Description: Section II - Chapter 6 - 01
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 6 – 01
The Ramchal now explains how Hashem administers judgement – how the Bais Din shel Maalah works. Hashem constructed a system of justice which is similar to the justice system of Klal Yisrael, with many different levels of Batei Din. The Batei Din up there are organized to deal with different issues, much as there are different kinds of Batei Din here as well.
Hashem sees to it that all the Batei Din reach the true judgement, and on some of the Batei Din, Hashem Himself sits, so to speak, as the head of the Bais Din. We find this concept in Tanach. When Achav was thinking to go to war against the Aramim, he looked for a message from Hashem to say if he will be successful or not. He had 400 nevi’im all telling him to go to war and he would be successful. The Melech Yehudah, Yehoshafat was there as well, and he was suspicious of these nevi’im because they all were using identical language and he had a mesorah that nevi’im don’t use identical language. He asked Achav if perhaps there was a navi who wasn’t there. Achav said there is only one, but he always has only bad things to say to him! This was the navi Michah. The navi indeed came to Achav and told him that he would die in this war, and Klal Yisrael would scatter. The navi then recounted a vision he had. He saw the Bais Din Shel Maalah, and they were sitting to the right and to the left of Hashem Himself. The Gemarah explains that there isn’t any right or left up there – there’s no bodies or gufim, so sides are irrelevant. It means figuratively speaking, there were ‘mayminim,’ the ones who argued for the defense of the person being judged, and ‘masmilim’ the one arguing against the one being judged. Hashem, after apparently passing judgement against Achav, said, ‘Who will go and be the spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all those 400 nevi’im, and cause them to predict that Achav will be successful?’ One ‘ruach’ got up, a spirit, and Chazal say it was the neshamah of Nevos who was murdered by Achav, and he volunteered. We see from here, that there are judgments which Hashem Himself presides over.
The thing to understand is that we have already discussed in the past that there are innumerable factors that go into a person’s judgement. It affects himself, his family, his future, his community, the world’s view of Hashem’s judgment, and many, many other factors, all which have to be taken into account. Every person has a variety of zchusim, whether from his own actions, or his children’s or his parents and forefathers. All those are considered as well. Every act for itself has to be judged from many different angles, depending on context and the person doing it, and the time and place.
Although Hashem obviously knows everything at all times, and doesn’t require any form of debate or discussion, Hashem constructed these Batei Din for the purpose of them debating the judgement, and bringing up all possible factors, the mayminim and the masmilim, because that was Hashem’s will. Even though Hashem Himself is presiding over the Din, He proceeds with this process.
In summary, Hashem doesn’t judge the world based on His knowledge – which would be instantaneous judgement always, rather He allows it to go through the system so to speak, which means it is presented and dissected by the Malachim and other spirits who have been appointed to deal with these issues.
Derech Hashem
Section II – Chapter 6 – 01
The Ramchal now explains how Hashem administers judgement – how the Bais Din shel Maalah works. Hashem constructed a system of justice which is similar to the justice system of Klal Yisrael, with many different levels of Batei Din. The Batei Din up there are organized to deal with different issues, much as there are different kinds of Batei Din here as well.
Hashem sees to it that all the Batei Din reach the true judgement, and on some of the Batei Din, Hashem Himself sits, so to speak, as the head of the Bais Din. We find this concept in Tanach. When Achav was thinking to go to war against the Aramim, he looked for a message from Hashem to say if he will be successful or not. He had 400 nevi’im all telling him to go to war and he would be successful. The Melech Yehudah, Yehoshafat was there as well, and he was suspicious of these nevi’im because they all were using identical language and he had a mesorah that nevi’im don’t use identical language. He asked Achav if perhaps there was a navi who wasn’t there. Achav said there is only one, but he always has only bad things to say to him! This was the navi Michah. The navi indeed came to Achav and told him that he would die in this war, and Klal Yisrael would scatter. The navi then recounted a vision he had. He saw the Bais Din Shel Maalah, and they were sitting to the right and to the left of Hashem Himself. The Gemarah explains that there isn’t any right or left up there – there’s no bodies or gufim, so sides are irrelevant. It means figuratively speaking, there were ‘mayminim,’ the ones who argued for the defense of the person being judged, and ‘masmilim’ the one arguing against the one being judged. Hashem, after apparently passing judgement against Achav, said, ‘Who will go and be the spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all those 400 nevi’im, and cause them to predict that Achav will be successful?’ One ‘ruach’ got up, a spirit, and Chazal say it was the neshamah of Nevos who was murdered by Achav, and he volunteered. We see from here, that there are judgments which Hashem Himself presides over.
The thing to understand is that we have already discussed in the past that there are innumerable factors that go into a person’s judgement. It affects himself, his family, his future, his community, the world’s view of Hashem’s judgment, and many, many other factors, all which have to be taken into account. Every person has a variety of zchusim, whether from his own actions, or his children’s or his parents and forefathers. All those are considered as well. Every act for itself has to be judged from many different angles, depending on context and the person doing it, and the time and place.
Although Hashem obviously knows everything at all times, and doesn’t require any form of debate or discussion, Hashem constructed these Batei Din for the purpose of them debating the judgement, and bringing up all possible factors, the mayminim and the masmilim, because that was Hashem’s will. Even though Hashem Himself is presiding over the Din, He proceeds with this process.
In summary, Hashem doesn’t judge the world based on His knowledge – which would be instantaneous judgement always, rather He allows it to go through the system so to speak, which means it is presented and dissected by the Malachim and other spirits who have been appointed to deal with these issues.