Answering the Non-Believer (Including Two Fascinating Videos)

Technology has contributed to our lives today in ways generations gone by could barely even dream of. Those in the "older" generation may well remember such brilliant encyclopaedias as the World Book and Britannica. These were the ultimate resource tool for any serious student of anything and everything about life. They were beautifully bound and contained information on just about anything anyone could ever imagine. Those purchasing these masterpieces would need to purchase the year book to keep up with the latest developments throughout the year, but if one had the patience to work through a few hundred extra pages of info, one could be brought up to date on just about anything! I guess that's where the expression concerning a smart person – "He/She is a walking encyclopaedia" came from. 

In today's times, technology has moved so fast, that a set of even 100 of such books does little justice to the amount of change in the world today. Amazingly however, the Internet has allowed people to share with others around the world (in real time of course!) the progression of some astounding developments. It's fantastic to be able to see these things happening – on demand and immediately!

Two video clips had recently caught my attention – both actually quite old (one year and two years) but had to do with unbelievable developments in technology that allow those who have various physical disabilities to be able to have the additional luxury of those not lacking these disabilities.

The videos point to the advancement in science and technology, and one who watches them objectively can only but think how brilliant Man is to be able to develop such amazing tools. Think of this for a moment… A person who is paralysed is suddenly able to walk again with the aid of a machine. Sounds too good to be true. Think of the brilliance of inventing a device to allow a paraplegic person to actually walk again. He wears a "suit" of sorts which hold on to his legs and at the touch of a button is able to move his legs. He can't actually move the legs himself, but the machine does the work for him. One watches the video and thinks of just how brilliant science is. Okay, it costs some $20 000 to own one of these kits, but if one can afford it and is in such a position (Lo Aleinu) Man has invented something to help this person. Nobody wants to ever need it. But if one finds himself in such a position (Lo Aleinu) and has the means – one can turn around and truly thank science for the developments it has made!

But imagine something even more wondrous. Imagine a blind person being able to see again. The eyes may not work, so instead a whole new concept to seeing takes place. Imagine a person developing a system of sound that causes the listener to hear images?! Instead of being able to see with one's eyes, one can suddenly see with one's ears! How does one even begin to come up with such ideas?! But they are out there, and when one sees the progress of science one can really give tremendous respect for just how much it has advanced. After all, we were certainly once all monkeys many millions of years ago…

But for those who are able to take a few steps back and reconsider, perhaps such video footage can help us in another direction altogether. The direction whereby we stop *every single day* and acknowledge that actually those of us who are healthy (Baruch Hashem) actually have all this technology built into ourselves. We *can* actually see! We *can* actually hear! And we don't need to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the machine that gives us these comforts. How much would the person unable to see give (if he could afford it) if he knew the latest machine would indeed allow him to see?! How much would a paraplegic person give to own a machine (if it worked) that allowed him to walk again?! And how much do those with health truly give thanks (every single day) for having these inbuilt working "utilities?"

If we can imagine that instead of considering ourselves monkeys – that we are actually real human beings created by a Divine Creator, we can wake up every single morning and thank Him (immediately!) for the wonders which He has already implanted inside us!

Of course, the non-believer will always look to the wonders of science – and rightly so. To develop a machine to help a paraplegic person walk is incredible! To develop technology to allow a blind person to see through his hearing is another incredible miracle! But the believer cannot be fooled. He knows that he never had to pay a cent for his ultimate machine and that it's able to perform all these things for him every single day. He gets the best out of everything without having to praise science. Instead – he praises G-d. He acknowledges that science may be great… but G-d is greater. It is G-d who hides behind all of this, ultimately giving each of us the freedom of choice to decide. He tells each of us – you can be amazed at science and think that not just so long ago you were once a monkey and now look how far you've come – being able to even help a paraplegic person walk – or you can be amazed every single morning when you wake up, find you're able to move by yourself, see by yourself, hear by yourself and do everything else by yourself and turn only one direction – upwards! There, you realise that the most unbelievable machine – the human body – created by G-d Himself, is given – free of charge. Other than the ups and downs which happen with it, it works almost perfectly! Walking is steady, sight is beautiful, hearing – pleasant!

