8
votes
Accepted
Where did the manuscript for Shoreshei HaMitzvot l’Ramchal come from?
The entire sefer can be read here for free (as Otzar HaChochmah now allows up to 150 pages of free viewing in each sefer, and this one is less than 150 pages).
On p. 5 it says the person who published ...
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8
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Did the Ramchal have a beard?
The Ramchal's beardless face is referenced in several letters among the Italian rabbinic communities of the 18th century, all of which are part of the general controversy that escalated after the ...
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8
votes
Need help in deciphering a Litvish term regarding Yichud Hashem
It looks like the first is שליטתו - His control, and the second is מציאותו - His “Existence”.
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5
votes
commentaries on the book Derech Hashem
Three possibilities with the publishers' blurbs.
Way of God: Derech Hashem (Torah Classics Library) (English and Hebrew Edition) Hardcover – November 1, 1981
by Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Author), Aryeh ...
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4
votes
First edition of Mesillas Yesharim available online?
This sefer is available on the Otzar Hachochmah program.
You can also view the sefer here:
https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?53447
The first 40 pages are available for viewing for free.
Beyond ...
- 4,892
4
votes
Machloket about the goal of the creation
This is the subject of R. Betzalel Naor's work, Mahol la-Tsaddikim, available here. From the description of the book on the website:
Mahol la-Tsaddikim/Dance Circle for the Righteous explores the ...
- 14.3k
3
votes
Who was the Ramchal fighting?
This opinion is rejected as directed by material passions (as described at the end of this post.). The "linear version" of Mesilat Yesharim summarized it in one statement:
שתכלית בריאת האדם ...
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3
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Did the Ramchal have a beard?
The first source saying that Ramchal “did not let his beard grow” was his early teacher and later critic Rabbi Yosef Ergas. See here for a translation of the quote:
https://books.google.com/books?id=...
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3
votes
Is serving Hashem in order to receive reward in Olam Habah ideal?
Your question is essentially how the Mesilat Yesharim can say a person should always aspire towards the reward of the World to Come, against the other sources which say a person shouldn't serve God in ...
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2
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online Derech Hashem translation
Here you go...
http://torah.org/learning/ramchal/archives.html
Very loose translation into English. But it will give you the idea of the text. A better idea would be to purchase the Aryeh Kaplan ...
- 14.2k
2
votes
Which books of the Ramchal did he publish himself?
In R Yirmeyahu Bindman's biography of the Ramchal (from 1995), he writes indeed that
Most of the Ramchal's works were not published in his lifetime but circulated in manuscript or small, privately ...
- 47.7k
2
votes
Sefer "Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh" on "Mesillas Yeasharim"
Try this link...
http://www.bilvavi.net/files/בלבבי.מסילת.ישרים.חלק.א.ב.pdf
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2
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Why was the ramchal banned, and how did he become so widely accepted later?
The Ramchal was born 31 years after the death of Shabbtai Zvi, a false Messiah, who turned many Jews away from religion. As such the rabbanim in Italy, who misunderstood some of the Ramchal's writings ...
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2
votes
Is serving Hashem in order to receive reward in Olam Habah ideal?
As I pointed out here, the Rambam you cite as being against worship for the sake of Olam Haba is contradicted by what he writes in several other places, including the immediately preceding halacha.
...
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2
votes
Source for parable about two twins in the womb
Years later, I found a somewhat similar story quoted in R Akiva Tatz's Anatomy of a search.
After checking with him, he pointed to More Nevuchim 2:17 as his source. It is not exactly the story in the ...
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2
votes
What does Ramchal refer to, when he says to know “principles”?
The Ramchal is making a general point that in any subject, it is easier to learn by first mastering the basic concepts. As I remember it, the sefer Derech Hashem as a whole is meant to teach you the ...
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1
vote
Machloket about the goal of the creation
From my blog post "Of Empty Cups":
If one puts a cup in the sink, and the cup doesn’t fill as it ought, it could be for at least one of two basic reasons.
The first is that the cup’s mouth isn’t ...
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1
vote
Is serving Hashem in order to receive reward in Olam Habah ideal?
I've struggled with this question for a long time and I think the contradiction can be explained as follows:
According to the Mishnah that one should not serve g-d for reward then one must struggle ...
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1
vote
Mesilat Yesharim on Watchfulness
You seem to be reading the last paragraph quoted not in the proper context.
The opening of the chapter (3:1-6) is the detailed explanation of the process of watchfulness (what you are being watchful ...
- 14.2k
1
vote
What is Chassidut meantioned by the Misilat Yeshorim?
The Messilat Yesharim gives a definition in chapter 18, "Definition of Midat Chasidut (CONCERNING THE TRAIT OF SAINTLINESS)" here is an extract:הנה שורש החסידות הוא מה שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (ברכות יז, א) ...
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1
vote
how does the yetzer hara rule over a person?
It seems through רוח שטות
The spirit of folly
Talmud.
https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.3a.4/he/Wikisource_Talmud_Bavli?lang=bi
http://www.jewishaz.com/religiouslife/torahstudy/judaism-s-definition-of-...
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1
vote
korat ruach versus nachat ruach in the "Path of the Just"?
In kesubos 40b the gemara explains that a rapist has to pay the raped woman damages (פגם) based on the her loss in value, which is estimated by how much a person would pay more for a virgin slave ...
- 11
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vote
What is Avadon in the Mesilat Yesharim?
Sefer HaAruch defines אבדן as a composite of two words, אבא and דן. It means the source of all judgement, the highest and supreme level of judgement. In context, it would mean while you have the ...
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1
vote
In what sense is fear of God alone wisdom?
Start by looking how the Ramchal defines yir'ah. Mesilas Yesharim ch. 24 distinguishes between fear of punishment and yir'as Shamayim -- fear of [the One in] heaven. Then he identifies two aspects of ...
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1
vote
Mesilat Yesharim - What is a person's obligation
Ramchal in his commentary on the mishna in avot, 'do not become haughty if u have learned much torah for it is what you were created for', states that this (to be haughty) would be like a bird ...
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vote
Are non-Jews held accountable for their deeds?
It is clear that Noachides are forbidden certain things. See The Prohibition Against Doing Anything that Contradicts the Belief in One God. My logic suggests that if there is no accountability, there ...
- 47.2k
1
vote
Who was the Ramchal fighting?
the Ramchal brings sources for this in chapter 1 of the common Mesilat Yesharim
Behold, our sages, of blessed memory, have taught us that man was
created solely to rejoice in G-d and to delight ...
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1
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First edition of Mesillas Yesharim available online?
Yup. First edition can be found on the site of the National Library of Russia, here.
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1
vote
derech hashem and daath tevonos, same thing?
The sefer "Derech Hashem" provides perspective about mans relationship to the world through observance of the mitzvos.
"Da'at Tevunot", written as a dialogue between the soul and the mind, involves ...
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