SICHAH 5 – The Dangers of Philosophy

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Sichos HaRan 5a – True Wisdom vs. Philosophy – The Menorah in the Beis HaMikdash – The Foundation of Faith Is Yirah – Speaker: Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld zal. (Lesson rw12a. Recorded in 1976.)

00:00 – SICHAH 5. The dangers of philosophy.
04:38 – Faith leads to eternal life.
06:29 – Account of two students of Rav Noson of Nemirov zal, comparing their levels of simple faith vs. Torah scholarship.
09:53 – Emunah – faith – is called “a beautiful maiden who has no eyes”.
*16:37 – The foundation of faith is yirah – fear of punishment.
20:52 – Ahava and yirah are male and female respectively.
23:43 – Respect for parents.
*25:12 – When a person comes before the heavenly court, he is asked 6 question. These 6 questions correspond to the 6 sederim of the Mishneh.
30:00 – The foundation of faith is yirah.
*30:43 – Parshas Tetzaveh. The menorah in the Beis HaMikdash.
43:15 – Closing blessings.
43:26 – SICHAH 5b.
44:15 – The meaning of the word דע as an introductory word in Rebbe Nachman’s teachings.
45:52 – Every Jew has a portion in Olam HaBa.
48:13 – Similarities between Moshe Rabbeinu and Rabbi Akiva.
48:23 – The name Akiva contains the number 71 (first and last letter) alluding to the 71 members of the Sanhedrin.
48:40 – The middle letters of Rabbi Akiva’s name allude to “Yabok”.
49:18 – Y – K – V – K plus – Elokim is begematria “Yabok”.
50:28 – It’s important to speak about the dangers of philosophy.
51:22 – All inventions in technology or medicine originate from Hashem. He picks someone who has enough empty space in his head to accommodate the “discovery”.
51:45 – Belief in science is related to atheism.
52:37 – “The best of doctors goes to Gehinnam“ (Kiddushin 82a).
53:27 – Discovery of new weapons or new cures is not always a good thing.
54:38 – Throughout history, intelligence has been diminishing.
57:24 – Klipah – negative spiritual force. Why famous innovators are often degenerate.
57:08 – Sefer Yetzira was written by Avraham Avinu.
60:30 – Torah revelations are from Hashem.
*60:52 – Story about Rabbi Yosef Cairo zal – the Beis Yosef. When a new Torah concept enters the world through the mesiras nefesh of a tzaddik, it becomes available to the minds of the generation.
62:07 – The greatest simcha is the resolution of doubt.
65:59 – The Arizal’s dream on Shabbos.
67:49 – Vaccines cannot prevent further decrees of illness from Hashem.
69:50 – The best cure-all is to pray for the arrival of Moshiach.
70:06 – Inventions are not always helpful to mankind – gunpowder for example.
70:36 – Surgeons do more harm than good.
71:59 – The Baal Shem Tov HaKadosh on the life-long struggle against the Yetzer Hara.