It amazes me to see the wonders of technology. Every day one is able to tune in somewhere to see an advancement of science somewhere in the world. One is not limited to learning on a once a year basis of new things just out. Rather one can keep up with technology every single day. And as one does so, one is able to see and consider just how amazing and brilliant Man is to be able to develop such wonders to help himself. 

But there's something that amazes me more! With all this around us, there are still so many who while acknowledging the brilliance of man-made machines, cannot spend time each day – turning to the actual Creator of the entire world – and thank Him for the wonder of the human body, the wonder of sight, of hearing, of walking. Everything working just as it should.

So where exactly is G-d then and why can't He come up with His own YouTube videos to show us what His latest developments in cutting technology are all about?! When you wake in the morning, take a short visit to the mirror (if you don't usually.) Then take a good look at what you'll see. There's an amazing machine (on the private "YouTube") designed by the greatest Scientist of all. So long as we are treating it right – this machine continues to work splendidly! The eyes on it cost nothing to acquire. Neither did the ears, mouth, tongue or nose. Neither did the arms which work together with the hands with thousands of muscle movements in perfect precision (ask a heart, eye or brain surgeon to confirm that!) 

And with such simplicity – G-d hides Himself behind this, taking no real credit for His work. Those who do not wish to believe He is there will always be truly amazed by science and what it has brought us. But those who believe turn to G-d in thanks every single day for their gifts that they have been granted. When they turn to science, it is only to confirm more of just how great G-d is in allowing us to further our own growth through even more progress. The believer is amazed that the body can work so perfectly – at no initial cost at all!

For the Jew, his first thought as he awakens is his thanking G-d for having woken up. Shortly afterwards he begins to feel his body and thanks G-d for its perfection. This is the beginning of a Jew's day. It is also the beginning of a Jew's life.

Isn't science amazing?! Isn't the Scientist amazing?!

Enjoy the videos!

G-d's Amazing World... in Pictures

One can find the most beautiful words in the Torah that describe the beauty of G-d's world. That does not detract from our obligation each day to look around us - at the beauty of the sky, the grass, the sea and everything of nature. Could anything other than G-d have created this? G-d invests Himself... clothes himself in it all. He is there too. Open your eyes and appreciate the beauty of what G-d has given us. Be filled with awe. Be filled with love. Let it inspire you to want to do another Mitzvah, another act of goodness and kindness. And know... that through this small movement of bringing additional light into the world, you literally add to another beautiful piece of G-d's Art.

(You'll find our images at about 1:21 and 2:10 -

shearsuccess.etsy.com)

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Rambam: The Mysterious Rotation of the Earth

BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
THE LAWS OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF TORAH
CHAPTER 1
LAW 5
THE MYSTERIOUS ROTATION OF THE EARTH

"This Being (G-d) – He is the G-d of the world, the Master of all the Earth. And He guides the sphere (the world) with a strength which has no end or completion – a strength without interruption. The sphere continually spins around, and it is impossible for it to spin without Someone who spins it. And He blessed be He is the One who rotates it without a hand and without a body."

Continuing the theme of the All-Powerful G-d, the Rambam shares with us another "global" rule. G-d is in charge of everything in the world. Nothing is able to do anything without G-d's awesome power in making it happen. It may seem (to the non-believer) that the world magically spins about all on its own. Perhaps there is a man upon whose shoulders the world stands and who has the laborious task of keeping it moving – while keeping himself invisible? Or perhaps the laws of science – gravity and the like are what the non-believer feels keep the world in a rotating state. Or for those more concerned with wealth as opposed to science, it may be money that makes the world go around.

The Rambam clarifies: There is no mysterious invisible man holding the world on his shoulders. There are no magical forces or cosmic energies that allow the world to spin so faultlessly each day, each week, each month and each year – in perfect synchronicity. There is an All-Powerful G-d, filled with an infinite strength that continues to "exert" His force upon the world to make it turn around continually – without interruption.

