Shir HaYichud - Knowing the Unknowable

בס"ד

As stated previously Shir HaYichud (The Song of Unity - שיר היחוד) is a long poem that deals with perceptions and praises of Hashem. These two couplets deal with searching for a G-d that is only partially knowable:

בְּכָל שִׂכְלֵנוּ חִפַּשְׂנוּהוּ / בְּמַדָּעֵנוּ לִמְצוֹא מַה הוּא.

With all our mind we have searched for Him /

With our science to find what He is.

לֹא מְצָאנוּהוּ וְלֹא יְדַעְנוּהוּ / אַךְ מִמַּעֲשָׂיו

We did not find Him and did not know Him /

Except by His deeds.

What this means is that the way to find the holy One, blessed be He, is through intellectual inquiry. The idea of the mind is the way of meditation and introspection. So to speak G-d is to be found in the soul of a person and this is accessed by deep thought and understanding. Intrinsic feelings of right, wrong, and fairness are major tools. So too are perceptions of kindness and beauty, as well as meditating on Kabalistic principles like the Ten Seferos and the four or five universes.

The idea of science means by observation, calculation, and extrapolation. Astronomy is a recurring tool. When one sees the vastness of the universe, the movements of the stars and planets, their physical beauty, and the beauty of their mathematics, the hand of the Omnipresent is perceived; as it says in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky tells of the work of His hands". The Rambam uses these approaches among others and adds that the finger of G-d is also to be found in the words of Scripture.

Even with these searches the essence of G-d is never fully grasped by flesh and blood. At times one can sense His presence but it is like a fleeting shadow. At times He speaks to people in a dream, but it remains a dream. Also there are coincidences that are too strong to attribute to random chance, but the best that the eye can see is a faint silhouette behind a curtain. There are existential proofs that say the existence of the universe implies a wise and benevolent creator. Nevertheless it is too recondite to be fully accepted. What remains is lifelong search and a thirst that is never fully satisfied.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

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