24 Shevat 5768 – Parshas Mishpatim 31 January 2008

Yeshaya Perokim 23 - 30

Shalom Aleichem to all the holy Jews and Jewesses – from a snowy Yerushalayim….

Firstly, you will find attached an outline of Sefer Yeshaya – I’m not sure where I found it, but here it is… I find it important to have a context for whatever I am learning; without seeing the whole picture, nothing really sticks with me. (In fact, the Ramchal – one of my heroes – writes in the introduction of Derech Hashem, and in many other places, that having the generalities is vital for knowing anything really.)

Secondly, I went through this week’s perakim, and picked out some of the most famous ones, here are the ‘Yeshaya-of-the-day’ highlights;

25:8 – U’Bila HaMaves LaNetzach, Umacha Hashem Elokim Dimah Me’al Kol Panim

25:9 – VeAmar BaYom HaHu Hineh Elokeinu Zeh, Kivinu Lo VeYoshiainu, Zeh Hashem Kivinu Lo, NaGila VeNismecha BeYeshuaso

26:4 – Bitchu BaHashem Adei Ad, Ki BeKah Hashem Tzur OIamim

27:13 – VeHaya BaYom HaHu, Yitoka BeShofar Gadol, U’Vau HaOvdim BeEretz Ashur, VeHanidachim Me’Eretz Mitzrayim, VeHishtachavu LaHashem BeHar HaKodesh BeYerushalayim

29:13 – VaYomer Hashem; Ya’an Ki Migash HaAm HaZeh BePiv U’Visfasav Kibduni VeLibo Richak Mimeni VaTehi Yirasem Osi Mitzvas Anashim Melumadah

We have discussed 27:13, I would like to focus on one other passuk this time –

Maseches Ta’anis ends with a very interesting ‘aggadata’ – “Ula Bira’a said in the name of Rebi Elazar: In the future, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is going to form a circle out of the Tzaddikim, and He will sit among them in Gan Eden. Each and every Tzaddik will point [to Hashem], as it says “VeAmar BaYom HaHu Hineh Elokeinu Zeh, Kivinu Lo VeYoshiainu, Zeh Hashem Kivinu Lo, NaGila VeNismecha BeYeshuaso.” [And it will be said on that day, “Here is our G-d, We have hoped for Him that He will save us, This is Hashem who we have hoped for, we will rejoice and be gladdened through His Salvation”]. In short, in Gan Eden, all the Tzaddikim will sit in a circle, and point to Hashem in the middle, and each will say, “This is Hashem, Who we hoped for.” (Using our Passuk in Yeshaya 25:9.)

In the Aggadatas of the Gemara, Chazal are always trying to convey to us a message. Is this what Gan Eden is, people sitting around pointing to the middle? (We know that Gan Eden is a waiting ground for the neshomas to come back into the body during Techiyas HaMesim – so there is no body, or rather, the body is detached from the neshoma, while the neshoma does its aerobics to get back into shape, so that it can come back and re-activate the body once again. So obviously, no fingers are actually pointing towards the middle!!!) We know that no-one can actually see Hashem – we can receive enjoyment from His presence etc. but what are they pointing at? BOTTOM LINE: WHAT ARE CHAZAL TRYING TO CONVEY TO US IN THIS GEMARA? WHAT DOES YESHAYA HANAVI MEAN BY THIS PASSUK?

It would be nice to hear your suggestions, I once heard a tremendous approach, and again, if someone finds out where it comes from, please let me know: Sitting in a circle represents something very profound. (Although the deepest levels of understanding, are left for the Mekubalim, as the Maharsha points out – maybe ask Rav Hartman if he can find out this for our little group – still, there is meaning for us too, on our level…) A circle has infinite sides, and therefore an infinite number of angles from the centre. Every point on the outside of the circle, where the Tzaddikim are sitting, has a different perspective of the middle of the circle. Each Tzaddik, looks at Torah, and looks at his relationship with Hashem from a different angle – each person, has his/her unique way of looking at reality, and Hashem. This is how Hashem wants it – chazal tell us; ‘just as their faces are dissimilar from one another, so too are their characteristics/thoughts different from one another.’ [We find the same idea conveyed to us by the fact that each tribe in the desert, camped in a specific angle from the Mishkan in the middle – and wherever the Mishkan moved, every tribe would maintain that angle from the ‘Camp of Shechina’. Each tribe had special characteristics, and unique ‘kochos hanefesh’ – each tribe had something unique to contribute to the totality of Klal Yisrael. In fact, the Ramban at the end of Parshas Naso, where all the leaders of the tribes brought exactly the same Korban, mentions that the thoughts and intentions of each tribe was in line with their kochos Hanefesh. [See the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash, on Page 767, where he quotes a midrash saying similar things, and more….]