He has no hand nor a body that allows Him to do this. Though the prophets speak of the many human-like features of G-d – His "outstretched" hand, His anger, His jealousy, His joy, His sadness, His eyes, His mouth etc., they use these anthropomorphisms for the simple reason of allowing us to better understand the current behaviour or feelings of G-d. G-d created man in His image. When man looks at his hand, he understands (ever so slightly) what the G-dly "hand" looks like – what it can do. When a man smiles, he understands what it means for G-d to be happy. When a man frowns, he understands the sadness of G-d.

But G-d is beyond all human comprehension. He is like no man who requires physical power and features to make things happen. G-d operates in a mode far above any level of nature than anybody could ever imagine. His strength is not in action, not even in our understanding of speech or thought. His strength exists in His very essence – something impossible for any of us to understand.

But it is clear. He is the Master of the entire cosmos and the Milky Way Galaxy! He is the Master of the physical, the spiritual, the good and it's opposite. He is all these things and more. It is through His active and constant supervision and power that the world rotates continually – perfectly. He never tires nor weakens.

Without G-d – without this awesome Force, the world would be unable to rotate. In fact, not only could the world not rotate, it would not even be here.

Rambam: Truth - There is Nothing But Him

RAMBAM
BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
THE LAWS OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF TORAH
CHAPTER 1
LAW 4

TRUTH – THERE IS NOTHING BUT HIM

"This is what the prophet (Jeremiah 10:10) said, "And G-d the Lord is truth." He alone is the truth, and there is no other thing as true as His truth is (as His reality is.) And this is what the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:35) says, "There is nothing else but Him." This means to say, there is no other existence of truth (reality) except for Him – that is like Him."

When it comes to belief in G-d, which is by now a given based upon the first three laws that the Rambam teaches, it must be made clear that G-d Himself is absolute truth. The world is filled with a variety of truths. This is what makes people believe so many things – so many different gods. Were there to be no truth to them, they would fall apart immediately. As the Torah teaches, the letters of the Hebrew word for falsehood – 'Sheker' – are made up of three letters. 'Shin' a letter that rests upon one leg. "Kof", a letter that has only one main leg to stand upon. And 'Reish' another letter with just one leg. When it comes to total falsehood, it may possibly have a leg to stand on… but it will usually topple over in moments.

On the other hand, the Hebrew word for 'Truth' – 'Emet' – is made up of three letters of another kind. The first letter – Aleph – has two legs to stand on. The middle letter – Mem – has a complete sturdy base upon which it rests. And the third letter – Tav – likewise has two legs to stand on. Not only that, but it encompasses the entire Aleph Beit – the Hebrew alphabet. It's first letter Aleph, is the first letter of the word Emet. It's second letter Mem is the middle letter of the alphabet, and it's third letter Tav is the final letter of the alphabet. Truth can stand up to anything – because it has two strong legs with which to hold itself up and balance itself. It is also not afraid to encompass everything, because truth extends from the beginning of the matter to it's end – no matter what is included in it. It holds strong!

The sages teach that any falsehood not mixed with a little truth is destined to collapse (and fast!), but falsehood mixed with even the most minute amount of truth can still stand. This is because that point of truth mixed within the falsehood, works hard at balancing the falsehood (that cannot stand on it's own) making it appear that the falsehood is in fact truthful.

So it is that much of the falsehood of the world is believed. Those sharing this nonsense of falsehood, do so with wisdom – by including just the smallest measure of truth into things. Naturally, to the average person, the truth is so mixed within the falsehood, that nobody is the wiser to be able to distinguish the good from the bad.

As Rebbi Nachman of Breslov teaches: The reason we learn Halacha (the Jewish law) is in order to be able to learn how to separate the good from the bad. This is why the give and take of Torah learning is filled with a variety of opinions. Through the different opinions, one begins to see the situation from a variety of sides. Through the give and take – one eventually cuts away and comes to see the truth – finally brought up in a main code of Jewish law (without the give and take) such as the Shulchan Aruch.

