Description: Section II - Chapter 5 - 01
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 5 – 01
This chapter explains the method how Hashem carries out His will in this world. There are two terms we use when referring to Hashem’s hashgachah on the world, how He oversees and directs the world. One is Hashem’s ‘Hashkafah’, meaning His vision and His will together. This means, Hashem has complete knowledge of everything in the world. He knows what happens, with full understanding of every single ramification and repercussion of every action, its source and its power. Hashem knows the past and the future equally, there’s absolutely nothing hidden from Him. This is Hashem’s vision. When we use the term ‘hashkafah,’ we are also referring to how Hashem determines His vision of the world, meaning He judges the world and decrees how it should continue, depending on all the different factors as we have discussed in past chapters, and we will continue to delve into this as we go along. In short: Hashem’s ‘hashkafah’ is His knowledge of all things in the world, past, present, and future, and His judgement of how they should proceed.
The other term is Hashem’s ‘Hashpa’ah.’ This means how Hashem chose to bring about the fulfillment of His will. Hashem instituted a process, with many different steps, a form of government, and through this process Hashem carries out His will and maintains life in the world, and determines what kind of blessing the creations will receive. Hashem is ‘mashpiah’ to an angel, a malach, and that malach continues to be mashpiah to the malach which is below him, and so on, level after level, until the final malach in the chain of command actually carries out the will of Hashem in the physical world, to maintain something or to start something new, as Hashem decreed.
In truth, everything that happens is essentially Hashem’s doing, because it is Hashem’s power that gives reality and strength to all the levels of angels that are part of this process, nevertheless, the method which this ‘hashpa’ah’ travels through, is this bureaucracy of sorts, which is Hashem’s will.
Departing from the Ramchal for a moment, this hishtalshalus, this government of malachim is a fascinating thing. On one hand, they give tremendous respect and honor to Hashem. He has millions of servants, awesome and fearful ones, ofanim and chayos hakodesh, who give honor to Hashem and sanctify His name. They say Kadosh, Kadosh, and they say Baruch Shem. They create tremendous kavod shamayim. On the other hand, the fact that this hishtalshallus exists creates the possibility of people thinking that there are other powers besides Hashem. The whole world is the same. On one hand it creates tremendous kavod shamayim, while at the same time it also hides Hashem - hester.
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 5 – 01
This chapter explains the method how Hashem carries out His will in this world. There are two terms we use when referring to Hashem’s hashgachah on the world, how He oversees and directs the world. One is Hashem’s ‘Hashkafah’, meaning His vision and His will together. This means, Hashem has complete knowledge of everything in the world. He knows what happens, with full understanding of every single ramification and repercussion of every action, its source and its power. Hashem knows the past and the future equally, there’s absolutely nothing hidden from Him. This is Hashem’s vision. When we use the term ‘hashkafah,’ we are also referring to how Hashem determines His vision of the world, meaning He judges the world and decrees how it should continue, depending on all the different factors as we have discussed in past chapters, and we will continue to delve into this as we go along. In short: Hashem’s ‘hashkafah’ is His knowledge of all things in the world, past, present, and future, and His judgement of how they should proceed.
The other term is Hashem’s ‘Hashpa’ah.’ This means how Hashem chose to bring about the fulfillment of His will. Hashem instituted a process, with many different steps, a form of government, and through this process Hashem carries out His will and maintains life in the world, and determines what kind of blessing the creations will receive. Hashem is ‘mashpiah’ to an angel, a malach, and that malach continues to be mashpiah to the malach which is below him, and so on, level after level, until the final malach in the chain of command actually carries out the will of Hashem in the physical world, to maintain something or to start something new, as Hashem decreed.
In truth, everything that happens is essentially Hashem’s doing, because it is Hashem’s power that gives reality and strength to all the levels of angels that are part of this process, nevertheless, the method which this ‘hashpa’ah’ travels through, is this bureaucracy of sorts, which is Hashem’s will.
Departing from the Ramchal for a moment, this hishtalshalus, this government of malachim is a fascinating thing. On one hand, they give tremendous respect and honor to Hashem. He has millions of servants, awesome and fearful ones, ofanim and chayos hakodesh, who give honor to Hashem and sanctify His name. They say Kadosh, Kadosh, and they say Baruch Shem. They create tremendous kavod shamayim. On the other hand, the fact that this hishtalshallus exists creates the possibility of people thinking that there are other powers besides Hashem. The whole world is the same. On one hand it creates tremendous kavod shamayim, while at the same time it also hides Hashem - hester.