God

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in 18Forty’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

There are many stories told about Avraham, the forefather of Judaism and monotheism, and his discovery of God. Some recite the story of Avraham working in the idol store of his father. The little boy Avraham chopped down all the idols with an axe. When his father came in and asked him what had happened, Avraham blamed the statues in the store. His father exclaimed Avraham said Another story features an older, more mature Avraham seeing a castle and wondering who built it. “If the castle had a builder, surely,” he reasoned, “must the world.” But the Torah doesn't begin with either one of these stories. In fact, it doesn't begin with Avraham's discovery of God at all. When Avraham is introduced, it is with God calling out to him to leave the land of his father and build a new home and a new nation. Why doesn't the Torah shared the story of Avraham's discovery of God? Throughout the course of human history, philosophers, theologians, thinkers, and regular folks have all grappled with the question of God's existence. How can we discover God? It is only fair to acknowledge that, for many, a clear revelation of God's existence is not easily apparent. As Famous New Yorker cartoonist Bob Mankoff once imagined a congregant saying to his Pastor, So where should people turn in order to find God in the mystery? For much of history, many turned to nature to find God. How else could rain, thunderstorms, and mountains be explained?

Jump to a moment

1. 0:02There are many stories told about Avraham, the forefather of Judaism and monotheism, and his discovery…
2. 0:34“If the castle had a builder, surely,” he reasoned, “must the world.” But the Torah doesn't…
3. 1:06How can we discover God? It is only fair to acknowledge that, for many, a clear…
4. 1:38Others turn to cosmology and the very existence of the universe, asking a question described as…
5. 2:09whereby any unexplainable phenomena was quickly attributed to God. Even those who believed in God echoed…
6. 2:43As Plantinga once explained in a New York Times interview,…
7. 3:20The search for God was beautifully presented by 11th century Jewish poet Yehuda Halevi: Where can…
8. 3:50and that may be why Avraham's discovery of God is absent from the biblical narrative. It's…

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