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What does it mean to have emunah (אמונה) in God's existence? The Ramchal's six fundamentals distinguish between yedi'ah (knowledge) and emunah (internalization) - emunah isn't belief but making knowledge real within ourselves. His concept of "mitzius" (finding) reframes all existence as windfall rather than entitlement, since God creates by choice, not necessity.
This shiur begins the first chapter of Ramchal's Derech HaShem (ה׳), focusing on six fundamental principles about God's nature that every Jew must understand. Rabbi Zweig opens with an important discussion about the value of thinking and awareness, emphasizing that deeper thinking leads to richer experience and understanding. He explains that avoiding difficult concepts is a form of denial, while engaging with challenging ideas enhances our ability to truly experience and appreciate life. The six fundamentals are presented as follows: (1) God always was and will always be, serving as the ultimate cause of all existence; (2) God is unfathomable and totally perfect - neither physical nor spiritual in any way we can comprehend; (3) God's existence is intrinsically imperative - God must exist and cannot cease to exist; (4) God's existence depends on nothing else and God needs nothing; (5) God is not comprised of parts but is a seamless unity; and (6) God is the only existence that is intrinsically imperative, which is the true meaning of "God is one" in the Shema.
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Why does Megillas Esther interrupt Torah study for a message the world deemed ridiculous—that every man should rule his home? The shiur develops the yesod that the moon's willingness to "make itself small" doesn't diminish it but creates unified sovereignty. A woman who enables her husband to lead isn't relegated to second class—she is the king-maker, comfortable creating oneness where a man cannot.
Does going to doctors contradict relying on Hashem as our healer? The Ramban holds medicine is a concession for those not on high spiritual levels, while the Rambam views medicine as a science—a domain Hashem established. The shiur resolves this by explaining that illness uniquely separates a person from Hashem, making self-cure through teshuvah impossible and necessitating medical intervention.
Derech HaShem Chapter 1
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