Talk One. Introduction, stories and overview. 1) Three meanings of Emunah: A. higher than reasonable bond, B. we nurse from our mother as an infant, C. Proffiect at it like a craftsman. 2) Jewish and non-Jewish faith, Sovev Kol Almin.
Talk One.
Talk Two. 3) Faith that is personalized is alive and brings great joy. 4) Strong faith and weak faith, we all have very strong moments of faith and weak moments. We celebrate the strong moments, and survive the weak moments, by going back to our childhood upbringing. 5) Knowledge vs. faith. Faith is a pre (or super) commandment and Knowing God intellectually is the first Mitzvah.
Talk Two.
Talk Three. 6) Knowledge of God is the first commandment, knowledge of His unity is the second. 7) Achdus Hashem means that the world is one with Him [the idea that he is one s part of the first Mitzvah]. 8) Three levels of Avhdus: A. RaMbaM: he controlds the tools of creation. [The tools are themselves creations so the control isnt entirely exact]. B. Kabbalah: He controls the tools, but the tools are the s’firos and are thus perfect in their unity with Him and each other, making His Oneness with the world and His control perfect. C. Chassidus: the world itself is Godliness.
Talk Three.
Talk Four. 9) The 13 thirteen principles of Faith, are divided into three great principles: A.The Creator, B. Communication between Creator and His creation, C. Consequense, reward and punishment. We read the 13 Principles inside and discussed each of them.
Talk Four.
Talk Five. 10) Levels of faith: The men of Yericho skipped ברוך שם and for them it was right, because they were on the level of יחודא עילעא, but for the rest of us it would be dishonest and wrong. 11) The Ruziner (as a child) and the Alter Rebbe: stepping away from יחודא עילעא to do the Mitzva of loving God. It also allows for בירורים. 12) Introduction to בטחון and אמונה. אמונה is a state of mind: I live in God’s world [faith vs. superstition]. בטחון is a choice to trust God to give revealed good, and thus create the vessel for the revealed good. [בטחון without אמונה is impossible and not Jewsih].
