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EIN YAAKOV

Eruvin 54a

Was the World Created by Heaven, or by Man?

Part of Ein Yaakov · 25:23

A philosophical class touching on Aristotle's reported deathbed retraction, the Rambam's view on secular knowledge, and the historical controversy over burning the Rambam's books.

Audio Transcript
Opening location in the Shiur

We're holding here in the middle of ืกื™ืžืŸ ื›\"ื‘. Holding on ื›\"ื‘, but it's the middle, closer to the end, closer to ืกื™ืžืŸ ื›\"ื’. And what we were learning till now was the importance of learning with your mouth, not just with your mind to understand, but to say the words with your mouth, to say it out. Starting all with Beruriah who kicked a talmid who was learning quietly, she said to him, \"You're not going to remember your Torah.\" And we had different pesukim before brought with pesukim indicate that if you learn with your mouth, then it'll stay with you. And here we're holding now, ืจื‘ื™ ื™ืฆื—ืง ืืžืจ ืžื”ื›ื, ืจื‘ื™ ื™ืฆื—ืง says we know it from this pasuk. The pasuk says: ื›ื™ ืงืจื•ื‘ ืืœื™ืš ื”ื“ื‘ืจ ืžืื“ ื‘ืคื™ืš ื•ื‘ืœื‘ื‘ืš ืœืขืฉื•ืชื•. Who's the Lubavitcher doesn't know this pasuk? ื“ืขืจ ืฉืขืจ ื‘ืœืื˜ ืคื•ืŸ Tanya it says that the whole Tanya is based on this ืคืกื•ืง, ื›ื™ ืงืจื•ื‘ ืืœื™ืš ื”ื“ื‘ืจ ืžืื“, the ื“ื‘ืจ, the thing, is close to you, ื‘ืคื™ืš in your mouth, ื•ื‘ืœื‘ื‘ืš in your heart, ืœืขืฉื•ืชื• to do. So the way the Gemara ื“ืจืฉ'ื ืก it, ืื™ืžืชื™ ืงืจื•ื‘ ืืœื™ืš ื”ื“ื‘ืจ ืžืื“? ื‘ื–ืžืŸ ืฉื‘ืคื™ืš ื•ื‘ืœื‘ื‘ืš ืœืขืฉื•ืชื•, that it's in your mouth and in your heart to do, which means that if it's in your mouth and you say it, then it's close to you. Which means it sticks to you, but if not, it doesn't stick. ืจื‘ื ืืžืจ ืžื”ื›ื, ืจื‘ื

Rava's Tehillim verse on heart and lips

says from a different pasuk. The pasuk in Tehillim says it, says like this: ืชืื•ืช ืœื‘ื• ื ืชืชื” ืœื•, the desire of his heart you gave him, ื•ืืจืฉืช ืฉืคืชื™ื• ื‘ืœ ืžื ืขืช ืกืœื”, and the movement, the saying of his lips you didn't stop forever. So he taytsh'es like this, the first part of the pasuk says that the ta'avah of your heart to get. The second one speaks about this movement of your lips. So he taytsh'es, ืื™ืžืชื™ ืชืื•ืช ืœื‘ื• ื ืชืชื” ืœื•? When does the Oybershter give the ta'avah shebalev? That means that in this case it means that if you want something in your heart, the Oybershter gives it to you already. You don't have to go ื‘ืฉืขื” ืฉืืจืฉืช ืฉืคืชื™ื• ื‘ืœ ืžื ืขืช ืกืœื”, if with your lips you say the Torah, then you're zocheh to this thing that the Oybershter gives you your heart. Ah? But davenen, it's for Torah, but of course it's more of tefillah. ืจื‘ื ืจืžื™, ืจื‘ื asked a stirah between two pesukim: ื›ืชื™ื‘, one pasuk says, ืชืื•ืช ืœื‘ื• ื ืชืชื” ืœื•, the Oibershter says I'm going to give him the taavah of his heart, that means all you have to do is want for it, you don't even have to ask for it. If in your heart you want it, the Oibershter says I'll give you. ื•ื›ืชื™ื‘, but the other end of the pasuk says, ื•ืืจืฉืช ืฉืคืชื™ื• ื‘ืœ ืžื ืขืช ืกืœื”, that if you bring it out with your lips, I won't hold it back. So obviously, just by wanting it in your heart is not enough, you have to bring it out in your lips. The

