{"id":46198,"date":"2018-12-23T00:18:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T22:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=46198"},"modified":"2022-07-15T16:27:55","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T13:27:55","slug":"i-will-look-upon-you-with-favor-a-cautionary-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/i-will-look-upon-you-with-favor-a-cautionary-message\/","title":{"rendered":"I Will Look Upon You With Favor: A Cautionary Message"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are few scenes more dramatic than the interaction between Moses and God on Sinai. After returning to the cloud and thunder to receive the second set of tablets, Moses musters his courage and requests to be shown the presence of God: \u201cPlease, let me behold Your Presence!\u201d (Ex 33:18). God responds with the well-known declaration, \u201cyou will not be able to see My Face, for no human may see Me and live\u201d (Ex<\/span> 33:20). The term \u201c<\/span>panim<\/span><\/i>\u201d, literally meaning \u201cface\u201d, to describe God\u2019s presence has challenged interpreters and translators alike throughout the ages. Can God be described as having a face? Can God\u2019s face turn towards or away from us? These questions present significant theological challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leviticus 26 presents a similar message to that of the final chapters of Deuteronomy:if the Israelites follow the teachings of the book, things will bode well for them; if not, a litany of sufferings and curses will fall upon them and the land. The Hebrew root of the term \u201c<\/span>panim\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(p\/f-n-h) appears on both sides of this exhortation. In verse 9, we read, \u201cI will look upon you with favor\u201d, \u201c<\/span>u\u2019<\/span>faniti<\/b> eleichem<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/i>. This also means, \u201cI will turn to you in favor\u201d\u2014implying that God\u2019s \u201c<\/span>panim<\/span><\/em>\u201d will turn towards them, granting them health and prosperity. On the flip side, in verse 17, we read, \u201cI will set My Face against you\u201d, \u201c<\/span>v\u2019natati <\/span>fanai <\/b>bachem<\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/i>, which will lead to famine, drought, and all the curses in the world. How then do we understand God\u2019s role in natural disasters? Are they literally a result of a failure to follow God\u2019s law?<\/span><\/p>\n

Maimonides, in <\/span>The Guide of the Perplexed<\/span>, interprets Moses at Sinai in a unique way. According to him, Moses sought to know two things about God\u2014one was God\u2019s \u201cways\u201d and the other was God\u2019s essence (<\/span>panim<\/span><\/em>). Humanity cannot come to know God\u2019s essence, but humanity <\/span>can<\/b> come to know God\u2019s \u201cways\u201d, which Rambam explains to be the inner workings of natural law. He writes, \u201cthose who know Him are those who are favored by Him and permitted to come near Him, whereas those who do not know Him are objects of His wrath and are kept far away from him\u201d (<\/span>Guide <\/span><\/em>I:54<\/span><\/i>). So, to experience God \u201cturning away\u201d God\u2019s face actually means to remain ignorant of natural law, which then leads to disease, famine, and the other curses listed in Leviticus 26. <\/span><\/p>\n

With this teaching in mind, we see that the responsibility placed upon us by Leviticus 26 is not only moral fortitude and proper worship, but also an understanding and appreciation of the laws of nature. At a time when climate change continues to impact our world in unquantifiable ways, we should take note of the warnings of Rambam and the book of Leviticus. It is our responsibility to understand the impact we make on our world, and fight for change when that impact threatens the magnificent work of God\u2019s creation. If we do not, there is no telling what curses may await us as God turns God\u2019s face from our world.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":70018,"id":70018,"title":"jer14-climate","filename":"jer14-climate.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer14-climate.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/climate-change-prophecy\/jer14-climate\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jer14-climate","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":70017,"date":"2020-02-11 10:31:58","modified":"2022-07-15 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