Thursday, March 17, 2022

Ramban and Rambam disagree whether stars are conscious beings?

 Rav Yaakov (Emes L’Yaakov Bereishis 15): When I watched the astronauts descending by ladder from their spaceship on the moon, I was thinking, “How could the Rambam explain this since he has written that the moon is a spiritual entity?” I thought that this indicates that the kabalistic view that the moon is a material object has been shown to be victorious over the philosophical view that the moon is a spiritual entity. Thus, the Ramban’s view had been vindicated and the Rambam’s view disproved. …

Mishna Torah (Yesodei hatorah 3:3) All of the stars and spheres are beings, endowed with a soul, intelligence and understanding; they continue a purposeful life and are conscious of the existence of Him Who spoke and the universe sprang forth. Each and every one, according to his greatness and degree, extol and glorify the Creator as do the angels; and to the extent that they recognize the Holy One, blessed is He! they also know their own selves and the angels above them. But the intelligence of the stars and spheres is lesser than the intelligence of the angels, but greater than the intelligence of man.

Ramban (Devarim 18:9) THOU SHALT NOT LEARN TO DO AFTER THE ABOMINATIONS OF THOSE NATIONS.  Over the stars and constellations He further appointed guides, angels, and “lords” which are the soul of the stars and constellations. Now, their behavior from the time they come into existence for eternal duration, is according to the pattern the Most High decreed for them. However, it was one of His mighty wonders that within the power of these higher forces, He put configurations  and capacities to alter the behavior of those under them. Thus if the direction of the stars towards the earth be good or bad to a certain country, people, or individual, the higher dominions can reverse it of their own volition, 

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