Zocheh vs Lo Zocheh explanation

Gemara answers: ื–ื›ื”, ืชืื•ืช ืœื‘ื• ื ืชืชื” ืœื•, if you're zocheh and you're in a high madreigah and you're in a zechut, then the Oibershter gives it to you just by you wanting it. ืœื ื–ื›ื”, if you're not ื–ื•ื›ื”, ืืจืฉืช ืฉืคืชื™ื• ื‘ืœ ืžื ืขืช ืกืœื”, you have to say it with your lips. This is an answer the Gemara gives many times. Yeah, that's the Oibershter, for sure. You get it? But this inyan of ื–ื›ื” ืœื ื–ื›ื”, we find as an answer to many kushyos in Gemara. Gemara asks a kushya: ื‘ืขืชื” ืื—ื™ืฉื ื”, ืžืฉื™ื— will come, it says ื‘ืขืชื” in its time, ืื—ื™ืฉื ื” is fast, which one will it be? ื–ื›ื” ืœื ื–ื›ื”. Then the Gemara asks another kushya: one pasuk says that Mashiach will be ืขื ื™ ื•ืจื•ื›ื‘ ืขืœ ื”ื—ืžื•ืจ, he'll come like a poor man riding a donkey, the other one says he'll come ื•ืืจื• ืขื ืขื ื ื™ ืฉืžื™ื, he'll come with the clouds flying. The Gemara answers: ื–ื›ื” is like this, ืœื ื–ื›ื” is like this. Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ืขื–ืจ ื›ื ื’ื“ื•! A wife is ืขื–ืจ ื›ื ื’ื“ื•. So the Gemara asks: is it ืขื–ืจ, or is it ื›ื ื’ื“ื•? ื–ื›ื”, ืขื–ืจ. ื›ื ื’ื“ื• means she'll be helping against him, so it's helping or against him? The Gemara answers: if he's zocheh, she will be helping him. If he's not ื–ื•ื›ื”, ื›ื ื’ื“ื•, she will be against. There is another pshat that kenegdo is an ezer, meaning that if she's against you it helps you. It brings you up, it matches... She helps you go to Gan Eden, that's what we learned... ื›ืคืจืช ืขื•ื•ื ื•ืช. Kaparah, yeah, you don't need Gehinom in this world anymore. Sometimes you need a wife to challenge the reasons why you should not do what you want to do. No, that's the famous pshat when the Gemara says: ืื™ื–ื•ื”ื™ ืืฉื” ื›ืฉื™ืจื”? ืขื•ืฉื” ืจืฆื•ืŸ ื‘ืขืœื”. Who's a proper woman who does the will of her husband? So ื—ืกื™ื“ื•ืช ื˜ื™ื™ื˜ืฉ'es, not she does, she makes. She could make him to have the right will. A ืืฉื” ื›ืฉื™ืจื” will make that it's ืจืฆื•ืŸ ื‘ืขืœื”. She will tell him what's right and what's wrong, and she has this ability to see things more clear than the husband. So, in a lot of these things we find... ืื‘ืขืจ ืžื›ืœ ืžืงื•ื ืฉื˜ื™ื™ื˜ ืขื–ืจ ื›ื ื’ื“ื•. ืื™ื– ื•ื•ืืก ื•ื•ืขื˜... ื ื‘ื—ื•ืจ ืื™ื– ื’ืขื•ื•ืขืŸ ื‘ื™ื™ ื ื›ืœื” ืžื’ื™ื“, so they asked him... ืขืจ ื”ืื˜ ืื™ื ื’ืขืคืจืขื’ื˜ ื•ื•ืืก ืžื™ื™ื ื˜ ืขื–ืจ ื›ื ื’ื“ื•? ืื™ื– ื“ืขืจ ืคืฉื˜ ืื™ื–, I know I I must be kenegdo. ืขื ื˜ืคืขืจื˜ ืขืจ: zachah! ืขื ื˜ืคืขืจื˜ ืขืจ, I'll be kenegdo. Kenegdo, but he don't get the pshat. Ezer kenegdo, she's going to help you. Oh, okay. Okay. Also, it says in one place, it's a machloket, actually it seems like a machloket, if the

