I have to make an apology to this community of writers and readers as I have made an error in the above comment. On March 20th 2007 at 10:10PM I wrote, “This is a full 10 centuries after HaRav Shlomo Ben-Gabriel wrote the Adon Olam” and later in the same paragraph (and referring to the same Rabbi Ben-Gabriel) I wrote, “This same rabbi is referred to in the Talmud a number of times”
In writing this statement I was confused regarding the date when HaRav Shlomo Ben-Gabriel lived and mixed up one sage with another. While Harav Shlomo Ben-Gabriel did write the Adon Olam, he lived and wrote this liturgy in the 11th century and not in the 2nd. He thus was not one of the rabbis mentioned in the Talmud.
Please forgive this mistake and do not take this error to mean that the rest of my reasoning regarding G-d’s meaning in Jewish thought is equally incorrect. The rest of the information is, to the best of my knowledge, correct and verifiable.
If one is looking for further authoritative material on the Jewish concept of G-d (which will contradict Mr. Laymen’s views regarding this issue) have a look at Maimonedis’ works. He wrote exactly on this subject in his magnum opus titled, “Mishneh Torah: Yad HaHazaka”. If you read his section called, “HaMadda” You will find the chapter regarding belief in G-d and Jewish principles of faith. As a scholar of Judaism and the orthodoxy of that faith, Maimonedes is a much better source for its comprehension then myself and is precisely the sort of scholar Mr. Laymen asks for when he requires a non mystical, Jewish approach to G-d.
On another note, the long comments I have left on this page have focused on one idea in criticism of Dr. Mansur’s writings. I intended to correct Mr. Laymen as to his concept of G-d in Jewish thinking and this correction has since taken over my attention. I maintain my original thoughts regarding Dr. Mansur’s position on Islam, which I read to be, that Islam is correctable and can be tolerant of other faiths. History has shown that Islam can be tolerant and it’s Sufi ideas certainly have universal appeal. That said, we are engaged in a war with the dominant and dominating form of Islam and we must focus our attention on destroying this enemy. When this has been accomplished we can then agree on the peaceful aspects of this faith as we will have made peace.