Learning Gemara (Talmud) and other various legal texts helps to train the mind to understand how to think correctly. We live in a world mixed with truth and falsehood – a problem begun with the eating from the Tree of Knowledge - Good and Evil, when this mixture became absorbed into everything and anything. So today, there is nothing that does not include both good and bad. Our job is to be able to filter out the bad – to sort the bad from the good, to be left only with the good, only with the truth.

When it comes to G-d, however, He is absolute truth. There is nothing quite like His truth. There is nothing about Him that lies. There are no fabrications about Him. The essence of everything in the world – everything that exists, is included within the truth of G-d. Nothing can be concealed from Him – for He encompasses absolute truth and includes all truth.

Absolute truth is impossible for the average person to ever understand – though it is the ultimate goal for the serious student of Torah. The truth must be arrived at and must be practised, for this is what G-d wants from each of us.

There is nothing but G-d. He includes every possibility of truth. Everything about Him is true. There is nothing else that can compare to this truth, for everything else – no matter how good it is, still includes an aspect of ego, an aspect of a mixture of good and bad, an aspect of falsehood – no matter how far away it seems from that particular thing. Our very world is a world of falsehood, an upside down world, where "those on the top are really on the bottom, and those on the bottom are on top." The world that follows this one – the World to Come, is a world of truth, a world without the masks of our world – where everything is revealed – G-d is revealed, and with it, absolute truth, a truth that none of us can run away from.

Meanwhile, our job in this world is to acknowledge the truth of G-d, to strive for it, and to work towards the goal of making our lives filled with complete truth. We do this through the study of the Torah and the practice of the Mitzvot.

Rambam: G-d Does Not Need Us... For Anything

RAMBAM
BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
THE LAWS OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF TORAH
CHAPTER 1
LAW 3

G-D DOES NOT NEED US… FOR ANYTHING

"And if it should arise in one's mind that all existence should cease to exist, (still) He alone would exist. And He will not lose His existence due to their non-existence. Because all existence needs Him and He blessed be He does not need them – not any of them. Therefore His reality is not like the reality of any of them."

The philosopher's mind might continue in his thoughts regarding G-d's existence. From considering the possibility of whether G-d exists or not, to considering that everything could exist even of it's own accord in any case, the Rambam points out in law 1:3 that G-d's existence is of a different kind to every other creation.

In fact, even if it would be, that every single creation in the world would suddenly disappear out of the time/space continuum for all eternity, still G-d would continue to exist. He is not dependent upon anything in creation in order to exist. We do not give Him life. He did not even create us in the hope of continuing His "own life" – fearing that were He not to create something, He would mystically expire into nothingness.

G-d has created a world to be inhabited. He desires a dwelling place in the worlds below. His desire is for man to create a place where ultimately goodness and kindness will prevail. He wishes to bestow His kindness somewhere else – other than in His "own world of existence." He wants this because He is good and it is the way of the good to do good. He wants a world where all will follow His laws – because His laws are good, and bring goodness to everything. The Jewish people must follow the 613 commandments of the Torah, and the remainder of the world must follow the 7 Laws of the children of Noach. But at no time does G-d *need* any of His creations in order to continue His life. We are not His oxygen cylinder that He needs in order to breathe. We are not His eyes that He needs in order to see, nor His ears in order for Him to be able to hear what is happening in this world.

G-d, while completely attached to everything, is also completely separate. Not like a soul attached to the body, that once it leaves, the body is unable to do anything and ends up becoming a part of the ground – from where it once came before. As if the body needs the soul… or as if the soul needs the body in order to express itself in this world. G-d is not attached to His creation in a way that any physical thing is attached to anything else.

While the garment of nature conceals G-d inside it, this does not mean that were nature to disappear – that G-d would too. Everything is His creation, though it is separate from Him. There is nothing else but G-d and G-d fills all of creation, but at the same time that He is everywhere, He is also somewhere else – so that should "everywhere" disappear, He will continue to exist.

Much like the body is in need of the soul, all of creation is in constant need of G-d to give it life. Yet G-d needs none of creation in order for Himself to exist. He is One with them all, yet He is nothing of any of them. His reality is not like the reality of any of them. He is completely unique. There are no words to describe His uniqueness. He simply is.

