30 Appendix

Halakha 1

One should strengthen himself like a lion to stand up in the morning for the service of his Creator, that he should be the one to wake up the dawn. Note: ‘I have set the LORD before me always’ – this is a big rule in Torah" etc.

1. Because it says in the words of Rabbeinu Z"L [Our Teacher of Blessed Memory] (Likutei Moharan (LM) 282) that when a man begins to seek himself and sees that he is very far from the Lord, blessed-be-He. And that he is full of sins and numerous faults. And it seems to him that he is far from good, then he must seek and ask and find in himself some good, how is it possible that he did not do some good in all his days? And though he see that even the little good that he did is full of wounds. For it is mixed in much waste. Even so, it is impossible that it has not some good point anyway. And so shall he seek and find in himself some more good. And though this good also be mixed with much waste. Even so, anyway it has some good point. And so shall he seek and find in himself some more good points. And through this, that he judges himself to the pan of merit and finds in himself good points yet, even though he did what he did and blemished what he blemished. Through this he actually goes out from the pan of guilt and actually enters into the pan of merit, and through this he can merit to teshuvah (return, repentance). And this is like (Ps. 37) "And yet a little – and the wicked one is no more" etc. Through that yet little thing, in which he is not wicked, through this and the meditation etc. [he is transformed to a good guy] see there. And by this he can make himself happy. And then he can pray and this is like (there, 146) "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being." By means of the yet little that he finds in himself, by means of this he can sing and thank the Lord and by this are made melodies. For the tunes are made by selecting good spirit from gloomy spirit etc. And this is [why he says] "I will sing" specifically, as in melodies etc. And likewise must one judge others to the pan of merit, even a complete wicked one -- one must seek and find in him some good point etc. etc. see there. And whoever can do this -- to find a good point even in sinners of Israel – he can be chazzan (cantor) and pray before the podium etc., see there. And know, that every one of the Tzaddikim (Righteous) of the Age builds a tabernacle, that from there the children of Hebrew schools receive their breath without sin; therefore they begin from Leviticus etc. see there. And this Tzaddik who can collect all the good that is found in every one, he knows all the aspects that there are in this matter of tabernacles as mentioned above, that the Tzaddikim build, that from there the children receive their breath without sin etc. etc.; look into all this very well:

2. And this is like waking from sleep. For when a man sees that he is far from the Lord, blessed-be-He, etc., this is like sleep, which is one sixtieth of death, and when he seeks and asks and finds in himself some good point still, and livens and rejoices himself and wakes himself to the service of the Lord, blessed-be-He, through this – this is like waking from sleep. And this is like (Ps. 3) "LORD, how many are mine adversaries become!" etc. I.e. the adversaries of the soul, which are the sins and the faults of each person, which is the main adversaries of a man, and when they surge upon the man, God forbid, then they want to make him fall completely, God forbid, as if he has no more hope at all, God forbid. And this is like (there): "Many there are that say of my soul: 'There is no salvation for him in God.' Selah." And then he is in the concept of sleep as mentioned above, and this is [why he says] (there): "I lay me down, and I sleep." For this is like sleep as mentioned above. But actually the man is forbidden to despair himself. And he must overcome and wake up from his sleep through the little good that he finds in himself yet, as mentioned above. And this is [why he says] (there) "I awake, for the LORD sustains me," that I overcome and wake up from my sleep because I yet do not despair myself, for the Lord sustains me. For the good point that a man finds in himself this is like Godliness, as it were. Because all the good is from Him, blessed-be-He. For the Torah and Israel and the Lord, blessed-be-He are all one, therefore when there is in an Israelite some good point, i.e. some mitzvah or good thing, this good is complete oneness with Him, blessed-be-He. For (Ps. 145) "the LORD is good to all," and as is written (there, 34) "O taste and see that the LORD is good." For all the good that is found in any place at all, it is all from him, blessed-be-He. And this is [why he says] (there, 3) "for the LORD sustains me," i.e. the good point that I find in myself which is like Godliness, like "the LORD is good to all," this is what supports me and awakens me from the sleep and then (there, 3) "I am not afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about," for I no longer fear them even though they are several ten thousands of faults and sins that stand over me to make me fall, God forbid. Because since I find in myself yet some good point, by this I awake from the sleep. And by this I actually the pan of merit and by this I will merit to teshuvah etc. as mentioned above. For all the bad is pushed aside because of the little good that he finds in himself, and he livens and raises himself by this. For a little light pushes off much of the darkness as is known. And this is like (there, 139): "I awake, and I am yet with you," by means of my yet little etc., i.e. the good point as mentioned above, like "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being" as mentioned above. And this is [the meaning of] "and I am yet with you" i.e. my yet little thing that is still with you as mentioned above – by means of this I awake, for this is like waking from sleep as mentioned above.

3. And this is like (there, 57): "Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn." I.e. that the man must wake himself up from his sleep and his sunkenness. And by what shall he wake himself? – by the good points that he finds in himself yet, and this is the [the meaning of] "I will awaken the dawn (ShaChar)," for the good point is like dawn, like (Song of Songs 1) "I am black (SheChoRah), but handsome, O daughters of Jerusalem," for since this point is mixed with much waste and with many faults that this man inflicted, by this it seems that it is black because it is set in gloom and darkness, God forbid, by him. But when he judges himself to the pan of merit and wakes up and finds in himself a good point as mentioned above, then he says "'I am black, but handsome... Look not upon me, that I am dark (SheChaRchoret)" etc. because the darkness (ShaChaRut) is not of myself etc. as Rashi explained there. For the good point in himself that there is by the man, even by sinners of Israel, it is very handsome and beautiful. Only, the darkness cloaks it. But when one wakes it up, it says "black am I but handsome... Look not upon me, that I am dark," because from my own side, I am exceedingly handsome. And this is like what our Sages of blessed memory said (Midrash on Song of Solomon 1): Black am I in the deed of the Calf, and handsome am I in the work of the Tabernacle. I.e. even though I have many sins, and I have become very far from Him, blessed-be-He -- this is like the deed of the Calf which includes all the sins in the world, for (Chulin 5) "whoever observes idolatry is as if he denies the whole entire Torah" -- even so, I am handsome in the work of the Tabernacle, i.e. the aspect of the little good that I find in myself yet. For immediately after the deed of the Calf they were commanded on the work of the Tabernacle, by the fact that the Lord, blessed-be-He, was reconciled to Israel through Moshe who devoted is soul for them and prayed for their sake. For Moshe was able to do this, to find a good point even in the least of the least, as explained in the words of our Rabbi of blessed memory every time (LM 282, LM II 82) and by this he was able to pray for them always, even when they faulted in the whole entire Torah by the work of the Calf. Even so, he found in them good points. And therefore Moshe said (Ex. 32): "Why, LORD, does Your anger flare against your people?" For he found the good that is in them and then the bad was pushed aside completely, as mentioned above, and therefore he said "Why, LORD, does Your anger flare against your people?" For the evil is not considered at all, against the little good that there is in them yet. And the Lord, blessed-be-He, was reconciled to him and had reconsidered regarding the evil etc. And then the Lord, blessed-be-He taught Moshe the order of prayer and ordered before him the thirteen attributes of mercy. And this is [the reason for] (there) "And He said: 'I will make all My goodness pass’"etc., that he taught him and revealed to him all His good, blessed-be-He, as it were, in order that he should know that the Lord, blessed-be-He, is always good, and one can always wake up the good in the worst of the worst, and enter him into the pan of merit, and to return him in teshuvah, and this is like the thirteen attributes of mercy, like (there) "The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering" etc., that the Lord, blessed-be-He, is full of mercy and good to all, and holds out his anger to the righteous and to the wicked. For He leans toward mercy and judges everything to the side of merit, and finds a good point even in the sinners of Israel, and through this the tilts them to the side of merit, as mentioned above. And this is the idea of (there) "keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation," that the aspect of mercy, i.e. what that He, blessed-be-He, leans towards mercy and judges to the side of merit and finds a good point etc. as mentioned above. This mercy keeps and sweetens for thousands, i.e. even though there is against this thousands and ten thousands of faults that the same man faulted, even so, a little of the good that he finds by means of the mercy as mentioned above pushes off everything, as mentioned above. And through this (there) "he forgives iniquity and transgression and sin" etc. For through this he actually enters into the pan of merit etc. as mentioned above.

4. And then when the Lord, blessed-be-He, was reconciled to Moshe through finding good in all of Israel, even after the deed of the Calf as mentioned above, for Moshe was all good, like (Ex. 2) "And when she saw him that he was a goodly child..." And therefore he always had power to find the good in everyone, even in the sinners of Israel as mentioned above. And by this was the Lord, blessed-be-He reconciled, as mentioned above. And then he commanded them regarding the work of the Tabernacle, that each one should bring the donation of his heart for the work of the Tabernacle. For he would wake up the good that is in every one. And every one, according to the good that he had, brought the good donation of is heart for the work of the Tabernacle. For the Tabernacle was built from all the good that is chosen out from ebery one of Israel, which is like (Ex. 25) "gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet" etc. which each one brought according to his good point, for the gold and silver and brass and blue etc., they are like the supernal colors (giwwunin `ila’in), which are like the good that there is in every one of Israel, which this is the idea of Israel, "in whom I will be glorified," who are made up of grand colors (giwwunin sagi’in), i.e. the good points that there are in every one of Israel, who are made of up great varieties. For there is in every one of Israel a good point, even in the least of them, that there is not in his friend, as explained in another place (LM 34). And the Lord, blessed-be-He, glories in them as mentioned above. And this is like the varieties that were in the Holy Temple and the Tabernacle, like the gold and silver etc., which everyone brought from the good donation of his heart. For there were included all the good points, which are like the supernal colors that there is in every one of Israel, and therefore after the deed of the Calf, which Moshe then had to seek and find the good points that there are in every one of Israel as mentioned above. Therefore then specifically were they commanded regarding the work of the Tabernacle. For the Tabernacle was built from this, from the good points mentioned above, as mentioned above. And this is [the idea of] "Black am I in the deed of the Calf, and handsome am I in the work of the Tabernacle," i.e. in the good points that I find in myself, which are like the work of the Tabernacle as mentioned above. Likewise it is understood in the words of Rabbeinu mentioned above, that by the good that one finds in every one of Israel, by this is built the Tabernacle and therefore the one who can find all the good that there is in Israel, who is the idea of chazzan, as mentioned above, he knows all the aspects that there are in the matter of the Tabernacle of each of one of the Tzaddikim mentioned above, see there. For the main construction of the Tabernacle is by this, by the good as mentioned above. And by this the words of Rabbeinu are tied together well, see there well.

5. And this [is the idea of] (Ps. 57) "Awake, my glory; awake" etc. And through what shall I be able to awake? – through "I will awake the dawn (ShaChar)," through this that I awake the dawn. I.e. the good point which is like dawn (ShaChaR), like "black am I but handsome" – through this I can wake up from my sleep and my sunkenness etc. as mentioned above. And this is the idea of "awake, psaltery" etc., for through this are made melodies, like "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being" as mentioned above:

And this is hinted in the words of the Shulchan Arukh "One should strengthen himself like a lion to stand up in the morning for the service of his Creator," that the man must overcome and awake from his sleep and his sunkenness, and through what shall he awake? – through him being the one to awake the dawn, i.e. as mentioned above. That he should wake up the good points, which are like dawn (ShaChar), like "I will awake the dawn." And through this he shall wake up from his sleep and sunkenness etc. as mentioned above. And this is the idea of "to stand up in the morning," for the main waking up from the sleep, mentioned above, is through the idea of (Zohar Miketz 203) "Cattle (BaKaR) of Avraham, the man of kindness," i.e. through leaning towards kindness and judges himself to the pan of merit, as mentioned above. And therefore Avraham was converting converts. For he was leaning to the side of mercy and found a good point in every one. And through this the drew everything close to the Lord, blessed-be-He, as mentioned above. And this is why is appended the note "I have set the LORD before me always," i.e. that always I put and value the Lord before my eyes, for even though I am far from Him, blessed-be-He, even so, the Lord is before me always in every place, for I find in myself a good point, as mentioned above. And this is the explanation of the verse (Ps. 16) "I have set the LORD before me always: because he is at my right hand, I shall not falter." I.e. that always I place the Lord before me, even in the lowest levels, God forbid. For (there) "because he is at my right hand, I shall not falter." For through the idea of "right," the idea of Avraham, the idea of kindness – through this I shall not falter. As in (there 94) "If I said, My foot slips; Your mercy, O LORD, held me up." For through the kindness, i.e. that he leans towards mercy and judges himself to the pan of merit and finds in himself some good point yet – through this he shall not falter, forever, and this is (there) "With the multitude of my thoughts within me Your comforts delight my soul," i.e. when the multitude of thoughts confuse me and want to make me fall, God forbid, though abundance of faults etc., then Your comforts delight my soul, i.e. that the Lord, blessed-be-He, comforts him in that He helps him find some good point in himself. And this is his comfort, and in this he delights his soul etc. as mentioned above.

6. Hence the main idea of waking up from the sleep is through the good point that one finds in himself, even when he, God forbid, is in the very lowest levels etc. as mentioned above. And by this are made melodies etc. as mentioned above. For at night, which is the time of sleep, then the Shechinah (Divine Presence) sorts out selections, as is known, and this clues on the aforementioned, when the aspect of sleep swells upon the man, then it is necessary to ask and to seek to find in himself good points, and through this he will awake from his sleep, as mentioned above, and this like (there 77): "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search." That I seek and ask after the good spirit, like the good point. And through this are made melodies, as mentioned above, like "I call to remembrance my song in the night" and as mentioned above. And through this, that he strengthens, to wake up from his sleep, through the good point that he finds in himself, as mentioned above. And through this is the main fix of the prayer. For the root of prayer is only when he merits to find in himself the good points. Like "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being," as mentioned above. And this is the idea of the order of prayer, that in the beginning they say the offerings and the incense, which are like the selections, that they find and select good points, even from the aspect of beasts, from the [low] end of the [world of] action, as is known. And this is the main idea of the offering, to raise up from the beast to the man. And this is like incense, which had in it galbanum, i.e. that they choose out and find the good, even in the sinners of Israel, like galbanum, as our Sages of blessed memory taught from this (Kritut 6:72): "Any prayer that does not include from the prayer of sinners of Israel, is not prayer," for the main thing of prayer is like incense, through choosing and finding good points even in sinners of Israel, like galbanum, as mentioned above. And this is like the eleven signs of the incense, i.e. ten signs beside galbanum. This is like ten kinds of song, which are made through one’s choosing out and finding the good that is in sinners of Israel, like the galbanum, as mentioned above.

7. And when we say the passage of the offerings, it is as if we offered them, as our Sages of blessed memory said – whoever busies in the Torah of the burnt offering, it is as if he offered the burnt offering etc., for the main fix of the offerings is in the aspect of the speech, to raise up from inanimate, plant, animal, to the speaking [kingdom]. For the good points, when they go up from the place that they go up, from the low levels, the main thing is that they should go up to the aspect of speech, for at first, when the good is not selected out and recognized because of the evil that covers it, then it’s like a dumb person, who has no speech, like (Ps. 39) ": I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good" etc., and when one reveals the good, as mentioned above, then the main revelation of the good and its elevation is like the speech, and this is the idea of (Song 2) "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs," this is like the good point, like the perfect dove, that is innocent with her mate and does not leave him to eternity etc., like our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Midrash on Song 4), for the good point that there is in every one, even in the least of the least, is stuck always with the Lord, blessed-be-He, forever, whatever place it is in, and when it falls, God forbid, into the depths of the shells that surround it from every side, like "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs," in the ultimate hiding. Then the Lord, blessed-be-He, says to it (there): "let me see your countenance, let me hear your voice; for sweet is your voice, and your countenance is handsome." For although you are in the secret places of the stairs, even so you yourself are very handsome, like "I am black, but handsome," and therefore, reveal yourself and "show me your countenance". For your are still handsome, for the good point is always very handsome, and therefore "show me your countenance" and "let me hear your voice" – i.e. that you should reveal and find countenances of beauty, the good points, and thereby "let me hear your voice," for through this one merits to speech. For then one is able to speak and thank and praise to the Lord, blessed-be-He. For at first he was not able to speak at all, as mentioned above. And this is like (there, 8): "You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice: cause me to hear it." And Rashi explained: "You that dwell in the gardens," – among the gentiles etc., i.e. the aspect of the good points which are sitting and laid down among the nations, which are the evil lusts and blemishes etc., which are like the reflected light, and related in another place (LM 36). And the Lord, blessed-be-He, desires their voice. And this is "the companions hearken to your voice: cause me to hear it." For the Lord, blessed-be-He, desires that they should reveal the good points and that they should make their voices heard in song and praise to the Lord, blessed-be-He, as mentioned above, and this is like the offerings which raise up the good points to the aspect of the speaking [kingdom] as mentioned above. And therefore one who busies in the Torah of the offering, it is as if he offered etc. For the main fix of the offering is in the aspect of the speech, as mentioned above:

8. And this is like (Megillah 3) "The Priests at their [Temple] service, the Levites on their platform, the lay Israelites at their station." For the main remedy of the offering, which is to find and choose out the good point from inside the discards, from the aspect of animality, is through the Kohen, the man of charity. For through leaning to the side of charity and judging to the side of merit, through this one finds good points in all the low levels, which is the idea of the offerings, as mentioned above, and therefore all the remedies of the offering are made through the Kohen, the man of charity, who is like Avraham, as is written (Ps. 110) "You are a priest for ever" etc. And through this are made melodies, as mentioned above. And this is like the Levites on their platform, who would conduct in song on the platform at the time of offering the offerings. For through the aspect of the offering that is done by the Kohen, the man of charity, which is the idea of choosing out and finding good through leaning towards charity. Through this are made melodies, as mentioned above. And Israelites at their station, who would busy in Torah. This is like the speech, through which they would raise up the good to the speech, which is its main elevation. And therefore the men of the station would read in the portion Bereishit (Ta`anit 26) and in the portion Ha’azinu, for the work of creation was chiefly through selection of the good, as in "and in his goodness renews, every day, the work of creation" and this is like "for it was but good," which is said on all six days of creation, for before the remedy of the work of creation it was said (Gen. 1): "And the earth was astonishingly emtpy; with darkness" – this is like the swelling of the evil which covers the good, and the remedy was through the aspect of (there) "And the spirit of God hovered upon" – this is the spirit of Mashiach (Messiah), who is like the good, for all the good points that they find in each one of Israel, this is like the sparking of Mashiach, for the root of the good is Mashiach, like Moshe, as in (Ruth 3) "and it shall be in the morning, that if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem." And through the aspect of the spirit of God, the good spirit, like the spirit of Mashiach, through this is the main sustenance and building of the world. And through this, through the good points that one finds from inside the astonishing emptiness, and the darkness, through this (Gen. 1) "And God said: 'Let there be light' And there was light." And then (there) "and God divided the light from the darkness." For through the good point one truly enters the pan of merit and then the light is revealed and the darkness is divided and separated from the light, the evil from the good etc. and as mentioned above. Hence, the main work of creation is through finding and choosing out the good point, as mentioned above. And this is like (see the introduction of the Tikkunim): the form of the Tabernacle is like the form of the work of creation. For the offerings is like the work of creation, which is like the selection of the good etc. as mentioned above. And therefore was the offering made in the Tabernacle or in the Holy Temple. For the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple are also built through selection of the good etc. as mentioned above. And this is like (Deut. 3) "that goodly mountain," said of the Holy Temple. And this is the idea of the portion Ha’azinu, that the men of the station would read. For the portion Ha’azinu is the song that Moshe Rabbeinu swore that through this song the Torah would not be forgotten, as is written (there, 31) "then this song shall speak up" etc. That even in the ultimate hiding, like (there) "But I will surely have hid my face... this song shall be for me a witness." For the song hints that even if Israel is very far from the Lord, blessed-be-He, in the ultimate hiding, even so, they are close to him, blessed-be-He, for there are still found in them -- even in the least ones -- good points and as mentioned above. And this is like (there, 32) "For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob" etc. "He found him in a desert land," that even in a desert land and in an astonishing void, one finds the Lord’s portion is his people. I.e. the aspect of the good points, which are like "the LORD's portion is his people" etc. And therefore they read the portion Ha’azinu at the offerings and as mentioned above. For this is why the portion Ha’azinu is called "the song," as is written "then this song shall speak up" etc., for the good points mentioned above that they find in a desert land and in astonishing void etc., as mentioned above, from this is made song and melody as mentioned above and after recital of the offerings and incense which are like their choosing out and finding good points even in the very lowest levels, as mentioned above. After this they say verses of praise. For through the good points mentioned above, through this are made melodies, like "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being" – "I will sing" specifically, as mentioned above. And this is like the verses of praise, which are like the songs and the melodies that are made by choosing out and finding good points in the lowest levels as mentioned above, and therefore they say, within the verses of praise, the verse "I will sing unto my God while I yet have my being" mentioned above, and as mentioned above.

9. And after that they say the blessing of the Shema recital and bless the Lord, blessed-be-He, for renewal of the work of creation, that He "renews in His goodness every day" always. And this is like the work of the Tabernacle that is built from the good mentioned above, as mentioned above. For...

http://nissim.lbox.org/breslev – Nissim’s Breslev translations

http://breslov.com/library/ -- many Breslov books online in Hebrew.

30.3 Kuzari

Rabbi Yehudah ha-Levi^[2819]

According to Rabbi Eliyahu (the "Gaon") of Vilna:
The Kuzari is "holy and pure, and the fundamentals of Israel's faith and the Torah are contained within."

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First Essay: Historical Background -- The Philosopher -- The Christian and the Muslim -- Fundamentals of Judaism -- The Different Levels of Creation -- History of the World -- Tradition vs. Logic -- Defining Nature -- Origins of the Jewish Nation -- How God Interacts with the Physical World -- The Elite People -- The Golden Calf -- Prophetic Messages -- The Afterlife -- The Indian Parable -- Converts

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I was asked to state what arguments and replies I could bring to bear against the attacks of philosophers and followers of other religions, and also against [Jewish] sectarians who attacked the rest of Israel. This reminded me of something I had once heard concerning the arguments of a Rabbi who sojourned with the King of the Khazars. The latter, as we know from historical records, became a convert to Judaism about four hundred years ago. To him came a dream, and it appeared as if an angel addressed him, saying: ' Thy way of thinking is indeed pleasing to the Creator, but not thy way of acting.' Yet he was so zealous in the performance of the Khazar religion, that he devoted himself with a perfect heart to the service of the temple and sacrifices. Notwithstanding this devotion, the angel came again at night and repeated: 'Thy way of thinking is pleasing to God, but not thy way of acting.' This caused him to ponder over the different beliefs and religions, and finally become a convert to Judaism together with many other Khazars. As I found among the arguments of the Rabbi, many which appealed to me, and were in harmony with my own opinions, I resolved to write them down exactly as they had been spoken.

When the King of Khazar (as is related) dreamt that his way of thinking was agreeable to God, but not his way of acting, and was commanded in the same dream to seek the God-pleasing work, he inquired of a philosopher concerning his religious persuasion. The philosopher replied: There is no favour or dislike in [the nature of ] God because He is above desire and intention. A desire intimates a want in the person who feels it, and not till it is satisfied does he become (so to speak) complete. If it remains unfulfilled, he lacks completion. In a similar way He is, in the opinion of philosophers, above the knowledge of individuals, because the latter change with the times, whilst there is no change in God's knowledge. He, therefore, does not know thee, much less thy thoughts and actions, nor does He listen to thy prayers, or see thy movements. If philosophers say that He created thee, they only use a metaphor, because He is the Cause of causes in the creation of all creatures put not because this was His intention from the beginning. He never created man. For the world is without beginning, and there never arose a man otherwise than through one who came into existence before him, in whom were united forms, gifts, and characteristics inherited from father, mother, and other relations, besides the influences of climate, countries, foods and water, spheres, stars and constellations. Everything is reduced to a Prime Cause; not to a Will proceeding from this, but an Emanation from which emanated a second, a third, and fourth cause.

The Cause and the caused are, as thou seest, intimately connected with one another, their coherence being as eternal as the Prime Cause and having no beginning. Every individual on earth has his completing causes; consequently an individual with perfect causes becomes perfect, and another with imperfect causes remains imperfect, as the negro who is able to receive nothing more than the human shape and speech in its least developed form. The philosopher, however, who is equipped with the highest capacity, receives through it the advantages of disposition, intelligence and active power, so that he wants nothing to make him perfect. Now these perfections exist but in abstraction, and require instruction and training to become practical, and in order that this capacity, with all its completeness or deficiencies and endless grades, may become visible. In the perfect person a light of divine nature, called Active Intellect, is with him, and its Passive intellect is so closely connected therewith that both are but one. The person [of such perfection] thus observes that he is the Active Intellect himself, and that there is no difference between them. His organs -- I mean the limbs of such a person -- only serve for the most perfect purposes, in the most appropriate time, and in the best condition, as if they were the organs of the Active Intellect, but not of the material and passive Intellect, which used them at an earlier period, sometimes well, but more often improperly. The Active Intellect, however, is always successful. This degree is the last and most longed for goal for the perfect man whose soul, after having been purified, has grasped the inward truths of all branches of science, has thus become equal to an angel, and has found a place on the nethermost step of seraphic beings. This is the degree of the Active Intellect, viz. that angel whose degree is below the angel who is connected with the sphere of the moon. There are spiritual forces, detached from matter, but eternal like the Prime Cause and never threatened by decay. Thus the soul of the perfect man and that Intellect become One, without concern for the decay of his body or his organs, because he becomes united to the other. His soul is cheerful while he is alive, because it enjoys the company of Hermes, Asclepios, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; nay, he and they, as well as everyone who shares their degree, and the Active Intellect, are one thing. This is what is called allusively and approximately Pleasure of God. Endeavour to reach it, and the true knowledge of things, in order that thy intellect may become active, but not passive. Keep just ways as regards character and actions, because this will help thee to effect truth, to gain instruction, and to become similar to this Active Intellect. The consequence of this will be contentment, humility, meekness, and every other praiseworthy inclination, accompanied by the veneration of the Prime Cause, not in order to receive favour from it, or to divert its wrath, but solely to become like the Active Intellect in finding the truth, in describing everything in a fitting manner, and in rightly recognizing its basis. These are the characteristics of the [Active] Intellect. If thou hast reached such disposition of belief, be not concerned about the forms of thy humility or religion or worship, or the word or language or actions thou employest. Thou mayest even choose a religion in the way of humility, worship, and benediction, for the management of thy temperament, thy house and [the people of thy] country, if they agree to it. Or fashion thy religion according to the laws of reason set up by philosophers, and strive after purity of soul. In fine, seek purity of heart in which way thou are able, provided thou hast acquired the sum total of knowledge in its real essence; then thou wilt reach thy goal, viz. the union with this Spiritual, or rather Active Intellect. Maybe he will communicate with thee or teach thee the knowledge of what is hidden through true dreams and positive visions.

2. Said to him the Khazari: Thy words are convincing, yet they do not correspond to what I wish to find. I know already that my soul is pure and that my actions are calculated to gaiI1 the favour of God. To all this I received the answer that this way of action does not find favour, though the intention does. There must no doubt be a way of acting, pleasing by its very nature, but not through the medium of intentions. If this be not so, why then do Christian and Moslem, who divide the inhabited world between them, fight with one another, each of them serving his God with pure intention, living as either monks or hermits, fasting and praying? For all that they vie with each other in committing murders, believing that this is a most pious work and brings them nearer to God. They fight in the belief that paradise and eternal bliss will be their reward. It is, however, impossible to agree with both.

3. The Philosopher replied: The philosophers' creed knows no manslaughter, as they only cultivate the intellect.

4. Al Khazari: What could be more erroneous, in the opinion of the philosophers, than the belief that the world was created in six days, or that the Prime Cause spoke with mortals, not to mention the philosophic doctrine, which declares the former to be above knowing details. In addition to this one might expect the gift of prophecy quite common among philosophers, considering their deeds, their knowledge, their researches after truth, their exertions, and their close connexion with all things spiritual, also that Renders, miracles, and extraordinary things would be reported of them. fret me find that true visions are granted to persons who do not devote themselves to study or to the purification of their souls, whereas the opposite is the case with those who strive after these things. This proves that the divine influence as well as the souls have a secret which is not identical with what thou sayest, O Philosopher.

After this the Khazari said to himself: I will ask the Christians and Moslems, since one of these persuasions is, no doubt, the God-pleasing one. As regards the Jews, I am satisfied that they are of low station, few in number, and generally despised.

He then invited a Christian scholastic, and put questions to him concerning the theory and practice of his faith.

The Scholastic replied: I believe that all things are created, whilst the Creator is eternal; that He created the whole world in six days; that all mankind sprang from Adam, and after him from Noah, to whom they trace themselves back; that God takes care of the created beings, and keeps in touch with man; that He allows wrath, pleasure, and compassion; that He speaks, appears, and reveals Himself to his prophets and favoured ones; that He dwells among those who please him In short [I believe] in all that is written in the Torah and the records of the Children of Israel, which are undisputed, because they are generally known as lasting, and have been revealed before a vase multitude. Subsequently the divine essence became embodied in an embryo in the womb of a virgin taken from the noblest ranks of Israelitish women. She bore Him with the semblance of a human being, but covering a divinity, seemingly a prophet, but in reality a God sent forth. He is the Messiah, whom we call the Son of God, and He is the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We condense His nature into one thing, although the Trinity appears on our tongues. We believe in Him and in His abode among the Children of Israel, granted to them as a distinction, because the divine influence never ceased to be attached to them, until the masses rebelled against this Messiah, and they crucified Him. Then divine wrath burdened them everlastingly, whilst the favour was confined to a few who followed the Messiah, and to those nations which followed these few. We belong to their number. Although we are not of Israelitish descent, we are well deserving of being called Children of Israel, because we follow the messiah and His twelve Israelitish companions who took the place of the tribes, many Israelites followed these twelve [apostles], and became the leaven, as it were, for the Christians. We are worthy of the degree of the Children of Israel. To us was also granted victory, and expansion over the countries. All nations are invited to this religion, and charged to practise it, to adore the Messiah and the cross on which He was put, and the like. Our laws and regulations are derived from the Apostle Simon, and from ordinations taken from the Tora, which we study. Its truth is indisputable, as is also the fact that it came from God. It is also stated in the New Testament: I came not to destroy one of the laws of Moses, but I came to confirm and enlarge it.

5. Then said the Khazari: I see here no logical conclusion; nay, logic rejects most of what thou sayest. If both appearance and experience are so palpable that they take hold of the whole heart, compelling belief in a thing of which one is not convinced they render the matter more feasible by a semblance of logic. This is how natural philosophers deal with strange phenomena which come upon them unawares, and which they would not believe if they only heard of them without seeing them. When they have examined them, they discuss them, and ascribe them to the influence of stars or spirits without disproving ocular evidence. As for me, I cannot accept these things, because they come upon me suddenly, not having grown up in them. My duty is to investigate further.

He then invited one of the Doctors of Islam, and questioned him regarding his doctrine and observance.

The Doctor said: We acknowledge the unity and eternity of God, and that all men are derived from Adam-Noah. We absolutely reject embodiment, and if any element of this appears in the Writ, we explain it as a metaphor and allegory. At the same time we maintain that our Book is the Speech of God, being a miracle which we are bound to accept for its own sake, since no one is able to bring anything similar to it, or to one of its verses. Our prophet is the Seal of the prophets, who abrogated every previous law, and invited all nations to embrace Islam. The reward of the pious consists in the return of his spirit to his body in paradise and bliss, where he never ceases to enjoy eating, drinking, women's love, and anything he may desire. The requital of the disobedient consists in being condemned to the fire of hell, and his punishment knows no end.

6. Said to him the Khazari: If any one is to be guided in matters divine, and to be convinced that God speaks to man, whilst he considers it improbable, he must be convinced of it by means of generally known facts, Which allow no refutation, and particularly imbue him with the belief that God has spoken to man. Although your book may be a miracle, as long as it is written in Arabic, a non-Arab as I am, cannot perceive its miraculous character; and even if it were read to me, I could not distinguish between it and any other book written in the Arabic language.

7. The Doctor replied: Yet miracles were performed by him, but they were not used as evidence for the acceptance of his law.

8. Al Khazari: Exactly so; but the human mind cannot believe that God has intercourse with man, except by a miracle which changes the nature of things. We then recognizes that to do so He alone is capable who created them from nought. It must also have taken place in the presence of great multitudes, who saw it distinctly, and did not learn it from reports and traditions. Even then they must examine the matter carefully and repeatedly, so that no suspicion of imagination or magic can enter their minds. Then it is possible that the mind map grasp this extraordinary matter, viz. that the Creator of this world and the next, of the heavens and lights, should hold intercourse with this contemptible piece of clay, I mean man, speak to him, and fulfil his wishes and desires.

9. The Doctor: Is not our Book full of the stories of Moses and the Children of Israel? No one can deny what He did to Pharaoh, how He divided the sea, saved those who enjoyed His favour, but drowned those who had aroused His wrath. Then came the manna and the quails during forty years, His speaking to Moses on the mount, making the sun stand still for Joshua, and assisting him against the mighty. [Add to this] what happened previously, viz. the Flood, the destruction of the people of Lot; is this not so well known that no suspicion of deceit and imagination is possible?

10. Al Khazari: Indeed, I see myself compelled to ask the Jews, because they are the relic of the Children of Israel. For I see that they constitute in themselves the evidence for the divine law on earth.

He then invited a Jewish Rabbi, and asked him about his belief.

11. The Rabbi replied: I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt with signs and miracles; who fed them in the desert and gave them the land, after having made them traverse the sea and the Jordan in a miraculous way; who sent Moses with His law, and subsequently thousands of prophets, who confirmed His law by promises to the observant. and threats to the disobedient. Our belief is comprised in the Torah -- a very large domain.

12. I had not intended to ask any Jew, because I am aware of their reduced condition and narrow-minded views, as their misery left them nothing commendable. Now shouldst thou, O Jew, not have said that thou believest in the Creator of the world, its Governor and Guide, and in Him who created and keeps thee, and such attributes which serve as evidence for every believer, and for the sake of which Re pursues justice in order to resemble the Creator in His wisdom and justice?

13. The Rabbi: That which thou dost express is religion based on speculation and system, the research of thought, but open to many doubts. Now ask the philosophers, and thou wilt find that they do not agree on one action or one principle, since some doctrines can be established by arguments, which are only partially satisfactory, and still much less capable of being proved.

14. Al Khazari: That which thou sayest now, O Jew, seems to be more to the point than the beginning, and I should like to hear more.

15. The Rabbi: Surely the beginning of my speech was just the proof, and so evident that it requires no other argument.

16. Al Khazari: How so?

17. The Rabbi: Allow me to make a few preliminary remarks, for I see thee disregarding and depreciating my words.

18. Al Khazari: Let me hear thy remarks.

19. The Rabbi: If thou wert told that the king of India was an excellent man, commanding admiration, and deserving his high reputation, one whose actions were reflected in the justice which rules his country and the virtuous ways of his subjects, would this bind thee to revere him?

20. Al Khazari: How could this bind me, whilst I am not sure if the justice of the Indian people is natural, and not dependent on their king, or due to the king or both?

21. The Rabbi: But if his messenger came to thee bringing presents which thou knowest to be only procurable in India, and in the royal palace, accompanied by a letter in which it is distinctly stated from whom it comes, and to which are added drugs to cure thy diseases, to preserve thy health, poisons for thy enemies, and other means to fight and kill them without battle, would this make thee beholden to him?

22. Al Khazari: Certainly. For this would remove my former doubt that the Indians have a king. I should also acknowledge that a proof of his power and dominion has reached me.

23. The Rabbi: How wouldst thou, then, if asked, describe him?

24. Al Khazari: In terms about which I am quite clear, and to these I could add others which were at first rather doubtful, but are no longer so.

25. The Rabbi: In this way I answered thy first question. In the same strain spoke Moses to Pharaoh, when he told him:'The God of the Hebrews sent me to thee,' viz. the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Abraham was well known to the nations, who also knew that the divine spirit was in contact with the patriarchs, cared for them, and performed miracles for them. He did not say: 'The God of heaven and earth,' nor 'my Creator and thine sent me.' In the same way God commenced His speech to the assembled people of Israel:'I am the God whom you worship, who has led you out of the land of Egypt,' but He did not say:'I am the Creator of the world and your Creator. Now in the same style I spoke to thee, a Prince of the Khazars, when thou didst ask me about my creed. I answered thee as was fitting, and is fitting for the whole of Israel who knew these, things. first from personal experience, and afterwards through uninterrupted tradition, which is equal to the former.

26. Al Khazari: If this be so, then your belief is confined to yourselves?

27. The Rabbi: Yes, but any Gentile who joins us unconditionally shares our good fortune without, however, being quite equal to us. If the Law were binding on us only because God created us, the white and the black man would be equal, since He created them all. But the Law was given to us because He led us out of Egypt, and remained attached to us, because we are the cream of mankind.

28. Al Khazari: Jew, I see thee quite altered, and thy words are poor after having been so pleasant.

29. The Rabbi: Poor or pleasant, give me thy attention, and let me express myself more fully. 30. Al Khazari: Say what thou wilt.

31. The Rabbi: The laws of nature comprise nurture, growth, and propagation, with their powers and all conditions attached thereto. This is particularly the case with plants and animals, to the exclusion of earth, stones, metals, and elements.

32. Al Khazari: This is a maxim which requires explanation, though it be true.

33. The Rabbi: As regards the soul, it is given to all animated beings. The result is movement, will power, external as well as internal senses and such like.

34. Al Khazari: This, too, cannot be contradicted.

35. The Rabbi: Intellect is man's birthright above all living beings. This leads to the development of his faculties, his home, his country, from which arise administrative and regulative laws.

36. Al Khazari: This is also true.

37. The Rabbi: Which is the next highest degree?

38. Al Khazari: The degree of great sages.

39. The Rabbi: I only mean that degree which separates those who occupy it from the physical point of view, as the plant is separated from inorganic things, or man from animals. The differences as to quantity, however, are endless, as they are only accidental, and do not really form a degree.

40. Al Khazari: If this be so, then there is no degree above man among tangible things.

41. The Rabbi: If we find a man who walks into the fire without hurt, or abstains from food for some time without starving, on whose face a light shines which the eye cannot bear, who is never ill, nor ages, until having reached his life's natural end, who dies spontaneously just as a man retires to his couch to sleep on an appointed day and hour, equipped with the knowledge of what is hidden as to past and future: is such a degree not visibly distinguished from the ordinary human degree?

42. Al Khazari: This is, indeed, the divine and seraphic degree, if it exists at all. It belongs to the province of the divine influence, but not to that of the intellectual, human, or natural world.

43. The Rabbi: These are some of the characteristics of the undoubted prophets through whom God made Himself manifest, and who also made known that there is a God who guides them as He wishes, according to their obedience or disobedience. He revealed to those prophets that which was hidden, and taught them how the world was created, how the generations prior to the Flood followed each other, and how they reckoned their descent from Adam. He described the Flood and the origin of the 'Seventy Nations' from Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah; how the languages were split up, and where men sought their habitations; how arts arose, how they built cities, and the chronology from Adam up to this day.

44. Al Khazari: It is strange that you should possess authentic chronology of the creation of the world.

45. The Rabbi: Surely we reckon according to it, and there is no difference between the Jews of Khazar and Ethiopia in this respect.

46. Al Khazari: What date do you consider it at present?

47. The Rabbi: Four thousand and nine hundred years. The details can be demonstrated from the lives of Adam, Seth and Enosh to Noah; then Shem and Eber to Abraham; then Isaac and Jacob to Moses. All of them represented the essence and purity of Adam on account of their intimacy with God. Each of them had children only to be compared to them outwardly, but not really like them, and, therefore, without direct union with the divine influence. The chronology was established through the medium of those sainted persons who were only single individuals, and not a crowd, until Jacob begat the Twelve Tribes, who were ail under this divine influence. Thus the divine element reached a multitude of persons who carried the records further. The chronology of those who lived before these has been handed down to us by Moses.

48. Al Khazari: An arrangement of this kind removes any suspicion of untruth or common plot. Not ten people could discuss such a thing without disagreeing, and disclosing their secret understanding; nor could they refute any one who tried to establish the truth of a matter like this. How is it possible where such a mass of people is concerned? Finally, the period involved is not large enough to admit untruth and fiction.

49. The Rabbi: That is so. Abraham himself lived during the period of the separation of languages. He and his relatives retained the language of his grandfather Eber, which for that reason is called Hebrew. Four hundred years after him appeared Moses at a time when the world was rich in information concerning the heavens and earth. He approached Pharaoh and the Doctors of Egypt, as well as those of the Israelites. Whilst agreeing with him they questioned him, and completely refused to believe that God spoke with man, until he caused them to hear the Ten Words. In the same way the people mere on his side, not from ignorance, but on account of the knowledge they possessed. They feared magic and astrological arts, and similar snares, things which, like deceit, do not bear close examination, whereas the divine might is like pure gold, ever increasing in brilliancy. How could one imagine that an attempt had been made to show that a language spoken five hundred years previously was none but Eber's own language split up in Babel during the days of Peleg; also to trace the origin of this or that nation back to Shem or Ham, and the same with their countries? Is it likely that any one could to-day invent false statements concerning the origin, history, and languages of well-known nations, the latter being less than five hundred years old?

50. Al Khazari: This is not possible. How could it be, since we possess books in the handwriting of their authors written five hundred years ago? No false interpolation could enter the contents of a hook which is not above five hundred years of age, such as genealogical tables, linguistic and other works.

51. The Rabbi: Now why should Moses' speeches remain uncontradicted? Did not his own people raise objections, not to speak of others?

52. Al Khazari: These things are handed down well founded and firmly established.

53. The Rabbi: Dost thou think that the languages are eternal and without beginning?

54. Al Khazari: No; they undoubtedly had a beginning, which originated in a conventional manner. Evidence of this is found in their composition of nouns, verbs, and particles. They originated from sounds derived from the organs of speech.

[55. The Rabbi: Didst thou ever see any one who contrived a language, or didst thou hear of him?]

56. Al Khazari: neither the one nor the other. There is no doubt that it appeared at some time, but prior to this there was no language concerning which one nation, to the exclusion of another, could come to any agreement.

57. The Rabbi: Didst thou ever hear of a nation which possessed different traditions with regard to the generally acknowledged week which begins with the Sunday and ends with the Sabbath? How is it possible that the people of China could agree with those of the western islands without common beginning, agreement and convention?

58. Al Khazari: Such a thing would only have been possible if they had all come to an agreement This, however, is improbable, unless all men are the descendants of Adam, of Noah, or of some other ancestor from whom they received the hebdomadal calculation.

59. The Rabbi: That is what I meant. East and West agree on the decimal system. What instinct induced them to keep to the number ten, unless it was a tradition handed down by the first one who did so?

60. Al Khazari: Does it not weaken thy belief if thou art told that the Indians have antiquities and buildings which they consider to be millions of years old?

61. The Rabbi: It would, indeed, weaken my belief had they a fixed form of religion, or a book concerning which a multitude of people held the same opinion, and in which no historical discrepancy could be found. Such a book, however, does not exist. Apart from this, they are a dissolute, unreliable people, and arouse the indignation of the followers of religions through their talk, whilst they anger them with their idols, talismans, and witchcraft. To such things they pin their faith, and deride those who boast of the possession of a divine book. Yet they only possess a few books, and these were written to mislead the weak-minded. To this class belong astrological writings, in which they speak of ten thousands of years, as the book on the Nabataean Agriculture, in which are mentioned the names of Janbushar, Sagrit and Roanai. It is believed that they lived before Adam, who was the disciple of Janbushar, and such like.

62. Al Khazari: If I had supported my arguments by reference to a negro people, i.e. a people not united upon a common law, thy answer would have been correct. Now what is thy opinion of the philosophers who, as the result of their careful researches, agree that the world is without beginning, and here it does not concern tens of thousands, and not millions, but unlimited numbers of years.

63. The Rabbi: There is an excuse for the Philosophers. Being Grecians, science and religion did not come to them as inheritances. They belong to the descendants of Japheth, who inhabited the north, whilst that knowledge coming from Adam, and supported by the divine influence, is only to be found among the progeny of Shem, who represented the successors of Noah and constituted, as it were, his essence. This knowledge has always been connected with this essence, and will always remain so. The Greeks only received it when they became powerful, from Persia. The Persians had it from the Chaldaeans. It was only then that the famous [Greek] Philosophers arose, but as soon as Rome assumed political leadership they produced no philosopher worthy the name.

