Two types of service – The Dvir and the Mizbeach, the internal and external

Return the service to the Dvir of your house, also the burnt offerings of Israel (Shemoneh Esrei. Blessing of Retzei)

The Dvir is the term used in Melachim 1 (6:19) for the Kodesh hakodashim (Holy of Holies) which houses the Aron (Ark of the Covenant).

This raises a few questions. Why is the kodesh hakodashim called Dvir? Why are we requesting that the service return to the Dvir, when most of the service is performed outside on the Mizbeach (altar)? Which service are we asking to restore?

The Rambam describes two types of service in the Moreh Hanevuchim 3:32. The truest sense of service is internal, when a person is actively thinking about the knowledge of God. But the majority of our service is in action. The purpose of this second service is to accustom us to His service by removing false ideas. In this chapter the Rambam explains at length the purpose of animal sacrifice as an antidote to Idolatry. The system of sacrifice transforms the kind of service which was socially self-evident; limits it to the degree possible and redirects it towards God [1]. Even though the first service is higher by nature; as long as our energy and interest is in the physical world our primary involvement must be with the second.[2] Through this second type we learn to recognize and apply wisdom in our lives and slowly escape from a life governed by fantasy. (Prayer is also a member of the second class, but serves an intermediate role. It is external speech, but since speech is a direct expression of thought, it guides us towards a life of thought. This is why “any prayer without directed intent is not a prayer (Laws of Prayer 4:15).) As our apprehension of the reality of mind becomes greater more of our focus can shift towards knowledge but we never fully escape the need for a connection to the physical world.

Dvir comes from the root Davar, speech. The Kodesh hakodashim was the source of God’s speech to Moses from between the Keruvim. The theme of the room is God communicating to man. Inside the Aron are the Luchot which record God’s speech to us at Mount Sinai when he gave us the Torah. On top of the Aron are the Keruvim, which reflect the idea of angels; to teach us the reality of mind separate from matter which is the source of prophecy. This is why it is called Dvir, it is the room of God’s speech. It is the place where the highest service takes place, the service of knowledge of God. Even on Yom Kippur, the one time a year when regular service occurs inside, the service emphasizes the idea that God is known only through an obscuring cloud, and that our materiality is the source of that veil.

The Temple therefore has two foci. One is the Kodesh Hadodashim, which points to the ultimate service which is our aspiration. The second is the Mizbeach, the place of animal sacrifice, which addresses our current level and psychological needs.

David emphasized this duality: “”This is the house of God, and this is the altar of sacrifice for Israel” (Divrei hayamim 1 22:1). In its essence it is the house dedicated for God, but for Israel it is the altar of sacrifice. Since Israel is a nation service must be defined in a way which is accessible to all people and not only to rare individuals. This is the uniqueness of Torah; it is a law accessible to all, which guides all people, not just philosophers, towards living a life of knowing God and serving Him in a life of action which both applies and leads to that knowledge. Thus in an educational framework the actions, such as the sacrificial order, take priority; while, in its nature, service in knowledge is primary and is the objective and cause of the order of the service in action [3].

This duality is expressed in Halacha as well. In chapter 1 of the laws of Beit Habechira the Rambam discusses the Beit hamikdash as a whole, in this framework the Kodesh hakodashim is, as its name implies, the essence. But in chapter 2 the Rambam shifts focus to the mizbeach, and its unique history and identity.

Prayer also includes both of these ideas. On the one hand we face the mikdash during prayer, a direction ultimately pointing to the kodesh hakedoshim, which is the physical stand-in for the direction of the shechina (Laws of Prayer 5:3). On the other hand the times of Tefilla are based on the daily sacrificial order (Laws of Prayer 1:5-6).

In Retzei, the blessing requesting that God find favor with the Jewish people and their prayers, we request the return of service to the mikdash, the place of shechina, in these two frameworks. First the service of knowledge in the Dvir; and second the service in the burnt offerings of Israel, necessary for achieving the first. [4]

[1]In the same chapter the Rambam explains that the idea the objective of many Mitzvoth is removing falsehood, not necessarily producing something positive, is an important example of God’s merciful action in the world; the study of which serves as the basis of the Mitzvah to imitate his ways.

[2] This is related to the halacha from Yesodei Hatorah 4:13, quoted in the previous post, which prioritizes the study of the Davar Katan of halacha over the study of the Davar Gadol of science and philosophy in one’s sequence of study.

[3] In reality even the higher form of service is expressed in action of following God’s ways, since our knowledge of God is of His actions not His essence. But this sense of action, embodied, for example, in the life of Avraham is action of a different kind directly based on his abstract knowledge of God.

[4] This request for God desiring our prayers is very different than that of Shomeah Tefillah which discusses prayer as request

Women learning Torah

"Women and slaves are exempt from Torah study" Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:1

"A woman who learns Torah has reward" Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:13 (1:16 at link)

"Even though she has reward the Rabbis commanded that he shouldn't teach his daughter Torah; since most women's minds are not directed towards being educated, and they will redirect the Torah towards nonsense due to the poverty of their minds." Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:13 (1:16 at link)

This is very difficult, if she has reward why shouldn't a father teach her, and if she will use the Torah for nonsense why does she have reward?

"Someone who was not taught by his father must teach himself when he becomes aware; as it says: "And you should learn them and you should protect to do them". And similarly you find universally that study is placed before action, since study causes action but action does not lead to study" Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:3 (1:4 at link)

Since women have an obligation in action, it would seem that Torah study has central relevance to them. Would this obligate them to study (although not under the formal heading of Talmud Torah)?

