Principles of Faith class 1

[Moderator]

In her first class on The Principles of Faith, Rebbetzin Heller talks about the Faith of Abraham as opposed to the spiritual accoplishments of other early philosophers.  She said that Avraham's faith in G-d led him to action, as he strove to emulate Hashem's Mercy, Generosity, and Kindness.  This is a powerful idea- our beliefs must translate into positive action aimed at heping others.  However, it is easier to DO things than to think about life, and if we only perform mitzvot without giving our actions thought, we end up practicing a shallow imitation of Judaism.  How can one achieve a good balance, Emulating G-d in our actions while still ensuring that we are acting on ideals and not mechanically?

[Dara1]

Aaah she was wearing a sheital! That's so weird! Anyway I was thinking, do the speakers have a choice of what is it the most comfortable for them sitting or standing? Something that really came to my mind after the shiur is ...why not ask who made Gd? Who made teva...well then? Doesn't the question logically follow? Infinity exits, but then why not ask how infinity came about?

[Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller]

The word "g-d" in English conveys an image that is based on the subjective
reality of the person who uses it. For some people the image is "Ancient
Father in Heaven " sometimes with a long white beard. Other people have
other more sophisticated images, but it is still imagry. The name Hashem
means "the Name". The Name is Y.K.V.K., which is an acronym for He is, was
and will be. SO what we are speaking about is Being. Being by definition is
neither was nor is nor will be, but all of them, and thus the concept of
beginning or end are irrelevant in the same way that asking what color is
big or how much does yellow weigh is.
Hatzlachah,
Tziporah Heller

[Dara1]

But those questions are only irrelevant once you've established that there MUST BE or IS one infinite being, it seems like there is some step that is skipped. The question is who created the cup? the human, who created the human? Who created nature? If there is a being that created and orchestrated nature throughout the past and is, will be, and has already done throughout the ages, then why not ask how did He get there? Is it really so simple to observe that nature is so clear cut that nothing past that exists (no one has ever worshiped anything past nature really) then the only answer is an infinite being, therefore at that point many questions become moot?