64. Al Khazari: Does this mean that Aristotle's philosophy is not deserving of credence?

65. The Rabbi: Certainly. He exerted his mind, because he had no tradition from any reliable source at his disposal. He meditated on the beginning and end of the world, but found as much difficulty in the theory of a beginning as in that of eternity. Finally, these abstract speculations which made for eternity, prevailed, and he found no reason to inquire into the chronology or derivation of those who lived before him. Had he lived among a people with well authenticated and generally acknowledged traditions, he would have applied his deductions and arguments to establish the theory of creation, however difficult. instead of eternity, which is even much more difficult to accept.

66. Al Khazari: Is there any decisive proof?

67. The Rabbi: Where could we find one for such a question? Heaven forbid that there should be anything in the Bible to contradict that which is manifest or proved! On the other hand it tells of miracles and the changes of ordinary, things newly arising, or changing one into the other. This proves that the Creator of the world is able to accomplish what He will, and whenever He mill. The question of eternity and creation is obscure, whilst the arguments are evenly balanced. The theory of creation derives greater weight from the prophetic tradition of Adam, Noah. and Moses, which is more deserving of credence than mere speculation. If, after all, a believer in the Law finds himself compelled to admit an eternal matter and the existence of, many worlds prior to this one, this would not impair his belief that this world was created at a certain epoch, and that Adam and Noah were the first human beings.

68. Al Khazari: Thus far I find these arguments quite satisfactory. Should we continue our conversation, I will trouble thee to adduce more decisive proofs. Now take up the thread of thy earlier exposition, how the great conviction settled in thy soul, that the Creator of body and spirit, soul, intellect and angels-- He who is too high, holy and exalted for the mind still less for the senses to grasp--that He holds intercourse with creatures made of low and contemptible material, wonderful as this may seem. For the smallest worm shows the wonders of His wisdom in a manner beyond the human mind.

69. The Rabbi: Thou hast forestalled much of my intended answer to thee. Dost thou ascribe the wisdom apparent in the creation of an ant (for example) to a sphere or star, or to any other object, to the exclusion of the Almighty Creator, who weighs and gives everything its due, giving neither too much, nor too little?

70. Al Khazari: This is ascribed to the action of Nature.

71. The Rabbi: What is Nature?

72. Al Khazari: As far as philosophy teaches, it is a certain power; only we do not know whet it really is. No doubt philosophers know.

73. The Rabbi: They know as much as we do. Aristotle defined it as the beginning and primary cause through which a thing either moves or rests, not by accidents, but on account of its innate essence.

74. Al Khazari: This would mean that the thing which moves or rests on its own account has a cause through which it moves or rests. This cause is Nature.

75. The Rabbi: This opinion is the result of diligent research, criticism, and discrimination between accidental and natural occurrences. These things astonish those who hear them, but nothing else springs from the knowledge of nature.

76. Al Khazari: All I can see is, that they have misled us by these names, and caused us to place another being on a par with God, if we say that Nature is wise and active. Speaking in their sense, we might even say: possessed of intelligence.

77. The Rabbi: Certainly; but the elements, moon, sun and stars have powers such as warming, cooling, moistening, drying, etc., but do not merit that wisdom should be ascribed to them, or be reckoned more than a function. Forming, measuring, producing, however, and all that shows an intention, can only be ascribed to the All-wise and Almighty. There is no harm in calling the power which arranges matter by means of heat and cooling, 'Nature,' but all intelligence must be denied it. So must the faculty of creating the embryo be denied to human beings, because they only aid matter in receiving human form from its wise Creator. Thou must not deem it improbable that exalted divine traces should be visible in this material world, when this matter is prepared to receive them. Here are to be found the roots of faith as well as of disbelief.

78. Al Khazari: How is this possible?

79. The Rabbi: These conditions which render man fit to receive this divine influence do not lie within him. It is impossible for him to gauge their quantity or quality, and even if their essence were known, yet neither their time, place, and connexion, nor suitability could be discovered. For this, inspired and detailed instruction is necessary. He who has been thus inspired, and obeys the teaching in every respect with a pure mind, is a believer. Whosoever strives by speculation and deduction to prepare the conditions for the reception of this inspiration, or by divining, as is found in the writings of astrologers, trying to call down supernatural beings, or manufacturing talismans, such a man is an unbeliever. He may bring offerings and burn incense in the name of speculation and conjecture, whilst he is in reality ignorant of that which he should do, how much, in which way, by what means, in which place, by whom, in which manner, and many other details, the enumeration of which would lead too far. He is like an ignoramus who enters the surgery of a physician famous for the curative power of his medicines. The physician is not at home, but people come for medicines. The fool dispenses them out of the jars, knowing nothing of the contents, nor how much should be given to each person. Thus he kills with the very medicine which Should have cured them. Should he by chance have effected a cure with one of the drugs, the people will turn to him and say that he helped them, till they discover that he deceived them, or they seek other advice, and cling to this without noticing that the real cure was effected by the skill of the learned physician who prepared the medicines and explained the proper manner in which they were to be administered. He also taught the patients what food and drink, exercise and rest, etc., was necessary, likewise what air was the best, and which place of repose Like unto the patients duped by the ignoramus, so were men, with few exceptions, before the time of Moses. They were deceived by astrological and physical rules, wandered from law to law, from god to god, or adopted a plurality at the same time. They forgot their guide and master, and regarded their false gods as helping causes, whilst they are in reality damaging causes, according to their construction and arrangement. Profitable on its own account is the divine influence, hurtful on its own account the absence thereof.

80. Al Khazari: Let us now return to our subject, and explain to me how your belief grew, how it spread and became general, how opinions became united after having differed, and how long it took for the faith to lay its foundation, and to be built up into a strong and complete structure. The first element of religion appeared, no doubt, among single individuals, who supported one another in upholding the faith which it pleased God should be promulgated. Their number increases continually, they grow more powerful, or a king arises and assists them, also compels his subjects to adopt the same creed.

81. The Rabbi: In this way only rational religions, of human origin, can arise. When a man succeeds and attains an exalted position, it is said that he is supported by God, who inspired him, etc. A religion of divine origin arises suddenly. It is bidden to arise, and it is there, like the creation of the world.

82. Al Khazari: Thou surprisest me, O Rabbi.

83. The Rabbi: It is, indeed, astonishing. The Israelites lived in Egypt as slaves, six hundred thousand men above the age of twenty, descendants of the Twelve Tribes. Not one of them had separated or emigrated into another country, nor was a stranger among them. They looked forward to the promise given to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that the land of Palestine should be their inheritance. At that time it was in the power of seven mighty and prosperous nations, whilst the Israelites sighed in the depths of misery under the bondage of Pharaoh, who caused their children to be put to death, lest they should increase in number. Notwithstanding their lowly position as compared to the tyrant in his might, God sent Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh with signs and miracles, allowing them even to change the course of nature. Pharaoh could not get away from them, nor harm them, neither could he protect himself from the ten plagues which befell the Egyptians, affecting their streams, land, air, plants, animals, bodies, even their souls. For in one moment, at midnight, died the most precious and most beloved members of their houses, viz. every firstborn male. There was no dwelling without dead, except the houses of the Israelites. All these plagues were preceded by warnings and menaces, and their cessation was notified in the same way, so that every one should become convinced that they were ordained by God, who does what He will and when He mill, and were not ordinary natural phenomena, nor wrought by constellations or accident. The Israelites left the country of Pharaoh's bondage, by the command of God, the same night and at the same moment, when the firstborn died, and reached the shores of the Red Sea. They were guided by pillars of cloud and fire, and led by Moses and Aaron, the venerated, inspired chiefs, then about eighty years of age. Up to this time they had only a few laws which they had inherited from Adam and Noah. These laws were not abrogated" by Moses, but rather increased by him. when Pharaoh pursued the Israelites they did not have recourse to arms, being unskilled in their use. God, however, divided the sea, and they traversed it. Pharaoh and his host mere drowned, and the waves washed their corpses towards the Israelites, so that they could see them with their own eyes. It is a long and well-known story.

84. Al Khazari: This is, in truth, divine power, and the commandments connected with it must be accepted. No one could imagine for a moment that this was the result of necromancy, calculation, or phantasy. For had it been possible to procure belief in any imaginary dividing of the waters, and the crossing of the same, it would also have been possible to gain credence for a similar imposition concerning their delivery from bondage, the death of their tormentors, and the capture of their goods and chattels. This would be even worse than denying the existence of God.

85. The Rabbi: And later on, when they came to the desert, which was not sown, he sent them food which, with the exception of Sabbath, was crested daily for them, and they ate it for forty years.

86. Al Khazari: This also is irrefutable, viz. a thing which occurred to six hundred thousand people for forty years. Six days in the week the Manna came down, but on the Sabbath it stopped. This makes the observance of the Sabbath obligatory, since divine ordination is visible in it.

87. The Rabbi: The Sabbatical law is derived from this circumstance, as well as from the creation of the world in six days, also from another matter to be discussed later on. Although the people believed in the message of Moses, they retained, even after the performance of the miracles, some doubt as to whether God really spake to mortals, and whether the Law was not of human origin, and only later on supported by divine inspiration. They could not associate speech with a divine being, since it is something tangible. God, however, desired to remove this doubt, and commanded them to prepare themselves morally, as web as physically, enjoining them to keep aloof from their wives, and to be ready to hear the words of God. The people prepared and became fitted to receive the divine afflatus, and even to hear publicly the words of God. This came to pass three days later, being introduced by overwhelming phenomena, lightning, thunder, earthquake and fire, which surrounded Mount Sinai. The fire remained visible on the mount forty days. They also saw Moses enter it and emerge from it; they distinctly heard the Ten Commandments, which represent the very essence of the Law. One of them is the ordination of Sabbath, a law which had previously been connected with the gift of the Manna. The people did not receive these ten commandments from single individuals, nor from a prophet, but from God, only they did not possess the strength of Moses to bear the grandeur of the scene. Henceforth the people believed that Moses held direct communication with God, that his words were not creations of his own mind, that prophecy did not (as philosophers assume) burst forth in a pure soul, become united with the Active Intellect (also termed Holy Spirit or Gabriel), and be then inspired. They did not believe Moses had seen a vision in sleep, or that some one had spoken with him between sleeping and waking, so that he only heard the words in fancy, but not with his ears, that he saw a phantom, and afterwards pretended that God had spoken with him. Before such an impressive scene all ideas of jugglery vanished. The divine allocution was followed by the divine writing. For he wrote these Ten Words on two tablets of precious stone, and handed them to Moses. The people saw the divine writing, as they had heard the divine words. Moses made an ark by God's command, and built the Tent over it. It remained among the Israelites as long as prophecy lasted, i.e. about nine hundred years, until the people became disobedient. Then the ark was hidden, and Nebuchadnezzar conquered and drove the Israelites into exile.

88. Al Khazari: Should any one hear you relate that God spoke with your assembled multitude, and wrote tables for you, etc., he would be blamed for accusing you of holding the theory of personification. You, on the other hand, are free from blame, because this grand and lofty spectacle, seen by thousands, cannot be denied. You are justified in rejecting [the charge of] mere reasoning and speculation.

89. The Rabbi: Heaven forbid that I should assume what is against sense and reason. The first of the Ten Commandments enjoins the belief in divine providence. The second command contains the prohibition of the worship of other gods, or the association of any being with Him, the prohibition to represent Him in statues, forms and images, or any personification of Him. How should we not deem him exalted above personification, since we do so with many of His creations, e.g. the human soul, which represents man's true essence. For that part of Moses which spoke to us, taught and guided us, was not his tongue, or heart, or brain. Those were only organs, whilst Moses himself is the intellectual, discriminating, incorporeal soul, not limited by place, neither too large, nor too small for any space in order to contain the images of all creatures. If we ascribe spiritual elements to it, how much more must we do so to the Creator of all We must not, however,:endeavour to reject the conclusions to be drawn from revelation. We say, then, that we do not know how the intention became corporealised and the speech evolved which struck our ear, nor what new thing God created from nought, nor what existing thing He employed. He does not lack the power. We say that He created the two tables, engraved a text on them, in the same way as He created the heaven and the stars by His will alone. God desired it, and they became concrete as He wished it, engraved with the text of the Ten Words. We also say that He divided the sea and formed it into two walls, which He caused to stand on the right and on the left of the people, for whom He made easy wide roads and a smooth ground for them to walk on without fear and trouble. This rending, constructing and arranging, are attributed to God, who required no tool or intermediary, as would be necessary for human toil. As the water stood at His command, shaped itself at His will, so the air which touched the prophet's ear, assumed the form of sounds, which conveyed the matters to be communicated by God to the prophet and the people.

90. Al Khazari : This representation is satisfactory.

91. The Rabbi: I do not maintain that this is exactly how these things occurred; the problem is no doubt too deep for me to fathom. But the result was that every one who was present at the time became convinced that the matter proceeded from God direct. It is to be compared to the first act of creation. The belief in the law connected with those scenes is as firmly established in the mind as the belief in the creation of the world, and that He created it in the same manner in which He--as is known--created the two tablets, the manna, and other things. Thus disappear from the soul of the believer the doubts of philosophers and materialists.

92. Al Khazari: Take care, O Rabbi, lest too great indulgence in the description of the superiority of thy people make thee not unbearable, causing thee to overlook what is known of their disobedience in spite of the revelation. I have heard that in the midst of it they made a calf and worshiped it.

93. The Rabbi: A sin which was reckoned all the heavier on account of their greatness. Great is he whose sins are counted.

94. Al Khazari: This is what makes thee tedious and makes thee appear partial to thy people. What sin could be greater than this, and what deed could have exceeded this?

95. The Rabbi: Bear with me a little while that I show the lofty station of the people. For me it is sufficient that God chose them as His people from all nations of the world, and allowed His influence to rest on all of them, and that they nearly approached being addressed by Him. It even descended on their women, among whom were prophetesses, whilst since Adam only isolated individuals had been inspired till then. Adam was perfection itself, because no flaw could be found in a work of a wise and Almighty Creator, wrought from a substance chosen by Him, and fashioned according to His own design. There was no restraining influence, no fear of atavism, no question of nutrition or education during the years of childhood and growth; neither was there the influence of climate, water, or soil to consider. For He created him in the form of an adolescent, perfect in body and mind. The soul with which he was endowed was perfect; his intellect was the loftiest which it is possible for a human being to possess, and beyond this he was gifted with the divine power of such high rank, that it brought him into connexion with beings divine and spiritual, and enabled him, with slight reflection, to comprehend the great truths without instruction. We call him God's son, and we call all those who were like him also sons of God. He left many children, of whom the only one capable of taking his place was Abel, because he alone was like him. After he had been slain by Cain through jealousy of this privilege, it passed to his brother Seth, who also was like Adam, being [as it were] his essence and heart, whilst the others were like husks and rotten fruit. The essence of Seth, then, passed to Enoch, and in this way the divine influence was inherited by isolated individuals down to Noah. They are compared to the heart ; they resembled Adam, and were styled sons of God. They were perfect outwardly and inwardly, their lives, knowledge and ability being likewise faultless. Their lives fix the chronology from Adam to Noah, as well as from Noah to Abraham. There were some, however, among them who did not come under divine influence, as Terah, but his son Abraham was the disciple of his grandfather Eber, and was born in the lifetime of Noah. Thus the divine spirit descended from the grandfather to the grandchildren. Abraham represented the essence of Eber, being his disciple, and for this reason he was called Ibri. Eber represented the essence of Shem, the latter that of Noah. He inherited the temperate zone, the centre and principal pare of which is Palestine, the land of prophecy. Japheth turned towards north, and Ham towards south. The essence of Abraham passed over to Isaac, to the exclusion of the other sons who were all removed from the land, the special inheritance of Isaac. The prerogative of Isaac descended on Jacob, whilst Esau was sent from the land which belonged to Jacob. The sons of the latter were all worthy of the divine influence, as well as of the country distinguished by the divine spirit. This is the first instance of the divine influence descending on a number of people, whereas it had previously only been vouchsafed to isolated individuals. Then God tended them in Egypt, multiplied and aggrandised them, as a tree with a sound root grows until it produces perfect fruit, resembling the first fruit from which it was planted, viz. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and his brethren. The seed further produced Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Bezaleel, Oholiab, and the chiefs of the tribes, the seventy Elders, who were all endowed with the spirit of prophecy; then Joshua, Kaleb, Hur, and many others. Then they became worthy of having the divine light and providence made visible to them. If disobedient men existed among them, they were hated, but remained, without doubt, of the essence inasmuch as they were part of it on account of their descent and nature, and begat children who were of the same stamp. An ungodly man received consideration in proportion to the minuteness of the essence with which he was endowed, for it reappeared in his children and grandchildren according to the purity of their lineage. This is how we regard Terah and others in whom the divine afflatus was not visible, though, to a certain extent, it underlay his natural disposition, so that he begat a descendant filled with the essence, which was not the case with all the posterity of Ham and Japhet. We perceive a similar phenomenon in nature at large. Many people do not resemble their father, but take after their grandfathers. There cannot, consequently, be any doubt that this nature and resemblance was hidden in the father, although it did not become visible outwardly, as was the nature of Eber in his children, until it reappeared in Abraham.

96. Al Khazari : This is the true greatness, which descended direct from Adam. He was the noblest creature on earth. Therefore you rank above all the other inhabitants of the earth. But what of this privilege at the time when that sin was committed ?

97. The Rabbi: All nations were given to idolatry at that time. Even had they been philosophers, discoursing on the unity and government of God, they would have been unable to dispense with images, and would have taught the masses that a divine influence hovered over this image, which was distinguished by some miraculous feature. Some of them ascribed this to God, even as we to-day treat some particular spots with reverence, going so far as to believe ourselves blessed by their dust and stones. Others ascribed it to the spiritual influence of some star or constellation, or of a talisman, or to other things of that kind. The people did not pay so much attention to a single law as to a tangible image in which they believed. The Israelites had been promised that something visible would descend on them from God which they could follow, as they followed the pillars of cloud and fire when they departed from Egypt. This they pointed out, and turned to it, praising it, and worshipping God in its presence. Thus they also turned towards the cloud which hovered over Moses while God spake with him; they remained standing and adoring God opposite to it. Now when the people had heard the proclamation of the Ten Commandments, and Moses had ascended the mount in order to receive the inscribed tables which he was to bring down to them, and then make an ark which was to be the point towards which they should direct their gaze during their devotions,* they waited for his return clad in the same apparel in which they had witnessed the drama on Sinai. without removing their jewels or changing their clothes, remaining just as he left them, expecting every moment to see him return. He, however, tarried forty days, although he had not provided himself with food, having only left them with the intention of returning the same day. An evil spirit overpowered a portion of the people, and they began to divide into parties and factions. Many views and opinions were expressed, till at last some decided to do like the other nations, and seek an object in which they could have faith, without, however, prejudicing the supremacy of Him who had brought them out of Egypt. On the contrary, this was to be something to which they could point when relating the wonders of God, as the Philistines did with the ark when they said that God dwelt within it. We do the same with the sky and every other object concerning which we know that it is set in motion by the divine will exclusively, and not by any accident or desire of man or nature. Their sin consisted in the manufacture of an image of a forbidden thing, and in attributing divine power to a creation of their own, something chosen by themselves without the guidance of God. Some excuse may be found for them in the dissension which had broken out among them, and in the fact that out of six hundred thousand souls the number of those who worshiped the calf was below three thousand. For those of higher station who assisted in making it an excuse, might. be found in the fact that they wished to clearly separate the disobedient from the pious, in order to slay those who would worship the calf. On the other hand, they sinned in causing what was only a sin of intention to become a sin in deed. This sin was not on a par with an entire lapse from all obedience to Him who had led them out of Egypt, as only one of His commands was violated by them. God had forbidden images, and in spite of this they made one. They should have waited and not have assumed power, have arranged a place of worship, an altar, and sacrifices. This had been done by the advice of the astrologers and magicians among them, who were of opinion that their actions based on their ideas would be more correct than the true ones. They resembled the fool of whom we spoke, who entered the surgery of a physician and dealt out death instead of healing to those who came there. At the same time the people did not intend to give up their allegiance to God. On the contrary, they were, in theory, more zealous in their devotion. They therefore approached Aaron, and he, desiring to make their plan public, assisted them in their undertaking. For this reason he is to be blamed for changing their theoretical disobedience into a reality. The whole affair is repulsive to us, because in this age the majority of nations have abandoned the worship of images. It appeared less objectionable at that time, because all nations were then idolators. Had their sin consisted in constructing a house of worship of their own, and making a place of prayer, offering and veneration, the matter would not have been so grave, because nowadays we also build our houses of worship, hold them in great respect, and seek blessing through their means. We even say that God dwells in them, and that they are surrounded by angels. If this mere not essential for the gathering of our community, it would be as unknown as it was at the time of the kings, when the people were forbidden to erect places of worship, called heights. The pious kings destroyed them, lest they be venerated beside the house chosen by God in which He was to be worshiped according to His own ordinances. There was nothing strange in the form of the cherubim made by His command. In spite of these things, those who worshiped the calf were punished on the same day, and three thousand out of six hundred thousand were slain. The Manna, however, did not cease falling for their maintenance, nor the cloud to give them shade, nor the pillar of fire to guide them. Prophecy continued spreading and increasing among them, and nothing that had been granted was taken from them, except the two tables, which Moses broke. But then he pleaded for their restoration; they were restored, and the sin was forgiven.

[* editor's note: In the original, a clause is inserted which I place here in order to facilitate the reading: In this was the divine covenant and God's last creation, the tablets. To it also belonged the cloud, the Urim, and all miracles by its instrumentality]

98. Al Khazari: The theory I had formed, and the opinion of what I saw in my dream thou now confirmest, viz. that man can only merit divine influence by acting according to God's commands And even were it not so, most men strive to obtain it, even astrologers, magicians, fire and sun worshippers, dualists, etc.

99.The Rabbi: Thou art right. Our laws were written in the Torah by Moses, who had them direct from God, and handed them down to the masses assembled in the desert. There was no necessity to quote any older authority with regard to the single chapters and verses, nor with regard to the description of sacrifices, where and in what manner they were to be offered up, and what was to be done with the blood and the limbs, etc. Everything was clearly stated by God, as the smallest matter missing would interfere with the completeness of the whole thing. It is here, as in the formations of nature, which are composed of such minute elements that they defy perception, and if their mutual relation suffered the smallest change, the whole formation would be damaged, that plant or animal, or limb, would be imperfect and nonexisting. In the same manner the law prescribes how the sacrificed animal should be dismembered, and what should be done with each limb, what should be eaten and what burnt, who should eat and who burn, and which section of priests should have the charge of offering it up, and which dared not. Il also prescribed in what condition those who brought the offerings must be, so that they should be faultless, both as regards appearance and apparel, especially the High Priest, who had the privilege of entering the place of Divinity which enclosed God's glory, the ark and the Torah. To this are attached the rules for cleanliness and purity, and the various grades of purification, sanctification, and prayer, the description of which would lead us too far. In all these matters they had to rely on the reading of the Torah, combined with the traditions of the Rabbis, based on God's communications to Moses. In the same manner the form of the Tabernacle was shown to Moses on the mountain, viz. the tabernacle, the interior, the candlestick, the ark, and the surrounding court, with its pillars, coverings, and all appurtenances, were caused by God to appear to him in their real shape, in the form in which He commanded to have them executed. In the same way was the temple of Solomon built according to the model revealed to David. 80 also mill the last sanctuary promised us be shaped and arranged according to the details seen by the prophet Ezekiel. In the service of God there is no arguing reasoning, and debating Had this been possible, philosophers with their wisdom and acumen would have achieved even more than Israel.

100. Al Khazari: Thus the human mind can accept the Law cheerfully and unhesitatingly, without doubting that a prophet would come to the oppressed and enslaved people, and promise them that they would at an appointed time, thus and without delay, be delivered from bondage Moses led them to Palestine against seven nations, each of which was stronger than they were, assigned to each tribe its portion of the land before they reached it. All this was accomplished in the shortest space of time, and accompanied by miraculous events. This proves the omnipotence of the Sender as well as the greatness of the Messenger, and the high station of those who alone received this message. Had he said: 'I was sent to guide the whole world in the right path,' and would only have partially fulfilled his task, his message would have been deficient, since the divine will would not have been carried out completely. The perfection of his work was marred by the fact that his book was written in Hebrew, which made it unintelligible to the peoples of Sind, India, and Khazar. They would, therefore, be unable to practise his laws till some centuries had elapsed, or they had been prepared for it by changes of conquest, or alliance, but not through the revelation of that prophet himself, or of another who would stand up for him, and testify to his law.

101. The Rabbi: Moses invited only his people and those of his own tongue to accept his lam, whilst God promised that there should at all times be prophets to expound his law. This He did so long as they found favour in His sight, and His presence was with them.

102. Al Khazari: Would it not have been better or more commensurate with divine wisdom, if all mankind had been guided in the true path?

103. The Rabbi: Or would it not have been best for all animals to have been reasonable beings z Thou base, apparently, forgotten what we said previously concerning the genealogy of Adam's progeny, and how the spirit of divine prophecy rested on one person, who was chosen from his brethren, and the essence of his father. It was he in whom this divine light was concentrated. He was the kernel, whilst the others were as shells which had no share in it. The sons of Jacob were, however, distinguished from other people by godly qualities, which made them, so to speak, an angelic caste. Each of them, being permeated by the divine essence, endeavoured to attain the degree of prophecy, and most of them succeeded in so doing. Those who were not successful strove to approach it by means of pious acts, sanctity, purity, and intercourse with prophets. Know that he who converses with a prophet experiences spiritualization during the time he listens to his oration. He differs from his own kind in the purity of soul, in a yearning for the [higher] degrees and attachment to the qualities of meekness and purity. This was a manifest proof to them, and a clear and convincing sign of reward hereafter. For the only result to be expected from this is that the human soul becomes divine. being detached from material senses, joining the highest world, and enjoying the vision of the divine light, and hearing the divine speech. Such a soul is safe from death, even after its physical organs hare perished If thou, then, findest a religion the knowledge and practice of which assists in the attainment of this degree, at the place pointed out and with the conditions laid down by it, this is beyond doubt the religion which insures the immortality of the soul after the demise of the body.

104. Al Khazari : The anticipations of other churches are grosser and more sensuous than yours.

105. The Rabbi: They are none of them realized till after death, whilst during this life nothing points to them.

106. Al Khazari: May be; I have never seen any one who believed in these promises desire their speedy fulfilment. On the contrary, if he could delay them a thousand years, and remain in the bonds of this life in spite of the hardship of this world, he would prefer it.

107. The Rabbi: What is thy opinion concerning him who witnessed those grand and divine scenes?

108. Al Khazari: That he, no doubt, longs for the perpetual separation of his soul from his material senses, in order to enjoy that light. who would desire death.

109. The Rabbi: Now all that our promises imply is that we shall become connected with the divine influence by means of prophecy, or something nearly approaching it, and also through our relation to the divine influence, as displayed to us in grand and awe-inspiring miracles. Therefore we do not find in the Bible:'If you keep this law, I will bring you after death into beautiful gardens and great pleasures.' On the contrary it is said:'You shall be my chosen people, and I will be a God unto you, who will guide you. Whoever of you comes to me, and ascends to heaven, is as those who, themselves, dwell among the angels and my angels shall dwell among them on earth. You shall see them singly or in hosts, watching you and fighting for you without your joining in the fight. You shall remain in the country which forms a stepping-stone to this degree, viz. the Holy Land. Its fertility or barrenness, its happiness or misfortune, depend upon the divine Influence which your conduct will merit, whilst the rest of the world would continue its natural course. For if the divine presence is among you, you will perceive by the fertility of your country, by the regularity with which your rainfalls appear in their due seasons, by your victories over your enemies in spite of your inferior numbers, that your affairs are not managed by simple laws of nature, but by the divine Will. You also see that drought, death, and wild beasts pursue you as a result of disobedience, although the whole world lives in peace. This shows you that your concerns are arranged by a higher power than mere nature.' All this, the laws included, is closely connected with the promises, and no disappointment is feared. All these promises have one basis, viz. the anticipation of being near God and His hosts. He who attains this degree need not fear death, as is clearly demonstrated in our Law. The following parable will illustrate this: One of a company of friends who sought solicitude in a remote spot, once journeyed to India, and had honour and rank bestowed on him by her king, who knew that he was one of these friends, and who had also known their fathers, former comrades of his own. The king loaded him with presents for his friends, gave him costly raiment for himself, and then dismissed him, sending members of his own retinue to accompany him on his return journey. No one knew that they belonged to the court, nor that they travelled into the desert. We had received commissions and treaties, and in return he had to swear fealty to the king. Then he and his Indian escort returned to his companions, and received a hearty welcome from them. They took pains to accommodate them and to show them honour. They also built a castle and allowed them to dwell in it. Henceforth they frequently sent ambassadors to India to wait upon the king, which was now more easy of accomplishment, as the first messengers guided them the shortest and straightest route. All knew that travelling in that country was rendered easier by swearing allegiance to his king and respecting his ambassadors There mas no occasion to inquire why this homage was necessary, because it was patent that by this means he came into connexion with the monarch--a most pleasing circumstance Now these companions are the Children of Israel, the first traveller is Moses, the later travellers are the prophets, whilst the Indian messengers are the Shekinah and the angels. The precious garments are the spiritual light which dwelt in the soul of Moses on account of his prophetship, whilst the visible light appeared on his countenance. The presents are the two tables with the Ten Commandments. Those in possession of other laws saw nothing of this, but were told:'Continue in obedience to the King of India as this company of friends, and you will after death become the associates of the king, otherwise he will turn you away, and punish you after death.' Some might say: No one ever returned to inform us whether, after death, he dwelt in paradise or in hell. The majority were satisfied with the arrangement, which coincided with their views. They obeyed willingly, and allowed themselves to entertain a faint hope, which to all appearance was a very strong one, as they commenced to be proud-and to behave haughtily towards other people. But how can they boast of expectations after death to those who enjoy the fulfilment already in life a Is not the nature of the prophets and godly men nearer to immortality than the nature of him who never reached that degree?

110. Al Khazari: It does not agree with common sense that when man perishes, body and soul should disappear at the same time, as is the case with animals, and that the philosophers alone will--as they believe --escape. The same applies to the statement made by believers in other faiths-that man, by the pronunciation of one word alone, may inherit paradise, even if, during the whole of his life, he knew no other word than this, and of this did not even understand the great significance, viz. that one word raised him from the ranks of a brute to that of an angel. He who did not utter this word would remain an animal, though he might be a learned and pious philosopher, who yearned for God all his life.

111. The Rabbi: We do not deny that the good actions of any man, to whichever people he may belong, mill be rewarded by God. But the priority belongs to people who are near God during their life, and we estimate the rank they occupy near God after death accordingly.

112. Al Khazari: Apply this also in the other direction, and judge their degree in the next world according to their station in this world.

113. The Rabbi: I see thee reproaching us with our degradation and poverty, but the best of other religions boast of both. Do they not glorify him who said: He who smites thee on the right cheek, turn to him the left also; and he who takes away thy coat, let him have thy shirt also."' He and his friends and followers, after hundreds of years of contumely, flogging and slaying, attained their well-known success, and just in these things they glorify. This is also the history of the founder of Islam and his friends, who eventually prevailed, and became powerful. The nations boast of these, but not of these kings whose power and might are great, whose walls are strong, and whose chariots are terrible. Yet our relation to God is a closer one than if we had reached greatness already on earth.

114. Al Khazari: This might be so, if your humility were voluntary; but it is involuntary, and if you had power you would slay.

115. The Rabbi: Thou best touched our weak spot, O King of the Khazars. If the majority of us, as thou sayest, would learn humility towards God and His law from our low station, Providence would not have forced us to bear it for such a long period. Only the smallest portion thinks thus. Yet the majority may expect a reward, because they bear their degradation partly from necessity, partly of their own free will. For whoever wishes to do so can become the friend and equal of his oppressor by uttering one word, and without any difficulty. Such conduct does not escape the just Judge. If we bear our exile and degradation for God's sake, as is meet, we shall be the pride of the generation which will come with the Messiah, and accelerate the day of the deliverance we hope for. Now we do not allow any one who embraces our religion theoretically by means of a word alone to take equal rank with ourselves, but demand actual self-sacrifice, purity, knowledge, circumcision, and numerous religious ceremonies. The convert must adopt our mode of life entirely. We must bear in mind that the rite of circumcision is a divine symbol, ordained by God to indicate that our desires should be curbed, and discretion used, so that what we engender may be fitted to receive the divine Influence. God allows him who treads this path, as well as his progeny, to approach Him very closely. Those, however, who become Jews do not take equal rank with born Israelites, who are specially privileged to attain to prophecy, whilst the former can only achieve something by learning from them, and can only become pious and learned, but never prophets. As regards the promises at which thou are so astonished, our sages, long ago, gave descriptions of paradise and hell, their length and width,: and depicted the enjoyments and punishments in greater detail than is given in any later religions. From the very beginning I only spoke to thee of what is contained in the books of the Prophets. They, however, do not discuss the promises of after-life with so much diffuseness as is done in the sayings of the Rabbis. Nevertheless the prophetic books allude to the return of the dust of the human body to the earth, whilst the spirit returns to the Creator who gave it. They also mention the resurrection of the dead at some future time, the sending of a prophet called Elijah AlKhidr, who had already been sent once, but who was taken away by God in the same way as another said that he never tasted death. The Torah contains the prayer of one who was especially privileged to become a prophet, and he prayed that his death might be made easy, and his end be as the end of the Children of Israel. After the death of Samuel King Saul invoked his aid, and he prophesied for him concerning all that would happen to him in the same way as he had prophesied to him whilst living. Although this action of Saul, viz. consulting the dead, is forbidden in our law, it shows that the people at the time of the prophets believed in the immortality of the soul after the decay of the body. For this reason they consulted the dead. All educated people, including women, know by heart the opening prayer of our morning liturgy, which runs as follows: O Lord, the spirit which Thou hast breathed into me is hallowed; Thou hast created it, Thou guardest it, and Thou wilt after a time take it from me, but wilt restore it to me in tie other world. As long as it is within me, I praise Thee, and am grateful to Thee, O Lord of the universe. Praise be to Thee who restoreth the spirit unto the dead. The notion of 'Paradise' itself, of which people often speak, is derived from the Torah, being the exalted abode which was intended for Adam. Had he not been disobedient, he would have remained in it for ever. Similarly 'Gehinnom' was nothing but a well-known place near the Holy House, a trench in which the fire was never extinguished, because unclean bones, carrion and other impurities used to be burned there. The word is a compound Hebrew one.

116. Al Khazari: If that is so, then there has been nothing new since your religion was promulgated, except certain details concerning paradise: and hell, their arrangement, and the repetition and enlargement of these.

117. The Rabbi: Even this is not new either. The Rabbis have said so much on the subject that there is nothing thou couldst hear concerning it which could not be found in their writings, if thou didst but search for it.

[end of the first section]

30.4 Letters and Signs

30.4.1 Nachman

30.4.2 Korea

30.5 Messilat Yesharim

30.5.1 Concerning Man's Duty in the World

30.5.2 The Trait of Watchfulness

30.5.3 The Divisions of Watchfulness

30.5.4 The Manner of Acquiring Watchfulness

30.5.5 The Factors which Detract from Watchfulness

30.5.6 The Trait of Zeal

30.5.7 The Divisions of Zeal

30.5.8 The Manner of Acquiring Zeal

30.5.9 The Factors which Detract from Zeal

30.5.10 The Trait of Cleanliness

30.5.11 The Particulars of the Trait of Cleanliness

CHAPTER 11

CONCERNING THE PARTICULARS OF THE TRAIT OF CLEANLINESS

THE FACTORS which comprise Cleanliness are very numerous, being all of the factors which comprise the 365 negative commandments. For as I have already stated, the objective of this trait is to be clean of all of the forms of sin. However, though the evil inclination causes a man to commit all kinds of sins, there are some which a person's nature renders more desirable to him, and, consequently, provides him with more rationalizations for. He therefore requires in relation to them additional strengthening to vanquish his evil inclination and be clean of sin. In this connection our Sages of blessed memory have said (Chagigah l lb), "There is within a person a desire and a longing for theft and illicit relations." Although we see that most people are not manifest thieves in the sense of openly confiscating their neighbors' belongings and depositing them among their own possessions, most of them get the taste of theft in the course of their business dealings by allowing themselves to gain through their neighbors' loss, saying, "Business is different."

Many prohibitions, however, were stated in regard to theft: "Do not steal," "Do not rob," "Do not oppress," "And you shall not deny," "And a man should not speak falsely against his neighbor," "A man should not deceive his brother," "Do not push back your neighbor's boundary." These varied laws of theft take in many of the most common types of transactions, in relation to all of which there are many prohibitions. For it is not the overt, acknowledged deed of oppression or theft alone which is forbidden; but anything which would lead to such a deed and bring it about is included in the prohibition. Concerning this our Sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 8 la), "`And he did not pollute his neighbor's wife' (Ezekiel 18:15) - he did not infringe upon his neighbor's occupation." R. Yehudah forbade a storekeeper to distribute roasted grain and nuts to children to accustom them to come to him; the other Sages permitted it only because his competitor could do the same (Bava Metzia 60a). Our Sages of blessed memory have also said (Bava Bathra 88b), "Stealing from a person is worse than stealing from God, for concerning the first, the fact of one's being a sinner is stated before that of his having committed a wrong ..." They also exempted hired workers from the blessing over bread and from the latter blessings of Grace. And even in the case of the Shema they required them to leave off working only for the recitation of the first section (Berachoth 16b). How obvious is it, then, that a day-laborer has no right to interrupt the work assigned to him for mundane considerations, and that if he does, he is a thief. Abba Chilkiyah did not even return the greeting of Scholars so that he would not interrupt the work he was doing for his neighbor (Ta'anith 23b). And our father Jacob, may Peace be upon him, explicitly stated (Genesis 31:40), "In the daytime I was consumed by drought and in the evening by frost, and my sleep fled from my eyes." What, then, will those say who occupy themselves with their pleasures and leave off working, or those who during their working-time engage in their own affairs for personal gain?

In fine, if one is hired by his neighbor for any kind of labor, all of his hours are sold to his employer for the day. As our Sages of blessed memory say (Bava Metzia 56b), "Hiring oneself out is equivalent to selling oneself for the day." Any utilization of these hours for his personal benefit in any manner whatsoever is gross theft, and if his employer does not forgive him, he is not forgiven. As our Teachers of blessed memory have said (Yoma 85b), "The Day of Atonement does not atone for a man's sins against his neighbor until he pacifies him." What is more, even if one performs a mitzvah during his working-time, he is not credited with righteousness, but charged with a transgression. A transgression cannot be a mitzvah. It is written (Isaiah 61:8), "I hate theft in a burnt-offering." Along the same lines our Sages of blessed memory have said (Bava Kamma 94a), "One who steals a measure of wheat, grinds it, bakes it and pronounces a blessing over it, is not blessing, but abusing, as it is written (Psalms 10:3), `And the thief who blesses, abuses God.' " Similarly it is said, "Woe unto him whose defense attorney becomes his prosecutor." This is analogous to what our Sages say (Yerushalmi Sukkah 3.1) concerning a stolen lulav. Stealing an object is stealing, and stealing time is stealing. As with a stolen object that is used for a mitzvah, so with stolen time that is similarly used, one's defense attorney becomes his prosecutor.

The Holy One Blessed be He desires only honesty, as it is said (Psalms 31:24), "God protects the honest ones," and (Isaiah 26:2), "Open ye doors so that there may enter a righteous nation, a keeper of trusts," and (Psalms 101:6), "My eyes are to the trusted men of the earth, that they may sit with me," and (Jeremiah 5:3), "Are Your eyes not to faithfulness?" Even Job said about himself (Job 31:7), "Did my steps deviate from the path? Did my eyes follow my heart? Did anything adhere to my palm?" Regard the beauty of this comparison in which concealed theft is likened to a thing which sticks to a person's hand. Though he had no original intention of taking it, the fact remains that it is in his hand. Here, too, though a man does not actually go out and steal, it is difficult for his hands to be entirely clean of theft, for the eyes instead of being ruled by the heart so that they do not find pleasing to them what belongs to others, pull the heart after them to seek rationalizations for the acquisition of what seems beautiful and desirable to them. Job tells us, in effect, that he did not conduct himself in this manner, that his heart did not follow his eyes, and that, therefore, nothing stuck to his palm.

Consider the question of deceit. How easy it is for a person to deceive himself and fall prey to sin. On the surface it seems proper to him to attempt to make his wares attractive to people and to profit by his efforts, as it does to use "sales talk" on the prospective purchaser to render him more receptive; especially so in the face of such popular encomiums as "The quick man profits" (Pesachim 506) and "The hand of the diligent prospers" (Proverbs 10:4). But if he does not analyze and weigh his actions carefully, he will bring forth thorns instead of wheat, for he will transgress and fall victim to the sin of deceit about which we have been warned, (Leviticus 25:17), "Let not a man deceive his fellow." Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Chullin 94a) that it is forbidden also to fool a non-Jew. It is written (Zephaniah 3:13), "The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity and they will not speak falsehood, and a deceiving tongue will not be found in their mouths." Our Sages have said (Bava Metzia 60a), "It is forbidden to paint old vessels to give them the appearance of new ones. It is forbidden to mix the fruits of one field with those of another, though the latter be just as fresh as the first, and though they be worth a dinar and a tresis per measure, and the combination be sold for only a dinar per measure." "All who do these, all doers of wrong" (Deuteronomy 25:16). Five designations have been applied to them: "wrong," "hateful," "abominable," "despised," "detested." (Sijra 19.35). Our Sages of blessed memory have further stated (Bava Kamma 119a), "If one steals even the worth of a prutah from his neighbor, it is as if he takes his soul from him." This statement reveals to us the severity of this sin even where a trifling amount is involved. And they said again (Ta'anith 7b), "The rains are held back only because of the sin of theft," and again, (Vayikra Rabbah 33.3), "in a basketful of sins, which is the most incriminating?- theft." The doom of the generation of the flood was sealed only because of the sin of theft (Sanhedrin 108a).

If you ask yourself, "How is it possible for us in our dealings not to attempt to favorably incline the prospective buyer towards the object to be sold and its worth?" know that there is a great distinction to be made. Whatever effort is made to show the purchaser the true worth and beauty of the object is fitting and proper, but whatever is done to conceal its imperfections constitutes deceit and is forbidden. This is an elemental principle in business honesty. And this goes without saying in respect to malpractice in the area of weights and measures, in relation to which it is explicitly written (Deuteronomy 25:16) : "The abomination of the Lord, your God, are all who do these." Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Bava Bathra 88b), "The punishment for dishonest weights and measures is more severe than that for illicit relations ..." (Ibid. a), and "The wholesale merchant must clean his measures once in thirty days." Why must this be done? So that the purchasers not unknowingly get less than what they paid for and the merchant not be punished.

What we have said, naturally applies to the sin of taking interest, which is as great a sin as denying the God of Israel, God forbid (Bava Metzia 71a). Our Sages of blessed memory said (Shemoth Rabbah 31.6) in relation to the verse (Ezekiel 18:13), "He gave with usury and took interest, and shall he live? He shall not live," that he who takes interest will not experience the revival of the dead, for he and his dust are abominable and detestable in the eyes of God. I see no need to expatiate on this sin, for its fearful nature is felt by every Jew.

In fine, just as the desire for acquisition is great, so are there many pitfalls which it presents; and for a person to be completely Clean of them, there must be great scrutiny and much analysis on his part. If he does cleanse himself of this desire, let him know that he has reached a very high level of achievement; for there are many who achieve saintliness in many areas, but who cannot achieve perfection in despising dishonest gain. As Tzofar the Naamasite said to Job (Job 11:14), "If there is wickedness in your hand put it far from yourself, and do not permit wrong to dwell in your tents; for then you will lift up your face from imperfection and you will be strong and not fear."

I have spoken thus far of the particulars of one of the mitzvoth. There is no question that each and every mitzvah lends itself to such analysis. I am discussing only those, however, which most people are generally remiss in.

We shall now consider the sin of illicit relations, which is also included among the most severe sins, being second only to theft, as revealed in the statement of our Sages of blessed memory (Bava Bathra 165a), "The majority succumb to the sin of theft, a minority to that of illicit relations." One who desires to be completely clean of this sin also requires no little effort, for its prohibition takes in not only the act itself, but anything that approaches it, as Scripture clearly states (Leviticus 18:6), "Do not come near to uncover nakedness." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shemoth Rabbah 16:2), "The Holy One Blessed be He said, `Do not say, "Since I may not live with a woman, I will hold her and be free of sin, I will embrace her and be free of sin; or I will kiss her and be free of sin." ' The Holy One Blessed be He said, `Just as when a Nazarite takes a vow not to drink wine, he is forbidden to eat grapes or raisins or drink grape juice, or partake of anything, for that matter, which comes from the grapevine, so is it forbidden to touch any woman but your own wife; and anyone who does touch a woman other than his wife brings death to himself.' " See how wonderful these words are! The prohibition in the case of illicit relations is likened to that in the case of a Nazarite, where, even though the essence of the prohibition involves only the drinking of wine, the Torah forbids to him anything which has some connection with wine. Through what it says concerning a Nazarite, the Torah is teaching the Sages hjw to make "a fence around the Torah" by way of implementing the authority vested in them to reinforce the Torah's rulings. Using the case of the Nazarite as a prototype, the Torah is instructing the Sages to proscribe, because of a basic prohibition, anything that is similar to it. To reveal God's will in the matter, the Torah did in relation to the mitzvah of the Nazarite what it authorized the Sages to do in relation to all the other mitzvoth, namely, to forbid anything which approaches the nature of what is proscribed, by deducing what is not stated from what is stated. By applying this principle to the area of illicit relations, the Sages prohibited anything partaking of the nature of fornication or approaching it, regardless of the particular avenue of approach, whether that of deed, or sight, or speech, or hearing, or even thought.