"It is a Mitzva upon all of the wise in Israel to teach all students, as it says: "you should teach them (v'shinantam) to your children" (Devarim 6:7), the tradition teaches " 'Your children', these are your students" " Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:2

It seems like this obligation, incumbent upon 'the wise', applies to both male and female students. Note that the exclusion of women from Torah study comes from the verse which applies to biological sons "and you shall teach them (v'limadtem) to your sons to speak them" (Devarim 11:19) on which the sifrei comments "Your sons, and not your daughters". This distinction fits well with the Halacha seen earlier that only the father is commanded not to teach their daughter. Apparently every one capable is required to teach a girl or woman who has become a 'student'.

"And I say that one shouldn't stroll in the orchard until he has filled his belly with bread and meat. This 'bread' and 'meat' is to know the explanation of the forbidden and permitted, and similarly from other Mitzvot. And even though the Rabbis called these topics 'a small matter' - since they said: " 'a great matter' is the 'act of the chariot' (i.e. metaphysics) 'a small matter' these are the constructs of Abaye and Rava." - It is appropriate to study them first,  since they initially settle a persons mind and they are the great good which Hakadosh Baruch bestowed for settling this world in order to inherit the world to come; and all people are able to know them, great or small, man or woman, one whose understanding is wide or whose understanding is narrow." Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 4:13 (4:21 at link)

Women are obligated in the love of God and knowledge is a necessary ingredient of that love, of which all women are fully capable (at least in the Davar Katan form which is the limit for most men and women). Yet again it seems that women have a need to study Torah.

Going back to the beginning, women are exempt from the Mitzvah of Talmud Torah (which is the combination of teaching and learning, i.e. being part of the formal transmission of Torah study through the generations). But she is not exempt from many important features of Torah study which were mentioned above. And even with regard to Mesora, women have a special role, see the Rav's eulogy for the Rebbetzin of Talne, where he describes the special Mesora of Torat Imecha. Furthermore it is obvious from real-world experience that women are capable of the most advanced forms of thought, an observation supported by the Halacha in Yesodei Hatorah.

If so, why is a father instructed to not teach his daughter? It seems that this is because a father is likely to pressure her in a way which is not best for her development, since a parent is often moved by their own psychological need for gaining honor vicariously through their children (I believe that I heard this point from Rabbi Chait). Therefore this is guidance only for a father, any one else may, and perhaps must, teach women (at least those who are interested).

This command to the father is based on the fact that 'most women's minds are not directed to learning', from modern experience this seems clearly to not be an intrinsic biological or psychological lack (there are clearly both biological and neurological/psychological differences between men and women but they don't seem relevant here). Therefore it seems to be expressing a social fact that women are not trained in thought and therefore if an individual father tries to break with that norm it is likely that to stem from his own needs. Today when girls start learning in school at a young age (and in many areas are more successful than boys) their minds are 'directed towards learning' from that very beginning and this concern doesn't apply. Therefore, perhaps, even a father may (and, since he wants the best for his daughter, should) teach his daughters.

General Notes:
1. When thinking about this topic we should take special caution since as human beings we often have an implicit bias against women. Chazal teach: "And the daughters of Tzlefchad approached - When the daughters of Tzefchad heard that the land would be divided to the tribes and not the women, they gathered to plan. They said: "God's mercy is not like man's mercy. Man has greater mercy on men than on women; but He who spoke and the world was, is not that way, rather his mercy is on everyone equally, men and women, as it says "God is good to all, and his mercy is on all of his creations."" (Sifri Pinchas) It seems that even the greatest human being, Moshe, was potentially subject to this bias, if not for the fact that his life was guided by imitating the merciful ways of God.

2. When quoting sources in the Mishneh Torah I am using the standard numbering of the halachot. In parentheses are the numbers used at the linked page. Unfortunately I don't know of an online edition which follows Rabbi Yochai Makbili's practice of keeping the original numbering while using paragraph breaks with subscripts to identify the authentic division. I would appreciate any practical suggestions people have.

Reopening the Rambam system online Beit Midrash

After God decreed that our Pittsburgh Chaburah be separated. Our memory of that learning reawakened Rabbi Sacks' dormant desire to have an online Beit Midrash to develop further our understanding of the Rambam's system of Torah and Mitzvah. We invite other students, who have turned in their respective directions, to rejoin this quest with their discoveries and thoughts and to learn from the master.

The purpose of a Beit Midrash is for active participation. Please comment! If anyone has something to post please send it to either Rabbi Sacks or myself. As Rabbi Sacks often reminds us, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We can also post open threads if people want to post thoughts or questions from their own studies that they don't feel comfortable calling a post. 

I will try to post both things I have merited to learn with Rabbi Sacks as well as applications of his methods to new topics. Hopefully he will have time to post as well.

ב  ספר תורה הכשר--נוהגין בו קדושה יתרה, וכבוד גדול.  אסור לאדם למכור ספר תורה, אפילו אין לו מה יאכל, ואפילו היו לו ספרים רבים, ואפילו ישן ליקח בו חדש.  לעולם אין מוכרין ספר תורה, אלא לשני דברים--שילמוד תורה בדמיו, או שיישא אישה בדמיו:  והוא, שלא יהיה לו דבר אחר למכור.
Torah Market?

