So yesterday the Chovos HaLevavos has this mashal of דמה לעבד שציוהו המלך לקבל ממון מעבדי מלכותו, let's say to collect taxes or something, ושימנה המעות וישקלם ויצרפם. So instead of the eved carrying out that task, so he relies on others to tell him how much money there is and what the weight of each of the coins is and that the coins are pure, that they're not a mixture of silver and something else, but they're pure. And then in the mashal, so חייב לו המלך אפילו אם ימצא הממון כדבריהם. So I think more pointedly than we said yesterday, I think the pshat is as follows. Let's say you go to the butcher store and you buy a cut of beef. So how do you know that it's kosher? Because there's a teudas kashrus hanging in the window and whoever the Rav Machshir or the Vaad HaRabbanim who's machshir is telling you that this store is under... okay. So if you want to be precise, so if someone asks how do you know, were you there, you saw the animal shachtered and then you were there for the melichah and everything? No, I don't know anything, but the Rav HaMachshir told me that it's okay. So in quotation marks, so one knows, knows in quotation marks, based on what one is told. So in the context of kashrus, so that's a hundred percent l'chatchila because the Torah said that עד אחד נאמן באיסורין, that eichus of yediya is totally l'chatchila. And there's no reason that a person has to be makpid to be present for the shechita and every step of the process from the shechita until it ends up in the cholent. He can just enjoy his cholent and that's a hundred percent l'chatchila. What the Chovos HaLevavos is saying, I think we'll see soon he quotes, I think we'll see right now, we'll jump ahead a little bit, כדכתיב וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי השם הוא האלקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד וכן אמר בכל מה שנוכל לעמוד על בירורו מדרך השכל,
meaning even though this pasuk is talking about one particular yesod haemuna, but if you apply the מדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן of כמו שאמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה כל דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל ללמד לא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא מפני שדעת ענין היחוד ענף מן הדברים שיובנו מדרך השכל ומה שיתחייב בו יתחייב בכולם.
So the Chovos HaLevavos is saying the Torah said, again, this is very much his shita and the Rambam's shita, not everyone agrees with it, but it's the shita of the Chovos HaLevavos and the Rambam, that the Torah said that unlike עד אחד נאמן באיסורין where it's a hundred percent l'chatchila that one's yediya is really a second-hand yediya, but the Torah said that's fine because that's the level of yediya that you need. Over here, no, the yediya is supposed to be first-hand. So if a person... The Chovos Halevavos will ta'an again, not everyone agrees with the Chovos Halevavos and the Rambam. But this group of Gedolei Olam are telling us if a person knows Hashem Echad only m'derech hakabala so that's analogous to knowing that the meat is kosher. Now is that a yediah? It is a yediah. But unlike עד אחד נאמן באיסורין where the Torah said and that's the there is no inyan l'chatchila to have a first-hand yediah over here no, וידעת היום והשבת אל לבבך means no that one who is capable of it Chovos Halevavos and the Rambam ta'an is supposed to have a first-hand yediah. So if again I know that it says in the Torah השם אלוקינו השם אחד but I don't know how the Rambam explains it in Perek Alef of Yesodei HaTorah so then it's a yediah comparable to עד אחד נאמן באיסורין. So is it a yediah? Yes, it is a yediah. Is the person a ma'amin? Yes, the person is a ma'amin. But according to the Chovos Halevavos and the Rambam the mitzvah again the kiyum hamitzvah is not m'akeiv in being a ma'amin. But the mitzvah is doreshet that if a person is unlike עד אחד נאמן באיסורין unlike the chaticha shel basar if a person is capable of having a first-hand yediah so in that sense the eved when the eved stands up that's the point of the mashal