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8.10.2006

HASHEM-----ain od milvado


Q.2.-From where does that definition of "Perfection and All-Powerfulness" come from, that we use to describe HASHEM ? (obviously not human creation).



2 - From the posuk "ain od milvado".

"All-powerful" does NOT mean quantitatively more powerful than you and I. It's not that Hashem has MORE power than anyone else. It’s more that Hashem's power is completely different than what we understand power to be in this world.

Power, to us, means the ability to overcome something. Perhaps to lift weight (overcoming the resistance), to jump high (overcoming gravity), or to figure out a mystery (overcoming lack of apparent knowledge).

Limits come when the power that we want to overcome is greater than the power we possess. A limit means there is some other power greater than yours.

Power and limits are really the same thing. It's just a matter of how the power is distributed.
None of this makes sense when it comes to Hashem. When we say, "Hashem is all-powerful" it doesn't mean that He has power like we have except He has an infinite amount of it. That would mean that the difference between Him and us is that whereas we can only overcome a limited amount of things, He can overcome everything.

Nope. That's not the idea. It's not that he is stronger than any power, but rather THERE IS NO POWER FOR HIM TO BE STRONGER THAN, since He is the creator, maintainer, and controller of all power in the world.

If you want to say that Hashem does have limits, then I will ask you what is the source of the power that you say is stronger than Hashem? Since we can prove that the world, the entire world has a creator, then the power that you claim is stronger than Hashem also must have a creator. Which means, ultimately, that the creator of the world can have no limits, since He would be the creator of power as well. And if you create and control all power in the world, you cannot have any limits, because limits means there is power stronger than you.

When you understand HOW Hashem created the universe, we realize that he must be all-powerful. Not because he has MORE power than anything, but because there is NO power except Him.

The best way to understand Hashem's existence versus ours - this is only a Moshol, but it's the best one I can think of - if for you to imagine, in your own mind, a little world. Little people, little cities, all in your imagination.

That's a Moshol of how Hashem created the world. Those people in your mind have real existence - they are little electrical impulses in your brain - but compared to you, they don't really exist at all.

So too we exist in some way, but only as expressions of the Will of Hashem. "Ain Od Milvado" - there is nothing except Hashem. "This means nothing has true existence except Hashem" (Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 1:4).

There would be no such thing as you having limits as to how much "power" you have in your imaginary world. Since the entire thing is only an expression of your will, no power there can exist without your desire. It would make no sense to question whether you are "strong" enough to lift a big rock in your world or to revive someone from the dead, since the rock is only heavy by your will and the person is only dead by your will.

Your will controls everything and so no force exists except you.

When we say Hashem is all-powerful, we do not mean that He is stronger than anything, but rather there is no strength at all in the entire world except Him.

This is the simple meaning of "ain od milvado".

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