הלכות ספר תורה פרק י

א  נמצאת למד שעשרים דברים הן, שכל אחד מהן פוסל את ספר תורה.  ואם נעשה בו אחד מהן--הרי הוא כחומש מן החומשין שמלמדין בהן התינוקות, ואין בו קדושת ספר תורה, ואין קורין בו ברבים; ואלו הן:  (א) אם נכתב על עור בהמה טמאה; (ב) שנכתב על עור בהמה טהורה שאינו מעובד; (ג) שהיה מעובד שלא לשם ספר תורה; (ד) שנכתב שלא במקום כתיבה, על הגוויל במקום בשר ועל הקלף במקום שיער; (ה) שנכתב מקצתו על הגוויל, ומקצתו על הקלף; (ו) שנכתב על דוכסוסטוס; (ז) שנכתב בלא שרטוט; (ח) שנכתב שלא בשחור העומד; (ט) שנכתב בשאר לשונות; (י) שכתבו גוי וכיוצא בו משאר פסולים; (יא) שכתב האזכרות בלא כוונה; (יב) שחיסר אפילו אות אחת; (יג) שהוסיף אפילו אות אחת; (יד) שנגעה אות באות; (טו) שנפסדה צורת אות אחת עד שלא תיקרא כל עיקר, או תדמה לאות אחרת, בין בעיקר הכתיבה, בין בנקב, בין בקרע, בין בטשטוש; (טז) שהרחיק או הקריב בין אות לאות, עד שתיראה התיבה כשתי תיבות, או שתי תיבות כמו תיבה אחת; (יז) ששינה צורת הפרשייות; (יח) ששינה צורת השירות; (יט) שכתב בשאר הכתב כשירה; (כ) שתפר היריעות שלא בגידי טהורה.  ושאר כל הדברים--למצוה, לא לעכב.

EXPLAIN LOGICAL ORDER OF SEQUENCE

Rambam's Different order of Sifrei Tanach

טו  מותר לדבק תורה נביאים וכתובים בכרך אחד, ומניח בין כל חומש וחומש ארבע שיטין, ובין כל נביא ונביא שלוש שיטין, ובין כל נביא ונביא משנים עשר שלוש שיטין--שאם בא לחתוך, חותך.  וסידורן של נביאים, כך הוא--יהושוע, ושופטים, שמואל, ומלכים, ירמיה, ויחזקאל, ישעיה, ותרי עשר; וסדר הכתובים--רות, ותילים, ואיוב, ומשלי, וקוהלת, ושיר השירים, וקינות, ודנייאל, ומגילת אסתר, ועזרא, ודברי הימים.

יב  ספר תורה שאינו מוגה, אסור לשהותו יתר על שלושים יום, אלא ייתקן, או ייגנז.  ספר שיש בו שלוש טעייות בכל דף ודף, ייתקן; ארבע, ייגנז; ואם היה רוב הספר מוגה, והשאר יש בו ארבע טעייות בכל דף, ונשאר אפילו דף אחד מאותו השאר המשובש בלא ארבע טעייות--הרי זה ייתקן

 יג  במה דברים אמורים, שכתב המלא חסר, שנמצא תולה האותייות ששכח ביני השיטות; אבל אם כתב החסר מלא, אפילו יש בכל דף ודף כמה טעייות, הרי זה מתקנו, מפני שהוא גורד ואינו תולה.

Testing

Zechira: fostering a transformational process

In the previous post we noted the surprising distinction between Kiddush and Sippur. Though we would expect that a command to remember a day, would obviously determine the time of remembrance, in fact, only the command "Remember the Shabbos day" meets our expectation. In the case of Sippur, the command "Remember this day" is understood to leave the timing of sippur yetziat mitzraim indeterminate. It is only by means of an additional command -"You shall tell your son on that day saying: 'for the sake of this'..." -that we can determine that the 15th of Nissan is the time of sippur.

Question: Why does the one command to "remember" determine the timing of remembrance in Shabbos while in Sippur we need to supplement by taking into account the additional message of "for the sake of this" ??

Answer: we need to explore the sort of "remembrance" the Torah is dealing with first. Once this sense of "remembrance" is understood in principle, we will be able to understand the application to remembering a specific "day".

There are two targets of remembrance: 1. Retaining data 2. Self Transformation.

1. Retaining data. Obviously, we have limited ability to retain factual details. 

This limited ability to retain facts is illustrated in our use of memory aides such as shopping lists. It is difficult to keep the 20-30 items we need to buy in mind. We therefore make to-do lists for shopping as well as the many other fact based tasks we have in a busy day.

I believe that our expectation that a command to remember a day determines the timing of the remembrance is rooted in this limiting data retention sense of memory. 

Understood as data retention, "remember the Shabbos day" translates neatly into an obligation to put reciting kiddush into the post sunset slot of our to-do list on Shabbos. Similarly, "remember this day" obligates us to put reciting the hagada into the post sunset slot of our to-do list on the 15th of Nissan.

Yet, as we know, there is a deeper aspect underlying our tendency to forget shopping items beyond our limited ability to retain data. We want to be free to pursue our wishes, unencumbered by the responsibility of tasks like shopping, or working.

This conflict over dedicating one's time to responsibility remains constant, the Franklin Planner, shopping lists and other memory devices we use merely maximize the chances of a given task being done despite the conflict.

The solution to our problem, therefore, lies in rethinking the assumption that the Torah commands of remembrance refer to retaining data. In fact, Zechira transcends mere data retention to address the root issue in forgetfulness- the conflicted nature of our psyche.

But what is the deeper nature of this internal conflict that the remembrance of Torah addresses? 

2. Remembrance of Self Transformation: 

In explication of the word "zachar" in Sefer ha-Shorashim, Radak points to the cause of internal conflict and the underlying need for remembrance. Radak illustrates the uderlying issues of "remembrance" and "forgetfulness" in the case of Joseph and the Cup bearer of Pharaoh. 

In this astute selection of the Cup bearer to illustrate the Torah's sense of "zachar" Radak points us to the 2nd kind of remembering-that of self transformation.

