Letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe about SSA

guardyoureyes.com ^ | 2/4/'86 | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

[familyop]

" The Jewish concept of punishment is as I have been taught a kind of 'purgatory' where the soul undergoes a painful cleansing process. Eventually, the soul returns to its maker afterwards.

The idea of a physical punishment of 'burning' is more of an anthropomorphized interpretation of a spiritual process. -Which is supposedly more painful than burning."

Yes. Thank you. And more surely, there's the 13th Principle of The RaMBaM (resurrection of the dead). I do have an aversion to allusions of some concepts from other religions, because certain of those concepts seem idolatrous to me. ZC probably understands.

As a Gentile who studies, I do *not* reject the Oral Law, of course. But I only see perfect accuracy in the written Torah and Prophets, which were unaffected by period troubles and emotions. The Oral Torah was written later. That's one thing that makes study more difficult for me. The Prophets didn't write it. Wish that I could study it all within this lifetime.

So there's an answer to one of my own questions and yet another declaration that I don't know much.

[onedoug]

God knows I sin.
He knows I tell him I sin.
I try to keep from committing those sins again.
God knows how often I fail.
He knows I tell Him I sin.
He knows I fear Him.
I leave eternity to God.

[rmlew]

What is the source of your ignorance?
What is the source of your grievance and lunacy, which leads you to protect abortion by picking this fight perverted mad monk?

[jjotto]

Giving the hair-raising damnations Christian sling at each other, it may not be as alarming as it seems. Fortunately, Jew-hate makes for a bad web site, and a lot of web site operators understand that. That might be as much as can be hoped.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Does the Talmud teach a belief in the existence of the burning-forever kind of Roman Hell? Granted, I haven’t gotten far with the Oral side, but I haven’t seen that, yet.

You're asking the wrong person. The afterlife is a relatively esoteric subject in Judaism (the thrust is on law). There are many Torah observant Jews on this forum who could answer your question far better than I.

There is the concept of "Ge'-Benei-Hinnom" (the valley of the sons of Hinnom, a reference to an area outside Jerusalem considered the worst place to live), but whether it is merely temporary and purgatorial for everyone or eternal for some I do not know.

[Zionist Conspirator]

As a Gentile who studies, I do *not* reject the Oral Law, of course. But I only see perfect accuracy in the written Torah and Prophets, which were unaffected by period troubles and emotions.

Since every single kosher copy of the Torah and Prophets has been written in accordance with minute regulations found only in the Oral Law, the idea that the Written is "more perfect" than the Oral is false on its face.

[Zionist Conspirator]

What is the source of your ignorance?
What is the source of your grievance and lunacy, which leads you to protect abortion by picking this fight perverted mad monk?

Actually, in that post he was protecting homsexuality, not abortion.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Giving the hair-raising damnations Christian sling at each other, it may not be as alarming as it seems.

You have a point. For me, the mutual "hair-raising damnations" are preferable to the "let's all get along/truth doesn't really matter/let's all merge into one big happy mongrel "religion" line.

Fortunately, Jew-hate makes for a bad web site, and a lot of web site operators understand that. That might be as much as can be hoped.

You're right there as well. Jew-hate does make for a bad web site (at least for conservatives)--unfortunately, usually for the wrong reasons.

[jjotto]

Of course pretenders resent being told in Psalm 147, “He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them.”

[Jewbacca]

“he idea that the Written is “more perfect” than the Oral is false on its face.”

True and yet also false.

The Talmud, as we know it today, is no exactly the Oral Law, which I agree is also perfect.

For one, the Talmud is incomplete and does not include the entirety of the Oral Law.

For two, the copies of the Talmud we have are slightly inconsistent in given passages and conflict. There appear to be additions and opinions added and it is difficult to discern what is the scribe’s opinion (or opinion of another) compared to the actual Oral Law.

The Torah, while incomplete without the Oral Law, does not have the above difficulties.

About 20 years ago, I made the mistake of trying to read the Talmud without a guide (or even a group of serious men) to help me. I was an MIT engineer, a fighter pilot, and damn smart, I thought. I can figure this out. Not so. I became very lost for a time.

[Jewbacca]

“Does the Talmud teach a belief in the existence of the burning-forever kind of Roman Hell? Granted, I haven’t gotten far with the Oral side, but I haven’t seen that, yet.”

No, not really. Something unpleasant, yes. But it is reserved for the foulest of men, and perhaps none make the cut. Maybe Haman. Maybe Hitler. But then, Haman loved his children and Hitler loved his county and was very kind to animals. So hopefully not even them.

I will say that the Talmud contains the theology regarding the the world-to-come, and the Karaite approach of Torah only (first opined by the Sadducees as named in the Christian testaments) would mean that there is no world to come.

Such rejection of the Oral Law was specifically rejected by the original Christian founders, in that they specifically focused on the world to come.

[familyop]

Thank you very much.

"I will say that the Talmud contains the theology regarding the the world-to-come, and the Karaite approach of Torah only (first opined by the Sadducees as named in the Christian testaments) would mean that there is no world to come."

It appears that the Karaite approach may be a narrow one then. There's some essential information about the world to come in the Prophets. More excitement in the Oral Torah--even better!

[familyop]

Thank you, ZC. Have a good weekend.

[familyop]

"The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem."

[Smile] That would be all kinds of people from every nation with no exceptions. Well said! HaShem decided once and for all.