Temple built by Heaven or by man

ื‘ื™ืช ื”ืžืงื“ืฉ ื”ืฉืœื™ืฉื™ is it built ื‘ื™ื“ื™ ืฉืžื™ื, it will come down from ืฉืžื™ื, or it'll be built ื‘ื™ื“ื™ ืื“ื, by people. So one of the answers the Rebbe gives is also, ื–ื›ื• ื•ืœื ื–ื›ื•, if you're ื–ื•ื›ื”, it'll be ืžืŸ ื”ืฉืžื™ื, and if ืœื ื–ื•ื›ื”, it'll come ื‘ื™ื“ื™ ืื“ื. ื–ืื’ื˜ ื“ื™ ื’ืžืจื: ืชื ื ื“ื‘ื™ ืจื‘ื™ ืืœื™ืขื–ืจ ื‘ืŸ ื™ืขืงื‘, we learn in the yeshivah of ืจื‘ื™ ืืœื™ืขื–ืจ ื‘ืŸ ื™ืขืงื‘, ื›ืœ ืžืงื•ื ืฉื ืืžืจ ื ืฆื—, ืกืœื”, ื•ืขื“, wherever it says one of these three words, ืื™ืŸ ืœื• ื”ืคืกืง ืขื•ืœืžื™ื, it's not going to stop forever, it's going to continue forever. Where do we know it? ื ืฆื—? Because ื“ื›ืชื™ื‘, it says, ื›ื™ ืœื ืœืขื•ืœื ืืจื™ื‘, I won't argue forever, ื•ืœื ืœื ืฆื— ืืงืฆื•ืฃ, and not forever will I be angry. So we see the first part of the ืคืกื•ืง uses the word ืœืขื•ืœื, and the second one ืœื ืฆื—. So we know it goes the same thing. So ืœื ืฆื— means ืœืขื•ืœื. ืกืœื”, where do we know that the word ืกืœื” goes forever? ื“ื›ืชื™ื‘, it says, ื›ืืฉืจ ืฉืžืขื ื• ื›ืŸ ืจืื™ื ื•, like we heard and we saw, ื‘ืขื™ืจ ื”' ืฆื‘ืื•ืช, in the city of ื”' ืฆื‘ืื•ืช, ื‘ืขื™ืจ ืืœืงื™ื ื•, ืืœืงื™ื ื™ื›ื•ื ื ื” ืขื“ ืขื•ืœื ืกืœื”. The Aibershter is going to What does that mean, ื™ื›ื•ื ื ื”? Huh? Establish it, forever, ืกืœื”. So we see ืขื•ืœื and ืกืœื” go together. ื•ืขื“, where do we see that? ื“ื›ืชื™ื‘, it says, ื”' ื™ืžืœื•ืš ืœืขื•ืœื ื•ืขื“. Here again it says the word ืœืขื•ืœื together with ื•ืขื“. So these three So a lot of times you want to say something really, really forever, what do you say? ื ืฆื—, ืกืœื”, ื•ืขื“. It includes all three ืœืฉื•ื ื•ืช, because you have all three, it means like completely. And ืขื•ืœื also? Huh? Doesn't ืขื•ืœื mean the same thing? Yeah. So why is it only the list of three, it doesn't say ืขื•ืœื? Where? Anything that's Why is No, whenever we use a word, 'cause here the whole ืจืื™ื” for these three is from the word ืœืขื•ืœื. ืœืขื•ืœื we know it means forever. We don't know that ื ืฆื—, ืกืœื”, ื•ืขื“. So since these ืคืกื•ืงื™ื has ื ืฆื— or ืกืœื” or ื•ืขื“ together with ืœืขื•ืœื, so you know it's forever. What's forever? What's forever? Torah u'mitzvot. Yeah, only yeah. Anything, anything The Rambam has a ื›ืœืœ: ื›ืœ ื”ื•ื” ื ืคืกื“. Anything that's only temporary, that was made, will have to eventually stop. There is no such thing as to be forever. In other words, ื‘ืขืฆื, any ื ื‘ืจื has to at one point stop. Since it had a beginning, it has to have an end. But sometimes it could take a year, it could take 10 years, it could take a million years. So why did he have such respect for Aristotle said not that way? He held Aristotle to be such a genius, the Rambam? He had before, but not not not Aristotle Aristotle thought the ืขื•ืœื is ืงื“ืžื•ืŸ. Yeah. But he changed his mind later. Aristotle changed his mind? Yeah. Who said