The high ranking Cup bearer respected Joseph's great wisdom only so long as he was powerless, a fellow prisoner needing an interpretation for his dream. The Cup bearer forgot Joseph's Wisdom as soon as his normal state of empowerment was restored.

The Cup bearer's self image was not flexible enough to acknowledge the framework of wisdom in which he was lesser than a lowly Hebrew slave. Far from maintaining remembrance of Wisdom, the Cup bearer sought to remove his focus from Joseph altogether. Vi'Lo zachar sar hamashkim et Yosef-vayishkachehu. "The Cup bearer did not remember Joseph, (instead) he forgot him".

The Cup bearer's inflexibility created a counter force of forgetfulness which held him from educational growth. Instead of translating his fortuitous experience with Joseph into a life changing opportunity, the Cup bearer hid from the tension of self transformation. 

All the Cup bearer had to do was to remember Joseph's problem solving power. Joseph's wisdom was not limited to providing a solution to the Cup Bearer's dream. In its more general sense, Joseph's wisdom could have been the basis of an ongoing educational relationship, in which the cup bearer would have gained illuminating insights, solutions to problems in each and every domain of life activity. 

Instead of embracing the opportunity, the cup bearer broke his ties with Joseph to limit the conflict it produced for his existing self concept. The cup bearer could not endure the flexibility that the process of true education entails.

The same tendency to hide from the challenge intrinsic to encountering human wisdom can be seen in our relationship with Hashem's wisdom as well. Here too, our inflexibility of self concept obstructs translating our Encounters with Divine Wisdom into an ongoing educational relationship.

This tendency to avoid remembrance is best illustrated in our Encounter with Hashem's Divine Wisdom at Sinai. As the Cup bearer sensed the universal wisdom implicit in Joseph's dream interpretation, the Jews sensed the Universal Wisdom of Hashem implicit in the 10 d'varim of Sinai. This Wisdom was potentially applicable in 613 mitzvot to all aspects of life.

As the Cup bearer protected his sense of self in the security of his political framework, we sought to protect our sense self in the familiar "tent", a home ordered to our self concept.

23 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 24 Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Lord our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.’ 

Yet, Hashem does not rebuke us for our need to escape His Wisdom. Instead, He posits a long term strategy of educational growth. 

25 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the Lord said unto me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all that they have spoken. 26 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 27 Go say to them: Return ye to your tents.

This long term strategy of self transformation, in which we gradually attain maturity in our relationship with His Wisdom, is the underpinning of the Torah's notion of "Remembrance". Even as we escape to our "tents" the flexible mind maintains remembrance-- a commitment to undergo a process of growth over long periods of time. 

At strategic intervals we bring key encounters with His Wisdom to mind, in order to slowly incorporate the lessons into our lives. In this way we can gradually extend our sense of His Wisdom as it is illustrated in certain key cases (Yetziat Mitzraim, Sinai etc) to an ever greater domain of our world. In this we way we resolve our conflict with Wisdom, through slowly developing an ever deeper appreciation of the way in which the general d'varim of Wisdom we heard at Sinai, specify 613 concrete mitzvot which  illuminate each and every aspect of our lives.

 9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children’s children; 10the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me: ‘Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My d'varim that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 

Now that we see remembrance as a process, a cornerstone of educational transformation of a flexible self concept, we are in the position to answer our original question. We see why the educational process takes on remembrance of specific days. We need to regularly return to events such as Sinai and Yetziat Mitzraim to gradually internalize their message. But why would the timing of remembering days be so inconsistent? Why is the educational process of internalizing "remember the Shabbos day" limited to Shabbos, while the educational process of internalizing "remember this day" is potentially much longer than the 15th of Nissan.

We will complete this answer in the next post.

בשעה שמצות ומרורים מונחים לפניך #1

As we mentioned in the previous post, the basic principle of Kiddush -זכרהו זכירת שבח וקידוש - applies in accordance with the particular Action of Hashem a given day testifies to.

In the case of sippur on Pesach, Zechirat Kedusha recognizes zecher liytizat mitraim. This recognition takes the form of personal gratitude to Hashem for his Action in the micro system of civilization, empowering us with the opportunity of education passed on from Av to Ben.

Interestingly, Rambam does not view "Zachor Et Hayom Hazeh" as the only principle operative in sippur yetziat mitraim.  In fact, "Zachor" is not even the basis of doing sippur on the 15th of Nissan.
Clearly, if we did not have an additional principle of
והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר בעבור זה we would have not known when to do Sippur:

Hilchot Chametz Umatza 7:1

מצות עשה של תורה לספר בנסים ונפלאות שנעשו לאבותינו במצרים בליל חמשה עשר בניסן שנאמר זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים כמו שנאמר זכור את יום השבת. 

ומנין שבליל חמשה עשר תלמוד לומר והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר בעבור זה בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מונחים לפניך.

What is the basis of Rambam's recourse to 
והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר בעבור זה בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מונחים לפניך? Surely the words "Zachor Et Hayom Hazeh" indicate the timing of Zechira-- "hayom hazeh", namely the 15th of Nissan?

We do not see any parallel question regarding "Zachor Et Yom hashabbos likadesho". Clearly, the words "Zachor Et Yom Hashabbos" identify the time that the zechira should be done -- Shabbos. There is no need for any additional principle. 

Why does "zachor et hayom hazeh" of sippur require the additional principle of 
והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר בעבור זה, while "Zachor Et Yom Hashabbos" of Shabbos does not?

