Maimonides

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Maimonides

• Freewill

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• Sephardi Chief Rabbi Criticizes Pope's Remarks
• By Yair Ettinger and Yoav Stern
•  
• The Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel on Sunday
  sent a letter criticizing the pope for his
  remarks on Islam to a leading Sunni Islamic legal
  scholar in Qatar.In the letter, Sephardic Chief
  Rabbi Shlomo Amar wrote to Sheikh Yusef Kardawi,
  "our way is to honor every religion and every
  nation according to their paths, as it is written
  in the book of prophets 'because every nation
  will go in the name of its lord.'""Even when
  there is a struggle between nations" Amar added,
  "it cannot be turned into a war of
  religions."The letter, written in Arabic, was
  delivered to Kardawi by a leader of the Islamic
  Movement in Israel, Sheikh Abdullah Naimar
  Darwish. Amar sent the letter first to Rabbi
  Menachem Froman, chief rabbi of the West Bank
  settlement of Tekoa, who is known as a champion
  of inter-religious reconciliation.In his
  introduction to the letter, Froman added to
  Amar's remarks, saying "every Jew who learns the
  writings of the great sages - who, at the head of
  them all stands Maimonides - knows that our great
  thinkers wrote in the Arabic language, lived in
  Islamic states and participated with the great
  Muslim thinkers in the effort to explain the
  words of God, according to the paths of the sages
  and amidst the difficult bloody battles that we
  have had since the beginning of Zionism with the
  Muslims."We know... that the war between the
  Jews and the Muslims is the work of the cursed
  devil. We know that Islam is named after peace,"
  wrote Froman.
• From Haaretz, September 18, 2006
•  

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Teshubah 51

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  ???????? ????????? ??????? ???? ?????
• ???????? ???? ???????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????
  ????????? ??????? ????? ???????

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Teshubah 51

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  ???? ?????
• ??? ?' ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? (?????? ? ??)
  ???? ?????? ????
• ??? ?' ????? ???? ????
• ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????
• ?"? ???"? ???? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??
  ???? ???? ?? ??? ????.

5
Teshubah 52

• ???? ??? ?
• (??) ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ????????
  ?????????
• (??) ??? ??????????? ????? ??? ?????? ???
  ????????
• (?) ??????????? ?????????? ???????????
  ??????????? ??? ??-?????

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Teshubah 63

• ?????? ??
• ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????????? ????????
  ????????? ?????? ???? ??????? ?????????
  ???????????? ???????? ????????? ?????? ??????
  ??????? ???
• Dull that peoples Bne Yisrael mind, stop its
  ears, and seal its eyes lest, seeing with its
  eyes and hearing with its ears, it also grasp
  with its mind, and repent and save itself.

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Free Will vs. Predestination

• The Talmud Contains Everything and Its Opposite.

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????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?

• ????? ?' ????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??????
  ???? ???, ????? ??? ??????? ???? ???"?, ?????
  ????? ???"?, ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???,
  ??? ?? ????, ???? ?? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???? - ??
  ????, ???' ????? ??"? ????? ??? ???? ???? - ???
  ????? ????, ????? (????? ?') ???? ????? ?? ?'
  ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???'.
• R. Hanina b. Papa made the following exposition
  The name of the angel who is in charge of
  conception is Night, and he takes up a drop and
  places it in the presence of the Holy One,
  blessed be He, saying, Sovereign of the
  universe, what shall be the fate of this drop?
  Shall it produce a strong man or a weak man, a
  wise man or a fool, a rich man or a poor man?
  Whereas wicked man or righteous one he does
  not mention, in agreement with the view of R.
  Hanina. For R. Hanina stated Everything is in
  the hands of heaven except the fear of God, as it
  is said, And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy
  God require of thee, but to fear etc.

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?????? ??? ???? ??

• ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?????, ????? ?? ???
  ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??"? ???? ????? ????
  ???' (????? ???), ????? ?? ??? ??????? ????
  ?????? ????? ????? ???? ??"? ???? ???? ????
  ?????? ???' (????? ? ?).
• AND THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED TOGETHER WITH IN HER.
  They sought to run within her.8 When she stood
  near synagogues or schools,9 Jacob struggled to
  come out hence it is written, Before I formed
  thee in the belly I knew thee (Jer. I, 5). While
  when she passed idolatrous temples, Esau eagerly
  struggled to come out hence it is written, The
  wicked are estranged from the womb (Ps. LVIII,
  4).

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????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?? ???? ?

• ??? ?? ???? ???? ??????, ??????? ???????, ?????
  ???? ??. ??? ??? ???? ????? ??????, ??? ?????
  ????? ?????? ????? ???? ????.
• Referring to this Ben Azzai said By your name
  you will be called, to your place you will be
  restored and from what belongs to you will you be
  given. No man can touch what is prepared for his
  fellow and One kingdom does not interfere with
  the other even to the extent of one hair's
  breadth.

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????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ? ???? ?

• ???? ?' ????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?"?
  ??????? ???? ??????, ????? (????? ?"???) ??'
  ????? ??? ?????, (???? ?'??) ???? ?? ???? ????.
• R. Hanina further said No man bruises his finger
  here on earth unless it was so decreed against
  him in heaven, for it is written It is of the
  Lord that a man's goings are established. How
  then can man look to his way?

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???? ??? (?????) ???? ? ?"? ? ?"?

• ?? ??? ???? ???? ???, ??? ?' ??? ?? ???? ?????
  ??? ???? ???? ??? ?"? ???? ?? ?????, ???? ????
  ???? ??? ?"? ???? ?? ??????, ???? ?????? ?????
  ???? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?????
• IF THE SERPENT BITE BEFORE IT IS CHARMED (X,
  11)1 R. Abba b. Kahana said Never does a
  serpent bite unless it has been incited from
  Above, nor does a lion rend its prey unless it
  has been incited from Above, nor does a
  government interfere with men unless it has been
  incited from Above.

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????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ? ???? ?

• ??? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ????,
  ?? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ?????
  ?????? ??? ????? ??????!
• Rab Judah has said in the name of Rab Forty days
  before the creation of a child, a Bath Kol issues
  forth and proclaims, The daughter of A is for B
  the house of C is for D the field of E is for F!

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????? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?

• ??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???? - ???? ???
  ????? ?????. ???? ??? ?? ??, ?????? ?????
  ???????! ??? ??? ?????????? ??? ???, ????
  ????
• ?"? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ?
• ???? ???? - ????? ????? ????? ?? ????.
• R. Abba son of R. Hanina said He who visits an
  invalid takes away a sixtieth of his pain. Said
  they to him If so, let sixty people visit him
  and restore him to health? He replied The
  sixtieth is as the tenth spoken of in the school
  of Rabbi, and providing further that he the
  visitor is of his affinity.

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????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?

• ??? ??? ???, ??? ??????, ?? ?????? ???? ?????,
  ??? ????? ???? ?????. ??? ??? ??? ???? ???????
  ???? ????? ???, ?? ???? ???? ?????, ??? ???? ????
  ?????. ?? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ???? - ??? ???
  ??????, ?? ?? ???? - ????? ?????, ?? ??? - ?????
  ?????. ?? ?? ???? - ????? ????? ??? ?????, ?? ???
  - ???? ????? ??????, ??? ?????.
• Raba said Length of life, children and
  sustenance depend not on merit but rather on
  mazzal. For take Rabbah and R. Hisda. Both were
  saintly Rabbis one master prayed for rain and it
  came, the other master prayed for rain and it
  came. R. Hisda lived to the age of ninety-two,
  Rabbah only lived to the age of forty. In R.
  Hisda's house there were held sixty marriage
  feasts, at Rabbah's house there were sixty
  bereavements. At R. Hisda's house there was the
  purest wheaten bread for dogs, and it went to
  waste at Rabbah's house there was barley bread
  for human beings and that not to be had.