I will now substantiate what has been said by referring to the words of our Sages of blessed memory

Deed : Namely touching or embracing and the like. This has already been considered in the aforementioned statement and there is no need to dwell upon it.

Sight : Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Berachoth 61a), " ` Hand to hand, the evil will not be cleansed' (Proverbs 11:21) - one who counts coins from his hand to hers in order to gaze at her will not be cleansed from the judgment of Gehinnom." And again (Shabbath 64a), "Why did the Jews of that generation require atonement?- because they fed their eyes on impurity." R. Shesheth said (Berachoth 24a), "Why did Scripture (Numbers 31:50) enumerate the outer ornaments together with the inner ones?- to teach us that if one gazes at a woman's little finger, it is as if he gazed at her impurity." And again (Avodah Zarah 20a), " `And keep yourself from every evil thing' (Deuteronomy 23:10) - a man should not eye a beautiful woman, even if she is unmarried, and a married woman, even if she is ugly."

Speech : It is explicitly stated (Avoth 1.5), "One who converses at length with a woman draws evil upon himself."

Hearing : (Berachoth 24a), "A woman's singing is impurity."

Concerning the "fornication of the mouth and the ear," that is, speaking obscenities or listening to them, our Sages "screamed like cranes" (Yerushalmi Terumoth 1.4), " `Let there not be seen within you a thing of nakedness' (Deuteronomy 23:15) -nakedness of speech, the uttering of obscenities." And (Shabbath 33a), "Because of the sin of obscene speech, troubles renew themselves and the youths of Israel die, God forbid." And (Ibid.), "If one sullies his mouth, Gehinnom is deepened for him." And (Ibid.), "Everyone knows why a bride goes to the wedding canopy, but anyone who speaks obscenely concerning it, even a decree of seventy good years is converted to evil." And (Chagigah 5b), "Even a casual conversation between a man and his wife is held up to him at the time of Judgment." And concerning listening to obscenities they said (Shabbath 33a),` `Even one who listens and remains still, as it is said (Proverbs 22:14), `He who has incurred God's wrath, shall fall therein.' " We see, then, that all of one's faculties must be Clean of fornication and of anything related to it.

If one would gain your ear and tell you that the Sages said what they did in relation to obscene speech only to frighten one and to draw him far from sin, and that their words apply only to hot-blooded individuals who, by speaking obscenities, would be aroused to lust, but not to those who air them only in jest, in which case there is nothing whatever to fear- tell him that his words are those of the evil inclination; for the Sages have adduced an explicit verse in support of their statements (Isaiah 9:16): "Therefore God will not rejoice over their youths ... for they are all flatterers and speakers of evil, and every mouth utters obscentities." This verse mentions neither idol worship, nor illicit relations, nor murder, but flattery and slander and obscene utterance, all sins of the mouth in its capacity of speech; and it is because of these sins that the decree went forth, "Therefore God will not rejoice over their youths, and will not be merciful to their orphans and widows ..." The truth, then, is as our Teachers of blessed memory have it, that the uttering of obscenities is the very "nakedness" of the faculty of speech and was prohibited as an aspect of fornication along with all other such aspects, which, although outside the realm of the act of illicit relations itself (as indicated by their not being subject to the punishment of "cutting off" or to the death penalty), are nonetheless prohibited in themselves; this aside from the fact that they also conduce to and bring about the principally proscribed act itself, as in the case of the Nazarite in the Midrash referred to above. Thought: Our Sages of blessed memory have already said in the beginning of our Baraitha (Avodah Zarah 20b), " `And keep yourself from every evil thing' (Deuteronomy 23:10)-a man should not think obscene thoughts in the daytime ... " And (Yoma 29a), "The thoughts behind the sin are worse than the sin itself." And Scripture explicitly states (Proverbs 15:26), "Evil thoughts are the abomination of God."

We have spoken thus far of two severe types of sin whose various forms are likely be stumbling blocks both because of the innumerability of these forms and because of the strong lustful inclination of a person's heart in relation to them.

The sin which comes third after theft and illicit relations in respect to desire is that of forbidden foods - whether thos; that are ritually unclean, or an admixture containing them, or a combination of meat and milk, or suet, or blood, or food cooked by gentiles, or the utensils of gentiles, or the wine used in ther libations, or their drinking-wine. Cleanliness in relation to all of these requires great scrutiny and self-strengthening because there is a lust in the heart for good foods and because one must sometimes suffer a monetary loss as a result of admixtures and the like. The prohibitions concerning forbidden foods also involve many details, as is reflected in all of the commonly known laws that are treated in the Halachic writings. One who is lenient in relation to these laws when he has been instructed to be stringent is destroying his soul. As is stated in the Sifra (Shemini), " `Do not sully yourselves with them, becoming unclean with them' (Leviticus 11:43) - if you sully yourselves with them, you will, in the end, partake of their uncleanliness." Forbidden foods carry uncleanliness itself into a person's heart and soul until the holiness of the Presence Blessed be He departs and withdraws from him, as is also stated in the Talmud ( Yoma 39a), " `...becoming unclean with them' - do not read `becoming unclean with them,' but `becoming dull with them.' " For sin dulls a man's heart in that it causes to depart from him true knowledge and the spirit of wisdom that the Holy One Blessed be He gives to the Saints (as it is said [Proverbs 2:6], "For God gives wisdom"), and he remains beastly and earthy, immersed in the grossness of this world. Forbidden foods are worse in this respect than all other prohibitions, for they enter into a person's body and become flesh of his flesh. In order to instruct us that this applies not only to unclean beasts or to earth creatures, but also to those animals, which, though in the "clean" category, are ritually unclean, Scripture tells us (Leviticus 11:47), "To distinguish between the unclean and the clean," upon which our Teachers of blessed memory comment (Sifra ad loc.), "There is no need to point up the distinction between an ass and a cow. What, then, is the meaning of `between the unclean and the clean'? - between what is unclean to you and what is clean to you; between the cutting of most of the windpipe and the cutting of half. And what is the difference between most and half ? - a hairs-breadth." The reason that they concluded in this manner ("And what is the difference between `most' ... ") is to show how amazing the power of the mitzvoth is, that a hair's-breadth constitutes the difference between uncleanliness and cleanliness itself.

Anyone possessed of sense will regard forbidden food as poison, or as food with which some poison has become mixed. Would anyone allow himself to partake of such food? If there were any room for suspicion or even the slightest doubt, he would certainly not permit himself to eat of it; and if he did, he would be regarded as an absolute fool. Forbidden food, as we have explained, is poison itself to the heart and soul. Who, then, possessing any intelligence, would allow himself to eat food about whose permissibility there is some question? Concerning this it is said (Proverbs 23:2), "And put a knife to your throat if you have any sense."

We shall now discuss the common sins which grow out of the relationships between men and their association in groups. Among these are: verbal oppression, shaming, giving misleading advice, tale-bearing, hating, taking revenge, taking oaths, lying, and desecrating the Name. Who can say, "I am Clean of them; I am pure of any fault in respect to them"? Their various aspects are so numerous and subtle that Watchfulness in relation to them is extremely burdensome.

Included in the sin of verbal oppression is shaming one's neighbor by words in private; much more so, shaming him thus in public or doing something to him which causes him to be ashamed in public. As stated in Perek Hazahav (Bava Metzia 58b), "If he has repented, one should not say to him, `Remember your former deeds ...' If he is beset by sickness, one should not say to him as was said to Job by his friends (Job 4:7), `Remember, which clean man is destroyed ... ? ' If donkey-drivers ask grain of him, let him not say to them, `Go to so and so, for he sells grain, ' knowing full well that he never sold grain in his whole life." Our Sages of blessed memory have stated (Bava Metzia 58b), "Verbal oppression is worse than monetary oppression [deceit] ..." This is especially true as regards shaming one in public, for we were explicitly taught (Avoth 3.11), "One who shames his neighbor in public has no share in the World to Come." R. Chisda said (Bava Metzia 59a), "All of the gates of prayer were closed except those through which pass the cries of those who have been oppressed by words." And R. Eleazar said (Ibid.), "The Holy One Blessed be He exacts payment through a messenger for every sin, except that of verbal oppression." Our Sages said (Ibid.), “There are three sins which the curtain does not block out.” One of those mentioned is the sin of verbal oppression. Even in the case of the observance of mitzvoth, in relation to which Scripture tells us (Leviticus 19:17), “But you shall rebuke your friend,” our Sages of blessed memory say (Arachin 16b), “I would think that this applies even to the extent of causing his face to change color; therefore, we are told immediately afterwards, ‘But do not bear a sin because of it.’” All of these statements reveal to us how far the warning against the sin of verbal oppression branches out and how severe its punishment is.

Concerning the giving of misleading advice we learned in Torath Kohanim (Leviticus 19:14), " `And do not place a stumbling block before a blind man'- before one who is blind to something. If you are asked whether someone's daughter may marry a Kohen, do not answer affirmatively if you know the opposite to be the case. If someone asks you for advice, do not give advice which is not suitable for him ... And do not say to him, `Sell your field and buy an ass,' by way attempting to gain possession of the field for yourself. You might say to yourself, `I am giving him a good piece of advice,' but your heart knows the truth, as it is stated (Ibid), `And fear your God."'

We see, then, that when one is approached for advice, his counsel, whether there is a possibility of his being personally affected by it or not, must be in accordance with pure, clear truth. Observe that the Torah has penetrated into the very recesses of the deceiver's mind, for we are speaking here not of coarse men, who openly give advice that is obviously malicious, but of those who are skilled in evil, whose advice, on the surface, seems truly to be to their friend's interest, but which, in reality, is not for his good, but to his detriment and for their own benefit. It is in this connection that we were told, "You might say to yourself, `I am giving him a good piece of advice,' but your heart knows the truth..." To what a profound extent do men succumb to these sins every day in responding to the powerful call of desire for gain! Scripture reveals the terrible nature of the punishment in this case (Deuteronomy 27:18): "Accursed is he who misleads a blind man on the path."

This is the duty of the just man: When someone requests his advice, he should tell him to do what he himself would do in a similar situation, having no other end, immediate or distant, than the good of the one he is advising. And if it so happens that he sees himself as standing to lose through such advice, if he is in a position to reveal the same to the other, he should do so and if not he should excuse himself and give no advice whatsoever. In any event however, he must not propose anything whose end is not the good of the person seeking advice, unless the latter intends evil, in which case it is certainly a mitzvah to deceive him, as it is said (Psalms 18:27), "And with the crooked be cunning." The episode of Chushai the Archite (11 Samuel 15:32 ff) is a case in point.

The severity of tale-bearing and slander is already known, as is also the profusion of forms that it assumes. It is, moreover, such a great profusion, that our Sages of blessed memory pronounced, in a statement that I have already referred to, (Bava Bathra 165a), " And all of them succumb to the `dust' of slander." They ask (Arachin 15b), "What is the dust of slander?" and answer, "One's saying, `Where is a hearth-fire found? Only in so and so's house,' " or one's praising his neighbor in the presence of the latter's enemies, and the like. Even though such things may appear very insignificant and very far removed from tale-bearing, they are, in truth, part of its "dust."

In fine, the evil inclination has many devices at its command. Any statement that a man makes concerning his neighbor, in his presence or not, which might cause him injury or shame is included in the sin of slander, which is hated and despised by the Presence, and about which it is said (Ibid.),

"If one utters slanderous remarks it is as if he denies the First Cause," and (Psalms 101:5), "One who slanders his friend in secret, him will I destroy. "

Hate and revenge, too, are very difficult for man's spiteful heart to escape, for in view of his being extremely sensitive to insult, and suffering great anguish because of it, revenge, being the only thing which will put him at rest, is sweeter than honey to him. Therefore, if it is within his power to abandon the urging of his nature and to overlook the offense so as not to hate the one who ignited hatred within him, nor to take revenge against him when the opportunity to do so presents itself, nor to hold a grudge against him, but to forget the whole affair and remove it from his heart as if it had never occurred - if he can do this, he is strong and courageous. Such conduct is easy only for the ministering angels among whom the aforementioned traits do not exist, not for "dwellers in houses of clay whose roots are in dust" (Job 4:19). But the King has decreed (in perfectly lucid language, requiring no interpretation) (Leviticus 19:17,18), "Do not hate your brother in your heart ... Do not take revenge and do not bear a grudge against the children of your nation."

The difference between taking revenge and bearing a grudge is that the first indicates a person's withholding good from one who kept some good from him or injured him in some way, whereas the second denotes a person's interlarding a worthy act towards one who had wronged him with some reminder of that wrong.

The evil inclination advances and inflames the heart and constantly seeks to leave at least some trace or memory of the wrong. If it is not successful in leaving a strong reminder it will attempt to leave a weaker one. For example, it will tell a person, "If you wish to give this man what he did not want to give you when you were in need, at least do not give it to him graciously." Or, "If you do not want to hurt him, at least do not do him a great favor or offer him valuable assistance." Or, "If you want to go so far as to be of great help to him, at least do not provide this help in his presence." Or, "If you have forgiven him, do not renew your acquaintance with him and become his friend; it is enough that you do not show yourself his enemy. And if you want to go so far as to befriend him, at least do not show him as much friendship as of yore."

All such suggestions are among the intrigues of the evil inclination, by which it attempts to ensnare a person's heart. To counteract this the Torah states a general, all-embracing principle (Ibid.): "And love your friend as yourself" - "as yourself," with no difference whatsoever - "as yourself," without distinction, without devices and schemes - literally "as yourself."

As far as oaths are concerned, even though all those who are not of the common run of men guard themselves from taking the name of God in vain, especially in oaths, there are still some small offshoots of this sin which, although not among the most severe transgressions, should nevertheless be avoided by those who wish to be Clean. As has been stated (Shevuoth 36a), "R. Eleazar said, 'No' is an oath and `Yes' is an oath. Rava said, `Only if one said 'No, No'-twice or `Yes, Yes' -- twice.' " And, (Bava Metzia 49a), " `A righteous measure' (Leviticus 19:36) - your `No' should be righteous and your `Yes' should be righteous."

Lying, too, is a terrible sickness that has spread far-reachingly among men. There are various levels of this sin.

There are some people whose profession itself is lying, who go around inventing stark falsehoods in order to promote social intercourse or to be reckoned among the wise and informed. In relation to them it is said (Proverbs 12:22), "The abomination of God is lying lips," and (Isaiah 59:3), "Your lips speak falsehood, your tongues give voice to wrong."

And our Sages of blessed memory have pronounced their judgment (Sotah 42a), "There are four classes of men who are not received into the presence of God." (The class of liars is numbered among the four).

There are other liars close to the first kind in regard to level, although not exactly like them; namely, those who lie within their stories and their statements. That is, it is not their practice to go around inventing stories and manufacturing incidents which never occurred, but, when they give an account of something, they interlard it with falsehoods as their fancy strikes them. They habituate themselves to this practice to the point where it becomes part of their nature. These are the liars whose words it is impossible to believe, as stated by our Sages of blessed memory (Sanhedrin 89b), "This is the punishment of a liar - even when he speaks truth he is not attended to." They have implanted this evil so deeply within themselves that their words cannot leave their lips clean of falsehood. As the Prophet grieves (Jeremiah 9:4), "They have taught their tongues to speak falsehood; they have become weary with wrong."

There are others whose sickness is milder than that of the first two types. The members of this third group are not confirmed in falsehood, but do not take heed to withdraw from it, and speak it when the opportunity presents itself, and very often by way of jest and the like, with no evil intent. The Sage, however, has made it known to us that all of this is contrary to the will of the Creator, blessed be He, and to the attribute of His saints (Proverbs 13:5): "The righteous hate a false thing." And it is in relation to this that we were warned (Exodus 23:7), "Withdraw from a false thing." Note that we do not have, "Guard yourself from falsehood," but "Withdraw from a false thing," this to awaken us to the greatness of the extent to which one must withdraw himself and flee from falsehood. As has been stated (Zechariah 3:13), "The remnant of Israel will not do wrong and will not speak falsehood; and a deceiving tongue will not be found in their mouths." Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shabbath 55a ), "The seal of the Holy One Blessed be He is truth." Indeed if the truth is what the Holy One Blessed be He selected as His seal, how abominable must its opposite be to Him. The Holy One Blessed be He furnished us with a great exhortation concerning the necessity of abiding by the truth (Zechariah 8:16), "Let one man speak with another in truth; " and (Isaiah 16:5), "And a throne will be established in loving-kindness and He will sit upon it in Truth;" and (Ibid. 63:8), "And He said, `But they are my people, children who do not lie;' " (one is dependent upon the other) and (Zechariah 8:3), "And Jerusalem will be called "The City of Truth" (this to magnify its worth). And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Makkoth 24a), " `And he speaks the truth in his heart' (Psalms 15:2), as R. Safra..." [Rashi explains: "This is the incident concerning R. Safra: he had a certain article to sell, but when someone approached him while he was reciting the Shema, and said to him, `Give me the article for so much and so much money,' he did not answer, being occupied in the recitation of the Shema. The latter, thinking that he did not want to give him the object for that sum, continued, `Give it to me for so much and so much more.' After completing the Shema, he said to him, `Take the article for the sum you originally stipulated, for I had intended to give it to you for that sum.' "] This to show how far one is duty-bound to be truthful. They have forbidden (Bava Metzia 23b), a Scholar to alter his language except for three things.

Truth is one of the pillars upon which the world stands (Avoth 1.18). Speaking falsehood, then, is comparable to removing the foundation of the world; and, conversely, if one is heedful of the truth it is as if he maintains the world's foundation. Our Sages of blessed memory told us (Sanhedrin 97a) of a community, which was watchful of truth and in which the Angel of Death was powerless; but because the wife of a certain teacher altered her language, even though her intentions were good, the Angel of Death was loosed upon it. After she had been driven away because of this, the old serenity returned. There is no need to dwell further upon this because it is dictated by intelligence and borne out by reason.

The aspects of "desecration of the Name" are also numerous and significant, for a person must be extremely jealous of his Master's honor, and subject everything he does to great scrutiny and thought in order that it not give rise to what might possibly be a desecration of the Name of Heaven, God forbid. We have learned (Avoth 4.4), "The sin of desecration of the Name obtains both in the presence and in the absence of intent." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Yoma 86a), "What constitutes desecration of the Name? Rav said, `If one such as I were to buy meat without paying for it immediately,' and R. Yochanan said, `If one such as I were to walk four ells without Torah and tefillin.' " The idea behind this is that every man, according to the level that he is on and according to the impression that people have of him must engage in thought in order to keep himself from doing anything not befitting a man such as he. To the extent of his importance and wisdom, he should cultivate his Watchfulness in matters of Divine service and deepen his consideration of it. And if he does not do so, the Name of Heaven is desecrated through him, God forbid. For it is to the honor of the Torah that one who learns more of it progresses more, likewise, in righteousness and in refinement of character traits. Any lack in this respect, on the part of one who learns a great deal, contributes to a disparagement of learning itself, which is, God forbid, a desecration of the Name of the Blessed One, who gave us His holy Torah and commanded us to occupy ourselves with it in order to attain our perfection.

The observance of Sabbaths and Festivals is also of especially great significance, for their laws are very numerous. As it is said (Shabbath 12a), "There are many laws in relation to the Sabbath." Even the laws of "resting," Rabbinical ordinances, are essential principles; as it is said (Chagigah 16b), "The principle of `resting' should not be taken lightly, for the prohibition against semichah is an aspect of `resting' and the great men of the generation contended over it." The details of the laws of the Sabbath, according to their divisions are explained in the Halachic writings. They are all equal in respect to our duty concerning them and in respect to the degree of Watchfulness required. The difficult part of Sabbath observance for most people is abstaining from occupation and from discussion of business activities, the prohibition against which is stated in the words of the Prophet (Isaiah 58:13), "And honor it by abstaining from ordering your ways, from fulfilling your desires and from engaging in speech." The rule is that everything which may not be done on the Sabbath may not be striven after or mentioned. It was for these reasons that our Sages of blessed memory forbade a man to survey his property to see what it might require the next day, or to walk to the gates of the province in order to be able to depart on a long journey soon after nightfall, or to say, "i will do such and such tomorrow," or "I will buy such and such wares tomorrow," and the like.

I have thus far spoken of those few mitzvoth which we see people to be most remiss in. What we have said about these should serve us for all the other prohibitions, for there is no prohibition without divisions and particulars, some more severe, some less. One who wishes to be Clean must be clean and pure in all of them. Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 6.12), " `Your teeth are like a flock of sheep' (Canticles 6:6) - just as a sheep is modest in its behavior so were the Jews modest and virtuous in the war with Midian. R. Huna said in the name of R. Acha, `During the war with Midian, not one of them put on the tefillin of the head before the tefillin of the hand. If one of them had done so, Moses would not have praised them and they would not have left the field in peace.' " As stated in Yerushalmi, "One who speaks between Yishtabach and Yotzer is tainted with a transgression and must leave the battle-field because of it."

We see, then, the extent to which analysis and true Cleanliness are necessary in relation to deeds. But just as Cleanliness must reside in deeds, so must it reside in traits. In fact, it is almost more difficult to acquire the second type of Cleanliness than the first, for one's nature is more influential in the sphere of his traits than in that of his deeds, in that one's temperament and character can be a great help or a great hindrance in the formation of his traits. And every struggle against one's nature is a fierce one, as our Sages of blessed memory have stated (Avoth 4.1), "Who is strong? One who conquers his evil inclination."

There are innumerable traits; for as all of a person's worldly actions, so are his traits. It is from them that his actions flow. But just as we discussed those mitzvoth which there was a greater need to consider, because of the greater frequency of lapses in relation to them, so shall we discuss the chief traits in greater detail because of the relative frequency with which they come into play. These are pride, anger, envy, and lust - all evil traits, whose evil is widely recognized and need not be demonstrated. They are evil both in themselves and in their results, for they are all outside the realm of intelligence and wisdom. Each one of them has it within itself to lead a person into severe sins. In relation to pride we are explicitly warned (Deuteronomy 8:14), "And your heart will be proud and you will forget the Lord, your God." Concerning anger our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbath 1056), "One who becomes angry should be in your eyes as one who serves idols." About envy and lust we were told explicitly (Avoth 4.21), "Envy, lust and honor-seeking remove one from the world." The necessary insight in relation to them is to flee all of them and all that derives from them, for they are all as one, "deviant offshoots of a strange vine" (Jeremiah 2:21). We shall now proceed to discuss them individually.

Pride consists in a person's pluming himself with his self and considering himself worthy of praise. There can be many different reasons behind this. Some deem themselves intelligent; some, handsome; some, honored; some, great; some, wise. In fine, when a man attributes to himself any of the good things of the world, he puts himself in immediate danger of falling into the pit of pride. However, a person's convincing himself of his significance and of his meriting praise leads not to one result only, but to many different results. It is even possible for opposing reactions to stem from similar causes and to be directed to the same end.

One type of pride reflects itself in a person's thinking that since he is deserving of praise and is impressively unique (as he imagines) in the possession of his particular attribute, he should deport himself, too, in a manner that is impressively unique, highly dignified, in walking, sitting, rising, speakingin all of his actions. He will walk only in an unhurried manner, with measured step; he will sit only erect; he will rise only little by little, like a snake; he will not speak with all people, but only with men of eminence; and even with them, he will utter only terse, oracular remarks. And in all of his other actions -- his movements, his manipulations, his eating, his drinking, his dressing, and in all of his ways - he will conduct himself with great pompousness, as if all of his flesh were lead and all of his bones, stone or earth.

Another type of pride manifests itself in a man's thinking that since he is worthy of praise and possessed of many superior qualities he must become the terror of the earth and everyone must tremble before him. He feels that it would be insolent on the part of people to speak with him or to ask anything of him. If they dare to approach him, he will confound them with his voice and drive them into a turmoil with the breath of his lips, with his biting retorts. And his face will continuously fume.

A third type of pride reveals itself in one's thinking that he is already so great and so invested with honor that honor is inseparable from him and that, consequently, he need not pursue it. To impress this upon others, he fashions his deeds after those of humble men and goes to very great lengths to exhibit [Variant: calls attention to his character, exhibiting] unusual and unfathomable humility, his heart all the time swelling within him, as if to say, "I am so exalted and so greatly honored that I no longer have any need for honor and might just as well decline it, for it resides with me in great measure."

Yet another type of pride expresses itself in a person's desiring to be widely renowned for his outstanding qualities and for the uniqueness of his ways, to the point where it is not enough for him to be praised by all the world for the qualities he imagines himself to possess, but he desires to be praised even more for being the humblest of the humble. Such a one prides himself upon his humility and desires honor because he shows himself to flee it. He puts himself beneath those who are far inferior to him, or beneath the derelicts of society, seeking to display thereby the essence of humility. He shuns all imposing titles and refuses all dignities, his heart all the while saying within him, "There is no wiser and humbler man than I in all the land." Those who possess this type of pride, though they give the impression of humility, face no few pitfalls, for without their being aware of it, their pride will be revealed, as a flame escaping from shards. Our Sages of blessed memory have already compared (Bamidbar Rabbah 18.13) a person with this kind of pride to a house full of straw. The straw enters into cracks in the walls, and, after a few days, begins to emerge, so that everyone realizes the house is full of it. Similarly, those men who possess this type of pride will not always be able to conceal their true identity. Their evil intent will show through their deeds and their seeming self-effacement will be recognized as specious humility and deceitful lowliness.

There are others whose pride remains buried in their hearts without receiving expression in deed, but who nurse the thought that they are great sages who know things to their very depths, and that not many can hope to be as wise as they. And so thinking, they pay no heed to the thoughts of others, reasoning that what they cannot comprehend no one can.What is dictated to them by their intelligence is so clear and obvious to them that they cannot even consider any arguments to the contrary, regardless of the stature of those who put them forward. They have no doubts whatsoever as to the correctness of their views.

All of these reactions stem from pride, which sets back sages and stultifies their minds, which perverts the hearts of the highest in wisdom. And even raw students whose eyes have barely opened, are caused by pride to fancy themselves the wisest of the wise. Concerning all forms of pride it is said (Proverbs 16:5), "The proud of heart are the abomination of God." One who wishes to acquire the trait of Cleanliness must cleanse himself of all forms of pride and he must know and understand that pride is blindness itself and that man's reason cannot see its defects and recognize its meanness, for if a man could see and recognize the truth, he would depart from all of these evil, destructive elements and remove himself very far from them. We shall speak further of this with the help of Heaven, when we come to the trait of Humility, which, because of the difficulty of its attainment was placed among the last of the traits in the order formulated by R. Pinchas.

We shall now discuss anger. There is the furious man, about whom it was said (Shabbath 105b), "If one becomes angry, it is as if he serves idols." He is angered by any opposition to his will and becomes so filled with wrath that his heart is no longer with him and his judgment vanishes. A man such as he would destroy the entire world if it were within his power to do so, for he is not in any way directed by reason and is as devoid of sensibility as any predatory beast. About him it was said (Job 18:4), "You who tear your soul in your wrath, shall the earth become desolate because of you T' He can easily comrhit any conceivable sin to which his rage brings him, for he is bound by nothing but his anger and he will go where it leads him.

There is another type, who is far removed from the first in degree of anger. He will not become enraged over every lack of conformity with his will, small or great. But when he reaches the point of anger, he will become greatly enraged and give vent to his wrath. It is he whom our Sages of blessed memory characterized (Avoth 5.11) as "difficult to arouse and difficult to appease." This form of anger, too, is unquestionably evil, for much that is very damaging may proceed from him during his fit of anger and he will not afterwards be able to straighten what he has made crooked.

There is a lesser form of anger in which one is not easily aroused; and even when he is aroused, his anger is restrained and does not cause him to abandon his intelligence, but he still nurses his wrath. One who becomes angry in this manner stands to lose far less than the others, but there is no question that he has not attained to Cleanliness. What is more, he has not even acquired Watchfulness, for as long as anger moves him, he has not removed himself from the classification of "a man of anger."

There is another who is even less inclined to anger than the aforementioned type. It is very difficult to arouse him, and his anger is neither destructive nor all-consuming, but mild. It lasts no more than a minute, the amount of time it takes from the awakening of anger within him until the awakening of his understanding against it. Our Sages of blessed memory characterized him (Ibid.) as "difficult to arouse and easy to appease." His is certainly a goodly portion, for a person's nature moves him to anger and if he masters his anger to the extent that it does not flare strongly and overpower him even during the period of its presence and so that even the small amount of anger that he feels does not linger with him, but passes and departs, he is certainly deserving of praise. Our Sages have said (Chullin 89a), "'He suspends the earth on nothingness' (Job 26:7) - the world endures only because of him who bridles his mouth during a quarrel." The reference is to a situation in which a person has already been awakened to anger, but, mastering his nature, bridles his mouth.

The attribute of Hillel the Elder, however, transcends all of the others, for he took offense at nothing and felt not even a stirring of anger. Such a man is absolutely Clean of anger. Our Sages of blessed memory warned against anger even for the sake of a mitzvah, even in a teacher's relationship with his student and in a father's with his son. This is not to say that the offenders should not be reprimanded - they certainly should be; but without anger, with no other purpose than their being set on the right path. Any anger shown to them should be anger of the face and not anger of the heart. Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 7:9), "Do not be hasty-spirited to become angry." And it is stated (Job 5:2), "For the fool is killed by anger." And our Sages of blessed memory said (Eruvin 65b), "A man is recognized in three ways - through his goblet, through his pocket and through his anger."

Envy, too, is nothing but want of reason and foolishness, for the one who envies gains nothing for himself and deprives the one he envies of nothing. He only loses thereby, as is indicated in the verse that I mentioned (Job 5:2), "Envy kills the fool." There are those who are so foolish that if they perceive their neighbor to possess a certain good, they brood and worry and suffer to the point that their neighbor's good prevents them from enjoying their own. As the Sage said (Proverbs 14:30), "Envy is the decay of the bones." There are others who, though not caused much suffering and pain by envy, still experience some hurt. They will at least feel some sinking of spirit upon seeing one rise to a higher level if he is not one of their dearest and closest friends, more so if he is not especially loved by them, and even more so if he is a stranger from a different land. They might say things which would seem to reflect their happiness and thankfulness over his good fortune, but their hearts will be faint within them. This is a very common reaction with most people, for though they may not be characterized by envy, they are still not entirely Clean of it. They are especially affected if one who plies the same trade as they prospers in it for "Every craftsman hates his fellow" (Bereshith Rabbah 19.6), especially if the latter is more successful than he. They will not acknow. ledge and understand the fact that "A man cannot touch even a hair's-breadth of what is set aside for his neighbor" (Yoma 386). If they recognized that everything proceeds from God in accordance with His wondrous judgment and unfathomable wisdom, they would have no reason whatso. ever to suffer over their neighbor's good. This is what the Prophet foretells about the time to come, that the Holy One Blessed be He will eradicate this ugly trait from our hearts so that Israel's good will be complete. At that time no one will feel pain over another's good and he who is successful will not be compelled to conceal himself and what relates to him for fear of being envied. As it is written (Isaiah 11:13), "And the envy of Ephraim will depart and the oppressors of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will not envy Judah ..." This is the kind of peace and serenity experienced by the ministering angels, who all rejoice in their service, each in his place, none envying the other; for seeing the truth to its very depths, they rejoice over the good that they possess and are happy in their portions.

The sister of envy is desire and lust, which wearies a man's heart until the day of his death, as stated by our Sages of blessed memory (Koheleth Rabbah 1.34), "A man does not die with half of his desire fulfilled." There are two main branches of desire, desire for wealth and desire for honor, each as evil as the other and each bringing about many evil consequences.

It is the desire for wealth which binds a man with worldly bonds and places the thongs of labor and preoccupation upon his arms, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 5:9), "The lover of silver will not be satiated with silver." It is this desire which removes one from Divine service, for many prayers are lost and many mitzvoth forgotten because of excessive preoccupation and the pursuit of a wealth of stores. This is especially true in relation to Torah study, concerning which our Sages of blessed memory have said (Eruvin 55a), " `It is not across the seas' (Deuteronomy 30:13) - it does not reside with those who cross the seas for business," and (Avoth 2.5), "Not all who engage in business become wise." The quest for wealth exposes one to many dangers and weakens him with much worrying even after he has acquired a great deal. We also learned (Ibid.), "He who multiplies belongings multiplies worries." And it is this quest which often causes one to trespass against the laws of the Torah and even against the natural laws of reason.

The desire for honor is even greater than the desire for wealth, for it is possible for a person to overcome his inclination for wealth and the other pleasures and still be pressed by the desire for honor, being unable to tolerate being, and seeing himself beneath his friends.

Many were caught and destroyed by the desire for honor. Jeroboam ben Nevat was barred from the World to Come only as a result of his desire for honor. As was stated by our Sages of blessed memory (Sanhedrin 102a), "The Holy One Blessed be He seized his garment and said to him, `Repent, and you and I and the son of Jesse will promenade in the Garden of Eden.' Jeroboam asked, `Who will go first?' The Holy One Blessed be He answered, `The son of Jesse:' and Jeroboam said, `If so, I refuse.' " What, if not the desire for honor, brought about the destruction of Korach and his entire congregation? As Scripture explicitly states (Numbers 16:10), "And would you also seek the priesthood? " Our Sages of blessed memory have told us (Bamidbar Rabbah 18.1) that his entire rebellion stemmed from his seeing Elizaphan ben Uziel as prince and desiring to be prince in his place. This same desire, according to our Sages of blessed memory (Zohar to Numbers 13:3), was responsible for the spies' speaking ill of the land, thus bringing about their death and the death of the entire generation. They feared a diminution of their honor in the possibility that after entry into the land they would no longer be princes of Israel and others would be appointed in their place. What, if not a concern for his honor caused Saul to begin to seek an opportunity to kill David? As it is written (1 Samuel 18:7ff), "And the exultant women answered and said, 'Saul has slain ...' and Saul eyed David from that day forward." What, if not concern for his honor, caused Joab to kill Amasa? (For David had said to Amasa (11 Samuel 19:14), "... if you will not always be my general...")

In fine, the desire for honor tugs at a person's heart more than any of the other longings and desires in the world. If not for concern over his honor, a person would be content to eat whatever was at hand, to clothe himself with whatever would cover his nakedness, and to dwell in a house which would afford him protection from the elements. He would obtain his livelihood with little effort and would feel no need to exert himself to become rich. But so as not to see himself as lower and lesser than his friends, he places a yoke upon his neck, and there is no end to all his labors. It is with this in mind that our Teachers of blessed memory said (Avoth 4.20), "Envy, lust and honor-seeking remove a person from the world," and warned us (Ibid. 6.4), "Do not seek greatness or desire honor." How many starve themselves and stoop to feeding themselves from charity so as not to engage in an occupation which they feel is lacking in respectability, for fear of a diminution of their honor? Is there anything sillier? They prefer to dwell in idleness, which leads to stagnation, lewdness and theft, and to all of the major sins in order not to lower themselves and detract from the honor which they imagine themselves to possess. Our Sages of blessed memory, who constantly exhorted us to follow the path of truth and conducted us upon it, said (Avoth 1.9), "Love work and hate position," and (Pesachim 113a), "Flay a carcass in the marketplace and do not say, `I am an important person; I am a priest,' " and (Bava Bathra 110a), "A man should rather do work that is strange to him than have need of others."

In fine, the desire for honor is one of man's greatest stumbling blocks. He cannot be a faithful servant to his Master as long as he is concerned with his own honor; for whatever the case, his foolishness will lead him to detract from the honor of Heaven. As King David, may Peace be upon him, said (II Samuel 6:22), "I will become even lesser than this; I will become low in my eyes." The only true honor is true knowledge of the Torah. In the words of our Sages of blessed memory (Avoth 6.3), "There is no honor but Torah, as it is said (Proverbs 3:35), `The wise will inherit honor.' " Anything else is seeming, delusive honor, completely meaningless and worthless. One who would be Clean should cleanse himself of the desire for honor and purify himself of it; he will then be successful.

I have discussed up to this point many particulars of Cleanliness. What has been said should serve as a model for all of the other mitzvoth and traits. "The wise man man will hear and add to his wisdom and the man of understanding will acquire stratagems " (Proverbs 1:5).

I cannot deny that the acquisition of Cleanliness requires a little effort, but I still maintain that it does not entail so much effort as appearances would lead one to believe. It is more difficult in the thinking than in the doing. If one takes it into his heart and resolutely determines to be among the possessors of this good trait, then, with a little habituation, he will easily acquire it - far more easily than he could have imagined. This is borne out by experience.

30.5.12 The Means of Acquiring Cleanliness

30.5.13 The Trait of Separation

30.5.14 The Divisions of Separation

30.5.15 The Means of Acquiring Separation

30.5.16 The Trait of Purity

30.5.17 The Means of Acquiring Purity

30.5.18 The Trait of Saintliness

30.5.19 The Divisions of Saintliness

CHAPTER XIX

CONCERNING THE DIVISIONS OF SAINTLINESS

THERE ARE three principal divisions of Saintliness, one involving the deed; the second, the manner of performance; and the third, the intention. The division of deed is itself divided into two areas, one concerning the relationship between man and the Presence, and the second, that between man and his neighbor.

Saintliness of deed in the relationship between man and the Presence consists in the performance of the mitzvoth with all their fine points as far as is physically possible. Our Sages of blessed memory referred to these fine points as "the remnants of a mitzvah" and said (Sukkah 38a), "The remnants of a Mitzvah ward off accidents." The fact that the body of a mitzvah may be fulfilled without these "remnants" and one's obligation discharged thereby, is a consideration for the overall body of Jews, but those who would be Saintly must increase their fulfillment of them and certainly not decrease it.

Saintliness of deed in the relationship between man and his neighbor consists in the doing of good in abundance, in one's always benefiting his fellow creatures and never injuring them. This applies to the body, belongings and soul of one's neighbor.

Body : One must seek to help all men in any way he can, and lighten their burdens. As we learned (Avoth 6.6), "And bearing a burden with one's neighbor." If he can prevent some bodily harm from coming to his neighbor or remove that which threatens such harm, he must exert himself to do so.

Belongings : One must assist his neighbor as far as his resources allow and guard his belongings against damage in every way he can. He must especially take precautions to see to it that he himself is in no way responsible for causing such damage, whether to single individuals or to many. And though there may be no immediate cause for concern, still if there is even a possibility that anything belonging to him will cause damage, he must get it out of the way. Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 2.12), "Your neighbor's belongings should be as precious to you as your own."

Soul : One must strive to give his neighbor as much pleasure as he can, whether in respect to honor or to anything else. Anything which he can do which he knows will give his neighbor pleasure, is a mitzvah of Saintliness for him to do. It goes without saying that he must not cause his neighbor any pain whatsoever in any manner whatsoever. All of this comes within the framework of lovingkindness, the worth and binding nature of which our Sages of blessed memory were boundless in affirming. Included in this area is the pursuit of peace, the general promotion of good in the relationship between man and his neighbor.

I will now substantiate all of these statements by reference to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, although what I have said is obvious and needs no substantiation. In the chapter Bnei Ha'ir it is said (Megillah 27b ff), "R. Zakkai was asked by his disciples, `Why have you merited such long life?' He answered, `I never urinated within four ells of prayer, I never called my friend by a nickname and I never missed making Kiddush on the Sabbath. I had an old mother. Once she sold her hat and bought me wine for Kiddush.' " This is an instance of Saintliness in relation to the fine points of mitzvoth, for since R. Zakkai was so lacking in means that in order to procure wine his mother had to sell her hat, he was not required to obtain wine in the first place. For him to do so, then, was an act of Saintliness. And his being concerned for his friend's honor to the extent that he would not even call him by a completely non-objectionable nickname (according to Tosafoth's interpretation) was also a facet of Saintliness. R. Huna tied elastic upon his garments because he had sold his girdle to buy wine for Kiddush. "R. Eliezer ben Shammuah was asked by his disciples (Ibid.), `Why have you merited such long life?' He answered, `I never used the synagogue as a short-cut and I never walked above the heads of the holy people while they were seated at their studies." In the first instance, R. Huna was practising Saintliness in the honoring of a synagogue; and in the second, by not walking among the seated scholars in order not to give the impression that he was belittling them, he was honoring his fellow creatures. "R. Preida was asked by his disciples, `Why have you merited such long life?' He answered, `No one ever preceded me to the house of study; I never recited the blessing before a Kohen and 1 never ate of an animal whose gift-offerings had not been taken. ' " "R. Nechunia was asked, `Why have you merited such long life?' He answered, `I never derived honor through the shame of my friend, and the curse of my friend never went up upon my bed."' By way of illustration we are told, "R. Huna, when R. Chana bar Chanilai came along and relieved him of an axe that he had been carrying upon his shoulder, said to him, 'If it is customary for you to carry it where you come from, then you may carry it, but if it is not, I have no wish to gain honor through your dishonor."' Even though "the shame of his friend" implies a conscious attempt to increase one's honor through the shaming of one's friend, those who are Saintly are averse to acquiring honor through the dishonor of their friends even if the latter are quite agreeable to their doing so. It was in relation to Saintliness, too, that R. Zeira was speaking when he said, "I was never officious in my own household, I never walked in front of one greater than I, I never meditated in unclean places, I never walked four ells without Torah and Tefillin, I never slept or napped in the synagogue, I never rejoiced in my neighbor's misfortune and I never called my friend by his nickname." Represented here are all the types of Saintliness mentioned above. Our Sages of blessed memory state further (Bava Kama 30a), "R. Yehudah said, `If one wishes to be a Saint, let him fulfill the laws of Benedictions' (i.e those laws governing the relationship between man and his Master). Others say, `Let him fulfill the laws of Damages' (i.e. those laws governing the relationship between man and his neighbor). And others say, `Let him fulfill the laws of Ethics' " (which comprise both categories).

The practice of lovingkindness is of central importance to the Saintly, for "Saintliness" itself derives from "lovingkindness." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 1.2), "The world stands on three things," one of which is lovingkindness. They have numbered it (Peah 1.1) among those things whose fruits a man eats in this world and whose essence endures for his reward in the World to Come. And they have said (Sotah 14a), "R. Simlai learned, "The Torah begins and ends with lovingkindness." "Rava learned (Yevamoth 79a), `All who possess these three traits are without question of the seed of our father Abraham mercy, shyness, and lovingkindness.' " R. Eleazar said (Sukkah 496), "Lovingkindness is greater than charity, as it is said (Hosea 10:12), `Sow for yourselves with charity and reap with lovingkindness.' " "Lovingkindness is greater than charity in three ways: Charity is performed with one's wealth, and lovingkindness with one's body; charity is given to the poor, and lovingkindness to rich and poor alike; charity is given only to the living, and lovingkindness to the living and the dead alike." And (Shabbath 1516), "'And He will give you mercy and He will have mercy upon you' (Deuteronomy 13:18) - Heaven is merciful to all who have mercy upon their fellow creatures." This is self-evident; for since the Holy One Blessed be He pays measure for measure, one who is merciful towards his fellow creatures and treats them with lovingkindness is deserving of mercy and of absolution of his sins in lovingkindness. As our Sages of blessed memory have said (Rosh Hashanah 17a), "Whose sins does He forgive? The sins of one who overlooks an injustice committed against him." And if one is unwilling to forego his claims or to act with lovingkindness, it follows that he, too, is to be treated only in accordance with strict justice. Who could abide it if the Holy One Blessed be He acted on the basis of justice alone? King David prayed (Psalms 143:2), "Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no living creature will be found righteous before You." One who engages in lovingkindness, however, will receive lovingkindness. And he will receive it in proportion to the extent that he engages in it. David exulted in possessing this good trait to the extent that he sought the good even of those who hated him (Ibid. 35:13), "When they were sick, I put on sackcloth; I tortured my soul with fasting;" and (Ibid. 7:5), "If I have paid back those who served me ill . . . "

Included in this category of Saintliness is not causing pain to any creature - even animals - and showing mercy and pity towards them. As it is stated (Proverbs 12:10), "The righteous man knows the soul of his beast." There are those who hold (Shabbath 128b) that the Torah itself prohibits the causing of pain to animals, but in any event, it is at least a Rabbinical prohibition.