Aristotleโ€™s lateโ€‘life letter on creation

Aristotle changed his mind? He wrote a letter to Rav Shimon ben Shetach. There's a printed letter that he wrote to Shimon ben Shetach, writing clearly. The letter is printed in Seder HaDorot, I think, Shem HaGedolim. Oh, yeah? Yeah, you should see it. A very geshmacke letter. And he writes to him that in his old age he realized he made a mistake, and he believes in the ื‘ื•ืจื ืขื•ืœื, and the world is not a ืงื“ืžื•ืŸ, the world was created. And he says, \"I wish I could change it, but it's too late now. My books spread out throughout the world and I cannot take it back.\" And he felt bad why he can't take it back, but he says clearly, \"I I realized my mistake.\" He realized, yeah, he's like He was such a mind that eventually he came to recognize the truth. So he wrote this letter. So by that time, so the Rambam, so why didn't the Rambam say that about him? Why why why wasn't the Rambam The Rambam said that told people that Aristotle changed his mind? I don't know. I never I don't know. What's ืžื” ื ื•ื’ืข? What did the Rambam bring that I never heard about this. Oh, you didn't hear? Okay. A lot of things you didn't hear, a lot of things I didn't hear, but a lot of things we all didn't hear, so what? So this I'm devastated! He he he live and learn. He lavished praise on him. Yeah, because he was very wise. And that's why the HaGaon criticized the Rambam, he says, ื”ืคื™ืœื•ืกื•ืคื™ื ื”ืืจื•ืจื”, he told so he went, he accepted that that that that philosopher. That's That's one of the ื˜ืขื ื•ืช ื—ืกื™ื“ื™ื had against the HaGaon for writing that. Against against taking the Rambam? Yeah. In other words, how could you write a thing that the Rambam writes in Sefer HaYad, which is ืกืคืจ ื”ืœื›ื•ืช, and write that that's ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช? He writes he writes that the Rambam wrote this ื›ื™ืฉื•ืฃ, that's where it is. The Rambam, what what does the Gra write this? ื”ืœื›ื•ืช ืขื‘ื•ื“ื” ื–ืจื”, where it talks about ื›ื™ืฉื•ืฃ. And the Rambam writes there is no such thing as ืฉื“ื™ื, and the Rambam writes this ื›ื™ืฉื•ืฃ is false, it doesn't have no ืžืžืฉ, it's not true, and everyone has a ืงืฉื™ื on the Rambam, how can he say there's no ืฉื“ื™ื? The hundred hundreds of places in Gemara, hundreds where it talks about ืฉื“ื™ื. So he the so the Gra writes, You don't believe in it. that that that, no, he says that he was ื ืžืฉืš ืื—ืจ ื”ืคื™ืœื•ืกื•ืคื™ื, and I look in the new print, the word ื”ืืจื•ืจื” they took out, the printers took out because it's too sharp. But the way I saw an old print of the Shulchan Aruch, where it says ื ืžืฉืš ืื—ืจ ื”ืคื™ืœื•ืกื•ืคื™ื ื”ืืจื•ืจื”, the cursed philosopher, the Rambam. and that's why he writes like that. He cursed the Rambam? No, cursed philosophy, not cursed the, but that's why he was influenced by ื ืžืฉืš after this philosophy of of, and that's why he ืคืกืง the ื“ื™ื ื™ื the way he did. In other words, what the Gra is saying here, and Chasidim had this side, that no, how could you say an halacha in Rambam, how could you make a ื—ื™ืœื•ืง? You have ื”ืœื›ื•ืช ืฉื‘ืช and ื”ืœื›ื•ืช ื—ืžืฅ ื•ืžืฆื”, ืื•, ืชื•ืจื” ืžืกื™ื ื™, and a different halacha, and there it's ืขื‘ื•ื“ื” ื–ืจื”, or ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช? How could you say But you yourself hold the same, that the Rambam was wrong with that? I don't say he was wrong, but I say we probably didn't understand what he meant. Oh, we didn't understand what he meant. Right, exactly! But he said there's no such thing as ืฉื“ื™ื. Yeah, yeah, the Rambam is not wrong! It's not your place. You cannot say the Rambam was wrong, anyone who says the Rambam was wrong, I don't want to use the words, because you're just The Rambam wrote a sefer, people should understand it. He said there's no ืฉื“ื™ื, he meant there's no ืฉื“ื™ื, simple as that. He didn't mean they're not fully grown or something like other people the Yad Hachazakah is supposed to be for pashut people to understand it. He didn't write it on a ื“ืจืš ืžืฉืœ, a metaphor, that he means That's one thing. That's, but what That's from don't believe in them, there's no ืฉื“ื™ื if you don't That's the one side. That's the one side. But? That's one side. Now look at the other side. What's the other side? Anybody who says that the word of the Rambam in his sefer, in Sefer HaYad is is ืฉืงืจ, the ื“ืขืช is ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช. So then why don't you cross out the the No, don't cross out, you just don't know. What what about the Why did the use his own