Hashem Is Here Hashem Is There
A friend of mine has at least two children.
One, age 3, asked, "How come I can't see or touch God?"
The 6-year-old answered:
One, age 3, asked, "How come I can't see or touch God?"
The 6-year-old answered:
Because God is everywhere! If God were visible, you wouldn't be able to see anything but God. If God were touchable, you wouldn't be able to touch anything else. Same with tasting, and hearing. So God has to be invisible and untouchable, because otherwise you wouldn't be able to get anything done.
carved on the walls of the caverns by Steg (dos iz nit der šteg) at 1/31/2007 07:37:00 PM
8 Comments:
How very kabalistic.
Tzimtzumish.
FINALLY!
A post that I not only understand, but which shares a view of G-d that I was raised with!
Amen :)
Back:
interesting, i didn't even think of that angle. makes a lot of sense.
Mogsa:
what do you mean? you don't share the view of my posts about G!d being a Trickster Deity? ;-)
Once given the basic idea - very good indeed.
Very clever answer. If that kid becomes a "gadol" someday that story will go right into his Artscroll "bio". And for a bonus, it will even be *true*!
And for a bonus, it will even be *true*
But how will anyone ever know? :-)
(Oh-- I guess from this blog. But on the other hand, it's anonymous....)
I liked the kids answer.
Steg: you must have been thinking along Back's lines since you titled the post with the Uncle Moishy song. Uncle Moishy is a Chabadnik, and peddles Chabad theology for children. Hashem is here, Hashem is there, is Chabad panentheism (and other chasidim, and the Gra,), rather than the transcendental God of the medieval philosophers.
For the Chabad god, the fact that you can hear me means that I'm actually in your ear. For the philosphers' god, the fact that you can hear me means that I'm making myself heard, even if from a distance. That's an analogy for the flow of Divine influence - for Rambam, Divine flow does not imply Divine co-presence. For the chasidim, it does.
Post a Comment
<< Home