Redone essay following seder discussion

In Hilchot Chametz U’matza, Rambam explains that the “zechira” of sippur of Pesach

"זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם"” is to be understood in the same sense as "זכור את יום השבת" of the Kiddush of Shabbat.

הלכות חמץ ומצה פרק ז א מצות עשה של תורה לספר בניסים ונפלאות שנעשו לאבותינו במצריים, בליל חמישה עשר בניסן--שנאמר "זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם" (שמות יג,ג), כמה שנאמר "זכור את יום השבת" (שמות כ,ז

Question: In our experience, Kiddush and sippur seem to be fundamentally dissimilar activities. Sippur is storytelling, giving an all night personal account of yetziat mitzraim events. Kiddush is a terse conceptual statement containing no personal account of the events of Creation at all. What common nature unites these seemingly distinct, activities of Sippur and Kiddush ?

Answer: In Hilchot Shabbat, Rambam identifies the underlying nature, common to Kiddush and Sippur—the idea of the Holy. In this context, “Zechira” means to properly recognize the Kedusha character of something, in carefully formulated speech.

 הלכות שבת הלכה א מצות עשה מן התורה לקדש את יום השבת בדברים שנאמר זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. כלומר זכרהו זכירת שבח וקידוש.

The institution of “zechira”, pausing to properly recognize Kedusha, presupposes a resistance to Kedusha that must be overcome.  It is in our nature to do Craft-- constantly reorder the material world to be in in line with our ideal concepts. Letting go of our creative enterprise of constant change to reflect on the underlying System, the unchanging Kedusha of His Concept, is difficult for us.  Yet, if we are to grow as minds, we must be able to let the Wisdom of His Action into our carefully guarded creative world. We must set aside Holy times to deeply reflect on the true nature of His Action, unfiltered by the psychological categories of our creative enterprise.  Zechira reminds us that we must be open to being merely a creature overcome by wonder and appreciation for the grandeur of the Divine Creation System. The carefully ordered speech of zechira empowers us to navigate the transition from our psychological world with its loves and hates, successes and failures, happiness and sadness to reflection on the grand systems and processes of His Creation on Shabbat and Yom Tov.

 ז זכור את-יום השבת, לקדשו.  ח ששת ימים תעבוד, ועשית כל-מלאכתך.  ט ויום, השביעי--שבת, ליהוה אלוהיך:  לא-תעשה כל-מלאכה אתה ובנך ובתך, עבדך ואמתך ובהמתך, וגרך, אשר בשעריך.  י כי ששת-ימים עשה יהוה את-השמיים ואת-הארץ, את-הים ואת-כל-אשר-בם, וינח, ביום השביעי; על-כן, בירך יהוה את-יום השבת--ויקדשהו.

Shabbat and Yom Tov each emphasize one of the two perspectives on Kedusha in His System: Zecher Limaase Bresheet and Zecher Liyitziat Mitzraim. Each perspective of zechira, requires its own unique form of transition from the psychological categories of our world to appreciation of His Order. In Zecher Limaase Bresheet we must appreciate Kedusha as manifest in the ongoing existence of of the Cosmic system testified to by Shabbos. זכרון למעשה בראשית

   י כי ששת-ימים עשה יהוה את-השמיים ואת-הארץ, את-הים ואת-כל-אשר-בם, וינח, ביום השביעי; על-כן, בירך יהוה את-יום השבת--ויקדשהו.  

In stark contrast, in Zecher Yetziat Mitzraim we appreciate Kedusha as manifest in the particular Order of man carried out by the unique Jewish civilization on Earth  ברוך אתה ה', מקדש ישראל והזמנים  Each transition to Kedusha requires its own adjustment to our psychic identity. The Kiddush of Shabbat seeks to recognize the Universal Order of the system of the Cosmos. Attaining the objective state of mind needed to recognize the Universal Order of the Cosmos, requires a theoretical perspective upon man’s place in the grand Order. This perspective necessarily de-emphasizes the distraction of individual experience of being a creative conqueror. We mention the political order of the species --zecher li’ytiziat mitzraim-- but do not expand upon individual experience in Kiddush. זכרהו זכירת שבח וקידוש.  

The Sippur of Pesach seeks to recognize the particular Political Order of Man. Acting as a Sovereign, asserting Divine Justice upon an Egyptian State dominated by the personality of Paroh, Hashem opens up an eternal opportunity for freedom to all individuals. Proper recognition of yetziat mitzraim requires that we de-emphasize the distraction of the Cosmic Order and expand mightily upon the metamorphosis of His Sovereignty over civilization which affords each and every one of us freedom of mind. A malchus Shamayim civilization composed of Free men affords the opportunity to be a completely different kind of conqueror. 

Rather than living a life of tyranny, enslaved by a P’aroh like personality need to dominate the Earthly system and fellow men, we become educated just minds. A free educated mind engages in the lifelong moed framework in which we apply our knowledge in beneficial harmony with the Earthly system and mankind. It is this framework of growth in human kedusha which underlies beis din’s setting up of the Moed and calendar by Divine command:  ברוך אתה ה', מקדש ישראל והזמנים

The sippur account of yetziat mitzraim therefore limits its mention of the Cosmic order and expands greatly on the metamorphosis to ongoing freedom granted each of us individually by His Redemptive Justice. Shifting from the conventions of ideology to gratitude for the ongoing individual freedom of Redemptive Justice is best facilitated by a personal formulation of yetziat mitzraim,
כפי צחות לשון המספר, in expansive sippur of the limitations of the ideological State VS the opportunity of His Order of Redemptive Justice.

