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Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 23:07:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: The Universe: Why Did G-d Create It?

Shlomo Goldstein in Bais Medrash Volume 2 Number 21 reviews several
comments I made about the Torah on other planets. Shlomo seems to ignore
those sources I bring so I will make my response short and to the point.

The Talmud says that "Moses went up and serves in space ("SHMAYIM")". I am
not disputing that Shlomo may have an alternate explanation of this
statement. But I believe it literal.  SO I BELIEVE THAT MOSES IS HELPING
OUT OTHER NATIONS ON OTHER PLANETS WHO ARE TYRANNIZED BY BULLY
NATIONS LIKE
EGYPT--I BELIEVE MOSES IS REDEEMING THEM AND GIVING THEM A TORAH.

In particular I have NOT disputed the supremacy of Mosaic prophecy since I
believe that Moses HIMSELF is giving the Torah over elsewhere. I also am
not disputing the EXACT SAMENESS OF ALL VERSIONS OF THE TORAH since I
believe that the Torah which Moses is giving is the same. (Thus I believe
that nothing I said violates a doctrine of our faith)

I further defended the above by observing its reasonableness: <  <  People on
all planets have physical needs to eat reproduce etc. If these needs become
excessive it leads to evil and misbehavior. So the needs for moral norms on
all planets are SIMILAR. Hence we expect the laws on these planets curbing
these norms to be SIMILAR" >  >

I was NOT suggesting that we observe Kashruth and Family purity laws
because they are reasonable. I was NOT suggesting that Kashruth laws on
other planets are SIMILAR but not the same. I was simply observing the
reasonableness of their being the same (The same way that books on Family
purity argue for the reasonableness of the laws of family purity). Bottom
line though, we observe laws of Kashruth on this or any other planet
because God commanded it through Moses as handed down to us in the Torah.

I hope this shows the POSSIBILITY of my view from Torah sources.

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA
RHendel@Towson.Edu; Math Towson
Moderator Rashi is Simple; http://www.shamash.org/rashi/

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