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How can one person exempt the entire world from divine judgment? The shiur explains that achieving the spiritual level of aspaklaria hamir allows a person to invoke divine mercy rather than strict justice. This occurs through perfecting the father-son relationship with God, awakening His paternal feelings and shifting His mode of relating to the world from din to rachamim.
This shiur analyzes several interconnected teachings from Sukkah 45b, beginning with the requirement to use mitzvah (מצוה) objects in their natural growth direction and the eternal nature of the Mishkan's shittim wood. Rabbi Zweig addresses the seemingly impossible claim that one person can exempt the entire world from divine judgment through their merit. The core theological question revolves around understanding divine justice (din) versus divine mercy (rachamim). Rabbi Zweig explains that while divine judgment represents the ultimate kindness - allowing humans to earn their reward independently - divine mercy represents a deeper expression of God's chesed (חסד). When humans sin, God must tolerate their rebelliousness to continue bestowing kindness, requiring tremendous divine forbearance. This makes rachamim a greater revelation of God's connection to humanity than din.
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Sukkah 45b
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