When the yetzer for idolatry was abolished, prophecy vanished with it. The world, once speaking, went silent. In that silence, was born science: the study of a universe that follows law but no longer reveals purpose.We follow the transformation from the enchanted world of the prophets, through the impersonal age of universals, to the modern possibility of a renewed da’as Hashem. It asks whether we can once again see the world as personal — without falling back into idolatry — and what kind of self would make that possible.
00:45 The abolition of the inclination to idolatry2:00 With the abolition of the inclination to idolatry, prophecy came to an end4:30 What conditions would favor the reawakening of the inclination to idolatry and prophecy?6:20 Why are sources and texts necessary for learning about ideas or reality? 3 models15:15 The connection between the abolition of the inclination to idolatry and prophecy — the world, once enchanted, lost its enchantmentOn the enchanted world: https://shnayor.substack.com/p/how-to...18:00 Is the world personal?20:00 The question of whether the world is personal hinges on the problem of evil23:45 To converse with God through His creation is completely natural for one who conceives of His good character manifest in His creation25:00 If the good divine character is manifest in only a part of reality, polytheism results28:30 What "good" means30:00 The problem of evil for the unified personal God32:00 Moshe's request to know Hashem was a quest to understand evil: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...33:30 The denial of Moshe's request is the reason the Torah teaches Hashem's unknowability: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...Between the Torah and the Prophets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/364132946794...35:00 The perfectly righteous man bends Hashem's action to the good he knows in his human soul: https://www.ebay.com/itm/364134646725...38:00 The prophets see God as good in their own image; why Moshe rejected that anthropocentric goodness43:30 Free will is central to the question of whether Hashem is good on the basis of human goodness44:15 The thousand-year era of prophecy when Hashem was known in His goodness: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...48:00 Why the prophetic relationship with Hashem leads imperfect people into idolatry51:45 The end of prophecy and the beginning of science53:00 Science and the depersonalization of nature54:45 In the post-prophetic era, Israel didn't need to be independent, since Hashem's impersonal unity is universal and not particular to His revelation among Israel59:25 Can we yet make the world personal again?1:00:00 The shift in the sense of self from what is temporal to that which is eternal1:02:00 The eternal moral laws are purely good, without contradiction1:08:45 Are we ready for the shift to the new prophecy?1:10:00 Why do we require a particular nation in the era of universal knowledge of Hashem? https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...https://www.ebay.com/itm/3744777007721:11:30 The reality of Jewish sovereignty suggests it is time for the new da'as Hashem1:13:30 Q & AWhy would the new da'as Hashem be any safer?What would idolatry look like under the new paradigm?Would religion that requires such a shift in the sense of self be meaningful to people?1:18:00 Why the prophets took the easier path at first1:21:00 Where the notion of a self came from1:23:00 On the centrality of respecting parents and how that shifts our sense of self: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor...Why would a soul not care about the destruction of the body?Would the new prophecy be different?