The way of God | Introduction

The way of God | Introduction

By Torah.org

It is with great awe and trepidation that we begin our presentation of “The Way of God”. After all, what this work is, is a laying out cold and clear, layer by layer, the very fundamental principles of the universe, and the very things expected of us all as a consequence of them. But let’s begin nonetheless.

The truth is, we really won’t be beginning at the very top of the work– with Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto’s introduction. Because it’s a work unto itself, and it serves as an introduction to the science of logic. With God’s help we’ll present it at a later time, as a treat. Simply because we’d like to jump into the waters of “The Ways of God” right off.

First a rule or two. We’ll be referring to our author as “Ramchal”, which is an acronym for his full name, RAbbi Moshe CHAim Luzzatto. And we’ll be paraphrasing the work rather than translating it, both because my teacher, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (of blessed memory), already did such a masterful job of it; and also to save space. The truth be known, I’ll be using different terms than the ones Rabbi Kaplan used, but the astute reader will have no trouble following along.

“The Way of G-d” is divided into four main sections:

1. The Fundamental Principles of Reality
2. Divine Providence
3. The Soul, Inspiration, Prophecy, and the Supernatural
4. Divine Service.

To read the Text: CLICK HERE