ื”ืœื›ื” ืฉ The Raavad could The Raavad could use what he wants. The Raavad is as great as the Rambam. The Raavad could write, it's contemporary. The Raavad could write whatever he wants. Most people don't hold the Raavad is as great as the Rambam. Okay, I don't know, I'm not going to measure the Raavad, but the but the Raavad is the Raavad. We're not talking about the Raavad, we're talking about me and you. Anybody, just like anybody who says a word of the Gemara is wrong, a word of the Gemara is, in any form or shape, So the Raavad said, he all makes makes a mistake. I don't know the the Raavad said, you know what the what Rabbeinu Tam writes on Rashi? On his grand On his grandfather, he writes in Chullin, on something on that that Rabbeinu Tam, in Tosafos, that's something that that Rashi said is ื›ืฉืจ, a ืžื—ืœื•ืงืช, and he says it's ื˜ืจืฃ, and he writes this ืœืฉื•ืŸ: ื›ืœ ืื” anybody who says that this is ื›ืฉืจ, ืžืื›ื™ืœ ื˜ืจืคื•ืช ืœื™ืฉืจืืœ. On on Rashi, on his grandfather. In the final ืคืกืง, and the Raavad, and Rabbeinu Tam says that Rashi's tefillin is ืคืกื•ืœ, and if you put on Rashi's tefillin, you're not ืžืงื™ื™ื ืžืฆื•ืช ืชืคื™ืœื™ืŸ. It's Rabbeinu Tam. I thought that Rashi's tefillin is ืคืกื•ืœ, anybody who puts, according to Rabbeinu Tam, anyone who puts on Rashi's tefillin not his, pashut, not ืžืงื™ื™ื ืžืฆื•ืช ืชืคื™ืœื™ืŸ. And Rashi holds that everyone who puts on Rabbeinu Tam's tefillin is ืคืกื•ืœ. And what? So, we're going to get So, what did we say? ืืœื• ื•ืืœื• ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืืœืงื™ื ื—ื™ื™ื! Put them both on, if you don't put them both on, but they're ืืœื• ื•ืืœื• ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืืœืงื™ื ื—ื™ื™ื, they're both true. Same thing with the Rambam! Any word that the Rambam says is holy! It's not that holy, it's ื›ื ืกืช, the Aibershter! And to say that the Rambam made a mistake, so I I If the Rambam made a mistake, I don't trust anything the Rambam writes! If the Rambam could be followed by ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช and write things in the Yad Hachazakah, ืกืคืจ ื”ืœื›ื” is ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช, I don't trust a word in ื”ืœื›ื•ืช ืฉื‘ืช, I don't trust a word in anything. It doesn't make, it doesn't make sense! He didn't say it's ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช, he's saying The ืคื™ืœื•ืกื•ืคื™ื ื”ืืจื•ืจื” is apikorsus! That's why he wrote that there is no such thing as shedim. Right, so the Rambam is writing apikorsus! If people who believe there is no such thing as shedim So the Rambam is writing philosophy which is against the Torah, right? So the Rambam is writing philosophy which is false philosophy, in the Yad Hachazakah, in ืกืคืจ ื”ืœื›ื•ืช, yeah? So why can't you send the Gemara in the same, you can't have the Gemara in the same things. And there are some people, modern Orthodox claim that, that whatever the Gemara says which is ื ื•ื’ืข to facts of ื’ืฉืžื™ื•ืช, they made mistakes. So, Reuven, you know how to make mistakes? There is a letter from the Rebbe's father, it's a geshm ake letter to read, everyone should read it. You can't understand the letter, it's full Kabbalah and everything, but this is one letter that I understood. And he writes like this, every word of the Gemara is holy, every word the Eibershter says, and then he says, even though it says ื‘ื™ืช ืฉืžืื™ ื‘ืžืงื•ื ื‘ื™ืช ื”ืœืœ ืื™ื ื” ืžืฉื ื”, ื‘ื™ืช ืฉืžืื™ in Beit Hillel is nothing, ื”ื’ื•ืฃ ื”ื™ื ืชื•ืจื”! And then he says even more, the Gemara says punked about Rav Ashi, I don't know why it's punked Rav Ashi, that Rav Ashi had certain opinion: ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืจื‘ ืืฉื™ ื‘ื“ื•ืชื ื”ื™ื, or ื‘ื“ื•ืชื ื”ื™ื, that the words of It's mentioned a few places in Shas, two ื’ืจืกืื•ืช. Or ื‘ื“ื•ืชื ื”ื™ื means it's outside, it's nothing, or ื‘ื“ื•ืชื ื”ื™ื ืฉื—ื•ืง. So, the Gemara said that halacha is not like Rav Ashi in certain ื“ื™ื ื™ื, not only that, what he says is ื ืจื“ ืฉืงื™ื™ื˜. So, know what he writes? to the Rebbe, it's supposed to be that not only what he said is Torah in the Eibershter, the word that what he said is ื‘ื“ื•ืชื is also the Eibershter! Every word of the Gemara is the Eibershter! Every word of the Gemara is ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื. Every word of the Rambam is ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื. Anybody says that a word of the Rambam is is is is false you can say something argued, the Raavad argues, but ืืœื• ื•ืืœื• ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืืœืงื™ื