In fine, mercy and beneficence must be enduringly ingrained in the heart of a Saint. His constant aim must be to give pleasure to his fellow creatures and not cause them any pain . . .

The second division of Saintliness concerns the manner of performance, which is itself divided into two sections comprising many particular instances. These two chief sections are fear and love of God, the two pillars of true Divine service, without which it has no foundation at all. Included in the fear of God is humbling oneself before the Blessed One, feeling shame in approaching Divine Service, and honoring the mitzvoth, the Name and the Torah of the Blessed One. Included in the love of God are joy, communion, and jealousy. We shall now explain each factor individually.

The chief aspect of fear of God is the fear of His exalted nature. A person must be mindful, when engaged in prayer or in the performance of a mitzvah, that it is before the King of Kings that he prays or performs the deed. As the Tanna has exhorted us (Berachoth 28b), "And when you pray, know before whom you pray."

There are three things which a person must look into and consider well in order to acquire such fear. The first is that he is actually standing in the presence of the Creator, Blessed be His Name, and communicating with Him, even though He cannot be seen. This is the hardest of the three for a person to create a true picture of in his heart, for he is entirely unaided by his senses towards this objective. However, one who is possessed of sound intelligence will, with a little thought and attention, be able to implant in his heart the truth of his actually communicating with the Blessed One, of His imploring and entreating Him and being heard and listened to by the Blessed One in the same way that a man, speaking to his friend, is heard and listened to by him. After having implanted this in his mind, he must give thought to the majesty of the Blessed One, His being elevated and raised above all blessing and praise, above all forms of perfection that his mind can envisage and comprehend. He must also think upon the lowliness of man and upon his inferior quality, which is attributable to his earthiness and grossness and, especially, to all of the sins that he has ever committed. When he considers all of this, it will be impossible for his heart not to fear and tremble when he puts forth his words before the Blessed One and mentions His Name and attempts to find favor in His eyes. As it is said (Psalms 2:11), "Serve God in fear and rejoice in trembling;" and (Ibid. 89:8), "A God that is mighty in the great council of the holy ones and greatly feared of all who serve Him." The angels, in that they are closer to the Blessed One, being unfettered by earthy bodies, may more easily envisage His greatness, and, consequently, His fear is upon them to a greater extent than it is upon human beings. King David, may Peace be upon him, would extol God (Ibid. 5:8), "1 will bow down to the sanctuary of Your holiness in fear of You." And it is written (Malachi 2:5), "And he trembled before my Name," and (Ezra 9:6), "My God, 1 was sorely ashamed and humiliated to lift, my God, my face to You." However, this type of fear must first grow in the heart before it manifests itself in the body in the form of a bowed head, a bent body, lowered eyes and the folding of one's hands as a little servant before a great king. As it is stated in the Gemara (Shabbath 10a), "Rava would fold his hands and pray, saying, `I am like a servant before his Master.' "

We have thus far spoken of humility and shame. We shall now speak of honor. Our Sages of blessed memory have already exhorted us concerning the dignity and dearness of a miizvah (.Shabbath 133b): " `This is my God and I will beautify Him' (Exodus 15:2) - beautify youself before Him with mitzvoth - with beautiful tzitzit, beautiful tefillin, a beautiful Torah scroll, a beautiful lulav ..." And further (Bava Kamma 9b), "A person should expend up to an extra third for the sake of beauty in a mitzvah. Anything up to this point is paid for by him, and anything beyond it, by the Holy One Blessed be He." It is perfectly clear from what our Sages of blessed memory have said that the performance of the mitzvah is not enough; it must be honored and beautified.

There are those, who to make things easier for themselves, would contend that honor is meaningful only to human beings, who are deceived by such vanities, but completely superfluous to the Holy One Blessed be He who is above these things and unaffected by them, faithful performance of the mitzvoth being enough for Him. But the truth is that the Lord Blessed be He is called "The God of Honor" and we are duty-bound to accord honor to Him even though He has no need of it, it being insignificant and worthless to Him. One who is in a position to give much honor to God, but does not do so, is considered a sinner. The Prophet Malachi inveighed against the Jews with the word of God (Malachi 1:8), "If you offer a blind animal to be sacrificed, it is not evil in your eyes. Present it to your governor. Will you find favor with him? Will he be gracious to you?" Our Sages of blessed memory have exhorted us to conduct ourselves in quite the opposite manner in our Divine service. For example, they say (Sukkah 50a) that water which has become exposed should not be strained to render it acceptable for ritual purposes. Though such water is permitted for mundane purposes, the concept of "Present it to your governor" disqualifies it for ritual use. Though there is nothing wrong with strained water, and though it is permissible for everyday use, considerations of respect render it unacceptable for religious purposes. It is stated in the Sifrei, " `And all your choice vows' (Deuteronomy 12:11) - one should offer only the choicest." Cain and Abel are a case in point. Abel offered of the first-born of his sheep and of their fats, and Cain offered of the worst of the fruits of the earth, as we are told by our Sages of blessed memory (Bereshith Rabbah 22.5). What was the outcome? (Genesis 4:4,5), "And God gave heed to Abel and his gift, but to Cain and his gift He gave no heed." And (Malachi 1:14), "Cursed is the deceiver who has in his flock a male, but pledges and sacrifies an abomination to God ... for I am a great King."

Our Sages of blessed memory warned us very often against the cheapening of mitzvoth. They said (Shabbath 14a), "One who holds a scroll of the Law which is uncovered will be buried naked" because of the cheapening of a mitzvah.

The order of offering the first fruits gives us an insight into the meaning of the beautification of a mitzvah. We learned (Bikkurim 3.3), "The ox walks before them, his horns gilded with gold, an olive wreath upon his head..." "The rich bring their first fruits in baskets of gold, and the poor in wicker baskets ..." (Ibid. 8). "There are three categories of first fruits - the first fruits themselves, the additions to the first fruits and the decorations of first fruits ..." (Ibid. 10). It is here explicitly indicated to us how much we should add to the body of a mitzvah in order to beautify it. What we see here should serve as a model for all of the other mitzvoth of the Torah.

Our Sages of blessed memory tell us (Shabbath l0a), "Rava bar R. Huna would put on beautiful clothes and pray, saying, `Beautify yourself before your God, Israel (Amos 4:12).' " And in relation to "the fine clothes of her son Esau" (Genesis 27:15), R. Shimon ben Gamliel said (Bereshith Rabbah 65:16), "1 served my father ... but when Esau served his father, he wore only regal garments." If a creature of flesh and blood is served in this manner, how much more so should one take care to be dressed respectfully when he stands to pray before the King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed be He, and to sit before Him as one sits before a great king.

Included in this category is the honoring of Sabbaths and Festivals; for one who gives much honor to them is certainly giving pleasure thereby to his Creator, who has commanded us (Isaiah 58:13), "And you should honor it." Once the truth of its being a mitzvah to honor the Sabbath has impressed itself upon us, many means of honoring it present themselves to us. The guiding rule in this connection is that one is duty-bound to perform any action which would add to the dignity of the Sabbath. It is for this reason that the early Sages occupied themselves with preparations for the Sabbath, each in his own way (Shabbath 119a): "R. Abahu would sit on a stool of ivory and fan the fire; R. Safra would roast the head of an animal; Rava would salt a carp; R. Huna would kindle a flame; R. Papa would twist a wick; R. Chisda minced beets; Rava and R. Yosef would split wood; R. Nachman would carry things in and out of the house, saying, `If R. Ami and R. Asi were my guests, would I not perform such labors for them?"'

R. Nachman's analogy bears consideration, for it may serve us as a model. His procedure was to reflect upon how he would normally go about honoring someone, and he would honor the Sabbath in a similar manner. In this connection it is stated (Berachoth 17a), "A person should be subtle in his fear of God." He must have knowledge, and be able to deduce one thing from another and create situations through which to honor his Creator, in every way that our recognition of the greatness of His dominion over us can be revealed, so that everything attributable to Him will be greatly honored by us. And considering the fact that the Blessed One in His great goodness, despite all of our lowliness, willed in His humility to apportion honor to us and to impart to us His holy words, we should at least honor them with all our might and show how precious they are to us. This constitutes true fear of God, the fear of His grandeur, which we mentioned above. It is this fear upon which hinges the honor that leads to the love of God, as we will explain later with the help of Heaven. Such is not the case with the fear of punishment, which is not the fundamental type of fear and which does not give rise to the superior qualities of these traits.

Returning to the honoring of the Sabbath, we find (Shabbath 119a) that R. Anan wore black, that is, he dressed himself in black on the eve of the Sabbath so that the honor of the Sabbath would be more pronounced upon his donningbeautiful garments for it. We see, then, that not only the positive preparations for the Sabbath, but also the creation of a negative situation which tends, by contrast, to heighten the impression of honor in relation to the Sabbath is included in the mitzvah. This is the basis for the prohibition against fixing a meal before the Sabbath, and for similar enactments.

An aspect of fearing God is honoring the Torah and those who study it. We learned explicitly (Avoth 4.6), "One who honors the Torah is himself honored by his fellow creatures." And our Sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 1026), "R. Yochanan said, `Why did Ahab deserve to reign twentytwo years? Because he honored the Torah, which was given with twenty-two letters, as it is said (l Kings 20:2ff ), `And he sent messengers to Ahab ... and all the desire of your eyes let them put in their hands and take. And he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, `Tell my master, the King, `All that you sent to your servant at first, I will do, but this thing 1 will not be able to do.' What is `the desire of your eyes?' A Torah scroll." And elsewhere they said (Berachoth 18a), "One who rides from place to place should not put a Torah scroll into a sack, place the sack upon a donkey, and ride upon it, but he should carry the scroll in his lap ... " It was also forbidden (hoed Katan 25a) to sit upon a bed on which a Torah scroll lay, as it was forbidden (Eruvin 98a) to throw away sacred writings, even Halachoth and Aggadoth, and (Megillah 27a) to place copies of Prophets and Hagiographa upon copies of the Five Books of Moses. These things were prohibited to the whole congregation of Israel and he who would be Saintly must learn from them and add to them for the honor of the Name of the Lord, his God. Included in this area of Saintliness is the necessity for cleanliness and purity during occupation with words of Torah, a requirement which extends so far as to cause thinking of them in unclean places or when one's hands are unclean to be prohibited. Our Sages of blessed memory have very often exhorted us concerning this.

In relation to those who study Torah, Scripture tells us (Leviticus 19:32), "Rise before the grey head and honor the face of the learned." This serves as the basis for the Saint to accord honor to Torah scholars in every way that he can. Our Sages of blessed memory have said (Kethuvoth 103b), "'And he will honor those who fear God' (Psalms 15:4) - this refers to Jehoshafat, King of Judah, who, when he saw a Torah scholar, would rise from his throne, embrace him, kiss him, and say to him, `My Rabbi, my Rabbi; my teacher my teacher.' " R. Zeira (Berachoth 28a), when he was fatigued with study, would place himself by the door of the House of Study to perform the mitzvah of rising for a Torah scholar.

These are all things which we have seen the Creator, may His name be blessed, to desire, and in relation to which He has revealed His supreme judgment. This being the case, one who wishes to give pleasure to his Creator will, by these means, go forward and add to his store of devices for doing what is just before the Blessed One.

Included in this aspect of Saintliness is honoring the synagogue and the House of Study. It is not enough that one does not conduct himself frivolously in them, but he must observe in them all forms of honor and fear in all of his ways and actions, taking care not to do there anything that he would not do in the palace of a great king.

We shall now speak of the love of God and its three branches - joy, communion and jealousy. Love of God consists in a person's desiring and actually lusting for the nearness of the Blessed One and pursuing His holiness as one pursues anything which he strongly desires. This love extends so far as to cause the mere mentioning of the Blessed One's Name, the reciting of His praises and the occupation with the words of His Torah and with the nature of the Blessed One's Divinity to be a delight and a pleasure to one, in the same manner that one who very strongly loves the wife of his youth or his only son finds joy and pleasure in merely speaking of them. As Scripture states (Jeremiah 31:19), "For when I speak of him i will strongly remember him."

There is no question that one who truly loves his Creator will not leave off serving Him for any reason whatsoever unless he is actually forced to do so, and that he will need no motivation or inducement to serve Him, but his heart will elevate and motivate him thereto unless there is some great barrier in his way. This is the exceedingly desirable trait which the early Saints, the supremely holy, were privileged to attain. As stated by King David, may Peace be upon him (Psalms 42:2), "As a hart yearns for the waterbrooks, so does my soul yearn for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God - when shall I come.. ?" And (Ibid. 84:3), "My soul longs and goes out for the courts of God..." and (Ibid. 63:2), "My soul thirsts for You; my flesh pines for You..." All this derives from the strength of his longing for the Blessed One. As the Prophet says (Isaiah 26:8), "To Your Name and to Your remembrance is the lust of the soul," and (Ibid. 9), "1 long for You in the evening; as long as my spirit is within me, I will seek You." And David himself said (Psalms 63:7), "In truth, I will remember You upon my couch; in the night watches I will think of You." He described his pleasure and delight in speaking of the Blessed One and in recounting His praises (Ibid. 119:47) : "I will take delight in Your mitzvoth, which I love," and (Ibid. 24), "Your mitzvoth, also, are my delight . . . "

It goes without saying that this love should not depend upon any extraneous factor. That is, one should love the Creator, may His Name be blessed, not because He is good to him and grants him wealth and success, but because he is naturally impelled to do so, in the same manner that a son is naturally impelled to love his father. As stated by Scripture (Deuteronomy 32:6), "Is He not your Father, your Master?"

The test of this type of love comes with difficult and troubled times. As our Sages of blessed memory have said (Berachoth 54a), " `And you should love the Lord, Your God with all your heart and with all your soul' (Deuteronomy 6:5) - even if He takes your soul, `and with all your might'- with all of your possessions." But in order that troubles and pressures should not act as difficulties and deterrents in the way of the love of God, a person must furnish himself with two understandings, one directed to all men alike and the other to sages with depth of mind. The first understanding is that everything which proceeds from Heaven is for the good of man. The pain and pressure itself which is evil in his eyes is, in reality, true good, in the same way that a doctor's cutting of flesh or of a limb to prevent infection from spreading to the rest of the body and killing the patient is a merciful deed, with the patient's good in mind, though on the surface it may appear to be an act of cruelty. There is no fear that the patient will cease to love the doctor because of what he has done to him; to the contrary, he will love him even more. In our case, too, if a man will but consider that everything the Holy One Blessed be He does with Him, both in relation to his body and to his possessions is for his own good, though he may not be able to perceive or understand its being so, his love will not weaken because of any pressure or pain, but, to the contrary, will grow stronger and will steadily increase.

Those with true understanding, however, do not need even this explanation, for they are entirely unmotivated by selfinterest, their sole aspiration being to magnify the honor of God and to give Him pleasure. The more deterrents that cross their path, making it necessary for them to give more of themselves to counteract them, the more will their hearts fortify themselves and rejoice to show the strength of their faith, just as a general, famed for his strength will always thrust himself into the heart of the battle, where a victory will serve all the more to reveal his prowess. The joy that comes with every opportunity to express the intensity of one's love is well known to every lover of flesh and blood.

We shall now discuss the three aforementioned branches of love - communion, joy and jealousy. Communion is a state in which one's heart clings so closely to the Blessed One that he does not strive for and is not concerned with anything outside of Him, as alluded to in Solomon's simile (Proverbs 5:19), "A beloved gazelle, full of favor; her breasts will satiate you at all times. In her love will you always wander." And in the Gemara our Sages of blessed memory tell us (Eruvin 546), "It was said about R. Eleazar ben Pedath that he sat and occupied himself with Torah in the upper marketplace of Sepphoris while his garment hung in the lower market place." The end of this trait is that a man be constantly united with his Creator in this manner. At the very least he will, if he loves his Creator, certainly engage in such communion during the time of his Divine service.

In Talmud Yerushalmi (Berachoth 5.1) it is stated, "Once, R. Chanina ben Dosa, while standing and praying, was bitten by a poisonous lizard, but did not interrupt his prayers. His disciples asked him, `Our Rabbi, did you not feel anything?' He answered, `I take an oath. Because my heart was intent on my prayers, I felt nothing.' "

The Torah exhorts us very often in relation to communion with God: "to love the Lord your God with all your heart... and to cling to Him" (Deuteronomy 30:20), "and to Him shall you cling" (Ibid. 10:20), "And cling to Him" (Ibid. 13:5). David said (Psalms 63:9). "My soul clings to You." All of these verses speak of one thing - the uniting of a man with the Blessed One to the extent that he cannot separate himself and move from Him. And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Bereshith Rabbah 80:7), "R. Shimon ben Lakish said, `The Holy One Blessed be He employed three terms of love in relation to Israel, and we learn them from the episode of Shechem ben Chammor - `communion,' `longing' and `desire.' " These are essentially the principal branches of love - the yearning that I mentioned before, the clinging to God and the pleasure and joy derived from occupying oneself with that which is associated with the Beloved.

The second main branch of love is joy, a fundamental principle in Divine service, in relation to which David exhorted us (Psalms 100:2), "Serve God with joy; come before Him with song" and (Ibid. 68:4), "And the righteous will rejoice. They will exult before God and be filled with happiness." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shabbath 306), "The Divine Presence comes to rest upon one only through his rejoicing in a mitzvah." In relation to the aforementioned verse, "Serve God with joy," they said (Midrash Shochar Tov ad loc.), "R. Ibu said, `When you stand before him in prayer, let your heart rejoice that you are praying to a God without parallel.' " This is true joy - rejoicing that one has been privileged to serve the Blessed Master, who has no equal and to occupy oneself with His Torah and His mitzvoth, which embody true perfection and eternal preciousness. Solomon, in his wisdom, expressed the idea thus (Song of Songs 1:4): "Draw me on; we will run after You. The King has brought me to his chambers; we will rejoice and be happy in You." The further a person is privileged to enter into the chambers of the knowledge of the greatness of the Blessed One, the greater is his happiness and his heart rejoices within him. And again (Psalms 149:2), "Israel will be happy in its Maker. The sons of Zion will rejoice in their King." David, who had already reached a high plane in the cultivation of this trait, said (Ibid. 104:34), "Let my words be pleasant to Him; I will rejoice in God" and (Ibid. 43:4), "And I will come to the altar of the Lord, to the God who is the joy of my rejoicing and I will praise You with the harp, O God" and (Ibid. 71:23), "Let my lips rejoice, for I will sing to You, and my soul which You have redeemed." His joy waxed so strong within him that his lips moved of themselves and sang upon his being engaged in the praises of the Blessed One - all this because of the great fervor of his soul, which was consumed in its joy before him, as he concludes, "and my soul which you have redeemed." We find that the Holy One Blessed be He stormed against the Jews because they omitted this element in their Divine service, as it is said (Deuteronomy 28:47), "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with happiness and willingness of heart." David, seeing in the spirit with which the Jews donated towards the building of the Temple that they had already attained to this trait, prayed that it remain with them and not depart, as it is said (I Chronicles 29:17,18), "And now, Your people that are found here I have seen offering to You with joy. O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this eternally for the inclination of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and set their hearts aright with You."

The third branch of the love of God is jealously - being jealous for the Holy One's Name, hating His enemies and striving to humble them as much as possible so that the service of the Blessed One will be done and His honor magnified. As David, may Peace be upon him, said (Psalms 139:21,23), "Will 1 not hate those who hate You, O Lord, and will .I not rebuke those who rise against You? I hate them to the limits of hatred..." Elijah said (I Kings 19:10), "I have been exceedingly jealous for the Lord of Hosts..." It was because of this jealousy for his God that he attained such heights, as in the verse (Numbers 25:13), "Because he was jealous for his God and brought about atonement for Israel." Our Sages of blessed memory were very extreme in their statements (Shabbath 546) concerning those who are in a position to rebuke others for their wrongdoing but fail to do so, stating that they themselves will be judged as having committed the sin. In Midrash Eichah (1.34) it is stated, " `Her leaders were like harts' (Lamentations 1:6)just as harts, when it is hot, turn their faces one beneath the other, so the great men of the Jews saw sin and turned their faces from it. The Holy One Blessed be He said about them, `The time will come when I will do the same to them."' It is evident that just as one who loves his friend will not tole. rate his being beaten or insulted, but will certainly rise to his defense, so one who loves the Name of the Blessed One will not be able to abide the desecration of His Name (G-d forbid) and the transgression of His mitzvoth. As Solomon said (Proverbs 28:7), "The deserters of Torah will praise the wicked and the observers of Torah will rebuke them." Those who praise the wicked individual in his wickedness and do not hold his misdeed up to him are deserters of Torah, who abandon it to desecration (God forbid). The observers of Torah, those who strengthen themselves in strengthening Torah, will certainly rebuke them. They will not be able to contain themselves and remain still. The Holy One Blessed be He said to Job (Job 40:11-13), "Spread out the fury of Your wrath, and see every proud man and lower him. See every proud man and humble him and stamp down the wicked beneath them. Bury them together in the earth, their faces enclosed in hiddenness." This is the intensity of the love that one who truly loves his Creator should be able to display. As it is said (Psalms 97:10), "Those who love God hate evil."

We have thus far dealt with those aspects of Saintliness concerned with the deed and with the manner of its performance. We shall now speak of intention in relation to Saintliness.

We have already discussed the performance of actions, for the sake of Heaven or not for the sake of Heaven, according to their various levels. It cannot be said that one who is motivated in his Divine service by a desire to purify his soul before his Creator so that he can come to sit in His presence together with the just and the Saintly, to see the pleasantness of God, to dwell within His Sanctuary and to receive the reward of the World to Come - it cannot be said that such a person is badly motivated. On the other hand, we cannot say that his motivation is a very good one either. For as long as a person is concerned with his own good, his Divine service is also performed for his own good. The true motivation, which is common to Saints, who have exerted themselves and persevered to acquire it, is to serve solely for the purpose of magnifying and extending the honor of the Master of Blessed Name. One will serve for this end only after he has grown strong in love for the Blessed One, and longs and lusts for the magnification of His honor, and is pained by anything which detracts from it. He will hope that he is at least doing his part towards magnifying the honor of the Blessed One and he will wish that all others possessed this aspiration. The shortcomings of others in this respect will pain and grieve him, not to speak of his own unintentional and accidental lapses and those resulting from his natural weakness, which makes it difficult for him to constantly protect himself against sin, as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 7:20), "A man is not righteous in the land, who will do good and not sin."

The Saintly attitude we are discussing has been set forth in Tanna d'bei Eiiyahu (Chapter 4): "Every sage in Israel who possesses the words of Torah according to their true significance and grieves for the honor of the Holy One Blessed be He and for the honor of Israel all his days, and lusts and feels pain for the honor of Jerusalem and of the Temple and for the swift flowering of salvation and the ingathering of the exiles, attains to the infusion of the Divine spirit in his words... " This, then, is the proper frame of mind for one to cultivate, removed as it is from all considerations of personal pleasure, directed only towards the honor of the Presence and towards the sanctification of His Name, which is sanctified by His creations when they do His will. In relation to this it is said (Zohar Mishpatim), "Who is a Saint -one who is Saintly with his Creator." A Saint of this kind, aside from being motivated in the proper manner in relation to the performance of mitzovth in pursuance of his Divine service, must, without doubt, constantly feel actual pain over Jerusalem and the Destruction because of their tendency to minimize the honor of the Blessed One, and will lust for the Redemption so that the honor of the Blessed One may grow. As stated by the aforementioned Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, "And he lusts and feels pain for the honor of Jerusalem and prays constantly for the Redemption of Israel and for the restoration of the honor of Heaven to its former pre-eminence." If one would say, "Who am I and what am I worth that I should pray for Jerusalem etc... Will the exiles be gathered in and will Salvation sprout because of my prayer?" his answer awaits him. As we learned (Sanhedrin 37a), "Man was created individually so that each man should say, `The world was created for my sake.' " it is the Blessed One's pleasure that His sons desire and pray for this. And though their desire may not be fulfilled because the proper time has not yet arrived or for some other reason, they will have done their part and the Holy One Blessed be He rejoices in it. The Prophet stormed over the absence of this attitude (Isaiah 59:16), "And he saw that there was no man and he was amazed that there was no contender" and (Ibid. 63:5), "And I looked and there was no helper, and I was amazed and there was no supporter" and (Jeremiah 30:17), "It is Zion; no one inquires after it." Commenting upon this verse our Sages of blessed memory said (Sukkah 41a), "This shows that it needs inquiring after." We see, then, that we are dutybound in this respect. We cannot exempt ourselves because of our inadequate strength, for in relation to all such things we learned (Avoth 2.16), "The work is not yours to complete, but you are not free to abstain from it." And the Prophet says elsewhere (Isaiah 51:18), "She has no one to lead her from among all the sons to whom she has given birth; no one to hold her hand from among all the sons she has raised." And the verse (Ibid. 40:6), "All flesh is grass and all of his kindness is as the blossoming of the field," our Sages of blessed memory interpreted (Avodah Zarah 2b) as meaning that all of their kindnesses are performed for their own sake, for their own good and pleasure, that they are not governed by this pure motivation and do not seek the magnification of God's honor and the redemption of Israel. The honor of God can grow only with the redemption of Israel and the growth of their honor, the one, in reality, being dependent upon the other, as may be seen in the aforementioned Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, "And he grieves over the honor of the Holy One Blessed be He and over the honor of Israel."

There are two considerations, then, in relation to this aspect of intention. The first is that the intention behind every mitzvah and act of Divine service be the magnification of the honor of the Presence, which derives from His creations' giving pleasure to Him, and the second that one feel pain for His honor, and long that it be perfectly magnified through the magnification of Israel's honor and through their well-being.

The second aspect of intention concerns the good of the generation. It befits every Saint to be motivated in his actions by a concern for the good of the entire generation, a desire to benefit and protect them. This is the intent of the verse (Isaiah 3:10), "Praise the righteous for he is good; for they eat the fruits of their deeds." The whole generation eats of their fruits. Our sages have commented similarly (Bava Bathra 15a), " `Does it contain trees? ' (Numbers 13:20) - is anyone there who shelters his generation as a tree?" We see it to be the will of the Presence that the Saints of Israel benefit and atone for all of the other levels within the nation, as our Sages of blessed memory intimated in their statement concerning the lulav and its accompanying species (Vayikra Rabbah 30.12), "Let these come and atone for those." For the Holy One Blessed be He does not desire the destruction of the wicked; it is rather a mitzvah devolving upon the Saint to benefit and atone for them. This intention must be contained in his Divine service and it must manifest itself in his prayers; that is, he must pray on behalf of his generation to seek atonement for him who needs atonement, to turn to repentance him who requires it, and to speak in defense of his entire generation. Our Sages of blessed memory tell us (Ein Yaakov Yoma Ch. 8) in relation to the verse Daniel 10:12), "And I have come with your words," that Gabriel did not return within the Divine Curtain until he had defended Israel. And about Gideon it is said (Yalkut), "Go with this, your strength" (Judges 6:14), the strength of his having defended his people. The Holy One Blessed be He loves only him who loves Israel; and to the extent that one's love for Israel grows, to that extent does the love of the Holy One Blessed be He grow for him. These are the true shepherds of Israel whom the Holy One Blessed be He greatly desires, who sacrifice themselves for His sheep, who concern themselves with their peace and well-being, and exert themselves for it in every way possible, who always stand in the breach to pray for them, to nullify stern decrees and to open the gates of blessing for them. The situation is analogous to that of a father, who loves no man more than the one whom he sees to have a genuine love for his sons. Human nature attests to this. And this is the idea behind the statement concerning the High Priests (Makkoth lla), "They should have pleaded for mercy on behalf of their generation, but failed to do so, " and behind the statement (Ibid.), "A man was eaten by a lion at a distance of three miles from R. Joshua ben Levi and Elijah did not appear to him for three days." We see, then, that it is the Saint's duty to seek the good of his generation and to exert himself for it.

We have now explained the chief divisions of Saintliness. It is for each man of intelligence and for each pure heart to deal with particular instances, to conduct himself justly in relation to them, each in its own time, according to the principles here set forth.

30.5.20 The Weighing of Saintliness

30.5.21 The Means of Acquiring Saintliness

30.5.22 The Trait of Humility

30.5.23 The Means of Acquiring Humility

30.5.24 The Fear of Sin

30.5.25 The Manner of Acquiring Fear of Sin

30.5.26 The Trait of Holiness

30.6 Midrash Tanhuma

The Torah is full of holy fire; it was written with a black fire upon a white fire.

The Torah has meekness as its footgear, and the fear of God as its crown. Hence Moses was the proper person through whose hands it should be delivered; he was meek, and with the fear of the Lord he was crowned.

You cannot expect to occupy yourself with the study of the Torah in the future world and receive the reward for so doing in this world; you are meant to make the Torah your own in this life, and to look for reward in the life to come.

Cain's offering consisted of the seed of flax, and that of Abel of the fatlings of his sheep. This is probably the reason why the wearing of a garment of various materials, as of woolen and linen together, was prohibited.

As one who finishes the building of his house proclaims that day a holiday, and consecrates the building, so God, having finished creation in the six days, proclaimed the seventh day a holy day and sanctified it.

If the fraudulent man and the usurer offer to make restitution, it is not permitted to accept it from them.

The Bible, or written law, contains unexplained passages and hidden sentences, which can not be fully understood without the help of the oral law. Further, the written law contains generalities, whilst the oral law goes in for explanations in detail, and is consequently much larger in volume. Indeed, as a figure of speech we could apply to it the words in Job (iv. 9), "The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea." The knowledge of this oral law can not be expected to be found amongst those who are bent on enjoying earthly life and worldly pleasures; its acquisition requires the relinquishment of all worldliness, riches and pleasures, and requires intellect aided by constant study.

There is no evil that has no remedy, and the remedy for sin is repentance.

Whatever hardships may be imposed upon Jews by the powers that be, they must not rebel against the authorities who impose them, but are to render compliance, except when ordered to disregard the Torah and its injunctions; for that would be tantamount to giving up their God.

He that stole an ox had to restore fivefold, and he that stole a sheep had to give back only fourfold, because by stealing the ox he may have prevented the owner from plowing or doing other agricultural work for the time being.

There is a wall of separation erected between the Shechinah and the following three classes, a wall that can never be razed: The cheat, the robber, and the idle worshiper.

The meaning of the phrase, "God made man in his own image," is that, like his Maker, a man is to be righteous and upright. Do not argue that evil inclination is innate in you; such argument is fallacious; when you are a child you commit no sin; it is when you grow out of infancy that your evil inclination becomes developed. You have the power of resisting the evil inclination if you feel so inclined, even as you are able to convert the bitter elements of certain foods into very palatable eatables.

Hadrian King of Rome (Edom), having made great conquests, requested his court in Rome to proclaim him God. In answer to this modest request, one of his ministers said, "If your Majesty desires to become God, it will be necessary to quit God's property first, to show your independence of him. He created heaven and earth; get out of these and you can proclaim yourself God." Another counselor replied by asking Hadrian to help him out of a sad position in which he was placed. "I have sent a ship to sea," he said, "with all my possessions on board of her, and she is but a short distance - about three miles from shore - but is struggling against the watery elements, which threaten her total destruction." "Do not trouble," replied the King, "I will send some of my ships well manned, and your craft shall be brought to the haven where she would be." "There is no need for all that," said the counselor satirically; "order but a little favorable wind, and her own crew will manage to bring her safely into port." "And where shall I order the wind from? How have I the power to order the wind?"answered Hadrian angrily. Has your Majesty not even a little wind at your command?" said the King's adviser mockingly, "and yet you wish to be proclaimed God!"

Hadrian then retired to his own rooms angry and disappointed, and when he told his wife of the controversy he had had with his ministers she remarked that his advisers did not strike on the proper thing which would bring his wish to a happy consummation. "It seems to me," she said mockingly, "that the first thing you must do is to give God back what he has given you and be under no obligation to him." "And what may that be?" inquired the heathen. "The soul, of course," answered his wife. "But," argued the King, "if I give back my soul, I shall not live." "Then," said his wife triumphantly, "that shows that you are but mortal, and can not be God."

The slanderer seems to deny the existence of God. As King David has it, "They say, Our lips are with us, who is Lord over us?" (Ps. xii.)

Let us not lose sight of the lesson that it is meant to convey to us by the expression, "And the Lord came down to see" (Gen. xi.), namely that we are not to judge merely by "hearsay" and to assert anything as having taken place unless we saw it.

Elijah quickened the dead, caused rain to descend, prevented rain from coming down, and brought fire down from heaven; but he did not say " I am God."

When Noah set out to plant the vine, Satan encountered him and asked upon what errand he was bent" I am going to plant the vine," said Noah. "I will gladly assist you in this good work," said Satan. When the offer of help was accepted Satan brought a sheep and slaughtered it on the plant, then a lion, then a pig, and finally a monkey. He thus explained these symbols to Noah. When a man tastes the first few drops of wine he will be as harmless as a sheep; when he tastes a little more he will become possessed of the courage of a lion and think himself as strong; should he further indulge in the liquid produced by your plant he will become as objectionable as a pig; and by yet further indulgence in it he will become like a monkey.

Because the Torah mulcts the thief in double, and in some cases more than double, the value of what he has stolen, one is not to conclude that he is allowed to steal when in want, with the intention of paying back double and more than double the value.

The promise to Abraham that he should become a great nation was fulfilled when the Israelites became the recipients of God's laws. Moses, on account of their being the possessors of the Torah, styles them "a great nation " (Deut. iv.).

Blessings proceed from Zion (Ps. cxxxiv.), the dew is blessed from Zion (Ps. cxxxiii.), so does help come from Zion (Ps. xx.), and salvation (Ps. xiv.). The future blessings of Israel will proceed from Zion (Ps. cxiii.), and Zion itself will receive God's blessings.

The comparison in beauty of any woman to Sarah is like comparing monkeys with men.

"This shall not be thine heir, but he that cometh forth out of thy loins shall be thine heir" (Gen. xv. 4). There is a story of a man blessed with learning, wisdom, and riches, who had an only son, to whom be naturally gave the best education, and whom he sent to Jerusalem for the purpose of completing his education. He had all arrangements made for his bodily comforts, and took every care that the young man, who was very promising and on whom he doted, should want for nothing. Shortly after his son's departure, he took to his bed, from which he rose not again.

His death caused immense regret in the place of his residence, for in him the poor had lost a real support, and many a man a wise counselor and adviser. It was felt that the town in general had lost one whom it would be difficult to replace.

The funeral and the days of mourning over, a friend who was known to be the executor of the dead man's last will, and who had duly informed the son by letter of the sad death of his father, proceeded to break the seal of the will and see its contents. To his great astonishment, and no less to the astonishment of every one who learned the nature of its contents, the whole of the dead man's property, personal and otherwise, movable and immovable, after leaving considerable amounts to various charities, was left to his negro slave; there was but a saving clause that his beloved son should have the privilege of choosing one thing, but one only, out of the whole estate.

The son, though duly informed of the details of this strange will, was so immersed in grief at the Ion of his father that his mind could not be diverted to anything else; and it was only when his teacher alluded to his father's death and the inheritance which he might expect, and advised him to use it for the same laudable purposes, that the young man informed his beloved master that by his father's will he had been reduced to a beggar. Meanwhile, the negro slave of the departed man, having gone through all the formalities and proved his title, lost no time in taking possession of his dead master's property. He was ready and willing enough to grant the son one thing out of his late father's goods, whenever he should come and claim the object of his choice. The acute rabbi, on reading the will, saw at once the drift of the testator's intention, and told his pupil that he should proceed to his native town and take possession of his property. "But I have no property to take possession of," pleaded the young man, "except one article of my late father's goods." "Well then," replied the teacher, unable to conceal a smile, "choose your late father's negro slave out of his estate, and with him will go over to you all he possesses, since a slave can own nothing, and all he has belongs to his master. That, indeed, was your father's clever device. He knew that if the will were to state that all was left to you, the negro, being by the force of circumstances in charge of everything that was left, would probably in your absence take for himself and his friends all the valuables on which be could lay his hands; whereas if he knew or thought all belonged to him he would take care of everything that was left. Your wise father knew that the one thing he gave you the power to choose would be no other than his slave, and with him you would become the just and rightful owner of everything."

You can not be too careful about prayer, and you should never omit to pray. Prayer eclipses all other services, and towers above sacrifices; and the sinful man may receive God's grace through prayer.

As one is prohibited from reciting any portion of the Torah by heart, but must read it out of the written scroll, so is he who expounds any portion thereof not allowed to read his exposition from anything written, but must deliver it by word of mouth.

When God's creatures incur punishment, the Merciful One looks for one to plead for the guilty people, to open a way, as it were, as was the case in the time of Jeremiah. (See Jer. v.)

The proverb says, "If you rub shoulders with the anointed you will become anointed." Lot, being associated with Abraham, became hospitable; whilst his character does not indicate inclination to hospitality on his own part.

You must not in any way mislead your fellow men, not even to the extent of asking the price of anything he may have for disposal, so as to make him believe that you are a likely purchaser, whilst you have no intention of purchasing the article.

The righteous are put to more and severer trials than the unrighteous. So the owner of flax will beat out the good flax often and severely, so as to make it purer, but does not treat the inferior article in the same way, lest it fall away into small pieces.

The following tend to make a man prematurely old: Fear, war, trouble from his children, or a shrew of a wife.

As there is a regularity in the position of the sun daily three times: in the morning he is in the east, at noon between the east and west, and in the evening in the west, so must there be an inflexible regularity with every Jew in reciting his Prayers three times daily, morning, afternoon, and evening.

A widower with unmarried sons is advised to see his sons married before he marries again.

Adrianus (Hadrian), discussing with Rabbi Joshua the innumerable adversaries that the Israelites had to encounter, said, "Great is the sheep that can withstand seventy wolves." Rabbi Joshua replied, "Greatest is the shepherd who enables the sheep to outlive the constant attacks of the wolves."

There is merit and even dignity in handicraft.

Do not say, I need not work for my living, but cast my hope on God who supports all living creatures. You must work for a livelihood, and look up to God to bless the work of your hands. Jacob, in alluding to the delivery from Laban's house, says, "God hath seen the labor of my hands" (Gen. xxxi.).

A homely domesticated wife is like the altar in the temple; and she is even an atonement as the altar was.

Isaiah committed sin by saying, "In the midst of a people of unclean lips do I dwell" (Isa. vi.). For this, the slander which is compared to fire, he was punished with fire, with the live coal taken from the altar (Isa. vi.).

However adverse one's opinion may be of any one placed in a high position, he is bound to pay him the respect due to his position. Rabbi Judah Hannasi, when writing to Antoninus, invariably used the phrase, "Judah, thy servant, sends greeting."

A modest woman is worthy of being the wife of a high priest, for she is like an altar in her home.

God wishes man to ask forgiveness, and not to see him in his guilt.

So exceedingly handsome was Joseph that when the friends Of Potiphar's wife visited her, and the hostess proffered them fruit, the Egyptian women cut their fingers instead of the fruit, as they could not take their eyes off the wonderfully handsome Hebrew slave; and they sympathized with their friend when he scorned her advances.

Give me the admonition of the old in preference to the flattery of the young.

When Moses said to the people, "After the Lord your God shall ye walk" (Deut. xiii.), they took alarm at the formidable, or rather impossible, task imposed upon them. "How," said they, "is it possible for man to walk after God, who hath his way in the storm and in the whirlwind, and the clouds are the dust of his feet" (Nahum i.), "whose way is in the sea and his path in the great waters "? (Ps. lxxvii.). Moses explained to them that to walk after God meant to imitate humbly his attributes of mercy and compassion by clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and comforting the mourner.

A fatality seems to have been attached to Shechem. in connection with Israel's sorrows. The capture of Dinah took place at Shechem. Joseph was sold there into slavery. David's kingdom was split in Shechem; and thd advent of Jeroboam also took place in Shechem.

O woman, what mischief thou causest! Even the worshiping of idols did not cause such trouble and loss of life as a woman caused. The making and worshiping of the golden calf caused the loss of three thousand men (Exod. xxxii.) ; but through a woman at Shittim twenty-four thousand were the victims.

Good men lift up their eyes and look one straight in the face; bad, wicked men drop their eyes.

"Should not a man pray every hour?" asked Antoninus of his friend Rabbi Judah Hannasi. He demurred on receiving a reply in the negative. After a while the Rabbi called on Antoninus, and was as careful as always to address him with considerable deference.

After about an hour he came again, and addressed him again carefully with all the titles he was wont to use, and so the Rabbi repeated his visits and expressions of homage about every hour during the day. When, at last Antoninus told his friend that he felt himself slighted instead of honored by the frequency of the visits, and the expressions of homage with which Rabbi Judah meant to honor him, "Therein," the sage said, "lies my reason for telling you that man was not to address the throne of mercy every hour as you contended, since such frequency savors of contempt."

There is a most remarkable identity between the occurrences in the life of Joseph and those in the history of Zion and Jerusalem, and a remarkable similarity in the phrases employed in describing the respective events of each, whether in their adversity or in their prosperity. We read: "Israel loved Joseph" (Gen. xxxvii.), "The Lord loveth the gates of Zion" (Ps. lxxxvii.). Joseph's brethren hated him; "My heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest, it crieth out against me, therefore I hate it " (Jer. xii.). Joseph speaks of making sheaves; there are sheaves in connection with Zion (Ps. cxxvi.). Joseph dreamed: "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream" (Ps. cxxvi.). Joseph was asked, "Wilt thou rule over us?" "Say unto Zion thy God ruleth" (Isa. Iii.). Joseph was asked whether his father and brothers would prostrate themselves before him. "They shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth" (Isa. xlix.). Joseph's brethren were jealous; "Thus said the Lord of Hosts, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy " (Zech. viii.). Joseph went to inquire about the peace of his brothers; Zion was to seek the peace of the city where she is captive (Jer. xxix.). - Joseph's brethren saw him from the distance; the same is said about Zion (Ezek. xxiii.). Joseph's brothers contemplated his destruction; so the nations contemplated the destruction of Zion (Ps. 1xxxiii.). Joseph was stripped of his coat of many colors; concerning Zion, the prophet says, " They shall strip thee of thy clothes" (Ezek. xvi.). Joseph was put into a pit; "They have put me alive into the dungeon" (lam. iii.). The pit into which Joseph was put contained no water. In connection with Zion, Jeremiah was put into a pit where there was no water (Jer. xxxviii.). Joseph's brothers sat down to their meal; "We have given the hand to Egyptians and to Assyrians to be satisfied with bread" (Lam. v.). Joseph was pulled up from the pit; Jeremiah, who in connection with his prophecy about Zion was put into a dungeon -as stated above - was drawn up from the dungeon (Jer.

iii.). Lamentations were raised about Joseph; " And in that day did the Lord call for weeping and mourning" (Isa. xxii.). In the case of Joseph consolation was rejected. " Labor not to comfort me" (Isa. xxii.) - Joseph was sold; " the children of Judah and of Jerusalem have you sold unto the Grecians " (Joel iv.). Joseph is described as handsome; " Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion " (Ps. x1viii.). Joseph was the greatest in his master's house; " the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former" (Hag. ii.). The Lord was with Joseph; "Now mine eyes shall be open and mine ears attent unto the prayers that are made in this place" (2 Chron. vii.). Grace and loving kindness were shown to Joseph; concerning Zion God says, " I remember the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals " (Jer. ii.). Joseph was rendered presentable by changing his clothes, etc.; "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion " (Isa. iv.). The throne of Pharaoh was above Joseph; " At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord " (Jer. iii.). Joseph was clothed, in grand garments; "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments " (Isa. lii.). Joseph was met by an angel; " Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way " (Mal. iii.).

There is a tendency with every man to become humble when near his death.

It matters not where the body is buried; the spirit goes whither it is destined.

Jacob's objection to being buried in Egypt was due to the fact that the Egyptians practised witchcraft by means of dead bodies, and be would not have his body utilized for such abominable practises.

There is no death to the righteous.

The righteous bless their offspring before they depart hence.

David was descended from Judah.

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together "- or in unity (Ps. cxxxiii.). "O that thou wert as my brother" (Songs viii.). There are brothers and brothers. Cain and Abel were brothers, but the former slew the latter. Ishmael and Isaac were brothers, but there was no love lost between them. Jacob and Esau had no brotherly love for one another, nor did Joseph and his brothers show much love between them. David and Solomon had in their minds Moses and Aaron as typical brothers. One of the reasons why Moses so persistently hesitated to be the messenger to Pharaoh was his consideration for his brother Aaron, who was older and more eloquent than he, so that be hesitated to usurp what he considered should be Aaron's function. God, who knows the innermost thoughts of man, knew the real motive of Moses's refusal to accept the mission. Therefore we find God telling Moses, " Behold Aaron the Levite, thy brother, I know that he can speak well, and also behold be cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart " (Exod. iv.). And as Aaron's delight at his younger brother's elevation was so great - for the phrade " glad in his heart " conveys his great delight - he was rewarded in that the Urim. and Thummim were on his heart (Exod. xxviii.). When Aaron met his brother in the mount of God he kissed him (Exod. iv.).

