Rambam - Sefer HaMitzvos: Positive Mitzvah 179: Positive Mitzvah 179

Positive Mitzvah 179: Verifying the Evidence Brought to Court
Deuteronomy 13:15 "Then you shall inquire, search, and ask diligently"

Once when Joey was visiting Nathan, his younger cousin, Nathan broke their family's stereo.

When Joey's uncle came home, he questioned Joey at length, probing into all the details of how it happened. As he was relating the incident, Joey suddenly blurted out:

"But Uncle Lou, why are you asking me so many questions? Nathan is the one that did it!"

Joey's uncle replied earnestly: "I am asking you questions, Joey, so that I can base my decision on what you saw. I want to find out if it was an accident or if Nathan was just careless. He might be afraid to tell exactly what happened. Your story will guide me, and I want to be sure I understand it correctly."

When a person is brought before a Court, he must be assured of a fair ruling. The judges base their decision on the testimony of the witnesses.

We are commanded to investigate and verify their testimony with extreme care in order to ensure a proper verdict.

Faith is not the result of past experience. On the contrary, faith is an act that comes from within and creates experience. Things happen because you trust they will.

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"And the world shall be filled with the awareness of G-d as the waters cover the ocean floor."--Isaiah These are the Waters of Life To All Things. Now we live as creatures of the dry land, as though we were separate beings from our life source. Then we shall be as creatures of the sea that live absorbed within their source of life. We shall be in such oneness with the Source of All Life until there shall be nothing to distinguish between the created being and the Creator.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com