again I missed this yesterday in the explanations it wasn't the point is that the melech says to the eved I want you to be able to attest first-hand I want your word as to how many coins there are here and to what the quality of the coins is I'm not asking that you should pass on a second-hand yediah to me I asked for your first-hand yediah. And that's what the Chovos Halevavos is expressing through the mashal and that's what he's saying. Okay so I think we're at Daf Kaf Beis from כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט? Yes. I wonder if I'm jumping the gun here but does this have to do anything for what we were talking about in the Thursday shiur that about the rav that you have to like I'm not saying the same exact thing but where a person has to exert all of their rational sense in order to have that proper understanding. But I mean I understand why you're asking but there isn't anything in the Chovos Halevavos that indicates you know what the rav is talking about there isn't anything in what the rav is talking about that would let's say again the deiah hacholeket on the Chovos Halevavos says no that the type of yediah that the Torah wants yes the Torah is it is l'chatchila again to have a yediah similar to עד אחד נאמן באיסורין it is that is acceptable to have a yediah based on a mesorah that is Torah l'chatchila there's nothing what the rav is saying that takes sides on that issue mi'idach gisa there's nothing what the Chovos Halevavos is saying that introduces the idea of the ideal system its own world of ideas. וזה הוא בשני פנים האחד מהם right where he's about to quote the pasuk כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט. האחד מהם ממה שאמר הכתוב כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט בין דם לדם בין דין לדין ובין נגע לנגע דברי ריבות בשעריך ועשית על פי הדבר אשר יגידו לך וכשאתה מסתכל במה שכלל הפסוק הראשון מענייני הדינים תמצאם דברים שצריכים לפרוט אותם ולחלקם ולדקדק בהם בדרך הקבלה לא בדרך אותות השכל
Bein dam l'dam bein din l'din. Within the halachic system, so some maros are tamei and some maros are tahor, and now you have to figure out whether which side of the line this dam falls on. Negoim as well. So the answer again, even if the answer is not purely within sevara. הלא התורה שלא הזכירה בכללם ענין מענינים אשר יוסכמו מצד השכל כי לא אמר כשתסתפק בענין היחוד איך הוא או בשמות הבורא ובמדותיו ובשרש משרשי הדת
ka'avodas hamakom u'vitoach alav ve'hikana lefanav ve'yached hama'aseh lishmo ולברר המעשים הטובים מפגעי ההפסד, again purity of motivation, ועניני התשובה מן העברות ולירא ממנו ולאהבה אותו ve'lehishpotech befanav ולחשב עם הנפש בעבור שמו ve'hadomeh lazeh ממה שיגיע אליו האדם בדרך השכל וההכרה שתעמדו בהם על ידי חכמי התורה והסמך ותסמוך על דברי קבלתם בלבד.
Meaning the Chovos Halvavos says the impression you have there in the parsha in Parshas Shoftim of כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט is it's something which is beyond you. It's beyond you because either maybe it's beyond your level of knowledge or it's beyond you that the chachamim in the other battei din are chalukim badavar. So clearly what if it's beyond you or if there's a machlokes about it, it's not subject matter which sechel just indicates clearly unequivocally what's right and what's true. And in all Chovos Halvavos that is the case, right, that that sechel indicates clearly and unequivocally what is true. And here it's no, it's something which is Ki Yipalei Mimcha, the subject matter is subject matter which isn't something that can be again unequivocally clarified al pi sechel. So that in in those in that tchum of Chovos Halvavos something that can be unequivocally established adei sechel, so it's not supposed to end up in Beis Din HaGadol. It's in everyone's province. ve'hadomeh lazeh ממה שיגיע אליו האדם בדרך השכל וההכרה שתעמדו בהם על ידי חכמי התורה והסמך ותסמוך על דברי קבלתם בלבד. אבל אמר שתשיב אל דעתך ותשתמש בשכלך במה שדומה לזה אחר שתעמוד עליו מצד הקבלה שהיא כוללת כל מצות התורה ושרשיהן ופרקיהן ותחקור בו בשכלך ובינתך ושיקול דעתך עד שיתברר לך האמת וידחה השקר.