ื—ื™ื™ื, ื‘ื™ืช ืฉืžืื™ and ื‘ื™ืช ื”ืœืœ also argued, and some people called each other, you know, you're you're what you're, like the like you hear the row to Rashi: You're ืžืื›ื™ืœ ื˜ืจืคื•ืช ืœื™ืฉืจืืœ, and you don't know what you're talking about, the Raavad writes on on the Rambam: ืคืฉื•ื˜ words, you don't know what you're talking about, you're right. This is you But that's the Raavad and the Rambam, it's all ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืืœืงื™ื ื—ื™ื™ื. To say, so as we are saying, this is one of the ta'anot that they had, I had this discussion with the Yaakov Kaminetsky in this inyan, I, once here, and because he told me the Rambam at the beginning of Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, yes, he told me, well he didn't tell me like this, we're talking stam azoi, the Rambam in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah writes that the the chomer of the levanah of the the is a different it's not made from the ื“ืณ ื™ืกื•ื“ื•ืช. So this we know is ืืฉ, ืžื™ื, ืจื•ื—, ืขืคืจ, is it? This is a different. So he said when they stepped on the moon the first time, he says, I was interested to see and you could see it on television. So I went to my neighbor, cuz he told me he went to my neighbor in Monsey to watch it on television how they stepped go on the moon. Sitting there watching and the way that it came out that the moon is the same chomer as as we have. He says, it bothered me. He said the Rambam says not, how could how could there be such things? He says for a few days bin ich nisht geven kein mentsh. And then he told me by the way, he says, I think the fact that I was so nervous and nisht kein mentsh for a few days was a punishment why I watched television. This he told me this word. Huh? No, no, he said, it bothered him. But then he said, after a few days, I chapt zich the answer to the kashya. Like it's an answer what's an answer. So, first expression he says to me, I realize that this is not Rambam. So I asked him, I said, what do you mean that sometimes you know, like in Rashi we find ืชืœืžื™ื“ ื˜ื•ืขื”, someone else wrote it and it got arayngemischt in the Rambam? So, that could be a sevara that he feels the Rambam didn't write it. So I says, is that what you mean? He says, no, no, no, no, the Rambam wrote it, but it's not Torah. It's philosophy, and it's takeh wrong. When he said that to me, I jumped. And there I was by myself with him, no one was there, cuz if somebody else there they wouldn't let me Cuz I started arguing with him. I mean, with ื“ืจืš ืืจืฅ, I mean I didn't speak with ื“ืจืš ืืจืฅ, I said to him, what do you mean it's not ืชื•ืจื”, ืจื‘ื™? Where Where isn't the Rambam Torah? No, this is not Torah. And he quoted me the Gra, so I said, I know the Gra. So you know what? By me the Gra is holy enough that I could say I don't understand what the Gra says. To accept the words of the ื’ืจืดื ื›ืคืฉื•ื˜ื• to me makes no sense. So Halvai, I'm not saying the Gra is wrong. I don't know what he meant, but to say that this this to me, I said, I I I don't understand this. And he started arguing with me and said, no. So I said to him, I don't understand. Halachot Yesodei HaTorah is ื ื™ืฉื˜ ืงื™ื™ืŸ ืชื•ืจื”? That's what it the yesod This is Halachot Yesodei HaTorah is ื ื™ืฉื˜ ืงื™ื™ืŸ ืชื•ืจื”? I I wish I would have had tape, I'd be able to to figure out exactly what he meant, but it took a half an hour that and he argued back. At the end, I think he softened up his position somehow, even though someone told me later that he said it once by a Knessia HaGedolah in Eretz Yisrael, and the olam was very shocked to hear that. But then so I said if it's written the right so I quoted him what it says at the end of Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh. I said, tell me a pshat there. The Rambam writes Kiddush Kiddush HaChodesh is all the ืคืจืงื™ื talks about astronomy, pure astronomy, most of it is pure astronomy, I don't I have nowhere else I saw worse things there, but it's all astronomy. And the Rambam writes there that it a lot of it is written in the books of the the the ื’ื•ื™ื™ืฉืข astronomers. Then at the end the Rambam writes, why am I writing it here in my sefer? Why? Shouldn't I if there it's written in the books of astronomy, go ื›ื“ื™, he says, people when they want to know this shouldn't have to go to other books, they should learn it from Torah. In other words, when it's written in the Rambam it's Torah. The Rambam himself says it's Torah. The same thing if you read it in an astronomy book, you read it in the