The staff of Moses had the initials of the names of the ten plagues written on it, in order that Moses should know in which order they were consecutively to be brought on Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

When we are told that Pharaoh took six hundred chosen chariots with which to pursue the Israelites, we are naturally met with the question whence he got those six hundred chosen chariots. He could not have obtained them from his people the Egyptians, for we find that " all the cattle of the Egyptians died " (Exod. ix.). They could not have been his own, for his own cattle also perished (Exod. ix.). Nor did the Israelites supply them, since they left with an their cattle; there was not a hoof to be left.

The explanation is found in the fact that those who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made their cattle flee into the house when the bail was predicted (Exod. ix.), and these "fearers of the word of the Lord" among the Egyptians supplied Pharaoh with their animals for the purpose of pursuing the Israelites. By the character of those among the Egyptians who " feared the word of the Lord " that of the nation can be judged.

" Fear not, thou worm Jacob," says the prophet (Isa. x1i.). Why was Israel compared to a worm? As the insignificant worm is able to destroy a big cedar with no other weapon than its small weak mouth, even so is Israel able to prevail against his great persecutors with no other weapon but the prayers emanating from troubled hearts and uttered with the mouth.

How great is faith! It secures happiness and salvation. Abraham's faith was accounted to him as righteousness. It was the faith which the Israelites had that redeemed them from Egypt (Exod. iv. 31). Their faith on the bank of the Red Sea carried them over that sea and brought them to the land of promise. The Lord keepeth the faithful (Pa. xxxi.). The righteous liveth by his faith (Habak. ii.). The last redemption of Israel will only be effected through faith. See bow King David values faith (Pa. cv.). Concerning faith, David says, "This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter therein."

The lifting up of Moses's hands did not defeat Amalek, nor did the copper serpent stay the biting of the burning serpents. It was the directing by these of the hearts of the Israelites, with their prayers heavenward, that defeated Amalek and caused the fiery serpents to cease.

If you have acquired knowledge, do not simultaneously acquire a haughty spirit on account of your knowledge; and if you intend to expound God's word, recite to yourself twice or thrice what you intend saying. Even so great a man as Rabbi Akiba, when once called upon in the assembly to get up and preach, declined to do so, on the ground that he never preached unless he rehearsed his intended speech twice or thrice to himself.

Whilst man is not to seek public notoriety and distinction, he is not to err on the side of modesty and seclusion, and refuse to give his services in communal matters. Rabbi Asy, when approaching death, was visited by his nephew, who found the patient very depressed. "Death," said his nephew, "should not in your ease be attended with feelings of alarm. Think what you leave behind you, the learning you have acquired and imparted to an army of students, the charity you have practised, and the kindly acts you have done; is there any good that it was in your power to do that you have left undone? And you have been so modest withal; you have always eschewed putting yourself forward or seeking notoriety, and have not mixed in disputes and in communal matters."

"This," replied the good man, "even if all the good you said about me were quite correct, this alone would be sufficient cause for my depression, for I might perhaps have been able to render some service, had I not kept to myself but taken upon me the burden of communal affairs."

With idol-worshipers it is the habit to treat their gods according to the circumstances in which they find themselves, which they attribute -to' the actions of their gods. If their condition is favorable, they pay tribute to their god. " Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous," says the prophet (Habak. i.). If, on the other hand, adversities overtake them, they vent their anger on their gods. "And it shall come to pass," the prophet tells us, " that when they shall be hungry they shall fret themselves and curse their king and their god (Isa. viii.). Not so shall you do, my people, whose destiny is shaped out by the Creator of heaven and earth. Whatever befalls you, give thanks and praise unto your God. Are you in prosperity? do not forget the Giver; do not say in your heart, " My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth," but like David say, " I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of my God." If adversity overtakes you, if sorrow and trouble overtake you in the midst of the smooth current of your affairs, take up David's words again and say, " I found trouble and sorrow, then I called upon the name of my God."

The altar of God was to prolong man's life, and iron is a metal which can destroy man's life; therefore it was forbidden to use iron in the erection of the altar.

Slight no man. Every man was created in God's image.

Onkeles, the nephew of Hadrian - his sister's son - being anxious to embrace Judaism, yet being afraid of his uncle, told him that he wished to embark on a certain enterprise. When Hadrian offered him some money he refused to accept it, but said he wanted his uncle's advice, as he was inexperienced in the ways of the world. "Purchase goods," replied his uncle, "which do not, at present, command a high price, and are not favorites in the market, but for which there is reason to believe a demand at higher prices will eventually arise." Onkeles betook himself to Palestine, and gave himself up to study. After a time Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua recognized in him the face of a student; they took him in hand, solved all the difficult problems he put before them, and generally befriended him. On his return home he again visited his uncle Hadrian, who, noticing that his nephew did not look as well as was his wont, inquired whether he had met with any monetary reverses in his new enterprise, or had been injured in any way. "I have met with no monetary losses," said Onkeles, " and as your nephew I am not likely to be hurt by any one." Being further pressed for the reason of his poor looks, Onkeles told his uncle they were due to his excessive studies and to the fact that he bad undergone circumcision. "And who told you to do such a thing as to undergo circumcision? " demanded Hadrian. "I acted on your advice," replied Onkeles. "I have acquired a thing that stands at a low price just now, but will eventually rise in value. I found no nation in such low esteem and so sure to rise in value as Israel. For thus said the Lord, We Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise and princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful and the Holy One of Israel, he shall choose them 11 (Isa. xlix.). One of Hadrian's counselors advised his master to visit his nephew's misdeed with death, for which advice the adviser received such a sharp rebuke from Hadrian that he committed suicide. Hadrian, after the death of his minister, further discussed with his nephew the matter of his conversion, and again asked for the reason of circumcision. Onkeles, asked his uncle whether he had ever bestowed any distinction on any of his army who were not willing and ready to fight for his Majesty and for the country at the risk of life. " Neither could I be received into the fold of those to whom God has given his behests and statutes without having the seal of those great statutes put on me even at the risk of my life."

Whilst the Torah teaches peace and good-will to ones fellow man, it likewise teaches the necessity of standing up against evil deeds and even rebuking the evil-doer. Moreover, though all reverence and deference are due to one's teacher, yet in the matter of censurable conduct it becomes the pupil's duty to protest against it. Bad conduct is contaminating. One is apt to fall into the same error if one sees any evil act and does not lift up one's voice to protest against it.

He who rebukes his fellow man with a sincere desire to make him better comes within the inner walls of the heavenly pavilion.

You are not permitted to select injunctions of the Torah which you consent to observe, and reject others for the observance of which you can find no reason. In accepting God's word one is bound to implicit obedience to it, the rich should ever bear in mind that his wealth may merely have been deposited with him to be a steward over it, or to test what use he will make of his possessions. Not less should the poor remember that his trials may have been sent as a test of his fortitude.

Poverty outweighs all other sorrows.

“If you have taken a pledge from the poor,” says God to the rich, “do not say he is your debtor and you are therefore justified in retaining his garment. Remember you are my debtor, your life is in my hand. I return you all your senses and all your faculties after your sleep every day.”

Jewish litigants are to bring their disputes for adjustment before a Jewish court, and not to have recourse to outside tribunals.

Although witnesses have always to give their evidence standing, yet an exception may be made in the case of a distinguished (learned) man, who may be allowed to sit whilst giving evidence. Should he consider it beneath his dignity to give evidence at all, be may be exempted. This only applies to any suit regarding money matters (civil cases), but in criminal matters he is not to be exempted.

God's works accommodate one another without asking any interest. The day accommodates the night, and the night the day (according to season). The moon borrows from the stars, and the stars from the moon. The higher wisdom borrows from the simple or common sense; kindness borrows from charity, the heavens from the earth, and the earth from the heavens. The Torah borrows from righteousness, and righteousness from the Torah; all without charging any interest. Is man, and man only, not to extend a helping hand to his fellow man without exacting usury for a kind act?

Regarding the giving of alms, judgment and discretion should be exercised. Obviously, poor relatives have a prior claim to any other, and the poor of your town claim priority over those of another town.

"He who hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord," says Solomon (Prov. xim). It is surely good enough for you, O man, to be God's creditor. Not that he will return to you exactly the coin you give to the poor; he will look even further into your deed. The poor man was perhaps famishing, and your timely help may have rescuea him from an untimely death; God, whose creditor you have become when you helped the helpless, will rescue you and yours from danger when it is near.

He who by usury and ill-gotten gain increaseth his substance, it sball be taken from him by him who pities the poor (Prov. xxviii.). When a non-Jew wants to borrow of you, you will perhaps say that since you are not permitted to take usury from your own compatriot you may take it from a nonJew. Be assured that such ill-gotten gain will be taken from you; probably by the authorities, to erect baths or other sanitary buildings for the poor or the stranger.

Why, asked Turnus Rufus, a heathen King, of Rabbi Akiba, have we incurred the hatred of your God so that He says, "I hate Esau"? (Mal. iii.). The Rabbi said he would reply to the question the next day. On his making his appearance the following day, the King, thinking that Rabbi Akiba bad postponed the answer the day before in order to invent meanwhile some lame explanation, said to the sage satirically, "Well, Akiba, what have you dreamt during the night?" Rabbi Akiba, taking the very question as the text for his reply, said, "I dreamed I became possessed of two dogs which I named Rufus and Rufina" (the names of the questioner and his wife).

The King, in a great fury, asked Rabbi Akiba how he dared offer him and his queen so gross an insult as to name his dogs by their names. "Wherefore this indignation?" returned R. Akiba calmly; "you and yours are God's creatures, so are dogs God's creatures; you eat and drink, produce your species, live, decay, and die; all this is also the case with dogs. Yet what umbrage you take because they bear the same name as you! Consider then that God stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth, is the Creator, Governor, and Ruler of all animate and inanimate things; yet you make an idol of wood and stone, worship it and call it by the name of God. Should you not then incur his hatred?"

A distinguished scholar was on a voyage at sea, and on board the same ship were some merchants with their goods. In the course of conversation they asked the scholar what was the nature of his goods. "My goods," he replied, "are invaluable." Knowing, however, that there was no cargo of his on board the ship, they ridiculed his assertion. After sailing some distance from shore the ship was overtaken by pirates, who robbed the ship of its cargo and took the very clothes the passengers were wearing, so far as they were of any value. Passengers and crew were only too thankful to escape with their lives and to clothe themselves with the rags which the pirates rejected. The scholar, as he did not wear any valuable clothes, was spared by the pirates as not being worth robbing, and landed at a small town, together with his fellow passengers, who made a sorry sight in the rags that served them as clothes. The learned man, whose reputation had gone before him, was asked and consented to deliver lectures on various scientific subjects, which he handled in a masterly fashion. The lectures excited great interest, and attracted large audiences from all the neighboring towns, with the result that the man not only found his lectures remunerative from a pecuniary point of view, but soon won the friendship of the leading men of the place, where he settled down and became an influential member of the community. Fate did not smile quite so kindly on his former fellow passengers, who, having unfortunately lost all their possessions, having no trade or profession, and being clothed in rags, found it impossible to get employment. Seeing the great position the professor held in the town, they called upon him and solicited the favor of his influence on their behalf.

This he unhesitatingly and ungrudgingly gave them; he procured employment for them, and reminded them how perfectly justified he was in styling his goods invaluable.

On several occasions the Israelites were numbered, a census taken. Nor as the owner of a flock of sheep is anxious to know how many he possesses, when anything untoward happens, when a wolf has been in their midst, he is again anxious to ascertain what loss has been sustained by the mishap. Thus Moses had the people numbered to see what loss there was after their punishment for making the golden calf.

Poor ignorant man, you want to find out God's ways; explain first the phenomenon of your own eye; it consists of white and black, and according to all reason the white should supply light, but in reality the little spot in the center of your eye is the lens to give you sight.

A man however so learned should not preach if his preaching is not agreeable to his audience.

A public teacher (preacher) must not only be thoroughly conversant with the twenty-four books of the Bible, but must be known to his flock as modest and distinguished for hiq virtues.

Moses, in spite of his being the mediator between God and his people in promulgating God's behests to them, and knowing God's intention of giving his law to his people Israel, in spite of all his varied and most wonderful qualities, and his having been in the mountain forty days and forty nights, during which he ate no bread and drank no water, in spite of all this, he is only looked upon as an earthly, a mortal being, the greatest of men, but only a mortal man.

There were forty thousand of the mixed multitude, who forced themselves on the Israelites at the Exodus and came out with them from Egypt. Among them were the two great Egyptian magicians of Pharaoh who imitated Moses's miracles before Pharaoh. Their names were Junus and Jumburius.

The living always have to arrange for the dead, such as bringing them to their resting-place, etc., but the dead are not called upon to provide anything for the living; yet behold, when any serious trouble or threats overtook the Israelites, though there were many righteous men in the camp, Moses, in his intercession had no recourse to them, but fell back upon those who had long since departed. "Remember," he prayed, "thy servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Solomon alluded to this when be said, "Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living, which are yet alive " (Eccles. iv.).

The "Mishna" would have been incorporated with the written Torah, but God saw that the Torah would eventually be translated into Greek and published as though it were the code entrusted to Greeks. Had the Mishna been together with the written law, the nations would have claimed to be the custodians of the whole of God's word. But the oral law, the key to and interpreter of the written law, being entrusted to Israelites only (which could not have been done had it been written) the Jews alone have the whole of God’s word with the interpretation in full.

Wisdom is granted by God to him who already possesses knowledge, not to the ignorant. A certain matron was arguing with Rabbi Jose ben Chlafta on this point of God giving wisdom to men of understanding. This, she thought, was paradoxical, as it would be more proper if God granted wisdom to simpletons, who are more in want of it than wise men.

Rabbi Jose put a simple question to her. "If two men," he asked, "were to appear before you, one wealthy and the other poor, each asking you for a loan of money, whom would you be more inclined to trust?" "Surely the one possessed of wealth," she replied. "God in his dispensation," said Rabbi Jose, "giveth wisdom to the man of understanding, who possesses and knows the value of it, and will make profitable use of the augmentation: like a man whom you would prefer to trust with your money, knowing that he has facilities to employ profitably what you lend him; whereas the fool entrusted with wisdom would abuse the precious gift and convert it into folly, like the poor man whom you would not care to trust, lest the money should be lost through his inability to employ it profitably."

Rabbi Eliezer ben Jose stated that he saw in Rome the mercy-seat of the temple. There was a bloodstain on it. On inquiry he was told that it was a stain from the blood which the high priest sprinkled thereon on the Day of Atonement.

The Torah was given in the wilderness, and, like the wilderness, it is free and open to all comers -without formalities or introductions: all that wish to do so can enter into it.

The boards for the Mishkan were made from shittim-wood, from a tree that does not bear fruit; thereby man is taught the virtue of economy: he should not waste anything of greater value when the same can be obtained by using articles of lesser value. Even the Mishkan was not to be made out of fruit-trees, since it could be made equally as effective out of trees bearing no fruit.

It is but right and proper that one should be right in the sight of God, but it is also desirable so to act as to be just and right in the eyes of man.

Slander no one, whether thy brother or not thy brother, whether a Jew or not a Jew.

In connection with the poor man's sacrifice, that of a handful of flour, and not in connection with the rich man's sacrifices (of bulls and rams) do we find the expression "and if any soul." God looked upon the poor man's offering of a handful of flour as though he had offered his life.

The righteous stand on a higher level than angels.

Those who aim at greatness do not always get it. Moses fled from it, but it was forced upon him.

God consulted the Torah when about to create man, but the Torah was dubious about calling man into existence, for since his days would be so short and his ways so perverted be would require much forbearance. God's reply was, "By thee (Torah) I declare myself as a God merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and in truth."

"Swear not at all, not even to the truth."

Future bliss can neither be imagined, explained, nor described. We know nothing of its nature, form, greatness, or beauty, its quantity or quality. This much one should know, the phrase, "the world to come," does not imply that it is a world yet to be called into existence; it exists already, but the phrase is employed to describe the life into which those who are in the present stage of existence will be transposed when they throw off this mortal coil.

The leper, the blind, the abject poor, and those who have no progeny are as though dead.

Rabbi Judah Hannasi, arriving at a place called Semunia, was entreated by the community to select a rabbi for them. He sent them Rabbi Levi ben Sissyas, a learned and able man. Not long afterward the newly appointed Rabbi came to R. Judah Hannasi, the donor of his living, and whilst thanking him for the appointment expressed the fear that his position was not tenable. On being questioned for his reasons he answered that Scriptural passages were submitted to him for solution by his congregants which it was above his capability to solve. Among others be mentioned the passage, I will show thee that which is written, and which is true (Dan. x.). Hence they argue that there must be something written and which is -not true. Rabbi Judah Hannasi then explained: "Man," he said, "incurs retribution if he leaves matters as they are, and does nothing to avert the punishment decreed upon him. In this case what is written is true: his punishment will overtake him. But on the other hand, if he reflects and thinks over his evil ways, becomes contrite, repents and asks his merciful Father for forgiveness, and the deserved punishment is held back, in this instance what is written is not true."

By this hypothesis you are to reconcile some seemingly contradictory passages in Scripture, such as in 1 Sam. (ii. 25), where in connection with Eli's sons we have it that they harkened not unto the voice of their father because the Lord wanted to slay them. But, through the prophet, God sends us a message, "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek. xxxiii.). The answer is that there are sinners and sinners, those who do and those who do not repent.

Two sheep and two-tenth parts of flour were demanded as an offering, whereas of wine only the smallest possible quantity was to be offered. This was a hint that wine is always to be used sparingly, as indulgence in it leads to mischief.

The guardian angels are always near God's throne, but the accusing ones are kept at a distance.

Have no undue compassion for tyrants, and you will not become a tyrant over those who deserve compassion.

As an example of good manners and the virtue of considering the feelings of others, a story is related of a distinguished man who invited friends to his son's marriage. During the feast the bridegroom himself went to the cellar to fetch some very old and costly wine for the guests, when he was fatally bitten by a snake which was hidden under the casks. When the host learned the shocking news of his son's death he refrained from disturbing his guests' enjoyment, and when the feast was over and prayers after meat were about to be pronounced, he told the assembly that there would be burial-prayers for his son, who had met his death by the bite of a snake.

At Sinai the women received and accepted the Decalogue before the men.

Palestine is destined to be the center of the globe.

Before man had yet made his appearance on earth, the angels sanctified God's name and sang hymns before him in anticipation of man's advent. The words they used for their hymns were, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting." When Adam made his appearance they asked, "Is this the human creature in anticipation of whose advent we sang hymns?" They were told that this was not the one, as he would prove to be dishonest. At Noah's birth the angels exclaimed, "This time we behold the man." "No," they were told, this one will be given to "drinking." Nor did they guess well when they suggested Abraham was the right man when be made his appearance, for his progeny was Ishmael. Again they were undeceived when they hit upon Isaac as the man for whose coming they had sung hymns, for did he not beget Esau whom God hated. At the appearance of Jacob they again ventured a guess, and this time God said to them, "You have fixed on the right man. He shall be named Israel, and his descendants shall be called by his name." Hence God said to Moses, "Tell the children of Israel that they were sanctified before they were called into existence, and must therefore remain holy, even as their God is holy." So a king when bringing his newly married bride into his palace might say to her: "You are now united to me. I am king, therefore be you henceforth queen."

"When you come into the land you shall plant all manner of trees for food" (Lev. xix.). Although you will find "the land filled with all good things," yet you are not to abstain from labor, especially agriculture; you are to occupy yourselves in these pursuits. Even the old who have no reasonable expectation of eating of the fruits of their labor shall participate in the work of cultivating the ground.

The caution which King Solomon utters, "Rob not the poor" (Prov. xxii.), would seem superfluous. Who is likely to rob a poor man who has nothing to be robbed of? But his words go further than they seem to go at first sight. They mean that if you are in the habit of apportioning some of your substance to the poor it should not enter your mind to discontinue doing so. If you are tempted to say, why should I give my substance to others, remember that by your discontinuance you are robbing the poor. He and you are mine, and I may reverse the condition of things.

Regarding the ceremony of the red heifer (Numb. xix.), Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai explained to his pupils that its ashes could not render any unclean person clean. But as this is a statute of the Torah, we must inquire for no reason. If we refused to do anything that God commands without a definite reason, we should no longer be paying him simple obedience.

In addition, he continued, supposing one of the children of the kings servants had soiled the king's palace, the mother would naturally be fetched and asked to wash out the stain which her child had made. So the mother of the calf with which the Israelites polluted God's world is called into requisition to purify the pollution made by her offspring.

Apart from the essential qualifications for the office of high priest, he had also to be handsome, healthy, in a good financial position, a man of mature judgment, and of advanced age. When he was poor, but otherwise qualified, he was placed in a position beyond want One Pinchus, "the stone-cutter," being in every respect eminently fitted for the office of high priest except that he was poor, the priests amongst themselves contributed enough to make him actually a man of affluence.

Out of certain classes of things God has chosen one. Of days, the seventh was chosen and sanctified. Of years, too, the seventh was chosen as the Sabbatical year; and out of seven Sabbatical years one was selected as the Jubilee. Of countries, God made choice of Palestine. Of the heavens, the Aroboth was chosen for God's throne. Of nations, Israel was the choice, and of the tribes of Israel, that of Levi.

God blessed Adam, Noah, and Abraham, but he endowed Abraham with the power of blessing which the Lord will indorse.

During the twenty-six generations that passed from the creation to the giving of the Torah, the world was upheld by God's loving-kindness, which was, so to speak, the pivot upon which the world existed. When the Torah was given to and accepted by Israel, an additional support was given to the world upon which it could stand, and yet it was only like a bench standing upon two feet, not very well supported. With the erection of the Mishkan the world received a substantial support. So a stool which only stood upon two legs receives a third, and is rendered firm.

At the Exodus a compact was made with the Israelites, by which they undertook to erect the Mishkan for the Shechinah to dwell amongst them, and this is indicated in the 29^th chapter of Exodus, "And they shall know that I am the Lord their God that brought them -forth out of the land of Egypt that I may dwell among them."

In order not to cause jealosy as to who should be the seventy elders, Moses cast lots by taking seventy-two slips representing six of each tribe, writing the word "elder " onseventy of the slips and leaving the two odd ones blank. Seventy-two men then drew blanks of them a slip, and those who drew blanks had to give up their claims.

The harp upon which the Levites played had seven strings.

God's behest were to be the guiding principle of the Israelite in all his doings throughout his earthly career. Plowing, sowing, reaping, threshing: these have all their laws by which he is to conduct them. In the making of dough, in killing meat, in the fruit of his trees, he has his laws, also about the hair of his head, his apparel, the building of his house, and the burying of his dead.

Orientals have some commendable habits. When they kiss they kiss the hand, not the mouth. They do not handle meat with their hands, but use knives. When they have to consider any important public matter, they assemble in the open outside the town.

The "Shekel, when mentioned in the Pentateuch, means one "sela"; in the Prophets it amounts to five and twenty "selaim"; but those in the Holy Writings (Hagiographa) are one hundred "selaim." There is an exception in the case of the "shekolim" which Ephron the Hittite asked of Abraham for the "cave of Machpelah": they also were one hundred "selaim " each.

Midian and Moab were enemies from time immemorial; but for the purpose of injuring the Israelites they overlooked their long-standing enmity: just as two dogs will very quickly desist from fighting if they see a wolf approaching, and will unite their strength against the advancing enemy. Balaam's services were so anxiously sought after because the Israelites and their leader, Moses, were known to have immense power with their mouth (prayer); therefore they wanted one who also bad great power with his eloquence.

When man confesses and says, "O God, I have sinned," the very messenger sent to punish him for that sin has his power paralyzed and his hand stayed.

To entice a man to sin is tantamount to taking his life.

If Moses had been a selfish man and had only considered himself and his own interest he would have delayed to avenge the Israelites on the Midianites as long as possible, because the duration of his earthly life was fixed for the time when he should have brought about vengeance on Midian (Numb. xxxi.). But like a faithful shepherd, unselfish and self-sacrificing as he was, he strove to consummate all his work without regarding his own life or his own interest, and as soon as that part of his duty was ripe for performance, and when it was to the advantage of his flock he set himself to do the work, knowing well that when that work was finished his earthly career was finished.

"Ye shall keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man do he shall live in them" (Lev. xviii.): live in them, says God, but not die by them.

God gave the Torah to Israel, but all nations are to benefit by it.

Jews are under an oath not to reveal the time of redemption (those who may know it), not to prolong its consummation by their unrighteousness, and not to rebel against the ruling power.

Moses was born and died on the same day of the month, namely, the seventh day of Adar.

Moses prayed to God to show him his glory, and in compliance with that prayer God says, "I will pass all my goodness before thee" (Exod. iii.). Because God's goodness is God's glory; mercy and goodness are the brightest jewels in God's crown.

Death is designed for man from time immemorial. When the hour of man's departure hence arrives, nothing will save him from it If he had the wings of an eagle and could soar high up above the earth, he would, of his own accord, come down to meet his fate.- Death is a new gate for the righteous to enter in.

Do not weigh, as it were in scales, the importance or the insignificance of your acts, as long as they are acts of righteousness; and do not speculate and say, "I will not do is or that because it is only a small or light act in the scale of God's commandments; I will therefore rather perform a more important act, and my reward will be correspondingly greater." For this reason God hath concealed the nature of the reward for carrying out his statutes. A certain king hired workmen to cultivate his garden, but did not tell them what the reward would be for raising each kind of fruit or plant, for if he had done so the workmen would one and all have endeavored to produce the fruit for which the highest wage was promised, and the other products would have been neglected. Yet there are two commandments, one apparently of slight and the other of great importance, for which precisely the same reward is promised. (1) That of sending away the dam and retaining its young, for the carrying out of which well-being and long life are promised (Dent. xxii.); and (2) the honoring of parents, for which the same reward is assured. This tends to indorse what we maintain, that it is not for man to define the smallness or greatness of a godly act, or the nature and quality of the rewards. It is sufficient to know that the doing of God's will carries with it reward for faith and for doing it simply because we are told to do so.

Let not the Israelites be haughty and say that they only are the people who possess and live up to the commandments of God, for other nations, though not the recipients of God's laws, also have the commandments of the Lord as their life's guide, and glorify his name.

No affliction overtakes man without his having first some foreboding or warning of its coming.

No evil-doer can plead ignorance; for the two ways, the good and the evil, are so distinctly marked that it is impossible to mistake the one for the other. Moses was like the old watchman who sat on the high road where two paths, a stony and a smooth one, met, and constantly warned wayfarers which one to take.

God will eventually reveal his glory to all mankind as unmistakably as though he had placed his throne in the center of the heavens, and then moved it from one extreme end to the other, so that everybody should see and know it.

No one can imagine the reward of him who accepts all his sorrows and reverses with religious resignation.

Rabbi Akiba, in defiance of the mandate of the Grecian authorities, who prohibited the study of the Torah, was found by his friend, Prysus ben Judah, with a host of disciples, diligently pursuing his wonted research. "Knowest thou not," asked his friend, "the great danger thou art facing by thus defying the authorities? Take my advice and desist from thy studies."

"Your advice," returned Rabbi Akiba, "seems to me like the advice of the fox who., on seeing fishes swimming in a river here and there, told them to come out, and he would show them a resting-place in the rocks. 'Are you the wise one amongst the beasts of the field?' retorted the fishes. 'If in our own element we can find no rest and safety, how much worse will it be with us when we are out of it?' With us Jews the Torah is our very life (Prov. iv.). In pursuing its study I may incur the risk of losing my earthly life; in relinquishing it I face the certainty of moral and spiritual death."

The heart and mind of the priest when conducting divine service was not to be diverted by anything else; his whole heart and mind was to be concentrated upon the service.

It is not too much to say that discretion should be exercised regarding the names one gives to his children. There are instances in which a name implying evil qualities has been given to a child, and the child, when grown up into manhood, has exemplified by his life the meaning of his name.

Hope is held out here for man for everything. If he is in abject poverty, he may become rich; if he is sickly, it is not beyond the range of possibility for him to become robust; if he is captive, he may regain his liberty. Death is the only thing which man can not hope to escape. But let man take comfort in the thought that even so great a man as Moses, who spoke with God face to face, the head of all prophets, the greatest of men, did not escape death.

30.7 Perkei Avot

30.7.1 Chapter 1

30.7.2 Chapter 2

30.7.3 Chapter 3

30.7.4 Chapter 4

30.7.5 Chapter 5

30.8 Quotes

30.9 Rabbi Nachman’s Seven Beggars

It once happened that there was a king that had an only son. The king decided to hand over the kingdom to his son, during his lifetime. The king held a huge feast, in order to celebrate the transfer of the monarchy. For sure, anytime that a king holds a feast, it is a time of great rejoicing, and especially on such an occasion, to celebrate such an important event. All the ministers of the kingdom and all the nobility of the land were invited, and there was tremendous joy at the feast. Also the people of the land were very excited that the king was handing over the monarchy, for this was also a very great honor for the king himself. There were all kinds of entertainment at the ball, orchestras and comedians, and so on, and an atmosphere of complete happiness.
In the midst of the celebration, the king stood up and spoke to his son, "Since I am an astrologer, I can see from the stars that in the future you are going to lose the monarchy, and when that happens, I want you to be very careful not to fall into depression. Rather, you must force yourself to remain happy. And if you do succeed in remaining happy, then I will also be happy. In fact, even if you become depressed, I will still be happy. I will be happy that you are no longer king. For if you can not remain happy despite losing the kingship, that will be a sign that you were not worthy of being king. But if you do manage to remain happy, then I will be very happy indeed."
The prince took complete control over the kingdom. He appointed new ministers and officers of state. The prince was extremely wise. He loved wisdom very much, and he surrounded himself with wise men. Anyone who was a master of any particular type of wisdom found great favor in his eyes, and was given much importance, and either money or honor, whichever he preferred. And since wisdom was so important, all the people, also, started to dedicate themselves to learning all kinds of wisdom, in order to receive either wealth or honor. However, because the whole nation was completely immersed in their learning, they forgot all the strategies of war. This continued until they reached such a level, that even the simple people of that land, in any other country, would be considered extremely wise. And the wise men were very wise indeed. But because of their wisdom they all became atheists, and they drew the king after them, into their atheism. However this did not affect the simple people, the highest levels of wisdom were too abstract for them to grasp, so they were not damaged. But the very wisest men and the king, they all became complete atheists.
The king, because he still had some good inside him, for he had been born with good qualities, would think to himself, from time to time, "Where have I got to, how can it be that I should conduct myself in such a way...," and he would moan and sigh that he had fallen into such twisted and mistaken ways. But immediately he would return to his wisdoms, and in doing so, return to his atheistic beliefs. This would happen to him regularly.

It once happened that there was a flight from a certain country, the whole country fled. During the flight they passed through a forest, and a little boy and a little girl, about four or five years old, got lost. They started crying, because they had nothing to eat. Suddenly a beggar appeared, with his sack on his shoulder. The children went over to him, and started to follow him. He gave them some bread, which they ate. He asked them, "How did you get here?" They answered that they did not know, for they were very young children. He started to walk away, so they asked him if he would take them with him. He answered that he did not want to take them with him. During this conversation they suddenly realized that he was blind, and they could not understand how he was able to find his way. (It is interesting that they were able to appreciate the problem, for they were still very young, however they were very intelligent.) The beggar blessed them that they should become like him, that they should be old like him, and then he left them some more bread to eat, and he went on his way. The children realized that Hashem was watching over them, and that He had sent the beggar to bring them food.
When they had finished the bread, they started to cry out for more food. Later night fell, and they went to sleep. In the morning they woke up, and again cried for more food. Suddenly a deaf beggar appeared. They tried to speak to him, but he signaled to them with his hands that he was unable to hear. He also gave them bread to eat, and started to go on his way. They wanted him to take them with him, but he did not agree. However, he did bless them that they should be like him, and then he also left them some bread, and went on his way.
Again, the bread finished and they cried out for more food. Suddenly a beggar appeared, who stammered. They tried to speak to him, but they were unable to understand his answers. He understood them, but they could not understand him. He also gave them bread to eat, blessed them that they should be like him, and went on his way.
Then came a beggar with a crooked neck, and exactly the same story as before. Then a hunch-backed beggar. Then a beggar with no hands, and finally a beggar with no feet, each one gave them bread, and blessed them that they should be like him, as above.
Again they finished the bread, and so they decided to walk and see if they could find some kind of a settlement. They walked until they found a path, and followed the path until they came to a village. They walked up to a house, where the people had mercy on them and gave them bread. Similarly at the second house, and so on. They realized that things were going well for them, and made a pact between them that they should always stay together. They made for themselves large sacks, with which they went begging from door to door, and to all the celebrations, to the special meals served for a Bris Mila and to Weddings and so on. They then moved on to the next town. And from town to town, begging from door to door, and at the markets they used to sit amongst the other beggars, holding out their begging bowls. Until they became well known amongst the beggars. They all knew them, that they were the children that had got lost in the forest.
One time there was a huge market in a certain town. The beggars went there, and so too did the children. The beggars hit upon the idea of marrying the two children together. Everyone agreed, and the matter was decided. The only question was how to make for them a marriage feast. Then they remembered that soon it was going to be the king's birthday, and they decided that all the beggars should go to the feast, and whatever they managed to beg for themselves there, meat and bread, with that they would make the wedding. So that is what they did, they collected whatever bread and meat that they could, also anything left over, and they went and dug a huge pit in the ground, big enough to hold a hundred people, and they covered it over with sticks and earth and refuse. And they all went inside and held a wedding for the children. It was a tremendously happy occasion, and the children themselves were also very happy.
The children remembered the great kindness that Hashem had done for them, in sustaining them while they were in the forest, and they started to cry out and yearn for the first beggar, the blind one, that had given them bread while they were in the forest. And as they were yearning for him to come to the celebration, he suddenly spoke up and said, "Here I am. I have come to your wedding. And now I will give you as a wedding present that which I blessed you before, that you should be old like me. When I first met you, I only gave it to you as a blessing, but now I am giving it to you as a wedding present, that you should have a long life, like mine. You think that I am blind, but in fact I am not blind at all. It is just that all the time that the world has been in existence is no longer for me than the wink of an eye. (Which is why it seemed as if he was blind, for he simply did not look at the world at all, since all the time that had passed in the world was to him just the time it takes to blink the eye.) For I am very, very old, and yet I am like a suckling child, that has not even started to live. Nevertheless, I am still very old. And not only I myself say this, I also have the approbation of the Great Eagle. I will relate to you the story.... Once there were many people traveling in ships on the sea. A storm wind blew up and destroyed all the ships, but the people were saved. They came to a tower, and went inside, and found there sufficient food and drink and clothes to cover all their needs. They had there everything that they could possibly need. They decided that each one of them should tell an old story, that they should each relate their very earliest memory. There were both young and old people there. They decided to honor the oldest person there by letting him tell his story first. He said, "What can I tell you, I can remember as far back as the apple being cut from the branch." And no one there understood what he meant. However, there were some very wise men there, and they said that that was certainly a very old story indeed. And it was the turn of the next oldest. The next eldest said, "You call that an old story? I myself remember that, and not only that, but I also remember the candle when it was lit." Everyone agreed that that was certainly an older story than the first. But still, it was a wonder to them, how the second, who was younger than the first, could actually remember further back. And then it was the turn of the third oldest. He spoke up and said, "I remember when the fruit first started to be formed." They all agreed that this was an even older story than the first two. The fourth eldest related, "I remember when the seed was taken to be planted." The fifth eldest related, "I even remember the wise men planning and inventing the seed." The sixth related that he could remember the taste of the fruit, even before it had entered into the fruit. The seventh related that he could remember the fragrance of the fruit, even before it entered into the fruit. The eighth remembered the look of the fruit, even before it became a fruit. I, (the blind beggar telling the story,) also was there, I was a very young child, and I told them how I could remember all their stories, and furthermore, I could remember when there was absolutely nothing at all. They all agreed that this was the oldest story of all, and they could not understand how the youngest could actually tell the oldest story, that he could remember more than those older than him. Following this, the Great Eagle came and knocked on the tower, and said to them, "Stop being so poverty stricken. Return to your treasures, and use them." He told them that they should leave the tower in descending order, eldest first, and he took them all out of the tower. First of all, he took the very youngest, who was in fact, older than them all. Then the next youngest, and so on, the eldest of all leaving last of all. Because whoever was the younger, was actually the older, and the oldest was the youngest of all.
The Eagle said to them, "I will explain to you the stories that each of you told. The one who told how he could remember the apple being cut from the branch. He was able to remember only as far back as the cutting of his umbilical cord. The one who remembered the lit candle, he could remember as far back as when he was an embryo, and a candle was alight above his head. The one who remembered the forming of the fruit, was remembering the actual forming of his body, at the time of the creation of the embryo. The one who remembered the seed being taken to be planted, was remembering the transferring of the seed at the time of conception. The one who remembered the wise men inventing the seed, was remembering the time that the seed was still in the brain, (for the creation of the seed starts in the brain.) The one who remembers the taste, that is the soul, (the nefesh.) The smell, that is the spirit, (the ruach.) The sight, that is the inner most point, (the neshama.) And the child that remembered nothing at all, his is the earliest memory of all, for he remembers even that which came before the nefesh, ruach and neshama, which is the aspect of absolutely nothing."
The Eagle then said to them, "Return to your ships, which are your broken bodies which have been rebuilt. Now you will be able to return to them." And he blessed them. And as for me, (the blind beggar telling the story,) the Great Eagle said to me, "You come with me, because you are like me. For you are very old, and yet very young, and still, you have hardly even started to exist. Even so, you are very very old. I am also that way, for I am also very old, and yet very young." So you see, I have the approbation of the Great Eagle, (that I have lived a very long life,) and now I give you a long life, like mine, as a wedding present." And there was tremendous happiness and rejoicing, there at the feast.

On the second of the seven days of the wedding feast the young couple remembered the second beggar, the deaf one, that had sustained them and given them bread. They were yearning and longing for him to come to the feast, and suddenly he appeared and said, "Here I am." And he embraced them and kissed them and said, "Now I will give you a present, that you will be like me. That you should have a very good life, like mine. Originally I gave it to you as a blessing, but now I am giving you the good life that I lead, as a present. You think that I am deaf. But really I am not deaf at all. It is simply that the whole world has no value in my eyes whatsoever, that I should listen to all its lackings. Because all the sounds that are heard in the world are only due to something that is lacking. Every single person crying out over what he is missing. And even all the sounds of happiness in the world, even they are only due to a lack of something, that the person was lacking something, which he has now received. Therefore, all the sounds of the world are of no importance to me, that I should allow to enter into my ears all the cries of the people crying out for what they are missing. For I live such a good life that I do not lack for anything. And I have the approbation regarding this, that I live such a good life, from the Land of Riches." And the good life that he lead was that he had bread to eat and water to drink. (And he related to them the story...)
"For there is a country that is tremendously rich, that has unbelievable treasures. One time a group of people got together, and each one was boasting about the good life that he lead, how he was able to live such a good life. I stood up and said to them, "The good life that I lead is far better than the good life that any of you lead. And the proof is... if you lead such a good life, let us see if you can save a certain country. For there is a country that used to have a garden, and the fruit that grew in the garden had all the tastes in the world. The fruit also contained all the smells and sights in the world. It also grew all the flowers in the world, everything possible grew in the garden.
There was a gardener there who watched over the garden. The people of that country used to live such a good life, because of that garden. But then they lost the gardener, and everything in the garden went to ruin, for there was no one to watch over it. Still, they were able to continue to live from the under growth that still remained. Then a cruel king attacked their country, but he had no success against them. So he went and damaged the good life that they still had from the garden. Not that he was able to damage the garden itself. Rather, what he did was to place in the country three groups of slaves, and he commanded them to do exactly according to his instructions. And through this they damaged the sense of taste. For through whatever it was that they did, all the food that every one ate had the taste of rotting flesh. They also damaged the sense of smell, so that all the smells had a smell of bitterness. Similarly they damaged the sense of sight, so that it seemed to people that they were looking at everything through clouds and darkness." (This is all through what the slaves of the cruel king achieved, through following his instructions.) "And now, if you are really able to live the good life, let us see if you are able to save them. Furthermore, (all this is being said by the deaf beggar,) if you do not save them, all the suffering that this particular country is going through, you could find yourselves facing exactly the same problems.
So all the rich people traveled to that country, and I went with them. And on the journey, each one of them continued to live his own particular good life, for they still had all their treasures, etc. But when they started to come close to the country, also their sense of taste, etc. began to be damaged. I said to them, "If you have not even reached there yet, and already you are starting to be affected, what is going to be when you get there? And furthermore, how on earth are you going to be able to save them?" So I took from my bread and water and gave some to them, and they were able to taste in my bread and water all the tastes in the world, and their sense of taste, etc. was restored.
Meanwhile, in the country with the garden, the people started looking into how they would be able to rectify the damage that they were suffering. They said to themselves..."What about the Land of Riches, (the one mentioned previously,) surely the gardener who used to work here, (through whom they received their good life,) is from the same root as the people there, for they also have a good life." They decided to send for help to that country, for surely they would be able to save them. And we happened upon the messengers that they had sent, as they traveled towards us, in the direction that we had come from. They asked the messengers..."Where are you going?" They answered, "We are going to the Land of Riches, to ask them for help, that they should come and save us." The people from the Land of Riches said..."We are from that land, and we are on our way to you." I, (the deaf beggar telling the story,) said to them, "You are going to need my help, because you alone will not be able to save them, (as previously explained.) In fact, you had better wait here, while I go with the messengers to save the country."
So I went with them, and entered into one of the cities. and I heard how one person would tell a joke, and a few people would gather around, and they would all laugh together. I listened more closely, and heard that they were telling obscene jokes. One would tell a dirty joke, and a second would continue it, another would laugh, and a fourth would listen in enjoyment, etc. I then went to a different city. I saw two people arguing over a business deal. They went to court and the case was decided. But when they left the court, they started arguing again, because they were not happy with the judgment. They then decided to go to a different court, for judgment. After leaving the court, one of them started arguing with somebody else, and they then went to a yet another court for judgment. The whole city was full of arguments, and people taking each other to court, so the whole city had to be full of courts. I realized that all this was because there was no truth there. The judge would favor one side, and then he would do the other a favor in return, and ultimately the whole city was full of bribery, and not the slightest trace of justice.
I later noticed that in fact, all their behavior was completely immoral, so much so that it had become totally permitted to them. And I said to them that this is the reason that their taste, smell and sight had been damaged. For the cruel king had left his three groups of slaves there, in order to damage their way of life. And they went around making obscene jokes, which introduced obscenity into the land, which is what ruined the sense of taste, that all foods tasted like rotting flesh. They also introduced bribery into the land, which affected their eyes and ruined their sight, as it is written, "bribery blinds the eyes of the wise." They also introduced immoral behavior into the land, which ruined the sense of smell, (as we have said elsewhere, that immoral behavior damages the sense of smell.) "Therefore, purge the land of these three sins, and hunt out these three groups of slaves, and throw them out. And if you do all this, not only will you repair the senses of taste, sight and smell, you may even be able to find your lost gardener."
They did this, and started to cleanse the country of these three sins. Also they searched after the cruel king's slaves, and each time they would catch someone, they would ask him, "Where are you from?" Until they identified all the slaves, and threw them out, and purified the country from all the sins. Suddenly a commotion was heard, "Could this crazy person who is wandering around saying that he is the gardener, the one that everyone throws stones at and runs him away, could it really be that this is our old gardener?" And they bought him before the leaders, who were rectifying the country, (and the deaf beggar was also amongst them,) and I said to them, "Absolutely, this is your true gardener." (So it turns out that through him, the country was rectified.)
So you see, I have the approbation of the Land of Riches that I really do lead the good life, for I was able to fix that country. And now, I give you as a gift my good life." And the happiness and rejoicing was overwhelming, there at the feast. (And so it is with each of the beggars, they each come to the feast, and give as a present, that which was originally given as a gift, that the couple should be like them, etc.) The first one gave them a present of a long life, and the second gave them a present of a good life.

