Philosophy:Anthropomorphism/2

Anthropomorphism

Exegetical Approaches

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Hashem Can Be Corporeal¹

Sources:Merkavah Shelemah Shiur KomahMerkavah Shelemah Shiur Komah,² RashiShemot 7:4About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki,³ R. Moshe TakuKetav Tamim (printed in Otzar Nechmad), scholars cited by RaavadHilkhot Teshuvah 3:7About R. Avraham b. David, scholars cited by R. Avraham b. HaRambamMilchamot HaSham pp. 48-75About R. Avraham Maimonides

Anthropomorphic verses – According to this approach it is expected that Tanakh should talk about Hashem as if he has a body.

Hashem is limited

"וְאֶל מִי תְדַמְּיוּנִי"

Prophets seeing Hashem

"בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ" – R. Moshe Taku cites these verses a proof that Hashem has a body.

Outside influences – R. Avraham b. HaRambam

Hashem Is Not Corporeal

Sources:R. Saadia GaonHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 2in Otzar HaGeonim Berakhot 6bAbout R. Saadia Gaon, R. Sherira GaonOtzar HaGeonim Chagigah 11b, R. Hai GaonOtzar HaGeonim Berakhot 59a, R. Yehuda HaLeviKuzari 1:88-89About R. Yehuda HaLevi, Ibn EzraShemot First Commentary 33:18Shemot Second Commentary 33:21About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 1:26About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambamHilkhot Yesodei HaTorah 1:7-12Hilkhot Yesodei HaTorah 2:4Hilkhot Teshuvah 3:7Moreh Nevukhim 1:1Moreh Nevukhim 1:27Moreh Nevukhim 1:36Iggeret Techiyat HaMetimAbout R. Moshe b. Maimon

Anthropomorphic verses – R. Saadia, Rambam and R. Yosef Albo all maintain that all anthropomorphic language is simply a figure of speech.⁴  Thus, R. Saadia suggests that Hashem's hand might represent ability, while His eye refers to His providence and His mouth to his commandments.

Why describe Hashem as having a body? The sources maintain that Hashem is represented in anthropomorphic terms to enable people to relate more easily to Him, and to instill in the nation the idea of Hashem's existence.

Prophets seeing Hashem

• Saw Hashem's glory – R. Saadia⁵ explains that all the prophets who saw Hashem just saw a bright light from where they heard Hashem. Moshe, who was on a different level, saw a larger light.
• Prophetic visions – R. Chananel, Ibn Ezra, Rambam.  The prophets⁶ saw a figure in their imagination or dream, and thought they were seeing Hashem.  They did not actually see any physical vision.⁷
• Intellectual understanding – Ralbag.  The prophets got hold of and achieved partially an understanding of Hashem and his actions.

"בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ" – The commentators suggest multiple ways of rereading these verses as not to imply that Hashem has an equivalent to a human body:

• In Hashem's image
• Humans have a partial similarity⁸ to Hashem, either in our mental capabilities (Rambam), or in our governance⁹ and ruling over others (opinion in R. Saadia), in difference from animals.
• The image Hashem chose for humans.  R. Saadia says we were not created in Hashem's image rather in Hashem's chosen image.
• In the angels' / Moshe's image –

"כִּי לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי"

Hashem is limited – R. Saadia notes that Hashem can not be corporeal if he created corporeal beings.

¹ R. Saadia quotes "some people" who say that Hashem takes on a physical but not a human form, suggesting that he is either fire, air, space, or the like.

² It is disputed already by the Geonim if Shiur Komah holds authentic citations of R. Yishmael and R. Akiva or this was a later work attributed to them to gain popularity.  See Shaarei TeshuvahTeshuvot HaGeonim Shaarei Teshuvah 122 where R. Sherira Gaon and R. Hai Gaon say the work is original but we just don't understand it, and on the other hand the RambamShut HaRambam 117 who says they did not write it.

³ Rashi's stance on the issue is unclear.  See

⁴ R. Saadia compares it to other figurative speech used in Tanakh, such as the sky talking (Tehillim 19:2), rocks listening (Yehoshua 24:27), and land which the Torah talks about it as if it has a face, eyes, ears, mouth, wings, and other body parts, while we know that obviously they does not have all these body parts.  So too by Hashem the verses should not be understood literally.

⁵ See also the many places where Targum Onkelos translates anthropomorphic verses by adding in "'

⁶ R. Chananel notes that the verse by Moshe (Bemidbar 12:6) "בַּמַּרְאָה אֵלָיו אֶתְוַדָּע", should be read as a rhetorical question, since Moshe did not see Hashem just like the rest of the prophets.

⁷ R. Chananel brings proof for such use of seeing from other verses, such as Kohelet 1:16.

⁸ Rambam explains the word דמות as similarity in something specific and not as a figure.

⁹ Seemingly this opinion was motivated from the continuation of verse 26 where Hashem blessed the people to rule over the other animals.