Rambam vs Secular Knowledge: Sanctity Differences

Rambam, this is kedushah. If you read it in an astronomy book, it's ื—ื›ืžื•ืช ื—ื™ืฆื•ื ื™ื•ืช, it's ืคืฉื•ื˜ ื—ื›ืžื•ืช ื—ื™ืฆื•ื ื™ื•ืช which the Alter Rebbe says is ืžื˜ืžื ื—ื‘ืดื“ ืฉื‘ื ืคืฉ. Read the same thing in the Rambam, you're learning ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื, every word of the Eibershter. And now you're going to tell me Huh? Even though the same thing. But then in the Rambam it's it's Rambam. The Rambam is holy. You're learning a Gemara, imagine you're learning a Gemara ืขืฆื” ื˜ื•ื‘ื”, and an ืขืฆื” ื˜ื•ื‘ื” you're learning in Gemara, it's a good a good ืขืฆื” which which it tells helpful in different books also. If you read it in a book, you're wasting your time and it's bitul Torah and it's ื“ื‘ืจื™ื ื‘ื˜ืœื™ื. And if you read it in the Gemara, the same thing, you're learning, you're connecting with the Eibershter. And the best raaya is, I asked somebody once, I was arguing with someone once, that when you read that line in Gemara which says these things which is science or medicine, do you have to make a Birkat HaTorah before you learn that piece? You can't learn Torah without Birkat HaTorah, and are you telling me you could learn this piece without Birkat HaTorah? Someone said you can't. So no, so since it's Torah, and what do you mean? What's the ื”ืฉื ื™ืฉืžืจื ื• ืœืขืกื•ืง ืื• ืœื ืœืขืกื•ืง ื‘ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืชื•ืจื”? ืขืœ ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืชื•ืจื” and you're learning something which is apikorsut or something which is shtutot? Cuz they say, they want to taanah whatever the Gemara says is science and now we found out that it's not like that, the Gemara made a mistake. Why? Because the chachamim were takeh great smart people, scientists, but they knew science to the best level of that time, but now science knows more, so they made a mistake. So I

When Sages Err: Questioning Our Trust

say, if you made a mistake, if Rabbeinu HaKadosh and Rav Ashi made a mistake and Abaye veRava made a mistake, I don't trust them anymore. I I don't trust my Yiddishkeit without that also. They made a mistake there, too. I mean, how to trust them? I don't, I don't trust Abaye veRava with... It's, it's, it's... And the Gemara say, Simpson, Simpson kick picture, what you'll be saying is wrong, what you'll be saying is wrong, you know? Then they don't understand. That's something else, no. That's if it's a pshat, we're not talking, we're talking pshatim. Okay, so we don't understand. Then there's a ืฉื›ืœ ืื ื•ืฉื™. The modern people, aber die yeshivishe welt should take Torah as ืฉื›ืœ ืื ื•ืฉื™? Seichel, and the rest is Elokut. It's ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื, and the Rambam says, oh the Rambam made a mistake also. The Rambam says ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืฉืœ ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื, ื”ื•ื ื•ื—ื›ืžืชื• ืื—ื“. So the Torah is Eibershter. So when you learn that, in this, someone would say we learn a story in the Gemara in Ein Yaakov, which to some people at some time looks like ื‘ื‘ื ืžืขืฉื™ื•ืช. They read, it sounds like ื‘ื‘ื ืžืขืฉื™ื•ืช, it's ืžืขืฉื™ื•ืช ืื–ืขืœื›ืข, ื—ืกื™ื“ื•ืช. It's Eibershter! Every word is Eibershter's seder! Machloket. Why can't there be a machloket? Machloket of what? Machloket of what? Why can't there... Oh, that could be! The

Rambamโ€™s Stance on Demons and Interpretation

Rambam holds that... ืฉื“ื™ื... The Rambam holds that they're really... He says there's no ืฉื“ื™ื, but he really means there is ืฉื“ื™ื, this I didn't hear from him. You can't say he's wrong! That word on the Rambam is wrong, you cannot say! Oh, we don't pasken like him. That's something else! A lot of things we don't pasken like the Rambam. Shulchan Aruch, so many things we don't pasken like the Rambam? So many things! Oh, that's no question we don't pasken. Why do we don't pasken like the Rambam? But the Rambam is not wrong. The Rambam is... If the Gemara says farkert, try to find a teirutz. And if I don't have a teirutz, is it weiter good? So I have to have a teirutz, how the Rambam learns peshat in the Gemara. Because otherwise, every time when you learn the Kesef Mishneh on the Rambam and every other... Every Rambam has a kashya. Das steht nicht in der Gemara, this in yeshiva we have shiur today, you should see the Rambam, he took over the Gemara. So, you know what? I have an easy teirutz! He made a mistake! He made a mistake! The Gemara works farkert, and he forgot, and he forgot the Gemara! Or maybe the Gemara made a mistake? Or maybe the Gemara made a mistake, yeah. I mean, what kind of kashya? Nobody ever said he forgot the Gemara. I mean, you can't... In other words, if you can say he made a mistake, it's we might as well open the other... throw up. There's no middle ground here, it's either this or this, you know? I don't say, I don't want to use this, that's not a nice expression, but a bissele more better, you know, it's... Yeah. Well. So the Rambam says, oh yeah, and the Raavad does not even argue.