המצווה הקנ"ז הציווי שנצטווינו לספר ביציאת מצרים בליל ט"ו בניסן בתחילת הלילה כפי צחות לשון המספר, וכל מה שיוסיף לספר ולהאריך בדברים בהגדלת מה שעשו בנו ומה שענו אותנו המצרים ואיך נפרע לנו ה' מהם, ולהודות לו יתעלה, על כל החסד אשר גמלנו הרי זה משבח, כמו שאמרו: כל המאריך לספר יציאת מצרים, הרי זה משבח

The zechira of kiddush and sippur, is in fact, the exact same activity-- metamorphosis from the eminently practical state of mind of the order of everyday life to the fundamentally different state of mind of theoretical recognition of the magnificence of His Order. Each zechira identifies one of the two possible paths we travel to reflecting on His Order: a. Universal Order--Hashem Creator of the Cosmos de-emphasizing the human Order  b. Particular Human Order-- Hashem the redeemer of His People Israel, deemphasizing the Cosmic Order. The specific human experience we undergo in recognizing Him through these two core acts, determines the form of rigorous speech we use, the conceptual statement of kiddush which evokes wonder at the Cosmic Order or the descriptive form of sippur which evokes gratitude and thanksgiving at the opportunity for enduring freedom within a Civilization built upon the foundations of His Order of Redemptive Justice.

Recognizing the Eternal Relevance of Yetziat Mitzraim

In Hilchot Chametz U’matza, Rambam classifies “Sippur Yetziat Mitzraim” as a  “z’chira” activity, fundamentally similar to the Kiddush of Shabbat.                                 

 הלכות חמץ ומצה פרק ז

א  מצות עשה של תורה לספר בניסים ונפלאות שנעשו לאבותינו במצריים, בליל חמישה עשר בניסן--שנאמר "זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם" (שמות יג,ג), כמה שנאמר "זכור את יום השבת" (שמות כ,ז  

Question: Rather than sharing features, Kiddush and sippur seem to be fundamentally dissimilar activities. Sippur is a form of storytelling, giving a highly descriptive account of yetziat mitzraim events, kiddush is a rigorous conceptual statement containing no storytelling of the events of Creation at all.  

Why does Rambam classify Sippur as a “z’chira”  activity fundamentally akin to the Kiddush of Shabbat?

Answer: In Hilchot Shabbat, Rambam defines the nature of “zechira” common to Kiddush and Sippur. “Zechira” means to properly recognize the nature of something in carefully formulated speech.

הלכות שבת הלכה א

מצות עשה מן התורה לקדש את יום השבת בדברים שנאמר זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. כלומר זכרהו זכירת שבח וקידוש.

To properly recognize something in speech, we must identify its functionality within His system of Creation. Our question confuses the underlying substance of zechira (that is, the recognition of functionality within His system) with the form of rigorous speech used to accomplish this recognition (formula or description). The underlying substance of Zechira remains the same in Kiddush and Sippur-- it is only the rigorous form of speech used to express this recognition which changes.

The reason for this shift in speech, from the conceptual formula of Kiddush to the descriptive sippur of yetziat mitzraim, lies in the differing human experience of Hashem's action each recognition demands. 

The Kiddush of Shabbat recognizes and celebrates the universal Chasdei Hashem, expressed in the Creators Sovereignty over the Cosmic Order of the system of the Universe. We recognize the Cosmic order in the somewhat detached abstract manner of theoretical man. To overemphasize the human Order is to become distracted, to fail in properly acknowledging the Universal order of the Cosmos. Kiddush therefore employs conceptual statements, including no description illustrating the impact on man at all. Kiddush refers to the good of man--zecher liytiziat mitzraim-- but does not overemphasize our individual good. 

  

The Sippur of Pesach on the other hand, recognizes the particularistic aspect of Chasdei Hashem, His Sovereignty over the Political Order. His Sovereignty  became manifest through yetziat mitzraim, in which Divine Justice was imposed upon our oppressors. We recognize the imposition of Justice in the Political order as citizens of Israel, the current generation of children of the first generation to be made free through His Justice.

Recognizing His Sovereignty over the Political Order is done in the manner of storytelling, as every parent transmits identity forging personal reflections to their children and family. A parent who remains purely clinical, who is not personally transformed by his storytelling of yetziat mitzraim, has not understood the nature of yetziat mitzraim at all.  "זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם" therefore, includes a careful sippur / account capable of transmitting the personal relevance of the events of the night of 15th of Nissan from father to son.

We must therefore view ourselves personally as victims of Egyptian oppression and we must view ourselves personally as beneficiaries of Hashem’s justice upon our oppressors.

בכל דור ודור חייב אדם להראות את עצמו כאילו הוא בעצמו יצא עתה משעבוד מצרים

וכל מה שיוסיף לספר ולהאריך בדברים בהגדלת מה שעשו בנו ומה שענו אותנו המצרים ואיך נפרע לנו ה' מהם, ולהודות לו יתעלה, על כל החסד אשר גמלנו הרי זה משבח

The proper sippur account of yetziat mitzraim produces overwhelming gratitude for the Divine Chessed granted each of us individually. Arousing gratitude for our individual freedom is best facilitated by a personal formulation of yetziat mitzraim,

כפי צחות לשון המספר, in expansive sippur.  

