Kuzari I

The Khazar king dreams of an angel saying “Your intentions are desirable to G-d but not your deeds.”  The king wishes to know which deeds please G-d.  He invites a philosopher, Christian, Muslim and Rabbi. (1:1)

The philosopher teaches purity of heart and intellectual contemplation.  The king rejects philosophy because it does not answer his dream.  He already has good intentions but his deeds do not please G-d (1:2).  Philosophers are faulted for lacking miracles and prophecy (1:4).

Christianity and Islam are rejected because there is no tangible proof for the divinity of Jesus or the prophecy of Mohamed (1:4-5).

Prophecy is believable when a supernatural phenomenon, publicly witnessed, accompanies the prophet (1:8).  This is so for Judaism: yetzias mitzraim, matan Torah, miracles in the midbar etc. (1:9)

Human reason ultimately fails as philosophers are unable to agree on what is true (1:13).

When Moshe spoke to Paroh he said “G-d of the Hebrews sent me” and not “the Creator sent me.”  It was well known that G-d was with the Avos, but no one witnessed creation.  So too at Sinai G-d introduced Himself not as the Creator but as the One who took us out of mitzraim.(1:25).

Torah was given to Israel alone because we are the choicest of mankind (1:27).

There are different levels of existence: mineral, vegetable, animal and human.  (1:39) Above this level is Israel. They are capable of being angelic, as Moshe (1:41-43)

From Moshe the Jewish people had a chronology of all of human history (1:43).  This account is reliable; Moshe could not have fabricated major cvents to the public. (1:47-48).

Previously the Divine influence (inyan eloki ) rested only on certain individuals.  With Yaakov’s family it then rested on the entire Jewish nation (1:47).

No nation invents a new language to replace the old one.  There must have been one original language, from Adam, and only some event in history forced each nation to have a different language. (1:53-58).

All people agree on a seven day week and the decimal system, based on mesora from Adam (1:57-59).

The Greeks had no mesora of Divine wisdom, only Jews do.  The philosophers therefore cannot be faulted for their mistaken view of creation (1:63).

 Reason does not resolve the debate over creation vs. eternal world.  We believe in creation because of mesora. (1:65-67). There is no proof for an eternal world. Torah does not expect us to believe in anything contradicted by proof. (1:67)

Human reason cannot know how to draw down Divine influence.  This is like a fool who hands out random prescriptions in a pharmacy.  Only G-d’s Torah provides such instruction (1:79).

Yetzias mitzraim and Israel’s survival in the midbar clearly showed the hand of G-d.  It could not have been illusion or magic (1:84-86).

After these miraculous events Israel still doubted prophecy.  G-d removed all doubts by speaking the Aseres Hadibros to the entire nation at Sinai (1:87).

Philosophers are wrong about prophecy, Jews are right .  luchos, Ark(1:87).

G-d is not physical but has physical manifestations (89-91)

The Jewish nation did not worship the egel hazahav. Ancient people felt a need for images.  The Jews wanted an image, symbolic of G-d’s presence, on which to focus, and believed Divine influence would extend to it. It is similar to the reverence we have today for holy places and objects.  Their sins were (a) making a forbidden image and (b) regarding their own creation, not commanded by G-d, as a receptacle for  Divine influence.  The sinners were few in number.  The sin was pardoned by G-d and did not remove the Divine influence from the nation.  Great is the nation whose sins are counted.

As nature functions according to details, so do G-d’s commandments.  Moshe taught the details of the commandments as received from G-d (1:99).

Jews are in a different category from the rest of humanity.  They can achieve prophecy, or at least approach that level via their actions, purity and attachment to prophets.(1:103)

The prophet is evidence of the world to come; he can envision the spiritual realm.  The wisdom and practices which achieve prophecy will surely benefit the soul in the world to come (1:103).

The prophet would desire death so he can perceive holy light continuously (1:108).

Promises of other religions are limited to afterlife, unsubstantiated (1:105). Judaism promises reward in this world: prophecy or near-prophecy, attachment of Divine influence, permanent settling in eretz yisrael , receiving Divine providence above laws of nature (rest of the world is subject to nature). One who achieves such reward will not fear death (1:109).

Foolish is the belief of other religions that one can attain paradise by uttering one word (1:10). The non-Jew is not deprived of his spiritual reward if he is deserving (1:111).

Had we accepted our lowliness in exile with submission to G-d’s Torah, the Divine influence would have remained with us and Mashiach would be here.  Still, Jews have merit for at least enduring the exile without converting (1:115).

Only Jews can be prophets.  Converts can become very close to G-d but do not achieve prophecy (1:115).

Scripture refers to the world to come, without details.  Details are discussed by Rabbis (1:115)