Does this mean that every perspective and every opinion about what Hashem wants of us is valid? Do I have to listen to every Joe Shmoe as a legitimate approach to seeing Hashem in the middle? OF COURSE NOT – the gemara is only talking about Tzaddikim!!! What does this tell us? What determines the ‘playing field’ of who can, and who can’t have a legitimate perspective? What are the parameters of ‘Emess’? My father (shlit”a) told me that one of the important reasons for the Rambam (and many other Rishonim) to define for us ‘The Principles of Faith’, is to lay down for generations that any position within the 13 Ikkarim is acceptable, and any position or understanding about Torah or life which is outside the 13 Ikkarim, is unacceptable, and is not a ‘valid seat on the perimeter of this circle’.

The most prevalent ‘kefira’ nowadays on the university campuses, and in the intellectual world, stems from what is called “relativism” or “relative morality”. I don’t want to go into it in detail, but basically, it says that everything that anyone says is only because of where they grew up, or the influences that had impact on their way of thinking. It is very hard to talk to someone who always responds – ‘very interesting – that may be the truth for you, but my truth looks a little different’ – almost like there are multiple truths, all of which are right, and none of which is wrong…. We however, believe in one truth – but within Judaism, we have many ways in which we express that truth – Rashi had one way of seeing it, the Ramban another – I have one way of understanding a passuk, you may have another… but we are always focusing on the passuk – and always within the guidelines of the 13 Ikkarim.

For the ‘moral relavists’ there is a circle without Hashem in the middle – for us, we are in a circle around Hashem, trying to understand Him and His Torah better…. TRUTH IS NOT RELATIVE – TRUTH IS ABSOLUTE, BUT ITS EXPRESSION IS RELATIVE….

I guess I went on a little bit there, but this is an important idea, especially in our day – we all have different perspectives in life – but it is important to keep our eye on the fact that we are focused on Hashem, on the Torah, on the Mitzvos – and we believe them to be absolutely true…..

My wife, Esti, had a chiddush: Like an orchestra, each instrument adds something else to the symphony, so too, we in our unique personalities add to the orchestra called “Klal Yisrael” – with our own personal Avodas Hashem. Each snowflake is different (I have snow on the brain – because it is snowing very heavily outside right now) – as is each person. BUT, we all play the music together…. This is why the gemara uses the word “A CIRCLE” which in Hebrew is a “MACHOL” - a tambourine, or a circular instrument which makes music. We all have our personal music to make – as part of the klal.

By R’ Shmuel Kimche

shmuelkimche@hotmail.com

17 Shevat 5768 – Parshas Yisro 23 January 2008

Yeshaya Perokim 16 - 22

Hi Everyone –

For all of you, still hanging on to Yeshaya through all these chapters of ‘Massaos’ – of visions about the destruction of the various kingdoms around Eretz Yisrael – well done. It is a vey hard part, and possibly the least interesting for us, in the whole of Sefer Yeshaya.

Please G-d, by Shabbos, I hope to send you a structure of Sefer Yeshaya – and then you will see that the ‘Massaos’ do not go on forever – by Monday, life will change (as will Yeshaya’s focus.)

Fantastic response from some of you guys – please keep the e-mails coming, if you have a question, or a cool idea – or you disagree with what I have said.

I want to focus on two short topics:

1) At the end of Perek 19, and the whole of Perek 20, we find repetitious mention of Egypt and Assyria – Mitzrayim and Ashur. The reason for the ‘picking’ on these countries, is because they were the superpowers in the times of Yeshaya and Chizkiyahu – therefore the prophecy (19:23) “On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Ashur, the Assyrian will come to Egypt, and the Egyptian to Assyria – and Egypt, together with Assyria, shall worship (Hashem)” – The two superpowers, Ashur of the North, and Mitzrayim in the South, will come to a recognition of Hashem.

