Learning Torah to Destroy Others

 

Moshe Ben-Chaim


 

Reader: Regarding whether God is subject to “parts”; what is your understanding of the Sefirot? After all, God has no parts. Dan

 

Mesora: I never studied the area yet. The Rabbis teach, “One must fill his belly before he walks in the garden”. Meaning, one must master the Talmud, before entering higher areas...and I have plenty of Talmud to study yet. There is an order to study: one, who jumps to the metaphysical areas before mastering lower areas, will only harm himself, and others.

 

Reader: So why don’t you just stick to Talmud and talk about what you know!

 

Mesora: You should be aware that the Rabbis warn, “One who learns to simply destroy another person is better off never having been born.” (Rashi, Talmud Berachos 17a) You just exemplified this behavior; asking a question in a manner which hid your true intent…to set me up for a fall. However, you are incorrect. Knowledge of God being one, that He is not physical and not subject to parts, are matters all derived from Torah and reality, primary areas we must commence with, and not wait until our “bellies are full”.  This is not a matter of understanding Sefirot, as you assumed. We can and must understand these fundamentals, as Maimonides teaches. This is not part of metaphysical Sefirot, but acknowledged though or very capable intelligences, and obligatory, based on many Torah verses. I would also question why you are personally disturbed about this topic. Perhaps you are functioning from your emotions, and not from reason.