B'Shem Hashem version 2.0

Based upon helpful comments by Yacov Trachtman and others I have modified this piece on B'Shem Hashem.

Rambam begins each and every one of the books of the Mishne Torah with a part of the verse
 ויטע אשל בבאר שבע ויקרא שם בשם ה אל עולם. If one does not pause to think about it, the verse is easily overlooked, or perhaps brushed off as a unimportant literary flourish. Upon reflection however, this dismissive treatment of Rambam's use of verse hardly does justice to his genius and careful writing style.

In fact, the conceptual centrality of בשם ה אל עולם to all of Talmud Torah becomes apparent if we carefully consider the message of this verse. The reference is to Avraham Avinu's battle to restore the concept of Hashem's unity to its proper place in the world human thought,namely- the foundation stone of all service to God. Avraham was alone against all mankind in this struggle, living in a time when the foundational concepts of "world" and "service to God" had been subverted. He became the vehicle by which the "pillar of of all sciences" became reestablished- the Amudo Shel Olam.

As the Yesod ha-Yesodot points out, all human success is built upon developing an ever more complete scientific "map" of the external world.

 יסוד היסודות ועמוד החכמות לידע שיש שם מצוי ראשון והוא ממציא כל הנמצא

The first of all "first principles" and the pillar of all sciences is to know that there is a first existent and that He is the cause of all that comes into existence

To attain this scientific "map" society must focus research on moving away from first perceptions in favor of the abstract sense of "systems" which are ultimately traced back to a first existent- Hashem El Olam. Abraham discovered that his brethren had moved in the opposite direction, abandoning the pursuit of abstract "systems" in favor of a world of simplistic magical notions easily translated into popular religious movements. Rambam describes the process by which Avraham became Amudo Shel Olam, whose discovery of the dependence of the abstract systems upon a first cause became the very pillar upon which the world of human thought and its derivative service to Hashem was restored.

The transformation began with Avraham himself rediscovering the notion of His Wisdom, a unified sense of the material world in which all things are but parts of the great system which is the universe. It was from this vantage point that Avraham understood Hashem El Olam, God as first existent was the exclusive source of causality underlying all subsystems of the unified system of the universe.

This unified sense of causality, inevitably points to "kav ha-tzedek" the recognition that man himself is a subsystem in the universe. Accordingly, human success depends upon seeking "kav haTzedek" an abstract formulation of natural Justice. This formulation must result in a rule of law for the social system whose harmony and wisdom is a microcosm of the causal harmony seen in the systems of the universe generally. It was in the course seeking to bring such natural justice to his own real world political community, that Avraham had a chance to observe first hand the extent of the resistance of myth based religion to abstract thinking.

As an animal species, man seeks a simple vision of his environment, one easily applied to immediate survival needs. Such simple visions provide a false sense of security, seemingly removing the need for the ongoing research needed to attain true abstract notions of the world of "universal causality". The simple vision supplants the world seen through the prism of thought and research with a myth based world, religious systems arising out of folklore in which the peoples need for security is easily satisfied by a psychological misrepresentation of Hashem. In this misrepresentation Hashem is pictured in simplistic terms based upon our unreflective relationships with authority figures. Sadly, the distorted myth based world ultimately gives rise to tyranny, a regime of corrupt individuals who subvert the simple minded peoples need for security to their own material interest. In exchange for performing religious rituals that "secure Gods blessing" these priests and religious elites attain fabulous wealth and power for themselves at the expense of the people. This form of "religion" promotes a mythical reality, in which man succeeds through "rituals" tailor made to promote the divine right of political leaders to make laws in their own material interest. Such a social order prevents true research into the systems of the universe needed for recognition of the first existent, it is therefore Avoda Zara, a distorted alien service, hateful to God.

It was precisely this kind of tyrannical political regime that Avraham saw in his own community of Ur Kasdim. He confronted the leadership of his own community, demanding that the irrational myths be removed and that rational pursuit of His Wisdom be restored as the exclusive basis of service to Hashem. The regime fought back, fearing loss of their privilege and power. Avraham only escaped with his life through providential events, clearly beyond his own, considerable, political abilities to anticipate.

Avraham subsequently abandoned his homeland in favor of a grass roots movement, offering an alternative to those few who were open to releasing themselves from mythology and the resulting tyranny. He used a variety of ways to make his alternative way of life known, as pointed to by the verse,ויטע אשל בבאר שבע. The sight of the eshel in the desert attracted attention to Avraham's community, offering an incentive for friendship and intimate discussion.

It is in this context that Rambam's use of the verse בשם ה אל עולם can be appreciated as the proper introduction to Talmud Torah. At the very least the simplistic appeal of myth and folklore discourages abstract thought, at worst it is manipulated as propaganda to maintain the self serving claims of tyrannical leadership to divine right.

Each and every piece of Torah therefore, should function as an instrument of "calling in the name of El Olam", restoring man's focus on the the world of causality and liberating man from the false security offered by the world of Avoda Zara mythology and the ruthless propaganda of tyrants. This foundational concept is the basis of true service, seeking success on the basis of discovering His wisdom established by Avraham Avinu, the amudo shel Olam.