"The Way of G-d"

Part 1: "The Fundamental Principles of Reality"

Ch. 1: "The Creator"

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto offers that there are a certain number of things about G-d Almighty each one of us needs to both *know* and *believe*.

He apparently combines the two, because Rambam (Maimonides) said in one context that we're to *know* certain fundamentals of the faith, and in another he said we're to *believe* them. Ramchal apparently contends we'd need to do both at the same time.

So much for the more academic answer to the question of why both are listed. We'd like to approach it differently now, and ask a couple of questions based on the combination. First, what's the difference between believing and knowing? And why, for our purposes, did Ramchal combine them?

The best way I know to define the difference between knowing and believing is to imagine being without either. It seems to me that not believing is more personally and existentially threatening, and more darkly dire than not knowing. Because I'm convinced that if I don't know something, I can always learn it; while if I don't believe it, I'm left somehow "stranded". And in fact, many of our Sages have taught that belief is higher than knowledge.

But not knowing threatens, also. Knowing for example why something bad happened to me seems to dampen the pain and lend solace. While not knowing seems to gnaw at my being and oppress me.

Apparently Ramchal's point is that we're to somehow or another so internalize the truth of G-d's existence, so convince ourselves of His living presence that both the dark, dread lack of faith in Him, and the bleak, dulling lack of knowledge of G-d's ways in the world simply disappear.

But how do we ever do *that*?

This may help. Notice how Ramchal titled this work "The *Way* of G-d" in the singular, rather than the *ways*, as we put it a couple of paragraphs back when we spoke of "G-d's ways in the world"?

I believe Ramchal put it in the singular because a major point of his throughout his writings is that all-in-all G-d has one broad way or *agenda* if you will; with many, many narrow paths or side-agendas so to speak along the way, that all lead to the realization of the main one.

Eventually grasping that-- learning that, and fully believing it heart and soul-- will have us both *know* and *believe*. And in fact a great part of the gift of this book will be underscoring the fact of G-d's ultimate agenda in light of His many side-agendas.

That having been said, what are we to believe and know after all? (There'll prove to be many things, and you and I will have to be patient, in light of the fact that "The Way of G-d" will prove to work in stages).

The first thing is that G-d's the *first being*; and that He existed *before* anything or anyone else, and will continue to exist *after* everything and everyone is gone.

But that's curious. If He's the *first being*, of course He existed *before* anything or anyone else. What's Ramchal's point? What's the difference? (We'll get to G-d's continuing to exist *after* everything else soon.)

Perhaps we can explain G-d's being called the *first being* this way.

Were we to somehow or another appear out of nowhere and come upon reality for the first time, the first being we'd *notice*-- the most obvious and preeminent Being-- would be G-d. Simply because we hadn't yet had a chance to take His presence for granted, and hadn't yet been waylaid by all the other things that have us overlook Him.

G-d will eventually prove to have existed *before* everything else, too. But knowing that would come later, after we'd have withstood the shock and stun of catching sight of His presence in the first place.

Again, we're also told that He will continue to exist *after* everything and everyone is gone. Why would we need to know that, too?

This seems to be the best way to illustrate and explain G-d's proceeding and succeeding everything and everyone. Imagine a grand concert full of roil and thunder, high pitches, low pitches, gravitas and piccolo. And imagine it beginning with a single note which somehow or another threads its way throughout the concert, and appears again at the concert's end.

Wouldn't that single note prove to have *defined* the concert, in retrospect, and to have given it it's heft?

That's exactly Ramchal's point. G-d's ineffable presence defines reality and gives it it's heft. And that by being the first and last, He is the better part of the whole.

His final point here is that G-d-- and G-d alone-- both *created* and *maintains* everything.

Simply put, that comes to deny the power of anything or anyone else to truly and utterly *create* out of the blue (despite our own personal fantasies and vainglory). And it comes to underscore the fact that G-d not only created us, he also *maintains* our beings moment by moment.

Returning to our musical analogy, G-d not only pressed His lips (if you will) to the mouth of our beings to start "playing" us (i.e., to animate us), He continues to, throughout the concert.

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