S7, E5 The Guide of the Perplexed, The Problem of Evil, 01: What Does "Good" Mean & Why is Existence Good?

This lecture series is a project of כרם בין תורה לחכמה, generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger.

Highlights: 2:30 The problem of evil 5:30 The foundation of the Torah is that the universe is good 8:30 All evils are privations, made by God only indirectly 17:20 What does it contribute to a theodicy to say that God makes evils only indirectly? 21:00 What determines that existence is good? 23:00 What does "good" mean? 26:00 "Good" is a value-judgment of approval 31:30 A person can't take a position of disapproval on existence 39:00 Judging reality is participating in reality and thus involves taking a position on the value of reality 44:30 God's viewing of the universes is a significant aspect of Creation itself 47:00 Taking a stance on existence is not equivalent to taking a stance on evil, which is merely a lack of existence 49:00 Judging is a big part of being human 57:00 "And God saw that it was good" is said only from the limited human perspective 101:45 Is the universe "good" because it meets God's purpose in creation, or did He create it because it is good? 103:45 God doesn't give the value-judgement of approval on existence, since His existence is something other than existence 107:15 Summary