On the third day, the couple remembered the third beggar, the one who stammered, and longed and yearned for him to come to the feast. As they were yearning for him, suddenly he appeared, and said, "Here I am." He embraced and kissed them, and said, "Previously I only blessed you, that you should be like me, but now I give it to you as a wedding present. You think that I am unable to speak properly, but that is incorrect, it is just that all the speech of the world, which is not praise of Hashem, is incomplete. I, however, am a fabulous orator, and I can tell over the most wondrous poetry and prose. So much so, that no being in the world would not want to listen to me. And everything that I say is filled with the most wondrous wisdom. And I have the approbation regarding this from a great man, who is known as the Man of True Kindness. And about this there is a whole story.
Once, all the wise men were sitting together, and each one was boasting about his particular wisdom. One boasted that, with his wisdom, he had been able to invent iron. Another had invented a different metal. Yet another said that he had invented silver, which was even more valuable. And another said that he had invented gold. One said that he had invented weapons, and one said that he had invented the making of metals out of other metals. Another boasted about a different wisdom. For there are many things in the world that have been created through wisdom, for instance gun powder, and the like. Each one boasted about his particular wisdom.
One of the people there said, "I am wiser than all of you, for I am as wise as the day." No one understood what he meant. He explained, "All your wisdoms could be collected together, and it would not amount to more than one hour. Despite the fact that they have all been drawn from different days, according to whatever was created on that particular day, still they are only combinations, that could be combined into one hour. But my wisdom is that of a complete day." I, (the beggar with the stammer,) asked him, "Like which day are you as wise as?" He answered, "This man is wiser than me, since he has the intelligence to ask such a question. The answer to your question is that I am as wise as any day that you choose." Now you could ask, how come the one who asked, "like which day," is wiser than the one who is as wise as any day, and regarding this there is a complete story....
For this Man of True Kindness is indeed a very great man, and the beggar with the stammer goes around collecting all the acts of true kindness that are done, and brings them to the Man of True Kindness. For the main existence of time, (for time itself is a creation,) is through all the true acts of kindness that are done. And the beggar with the stammer, he collects them all up, and brings them to the Man of True Kindness.
For there is a mountain, and on this mountain stands a rock, and from the rock flows a Spring. Everything that exists has a heart. Also the world itself has a heart. And the Heart of the world is a complete structure, with a face, and arms, and legs etc. But the toenail of the Heart of the world has more heart in it than any other heart in the world. And this mountain with its rock and its Spring, stands at one end of the world, and the Heart of the world stands at the other end. And the Heart stands opposite the Spring, and is filled with a mighty yearning to come to the Spring, crying out constantly, that it should be able to come to the Spring. And the Spring, similarly, is constantly yearning for the Heart. But the Heart has two things that weaken it, one is that the sun concentrates its rays on it and burns it, (because it is longing so much to go to the Spring.) And the second is that it is terribly weak, precisely because of its tremendous yearning to go to the Spring. And when it needs to rest a little, that it needs to have a break from such a powerful desire, a huge bird comes and flaps its wings on it, and shields it from the sun. But even while it is resting, still it is constantly looking at the Spring, and yearning to come to it. So if it is yearning so much to come to the Spring, why does it not just get up and go to it? The reason is, that when it comes close to the mountain, it can no longer see the summit, and therefore it can not see the Spring. And were it to stop looking at the Spring, it would die, because its whole existence comes from the Spring. As long as it stands at a distance, it can see the summit of the mountain, and the Spring, but as soon as it gets close to the mountain, it looses sight of the summit, (as can be easily demonstrated,) and therefore of the Spring, and then it starts to die, G-D forbid. For were the Heart to die, G-D forbid, the whole world would cease to exist. For the Heart is the life of everything in existence, and obviously, there is no life without a heart. This is the reason that it cannot go to the Spring. All it can do is to stand opposite it, and yearn and cry out for it.
And as for the Spring, it has no time of its own, because it does not exist within the parameters of time. However, the Heart gives it time as a present, one day at a time. And when it comes to the end of each day, at which point the Spring has no more time, and is about to die, G-D forbid, which would thereby cause the Heart to die also, G-D forbid, which would cause the whole world to cease to exist, G-D forbid. At the very end of the day, the two take leave of each other, with the most wonderful poems and verse, filled as they are with such a love and longing for each other. That is when the Man of True Kindness, who is watching over them, at the very last possible minute, gives a present of one day to the Heart, and the Heart gives it to the Spring. And the Spring thereby has another day to exist. And this day, where it comes from, its source, it also comes with the most wonderful poetry and verse, (which is made up of all the wisdoms.) And all the days are completely different, for there is sunday and monday etc. also the first day of each month, and also the holidays, and so on.
And all the time that the True Man of Kindness has, it all comes from me, (the beggar that stammers.) For I go and collect all the acts of true kindness, from which time is created. (Which is why he is wiser even than the wise man mentioned earlier, because he is as wise as any of the days. For all the existence of the time, and of the days, it is all because of him. Because he collects all the acts of true kindness, from which the time is created, and brings them to the True Man of Kindness, who gives it as a day to the Heart, who gives it in turn to the Spring. And through this does the whole world remain in existence. So it turns out that the very existence of time, with all its songs and prose, which have in them all the wisdom of the world, it is all because of the beggar that stammers.)
That is why I have the approbation of the True Man of Kindness, that I am able to speak the most wonderful poetry and verse, which contains within it all the wisdom of the world. And now I give it to you as a wedding present, that you should be like me." And the happiness and rejoicing continued, there at the feast.

As the day's celebrating came to an end, the couple retired for the night. In the morning they once again yearned for the beggar who had sustained them in the forest, the one with the crooked neck. Suddenly he appeared, and said, "Here I am. Previously I blessed you that you should be like me, but now I give it to you as a wedding present. You think that I have a crooked neck, but in truth, my neck is not crooked at all. Quite the opposite, my neck is completely straight. It is just that there are all kinds of vapors in the world, and I do not want to have any part of them. (Which is why his neck seemed crooked. He made it so in order to not be any part of the vapors of the world.) Really, I have a very beautiful and wonderful neck. For I have a very beautiful voice, and all the sounds of the world, that are not actual speaking, I can make with my voice. For I have a truly wonderful neck and voice, and regarding this, I have the approbation of a certain land. For there is a land, where the people are very expert at playing music. And all the people there are occupied with this, even young children. There is no such thing as a child there that does not know how to play an instrument. And the youngest child there, would be considered a great expert in any other country. And the experts, and the king there, and all the musicians, they are talented beyond belief.
One time a group of these expert musicians were sitting together, and each was boasting about his particular expertise. One boasted that he was able to play a certain instrument, and another a different instrument. One boasted that he was able to play a number of different instruments, and one boasted that he was able to play all the instruments. One boasted that with his voice he was able to make the sound of a certain instrument, and one that he could make the sound of a number of different instruments. One boasted that he was able to make the exact sound of drums, as if he was actually drumming, and another said that he could make the sounds of gunfire. I also was there, and I said to them, "My voice is better than all of yours. And the proof is, that if you are such musical experts, you should be able to save a certain two countries. These two countries are a thousand miles apart, and in both of them, when night falls, no one is able to sleep. Because at night, all the people there, men, women and children, they all wail. The sound of their wailing is enough to melt a stone. Because at night, they hear a sound of such great wailing, and then they start wailing themselves. (It is the same in both countries.) These two countries are a thousand miles apart. And if you are all such musical experts, let us see if you can save them, or if you are even able to copy the sound of the wailing that is heard there." They said to him, (the musical experts to the beggar with the crooked neck,) "Can you take us there?" I said that I could, and we all got up and traveled there.
We got to one of the countries, and as it became night, everyone there started wailing. The wise men that had traveled with me also started wailing. (So obviously they would be unable to save the two countries.) I said to them, "At least, can you tell me from where the wailing is coming from?" They said to me, "Do you know?" I answered, "Of course. For there are two birds, a male and a female, the only two of their kind in the world. The female got lost. They both went looking for each other. They both searched for a long time, until they were both completely lost, and realized that neither of them would be able to find the other. So they remained where they were, and built nests. Each one close to one of the two countries mentioned. Not too close, but close enough to hear their calls. And when night falls, they both start to wail at the top of their voices, calling for their partner. This is the sound that is heard in the two countries." (And it is because of their wailing, that all the people in the two countries wail also, and no one is able to sleep.) They did not believe that this was the true cause. They said to me, "Can you take us to see them?" I said , "Yes, but you cannot go there. For if you get too close, you will not be able to stand the wailing. For you can not even stand it from here, where you are now, and already you are wailing with them. If I were to take you there, you would not be able to stand it at all. Also by day, it is impossible to come close to them, because it is impossible to stand the happiness that there is there. Because by day, all the other birds gather around them, and comfort them and raise up their spirits, and speak to them words of consolation telling them that they should not give up hope, for surely it is still possible that they will each find the other, until it is impossible to approach close to them, due to the tremendous happiness there. However the sound of the happiness can not be heard at a distance, only close by. Only the sound of the wailing at night can be heard at a distance. And that it why it is not possible to come close to them." They asked me, "Can you help them?" I answered them, "Yes, because I can make all the sounds in the world, and also throw my voice, so that here, where I am making the sound, no sound will be heard. It will only be heard at a distance. Therefore I can make the sound of the male bird, and it will be heard close to the female. And also the opposite, and that way bring them closer and closer to each other, until they meet."
But who could believe such a claim? So I took them into a forest, and they heard a sound of someone opening a door, and then closing it again, and locking it with a bolt. They heard the sound of the bolt, and then the sound of gunfire, and the sending of the dog after whatever had been shot. And the dog was rummaging and searching in the snow. All these sounds they heard, but when they looked, they could not see anything. Also they did not hear the slightest sound coming from me. (The beggar with the crooked neck was making all these sounds which they heard, and they had to admit that he was certainly capable of making any sound in the world, and sending them wherever he wanted. So he would also be able to help the two birds, as he had related to them. Rabbi Nachman did not explain any further, specifically regarding the birds, and it was obvious that he was deliberately leaving out this part of the story.) So it turns out that I have the approbation of that land that I have a truly wonderful voice. And that I am able to make all the sounds in the world. And now I am giving that to you as a wedding gift, that you should be like me." And there was great happiness and rejoicing there at the feast.

On the fifth day, there was also tremendous rejoicing. They remembered the beggar with the hunch-back, and longed for him to come to their celebration. How could they get him to come to the feast, for if he were to come, their happiness would know no bounds. Suddenly he appeared and said, "Here I am. I have come to your wedding." And he hugged them and kissed them and said, "Originally I blessed you that you should be like me, but now I give it to you as a wedding present. In truth, I am not a hunch-back at all, in fact, I have such shoulders that I am the aspect of the 'little that can hold a lot,' and I have an approbation regarding this.
For one time, there was a group of people, each boasting that he has this quality of being the 'little that holds a lot.' One of them, they just made a joke of him, but the rest, their words were accepted, that they had this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' But the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot' that I have, is greater than all of theirs. One of them claimed that his brain was this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' for he sustained with his brain myriads of people, with all their needs and behaviors, all their lives and movements, he held them all in his brain, which meant that he had an aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' They all laughed at him and said, "The people are nothing and you are nothing." One of them said, "I once saw a 'little holding a lot' similar to you. Once I saw a mountain that was completely covered in garbage and filth, and I could not understand how so much filth and garbage could have got there. There was a man living there, on the mountain, and he told me, "All this is from me." For that was were he lived, and that was where he threw his garbage from his food and drink, and relieved himself, until he had raised up an unbelievable pile of filth. So he certainly has this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' for only from him comes this huge pile of filth." (And similar to this was the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot' of the one who boasted that he held so many people in his brain.)
Another boasted that he was the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' for he was the owner of a small estate that gave forth a huge amount of fruit. And when they measured the fruit produced, there was no way that so much fruit could have come from that size estate. There simply was not enough space to grow so much fruit. So it turns out that it is the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.'.
One related that he had a wonderful orchard, filled with fruit, and many many people used to visit there, it was so beautiful. And there was no way that such a small orchard could hold so many people. So he certainly had the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' and his claim was also accepted.
One of them said that his speech was the aspect of the 'little that held a lot,' for he was the secretary to a king. Many people used to come to him, one with praises of the king, another with petitions for the king, and so on. Obviously the king did not have time to listen to all of them, so the secretary had to condense all their words into a small amount, and present it before the king, yet his words had to contain all their praises and claims etc. So he certainly had this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.'
Another one said that his silence had the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' For he had many accusers and much hostile criticism of him. And his answer to all their accusations was complete silence. (In other words, his silence was his only reply to all their accusations.) So his silence was the aspect of the 'little that held a lot.'
Another one said that he was this aspect of the 'little that held a lot,' for there is a poor, blind person who is very great. And the one telling the story was very small, and he leads the blind person. So he has this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' because the blind person could slip and fall, so he protects him by leading him. So he is the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' because he is very small, and he holds up the blind person who is very great. And I, (the hunch-back beggar who is telling the story,) I was also there, and I said to them, "In truth, you all have this aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' And I understood all that you intended with each of your stories. And the last one to speak, the one that leads the blind person, he is the greatest of all of you. But I am on a level much much higher even than that. For the one that told how he leads the blind person who is very great, his meaning is that he leads the moon, which has this aspect of blindness. For the moon has no light, or anything else of her own. And the one telling the story leads the moon, even though he is very small, and the moon is very large. He is sustaining the whole world, for the world needs the moon. So he really is the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot,' but the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot' that I possess is greater than all of you.
And the proof is, that once there was a group of people arguing about the type of shade preferred by each animal. Because every animal has a certain shade under which it prefers to rest. There is a special shade for every type of animal. For each animal chooses its own shade, and in that particular shade it always rests. Also each bird has its favorite branch, and on that branch in particular it likes to sit. Their argument was whether it is possible to find such a tree that all the animals would like to rest underneath, and that all the birds would choose to sit in its branches. And they decided that there must be such a tree, and they wanted to go and see it. For the euphoria there, by such a tree must be very great indeed. For all the animals and birds are to found there, basking in happiness, with none of them damaging another. All of them resting and playing together, and just to be able to be there would have to be the most tremendous pleasure. They were arguing as to which direction they would have to go to get to this tree. They argued and argued, but could not come to a decision. One said that they should go north, and one south, etc. but they were unable to come to an agreement.
Then a wise man came, and said to them, "Why are you arguing about which direction to go in? You should first of all argue about who will be able to go there, to the tree. Because not everyone is able to go to such a tree, only one who has the particular aspects of that tree. For the tree has three roots: the first is faith, the second is fear of heaven, and the third is humility, and the trunk of the tree is truth, from which fan out all the branches. Therefore it is only possible to come to the tree if you have all these qualities." And this group of people had a tremendous love and unity between them, and they did not want to be separated, one from the other, that some of them should be able to go to the tree, and some not. For not all of them were able to go to the tree, because only a few of them had all the necessary qualities. So they decided to wait while those who were lacking some of the necessary qualities would struggle and work on themselves, and raise themselves up, until also they had all the qualities needed, so that they could all go to the tree together. So that is what they did, all of them struggled and worked until they were all on the same level. And when they had all reached that level, they also discovered that they were all in agreement as to which direction they had to go in to get to the tree, and they set off to go there.
They traveled for some time, until they were able to see the tree in the distance. And they looked and saw that the tree did not stand in space, for it occupied no place at all. And if it does not exist in space, how can one possibly get to it? And I, (the hunch-backed beggar,) I was also there with them. And I said to them, "I can take you to the tree. For this tree does not exist in space at all, for it is completely above space, whereas the concept of the 'little that holds a lot' only exists within space. In other words, the tree certainly must occupy the slightest amount of space, and it is precisely there, that minuscule amount of space, that has the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' And the aspect of the 'little that holds a lot' that I possess is at the very end of space, above which there is no further space. Therefore I can take all of you to the tree, which is completely above space." (I.e. the beggar's aspect of the 'little that holds a lot' enabled him to be both in space and above space. For he possessed the highest possible perfection of the 'little that holds a lot,' which is the aspect of the final limit of space, above which there is no more space, for there, it is already the aspect of completely above space.) And I took them, and carried them all to the tree.
So I have the approbation of those people that I have the highest possible aspect of the 'little that holds a lot.' (And this is why he seemed to be a hunch-back, because he was able to carry so much, which was the aspect of the 'little holding a lot.') And now I give it to you as a wedding present, that you should be like me." And the happiness and rejoicing continued there at the feast.

On the sixth day there was also great rejoicing. And the young couple yearned for the beggar with no hands to come to the feast. Suddenly he appeared and said, "Here I am. I have come to join your wedding celebration." And he kissed and hugged them. And he also said to them, "You think that I have a defect in my hands, but this is not the case. In fact, my hands are tremendously powerful, but I do not use the power in my hands in this world. Because I need to use them for a different matter. And I have the approbation regarding this from the Water Castle.
Once, there were some people sitting together, and each one was boasting about the power in his hands, each with a different power. One boasted that his hands were so powerful that even after he had shot an arrow, he could retrieve it and bring it back to himself. I asked him, "Which arrow can you bring back?" For there are ten different types of arrows, depending on which of the ten different types of poisons the arrow is dipped in, each poison more powerful than the last. The arrows all being identical, just which poison used being the difference. Which is why I asked him which type of arrow was he able to bring back. I also asked him whether he was able to retrieve the arrow even after it had hit the target, or only before it hit. To that, he answered that he was able to retrieve it even after it had hit the target, but as to which arrow he was referring to, he specified only one type. I, (the beggar with no hands,) said to him, "If so, you will not be able to heal the Princess, if you are only able to retrieve the one type of arrow."
One boasted that the power in his hands was such that any time he received anything from anyone, he was actually giving to them. (His actual taking was an act of giving.) Therefore he was a master at giving charity. I asked him which charity he was able to give. (For there are ten different types of charity.) He answered that he was able to give a tithe. I said to him, "If so, you will not be able to heal the Princess, because you will not be able to get to her. For you are only able to go through the first wall."
Another described the power in his hands, saying that there are ministers throughout the world, who each need a certain wisdom, and through the power of his hands, he is able to give them that wisdom through placing his hands upon them. I asked him, "Which wisdom are you able to give with your hands?" For there are ten types of wisdom. He told me which type. I said to him, "In that case, you will not be able to heal the Princess. Because you will not be able to read her pulse, because you only know one type of pulse. For there are ten types of pulse, and if you are only able to bestow one type of wisdom with your hands, you will only be able to know one of the types of pulse."
One boasted that he was able to quench a storm wind with his hands, and turn it into a gentle breeze. I asked him, "Over which wind do you have control?" For there are ten different types of wind. He told me which particular one. I said to him, "In that case you will not be able to heal the Princess. Because you will only be able to play one particular tune for her. For there are ten types of tunes, and through music she can be healed, but you will only be able to play for her one of the tunes." They then asked me, "So what are you able to do?" I answered, "I can do all that all of you are unable to do. I can do all that you can do, and also the other nine that you can not.
And regarding this there is a story. Once there was a king that wanted to capture a certain Princess. He tried all kinds of schemes until he finally succeeded. One time he had a dream that she was standing over him and killing him. When he awoke, he could not get the dream out of his mind. So he called all his dream interpreters, and they explained the dream to him in its simple sense, that she really was going to kill him. The king could not decide what to do about it. To kill her would upset him very much. To expel her would be even worse, because then somebody else would take her. And he had had to work so hard to capture her in the first place, and now she would belong to someone else. And also, if she had someone else to help her, it would be even more likely that the dream would come true, and that she would kill him. Yet he was scared to keep her by him, because of the dream. He could not decide what to do. Meanwhile, his love for her gradually died, because of the dream. And her love for him also gradually died, until she came to hate him, and she ran away from him.
The king sent out people to find out where she is. And the word came back that she was at the Water Castle. For there is a Water Castle, which has ten walls, each inside the other, all of them made of water. Also the grounds within the Castle were made of water. There were also trees and fruit, all made of water. There is no need to add how wonderful that Castle was. For such a thing is completely unheard of, that a whole castle should be made of water. To enter the Castle was impossible, for one would drown in the water.
The Princess, when she ran away, came to this Castle, and was wandering around the outside of it. They told the king where she was, and he went, with his soldiers to capture her. When she saw them, she decided to run into the Castle, for it was preferable to her to drown in the water, than that she should be captured again by the king. And who knows, perhaps she would survive, and be able to enter the Castle. When the king saw her running into the Castle, he said, "So be it," and he ordered his soldiers to shoot at her, and if she were to die, too bad. So they shot at her, and hit her with all the ten types of arrows, coated with the ten different poisons. She ran away into the Castle, and went through the gates in each of the ten walls made of water. For there were gates in each wall. And she went right through them all, into the inside of the Castle, and fell down and fainted there. And I, (the beggar with no hands,) heal her.
For one who does not have in his hands the ten types of charity, (mentioned previously,) can not enter through the ten walls, for he would drown in the water. And the king and his soldiers chased after her, and did indeed drown. But I am able to enter through all the ten walls, which are made like waves of the sea, standing as walls, and held up by the winds. And these waves, which are the ten walls, they stand there permanently, and I am able to enter into them, and remove the ten arrows from the Princess. I also know all the ten types of pulse, which can be felt through the ten fingers. Because each of the ten fingers can register one of the ten types of pulse. And I can heal her through the ten types of tunes. And I go ahead and heal her. So it is clear that I have all the aforementioned powers in my hands. And this I now give to you as a gift." And the happiness and rejoicing was overwhelming, there at the wedding feast.

[This story has not one single redundant word, and anyone well versed in the sacred literature, will be able to find a number of clues there, as to things mentioned in the story. For instance, regarding the arrows, that is what is written in Devarim, 32:41, "My hand will take hold of judgment," and Rashi explains there, a human fires an arrow, but can not retrieve it, Hashem, however, can both fire an arrow and retrieve it after He has fired it.
Regarding the ability to give charity, which was needed to pass through the walls of water, that is what is written, Isaiah, 48:18, "and thy righteousness (charity) as the waves of the sea."
Regarding the one who could control the wind with his hands, it is written, Proverbs, 30:4, "Who has gathered the wind in his fists?" Which is the aspect of music, see Likutei Moharan, I:54.
Regarding the ten types of tune, connected to the ten types of pulse, see Likutei Moharan, II:24.
The stories also mention some of the earlier Tzaddikim, for instance King David, who stood at the edge of the world and cried to the spring that flowed from the rock on the top of the mountain, as he says in Tehillim 61. All the above we heard from Rabbi Nachman himself. In fact the whole Psalm there is referred to in the story of the third day, as it says, "Add days to the life of the King," i.e. add a new day each day. "Appoint loving kindness and truth that they may preserve him," here we see the Man of True Kindness. For all the days are created by him, and he continually gives and adds on to the days of the King, which is the Heart, which is the aspect of King David. And as it says there, "that they may preserve him," for as it comes to the final minutes of each day, at which point the Spring is soon to die, and therefore the Heart, and therefore all the world, G-D forbid, the Man of True Kindness is watching over all this, and he comes and gives another day to the Heart, etc. Which is, "Thus will I praise your name for ever, as I pay my vows, day by day." For each day that he gives to the Heart, comes with its songs and melodies, as above. And when the Heart needs to rest, a bird comes and shelters it from the sun, as it says, "I will trust in the shelter of your wings for ever."
In the story of the first day, with each of the elders remembering their earliest memory, where the youngest of all can only remember as far back as his umbilical cord being cut, Rabbi Nachman said that this is referred to in the Yerushalmi, (Kesuvos, 36b,) where Shmuel boasts that he can remember the pain of the Milah, and etc. see there.
But as to the story itself, who were the beggars, when did this all happen, what are all the stories about, these things Rabbi Nachman did not explain. The story of the seventh day, about the beggar with no feet, and the conclusion of the introduction, about the king's son that took over the kingdom, these he said that he would not tell. Who can fathom even a fraction of the many clues and wondrous secrets contained in this story.
(We have been forced to sacrifice a literal translation in favor of readability, nevertheless, we have kept as close as we could to the original.)]

30.10 Bahir

30.10.1 The Book of Illumination

30.10.1.1 The First Verses of Creation

30.10.1.2 The Aleph-Beth

30.10.1.3 The Seven Voices and the Sephiroth

45. He ( Rabbi Amorai) said: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 20:15) , "And all the people saw the voices." These are the voice regarding which King David spoke. It is thus written (Psalm 29:3) , "The voice of God is upon the waters, the God of glory thunders." [This is the first voice.] [The second voice is] (Psalm 29:4), "The voice of God comes in strength." Regarding this it is written (Isaiah 10:13) , "By the strength of my hand have I done it." It is likewise written (Isaiah 48:13) , "Also My Hand has founded the earth." [The third voice is] (Psalm 29:4), "The voice of God is with majesty." It is also written (Psalm 111:3), "Splendour and majesty are His works, his righteousness stands forever." [The fourth voice is] (Psalm 29:5), "God's voice breaks the cedars." This is the bow that breaks the cypress and cedar trees. [The fifth voice is] (Psalm 29:7), "God's voice draws out flames of fire." This is what makes peace between water and fire. It draws out the power of the fire and prevents it from evaporating the water. It also prevents [the water] from extinguishing it. [The sixth voice is] (Psalm 29:8) , "God's voice shakes the desert." It is thus written (Psalm 18:51) "He does kindness to his Messiah, to David and his descendants until eternity" more than [when Israel was] in the desert. [The seventh voice is] (Psalm 29:9), "God's voice makes hinds to calf, strips the forests bare, and in His Temple, all say Glory." It is thus written (Song of Songs 2:7) "I bind you with an oath, O daughters of Jerusalem, with the hosts, or with the hinds of the field." This teaches us that the Torah was given with seven voices. In each of them the Master of the universe revealed Himself to them, and they saw Him. It is thus written, "And all the people saw the voices."

46. One verse states (2 Samuel 22:10), "He bent the heavens and came down, with gloom under His feet." Another verse says (Exodus 19:20) "And God came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain." Still another verse, however, (Exodus 20:22) states "From heaven I spoke to you." How is this reconciled? His "great fire" was on earth, and this was one voice. The other voices were in heaven. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 4:36) , "From the heavens He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you. And on the earth He showed you His great fire, and His words you heard from the fire." Which [fire] was that? It was the "great [fire" that was on the earth.] From where did the speech emanate? From this fire, as it is written, "and His words you heard from the fire."

47. What is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 4:12), "You saw no form, only a voice"? This was explained when Moses said to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:15), "You did not see an entire image." You saw an image, but not an "entire image." What is this like? A king stands before his servants wrapped in a white robe. Even though he is far away, they can still hear his voice. This is true even though they cannot see his throat when he speaks. In a similar manner, they saw an image, but not an "entire image". It is therefore written, "You saw no form, only a voice." It is also written (Deuteronomy 4:12) "A voice of words you heard."

48. One verse (Exodus 20:15), states, "and all the people saw the voices." Another verse, however, (Deuteronomy 4:12) states, "The voice of words you heard." How can [the two be reconciled]? At first they saw the voices. What did the see? The seven voices mentioned by David. But in the end they heard the word that emanated from them all. But we have learned that there were ten. Our sages taught that they were all said with a single word. But we have said that there were seven. There were seven voices. Regarding three of them it is written (Deuteronomy 4:12) , "The voice of words you heard, but you saw no form, only a voice." This teaches us that they were all said with a single word. This is so that Israel should not make a mistake and say, "Others helped him. It might have been one of the angels. But His voice alone could not be so powerful." It was for this reason that he came back and included them [in a single word].

49. Another explanation: It was so that the world should not say that since there were ten sayings for ten kings, it might be that He could not speak for them all through one. He therefore said (Exodus 20:2), "I am [the Lord you God]," which included all ten. What are the ten kings? They are the seven voices and three sayings (Amarim). What are the sayings? [They are the ones alluded to in the verse] (Deuteronomy 26:18) "God has said for you today." "What are the three? [Two are mentioned in the verse] (Proverbs 4:7), "The beginning is Wisdom: acquire Wisdom, with all your acquisition, acquire Understanding." It is thus written (Job 32:8), "The soul of Shaddai gives them Understanding." The soul of Shaddai is what gives them Understanding. What is the third one? As the old man said to the child, "What is hidden from you, do not seek, and what is concealed from you, do not probe. Where you have authority, seek to understand, but you have nothing to do with mysteries."

50. We have learned (Proverbs 25:2), "The glory of God is to hide a word." What is "a word"? That of which it is written (Psalm 119:160), "The Beginning of Your word is truth." [It is also written] (Proverbs 25:2), "The glory of kings is to probe a word." What is this "word"? That of which it is written (Proverbs 25:11), "A word spoken in its proper place (Aphen-av) ", do not read "its proper place" (Aphen-av), but "its wheel" (Ophen'av).

51. The students asked Rabbi Berachiah, "Let us discuss these words with you," but he would not give them permission. Once, however, he did give them permission, but he did so to test them, to see if they would now pay good attention. One day he tested them and said, "Let me hear your wisdom." They began and said: "In the beginning" is one. [Two is] (Isaiah 57:16), "The spirit that unwraps itself is from Me, and I have made souls." [Three is] (Psalm 65:10), "The divisions of God are filled with water." What are these "divisions?" You taught us, our master, that God took the waters of creation and separated them, placing half in the skies and half in the ocean. This is the meaning of "the divisions of God are filled with water." Through them, man studies the Torah. Rabbi Chama thus taught: Because of the merit of deeds of kindness, a person can study the Torah. It is thus written (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, let all who are thirsty come for water, let him without silver come, stock up and eat." Go to Him, and He will do kindness with you, and you will "stock up and eat."

52. “Let him without silver come” can also be explained in another way. Let him come to God, for He has silver. It is thus written (Haggai 2:8), “Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold.” What is the meaning of the verse, “Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold”? What is this like? A king had two treasuries, one of silver, and one of gold. He placed that of silver to his right, and that of gold to his left. He said [of the silver], “This should be ready, and easy to take out.” He keeps his words calm. He is attached to the poor and directs them calmly. It is thus written (Exodus 15:6), “Your right hand, O God, is mighty in power.” If he rejoices in his portion, then all is well. If not, then (Exodus 15:6), “Your right hand, O God, crumbles the enemy.” He said to them: This is referring to the gold. It is thus written, “Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold.”

53. Why is [gold] called Zahav? Because it includes three attributes, [alluded to in its three letters, Zayin, Heh, Beth ]. [The first attribute is] Male, (Zachar) . This is the Zayin. [The second is] the Soul. This is the Heh. [The numerical value of Heh is five, alluding to] the five names of the soul: Nephesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chiah, Yechidah. What is the purpose the Heh ? It is a throne for the Zayin . It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 5:7), "For one above the other watches." The Beth is its sustenance. It is thus written (Genesis 1:1), “In (Beth) the beginning [God] created...”

54. What is its function here? What is this like? A king once had a daughter who was good, pleasant, beautiful and perfect. He married her to a royal prince, and clothed, crowned and bejewelled her, giving her much money. Is it possible for the king to ever leave his daughter? You will agree that it is not. Is it ever possible for him to be with her constantly? You will also agree that it is not. What can he then do? He can place a window between the two, and whenever the father needs the daughter, or the daughter needs the father, they can come together through the window. It is thus written (Psalm 45:14) , "All glorious is the king's daughter inside, her garment is interwoven with gold ."

55. What is the Beth at the end? [As it is written] (Proverbs 24:3), "With wisdom will the house (Bayit) be built." The verse does not say "was built", but "will be built". In the future God will build and decorate it, thousands of times more than it was. It is as we have said: Why does the Torah begin with a Beth ? As it is written (Proverbs 8:30) , "I was with Him as a craftsman, I was His delight for a day, a day, [frolicking before Him at every time]." These are the two thousand years, which are the "beginning". Two? But the scripture says seven, as it is written (Isaiah 30:26), "The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold [like the light of the seven days." And we said, "Just like the sun was for seven, so the moon was for seven." [He replied,] "I said thousands." 56. They said to him: Up until now there are five. What comes next? He replied: First I will explain gold. What is gold? We learn that it is where justice emanates. If you bend your words to the right or left, you will be punished.

57. What is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 30:26), “The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days.” The verse does not say “seven days,” but “the seven days.” These are the days regarding which it is written (Exodus 31:17), “For six days God made [the heaven and the earth].” As you said, God made six beautiful vessels. What are they? “The heaven and the earth.” Are they not seven? Yes, as it is written (ibid.) “And on the seventh day, He rested and souled.” What is the meaning of “souled?” This teaches us that the Sabbath sustains all souls. It is therefore written that it souled.

58. Another explanation: This teaches us that it is from there that souls fly forth. It is thus written, "and He souled." This continues for a thousand generations. It is thus written (Psalm 105:8), "The word that He commanded until a thousand generations." Immediately after this it says, "[the covenant] that He cut with Abraham." What is the meaning of "cut"? He cut a covenant between the ten fingers of his hands and the ten toes of his feet. Abraham was ashamed. God then said to him (Genesis 17:4), "And I, behold My covenant is with you," and with it, "you will be the father of many nations."

59. Why is heaven called Shamayim? This teaches that God kneaded fire and water, and combined them together. From this He made the "beginning of His word." It is thus written (Psalm 119:160), "The beginning of your word is truth." It is therefore called Shamayim Sham Mayim (there is water) Esh Mayim (fire water). He said to them: This is the meaning of the verse (Job 25:2), "He makes peace in His heights." He placed peace and love between them. May He also place peace and love among us.

60. We also say (Psalm 119:164), "seven times each day I praised You for Your righteous judgement." They asked him, "What are they?" He replied, "You do not look at it carefully. Be precise and you will find them."

61. They asked him, "What is the letter Tzaddi?"" He said: Tzaddi is a Nun and a Yod . Its mate is also a Nun and a Yod. It is thus written (Proverbs 10:25), "The righteous (Tzadik) is the foundation of the world."

62. They asked him: What is the meaning of the verse [with regard to Balak and Balaam] (Numbers 23:14), "And he took him to the field of the seers."? What is the "field of the seers"? As it is written (Song of Songs 7:12), "Come my beloved, let us go out to the field." Do not read Sadeh (the field), but Sidah (carriage). What is this carriage? He said, "The Heart of the Blessed Holy One." His heart said to the Blesssed Holy One, "Come my beloved, let us go out to the carriage to stroll. It will not constantly sit in one place."

63. What is his heart? He said: If so, Ben Zoma is out side, and you are with him. The heart (Lev) [in numerical value] is thirty-two. These are concealed, and with them the world was created. What these 32? He said: These are the 32 Paths. This is like a king who was in the innermost of many chambers. The number of such chambers was 32, and to each one there was a path. Should the king the bring everyone to his chamber through these paths? You will agree that he should not. Should he reveal his jewels, his tapestries, his hidden and concealed secrets? You will again agree that he should not. What then does he do? He touches the Daughter, and includes all the paths in her and in her garments. One who wants to go inside should gaze there. He married her to a king, and also gave her to him as a gift. Because of his love for he, he sometimes calls her "my sister," since they are both from one place. Sometimes he calls her his daughter, since she is actually his daughter. And sometimes he calls her "my mother."

64. Furthermore, if there is no wisdom, then there is no justice. It is thus written (1 Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." He then judged the case [of the two mothers and the infant] correctly, and it is then written (1 Kings 3:28), "And all Israel of the judgement that the Kind had judged, and they feared the king, for they say that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgement."

65. And what wisdom did God give to Solomon? Solomon had God's name. We have thus said that whenever Solomon is mentioned in the Song of Songs, it is a holy name, except in one case. God said to him, "Since your name is like the name of My Glory, I will let you marry my daughter." But she is married! Let us say that He gave her to him as a gift. It is thus written (1 Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." Here, however, it is not explained. Where then is it explained? When the scripture states (1 Kings 3:28), "For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgement." We then see that the wisdom that God gave him was such that he could "do judgement." What is the meaning of "to do judgement?" As long as a person does judgement, God's wisdom is inside him. This is what helps him and draws him near. If not, it repels him, and not only that, but it also punishes him. It is thus written (Leviticus 26:28), "I will chastise you, also I."

66. And Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Leviticus 26:28), "[I will chastise you,] also I"? God said, "I will chastise you." The Congregation of Israel said, "Do not think that I will seek mercy for you, but I will chastise you. Not only will I render judgement, but I will also chastise you."

67. What is the meaning of (Leviticus 26:28), "[I will chastise you, also I], seven for your sins"? The Congregation of Israel said: "I will chastise you, also I" and also those regarding which it is written (Psalm 119:164) , "Seven each day I praised You." They joined her and replied: Also us seven. Even though among us is the one who reverses itself, the one who oversees good and merit, we too will reverse ourselves and chastise. Why? Because of your sins. But if you return to Me, then I will return to you. It is thus written (Malachi 3:7), "Return to Me, and I will return to you." The scripture does not say, "I will bring you back to Me." Instead it says, "I will return to you" with you. We will all seek mercy from the King. What does the King say? [He says] (Jeremiah 3:22), "Return you backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings." [He also says] (Ezekiel 18:30), "Return and bring back." What is the meaning of the verse, "Return and bring back"? Come back and ask those Seven to return with you. The scripture therefore says, "and bring back " those regarding which it is written, "seven for your sin."

68. The disciples asked Rabbi Rahumai: What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:1), "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, for errors." A prayer? It should be called a praise [since it speaks of God's greatness]. But whoever turns his heart from worldly affairs and delves in the Works of the Chariot * is accepted before God as if he prayed all day. It is therefore called "a prayer." What is the meaning of "for errors"? As it is written [regarding wisdom] (Proverbs 5:19), "With its love you shall always err." Regarding what is this speaking? The Works of the Chariot, as it is written (Habbakuk 3:2) * i.e "Maaseh Merkavah" or Merkavah Mysticism which Kaplan says was synonymous with the Qabalah at the time the Bahir was first composed. "O God, I heard a report of You and I feared."

69. What is the meaning of, "I heard a report of You and I feared, [O God, bring to life Your works in the midst of the years]"? Why does the verse say "I feared" after "I heard a report of You," and not after "in the midst of the years"? But it was "from the report of You" that "I feared." What is the "report of You"? It is the place where they listen to reports. Why does the verse say "I heard" and not "I understood"? [The word "heard" has the connotation of understanding] as we find (Deuteronomy 38:49), "A nation whose language you do not hear."

70. Why did he say "I feared"? Because the ear looks like the letter Aleph . The Aleph is the first of all letters. Besides this, the Aleph causes all the letters to endure. The Aleph looks like the brain. When you mention the Aleph you open your mouth. The same is true of thought, when you extend your thoughts to the Infinite and Boundless. From Aleph emanate all letters. Do we not see that it is first? It is thus written (Micah 2:13), "God (YHVH) is at their head." We have a rule that every Name that is written Yod He Vav He is specific to the Blessed Holy One and is sanctified with holiness. What is the meaning of "with holiness"? This is the Holy Palace. Where is the Holy Palace? We would say that it is in thought and in the Aleph . This is the meaning of the verse, "I heard a report of You and I feared."

71. Habakkuk therefore said: I know that my prayer is accepted with delight. I also delighted when I cam to that place where I understood "a report of You and I feared." Therefore, "Bring to life your works in the midst of the years" through Your unity. What is this like? A king who was talented, hidden and concealed went into his house and commanded that no one seek him. One who does seek is therefore afraid, lest the king find out that he has violated the king's order. [Habakkuk] therefore said, "I feared, O God, bring to life Your works in the midst of the years." This is what Habakkuk said: Because You name is in You, and You is Your name, "bring to life Your works in the midst of the years." Thus will it be forever.

72. Another explanation of "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years": What is this like? A king had a beautiful pearl, and it was the treasure of his kingdom. When he is happy, he embraces it, kisses it, places it on his head, and loves it. Habakkuk said: Even though Kings are with You, the beloved pearl is in Your world. Therefore, "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years." What is the meaning of "years"? It is written (Genesis 1:3), "And God said, `Let there be light.'" Light is nothing other than day, as it is written (Genesis 1:16) , "The great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night." Years are made from days. It is thus written, "Bring to life Your works in the midst of years" in the midst of that pearl that gives rise to years.

73. But it is written (Isaiah 43:5), "[Fear not, for I am with you,] I will bring your seed from the east." The sun rises in the east, and you say that the pearl is day. [He replied:] I am only speaking with regard to the verse (Genesis 1:5) "And it was evening and it was morning, day." Regarding this it is written (Genesis 2:4), "In the day that God made earth and heaven."

74. And it is written (Psalm 18:12), "He made darkness His hiding place round about, His Succah the darkness of waters , thick clouds of the skies (Shechakim)." He said: Regarding this it is written (Isaiah 45:8), "The skies (Shechakim) pour down righteousness." This righteousness (Tzadik) is the Attribute of Judgment for the world. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 16:20), "Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue." Immediately after this, it is written, "that you may live and occupy the land." If you judge yourself, then you will live. If not, then it will judge you, and it will be fulfilled, even against your will.

75. Why does the Torah say "righteousness, righteousness" twice? He said: Because the scripture continues (Psalm 18:13), "At the glow opposite Him." The first "righteousness" is literal righteousness (Tzedek). This is the Divine Presence [i.e Shekinah]. It is thus written (Isaiah 1:21), "Righteousness dwells in it." What is the second "righteousness"? This is the righteousness that frightens the righteous. Is this righteousness charity (Tzadakah) or not? He said that it is not. Why? Because it is written (Isaiah 59:17), "He put on righteousness like a coat of mail, and [a helmet of salvation on His head]." His head is nothing other than Truth. It is thus written (Psalm 119:160), "The head of Your word is truth." Truth is nothing other than peace. It is thus written [that King Hezekiah said] (Isaiah 39:8), "There shall be peace and truth in my days." Is it possible for a man to say this? But this is what Hezekiah said: The attribute that You gave to David my ancestor is half of my days, and peace and truth are half of my days. It is for this reason that he mentioned "my days." He mentioned both "peace and truth" and "in my days," since it is all one. It is thus written (Genesis 1:5), "And it was evening, and it was morning, one day." [The day reconciles morning and evening, and is therefore peace.] Just as the day is peace, so he chose peace. It is therefore written (2 Kings 20:19), "Peace and truth shall be in my days." This shall be through the attribute that You gave to David. Regarding this, it is written (Psalm 89:37), "His throne shall be like the sun before Me."

76. What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:2), "In the midst of years make it known"? He said: I know that You are the holy God, as it is written (Exodus 15:11), "Who is like You, mighty in holiness?" Holiness is in You and You are in holiness. Nevertheless, "in the midst of years make it known." What is the meaning of "make it known"? [This means] that You should have mercy. It is thus written (Exodus 2:25), "And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew." What is the meaning of, "and God knew"? What is this like? A king had a beautiful wife, and had children from her. He loved them and raised them, but they went out to bad ways. He then hated both them and their mother. The mother went to them and said, "My children! Why do you do this: Why do you make your father hate both you and me?" [She spoke to them in this manner] until they had remorse and did the will of their father. When the king saw this, he loved them as much as he did in the beginning. He then also remembered their mother. This is the meaning of the verse, "And God saw... and God knew." This is also the meaning of the verse, "In the midst of years make it known."

77. What is the meaning of the verse (Habakkuk 3:2) "In anger, you shall remember love (rachem)" ? He said: When Your children sin before You and You are angry at them, "remember love." What is the meaning of "remember love"? That regarding which it is written (Psalm 18:2), "I love (rachem) You O God, my strength." And You have him this attribute, which is the Divine Presence of Israel. He recalled his son whom he inherited, and whom You gave to him. It is thus written (I Kings 5:26), "And God gave wisdom to Solomon." And You should remember their father Abraham, as it is written (Isaiah 41:8), "The seed of Abraham My friend" "In the midst of years make it known."

78. Where do we see that Abraham had a daughter? It is written (Genesis 24:1), "And God blessed Abraham with all (Bakol)." It is also written (Isaiah 43:7), " All that is called by My name, for My glory I created it, I formed it, also I made it." Was this blessing his daughter, or was it not? Yes, it was his daughter. What is this like? A king had a slave who was complete and perfect before him. The king tested the slave in many ways, but the slave withstood all temptation. The King said, "What will I give that slave? What should I do for him? I can do nothing but command my older brother to advise him, watch over him and honour him." The slave thus went to the older brother and learned his attributes. The brother loved him very much, and called him his friend. It is thus written (Isaiah 41:8), "The seed of Abraham My friend." He said, "What will I give him? What can I do for him? Behold I have made a beautiful vessel, and in it are beautiful jewels. There is nothing like it in the treasuries of kings. I will give it to him, and he will be worthy in his place." This is the meaning of the verse, "And God blessed Abraham with all."

79. Another explanation: [It is written] (Habakkuk 3:2), "I heard a report of You and I feared." [This means] "I understood what was reported about You and I feared." What did he understand? He understood God's thought. Even [human] thought has no end, for man can think, and descend to the end of the world. The ear also has no end and is not satiated. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The ear is not satiated from hearing." Why is this so? Because the ear is in the shape of an Aleph. Aleph is the root of the Ten Commandments. Therefore "the ear is not satiated from hearing."

80. What is the meaning of the letter Zayin in the word Ozen (ear)? We have said that everything that the Blessed Holy One brought into His world has a name emanating form its concept. It is thus written (Genesis 2:19), "All that the man called each living soul, that was its name." This teaches us that each thing's body was thus. And how do we know that each thing's name is its body? It is written (Proverbs 10:7) , "The memory of the righteous shall be a blessing, and the name of the wicked shall rot." What actually rots, their name or their body? [One must agree that it is their body.] Here too, [each thing's name refers to] its body.

