This lecture series is a project of the Jacob Lights Foundation and was generously sponsored by R' Yoel Werzberger.
Highlights:
2:30 The problem of evil
5:30 The foundation of the Torah is that the universe is good
8:30 All evils are privations, made by God only indirectly
17:20 What does it contribute to a theodicy to say that God makes evils only indirectly?
21:00 What determines that existence is good?
23:00 What does “good” mean?
26:00 “Good” is a value-judgment of approval
31:30 A person can't take a position of disapproval on existence
39:00 Judging reality is participating in reality and thus involves taking a position on the value of reality
44:30 God's viewing of the universes is a significant aspect of Creation itself
47:00 Taking a stance on existence is not equivalent to taking a stance on evil, which is merely a lack of existence
49:00 Judging is a big part of being human
57:00 “And God saw that it was good” is said only from the limited human perspective
101:45 Is the universe “good” because it meets God's purpose in creation, or did He create it because it is good?
103:45 God doesn't give the value-judgement of approval on existence, since His existence is something other than existence
107:15 Summary