"Exodus, Exile and Redemption" is a study of the profound significance of Judaism's history.

Written essays are published bi-weekly ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe!

This series is made possible by the Jacob Lights Foundation. To support this and other ongoing foundation initiatives, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to the Substack newsletter or making a tax-deductible donation via Zelle to jacoblightsfoundation@gmail.com.

How come nobody has been talking about knowing Hashem?0:00 Why is the ideal of knowing Hashem so revolutionary? And doesn't any person who serves Hashem already know Him?3:30 Hashem as the solution to political problems5:15 Is knowledge of Hashem the totality of all knowledge or a specific knowledge?12:30 Is the blessed state of the world a result of knowing Hashem or the reverse?20:00 Why the Redemption is a principle of faith22:45 What would motivate a person to talk about Hashem and seek knowledge of Him?34:30 The mitzvah to love Hashem is to study reality and thus come to desire knowledge of Him42:00 Either we all have been doing this already, or else it is not a legitimate pursuit 46:30 An idea that can't be put into practice tends to wither and die58:30 The tension between honoring the tradition and exploring new ideas1:00:00 Knowing Hashem and politics; why national independence is necessary for knowing Hashem1:00:05 Is the highest human goal action or contemplation?1:08:00 Contradictions in the Rambam; contradictions between Plato and Aristotle; Al-Farabi's resolutions

What does it mean to truly know Hashem? A conversation with Zev Lowy about the prophetic ideal — and why it’s still the greatest mission of all.

0:00 Knowledge of Hashem is supposed to be the most fundamental subject for humanity but is seldom discussed

5:30 Knowledge of Hashem is not well defined. How can it perfect humanity? What should we do to promote it?

9:00 Should we articulate how knowledge of Hashem will solve all the world's problems?

15:00 Why people don't think about how knowledge of Hashem works

24:45 Should we seek knowledge of Hashem for any reason other than its own sake?

29:30 Is knowledge of Hashem effective if pursued for any reason other than its own sake?

33:30 The experience of relentlessly seeking knowledge of Hashem and how it changes a person fundamentally

36:45 What is lacking in Exodus, Exile and Redemption (here: https://open.substack.com/pub/shnayor/p/introduction-to-exodus-exile-and?r=111271&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false)? Where Rambam and Kabbalah part ways

41:00 Even Popperians talk about love and other intense experiences

44:00 Phenomenology and knowing Hashem

48:00 The theory of da'as Hashem

51:00 The notion of Pure Being and its power to inspire right action

57:00 Why it's important for people capable of it to understand da'as Hashem

1:01:00 Chasing beauty, wisdom, and knowledge of Hashem

1:04:00 Torah and practical wisdom