Reply To: Are You An Apikores?

gavriel613:
mw13, looked up the Michtov meEliyohu. When R’ Dessler calls this shituf and kfira I’m fairly sure this is a borrowed loshon and lav davka, as I said before.

What makes you think that? I think R’ Dessler meant what he said and said what he meant. If somebody believes that the ultimat reason they are healthy/wealthy/wise is due to their own prowess, they are directly contradicting those words of the Chinuch: ??? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???????, ???? ???

Ramban on the possuk of shema brings from Chazal:
??? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???”? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?’ ????? ?? ???? ?????
Hence this is coming to forbid us to believe there could be another god who would want to make a macho’oh against Hashem and say I’m also a god. Both Avi K’s and mw13’s explanations of shituf would make this medrash hard to understand.

How so? I am not suggesting that what I posted above is the only, or even the classic, case of shituf. There can be more than one way of applying an incorrect idea.

But I must say that I am enjoying the sheer novelty of somebody addressing Avi K & I together, as colleagues in agreement. With enough faith, anything truly is possible 😉