The Jewish tradition grapples with this very question, and it's a fascinating journey to explore.
Now, Rabbi Tzadok ben Yechiel, in the book "Ravid HaZahav," makes a crucial distinction. He points out that the Mishnah (the core of the Oral Torah) and the Talmud (the rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah) are universally accepted, leaving no room for doubt. They are the bedrock of Jewish law and tradition. But when it comes to the Kabbalah – the mystical teachings – things get a bit more complicated. Many scholars have expressed reservations about relying too heavily on Kabbalah for legal decisions, especially when it contradicts the Talmud. And, Rabbi Tzadok argues, this is even more true when dealing with the Divine Name and how we relate to it.
Think about it: we’re warned throughout the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings – the entire Tanakh – to be careful in how we approach God's name. Our sages, in their wisdom, have given us countless admonitions on this topic.
Remember how the Mishnah prioritizes reciting the Shema ("Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one") before other blessings? Maimonides, or the Rambam, in his Mishneh Torah, explains that the Shema comes first because it contains the fundamental commandment regarding the unity of God's name, loving God, and studying Torah. These are the very foundations upon which everything else rests. And as I mentioned before, the Sages were very meticulous about any matter derived from it, emphasizing the belief in the two authorities and stating that one should remain silent.
It's about more than just mouthing the words. The Rambam, in his Guide for the Perplexed, touches on this very idea. He says that sometimes people say "Kal HaD" after they already said "V'Hashav Lanu," and consider many reasons that grant permission to each individual based on the reason that is higher than them, as if we were commanded to say the same thing with our lips, while in our hearts, there are many deities. What he's getting at is that true faith isn’t just about what we say; it's about what's in our hearts.
Faith, the Rambam argues, is a state of the soul. When we truly believe something, we believe it as it is. If you’re content with true opinions and solid foundations, then articulate them without creating mental images, and truly believe in them, how much more when you seek from them the truth. It is very easy, just as you will find that many simple individuals preserve their faith without forming any conception of it. If your intellect can grasp this elevated level, and you truly understand that God's name is One, without any composition or division, then you're on the right path.
The Rambam goes on to say something truly profound: God doesn't have any intrinsic attribute or quality. Just as God is without a body, so too is God without attributes. Someone who believes that God is One but has many attributes is like the Nazarenes (early Christians) who say God is One, but three, and the three are one. Similarly, the saying that He is One, but He possesses multiple attributes, and He and His attributes are One.
Removing corporeal conceptions and accepting absolute simplicity, it is as if our intention and inquiry are directed towards how it is said, not towards what we believe. And faith is nothing but the form of conception, for faith is the belief in that which is conceived by the intellect. And if there is with this faith that it is impossible to conceive any alternative or find any room for rejection of that faith, it will be true.
So, how do we truly grasp the unity of God? It's not enough to just hear someone say it. We need to understand it, to internalize it. We need to free ourselves from desires and customs, and possess understanding, and ponder what is stated in the following chapters regarding the removal of attributes, you will find that what we have said is necessarily true. It’s not enough to just rely on their verbal expression but should seek to grasp the truth even if it is not articulated.
As the important ones commanded and it was said to them, "Speak in your hearts upon your beds, and be silent" (Psalms 4:5).
So, let's take a moment to reflect. Are we just saying the words, or are we truly feeling the unity of God in our hearts? Are we relying on rote repetition, or are we striving for a deeper understanding? It's a question worth pondering, because true faith, as the Rambam suggests, is a journey of the soul, not just a recitation of the lips.