Rambam: A World Without G-d

BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
THE LAWS OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF TORAH
CHAPTER 1
LAW 2

A WORLD WITHOUT G-D

"And if it should arise in one's mind that He (G-d) is not present, then no other thing can be present (either.)"

There are those (philosophers) who assume the world was created with a Big Bang. An explosion of sorts that brought life into existence. There are some (perhaps even wiser!) that consider that life as we know it having begun out of an almost non-existence. Either creatures and life "just appeared" out of nowhere (with no actual Force bringing them into existence,) or one in which amoebas turned into fish. Fish turned into frogs. Frogs hopped onto land, to eventually grow up and become animals – monkeys perhaps. And eventually these monkeys became human beings – complicated human bodies with souls attached, one's that are able to think for themselves, to speak concepts filled with wisdom and understanding. To do acts of goodness and kindness. All this of course, without any type of G-dly force existing in the world.

One wonders who the greater "believer" really is! Is he the one who can so twist his mind into thinking that life can have existence through a bang? Through a cell that after millions of years developed into a human being – you?! Or is the real believer one who believes in a G-d – a One G-d?

G-d fills the heavens and the earth. He encompasses everything and fills everything. There is nothing without Him. If one should ever consider the possible notion that something can exist without G-d, one must realise – at the same time, that nothing else can exist either. Nothing. Not the amoeba, the frog, the fish, the monkey or the human being… not even you.

Of course those philosophers who believed in a big bang were certainly heading in the right direction. The most basic principles in the Kabbalistic teachings of the Torah teach that G-d created the world through a most mystical process (known only to Him) which included a world filled with the awesome light of G-d. Unfortunately the vessels that G-d had created were not able to withstand the powerful light of G‑dliness, and there was a breakage – known as "Shevirat HaKeilim" – the breaking of the vessels. This lead to a variety of creations coming about, bringing everything eventually to this physical world that we inhabit today. Our job – of course, is to find the broken pieces and put them back together again. Repair the broken vessels, making them fitting and ready receptacles to once again be able to reveal the light of G-d. This time, however – without them breaking! As Rebbi Nachman of Breslov taught, where philosophy ends, Kabbalah begins!

To those who point out the similarities between monkey and human, who philosophise that man simply must have come from a monkey – they too are not too far off. Though they miss the kindness that G-d created in the world. While we cannot ever hope to know the reasons for everything, we can take a step back and examine the ape in the hope of learning more about ourselves. There are so many physical similarities between the human and the ape, that by learning about the ape, we can come to understand the workings of our own human bodies better as well. Indeed, there are certain similarities that allow us to use certain body parts of the ape to save the life of a human – because they are so similar. We don't come from apes! But G-d has certainly bestowed another kindness. He has created a creature so close to us in physical comparison – that we stand to gain from this creature – for our own selves.

The philosophers are not so far off in their understandings of G-d not existing. He surely exists! Though He hides Himself completely, so that we are given the free choice to choose how to live our lives, whether to better ourselves, or whether to choose the opposite. It surely seems like G-d does not exist. Yet He does. He is everywhere, all the time. Did you look at the sky today? He is there hidden in the air, in the clouds, in the sun.

Did you look at the trees? He is there too, hidden amongst the leaves, the branches, the roots and the fruits. Did you see the ground? G-d is hidden inside the worm, inside the mosquito. Did you see the grass? There G-d is likewise… having given dominion to the angels to control the growth of every single blade of grass. There is no blade of grass below that does not have an angel above striking it, commanding it "Grow!" He is everywhere, yet most people see "only" the beauty of nature.

But without G-d, there is no ground. There is no grass, no mosquito, no worm. There is no sun, or moon. There are no stars… There are no apes, no humans. There is no you.

"Naturally" – the choice is yours. There is either a world of nature without G-d… though it has no existence. Or there is a world covered with the mask of G-d, the garment that conceals Himself. There He is to be found, if only we look hard enough.