Eretz Yisrael, as one sees on the map, has Syria to its North, and Egypt to its South. The same setup existed then, except that everything north of Israel belonged to Assyria and everything south of Israel (or a lot of it) belonged to Egypt. Israel was the highway, on which armies marched to attack and conquer the other army/empire.

[INCIDENTALLY: If you remember from Sefer Melachim, Yoshiyahu HaMelech, who was killed at Meggido (age 31) in a fight with Egypt, did not allow Egypt to pass through Israel to attack Ashur. Yoshiyahu thought that the Jewish people were on such a high spiritual level, that the prophecy of “Lo Sa’avor Cherev BeArtzechem” – “A sword shall not pass through your land” would be fulfilled – and without consulting the navi, he waged war to prevent Egypt simply passing through the land.]

A famous passuk in next week’s Yeshaya: (27:13) which we say on Rosh Hashana “Vehaya BaYom HaHu YiToka Beshofar Gadol, Uvau HaOvdim Be’Eretz Ashur VeHanidachim BeEretz Mitzraim…..” – “And it will be on that day, a great shofar will sound, and those who are lost in ASHUR (rashi: 10 lost tribes, taken by Sancheriv the king of Ashur), as well as those who are dispersed in MITZRAYIM will come and will bow to Hashem in the holy mountain of Yerushalayim.” [Compare it to the passuk we quoted earlier in 19:23 – tell me what u think…] Interesting, Mitzrayim and Ashur are highlighted… again.

I heard the most wonderful p’shat, but I don’t know where from – an extra doughnut for anyone who can find me a source – but the word “Ashur” also connotes ‘wealth’ (Ashirus=wealth), while “Mitzrayim” implies ‘narrow’ (tzar=narrow). Klal Yisrael, throughout Galus, has faced two difficulties – the first, is one of hardship; in the shtetl, no money, no food… and this existed for the majority of our galuyos, a test of poverty and destitution. The second test in galus is that of affluence, of ashirus – a test during bayis sheini, in Spain, in Germany, now in America and England. The nevuah of Yeshaya is telling us that in the future, those lost in Ashur, in wealth, as well as those lost through oppression (maybe ‘tzaddik veRa lo’) will come back to serve Hashem in Yerushalayim. [Maybe that is the p’shat in the passuk in 19:23 – that Ashur, together with Egypt is serving Hashem.]

[A little advanced thought: On seder night, we have the first kezayis of matzah at the beginning of the evening (motzi-matzah) – and the last kezayis of matzah at the end of the evening by afikoman. There is a machlokes between the Rambam and Ra’avad, as to whether the first or last kezayis is the main mitzvah min hatorah. The Rambam holds that the first one is, and the Ra’avad holds that the last one is. We know that the rules are that the first kezayis has to be eaten BETEAVON – with appetite – and the last kezayis has to be eaten AL HASOVAH – when satiated. It was suggested by R’ Issac Bernstein zt”l that maybe these two approaches are the two tests that klal yisrael face – our Emunah (Matzah is called “The food of Emunah” by the Zohar) is confronted by being hungry (poverty), and by being satiated (affluence). ]

Someone who is becoming frum made to me the following comment: “Life is so much easier now than it was for the past 2000 years of Jewish history.” She was comparing the ease with which we can keep mitzvos nowadays. I answered her that I think it is much harder to keep mitzvos nowadays as in those days, you were a Jew and you lived within the Jewish community and it was very tough. People died of disease etc. Nowadays, every day, and in every corner we are confronted with the question of “are you going to stay faithful to Judaism or not?” “What is Judaism?” “How does your Jewish life compare to this alternative that we are offering?” The promise is that one day, all of us will see with heightened clarity that both the Mitzrayim and the Ashur are means (or tests) to ensure that we come closer to Hashem, that we can sense Him.

May we all live to see that “BaYom HaHu Yitoka BeShofar Gadol’.

2) The second point is homework – for you to think about, ask, discuss, and let me know your conclusions:

24:23 – (In the future) “The Moon shall be ashamed, and the Sun embarrassed… (of Hashem)”

30:26 – (In the future) “The light of the Moon will be like the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun will be seven-times-seven times the seven days (Rashi: 7 x 7 x 7 = 343)…”

The Gemara in Sanhedrin (91b) asks that these 2 verses conflict – first it sounds like the sun and moon in the future will be darker, and then it sounds like the sun and the moon will be tremendously bright, much brighter than anything we can imagine.

