The Paradox of Choosing Freely

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For further research:

Read our related devar Torah for Parashat Behar here.

Derekh HaShem (2) 2:3-4

Listen to Sunday's class on Derekh HaShem here.

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Derekh HaShem (2) 2:1-2

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.

Derekh HaShem 5.8

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Derekh HaShem 5.2-6

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Derekh HaShem 5.1

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Derekh HaShem 4.10-11

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

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Derekh Hashem 4.9

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.


For further research:

1) Read our devar Torah for Parashat Yitro 2016, related to the central topic of the class, here.

2) Read the "proper" version of the story I referenced, regarding the Gr"a and birkot ha-Torah here.

3) In Source 3 we read about "חכמה יוונית," and mentioned my friend Eliyahu Krakowski's article, "How Much 'Greek' in Greek Wisdom?" Read it here.

4) In Source 4 we mentioned the opinions regarding reading Zohar without understanding. See: a) R. Yaakov M. Hillel's discussion of this matter in his Ad HaGal HaZeh, as well as his citations of b) Shivhei HaAri and c) Hida's Moreh BeEssba.

5) Read Gershom Scholem's "The Meaning of Torah in Jewish Mysticism" here. See specifically pg. 37-44 for his discussion of Ramban's commentary in Source 5.

6) Read a related article that I wrote several years ago, בביאור החילוק שבין תושב"כ לתושבע"פ ולימוד כנתינתה בסיני, here.

Derekh HaShem 4.5-8

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For further research:

Read our devar Torah for Parashat Terumah 2017, related to the final topic of the class, here.

Derekh HaShem 4.1-5

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.


For further research:

1) Read our devar Torah for Parashot Matot/Masei, related to the final concept that we discussed, here.

2) Read Melila Hellner-Eshed's brief discussion of Zohar's concept of "turning darkness into light," in A River Flows From Eden, here.

Derekh HaShem 3.11-13

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.

Derekh HaShem 3.9-10

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.

Derekh HaShem 3.3-8

Listen to this morning's class on Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.


For further research:

Read our devar Torah from Sukkot 2018, which is related to a major theme of the class, here.

Derekh HaShem 3.1-2

Listen to this morning's class here.

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Derekh HaShem 2.4-5

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Follow along with the sources here.

At the end of the class we touched briefly on the different sefirot  and olamot. See below for a diagram:

Derekh HaShem 2.3

Listen to this morning's class on Ramhal's Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.

Derekh HaShem: 2.1-2

Listen to this morning's class on Ramhal's Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the sources here.


For further research:

Read our related devar Torah for Parashat VaYesse here.

Derekh HaShem: 1.6

Listen to this morning's class on Ramhal's Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the source sheets here.


For further research:

Read our related devar Torah for Parashat VaEra here.

Read R. Dr. Norman Lamm's comprehensive "The Unity Theme and Its Implication for Moderns" here.

Derekh HaShem: 1.2

Listen to this morning's class on Ramhal's Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the source sheets here.

Derekh HaShem: Introduction & 1.1

Listen to this morning's class on Ramhal's Derekh HaShem here.

Follow along with the text here, and with the source sheets here.