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with His own existence, and sufficient
[is] just Him alone, and needs no
other. And the existences of the
angels, and the celestial bodies, and
all that is in them and that which is
below them all need Him for their
existence. And this is the first pillar
and is attested to by the verse, 'I am
HaShem your God.' "
Principle II
The Unity of God
"Meaning to say to accept that this is
the quintessential idea of Oneness. It
is not like the oneness of a pair (i.e.
pair of shoes - one group) and not one
like a species. And not like man that
has many individual (members) nor
like a body that divides into many
different parts until no end (every
part being divisible). Rather, God is
one and there is no other oneness like
His. This is the second principle and
is taught in what it says, 'Hear Israel,
HaShem is Our God, HaShem is
one.'"
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man’s language' (i.e. using human
terms to offer some understanding).
And the Rabbis have already spoken
at length on this issue. This is the
third pillar and is attested to by the
verse, 'For you saw no image'
meaning that you did not see an
image or any form when you stood at
Sinai because as we have just said,
He has no body, nor power of the
body."
Principle IV
God’s Antiquity
"This is that God existed prior to
everything, and exists after
everything. This is proved many
times throughout scripture and is
attested to by the verse, 'Meuna
Elokei kedem.'"
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tremendous knowledge until a
different intelligence attaches to them
when the intelligence of the person
clings to the intelligence of God and
it rests upon him. And these are the
Prophets; and this is Prophecy; and
the idea of it. The explanation of it is
very long and the intention is not to
bring a sign for every fundamental
and to explain it all, encompassing of
all knowledge (i.e. God’s knowledge)
but it is mentioned to us in a story
form and all of the Torah attests to
this."
Principle VII
The Prophetic Capacity of Moses our
Teacher, peace be upon him
"And this is that we accept that he
was the father of all Prophets that
were before him and that will be after
Principle V
him. He was on a qualitatively
different level than any other, and he
That God, Bessed be He is Worthy
is chosen from all other people before
that we Serve Him, to Glorify Him,
and after him of any that have any
to Make known His Greatness, and
knowledge of God; for his was the
to do His Commands
greatest. And he, peace be upon him,
Principle III
"But not to do this to those that are
rose to the levels of the angels. He
below Him in the creation. Not to the was granted all areas of knowledge
The Denial of Physicality in
angels or to the stars or the planets or and Prophecy and his physical
Connection with God
anything else, for they are all created attributes did not diminish. His
"This is to accept that this Oneness
things in nature and in their
knowledge was different and it is
that we have mentioned above
functioning, there is no choice or
through this difference that it is
(Principle II) is not a body and has no judgment except by God Himself.
ascribed to him that he spoke to God
strength in the body, and has no
Also it is not fitting to serve them as without any intermediary or angel.”
shape or image or relationship to a
intermediaries to God. Only to God
body or parts thereof. This is why the should you incline your thoughts and Principle VIII
Sages of blessed memory said with
your actions. This is the fifth
That The Torah is from Heaven
regards to heaven there is no sitting,
principle and it warns against
[God]
nor standing, no awakeness, nor
idolatry and most of the Torah speaks
tiredness. This is all to say that He
out against this."
"And this is that you believe that all
does not partake of any physical
of this Torah that was given by
Principle VI
actions or qualities. And if He were to
Moses our teacher, peace be upon him,
be a body then He would be like any
that it is all from the mouth of God.
Prophecy
other body and would not be God.
Meaning that it was received by him
"And this is that it is known to man
And all that is written in the holy
entirely from God. And it is not
that this (Prophet) is a type of man
books regarding descriptions of God,
known how Moses received it except
who are created beings of great
they are all anthropomorphic. Thus
by Moses himself, peace be upon him,
stature and perfection of the
said our great Rabbis of blessed
that it came to him. That he was like
character traits. Who have
memory, 'The Torah speaketh in
a stenographer that you read to him
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