The gemara responds; one is referring to yemos hamashiach (rashi: the more bright one), and one is referring to Olam Haba (rashi: the less bright one, because the light of the sun and moon will be eclipsed by the light of the Tzaddikim…) – and according to Shmuel, one is talking about the camp of tzaddikim in Olam Haba, and one is referring to the machine shechina….

WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN? Surely we know nothing about Olam Haba, we definitely know (or think) that Olam Haba is not physical in our sense of the word physical…. What does the sun being dimed in Olam Haba mean, what does it mean that Yemos HaMashiach is going to be so bright?

Ask someone, and let me know. Thanks.

By R’ Shmuel Kimche

shmuelkimche@hotmail.com

10 Shevat 5768 – Parshas Beshalach 17 January 2008

Yeshaya Perokim 9 - 15

Hi Everyone (again) –

I enjoyed writing last weeks ‘episode’ in yeshaya – hopefully the same will apply to this week’s.

Before I begin on this week’s perakim, I would like to point out an important ‘not-to-be-missed-when-learning-Yeshaya’s point on last week’s perakim:

Famously, Yeshaya Hanavi - after having spent so many chapters on rejecting Avoda Zarah and anything connected with not believing in “Hashem Echad” (See perakim 40-46ish) – is slated with having referred to the beginnings of Christianity many times. Ironic really, isn’t it?! When we get to Chapter 53, we will try to deal more fully with Christianity (and its patent falsehoods), but we can’t just pass one of their major claims, and not deal with it, so here goes:

[Yeshaya 7:14] – (as we know that the kingdom is split and Achaz is King of 2 tribes while Remalyahu is the king of the 10 tribes…Remalyahu made a pact between 10 tribes and Aram to conquer the 2 tribes. Achaz is told by Yeshaya not to worry about the other 10 tribes conquering Yehuda and Binyamin – because ‘it will come about’ and as a sign, he says the following pasuk:) “Therefore Hashem will give you a sign: Behold the YOUNG GIRL (almah) will conceive and give birth to a son, and you shall call him Emman E-l (Hashem is with us)”….. The Meforshim tell us that this was a reference to Chizkiyahu, the son of Achaz, who was a tzaddik and in whose times Klal Yisrael were saved from many disasters, including Sancherev trying to destroy Yerushalayim (as we will see in perakim 37-39).

However, the Christian claim is that this is a reference to their Messiah. Obviously, it must have been a silly mistake in early Christian thought, for a number of reasons;

Firstly, because this was a prophecy of encouragement to Achaz… now Achaz lived in the middle of Bayis Rishon (about 2600 years ago), but their “savior” only lived 2000 years ago - at the end of Bayis Sheini! It seems very strange to make such a claim from a prophecy given 600 years earlier and was as an encouragement to someone at the time of the prophecy…

Secondly, and most obviously, and almost ridiculously, the church misunderstood, or rather, mistranslated the passuk to be “Behold the VIRGIN will conceive and give birth to a son…” However, everyone knows that the word used by the Tanach for ‘Virgin’ is ‘Besulah’. A very strange mistake to have made! [We all know that until about 200 years ago the majority of the population was illiterate, so no-one could really verify what the church was saying… until a thousand years later, by which time Christianity would have a couple of billion adherents…]

As I mentioned I don’t want to get into a full discussion about Christianity before we get to Chapters 52-53….

So, back to the future – back to chapter 11: Yeshaya is full of discussion about ‘The Times of Moshiach’, or for those of us who collect large and almost useless words – Eschatology. I almost never get to use the word (look it up in your handy ‘advanced oxford dictionary for geeks’) so I will use it now: Yeshaya’s eschatological description in chapter 11, is subject of interesting controversy amongst the medieval commentators – or more concisely; we find a machlokes in the rishonim as to how to understand the pesukim in perek 11….

11:2 – “And on him (the melech hamashiach) will rest the spirit of Hashem…” [see the shalsheles song for musical accompaniment]

11:6 – “The wolf shall lie with the sheep, while the leopard will crouch with the goat…”

11:7 – “The cow and bear will graze…. And the Lion, like cattle shall eat stubble”

11:8 – “The young child (suckling) will play at the entrance to an adder’s lair…”

Sounds like a magical time period. Sounds like something extraordinary – unnatural. How do we read or understand these prophecies?

