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Copy Right 2022
Rabbi Dr Zvi Aviner
IDOLATRY-3/ ELHM’s Ways of JUDGING
The 13 Features of ELKM
1: ELHM, the BUILDER-JUDGE
Genesis Chapter One is telling us that, for Six Days,
ELHM built the World, Day by Day, as a Six Floors Building,
placing each Floor on top of the previous one.
At the end of each Day, each Floor,
ELHM – the BUILDER- checked that Floor to see whether
it was ‘strong’ enough to carry another Floor on top.
If the Floor was “good” – in the BUILDER’S eye,
meaning if it was strong and viable and capable of supporting
another Floor on top, the BUILDER would allow it to stay.
Here the term “good” carries no moral value,
Since it is seen in the BUILDER’S eyes.
That sort of JUDGMENT, is expressed by the verse saying,
“ELKM saw that it was good, there was evening, and there was morning,
the Day (was over.)”
Note that the outcome of being “good,” implies the existence
Of an opposite verdict of being ‘not good’ in ELKM’s eyes.
Tradition says (and there are clues for that) that if a Floor
couldn’t support the next one, ELKM the BUILDER-JUDGE
would eliminate it or discard it like a scaffold
that is no longer needed.
Hence, during the Six Days of CREATION,
the BUILDER acted also as a JUDGE, assessing His CREATION.
His yardstick is ‘efficiency’ rather than morality.
2: ELHM Pursues Absolute Justice and Truth
Tradition also says that ELKM follows the Absolute Justice and Truth.
He is called “The truthful JUDGE,” (Dayan Ha-Emeth.)
His nickname is “Truth, (emeth,)
and His signature” is “Truth.”
Hence, wherever His Name appears in the text, it is
a stamp of truthfulness.
Since His Name appears 32 times in the Six Days of CREATION,
the story must be true!
Indeed, we’ll see how truthful is the story of CREATION.
3: ELHM Pays Back “Measure for Measure”
(Midah be Midah)
ELKM’s retributions are precise, “Measure for Measure,”
in exact fashion.
Under His rule, during the Six Days,
creatures are allowed to eat other creatures
because they too would be eaten, measure for measure!
A wolf may prey on the lamb, since soon a tree would fall
on the wolf and kill it, in Absolute cycle of Justice
.
Under ELKM, creatures are allowed to inflict pains on others,
since they too would suffer pains. Note that Man too
lives under ELKM, whose retributions are “measure for measure.”
Also note that it was “The Finger Of ELHM” who wrote
the Torah the rule “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,”.
(Exodus 32: 15)
4: ELoHiM’s Judgment is Harsh and Merciless
ELKM’s Judgment is precise and harsh, with no MERCY.
When He, as the BUILDER, deems a creature or a Day as not good anymore,
He would eliminate it readily with no remorse or mercy
5: ELHM Created the Six Days
As a Dictator, Awesomely Alone
During the Six Days of CREATION,
ELHM created the world by Commands.
He said, “Let there be Light” and Light was.
He said “Let they Earth grow grass” and it did.
He said, “Let Luminaries hang in the sky” and they did.
Thus, during the Six Day, He created and ruled “Awesomely Alone”,
discussing or consulting no one, and no one dared to object His words.
It was only before making Adam, that ELHM changed the way He ruled.
Instead of giving an order such as “let there be an Adam,”
He spoke in plural, saying “Let Us Make an Adam in Our Form and our Image.”
Hence, He relinquished His Sole Power as a Dictator,
and created Adam as a King Who Consults.
.
6: ELHM Created with Wisdom
Nature is built by ELHM’s Wisdom.
The more we know about the Universe by our Science,
the more we appreciate that Godly Wisdom.
The Rabbis found a hint for that Wisdom in the verse saying:
“In the Beginning, ELKM created the Heavens and the Earth”
The Hebrew word for Beginning, “Be-reishit”
can be read as “in the head of the events,”
implying that He used His Head,
or the Wisdom and Science in His Head,
to create the Heavens and the Earth.
What sort of Wisdom did ELHM used to Create the World?
Kabbalah distinguishes between Khochama, “general conception”,
and Binah, “deriving one concept from another in details.”
Then ‘daat’ which stands practical implication in real life.
Kabbalah says that the Wisdom by Which ELKM created the world
Is at the three levels mentioned above.
7: ELHM Creates and JUDGES with Precision
ELHM’s precision as a BUILDER and a JUDGE
is reflected in Nature.
His Natural Laws are so precise, that they can be expressed by mathematics.
For instance: If you have changed an item, you may get another Universe.
If you change the electrons’ charge a little bit you’d get another Universe.
Hence the saying, that our Universe is “elegant.”
8: ELoHiM is Kind, the Ultimate Provider
Merciless and Harsh He is, yet Kind. He is the Ultimate Provider,
that provides every creature with the talent and the resources
needed for its survival. Thus –
1: He gave the vegetation born on the Third Day,
the talent to perform photo synthesis.
2: He gave the fish born on the Fifth Day,
the gills and the fins to swim.
3: He gave the birds made on the Fifth Day,
the wings to soar up and eyes to catch fish.
4: He gave the crocodiles made on the Fifth Day,
the talents to lie like a log to catch birds.
5: He gave the cattle born on the Sixth Day,
the talent to digest so much vegetation.
6: He gave the beasts made on the Sixth Day,
the talent to prey on cattle.
7: He gave the crawling creatures made on the Sixth Day,
the teeth to bite and tear flesh apart.
8: He gave Adam made on the Sixth Day,
the mind and body heneeds to survive and thrive in his habitat.
9: ELoHiM “Sits” at the Heart of Nature
Where is ELHM? Above? Below? We can only say that,
since His Name appears 32 times in the Six Days,
and since 32 is written “Lb”, ‘a heart’ in Hebrew,
ELHM ‘sits’ at the Heart of Nature,
sustaining it as the heart sustains the body.
Miraculously,
the numerical value of “EeLoHiM” is 86,
the same as for ‘The Nature,’ Ha-teva.
Hence, ELKM created Nature.
10: ELoHiM Uses Water as a Whip
Genesis verse 1:2 says:
“And the wind (spirit) of ELKM,
was hovering over the waters.”
Hence,
- ELHM’s Throne of Judgment hovers over waters.
- ELHM uses water as a whip, as in Noah’s Flood.
- ELKM is enthroned over water, as on Rosh Hashanah holiday.
11: ELHM Sees Everything
ELHM’s Justice penetrates everything, like water.
Nothing escapes His Scrutiny.
12: ELHM’s Justice is Equal to All
ELHM recognizes neither royalty nor privileges.
His judgment is equal and even to all, like water surface.
13: ELoHiM Weights our Merits on His Scale
ELHM weights our deeds on His Scale:
He places our merits on one side, our sins on the other.
The tilt of the scale would determine whether we are either –
Righteous or Wicked in His eyes.
Note that ELHM does not judge us by our character,
but rather by our actions.
Now that we’ve delineated some of the ways,
that ELHM acts and judges, and that He seeks the TRUTH,
we may ask: is the story of Genesis true?
Can it be matched by our scientific knowledge?