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TWO AMAZING VIDEOS SHOWING
ANIMALS THAT DEFY EVOLUTION

Rambam: The Foundation of all Foundations

RAMBAM
BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
THE LAWS OF
THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE TORAH
CHAPTER 1. LAW 1

THE FOUNDATION OF ALL FOUNDATIONS...

"The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of all wisdoms is to know that there is a first Something that has always existed. And He brings everything into existence. And all existence, from the skies and the earth, and all that is between them cannot exist except through the truth of His creating them"

Ever wondered where to begin life? The philosophers debate this point ad infinitum! Is there a G-d? Isn't there a G-d? This will surely change one's approach to life…

What kind of G-d – if there is one?! Has He abandoned us perhaps? Such a great G-d must surely acknowledge our smallness next to His greatness – and if so, He has surely abandoned His world having no need to associate with those far smaller than He.

Or perhaps, G-d, having now realised what He has done, has surely lost control of His world. Having given man free choice, He can surely not stop man from doing as he wills – ad infinitum. As for G-d, He may just as well have left the world, now having finally created His prize creation!

Or is there more? How are we to ever get by living a life filled with real meaning if we cannot know where to begin living our lives from?!

The Rambam's code – encompassing the entire Torah – was written in a particular order – for a particular reason. As he begins his work with this law, he must surely have meant it for a good reason as well. In fact, there simply is no other way to begin a work that discusses the laws of life than with a law such as this. Cutting through the possibility of philosophical debate of any kind, the Rambam sheds light on the most basic principle of life – G-d!

The Torah itself begins with the words, "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth." The first of the Ten Commandments states, "I am the L-rd your G-d…"

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that even the very letters for the sentence stating that G-d suspends the firmament in the heavens continually stands in the air holding this command of G-d's in place! Were it not for those letters being suspended – continually, the heavens would collapse, and everything would revert back to a world of total chaos – as it was before G-d set up the order of life we have today.

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that nothing can happen in the world without G-d so decreeing it, without allowing it to happen. G-d watches everything, all the time. He encompasses everything, and is included within everything. One cannot run away from G-d, nor do anything without Him being aware of it.

These are the most basic principles of life. Without G-d, a world of chaos reigns. With Him, the start of a world of balance – of goodness and kindness, begins. He is all-powerful, and completely humble – both at the same time.

The wise man should set his eyes on this. It is the greatest piece of wisdom in the world – to know that this G-d has existed since any moment in time of infinity that anyone could ever dream of. And in turn, He will exist until any moment in time of infinity that anyone is able to dream of. In fact, He exists in both places at once – even now. He continually brings creation into existence every single moment. Not one moment passes by without His constant intervention and supervision in seeing to it that everything exists as it should.

Not like the potter – who takes clay, shapes it and moulds it into a new "creation" – which stands by itself when left afterwards. Not even like a magician who can magically cause the waters of the sea (in existence already) to change their path, forming columns and leaving the dry land for people to walk through. Rather, even the sea is His creation. He creates it from nothingness – a greater miracle than turning a substance of one kind into another – of changing a rule of nature, of changing one form of nature into another.

He continually brings it from nothingness into somethingness. He continually brings every single one of us from a nothingness into a somethingness. Right now, with every blink of our eyes. With every breath we take. With every movement we make. We are being brought into existence anew – every single moment. We are not pottery made from clay whose form has changed. We are literal nothingness – that G-d brings into somethingness existence – every single moment.

One must take a giant leap to enter the world of truth. In the world of falsehood, G-d can be anything. He can even not exist… But in the world of truth, He is here. He always has been. He always will be. And everything that has existed, does exist or ever will exist – is through His doing so… and through his doing so now.

To live any life filled with meaning, means that one must begin life right here. The acknowledgment that G-d does indeed exist, is the first step on the awesome journey of life. On a journey of discovery. A journey of bringing goodness and kindness to this world. A journey of learning about oneself – about one's soul. A journey of connecting with G-d Himself – in this world right here. A journey of bringing G-d into this world and of seeing Him wherever we look. In the heavens above and in the earth below. In the food we eat and the water we drink. In the actions we do, the words we say and the thoughts that we think.

Who can imagine a more exciting journey than the one – that includes G-d?