The Gemara (in the last perek of Sanhedrin, about daf 97a/b – around there…) brings different opinions about Yemos HaMoshiach. “The Land of Israel will bring forth cakes…” instead of having to plough, plant water, reap, harvest, crush, sift, and bake – there will be no physical effort involved in maintaining physical life. Pretty magical sounding! However Shmuel (in the Gemara) says, “The world is going to continue the way it always did”… Some say magical some say not….. [As usual in Judaism we have difference of opinions…. 2 Jews, three opinions… joke about the shuls on the island, etc…]

This argument about Yemos HaMoshiach, affected the way in which different Rishonim viewed Moshiach:

Rambam (Last chapter of Hilchos Melochim – Last chapter of the whole Yad HaChazakah of the Rambam) – “Don’t even think that anything will change during the times of Moshiach…. So what about that which it says in Yeshaya, ‘The wolf shall lie with the sheep’ (surely the sheep won’t sleep very well), is all a mashal – a parable – that Klal Yisrael will finally be able to live in peace…”

(Well worth looking up – the Hebrew of the Rambam is very easy. He wrote it in Mishnaic Hebrew so that everyone will be able to understand it… Melachim 12:1)

Ramban (Parshas Nitzavim, Devarim 30:6) describes that the world will change. Nature will change. Man will no longer have a yetzer hara. All the prophecies are to be taken literally. (Most Rishonim and Acharonim work with this view – including the Ra’avad, Rashba, Maharal, Ramchal, Gra, etc.)

But who is correct? We don’t really know; However – here is one theory: The pasuk later in Yeshaya (60:22) says, “I am Hashem, at its correct time, I will bring (the geula) early”… Any student of logic can see the problem here: The “right time” is not “early”, and “early”, is before the “right time”!!!???!!!

The Gemara asks this question in Sanhedrin 98a. The response is “If they merit it, it will come early. If they don’t then it will come at its right time.”

Maybe if we merit it, then it will come ‘early’, and it will be magical (like the Ramban). If we don’t merit it, then it will come at its ‘right time’, and then it will just be natural (Like Shmuel in the Gemara, and the Rambam)…

SO WHAT ABOUT US: ARE WE IN A SITUATION THAT WE MERIT IT, OR NOT…. ARE WE “A GENERATION THAT IS MERITORIOUS” OR “A GENERATION THAT IS COMPLETELY CHAYAV” ????? (the gemara’s terminology.)

I know that we are a generation that is ZAKAI. We are Meritorious. Although we live so distant from Hashem, and He isn’t always in the forefront of our minds the way in which he may have been in earlier generations… but….

We live in a world where the choices we have to make, and the media we are confronted with, and everything that goes on around us, is so against what we really stand for and who we essentially are. Every billboard around us is trying to get us to focus on anything but mitzvos. It is very hard to resist the temptations that are with us every second of every waking moment. BUT STILL “bechol zos shim’echa lo shachachnu” – we still are Jews, doing mitzvos, believing in Hashem, after 2000 years, after all the persecutions, after the holocaust - still hoping for the closer relationship with Hashem promised to us in Yeshaya.

We certainly look like a bad generation (last mishna in sotah), but we have so much going against us that each and every mitzvah that we do is so precious to Hashem.

Hopefully, we will soon see the pesukim in Yeshaya coming true – 11:9 –Magically - and “The whole world will know Hashem, like the water covers the sea”.

By R’ Shmuel Kimche

shmuelkimche@hotmail.com

Yeshaya Perokim 4 - 8

Yeshaya Perokim 4 - 8

Both Yeshaya (Chap. 6) and Yechezkel (chap. 1) include the Ma’aseh HaMerkavah – a description of Hashem sitting on His throne, surrounded by myriads of angels, seraphim, chayos hakodesh – a very complicated image (which cannot, and must not be taken as the literal image of Hashem – as we well know one of the Rambam’s Ikkarim to be “Ein Lo Demus HaGuf VeEino Guf” – Hashem doesn’t have a body, nor does he have an image of a body.) The main difference between the descriptions of the Nevuos of Yeshaya and Yechezkel, is the fact that Yeshaya’s description is very short and not very elaborate, while Yechezkel’s description takes the entire first chapter (28 pesukim) to describe precisely the placing of each spiritual energy, of each different type of light, and what the actual kisei hakavod looks like – the different images on the different sides of the kisei hakavod, etc. (When you understand it, please send me an e-mail explaining it!!!).

