The different ways in halachah (jewish law) of identifying an object or a person. How do simanim (signs) and tvias ayin (a form of recognition based on intimate familiarity) compare and differ? Tvias ayin means "I know this person, this item" - it is based on a feeling of certainty. Simanim are parts, tvias ayin is a recombining of all the parts - it is a way of looking at the whole, of looking at everything in life, including how we see our faith and how we see the Jewish nation. Doing a mitzvah "beshem kol Yisrael," in the name of all Jews [from the L'shem Yichud' tefillah]. Seeing the totality of the communal good rather than the defective detail. (From Rav Kook's Oros Yisrael chpt. 3, para. 4). Rising up by joining together with the entirety of the Jewish people; similar to a construction worker who looks at much more than just the bricks he's laying; somebody who can "see" the whole building. What is the one reason the wicked son at the Pesach Seder is punished? |