Says the Chovos Halvavos again, the point that we commented on yesterday also, the last line that we saw yesterday, of ויתברר לך מדרך הקבלה והשכל יחד is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us revealed Chovos Halvavos to us in the Torah so that we have a roadmap for applying and employing our sechel to arrive at a deeper understanding. We don't have to figure out the truth of Hashem Echad, that is served to us on a platter. So we need to come to a deeper understanding of that, how do we demonstrate that truth which the Torah reveals to us? I think the Rambam writes that he said Aristotle, even though the Rambam was very impressed with Aristotle's intellectual prowess and abilities, he said he got messed up because he didn't have a tradition to guide him in applying his sechel. And that's what the Chovos Halevavos is saying again, this emphasis on using sechel, using sechel, that means because we have the Torah told us the starting point and the Torah tells us the finishing point, so then you know, use the sechel, you know where you're supposed to start, you know where you're supposed to finish, and that keeps you on the straight and narrow. If you know that your destination is on the east and you're walking in the morning and you come to a crossroads, so you look up and you see the sun is here, so then you know which way to turn on the crossroads. Otherwise, you may make a wrong turn. So as much emphasis as is being placed on the sechel, but the sechel is being guided here. The sechel is being guided. עד שיבואר לך האמת וידחה השקר ככתוב וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי ה' הוא האלהים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד.
V'chen amar במה שנוכל ללמוד בבירור מדרך השכל כמו שאמרו רבותינו ז"ל כל דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל ללמד לא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא מפני שדעת ענין היחוד ענף מן הדברים שיבנו בדרך השכל ומה שיחייב בו יחייב בכולם.
V'hasheini, the second pasuk that also reflects that Hakadosh Baruch Hu expects again that if we can have a yediyah that goes beyond the eidus and bissur. If we can have the yediyah that the person can know firsthand so he shouldn't be content with knowing secondhand. והשני ממה שאמר הכתוב הלא ידעת אם לא שמעת אלהי עולם ה' בורא קצות הארץ. אמר הלא ידעת על הידיעה שהיא מצד הראיה ואמר הלא שמעת על דרך הקבלה והסמך. וכן אמר הלא תדעו הלא תשמעו הלא הוגד מראש לכם הקדים הידיעה מצד הראיה על הידיעה מצד הקבלה וההגדה. וכן אמר משה רבנו הלה' תגמלו זאת עם נבל ולא חכם זכור ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך. וזה ראיה על מה שזכרנו.
Ki hakabala, again, this same idea about the Kabbalah, the tradition, the mesorah being the guide and providing the guideposts for applying sechel. ואם היא קודמת בטבע מצורך הלומד בה תחלה אין זה מן הזריזות שיסמוך עליה לבדה מי שיוכל לדעת בבירור בדרך הראיות. ומן הדין לעיין במה שיושג מדרך השכל ולהביא עליו ראיות במופת.
Mofes in medieval Hebrew means a logical demonstration. ולהביא עליו ראיות במופת ששיקול הדעת עוזר למי שיש לו יכולת לעשות כן. אמר המחבר וכיוון שעמדתי על חיוב מצות הלבבות שאנחנו חייבים בהם ממה שזכרנו וראיתי שהונחו ולא חובר בהם ספר מיוחד והתבוננתי מה שהם בו אנשי דורנו מקוצר דעתם להבינם כל שכן מעשותם ולהתעסק בהם והיה מחסד אלהים עלי שהעירני על חכמת המצפון.
And although the Chovos Halevavos means that he's thanking Hakadosh Baruch Hu for putting the idea in his head, you know, to be sensitive to the importance and recognize the neglect of Chovos Halevavos, he certainly what he means is that anything a person does is with the abilities and capacity that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave him. So it could be that also, v'haya mechesed Elokim even when it happens what we would describe accurately as on a natural level, it's the Chovos Halevavos. His sensitivity. Okay, so that capacity for sensitivity, ein hachi nami, it's his bechirah to employ it and it's not that Hakodesh Baruch Hu is pre-programming his mind and controlling his thoughts. But m'idach gisa, it's מחסד אלקים עלי שהבינני החכמה הצפונה that whatever sensitivity and whatever understanding and whatever insight is needed to have recognized this. So it's a chesed. Hakodesh Baruch Hu gave me those capacities. וראיתי במעשה קדמונינו זכרונם לברכה by meshek beisenu mideveihon. Now, this is a little bit of an arichus so we'll stop.