כל המאריך לספר יציאת מצרים, הרי זה משבח

  מצווה קנז 

הציווי שנצטווינו לספר ביציאת מצרים בליל ט"ו בניסן בתחילת הלילה כפי צחות לשון המספר, וכל מה שיוסיף לספר ולהאריך בדברים בהגדלת מה שעשו בנו ומה שענו אותנו המצרים ואיך נפרע לנו ה' מהם, ולהודות לו יתעלה, על כל החסד אשר גמלנו הרי זה משבח, כמו שאמרו: כל המאריך לספר יציאת מצרים, הרי זה משבח

The zechira of kiddush and sippur, is in fact, the exact same activity-- recognition of His beneficent acts. Each zechira identifies one of the two possible ways we recognize Hashem as a Benefactor: a. Universal Benefactor--Hashem Creator of the Cosmos  b. Particular Benefactor-- Hashem the redeemer of His People Israel. The specific human experience we undergo in recognizing Him through these two core acts, determines the form of rigorous speech we use, the conceptual form of kiddush or the descriptive form of storytelling appropriate to communicating His Sovereignty over the Political Order composed of the father's and sons of Israel.

                          

Clashing civilizations

Last week saw a battle between Israel and Hamas. At the surface level, the conflict was about deterrence, Hamas had to be convinced it lacked the power to shower rockets on Israel. 

At a deeper level, the roots of conflict are civilizational- Judaism and Islamist Hamas have incompatible claims to one and the same territory. These opposing claims emanate from two competing narratives of God’s Creation, both of which constitute their civilization's sense of legitimacy and its law. 

In both cases, to be legitimate, National sovereignty must be an extension of Nature created by God. The Created world has a law for every one of its parts, for the most remote galaxies, the Solar system and for Earth. Man is no exception to this general rule, as another part of Creation occupying space on Earth we too must act in accord with His law that controls all aspects of Creation.

For Islamists, the proper method for extending law to man is Islamism. Each and every man must live as a citizen in a world wide Caliphate- under Muslim sovereignty. This world wide Caliphate may begin in areas of Muslim power, ie where the "prophet" Muhammed first dwelled. But this merely a practical issue, from the initial staging ground the Caliphate is meant to extend outward to mankind generally.

 As a Non Muslim State within the immediate bounds of sacred territory dwelled in by Mohammed, the existence of Israel is a desecration of scripture, the height of affront to nature. The Islamists interpretation of religion demands that the territory currently under Israeli illegitimate occupation be made part of the emerging  Muslim Caliphate. The rocket attacks staged by Hamas are a stage in the larger campaign to liberate the land and establish the full Caliphate through Holy war of Jihad.

For Jews, sovereignty is also a matter of extending law into the domain of man, this extension is also to be done by scripture. It is in precisely this light that the restoration of Jewish Sovereignty in the territory of Israel is a fulfillment of scripture. Abraham received a covenant from Hashem that the Jewish people would inherit this land. The return of Jewish sovereignty is a redemption of the land, the end of a forced expulsion from our natural home. In the words of Israel’s declaration of independence:

The Land of Israel, was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.

After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.

Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim (Hebrew) - immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.

While this particular clash with Hamas is getting headlines and dominates conversation, in principle there is nothing new about it- Hamas is but the current opponent in a historic process. The Jewish nation was founded upon a core underlying dialectic about the nature of man’s place in the world, the legitimate way to extend natural law into the political arena and its laws for citizens. This dialectic Judaism brings into mankind is the basis of redemption and is the central thread of the Torah story. 

We will deal with this central thread of the Storyline of redemption in the next post. It is in the context of exploring the dialectic about extending the concept of natural law into terms applicable to legitimacy in sovereignty and law that we will move toward an answer to the original question. How does one preoccupied with material security afforded by Goel Yisrael ever come to recognize the Creator of Shamayim V'aretz.

The centrality of Redemption

In discussion with my friend David Guttman an extremely important topic came up, one I would like to clarify my thoughts about and receive feedback from others. See here . The discussion emerged from reading Jim Holt’s new book “why does the world exist”.  As the ambitious title implies, the book deals with the question known today as: “why is there something, rather than nothing”?

The central tenant of Judaism is that nothing but God is a “first existent”, necessarily existing without need of any cause. Attaining deep knowledge of the contigency of Creation upon God the ‘first existent” is therefore the very foundation of the Mitzva system- it is the ultimate goal the Torah guides us to attain.

But how do we reach this lofty goal? Rather than meditating on the Cosmos' need for His causal force, as Avraham Avinu did, our interest in “needs” is self-centered.The focus of our prayers is our material security, as individuals and as citizens of the Jewish nation and the world. We seek his Kingship, his powerful Hand acting to decimate our enemies and secure Israel’s well-being.

This preoccupation with material well being starts from the earliest times, from the sojourn of our forefathers in Egypt. We did not cry out to Hashem the Lord of our father’s to aid us in solving Father Abraham’s question “why there is something rather than nothing”. Our interest was much more material than that, we called out only when our personal existence was in crisis.

23 And it came to pass in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God saw the children of Israel, and God took cognizance of them. {S}

Our forefathers in Egypt came to believe in God through illustrations of Yad Hashem, His beneficent power to sustain us in material security and to deliver Israel from crisis.This interest in Hashem's mighty "hand" reaches its height at yam Suf, instigating the song of Az Yashir.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as one of them.29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.  30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. 31 And Israel saw the great hand which the LORD displayed upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses. {P}

1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea. 

This central fact, that our service is centered on Hashem’s "hand", is canonized in the culmination of Keriat Shema. We conclude Shema and enter tefilla focused upon recalling the event of Yam Suf, the quintessential illustration of His power. 

Shira chadasha shibechu geulim... the redeemed ones sang a new song (az yashir). All together they gave thanksgiving and recognized His Kingship saying : Hashem will rule for all eternity!

How is one whose service to Hashem centers on attaining security ever to be led to seek the "First Existent"?  How are we to move from focusing on the mighty hand of the Goel Yisrael, to seeking the cause of the Cosmos / Boreh Shamayim V'Aretz?