At first glance it seems that if we were to compare Yeshaya to Yechezkel, Yechezkel seems to be the greater navi, the one with the clearer vision of the ‘devar hashem’ – however, chazal tell us otherwise; Chazal relay to us, that of all the nevi’im (besides Moshe Rabeinu), the one who had the least clear vision was Ovadia, and the one who had the clearest vision was Yeshaya. So why is it that Yeshaya has only such a brief description of the Ma’aseh Hamerkava? The Gemara (Chagiga 13b) answers – “Yechezkel is compared to a villager who sees the king, while Yeshaya is like a city inhabitant who sees the king” – someone who is so used to seeing the king (a city inhabitant) is not so shocked or overwhelmed, but a villager who never sees the king (Yechezkel) is overwhelmed, and therefore goes into great detail to describe the vision.

I enjoy Yeshaya Hanavi very much – the depth, the images, the content of his Nevuos are astounding. I am very honoured to be part your group (in yeshiva we would call it a ‘chabura’), looking at Yeshaya. Nach Yomi is a very special endeavor and I wish I had done it when I was in Hasmo.

SHORT THOUGHT ON CHAPTER 6

The truth is, that although the Ma’aseh HaMerkava comes only now in chapter 6, it was in fact the first Nevuah that Yeshaya had (Seder Olam, chap 19, Mechilta Beshalach, Rashi and Radak chap. 6, Malbim chap. 1) – and we see his appointment as a navi , chap. 6 ver. 8. Yeshaya describes to us the image of Hashem sitting on His Kisei HaKavod, and the six winged angels surrounding him, saying to each other: “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh Hashem Tzevakos, Melo Chol Ha’aretz Kevodo” - colloquially, we translate it to mean “Holy, Holy, Holy is Hashem The Lord of Hosts, the entire earth is filled with His glory”. OK. But what does ‘holy’ mean? What does ‘glory’ mean? What are the angels saying? Why is this the praise that we repeat daily at least 3 times? This formula is repeated by us every Shmona Esrei in the third bracha – Ata Kadosh – what does it actually mean?

The truth is that this statement is actually quite problematic – Kadosh means holy, but we don’t really have a true perception of what that means. In Lashon HaKodesh we have two words which mean “separation”; Kiddush and havdallah. Kiddush means to set something specific apart (to be makadesh a wife, or to be mekadesh the shabbos), Havdallah means to make a distinction (between yisrael and the other nations, or between shabbos and the other 6 days). Kadosh means ‘apart’ or ‘beyond’. The angels say “Hashem is way, way, way beyond anything conceivable by the human, who is stuck in a world of time, space, and even the human’s spirituality (I’m paraphrasing the targum which we say daily in U’va Letzion.)

It turns out, that Hashem is beyond anything we can imagine. However, at the same time, “Melo Chol Ha’aretz Kevodo”, His Glory is everywhere!!!!! He is completely beyond us, but He is perceived everywhere.

In fact this paradox is continued in our Shabbos morning “Kedusha”, where we say “Kevodo Malei Olam, mesharsav shoalim zeh lazeh Ayei Mekom Kevodo”; “His glory fills the world, His servants (angels) ask each other where is the Place of His Glory” – again, His Glory is everywhere, but is totally hidden.

We believe “Mi KaHashem Elokeinu HaMagbihi LaShaves” – who is Like Hashem our G-d who sits so high (meaning, he is so beyond us), and who shouldn’t really care about us, we are so insignificant in comparison, still “HaMashpili Liros BaShamayim Uva’aretz” – He lowers Himself to see and provide for us human beings. He is beyond us, but His love for each of us makes us significant. Although He is Malkeinu, our exalted King, He is still our father.

I have not really answered all the questions. Maybe this is not necessarily a forum to answer all the questions. I certainly think that this paradox of Hashem being so far, yet being so near, is one of the most central ideas in Judaism. Please let me know your thoughts.