Gvuros HaShem

Rabbi Shulman explains the Maharal’s teaching that God’s greatest exaltation is revealed not through distance from earthly life, but through His concern for its humblest inhabitants. Unlike human greatness, which depends on distinguishing oneself from others, divine greatness has no boundaries and therefore encompasses the great and small alike. This explains both God’s care for the vulnerable and His choice to place His presence in the lower world, with sin—not humanity’s earthly condition—creating the separation. Outline: https://ateres-ami.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/gvuros-hashem-67a-20261102-150622-outline-20261102-150829.pdf

Rabbi Shulman examines the Maharal’s explanation of the fifteen benefits celebrated in Dayenu: liberation from Egyptian domination, elevation beyond the natural order, and attachment to God through holiness. A central discussion explores whether the wealth taken from Egypt should be understood simply as unpaid wages or, more broadly, as the positive outcome of Israel’s labor and suffering. The progression reveals redemption as more than escape: it establishes Israel’s independent existence, spiritual stature, and relationship with God. Outline: https://ateres-ami.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2-20261028-000530-outline-20261028-000658.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains the Maharal’s account of the seven Noahide commandments as a framework encompassing the intellect, the body, and the whole person. Seven generations of wrongdoing progressively distanced God’s presence from the world, while seven righteous individuals—from Abraham through Moses—reversed that process by embodying the corresponding virtues. The central conclusion is that God’s presence belongs in the earthly world; sin creates the separation, and righteousness restores the intended relationship. Outline: https://ateres-ami.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/gvuros-hashem-66d-20261025-160537-outline-20261025-160753.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains that the Torah repeatedly builds in a mitzvah meant to rein in human תאווה, because unchecked desire becomes a gateway that generates many other sins—an idea he connects to both אבר מן החי (within שבע מצוות בני נח) and “לא תחמוד” in the עשרת הדברות. He then outlines a structural framework: human beings consist of גוף and נפש, plus a third emergent entity—“אדם” as a unified whole. Using that model, Rabbi Shulman shows how the Noachide prohibitions (both בין אדם למקום and בין אדם לחבירו) align with נפש, גוף, and the complete אדם, with special emphasis on why ברכת השם strikes at the totality of human existence. Outline: https://ateres-ami.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/gvuros-hashem-66c-20261023-144156-outline-20261023-144243.pdf

Rabbi Shulman continues learning Maharal (פרק ס״ו), arguing that the miracles of Yetziat Mitzrayim were aimed at a single telos: that Hashem be *our* God by dwelling among us—“ושכנתי בתוכם.” He develops the Maharal’s framework of עילה/עלול (Giver/recipient) to show why the tachtonim (humans and the physical world) are the *essential* locus of Divine connection, while even angels are ultimately dispensable intermediaries. Rabbi Shulman then connects the historical “withdrawal” and “return” of the Shechinah to human sin and human righteousness, and explains how the שבע מצוות בני נח function as the bare-minimum structure for being “טוב לשמים וטוב לבריות,” with אבר מן החי serving as a restraint on uncontrolled desire that otherwise cascades into broader עבירות. Outline: https://ateres-ami.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/gvuros-hashem-66b-20261011-170534-outline-20261011-170613.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains the halachah of **not eating or drinking after the fourth cup**, rooted in **“אין מפטירים אחר הפסח אפיקומן,”** so that the taste of the מצה (as זכר לקרבן פסח) remains in one’s mouth. He clarifies why the **third and fourth cups** do not contradict this rule—because they are themselves **mitzvah-drinking**—and why additional flavored drinks (even more wine) are still prohibited, with **water** as the primary exception. Rabbi Shulman concludes by emphasizing the larger רוח: the seder night should be lived with **simchah, clarity, and song**, ideally extending through the night for those able to do so. Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65i-20260920-190925-outline-20260920-190950.pdf

Rabbi Shulman learns a passage (פרק ס״ו) from the Maharal (אמר יהודה בן בצלאל) arguing that any great divine act must have a correspondingly great purpose. He shows how the Torah itself defines the telos of Yetziat Mitzrayim: that Hashem be our God and that His שכינה dwell among us—seen through the sequence of redemption, Aseret HaDibrot, Mishpatim, and finally the Mishkan. Rabbi Shulman then addresses the philosophical challenge: if “השמים כסאו והארץ הדום רגליו,” why would Hashem choose to dwell in the lowly physical world, and he begins explaining that the deepest קשר is specifically between the עילה (Bestower) and the עלול/מקבל (recipient). Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-66a-20260920-190630-outline-20260920-190706.pdf

Rabbi Shulman analyzes the Maharal’s approach to the “fifth cup” at the Seder, framing it as a *reshut* precisely because it represents a higher, more subtle category of Hashem’s kindness—especially *parnasah*—beyond the baseline gratitude owed for *geulah*. He then tackles a practical-nusach problem: if *Hallel HaGadol* belongs to the fifth cup (parnasah), why do many Hagados place it on the fourth cup, even interrupting between Hallel and its concluding *berachah* (*Birkat HaShir*)? Rabbi Shulman clarifies the Maharal’s preferred structure: keep the formal Hallel framework intact, and place additional praises (like Nishmat and Hallel HaGadol) only afterward—either with a fifth cup or without. Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65h-20260906-220531-outline-20260906-220603.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains the closing progression of *Hallel HaGadol*—from Hashem remembering us in our lowliness, to redeeming us from our oppressors, and culminating in Hashem providing food to all flesh. He develops the Maharal’s idea (based on Pesachim) that **פרנסה** is “greater” than **גאולה** because it is the ongoing, direct divine sustaining of all existence without intermediaries. This frames the **fifth cup** at the Seder as a (non-obligatory) elevation beyond the four cups of redemption, tied to *Hallel HaGadol* and to a deeper structure of “four directions” unified by a “fifth” central point. Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65g-20260830-160503-outline-20260830-160537.pdf

Rabbi Shulman continues unpacking *Hallel HaGadol* (Tehillim 136) through the lens of the Maharal, showing how its sequence is a guided descent from Hashem’s transcendent governance—mediated through distinct classes of מלאכים—down into the created physical order of שמים וארץ and their details. He explains why “לעושה נפלאות גדולות לבדו” is placed before the description of the heavens: miracles flow from realms beyond the physical. Finally, Rabbi Shulman frames the transition from creation to יציאת מצרים as the “tenth,” sanctified stage—because the emergence of כלל ישראל is itself a completion of מעשה בראשית, giving the world its purpose. Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65f-20260816-160429-outline-20260816-160508.pdf