ספר שמות

Another approach to the thirteen nuances of the attributes ‎of Love that G’d displays, listed here. According to the Ari ‎z’al, the reason why this list commences (is headed by) with ‎the name of the Lord, ‎א-ל‎, and that these 13 “nuances” ‎correspond to the thirteen exegetical tools of Torah ‎interpretation listed by Rabbi Yishmael, and that the first such ‎tool in Rabbi Yishmael’s list is the ‎קל וחומר‎, “logic,” is the very ‎fact that the essence of the Creator is beyond any creature’s ‎ability to comprehend. In other words, it is beyond “logic.” ‎‎(Compare Tikkuney Hazohar7 and 1) All that man can observe ‎when trying to obtain a composite mental image of G’d, is that He ‎possesses the attributes of “greatness,” “strength, heroism,” etc., ‎etc.My great and revered teacher phrased it thus when he ‎explained the meaning of the Talmud in Sukkah 5 which ‎discusses Exodus 25,18, the figures on the lid of the Holy Ark. The ‎Torah commands: ‎ועשית שנים כרובים זהב‎, “you are to fashion two ‎cherubs made of gold.” The cryptic comment on this verse by the ‎Talmud is that the word ‎כרובים‎ is the plural mode of the Aramaic ‎כ-רביא‎, “like a young innocent child.” Rabbi Dov Baer, the ‎author’s teacher, clearly did not understand the Talmud quite in ‎that sense, but saw in the word ‎רביא‎ a reference to the ‎relationship between teacher and pupil. The teacher’s knowledge ‎and understanding is obviously far above that of the student, and ‎in order for the student to understand what the teacher is saying, ‎the teacher must address him in words that are familiar to the ‎student, i.e. he must be ‎מצמם את עצמו‎, impose restraints upon ‎himself in order for his message to become effective. As a result of ‎the teacher’s restraining himself there will be two intellectually ‎equal people studying. This is the message of the ‎שנים כרובים‎, the ‎two cherubs mounted on top of the ‎כפורת‎, the lid of the Holy ‎Ark. The moral lesson of this is that instead of both the minds of ‎teacher and pupil being portrayed as adults in the Torah, they are ‎portrayed as “small children.” The comparison to the exegetical ‎tool known as ‎קל וחומר‎ is even more striking when we consider ‎that one of the limitations of this method of exegesis is that it ‎must never be employed to establish a new halachic ‎parameter. It must content itself with stating that the result of ‎the comparison of the ‎קל‎ to the ‎חומר‎ is that the “heavy” is ‎definitely at least equal to the “light,” but not necessarily ‎superior. To illustrate: if as a result of insulting one’s father the ‎child is banished from his presence for seven days, it is logical ‎that insulting “G’d,” cannot be atoned for by a lesser penalty, as ‎‎“G’d” is the “heavy” in this comparison. If we were to conclude ‎that the penalty for insulting G’d must logically be greater, this ‎would be beyond the boundaries of the ‎קל וחומר‎ as a legitimate ‎exegetical tool. (Compare Talmud Baba kamma 24.)‎The Talmud discusses also if there is ever an exception to this ‎rule, and if so what are the criteria for when it may be breached? ‎Answer: if by applying the rule that a ‎קל וחומר‎ must not result in ‎‎halachic conclusions beyond the parameters from which we ‎have set out, the entire ‎קל וחומר‎ could no longer be applied, then ‎that rule is ignored. If G’d were to exercise so much self restraint ‎that He would make Himself truly equal to us His creatures, how ‎could He serve for us as a role model or authority? The ‎author limits the parable to the Jewish people, i.e. the concept ‎that G’d would similarly “restrains Himself,” in order to descend ‎to the level of the gentile nations is quite erroneous. The reason ‎why the Jewish people are afforded this advantage is that they ‎have accepted His rule in spite of the many difficulties that have ‎to be faced by living in our part of the universe in order to fulfill ‎His commandments. Since the gentile nations never accepted ‎these challenges, they are hardly in a position to request G’d’s ‎help in overcoming them.[The author refers to the ‎‎Tikunney Hazohar interpreting the tone signs on the letters ‎in the Torah suggesting that the one known as zarka, and ‎the one known as pazer, both striving upwards as an ‎allusion to the heavenly orientation of the Jewish people that ‎entitle them to G’d’s help. I have not found this section of the ‎‎Tikkunim. Ed.]‎