I will attempt to answer this in the next post exploring the centrality of the notion of "Redemption" as a preliminary stage in service to Hashem.

Theme of Sefer D'varim

ויהי בארבעים שנה, בעשתי עשר חדש, בראש חודש שבט, הקהיל את העם ואמר להם: הגיע זמן מותי, ואם יש בכם מי ששמע הלכה ושכחה, יבוא וישאלני ואבאר אותה, וכל מי שנסתפקה עליו שאלה יבא ואפרשנה לו, כמו שנאמר " הואיל משה באר את התורה הזאת לאמורRepitition or Review
Rambam, based upon Chazal, says that before his death Moshe offered one last opportunity to remember Halachot that had been forgotten, and to ask questions that remained unresolved. Upon reflection, this offer of a "final review" is highly problematic.

First of all, the Torah's term used to characterize this final teaching " הואיל משה באר את התורה הזאת לאמור" is "biur" which refers to "explanation" rather than "review".

In addition, for Moshe to push the people to learn halachos they had neglected, would be a sharp departure from his lifelong educational method. Clearly it was known that the Jews were forgetting Halachot, yet Moshe, wisely, followed a developmental approach, giving the Jews room to grow in Talmud Torah at their own rate. Why would he change this educational strategy at the end of his life?

The efficacy of offering one last review is also highly questionable. Moshe must have covered all the halachot many, many times during the 40 years in the desert. As Chazal point out, Moshe offered to review forgotten Halachot, not to teach new ones. Why would one more cycle of study solve the problem of forgetting Halachot, when 40 years had failed to do so?

The questions rest upon the assumption that Sefer Dvarim offers another instance in the same curricular cycle that had been going on for so many years. From this point of view, doing one more cycle of a curriculum which for 40 years has faiLed to remove forgetfulness from the people is irrational, inconsistent and futile. Rather, Rambam's reading of "הואיל משה באר את התורה הזאת לאמור presupposes viewing Sefer D'varim as a fundamentally new framework of study.

Up until Sefer Dvarim, study had been in the context of Talmud Torah, which by nature is ordered around personal development. From its very beginning the courts were set up to deal, first and foremost, with Mishpat, resolving disputes over property, the quintessentially personal domain.

In contrast as the name of the Sefer- "Dvarim" - suggests, Moshe's final teaching articulated a complete formulation, a precise order of D'varim which would serve as a new framework of Mesorah for all generations. Moshe saw the time of his death as a unique opportunity to frame Torah in its Mesorah context. It is in the moments prior to death, when the leader's objectivity is most evident, that such a perspective is possible. The follower is naturally focused on the reality of continuity, in light of the leaders approaching demise. Mussar that a youthful follower would previously have angrily rejected as an intrusion into his personal affairs, will at the proper historic moment, be perceived in its civilizational, rather than personal context.

It is in this context, that the last teaching is properly understood. This review is meant as an integral part of the emergence of a systematically presented Mesorah in clear, precise "Dvarim". In this sense, the review is in fact a true "biur" of the Torah not as another instance of the Talmud Torah that had been done up till then.

Avraham Avinu's approach to "rule of law"

 A redemptive message
Avraham taught that Hashem is the unique essential existent and is therefore necessarily El Olam: the source of the unified causality presupposed by all research into the systems of the universe. 

Implicit in this general principle of Avraham, lies a core application. This application has many implications which require a long process of reflection, indeed a full scale redemptive process, to become completely acknowledged and worked through. First let us deal with the application of Avraham's principle, then its redemptive implications.

Redemption 2.0
If all processes in the Universe are expressions of a unified causal order, it certainly follows that human life is itself, subject to causality. In fact, human life is a component process that occurs within the dictates of causality of the ecosystem of Earth. 

This insight, that human life must be understood as a special case of causality, has fundamental implications for the concept of "rule of law" in the State. If man is a part of the causal order,we are not free to live in accordance with any law which happens to produce consensus in the State as determined by popular vote, or any other means. Rather, each and every law must stand the test of harmoniously arising from the natural system in which we function.

This imperative to test each law by its consistency with natural Justice demands our best objective Judgement, not the simplistic political pronouncements we are so familiar with, which are no more than first opinions founded in ignorance and prejudice.

To fully implement the principle of natural justice is a transformational process because it contradicts a core convention of man. Law is classically intertwined with custom and ancient consensus about myths and folklore that people are deeply attached to. To educate the population in a dramatically new sense of natural justice is extremely difficult. Yet such is the redemptive mission of Talmud Torah, a study in which each and every law is released from first opinions, in favor of increasingly abstract conceptions. The abstract conceptions form a unified thought system, meeting the most rigorous logical standards. The centrality of this of redemption from first opinions is clearly indicated by the theme of Chumash, which is clearly a narrative which depicts the "sippur yetziat mitzraim" in a series of stories from the Creation of man until Sinai.

Taryag Mitzvot: the final articulation of redemption
Redemption of man reaches it height through the agency of Moshe Rabbenu. It was only the constitutional document of Torat Moshe Rabbenu that could give complete articulation to Avraham Avinu's call for a "rule of law" harmonious with nature. The taryag Mitzvot contain the system of principles, terms as well as the full set of cases and Biblical narratives needed for the ongoing education of the nation. It is the Talmud Torah process that redeems generation after generation of men away from a law of their own preconception and into a divine law organically emerging from discovery of natural processes which allows for a harmonious social system of citizens.

This redemptive sense of taryag was first presented by Moshe Rabbenu in Sefer D'varim and subsequently passed down through the generations until its current formulation by Rambam.

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.