81. What is an example of this? Take the word for root Shoresh (Shin Resh Shin). The letter Shin looks like the roots of a tree. [ Resh is bent, since] the root of every tree is bent. And what is the function of the final Shin? This teaches us that if you take a branch and plant it, it will root again. What is its function of the Zayin [in Ozen ear]? [Its numerical value is seven] corresponding to the seven days of the week. This teaches us that each day has its own power. And what is its function [in the word Ozen ]? This teaches us that just like there is infinite wisdom in the ear, so is there power in all parts of the body.

82. What art the seven parts of man's body? It is written (Genesis 9:6), "In the form of God, He made man." It is also written (Genesis 1:27), "In the form of God He made him" counting all his limbs and parts. But we have said: What does the letter Vav resemble? It is alluded to in the verse (Psalm 104:5), "He spreads out light like a garment." For Vav is nothing other than the six directions. He replied: The covenant of circumcision and man's mate are considered as one. His is two hands then make three, his head and body, five, and his two legs make seven. Paralleling all these are their powers in heaven. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 7:14) , "Also one opposite the other had God made." These are the days [of the week, as it is written] (Exodus 31:17), "Because six days God made the heaven and the earth." The scripture does not say "in six days," but rather, "six days." This teaches us that each day [of the week] has its own specific power.

83 What is the significance of the Nun [in the word Ozen ]? This teaches us that the brain is the main part of the spinal cord. It constantly draws from there, and if not for the spinal cord, the brain could not endure. And without the brain, the body could not endure. The entire body exists only in order to provide for the needs of the brain. And if the body did not endure, then the brain would also not endure. The spinal cord is the channel from the brain to the entire body. It is represented by the bent Nun . But [in the word Ozen ] the Nun is a straight one. The straight Nun is the one that is always at the end of a word. This teaches us that the straight Nun includes both the bent one and the straight one. But the bent Nun is the Foundation. This teaches us that the straight Nun includes both male and female.

84. The open Mem . What is the open Mem ? It includes both male and female. What is the closed Mem ? It is made like a belly from above. But Rabbi Rahumai said that the belly is like the letter Teth . He said it is like a Teth on the inside, while I say that it is like a Mem on the outside.

85 What is a Mem? Do not read Mem, but Mayim (water). Just like water is wet, so is the belly always wet. Why does the open Mem include both male and female, while the closed Mem is male? This teaches us that the Mem is primarily male. The opening was then added to it for the sake of the female. Just like the male cannot give birth, so the closed Mem cannot give birth. And just like the female has an opening with which to give birth, so can the open Mem give birth. The Mem is therefore open and closed.

86. Why should the Mem have two forms, open and closed? Because we said: Do not read Mem, but Mayim (Water). The woman is cold, and therefore, must be warmed by the male. Why should the Nun have two forms, bent and straight? Because it is written (Psalm 72:17), "Before the sun shall his name reign (ya-Nun)." [This is] from two Nuns, the bent Nun and the straight Nun, and it must be through male and female.

87. It is written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The ear is not satiated from hearing." It is also written (Ecclesiastes 1:8), "The eye is not satiate from seeing." This teaches us that both draw from thought. What is thought? It is a king that is needed by all things that were created in the world, both above and below.

88. What is the meaning of the expression, "It rose in thought"? Why do we not say that "it descended [in thought]"? Indeed, we have said, "One who gazes into the vision of the Chariot first descends and then ascends." We use the expression [of descent] there because we say, "One who gazes into the vision (Tzafayat) of the Chariot." The Aramaic translation of "vision" (Tzafiyat) is Sechuta [meaning a covering, and alluding to the fact that one is looking down from above]. It is also written (Isaiah 21:8), "And he called as a lion: `Upon the watchtower (Mitzpeh), O God.'" Here, however, we are speaking of thought, [and therefore only speak of ascent]. For thought does not include any vision, and has no ending whatsoever. And anything that has no end or limit does not have any descent. People therefore say, "Someone descended to the limit of his friend's knowledge." One can arrive at the limit of a person's knowledge, but not at the limit of his thought.

89. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the Segol? Its name is Segulah (treasure). It comes after the Zarka. What is the meaning of Zarka? It is like its name something that is thrown (ni Zrak). It is like something that is thrown, and after it comes (Ecclesiastes 2:8), "the treasures of kings and lands."

90. What is the reason that it is called Zarka? It is written (Ezekiel 3:12), "Blessed is the glory of God from His place." This indicates that no being knows His place. We recite [God's] name of the Crown, and it goes to the head of the Owner. It is thus written [regarding God] (Genesis 14:19), "Owner of heaven and earth." When it goes, it is like it is thrown (Zarka) . Following it is treasure (Segulah). It is at the head of all letters.

91. Why is [this accent] at the end of a word, and not at the beginning? This teaches us that this Crown rises higher and higher. It is included and crowned, as it is written (Psalm 118:22), "The stone that the builders rejected has become the head cornerstone." It ascend to the place from which it was graven, as it is written (Genesis 49:24), "From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel."

92. He also said: What is the reason that we place blue wool in the Tzitzit? And why are there 32 [threads]? What is this like? A king had a beautiful garden, and in it were 32 paths. He placed a watchman over them to show that all these paths belong to him alone. [The king] said to him, "Watch them, and walk upon them every day. As long as you walk these paths, you will have peace." What did the watchman do? He appointed other watchmen [as his assistants to watch] over them. He said, "If I remain alone on these paths, it is impossible for me, a single watchman, to maintain them all. Besides that, people may say that I am the king." The watchman therefore placed his assistants over all the paths. These are the 32 paths.

93. What is the reason for the blue? The watchman said, "Perhaps those assistant watchmen will say that the garden belongs to us." He therefore gave them a sign, and told them, "See this. It is the sign of the king, indicating that the garden belongs to him. He is the one who made these paths, and they are not mine. This is his deal." What is this like? A king and his daughter had slaves, and they wanted to travel abroad. But [the slaves] were afraid, being in terror of the king. He therefore gave them his sign. They were also afraid of the daughter, and she [also] gave them a sign. They said, "From now on, with these two signs, `God will watch you from all evil, He will safeguard your soul.'"

94. Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (1 Kings 8:27), "Behold the heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain You"? This teaches us that the Blessed Holy One has 72 names. All of them were placed in the Tribes [of Israel]. It is thus written (Exodus 28:10), "Six of their names on one stone, and the names of the other six on the other stone, according to their generations." It is also written (Joshua 4:9), "He raised up twelve stones." Just like the first are (Exodus 28:12), "stones of memorial," so these are (Joshua 4:7), "stones of memorial." [There are therefore] 12 stones [each containing six names] making a total of 72. These parallel the 72 names of the Blessed Holy One. Why do they begin with twelve? This teaches us that God has twelve Directors. Each of these has six Powers [making a total of 72]. What are they? They are the 72 languages.

95. The Blessed Holy One has a single Tree, and it has twelve diagonal boundaries: The northeast boundary, the southeast boundary; The upper east boundary, the lower east boundary; The southwest boundary, the northwest boundary; The upper west boundary, the lower west boundary; The upper south boundary, the lower south boundary; The upper north boundary, the lower north boundary; They continually spread forever and ever; They are the arms of the world. On the inside of them is the Tree. Paralleling these diagonals there are twelve Functionaries. Inside the Sphere there are also twelve Functionaries. Including the diagonals themselves, this makes a total of 36 Functionaries. Each of these has another. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 5:7), "For one above another watches." [This makes a total of 72.] It therefore comes out that the east has nine, the west has nine, the north has nine, and the south has nine. These are twelve, twelve, twelve, and they are the Functionaries in the Axis, the Sphere, and the Heart. Their total is 36. The power of each of these 36 is in every other one. Even though there are twelve in each of the three, they are all attached to each other. Therefore, all 36 Powers are in the first one, which is the Axis. And if you seek them in the Sphere, you will find the very same ones. And if you seek them in the Heart, you will again find the very same ones. Each one therefore has 36. All of them do not have more than 36 forms. All of them complete the Heart [which has a numerical value of 32]. Four are then left over. Add 32 to 32 and the sum is 64. These are the 64 Forms. How do we know that 32 must be added to 32? Because it is written (Ecclesiastes 5:7) , "For one above another watches, [and there are higher ones above them]." We thus have 64, eight less than the 72 names of the Blessed Holy One. These are alluded to in the verse, "there are higher ones above them," and they are the seven days of the week. But one is still missing. This is referred to in the next verse (Ecclesiastes 5:8), "The advantage of the land in everything is the King." What is this "advantage"? This is the place from which the earth was graven. It is an advantage over what existed previously. And what is this advantage? Everything in the world that people see is taken from its radiance. Then it is an advantage.

96. What is the earth from which the heavens were graven? It is the Throne of the Blessed Holy One. It is the Precious Stone and the Sea of Wisdom. This parallels the blue in the Tzitzit. Rabbi Meir thus said: Why is blue chosen above all other colours [for the Tzitzit]? Because the blue resembles the sea, the sea resembles the sky,l and the sky resembles the Throne of Glory. It is thus written (Exodus 24:10), "They saw the God of Israel, and under His feet was like a pavement of sapphire, like the essence of heaven in clarity." It is furthermore written (Ezekiel 1:26) , "As the likeness of a sapphire stone was the appearance of a Throne."

97. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 25:2), "And they shall take for Me a lifted offering (Terumah) "? It means, "Lift Me up with your prayers." And whom? Those whose "hearts make them willing." These are the ones who are willing to draw themselves away from this world. Honour him, for it is in him that I rejoice, since he knows My name. From him it is fitting to take My lifted offering, as it is written (Exodus 25:2), "from each man whose heart makes him willing, you shall take My lifted offering." From he who makes himself willing. Rabbi Rahumai said: [This refers to] the righteous and pious in Israel who raise Me over all the world through their merit. From them the Heart is sustained, and the Heart sustains them.

98. And all the Holy Forms oversee all the nations. But Israel is holy, taking the Tree itself and its Heart. The Heart is the beauty (hadar) of the fruit of the body. Similarly, Israel takes (Leviticus 23:40), "the fruit of a beautiful (hadar) tree." The date palm is surrounded by its branches all around it and has its sprout (Lulav) in the centre. Similarly, Israel takes the body of this Tree which is its Heart. And paralleling the body is the spinal cord, which is the main part of the body. What is the Lulav ? [It can be written] Lo Lev "it has a heart." The heart is also given over to it. And what is this Heart? It is the 32 Hidden paths of Wisdom that are hidden in it. In each of their paths there is also a Form watching over it. It is thus written (Genesis 3:24) , "To watch the way of the Tree of Life."

99. What are these Forms? They are that regarding which it is written (Genesis 3:24), "And He placed the Cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword revolving, to guard the way of the Tree of Life." What is the meaning of, "He placed to the east (kedem) of the Garden of Eden"? He placed it in those paths that preceded (kadmu) the place that was called the Garden of Eden. It was also before the Cherubim, as it is written, "the Cherubim." It was furthermore before the flame, as it is written, "the flame of a sword revolving." Is it then before [the flame]? Heaven is called Shamayim , indicating that fire and water existed before it. It is written (Genesis 1:6), "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between water and water." It is then written (Genesis 1:8), "And God called the firmament heaven (Shamayim). " How do we know that the heaven is fire? It is written (Deuteronomy 4:24), "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

100. And how do we know that "" refers to the Blessed Holy One? It is written (1 Kings 8:36), "And you, O Heaven, shall hear." Was Solomon then praying to heaven that it should hear their prayers? But [we must say the he was praying] to the One whose name is Heaven. It is thus written (1 Kings 8:27), "Behold the heaven and the heaven of heaven cannot contain You." This is the name of the Blessed Holy One. You therefore have fire. How can you then say that it was before? But we must say that their Power existed before the Forms of that place. Only then did these Holy Forms come into existence. What is their Power? It is that regarding which it is written (I Samuel 2:2), "There is none holy like God, there is none other than You, and there is no Former like our God."

101. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: What is the Lulav that we discusses? It is the 36 (Lu) given over to 32 (Lav). And how? He replied: There are three Princes, the Axis, the Sphere and the Heart. Each one is twelve, and the three therefore constitute a sum of 36, through which the world is sustained. It is thus written (Proverbs 10:25), "And Righteous is the foundation of the world."

102. We learned: There is a single pillar extending from heaven to earth, and its name is Righteous (Tzadik) . [This pillar] is named after the righteous. When there are righteous people in the world, then it becomes strong, and when there are not, it becomes weak. It supports the entire world, as it is written, "And Righteous is the foundation of the world." If it becomes weak, then the world cannot endure. Therefore, even if there is only one righteous person in the world, it is he who supports the world. It is therefore written, "And a righteous one is the foundation of the world." You should therefore take My lifted offering from him first. Then (Exodus 25:3), "And this is the lifted offering that you should take from them" from the rest. What is it? "Gold, silver and copper."

103. Another explanation: It is written (Exodus 25:2) , "and the shall take for Me (Li) a lifted offering." [ Li (for Me) can also be read, "for the Yod. "] They shall take the Yod , which is the tenth, as a lifted offering to make it holy. How do we know that the tenth is holy? Because it is written (Leviticus 27:32) "The tenth shall be holy to God." What is holy? That regarding which it is written (Ezekiel 44:30), "The beginning of all the first fruits ... and every lifted offering of every thing." It is furthermore written (Psalm 111:10) , "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God." Do not read "is the fear" but "and the fear." [The verse will then read, "The beginning is wisdom and the fear of God.]

104. The disciples asked Rabbi Eliezer: Our master, what is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 13:2), "Sanctify to Me every first-born"? Does the Blessed Holy One then have a first-born? He replied: "Sanctify to Me (Li) every first-born" refers to nothing other than the second level of holiness. It is the name that is given to Israel, as it is written (Exodus 7:22), "My son, My first-born, Israel." To the extent that we can express it, He was with them [in Egypt] in the time of their oppression. It is therefore written (Exodus 4:27), "Send forth My son and he will serve Me." [Here, only "My son" is mentioned,] and not "My first-born." Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 22:7), "You shall surely send away the mother, and the children you shall take for yourself." Why does it not say, "You shall surely send away the father"? But the scripture says, "you shall surely send away the mother" in honour of the one who is called the Mother of the World. It is thus written (Proverbs 2:3), "For you shall call Understanding a Mother."

105. What is the meaning of, "and the children you shall take for yourself"? Rabbi Rahumai said: These are the children that she raised. And who are they? They are the seven days of creation, and the seven days of Sukkot . Are the seven [days of Sukkot ] then not the same as the seven days of the week? The difference is that [the days of Sukkot ] are more holy. Regarding them it is written (Leviticus 23:37), "holy convocations." But then, why not [also include the seven weeks before] Shavuot, since this is also called (Leviticus 23:21), "a holy convocation"? He replied: Yes, but this is the one and the other is two. It is thus written (Exodus 12:16), "The first day shall be a holy convocation, and the seventh day shall be a holy convocation." He said: Why is Shavuot one [day]? Because the Torah was given to Israel on that day. And when the Torah was created in the beginning, the Blessed Holy One ruled His world alone with it. It is thus written (Psalm 111:10), "The beginning is wisdom, the fear of God." [God] said [to it], "This being so, your holiness shall be yours by yourself." And what is Sukkot? He replied: the letter Beth [which has the connotation of a house (Bayit) ]. It is thus written (Proverbs 24:3), "With wisdom a house is built." And how do we know that Sukkot has the connotation of a house? As it is written (Genesis 33:17) , "And Jacob travelled to Sukkot. He built himself a house, and for his livestock he built Sukkot (huts). Therefore he named the place Sukkot."

106. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: What is the Axis (Teli) ? This is the likeness that is before the Blessed Holy One. It is thus written (Song of Songs 5:11), "His locks are curled (Taltalim). " What is the Sphere? This is the Womb. What is the Heart? It is that regarding which it is written (Deuteronomy 4:11), "unto the heart of heaven." In it are included the 32 mystical paths of Wisdom.

107. What is the meaning of the verse (Numbers 6:24-26) , "May God (YHVH) bless you and watch you. May God (YHVH) make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May God (YHVH) lift His face to you and give you peace." This is the explicit Name of the Blessed Holy One. It is the Name containing twelve letters, as it is written, YHVH YHVH YHVH. This teaches us that God's names consists of three troops. Each troop resembles the other, and each one's name is like [the other's] named. All of them are sealed with Yod He Vav He . And how? The [four letters] Yod He Vav He can be permuted 24 different ways, forming one troop. This is, "May God (YHVH) bless you..." In a similar manner, the second one, "May God (YHVH) make His face shine..." These are 24 names of the Blessed Holy One. In a similar manner, the third one, "May God (YHVH) lift His face..." These are 24 names of the Blessed Holy One. This teaches us that each army, with its leaders and officers, has 24. Multiply 24 by three and you have the 72 names of the Blessed Holy One. These are the 72 names derived from the verses (Exodus 14:19-21), "And travelled... And came ... And stretched ..."

108. And who are the Officers? We learned that there are three. Strength (Geburah) is the Officer of all the Holy Forms to the left of the Blessed Holy One . He is Gabriel. The Officer of all the Holy Forms to His right is Michael. In the middle is Truth. This is Uriel, the Officer of all the Holy Forms [in the centre]. Each Officer is over 24 Forms. But there is no reckoning of his troops, as it is written (Job 25:3), "Is there a number to His troops?" But if so, then there are 72 plus 72 [making a total of 144]. He said: This is not the case. For when Israel brings a sacrifice before their Father in heaven, they are united together. This is the unification of our God.

109. Why is this sacrifice called a Karban [which means "bringing close"]? Because it brings the Forms of the Holy Powers close. It is thus written (Ezekiel 37:17) , "And you shall join one of them to the other, making one stick, and they shall become one in your hands." And why is [the sacrifice] called a "pleasant fragrance"? Fragrance is only in the nose. The sense of smell is through breath, and this is nowhere but in the nose. "Pleasant" (nicho'ach) means nothing other than "descending." It is thus written (Leviticus 9:22), "And he descended," and the Targum translates this as Ve-Nachit [having the same root as nicho'ach ]. The fragrance-spirit descends and unifies itself with those Holy Forms, bringing itself close through the sacrifice. It is for this reason that [a sacrifice] is called a Karban .

110. There is a name that is derived from the three verses (Exodus 14:19-21) , "And travelled ... And came ... And stretched..." The letters of the first verse, "And travelled..." are arranged in this name in the order that they are in the verse. The letters of the second verse, "And came ..." are arranged in the name in reverse order. The letters of the third passage, "And stretched..." are arranged in the name in the same order as they occur in the verse, just like the case of the first verse. Each of these verses has 72 letters. Therefore, each of the names that is derived from these three sentences, "And travelled... And came... And stretched..." contains three letters. These are the 72 names. They emanate and divide themselves into three sections, 24 to each section. Over each of these sections is a higher Officer. Each section has four directions to watch, east, west, north and south. The four directions then have a total of 24 forms. [This is true of the first section] as well as the second and the third. All of them are sealed with YHVH , God of Israel, the living God, Shaddai, high and exalted, who dwells in eternity on high, whose Name is holy, YHVH. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.

111. Rabbi Ahilai sat and expounded: What is the meaning of the verse, "God (YHVH) is King, God (YHVH) was king, God (YHVH) will be King forever and ever."? This is the Explicit Name (Shem Ha Mephoresh) , for which permission was given that it be permuted and spoken. It is thus written [regarding the above-mentioned Priestly Blessing] (Numbers 6:27) , "And they shall place My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." This refers to the Name containing twelve letters. It is the name used in the Priestly Blessing, "May God bless you..." It contains three names [each having four letters] making a total of twelve. Its vowel points are Yapha'al Y'pha'oel Yiph'ol. If one safeguards it and mentions it in holiness, then all his prayers are heard. And not only that, but he is loved on high and below, and immediately answered and helped. This is the Explicit Name that was written on Aaron's forehead. The Explicit Name containing 72 letters and the Explicit Name containing twelve letters were given over by the Blessed Holy One to [the angel] Mesamariah, who stands before the Curtain. He gave it to Elijah on Mount Carmel, and with them he ascended and did not taste death.

112. These are the Explicit Holy Exalted Names. There are twelve Names, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel: Ah-Tzitzah-ron Aklithah-ron Shemaqtharon Demushah-ron Ve-Tzaphtzaphithron Hurmyron Brach Yah-ron Eresh Gadra-aon Basavah Monahon Chazhavayah Havahayryhah Ve-Harayth-hon All of them are included in the Heart of heaven. They include male and female. They are given over to the Axis, the Sphere and the Heart, and they are the wellsprings of Wisdom.

113. Rabbi Rahumai sat and expounded: What are the twelve tribes or Israel? But this teaches us that the Blessed Holy One has twelve rods [on high. The word Shevet is the same for both "tribe" and "rod."] What are they? What is this like? A king had a beautiful fountain. All his brothers has no water other than this fountain, and could not endure thirst. What did he do? He made twelve pipes for the fountain, and named them afters his brothers' children. He then said to them, "If the sons are as good as their fathers, they will be worthy, and I will let water flow through the pipes. The fathers will then drink all they wish, and so will the sons. But if the sons are not worthy and do not do what is right in my eyes, then regarding this, these pipes will stand. I will give them water only on the condition that they give none to their children, since they do not obey my will."

114. What is the meaning of the word Shevet [which has the connotation of both a tribe and a rod]? It is something simple and not square. What is the reason? Because it is impossible to have one square inside another square. A circle inside a square can move. A square inside a square cannot move.

115. What are the things that are circular? They are the vowel points in the Torah of Moses, for these are all round. They are to the letters like the soul, which lives in the body of man. It is impossible for [man] to come [into this world] unless [the soul] endures within him. It is impossible for him to speak anything, great or small, without it. In a similar manner, it is impossible to speak a word, great or small, without the vowel points.

116. Every vowel point is round, and every letter is square. The vowel points are the life of the letters, and through them, the letters endure. These vowel points come through the pipes to the letters through the fragrance of a sacrifice, which immediately descends. It is therefore called "A descending (pleasant) fragrance to God" indicating that it descends to God. This is the meaning of the verse (Deuteronomy 6:4) , "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."

117. Rabbi Yochanan said: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 15:3) , "God is a man (Ish) of war, God (YHVH) is His name"? Man (Ish) indicates a sign. The Targum thus renders, "God is a man of war," as "God is the Master of victory in war." What is this Master? Aleph is the first, the Holy Palace. Do we then say that the Palace is holy? Instead we say, "the Palace of the Holy One."

118. Yod is the Ten Sayings with which the world was created. What are they? They are the Torah of Truth, which includes all worlds. What is the Shin ? He said: It is the root of the tree. The letter Shin is like the root of a tree.

119. What is this tree that you mentioned? He said: It represents the Powers of the Blessed Holy One, one above the other. Just like a tree brings forth fruit through water, so the Blessed Holy One increases the Powers of the Tree through water. What is the water of the Blessed Holy One? It is wisdom. It is the souls of the righteous. They fly from the fountain to the great pip, ascend and attach themselves to the Tree. Through what do they fly? Through Israel. Whey they are good and righteous, the Divine Presence dwells among them. Their deeds then rest in the bosom of the Blessed Holy One, and He makes them fruitful and multiplies them.

120. How do we know that the Divine Presence is called Tzedek (Righteous)? It is written (Deuteronomy 33:26), “He who rides in the heavens is your help, and His majesty is in the skies (Shechakim).” It is also written (Isaiah 45:8), “The skies (Shechakim) run with Righteousness (Tzedek).” Tzedek is the Divine Presence, as it is written (Isaiah 1:21), "Righteousness (Tzedek) dwells in it." Righteousness was given to David, as it is written, (Psalm 146:10), “May God reign forever, your God O Zion, for generation to generation.” It is also written (1 Chronicles 11:1), “Zion is the city of David.”

121. What is the meaning of "generation to generation"? Rabbi Papias said: "A generation goes and a generation comes (Ecclesiastes 1:4)." Rabbi Akiba said: "The generation came" it already came.

122. What is this like? A king had slaves, and he dressed them with garments of silk and satin according to his ability. The relationship broke down, and he cast them out, repelled them, and took his garments away from them. They then went on their own way. The king took the garments, and washed them well until there was not a single spot on them. He placed them with his storekeepers, bought other slaves, and dressed them with the same garments. He did not know whether or not the slaves were good, but they were [at least] worthy of garments that he already had and which had been previously worn. [The verse continues] (Ecclesiastes 1:4), "But the earth stands forever." This is the same as (Ecclesiastes 12:6), "The dust returns to the earth as it was, but the spirit returns to God who gave it."

30.10.1.4 The Ten Sephiroth

123. Rabbi Amorai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Leviticus 9:22) , "And Aaron raised up his hands to bless the people, and he blessed them and he descended [from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings]."? Did he not already descent? But he descended "from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings," and then "Aaron raised up his hands to bless the people." What is the meaning of this raising [of hands]? It was because he had offered a sacrifice and brought them before their Father in heaven, as we have said. Those who offer sacrifice must elevate them, [and those who] unify them [must] unify them among these. And; what are they? The people, as it is written "to the people." [This means] "for the sake of the people."

124. Why are the hands lifted when they are blessed in this manner? It is because the hands have ten fingers, alluding to the Ten Sephiroth with which heaven and earth were sealed. These parallel the Ten Commandments. In these Ten are included the 613 Commandments. If you count the letters in the Ten Commandments, you will find that there are 613 letters. They contain all 22 letters except Teth , which is missing in them. What is the reason for this? This teaches us that Teth is the belly and in not included among the Sephiroth.

125. Why are they called Sephiroth ? Because it is written (Psalm 19:2) , "The heavens declare (me-Saprim) the glory of God."

126. And what are they? They are three. Among them are three troops and three dominions. The first dominion is light. Light is the life of water. The second dominion includes the Chaioth Ha-Qadesh , the Ophanim , the wheels of the Chariot, and all the troops of the Blessed Holy One. The bless, exalt, glorify, praise and sanctify the might King with the Kedushah . Arranged in the mystery of the great Kedushah is the fearsome and terrible King. And they crown Him with three "holies."

127. Why are there three "holies" and not four? Because the holiness on high is three by three. It is thus written, "God is King, God was King, God will be King forever and ever." It is also written (Numbers 6:24-26) , "May God bless you... May God shine upon you... May God lift..." It is furthermore written (Exodus 34:6), "God (YHVH), God (YHVH). " The third one includes the rest of God's Attributes. What are they? [As the verse continues], "God, merciful and gracious" the thirteen Attributes [of Mercy].

128. [The Kedushah is the verse (Isaiah 6:3) , "Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His Glory."] What is the meaning of "holy holy holy"? [And why is it] foollowed by, "the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His glory"? The [first] "holy" is the highest Crown. The [second] "holy" is the root of the Tree. The [third] "holy" is attached and unified in them all. [This is followed by], "the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His glory."

129. What is the "holy" that is attached and unified? What is this like? A king had sons, who in turn also had sons. When the [grand]sons do his will, he mingles with them, supports them, and satisfies them all. He gives [his sons] everything good, so that they should be able to satisfy their children. But when the [grand]children do not do his will, then he only gives the fathers as much as they need.

130. What is the meaning of, "the whole earth is filled with His glory"? This is the earth that was created on the first day. It is on high, filled with God's glory and paralleling the Land of Israel. And what is [this glory]? It is Wisdom, as it is written (Proverbs 3:35), "The wise shall inherit glory."

131. What is "God's glory"? What is this like? A king had a matron in his chamber, and all his troops delighted in her. She had sons, and each day they came to see the king and to bless him. They asked him, "Where is our mother?" He replied, "You cannot see her now." They said, "Let her be blessed wherever she is."

132. What is the meaning of "from His place"? This indicates that none know his place. This is like a royal princess who came from a far place. People did not know her origin, but they saw that she was a woman of valour, beautiful and refined in all her ways. They said, "She certainly originates from the side of light, for she illuminates the world through heer deeds." They asked her, "From where are you?" She replied, "From my place." They said, "If so, the people of your place are great. May you be blessed, and may you place be blessed."

133. Is this "glory of God" then not one of His hosts? Is it not inferior? Why then do they bless it? But what is this like? A man had a beautiful garden. Outside the garden but close to it, he had a nice section of field. On this section, he planted a beautiful flower garden. The first thing that he would water would be his garden. The water would spread over the entire garden. It would not reach the section of field however, since it was not attached, even though it was all one. He therefore opened a place for it and watered it separately.

134. Rabbi Rahumai said: Glory (Kavod) and Heart (Lev) both have the same [numerical value, namely 32]. They are both one, but Glory refers to its function on high, and Heart refers to its function below. "God's glory" and the heart of heaven" are therefore both identical.

135. Rabbi Yochanan said: What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 17:11), "And it was when Moses would raise his hands, Israel would prevail, and when he would lower his hands, Amalek would prevail."? This teaches us that the whole world endures because of the Lifting of Hands. Why? Because the name of the power given to Jacob is Israel. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were each given a particular Power. The counterpart of the attribute in which each one walked was given to him. Abraham did deeds of kindness. He prepared food for everyone in his area and for all wayfarers. He acted kindly and went out to greet them, as it is written (Genesis 18:2), "and he ran to greet them." Not only that, but (Genesis 18:2) , "He bowed to the earth." This was a complete act of kindness. God therefore granted him the same measure and gave him the attribute of Kindness (Chesed). It is thus written (Micah 7:20) , "You give truth to Jacob, Kindness to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from days of yore." What is the meaning of "from days of yore"? This teaches us that if Abraham did not do deeds of kindness, then he would not have been worthy of the attribute of Truth. Jacob would then not have been worthy of the attribute of Truth. In the merit through which Abraham was worthy of the attribute of Kindness, Isaac became worthy of the attribute of Terror. It is thus written (Genesis 31:53), "And Jacob swore by the Terror of his father Isaac." Does anyone then swear in this manner, mentioning his belief in the Terror of his father? But up until that time, Jacob had not been given any power. He therefore swore by the power that was given to his father. It is for this reason that it is written, "And Jacob swore by the Terror of his father Isaac." What is it? It is Chaos. It emanates from evil and astounds people. And what is that ? It is that regarding which it is written (I Kings 18:38), "And fire came down and it consumed the burnt offering, and the stones, and the earth, and it evaporated the water that was in the trench." It is also written (Deuteronomy 4:24), "The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

136. What is Kindness? It is the Torah, as it is written (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, let all who are thirsty come for water, let he without silver come, [stock up and eat come, stock up wine and milk, without silver and without payment]." [Kindness is therefore] silver. It is thus written, "come, stock up and eat come, stock up wine and milk, without silver and without payment." He fed you Torah and taught you, for you have already earned it through the merit of Abraham, who did deeds of kindness. Without silver, he would feed others, and without payment, he would give them wine and milk.

137. Why wine and milk? What does one have to do with the other? But this teaches us that wine is Terror and milk is Kindness. Why is wine mentioned first? Because it is closer to us. Do you then think that this refers to actual wine and milk? We must say that it is the Form of wine and milk. Through the merit of Abraham, who was worthy of the attribute of Kindness, Isaac was worthy of the attribute of Terror. And because Isaac was worthy of the attribute of Terror, Jacob was worthy of the attribute of Truth, which is the attribute of Peace. God bestowed him according to his measure. It is thus written (Genesis 25:27) "Jacob was a complete man, dwelling in tents." The word "complete" means nothing other than peace. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 18:13), "You shall be complete with the Lord your God," and the Targum renders this, "You shall be at peace (sh'lim). " The word "complete" refers to nothing other than the Torah. It is thus written (Malachi 2:6), "A Torah of truth was in his mouth." What is written in the very next phrase? It sates, "With peace and uprightness, he walked before Me." "Uprightness" is nothing other than peace, as it is written (Psalm 25:21) , "Complete and upright." It is therefore written (Exodus 17:11), "And it was when Moses would raise his hands, Israel would prevail. This teaches us that the Attribute that is called Israel has in it a "Torah of Truth."

138. What is the meaning of "a Torah of Truth?" It is that which teaches (Moreh) the Truth of [all] worlds, as well as His deeds in thought. He erected Ten Sayings, and with them the world stands. It is one of them. In man He created ten fingers, paralleling these Ten Sayings. Moses raised his hands and concentrated to some degree on the Attribute that is called Israel, which contains the Torah of Truth. With his ten fingers, he alluded that he was upholding the Ten. For if [God] would not help Israel, then the Ten Sayings would not endure every day. It was for this reason that "Israel prevailed." [The verse continues], "And when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed." Would Moses then do anything that would cause Amalek to prevail? But [this teaches us] that it is forbidden for a person to stand for [more than] three hours with his hands spread out to heaven.

139. His disciples asked: To whom are the hands raised? He replied: To the heights of heaven. How do we know this? It is written (Habbakkuk 3:10) , "The deep gives forth its voice, it lifts up its hands on high." This teaches us that the Lifting of Hands is only to the heights of the heaven. When among Israel there are people who are wise and know the mystery of the Glorious Name, and they lift up their hands, they are immediately answered. It is thus written (Isaiah 58:9), "Then (Az) you will call and God will answer." If you call God "then" (Az) , He will answer you immediately.

140. What is the meaning of "then" [- Az spelled Aleph Zayin ]? This teaches us that it is not permissible to call Aleph alone. [It can] only [be called] through the two letters that are attached to it, which sit first in the kingdom. Together with the Aleph, they are then three. Seven of the Ten Sayings then remain, and this is the Zayin [which has the numerical value of seven]. It is also written (Exodus 15:1), "Then (Az) sang Moses and the children of Israel."

141. What are the Ten Sayings? The first is the Highest Crown. Blessed and praised be it name and its people. Who are its people? They are Israel. It is thus written (Psalm 100:3) , "Know that the Lord is God, He made us, and not (Lo) we, His people." [Lo is spelled Lamed Aleph and can be read, "to Aleph". ] The verse then reads, "to Aleph are we." [It is our duty] to recognise and know the Unity of Unities, who is unified in all His names.

142. The second one is Wisdom . It is thus written (Proverbs 8:22), "God procured me, the beginning of His way, before his works, from then (Az) ." A "beginning" is nothing other than Wisdom, as it is written (Psalm 111:10), "The beginning is wisdom, the fear of God."

143. The third one is the quarry of the Torah, the treasury of Wisdom, the quarry of the "spirit of God". This teaches us that God carved out all the letters of the Torah, engraved it with spirit, and with it made all Forms. This is the meaning of the verse (1 Samuel 2:2), "There is no Rock (Tzur) like our God" there is no Former (Tzayir) like our God.

144. These are three. What is the fourth? The fourth is (Deuteronomy 33:21) , "the charity of God," His merit and his Kindness (Chesed) to all the world. This is the Right Hand of the Blessed Holy One.

145. What is the fifth? The fifth is the great fire of the Blessed Holy One> Regarding this it is written (Deuteronomy 18:16) , "Let me see the great fire no more, lest I die." This is the Left Hand of the Blessed Holy One. What are they? They are the Chaioth ha-Qadesh and the holy Seraphim , to their right and their left. They are the "pleasant ones" which ascend higher and higher, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 5:7), "And ones higher than they." It is also written (Ezekiel 1:18), "And as for their height, they had height, and they had fear, and their height was filled with eyes, around the four." And around Him are angels. Those around them also bow down before them, kneeling and declaring, "The Lord He is God, the Lord He is God."

146. The sixth one is the Throne of Glory, crowned, included, praised and hailed. It is the house of the World to Come, and its place is in Wisdom . It is thus written (Genesis 1:3), "And God said, `Let there be light,' and there was light."

147. And Rabbi Yochanan said: There were two [types of] light, as it is written, "[let there be light,] and there was light." Regarding both of them it is written (Genesis 1:4) , "[And God saw the light] that it was good." The Blessed Holy One took one [of these types of light] and stored it away for the righteous in the World to Come. Regarding this it is written (Psalm 31:20), "How great is the good that You have hidden away for those who fear You, that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You..." We learn that no creature could look at the first light. It is thus written (Genesis 1:4), "And God saw the light that it was good." It is furthermore written (Genesis 1:21) "And God saw all that He made, and behold, it was very good." God saw all that He had made and saw shining, brilliant good. He took of that good, and included in it the 32 paths of Wisdom, giving to this world. This is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 4:2) , "I have given you a doctrine of good , My Torah, do not abandon it." We say that this is the treasury of the Oral Torah. The Blessed Holy One said, "This Attribute is considered to be included in this world, and it is the Oral Torah. If you keep this Attribute in this world, then you will be worthy of the World to Come, which is the good stored away for the righteous." What is it? It is the force of the Blessed Holy One. It is thus written (Habakkuk 3:4) , "And the glow will be like light, [He has rays from His hand, and His hidden force is there]." The glow that was taken from the first Light will be like [our visible] light if His children keep the "Torah and Commandment that I wrote to teach them." It is thus written (Proverbs 1:8), "Hear my son, the admonition of your father, and do not abandon the Torah of your mother."

148. And it is written (Habakkuk 3:4) , "He has rays from His hand, and His hidden force is there." What is "His hidden force"? This is the light that was stored away and hidden, as it is written (Psalm 31:20), "[How great is the good] that You have hidden away for those who fear You, [that You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You]." What remains for us in that which "You have accomplished for those who find shelter in You." These are the ones who find shelter in Your shadow in this world, who keep Your Torah, observe Your Commandments, and sanctify Your name, unifying it secretly and publicly. The verse thus concludes, "in the sight of the sons of man."

149. Rabbi Rahumai said: This teaches us that Israel had light. Torah is light, as it is written (Proverbs 6:23), "For a commandment is a lamp, Torah is light, [and the way of life is the rebuke of admonition]." And we say that a lamp is a commandment, illumination (Orah) Oral Torah, and light (Or) is the written Torah. [How can we then say that the Oral Torah is light (Or) ?] Because this light has already been kept, it is called light. What is this like? A room was hidden at the end of a house. Even though it is day, and there is bright light in the world, one cannot see in this room unless he brings along a lamp. The same is true of the Oral Torah. Even though it is a light, it needs the written Torah to answer its questions and explain its mysteries.

150. Rabbi Rahumai said: What is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 6:23) , "And the way of life is the rebuke of admonition"? This teaches us that when a person accustoms himself to study the Mystery of Creation and the Mystery of the Chariot, it is impossible that he not stumble. It is therefore written (Isaiah 3:6) , "Let this stumbling be under your hand." This refers to things that a person cannot understand unless they cause him to stumble. The Torah calls it "the rebuke of admonition," but actually it makes one worthy of "the way of life." One who wishes to be worthy of "the way of life" must therefore endure "the rebuke of admonition."

151. Another explanation: "Life" is the Torah, as it is written (Deuteronomy 30:19), "And you shall choose life." It is furthermore written (Deuteronomy 30:20) , "For it is your life and your length of days." If one wants to be worthy of it, he should reject physical pleasure and accept the yoke of the commandments. If he is afflicted with suffering, he should accept it with love. He should not ask, "Since I am fulfilling the will of my Maker and am studying the Torah each day, why am I afflicted with suffering?" Rather, he should accept it with love. Then he will be completely worthy of the "way of life." For who knows the ways of the Blessed Holy One? Regarding all things, one must therefore say, "Righteous are You, O God, and Your judgment is fair. All that is done from heaven is for the good."

152. You said [that the sixth one was] His Throne. Have we then not said that it is the Crown of the Blessed Holy One? We have said, "Israel was crowned with three crowns, the crown of priesthood, the crown of royalty, and the crown of Torah above them all." What is this like? A king has a pleasing, beautiful vessel and he was very fond of it. Sometimes he placed it on his head this is the Tefillin worn on the head. At other times he carried it on his arm in the knot of the Tefillin worn on the arm. Sometimes he lend it to his son so that it should remain with him. Sometimes it is called His Throne. This is because He carries it as an amulet on His arm, just like a throne.

153. What is the seventh? It is the heaven [called] Aravot. And why is it called heaven (Shamayim)? Because it is round like a head. We learn that it is in the centre, with water at its right and fire at its left. It supports water (Sa Mayim) from fire and water, and brings peace between them. Fire comes and finds the attribute of fire on its side. Water comes and finds the attribute of water on its side. It is therefore written (Job 25:2) , "He makes peace in His high places."

154. Is it then the seventh? Is it nothing more than the sixth. But this teaches us that the Holy Palace is here, and it supports them all. It is thus counted as two. It is therefore the seventh. And what is it? It is Thought that does not have any end or boundary. This place likewise does not have any end or boundary.

155. The seventh one is the east of the world. It is from where the Seed of Israel comes. The spinal cord originates in man's brain and extends to the [sexual] organ, where the seed is. It is therefore written (Isaiah 43:5), "From the east I will bring your seed, [and from the west I will gather you]." When Israel is good, then this is the place form which I will bring your seed, and new seed will be granted to you. But when Israel is wicked, [then I will bring] seed that has already been in the world. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 1:4), "A generation goes and a generation comes," teaching us that it has already come.

156. What is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 43:5), "And from the west I will gather you"? [This means that "I will gather you"] from the attribute that always points to the west. Why is [west] called MaAReV? Because it is there that all seed is mixed together (MitAReV). What is this like? A king's son had a beautiful bride and he hid her in his chamber. He took riches from his father's house and constantly brought it to her. She in turn took everything, constantly put it away, and mixed it all together. Ultimately he seeks to see what he had gathered and accumulated. It is therefore written, "And from the west I will gather you." And what is his father's house? It is that regarding which it is written, "From the east I will bring your seed." This teaches us that it is brought from the east and sowed on the west. He then gathers what he has sowed.

157. What is the eighth one? The Blessed Holy One has a single Righteous One (Tzadik) in His world, and it is dear to Him because it supports all the world. It is the Foundation (Yesod). This is what sustains it, and makes it grow, increasing and watching it. It is beloved and dear on high, and beloved and dear below; fearsome and mighty on high, and fearsome and mighty below; rectified and accepted on high, and rectified and accepted below. It is the Foundation of all souls. Did you then say that it is the eighth? And do you say that it is the Foundation of all souls? Is it then not written (Exodus 31:17), "And on the seventh day He rested and souled"? Yes, it is the seventh. This is because it decides between them. There are six, and three are below and three above, and it decides between them.

158. Why is it called the seventh? Is it then the seventh? It is not. But it is because the Blessed Holy One rested on the Sabbath with the attribute regarding which it is written (Exodus 31:17), "For six days God made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and souled." This teaches us that each day has a Saying that is its Master. This is not because it was created on that day, but because that is when it does the task to which it was assigned. Each one does its task and maintains its activities. The seventh day therefore comes and does its task, making them all rejoice. Not only that, but it also causes their souls to grow, as it is written, "on the seventh day He rested and souled."

159. What is this "rest"? It is the absence of work. It is a cessation which is called Shabbat (meaning rest). What is this like? A king had seven gardens, and the middle one contained a fountain, welling up from a living source. Three [of his gardens] are at its right, and three are at its left. When it performed its function and overflowed, they all rejoiced, saying, "It overflowed for our sake." It waters them and makes them grow, while they wait and rest. Do we then say that it waters the seven? But it is written (Isaiah 43:5), "From the east I will bring your seed." This indicates that one of [the seven] waters it. We must therefore say that it waters the Heart, and the Heart then waters them all.

160. Rabbi Berachiah sat and expounded: Each day we speak of the World to Come. Do we then understand what we are saying? In Aramaic, the "World to Come" is translated "the world that came." And what is the meaning of "the world that came"? We learned that before the world was created, it arose in thought to create an intense light to illuminate it . He created an intense light over which no created thing could have authority. The Blessed Holy One saw, however, that the world could not endure [this light]. He therefore took a seventh of it and left it in its place for them. Thee rest He put away for the righteous in the Ultimate Future. He said, "If they are worthy of this seventh and keep it, I will give them [the rest] in the Final World." It is therefore called "the world that came," since it already came [into existence] from the six days of creation. Regarding this it is written (Psalm 31:20), "How great is Your good that You have hidden away for those who fear You."