Physical Universe Eternity Debate in Chassidic Thought

According to this, a physical system would need a physical universe. If this universe is eternal, physical universe, how does that go on? I mean, we we say that... The Rebbe's letter that everything is physical. The Rebbe had a... Physical is ืžื•ื’ื‘ืœ. Yeah, ืžื•ื’ื‘ืœ. And then we say the physical universe is eternal. Yeah, because the Aibershter can make it then. So it's... The Aibershter can make it, not ืžืฆื“ ืขืฆืžื•. Anything that created, so that's something that far off can be forever, it has to stop. ืืœื ืžืื™? The ืื™ื™ื‘ืขืจืฉื˜ืขืจ, ื›ื•ืœ ื™ื›ื•ืœ, can do anything he wants. Same thing, it says there is... it says there's... huh? It's ืžื•ื’ื‘ืœ ื‘ืขืฆื, but why does it have to be ืžื•ื’ื‘ืœ? What so it says there's ืขื•ืœืžื•ืช, ื’ืฉืžื™ and ื‘ืœื™ ื’ื‘ื•ืœ. But we know that cannot be. A ืžื•ื’ื‘ืœ'ื“ื™ืงืข thing cannot be ื‘ืœื™ ื’ื‘ื•ืœ. But the ืื™ื™ื‘ืขืจืฉื˜ืขืจ ืจื•ืฆื”, the Aibershter can make anything he wants. Is there a difference from a ืจืืฉื•ืŸ to an ืื—ืจื•ืŸ? Yes, depends also which ืื—ืจื•ื ื™ื. No. There's first ืื—ืจื•ื ื™ื, there's later ืื—ืจื•ื ื™ื. The Alter Rebbe said it's it's holy, it's holy. Yes, it's holy. But that's not, that's not because it's it's not because it's ืื—ืจื•ื ื™ื, it's because... huh? ื‘ืื–ื•ื ื“ืขืจืข. Do you have all all the parts... No. I've been applying it the rest of the places? No. If for for me or for you the Rebbe... No, we're talking now. There are, there are ื–ื™ื™ืขืจ ืคื™ื™ื ืข... Farkert, the Satmar would not hold that way, I think he does. He has to hold that way. I'm saying, but there are certain certain people or certain things which is the Klal Yisrael goes under a ื—ืœืง of Torah. That's not, that's clear. No one is going to argue. In the

Historical Controversy: Burning the Rambamโ€™s Books

time of the Rambam, there was an argument. They burned the Rambam's sefarim! They burned the Rambam's sefarim! But, huh? Rabbeinu Yonah, yeah. Rabbeinu... And someone will say on the Rabbeinu Yonah that he is wrong is also is is is against is ืืคื™ืงื•ืจืกื•ืช. Okay, he changed his mind, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he later ื—ืจื˜ื”. Huh? Put a stone... yeah, yeah. We're talking that's contemporary, at that time. But I'm saying we're looking back at the Rishonim... ืจืืฉื•ื ื™ื ื›ืžืœืื›ื™ื! We're talking about the Rishonim, the Rishonim like the Rambam and Rashi! These, to us, these are not even people! Rashi is not a person. He was a person. Rashi is a concept! Rashi is a ืžื“ืจื’ื”! Rambam is a human being, but in our eyes, the Rambam is... Rambam, it's it's it's Torah, it's not even... Like someone said, you know, the Rambam was a person. Someone once walked into the toilet with the Rambam. Said, \"How could you walk in?\" Said, \"The Rambam himself walked into the toilet!\" The Rambam is, you know, the human being, yeah, he walked into the toilet. The Rambam is to us is is Eibershter, it's... I

Applying Rambamโ€™s Medical Advice in Modern Times

don't understand the nature when nature changes and his medical advice. That's a megillah! Just want to ask a question, does that mean today what he said is wrong or doesn't apply, or... No, no, but that's that's something else. Must be though on medical advice, and that is ืคื™ืจื•ืฉ. Thanks for the time. I was I was mevatel your shiur today and... Okay, but a shiur is something else. Yeah, it's okay. ื”ื—ื›ืžื” ืชื—ื™ื” ื‘ืขืœื™ื”. Yeah. But but but to learn something, it's worth it.

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