroes and Abentofail

literarydiscussions: died 20 years before the birth of Thomas Aquinas

literarydiscussions: some believe that the Summa was written by

Aquinas to imitate the work of codification which Maimonides
achieved for Judaism

ms_danae : well...it is possible

literarydiscussions: it is a conjecture
literarydiscussions: a theory

literarydiscussions: somewhere (I would like to learn where),

Maimonides said: "Righteous is not an end or goal in and of itself, but
rather it is a preparation for participation in some future, higher state
of being"

literarydiscussions: Righteousness

ms_danae : well.....i do not believe in fixed goals myself

ms_danae : anything is part of the journey

literarydiscussions: but, you see, the error of many religions is to

make righteousness into an idol, and worship or admire it for its own
sake

ms_danae : yes, obviously

literarydiscussions: When the brothers of Joseph discovered his true
identity, and came to ask forgiveness, Joseph answered, "You

intended evil, but Hashem transformed your evil into good"

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