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????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?

• It was recorded in R. Joshua b. Levi's notebook
  He who is born on the first day of the week
  Sunday shall be a man without one thing in
  him What does without one thing in him
  mean? Shall we say, without one virtue? Surely R.
  Ashi said I was born on the first day of the
  week! Hence it must surely mean, one vice. But
  Surely R. Ashi said I and Dimi b. Kakuzta were
  born on the first day of the week I am a king
  (head of the academy) and he is the captain of
  thieves! Rather it means either completely
  virtuous or completely wicked. What is the
  reason? Because light and darkness were created
  on that day. He who is born on the second day of
  the week will be bad-tempered What is the
  reason? Because the waters were divided thereon.
  He who is born on the third day of the week will
  be wealthy and unchaste. What is the reason?
  Because herbs were created thereon. He who is
  born on the fourth day of the week will be wise
  and of a retentive memory. What is the reason?
  Because the luminaries were suspended thereon
  He who is born on the fifth day of the week will
  practise benevolence. What is the reason? Because
  the fishes and birds were created thereon. He who
  is born on the eve of the Sabbath will be a
  seeker. R. Nahman b. Isaac commented A seeker
  after good deeds. He who is born on the Sabbath
  will die on the Sabbath, because the great day of
  the Sabbath was desecrated on his account. Raba
  son of R. Shila observed And he shall be called
  a great and holy man.

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• R. Hanina said to then, his disciples Go out
  and tell the son of Levi, Not the constellation
  of the day but that of the hour is the
  determining influence. He who is born under the
  constellation of the sun will be a distinguished
  man he will eat and drink of his own and his
  secrets will lie uncovered if a thief, he will
  have no success. He who is born under Venus will
  be wealthy and unchaste immoral. What is the
  reason? Because fire was created therein. He who
  is born under Mercury will be of a retentive
  memory and wise. What is the reason? Because it
  Mercury is the sun's scribe. He who is born
  under the Moon will be a man to suffer evil,
  building and demolishing, demolishing and
  building. eating and drinking that which is not
  his and his secrets will remain hidden if a
  thief, he will be successful. He who is born
  under Saturn will be a man whose plans will be
  frustrated. Others say All nefarious designs
  against him will be frustrated. He who is born
  under Zedek Jupiter will be a right-doing man
  zadkan R. Nahman b. Isaac observed Right-doing
  in good deeds. He who is born under Mars will be
  a shedder of blood. R. Ashi observed Either a
  surgeon, a thief, a slaughterer, or a
  circumciser. Rabbah said I was born under Mars.
  Abaye retorted You too inflict punishment and
  kill.

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• It was stated. R. Hanina said The planetary
  influence gives wisdom, the planetary influence
  gives wealth, and Israel stands under planetary
  influence. R. Johanan maintained Israel is
  immune from planetary influence. Now, R. Johanan
  is consistent with his view, for R. Johanan said
  How do we know that Israel is immune from
  planetary influence? Because it is said, Thus
  saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the nations,
  and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for
  the nations are dismayed at them they are
  dismayed but not Israel. Rab too holds that
  Israel is immune from planetary influence. For
  Rab Judah said in Rab's name How do we know that
  Israel is immune from planetary influence?
  Because it is said, and he brought him forth from
  abroad. Abraham pleaded before the Holy One,
  blessed be He, Sovereign of the Universe! one
  born in mine house is mine heir. Not so, He
  replied, but he that shall come forth out of
  thine own bowels. Sovereign of the Universe!
  cried he, I have looked at my constellation and
  find that I am not fated to beget child. Go
  forth from i.e., cease thy planet gazing, for
  Israel is free from planetary influence. What is
  thy calculation? Because Zedek Jupiter1 stands
  in the West? I will turn it back and place it in
  the East. And thus it is written, Who hath
  raised up Zedek from the east? He hath summoned
  it for his sake.