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Is this a widely adopted view of G-d in Orthodox Circles? (I also go into some troubling consequences of this view, as opposed to other models compatible with Judaism.)

The view in question is that we are all basically ideas in G-d’s mind, like characters in a story taking place within His imagination, and we don’t have an existence independent from outside of that mind. This is a position known as “Hasidic Idealism,” and I heard it briefly explained by an Orthodox Jewish philosopher (a really good one from what I’ve seen!) named Sam Lebens.

Now I must confess I do not understand how this idea is compatible with Judaism.

Because Judaism believes there are no real distinctions within G-d. Dr. Lebens, in his book “The Principles of Judaism” himself goes over Maimonides’ argument for this conclusion, which is known as Divine Simplicity. And it seems to me that Judaism, like Islam, must adhere to Divine Simplicity or else it, like Islam, won’t have any philosophical objection to doctrines like the Trinity, since the Trinity on its face contradicts G-d’s oneness.

So if we are basically ideas within G-d, then the lack of distinctions within G-d would make us G-d. Otherwise He would be distinct from his Ideas, meaning there are distinctions within Him.

Not only that, but our bodies themselves, as ideas within G-d, would also be G-d, which means Hasidic Idealism has no principled objection to doctrines like the Christian Incarnation. Not only that, but every idea we conjure up about fictional deities would also be ideas within G-d and would therefore also be G-d. Meaning Hasidic Idealism not only has no principled objection to Christianity, but also no principled objection to any pagan, polytheistic religion.

I honestly think just holding to a belief in God as imbuing us with existence independent different-from-but-dependent-on Him is the most sensible way to view Him, without opening oneself up to consequences that seem to conflict with other core doctrines, like the ones I’ve mentioned above.

Edit: I clumsily phrased the last paragraph. I don’t mean that we don’t need G-d to exist, but we’re objectively real and objectively different from Him, though we only exist through His sustaining action.

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