161. What is the meaning of the verse (Exodus 15:27), "And the came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy date palms, and they encamped there by the water"? What is so special about seventy date palms? In one small place there can be a thousand. But [this teaches us that] they were worthy of their counterpart. They are likened to date palms. It is written (Exodus 15:23) , "And they came to Marah, and they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter (marah) ." This teaches us that the north wind confused them. It is thus written (Exodus 15:25), "And he cried out to God, and He showed him a tree. He cast it into the waters, and the waters became sweet." God immediately placed His hand against the Satan and diminished him. It is thus written (Exodus 15:25), "There He gave them a decree and a law, and there He proved them." This teaches us that at this time, the Satan attached himself to them in order to blot them out from the world. It is thus written (Exodus 15:24), "And the people complained to Moses saying, `What shall we drink?'" [The Satan] continued to denounce Moses until he cried out to God and was answered. What is the meaning of the verse, "And He showed him a tree"? This teaches us that the Tree of Life was near the water. The Satan came and removed it in order to denounce Israel and cause them to sin against their Father in heaven. [The Satan] said to them, "Are you now then going into the desert? Even now [you have nothing] other than bitter water, but this has some benefit, since you can make some use of it. But when you enter the desert, you will not even find [water] with which to wash your hands and face. You will die from hunger and thirst, naked and having nothing." The people came to Moses and repeated these words, but he put them off. When [the Satan ] saw that he could not overcome them, he strengthened himself [to overcome] Israel and Moses. The people came, and "they complained to Moses." They said, "Even here we lack water. What will we drink in the desert?" The Satan had falsified the situation in order to cause the people to sin. As soon as Moses saw the Satan, "He cried out to God, and He showed him a tree." This is the Tree of Life that Satan had removed. He then "cast it into the water, and the water became sweet." The Blessed Holy One then gave the Satan a "decree and a law," and it was there that He "proved" Israel. The Blessed Holy One warned Israel saying (Exodus 15:26) , "If you listen to the voice of the Lord your God, [and do what is upright in His eyes, give ear to His commandments, and keep all His decrees, then all the sickness that I brought upon the Egyptians, I will not bring upon you, for I am God who heals you]."

162. What is this like? A king had a beautiful daughter, and others desired her. The king knew about it, but could not fight those who wanted to bring his daughter to evil ways. He came to his house and warned her, saying, "My daughter, do not pay attention to the words of these enemies and they will not be able to overcome you. Bo not leave the house, but do all your work at home. Do not sit idle, even for a single moment. Then they will not be able to see you and harm you." They have one Attribute which causes them to leave aside every good way and choose every evil way. When they see a person directing himself along a good way, they hate him. What is [this Attribute]? It is the Satan. This teaches us that the Blessed Holy One has an Attribute whose name is Evil. It is to the north of the Blessed Holy One, as it is written (Jeremiah 1:14), "From the north will Evil come forth, upon all the inhabitants of the earth." Any evil that comes to all the inhabitants of the earth comes from the north.

163. What is this One Attribute? It is the Form of a Hand. It has many messengers, and the name of them all is Evil Evil. Some of them are great, and some are small, but they all bring guilt to the world. This is because Chaos is toward the north. Chaos (Tohu) is nothing other than Evil. It confounds (Taha) the world and causes people to sin. Every Evil Urge (Yetzer HaRa) that exists in man comes from there. And why is it placed to the left? This is because it does not have any authority any place in the world except in the north. It is not accustomed to be anywhere except in the north. It does not want to be any place but in the north. If it remained in the south until it learned the routes of the south, how could it lead others astray? It would have to stay there for [several] days until it learned, and then it could not cause people to sin. It therefore is always in the north, to the left. This is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 8:21), "For the Urge of man's heart is evil from his youth." It is evil from his youth, and it does not incline [in any direction] other than the left, for it is already accustomed to be there. It is regarding this that the Blessed Holy One said to Israel (Exodus 15:26), "If you listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is upright in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments" and not to the commandments of the Evil Urge "and keep all His decrees" and not the decrees of the Evil Urge "[then all the sickness that I brought upon the Egyptians, I will not bring upon you,] for I am God who heals you."

164. What does the Evil Urge gain? What is this like? A king appointed clerks over the lands of his kingdom, over his work and over his merchandise. Each and every thing had its clerk. There was one clerk in charge of the storehouse containing good food. Another was in charge of the storehouse containing stones. Everyone came to the storehouse containing good food. The clerk in charge of the storehouse of stones came and saw that people were only buying from the other [clerk]. What did he do? He sent his messengers to tear down the weak house [so that people would need stones to rebuild them]. They could not do so, however, to the strong ones. He said, "In the time that it takes to tear down one strong [house], you can tear down ten weak ones. People will then all come and buy stones from me, and I will not be inferior to the other." It is thus written (Jeremiah 1:14), "From the north will evil come forth, upon all the inhabitants of the earth." The verse then continues (Jeremiah 1:15) "For I call all the families of the kingdom of the north says God and they will come, and each one will place his throne at the opening of the gates of Jerusalem..." Evil will be their business, and the Evil Urge will also constantly strive. The word Satan means "turning aside," since he turns all the world aside to the balance of guilt. How is this indicated? It is written (Genesis 38:16) , "And he turned aside to her," and the Targum renders this VeSata, [ Satah being the root of Satan]. It is likewise written (Proverbs 4:15), "Turn aside (S'the) from it and pass on."

165. What is the significance of the seventy date palms? They had accepted upon themselves the commandments, as it is written (Exodus 15:26), "If you listen to the voice of the Lord your God." Immediately after this we find (Exodus 15:27) "And they came to Elim (Elimah) [where there were twelve wells of water and seventy date palms]." What is the meaning of Elimah? It is Eli Mah "to me is what." "Where there were twelve wells of water." At first God gave it to them as wells, and in the end, he gave it back to them as stones. It is thus written [regarding the stones set up near the Jordan] (Joshua 4:9), "twelve stones." What it the reason? It is because the Torah was originally likened to water in the world. Only later was it put in a permanent place. Water, however, is here one day and elsewhere the next.

166. What are the seventy date palms? This teaches us that the Blessed Holy One has seventy Structures. These draw from the twelve Simple Ones. Just like water is simple, so are these simple. How do we know that the date palm is a Structure? Because it is written (Song of Songs 7:8) , "Your structure is like a date palm." Besides that, there are seventy kinds of date palms. It is therefore written that there were seventy date palms. One was not like the other, their functions were all different, and the taste of one was not like the taste of the other.

167. You said that the seventy date palms represent the seventy Structures. But have you not said that there are 72? There are 71. Israel makes 72, but it is not included. But did you not say that there were seventy? One is the Officer of the Satan. What is this like? A king had sons and bought slaves for them. The king then told his sons, "I am giving you all equally." One of them replied, "I do not want to be with you, for I have the power to steal everything from you." The king then said, "Because of this, you will not have a portion among them at all." [The rebellious son] did what he could. He went out and lay in wait for [the slaves], showing them much gold, jewels and troops. He said, "Come over to me." What did the king do? He amassed his armies together with the armies of all his sons. He showed them to the slaves and said, "Do not let him trick you into thinking that his armies are stronger than mine. Behold the troops of that son. He is deceitful and wants to rob you. Therefore, do not listen to him, for at first he will speak smoothly in order to entice you into his trap, but in the end he will laugh at you. You are my slaves, and I will do for you everything good if you turn away from him and do not listen to him." He is the Prince of Chaos. It is thus written (1 Samuel 12:21), "Do not turn aside, for you will follow Chaos. It will not help or save, for it is Chaos." [It cannot help or save,] but it can do harm. The advice that I give you is that you should (Exodus 15:26), "Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, do what is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His decrees." When you keep all His decrees, then, "All the sickness that I brought upon the Egyptians, I will not bring upon you." Why did He say all this? In order to close all doors, so that he should not find you soft at times and hard at times. When you keep all His decrees, then "all the sickness that I brought upon the Egyptians" through My hand "I will not bring upon you." What is the meaning of "for I am God who heals you"? This means that even when he comes and strikes, I am God who will heal you.

168. Why do you call it the eight? Because with it the eight are begun, and with it the eight numbers are completed. In function, however, it is the seventh one. And what are [the eight] that were begun? This is the fact that a child enters the Covenant of Circumcision when eight days old. Are they then eight? They are nothing more than seven. Why then did the Blessed Holy One say eight? Because there are eight directions in man. What are they? They are as follows: The right and left hands; The right and left legs; The head, the body, and the Covenant as an arbitrator; And his wife, who is his mate. It is thus written (Genesis 2:24), "And he shall cling to his wife, and they shall be one flesh." They are the eight, and they parallel the eight days of circumcision. Are they then eight? They are nothing more that seven, since the body and covenant are one. It is therefore eight.

169. What is the ninth? He said to them: the ninth and tenth are together, one opposite the other. One is higher than the other by 500 years. They are like two Wheels (Ophanim). One inclines toward the north, while the other inclines toward the west. They reach down to the lowest earth. What is the lowest earth? It is the last of the seven earths down below. The end of the Divine Presence of the Blessed Holy One is under His feet. It is thus written (Isaiah 66:1) , "The heaven is My throne, and the earth is the hassock for My feet." The Victory (Nitzachon) of the world is there. It is thus written (Isaiah 24:10), "for Victory of Victories (Netzach Netzachim) ."

170. What is the meaning of "Victory of Victories"? There is a single Victory (Netzach). Which is it? It is the one that inclines toward the west. And what is secondary to it? This is the one that inclines toward the north. And the third one? This is the one that is below. The third one? But you have said that the Chariot has two wheels. We must therefore say that the end of the Divine Presence is also called Victory. This is the meaning of "Victory of Victories." "Victory" is one, and "Victories" is two, giving [a total of] three.

171. His disciples said to him: From above to below we know. But from below to above we do not know. He replied: Is it not all one below to above and above to below? They said: Our master, ascending is not the same as descending. One can run while descending, but cannot do so while ascending. He replied: Go out and see. He sat and expounded to them: There is a Divine Presence below, just like there is a Divine Presence above. What is this Divine Presence? We have said that it is the light that was derived from the first Light, which is Wisdom. It also surrounds all things, as it is written (Isaiah 6:3), "The whole earth is filled with His glory." What is its function? What is this like? A king had seven sons, and he assigned each one a place. He said to them, "Sit here, one above the other." The lowest one said, "I will not sit at the bottom. I do not want to be far from you." [The king] replied, "I will surround you and see you all day long." This is the meaning of the verse, "The whole earth is filled with His glory." Why is He among them? This is so that He should support them and sustain them.

172. And what are the sons? I have already told you that the Blessed Holy One has seven Holy Forms. All of them have a counterpart in man, as it is written (Genesis 9:6), "for in the form of God He made man." It is likewise written (Genesis 1:27), "In the form of God He made him, male and female He made them." This is what they are: The right and left legs; The right and left hands; The body, covenant and head. But these are only six. You have said that there are seven. The seventh is with his wife. It is thus written (Genesis 2:24) , "And they shall be one flesh." But she was taken from his ribs, as it is written (Genesis 2:21), "And He took one of his ribs." He said: Yes from his ribs. Does he then have a rib? Yes. It is written (Exodus 26:20), "the ribs of the tabernacle." The Targum renders this, "the side of the tabernacle." And what is His side? What is this like? A king had an idea to plant ten male trees in a garden. All of them were date palms. He said, "Since they are all the same kind, it is impossible for them to endure." What did he do? He planted and Etrog among them. This was one of those which he had intended to be male. And why is the Etrog female? Because it is written (Leviticus 23:40), "The fruit of a beautiful tree, fronds of a date palm, [branches of a tree of leaves, and willows of the brook]." What is the fruit of a beautiful (hadar) tree? The Targum renders this verse, "The fruit of the Etrog tree, and the Lulav. "

173. What is the meaning of "beautiful"? It is the beauty of all things. This is also the beauty of the Songs of Songs. Regarding it, it is written (Songs of Songs 6:10) , "Who is she who looks forth as the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible like an army with banners?" This relates to the Female. Because of her, the female was taken from Adam. This is because it is impossible for the lower world to endure without the female. And why is the female called Nekevah ? Because her orifices (Nekev) are wide. Also because she has more orifices than the male. What are they? They are the orifices of the breasts, the womb, and the receptacle.

174. And what is the reason that you said that the Song of Songs is beautiful? Yes, it is the most beautiful of all the Holy Scriptures. Rabbi Yochanan thus said: All Scripture is holy, and all the Torah is holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies. What is the meaning of the Holy of Holies? It means that it is holy for the Holy Ones. What are the Holy Ones? They are the counterparts of the six directions that are in man. That which is holy for them is holy for everything.

175. What is this that is Holy? It is the Etrog , which is the beauty (hadar) of them all. Why is it called beautiful (hadar) ? Do not read hadar , but HaDar "Which dwells." This refers to the Etrog which is not bound together with the Lulav. Without it the commandment of the Lulav cannot be fulfilled. It is also bound with them all. It is with each one of them, and is unified with them all.

176. What does the Lulav parallel? It is the counterpart of the spinal cord. It is thus written (Leviticus 23:40), "[fronds of a date palm,] a branch of a tree of leaves, and willows of the brook." The [leafy] branches [of the myrtle] must cover the majority [of the bunch]. If its branches do not cover its majority, it is invalid. Why? What is this like? A man has arms, and with them he protects his head. He has two arms, and his head makes three. [It is therefore called] "a branch of a tree of leaves." A "branch" is to the left, and the "leaves" are to the right. It then comes out that the "tree" is in the centre. And why is it called a "tree"? Because it is the Root of the Tree.

177. What are "willows of the brook"? There are two [willow branches in the Lulav, ] and these parallel the two legs in man. Why are the ["willows of the brook"] called Arvey Nachal ? Because the greater of the two is inclined toward the west (ma-Arev) and draws its strength from there. The one to the north is smaller than it by a journey of 500 years. It is on the northwest side, through which it functions. It is named after it, since they are both mixed (Arav) .

178. Another explanation: [Willows of the Brook] are called Arvey Nachal because the function of one is sometimes mixed (ma-arav) with that of the other. Why are they called Willows of the Brook ? This is because of the place in which they are fixed, which is called Brook. It is thus written (Ecclesiastes 1:7) , "All the Brooks go to the sea, but the sea is not filled." What is this sea? We say that it is the Etrog. How do we know that each of the seven Attributes is called a Brook (Nachal) ? Because it is written (Numbers 21:19), "From Gift to Nachaliel [, from Nachaliel to Bamot, and from Bamot to the valley that is in the Field of Moab, the head of the cliff, and it looks down on the face of the Yeshimon]." Do not read Nachaliel, but Nachley El Brooks of God. And all six then go on one path to the sea. What is this path? It is the one that arbitrates between them. It is thus written (Habbakuk 3:5), "Before Him goes the pestilence, and fiery bolt at His feet." All of them go to that pipe, and from that pipe to the sea. This is the meaning of the verse, "From Gift to Brooks of God." [Gift] is the place that is given, namely the brain. From there they go to the Brooks of God. "And from Brooks of God to Bamot." What is Bamot? As the Targut renders it, Ramta "heights." This is the Segol that follows the Zarka . [The verse continues,] "And from Bamot to the valley that is in the Field of Moab, the head of the cliff, and it looks down on the face of the Yeshimon." "And from the heights (Bamot) to the valley that is in the Field of Moab." This is that which is prepared. And what is that which was in the Field of Moab? Do not read Moab, but May- av "from a father." This is the father regarding which it is written (Genesis 26:5) "Because Abraham hearkened to my voice, kept My trust, My commandments and My decrees..." What is this field? It is the one that is at "the head of the cliff," and which also "looks down on the face of the Yeshimon." [Yeshimon] is interpreted to mean Heaven. Regarding that pipe, it is written (Song of Songs 4:15) , "A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, flowing from Lebanon." What is Lebanon? We say that this is Wisdom. What are the Willows of the Brook (Nachal) ? We say that this is that which gives inheritance (Nachalah) to Israel. It refers to the two Wheels of the Chariot.

179. We learned that there are Ten Spheres and Ten Sayings. Each Sphere has its Saying. It is not surrounded by it, but rather, it surrounds it. This [physical] world is like a mustard seed inside a ring. Why? Because of the Spirit that blows upon it, through which it is sustained. If this spirit were to be interrupted for even a moment, the world would be annihilated.

180. There are three Spheres in this world. How? This world inclines to the north and the south. How? North west south. North west is the first sphere that revolves around us. Do we then say that it is to the north-west? But we say that its strength is to the north. This is the left foot. Above it is the second Sphere, which is entirely to the west. Do we then say that it is to the west? But we say that its power is to the west. These are the Victories of the world. Above it is the third Sphere, and its power is to the south-west. What is the original power that you said was second? We say that this is the right foot. And what is the power that is to the south-west? This is the Foundation of the world. Regarding this it is written (Proverbs 10:25) , "The Righteous is the Foundation of the world." The second power stands behind the Chariot, while the first power stands in front of it. The "Righteous, Foundation of the world" is in the centre. It emanates from the south of the world, and is officer over the other two. In its hand are also the souls of all living things. It is the Life of Worlds. Whenever the word "creation" (Beriah) is used, it is done with it. Regarding it, it is written (Exodus 31:17) , "He rested and souled." This is the attribute of the Sabbath day. Regarding this it is written (Exodus 20:8), "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." But it is also written (Deuteronomy 5:12), "Keep [the Sabbath]." This is speaking of the seventh attribute. Regarding this seventh attribute it is written (Leviticus 19:30) , "My sabbaths you shall keep , and My sanctuary you shall fear." What is the seventh attribute? This is the Blessed Holy One's attribute of Goodness.

181. Why is it written, "My sabbaths you shall keep," [in the plural] rather than "My sabbath" [in the singular]? What is this like? A king had a beautiful bride, and every week she would set aside a day to be with him. The king also had beautiful beloved sons. He said to them, "Since this is the situation, you should also rejoice on the day of my joy. For it is for your sake that I strive,, and you also respect me."

182. What is the reason that [the Torah says] "remember" [in one place,] and "keep" [regarding the Sabbath in another]? "Remember" (zachor) refers to the male (Zachar) . "Keep" (shamor) refers to the bride. Why is it connected to, "and My sanctuary you shall fear"? This is because My sanctuary is holy. Why? "Because I am God who makes you holy" from every side.

183. Why do we say [in the blessing after food], "On all that He created...[Blessed]is the Life of Worlds." Why do we not say, "On all that You created"? But we bless the Holy One, who grants His wisdom to this "Life of Worlds." It then provides for all.

184. What is the reason that we say [in blessings, "Blessed are you...] who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us" [in the third person]? Why do we not say, "that You made us holy with Your commandments, and You commanded us, " [in the second person]? This teaches us that all commandments are included in the Life of Worlds. Because of His love for us, He gave us [the commandments] in order that they should make us holy and allow us to be worthy. Why? Because when we are in this world, we can become worthy of the World to Come, which is great. In its hand is the treasury of souls. When Israel is good, these souls are worthy of emerging and coming to this world. But if they are not good, the [these souls] do not emerge. We therefore say, "The Son of David will not come until all the souls in the Body are completed." What is the meaning of "all the souls in the Body"? We say that this refers to all the souls in man's body. [When these are completed] new ones will be worthy of emerging. The Son of David (the Messiah) will then come. He will be able to be born, since his soul will emerge among the other new souls. What is this like? A king had an army, and he sent them much bread to eat. They were so lazy that they did not take care of [the bread] which they did not eat [immediately]. The bread therefore became mouldy and went to waste. The king investigated to find out if they had what to eat, and to see if they had eaten what he had sent them. He found that the bread had become mouldy and they were ashamed to ask for new bread. How could they tell the king, "We did not take care of [what you sent us,] but now we are asking for more"? The king also became angry. He took the mouldy bread and ordered that it be dried and rectified as much as possible. He swore to the men, "I will not give you any more bread until you eat all this mouldy bread." He then returned the bread to them. What did they do? They agreed to divide it up, and each one took his portion. The diligent one took his portion and placed it in the air, taking care of it and keeping it in good condition to eat. The other one took it and ate it lustfully. He ate what he could and laid the rest aside, not taking care of it since he had given up on it. It spoiled even more and became so mouldy that he could not eat it at all. He therefore starved to death. He was then blamed for the sin of his body: Why did you kill yourself? Is it not enough that you ruined the bread the first time? But I returned it to you and you ruined it [again]. You ruined your portion because you were too lazy to take care of it. And not only that, but you also killed yourself." [The solder] replied, "My lord, what could I have done?" He answered, "You should have taken care of it. And if you claim that you were not able to, you should have watched your friends and neighbours with whom you shared the bread. You should have seen what they did and how they took care of it, and you should have kept it like they did." They also interrogated him: Why did you kill yourself? Is it not enough that you ruined the bread? But you also went ahead and killed the matter of your body. You shortened the days of your life, or [at least] caused it. It may have been possible that you would have had a good son. He could have saved you, and [rectified] the damage that you and others did. Your suffering will therefore be increased on all sides. He became confused and replied, "What could I have done when I did not have any bread? With what could I have sustained myself?" They answered: If you would have strived and worked in Torah, you would not reply foolishly and brazenly like this. Because of your reply, it is obvious that you have not worked or strived in Torah. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 8:3) , "For not by bread alon does man live, but form all that emanates from God's mouth does man live." You should have searched and probed and asked, "what is it through which man lives?" What is this which "emanates from God's mouth" From here they said, "An ignoramus cannot be pious." If a person does not act with kindness (Chesed) toward himself, he cannot be called pious (Chasid) .

185. How can one do kindness to his Master? By studying the Torah. All study of Torah is a deed of kindness toward one's Master. It is thus written (Deuteronomy 33:26) , "He rides the heavens with your help, [His pride is in the skies]." God says, "When you study Torah for its own sake, then you help Me and I can ride the heavens." Then, "His pride is in the skies (Shechakim). " What is Shechakim ? We say that it is in the innermost chamber. The Targum thus renders it, "His word is in the Heaven of Heaven." Therefore, "not by bread alone does man live, but from all that emanates from God's mouth does man live." However, "the fool answers brazenly." "Abandon this brazenness, and do not reply in this manner!" He is therefore punished. What is his punishment? We have already discussed it.

186. What is the meaning of the verse (Job 15:2), "Should a wise man answer knowledge of spirit?" What is "knowledge of spirit"? This is the Knowledge that is close to the spirit. Regarding this it is written (Isaiah 11:2) , "And there will rest upon him a spirit of God, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, [a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of God]." [First comes] Wisdom, and then comes Understanding. And in Understanding is "counsel, strength, knowledge and the fear of God." But you told us that "counsel" is deeds of Kindness, and that Understanding is the Attribute of Justice. [One is above the other.] Knowledge is Truth. Knowledge is therefore that with which one recognises the truth. "The fear of God" is the Treasury of the Torah . This is like I say, but one is above the other. Rabbi Akiba thus said: With whatever God created, He created its counterpart. It is thus written (Ecclesiates 7:14) , "Also one opposite the other has God made." What is the Treasury of the Torah? It is that regarding which it is written (Isaiah 33:6), "The fear of God is His treasury." A person must first be god-fearing, and then he can study Torah. This is like a person who comes to buy date honey but does not bring a vessel in which to carry it. He says, "I will carry it in my bosom." He tries to carry it in his bosom but it was very heavy, and he is also afraid that it will tear and soil his clothing. He therefore throws it away on the road. This person is then punished twice. First because he ruined good food, and second because he wasted his money.

187. The fear of God is the one that is higher. It is in the palm of God's hand. It is also His Force. This palm (kaf) is called the pan of merit (Kaf Zechut). This is because it inclines the world to the pan of merit. It is thus written (Isaiah 11:3), "I will grant him a spirit of the fear of God, and he will not judge by the sight of his eyes, he will not admonish according to what his ear hears." He will incline all the world to the pan of merit. From there counsel emanates, and from there health emanates to the world. [It is also written,] (Genesis 49:24) "From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." This is the place that is called "There." Regarding this, it is written (Habakkuk 3:4), "[He has rays from His hand,] and His hidden Force is there. "

188. Once this thing comes, sharpen it. What is its sharpening? Tell us the meaning of the verse, "He has rays from His hand." Why does it first say "rays" and they "His hand"? It should have said "His hands" [in the plural]. There is no contradiction. This is very much like the verse (Exodus 32:19), "And Moses' anger flared, and he threw the tablets from his hands." The way this is written, however, it would be read "His hand" [in the singular]. It is likewise written (Exodus 17:12), "And his hands was faithful until the sun set." The verse says Emunah ("was faithful" - in the singular) and not Emunot ("were faithful" - in the plural). They replied: Our master, we are pointing out a contradiction in order to receive an answer, and you are covering our eyes. Did you not teach us, master, that you must answer first things first and last things last? [He said:] And what have you then asked? [The meaning of,] "He has rays from His hand." By the Divine service, I have just explained it to you with my words. They were ashamed. When he saw that they were ashamed is it not true that [at first] there was water, and that fire emanated form it? Water therefore included fire. And Master, what is the meaning of "rays"? He replied: There are five rays. These are the five fingers on man's right hand.

189. And master, you are the one who told us in Rabbi Yochanan's name that there are only tow arms of the world." He replied: Yes. But here "rays" allude to the two rays that are below them. And what are they? He said: With the anger of your head. And what is above? He said: The fear of God.

190. And what is the fear of God? It is the first light. Rabbi [Meir] thus said: Why is it written (Genesis 1:3), "And God said, 'let there be light,' and there was light"? Why does it not say, "and it was so"? But this teaches us that the light was very intense, so that no created thing could gaze upon it. God therefore stored it away for the righteous in the Ultimate Future. This is the measure of all merchandise (Secorah) in the world. It is also the power of the precious stones that are called Socheret and Dar. And upon what is the attribute of Dar? This teaches us that God took a thousandth of its radiance, and from it He constructed a beautiful precious stone. In it He included all the commandments. Abraham came, and He sought a power to give him. He gave him this precious stone, but he did not want it. He was worthy and took Kindness as his attribute, as it is written (Micah 7:20), "Kindness to Abraham." Isaac came, and He sought a power, but He gave it to him and he did not want it. He was worthy and took the attribute of Strength, which is [called] Terror. It is thus written (Genesis 31:53), "And Jacob swore by the Terror of Isaac his father." Jacob came and wanted it, but it was not given to him. They said, "Since Abraham is above and Isaac is below him, you will be in the centre and take all three." What is the centre? It is peace, as it is written (Micah 7:20), "You give Truth to Jacob." Truth is identical with Peace, as it is written (Esther 9:30), "Words of Peace and Truth." It is likewise written (2 Kings 20:19), "For peace and truth will be in my days." This is the meaning of the verse (Isaiah 58:14), "I will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father." This is a complete inheritance (Nachalah), comprising Kindness, Terror, Truth and Peace. It is therefore written (Psalm 118:22), "The stone despised by the builders has become the chief cornerstone." This is the Stone that was despised by Abraham and Isaac, the builders of the world, and that then became the chief cornerstone.

191. And why did they despise it? Is it not written (Genesis 26:5), "Because Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My watch, My commandments, My decrees, and My Torahs." What is the meaning of "My watch"? It refers to what the Attribute of Kindness said: As long as Abraham was in the world, I did not have to do my job. Abraham stood there in my place and "kept my watch." It is my task to bring merit to the world, and even when people are guilty, I bring them merit. I also bring them back, directing their hearts to do the will of their Father in heaven. All this Abraham did, as it is written (Genesis 21:33), "And he planted a tamarisk in Beersheba, and he called there in the name of the Lord, God of the world." He would share his bread and water with all the people in the world, bringing them merit. Seeking to convince them, he would say, "Whom then are you serving? Serve the Lord, God of heaven and earth." He would preach to them until they would repent. How do we know that he would also bring merit to those who were guilty? It is written (Genesis 18:17), "Shall I then cover from Abraham what I am doing? Abraham is becoming a great, mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him." [God said,] "I will give him merit. I know that he will seek mercy for them and be worthy." Is it then possible to say that the Blessed Holy One did not know that they could be saved? But He told this [to Abraham] to bring him merit. From here they said, "If one comes to purify himself, they help him. If one comes to defile himself, they open for him." What is the meaning of, "they open for him"? It refers to those that are always open. 192. [It is written that Abraham kept] (Genesis 26:5), "My commandments, My decrees, and My Torahs." He said, "Since I do not want [the precious stone], I will keep all the commandments that are included in it." What is the meaning of "My Torahs"? This teaches us that he knew and kept even the decisions (Horah) and discussions that are taught on high.

193. And what is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 49:24), "From there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel." From "There" is nourished the Rock of Israel. What is the meaning of "from There"? We say that this is the Supernal Righteous One (Tzadik). What is it? It is [the precious stone called] Socheret. And the stone that is below it is called Dar. And what are the rays mentioned in the verse (Habakkuk 3:4), "He has rays from His hand"? These are the five fingers of the right hand.

30.10.1.5 Mysteries of the Soul

30.10.2 Sefer ha-Bahir

ה. ישב ר' רחומאי ודרש מאי דכתיב (דברים ל"ג כג) ומלא ברכת ה' ים ודרשה ירשה, אלא בכל מקום בי"ת מבורך הוא, כי הוא המלא שנאמר ומלא ברכת ה' ומשם משקה הצריכים, ומן המלא נטלה עצה תחלה, משל למה"ד למלך שרצה לבנות פלטרין שלו בסלעים חזקים קצץ צורים וחצב סלעים ויצא לו מעין מים גדול מים חיים, אמר המלך הואיל ויש לי מים נובעים אטע גן ואשתעשע בו אני וכל העולם, הה"ד (משלי ח' ל) ואהיה אצלו אמון ואהיה שעשועים יום יום משחקת לפניו בכל עת, אמרה תורה אלפים שנה הייתי בחיקו של הקב"ה שעשועים שנאמר יום יום, ויומו של הקב"ה אלף שנה שנאמר (תהלים צ' ד') כי אלף שנים בעיניך כיום אתמול כי יעבור, מכאן ואילך לעתים שנאמר בכל עת, והשאר לעולם שנאמר (ישעי' מ"ח ט) ותהלתי אחטם לך, מאי ותהלתי דכתיב (תהלים קמ"ה ב) תהלה לדוד ארוממך, מאי תהלה, משום דארוממך, ומאי רוממות' משום דאברכה שמך לעולם ועד:

ו. ומאי ברכה, אלא משל למה"ד למלך שנטע אילנות בגנו, ואע"פ שירדו גשמים ושואב תמיד וגם הקרקע לח ושואב תמיד צריך הוא להשקותן מן המעיין שנאמר (תהלים קי"א ו') ראשית חכמה יראת ה' שכל טוב לכל עושיהם, ואז תאמר שהיא חסרה כלום הרי אומר (שם) תהלתו עומדת לעד:

ה. ז. ישב רבי אמוראי ודרש מאי דכתיב (דברים ל"ג כג) ומלא ברכת ה' ים ודרום ירשה, כך אמר משה אם תלך בחוקותיו תירש העולם הזה והעולם הבא, העולם הבא שהוא נמשל לים שנאמר (איוב י"א ט) ורחבה מני ים, והעוה"ז נמשל לדרום שנאמר (יהושע ט"ו יט) כי ארץ הנגב נתתני ומתרגמינן ארי ארעא דרומא:

ו. ח. ועוד למה הוסיף הקב"ה ה"א באברהם יותר משאר אותיות אלא כדי שיזכו כל אבריו של אדם לחיי עולם הבא שהוא נמשל ליום, כביכול בו נשלם הבנין דכתיב (בראשית ט' ו) כי בצלם אלהים עשה את האדם, ואברהם בגמטריא רמ"ח כמנין אבריו של אדם:

ז. ט. מאי דכתיב (דברים ל"ג כג) ירשה רש היה לו לומר, אלא אפי' הקב"ה בכלל, והיינו רש יה, למה"ד למלך שהי' לו ב' אוצרות והקצה אחד מהם, לסוף ימים אמר לבנו טול מה שיש בשני אוצרות הללו, אמר הבן שמא לא יתן לי מה שהקצה, א"ל טול הכל, והיינו דכתיב ים ודרום ירשה, ויה רש וינתן לך הכל ולואי שתשמור דרכי:

ח. י. אמר רבי בון מאי דכתיב (משלי ח' כ"ג) מעולם נסכתי מראש מקדמי ארץ, מאי מעולם, שצריך להעלימו מכולי עלמא דכתיב (קהלת ג' י"א) גם את העולם נתן בלבם, אל תקרא העולם אלא העלם, אמרה תורה אני קדמתי להיות ראש לעולם שנאמר מעולם נסכתי מראש ואם תאמר שמא הארץ קדמה לה ת'ל מקדמי ארץ כד"א בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ. ומאי ברא, ברא כל צרכי הכל ואח"כ אלהים, ומה כתיב בתריה את השמים ואת הארץ:

ט. יא. ומאי גם את זה לעומת זה עשה האלהים (קהלת ז' יד), ברא בהו ושם מקומו בשלום וברא תהו ושם מקומו ברע, בהו בשלום שנאמר (איוב כ"ה ב) עושה שלום במרומיו מלמד שמיכאל שר הימיני של הקב"ה מים וברד וגבריאל שר שמאלו של הקב"ה אש, ושר שלום ביניהם מכריע והיינו דכתיב עושה שלום במרומיו:

יב. ומנלן דתהו הוא ברע דכתיב (ישעי' מ"ה ז) עושה שלום ובורא רע, הא כיצד רע מתהו ושלום מבהו ברא תהו ושם מקומו ברע שנא' עושה שלום ובורא רע ברא בהו ושם מקומו בשלום שנאמר עושה שלום במרומיו:

י. יג. ועוד ישב ר' בון ודרש מאי דכתיב (ישעי' שם) יוצר אור ובורא חושך, אלא אור שיש בו ממש כתיב בו יצירה, חשך שאין בו ממש כתיב ביה בריאה, כמה דאת אמר (עמוס ד, יב) יוצר הרים ובורא רוח. ואי בעית אימא אור שיש בו הויה דכתיב (בראשית א' ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור ואין הויה אלא ע"י עשיה, קרי ביה יצירה, חשך דלא הוה ביה עשיה אלא הבדלה והפרשה בלבד קרי ביה בריאה כמד"א הבריא פלוני:

יא. יד. למה ב סתומה מכל צד ופתוחה מלפניה ללמדך שהוא בית לעולם והיינו דקב"ה מקומו של עולם ואין העולם מקומו, ואל תקרא ב אלא בית הדא היא דכתיב (משלי כ"ד ג) בחכמה יבנה בית ובתבונה יתכונן:

טו. ולמה ב' דומה, לאדם שנוצר בחכמה שסתום מכל צד ופתוח מלפניו והאל"ף פתוחה מלאחריו, לומר זה זנב הב' שפתוחה מלאחריו, שאלמלא כן לא יתקיים האדם כך אלמלא בית בזנבה של א' לא יתקיים העולם:

יג. טז. אמר ר' רחומאי האורה קדמה לעולם שענן וערפל סביביו שנאמר (בראשית א' ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור ויהי אור, אמרו לו קודם יצירת ישראל בנך תעשה לו עטרה, א"ל הן, משל למה"ד למלך שהתארה לבן ומצא עטרה נאה קלוסה ומשובחת שמח שמחה ואמר זה לבני לראשו כי לו נאה, א"ל ויודע הוא שבנו ראוי, אמר שתוקי כך עלה במחשבה ונודע שנאמר (שמואל ב' י"ד יד) וחשב מחשבות וגו'. יד:

יז. ישב ר' אמוראי ודרש למה אל"ף בראש, שהיא היתה קודמת לכל, ואפילו לתורה:

יח. ולמה בי"ת קרובה לה, מפני שהיא היתה תחילה, ולמה יש לה זנב, להראות מאיזה מקום היתה, וי"א שמשם נתקיים העולם:

יט. ולמה גימ"ל שלישית, מפני שהיא שלישית, ולהודיע שהיא גומלת חסדים. והלוא ר' עקיבא אמר למה ג שלישית מפני שגומלת ומתגדלת ומתקיימת כמה דאת אמר (בראשית כא ח) ויגדל הילד ויגמל, א"ל הוא דבריי כי הוא גודל וגומל חסד לשכנו עמו ואמון אצלו:

כ. ומפני מה יש לה זנב למטה לגימ"ל, אמר להם ראש יש לו לג' למעלה ודומה לצינור, מה צינור זה שואב מלמעלה ומריק למטה אף ג שואבת דרך הראש ומריקה דרך הזנב והיינו ג:

כא. אמר ר' יוחנן בשני נבראו המלאכים דכתיב (תהלים ק"ד ג) המקרה במים עליותיו וכתיב (שם ד) עושה מלאכיו רוחות משרתיו אש לוהט ואמר ר' לויטס בן טברוס הכל מודים ומודה ר' יוחנן דהמים כבר היו, אבל בשני המקרה במים עלי ותיו, ומי השם עבים רכובו, ומי המהלך על כנפי רוח, אבל שלוחים לא נבראו עד יום ה:

כב. ומודים הכל שלא נבראו ביום ראשון שלא יאמרו מיכאל היה מותח בדרומו של רקיע וגבריאל בצפונו והקב"ה סודר באמצעיתו, אלא אני ה' עושה כל נוטה שמים לבדי רוקע הארץ מאתי (ישעי' מ"ד כד) מי אתי כתיב אני הוא שנטעתי אילן זה להשתעשע בו כל העולם ורקעתי בו כל וקראתי שמו כל שהכל תלוי בו והכל יוצא ממנו, והכל צריכים לו, ובו צופים ולו מחכין, ומשם פורחים הנשמות בשמחה, לבדי הייתי כשעשיתי אותו, ולא יגדל עליו מלאך לאמר אני קדמתי לך, כי גם בעת שרקעתי ארצי שבה נטעתי ושרשתי אילן זה ושמחתי ביחד ושמחתי בהם, מי אתי שגליתי לו סודי זה:

טז. כג. אמר ר' רחומאי מדברך נלמד שצורך העולם הזה ברא הקב"ה קודם השמים, א"ל הן, משל למה"ד למלך שביקש ליטע אילן בגנו, השגיח בכל הגן לדעת אם יש שם מעיין נובע מים להעמיד אותו, ולא מצא, אמר אחפור מים ואוציא מעין כדי שיוכל להתקיים האילן, חפר והוציא מעין נובע מים חיים ואח"כ נטע האילן ועמד ועשה פרי והצליח בשרשיו שהשקוהו תמיד מן המעיין:

יז. כד. אמר ר' ינאי הארץ נבראה קודם לשמים שנאמר (בראשית ב' ד) ארץ ושמים, אמרו לו והכתיב (בראשית א' א) את השמים ואת הארץ, אמר להם למה"ד למלך שקנה חפץ נאה ולא היה שלם ולא קרא עליו שם, אמר אשלימנו ואתקן כנו וחבורו, ואז אקרא לו שם הה"ד (תהלים ק"ב כו) לפנים הארץ יסדת ואח"כ ומעשה ידיך שמים, ואומר (שם ק"ד ב) עטה אור כשלמה נוטה שמים כיריעה המקרה במים עליותיו וגו', ואומר (שם ד) עושה מלאכיו רוחות משרתיו אש לוהט, ואח"כ (שם ה) יסד ארץ על מכוניה בל תמוט עולם ועד, כשתיקן לה מכון אז האמיץ בה שנאמר בל תמוט, ומה שמה ועד שמה ומכונה עולם והיינו עולם ועד:

יח. כה. אמר ר' ברכיה מאי דכתיב (בראשית א, ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור ויהי אור, ולא והיה אור, משל למלך שהיה לו חפץ נאה והקצהו עד שזימן לו מקום ושמהו שם הה"ד יהי אור ויהי אור שכבר היה:

יט. כו. אמר ר' אמוראי מאי דכתיב (שמות ט"ו ג) ה' איש מלחמה, אמר ליה מר רחומאי ברבי לא תבעי לך מילתא דפשיטא, שמע לי ואמלכינך, א"ל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו דירות נאות ושם שם לכל אחד ואחד מהם וכולן זו טובה מזו, אמר אתן לבני דירה זו ששמה אל"ף, גם זו טובה ששמה יו"ד גם זו טובה ששמה שי"ן, מה עשה אספן כל השלשה ועשה מהם שם אחד ועשה מהם בית אחד, א"ל עד מתי תסתום דבריך, א"ל בני אל"ף ראש, יו"ד שני לה, שי"ן כולל כל העולם, ולמה שי"ן כולל כל העולם מפני שכתוב בה תשובה:

כ. כז. שאלו לו תלמידיו מהו דלי"ת, א"ל מלה"ד לעשרה מלכים שהיו במקום אחד, וכלם עשירים, ואחד מהם עשיר אך לא כאחד מהם, אע"פ שעשרו גדול דל נקרא לגבי העשירים:

כח. אמרו לו מה ה"א, כעס ואמר להם לא אמרתי לכם לא תשאלו לי על דבר אחרון ואח"כ על הראשון, אמרו לו וה"א אחרון כתובה, אמר להם ראוי הוא להיכתב גימ"ל ה"א ועל מה נכתב גימ"ל דלי"ת מפני שהיה לו לכתוב דלי"ת ה"א, ומפני מה כתב גימל דלית, אמר להם נחלפים הגימל במקום דלית בראשה במקום ה"א דלי"ת בקוצה מקום ה"א:

כט. מאי ה"א, אמר ה"א תחתונה וה"א עליונה:

ל. אמרו לו מאי וא"ו, אמר להם בששה קצוות נחתם העולם, אמרו לו והלא ו' אחת, אמר להם והלא כתוב (תהלים ק"ד ב) עוטה אור כשלמה כא:

לא. אמר ר' אמוראי גן עדן היכן הוא, א"ל בארץ:

לב. דרש ר' ישמעאל לר' עקיבא מאי דכתיב (בראשית א' א) את השמים ואת הארץ, אלמלא לא נאמר את היינו אומרים שמים וארץ אלהות הן, אמר לו העבודה נגעת אבל לא בררת, כן דברת, אבל את לרבות חמה ולבנה כוכבים ומזלות, ואת לרבות אילנות ודשאים וגן עדן:

לג. אמרו לו הכתיב (איכה ב' א) השליך משמים ארץ תפארת ישראל וא"כ נפלו, אמר להם אם קרו לא שנו ואם שנו לא שלשו, מלה"ד למלך שהיה לו עטרה נאה על ראשו מלת נאה בכתפיו ובא לו שמועה רעה השליך העטרה מעל ראשו והמלך מלפניו:

כב. לד. שאלו לו מפני מה חי"ת צורת פתח ונקודה בפתח קטן, א"ל מפני שכל הרוחות סתומות חוץ מפאת צפון שהוא פתוחה לטוב ולרע, א"ל לטובה והכתיב (יחזקאל א' ד) והנה רוח סערה באה מן הצפון ענן גדול אש מתלקחת, ואין' אש אלא חרון אף דכתיב (ויקרא י' ב') ותצא אש מלפני ה' ותאכל אותם וימותו, א"ל לא קשיא כאן בזמן שישראל עושין רצונו של מקום כאן כשאין ישראל עושין רצונו, בזמן שאין ישראל עושין רצונו אש קרובה, ובזמן שעושין רצונו מדת הרחמים מתגלגלת וסובבת הה"ד (מיכה ז' יח) נושא עון ועובר על פשע:

לה. משל למה"ד למלך שרצה לרדות את עבדיו וליסרם, עמד הגמון אחד ושאל על מה, אמר לו על כן, א"ל לא עשו עבדיך דבר זה מעולם ואני ערב לך בהם ואתה תבדוק אחריהם, בין כך ובין כך שככה חמת המלך:

לו. שאלו תלמידיו ואמרו מפני מה דלי"ת עבה מן הצד, אמר להם מפני הסגו"ל שהוא בפתח וקטן שנאמר (תהלים כד ז) פתחי עולם, שם שם פתח למעלה וסגול למטה ובאה עבה:

לז. מאי פתח, פתח, ומאי פתח, הוא רוח צפונית שהוא פתח לכל העולם, מן השער שיצא הרע יוצא הטוב, ומה טוב, לגלג עליהם הלא אמרתי לכם פתח קטן, אמרו לו שכחנו שנה לנו, שנה אמר להם למה"ד למלך שהיה לו כסא לפעמים לוקח אותו בזרועו ולפעמים על ראשו, א"ל למה, לפי שהוא נאה וחס לישב עליו, א"ל ואנא שמו על ראשו, אמר להם במ"ם פתוחה שנאמר (תהלים פ"ב יב) אמת מארץ תצמח וצדק משמים נשקף:

לח. ישב ר' אמוראי ודרש מאי דכתיב (תהלים פ"ז ב) אוהב ה' שערי ציון מכל משכנות יעקב, שערי ציון הם פתחי עולם, ואין שער אלא פתח כמד"א פתח לנו שערי רחמים, כך אמר הקב"ה אוהב אני שערי ציון כשהן פתוחין, למה, שהן מצד הרעה, וכשישראל טובים לפני המקום וראוים להפתח לטוב הקב"ה אוהבם מכל משכנות יעקב שהם כולם שלום שנאמר (בראשית כה כו) ויעקב איש תם ישב אהלים:

לט. משל לשני בני אדם אחד מזומן לעשות רעה ועשה טובה, ואחד מזומן לעשות טובה ועשה טובה, למי משבחין יותר למי שרגיל לעשות רע ועשה טוב, אולי יעשה פעם שניה הה"ד (תהלים פ"ז ב) אוהב ה' שערי ציון מכל משכנות יעקב שהן כולם שלום שנאמר (בראשית כ"ה כו) ויעקב איש תם ישב אהלים:

מ. שאלו תלמידיו מהו חולם, א"ל נשמה ושמה חולם שאם תשמע תחלים גופך לעתיד לבוניו ואם תמרוד בה ישובו חלאיך בראשך וחלים בראשה:

מא. ועוד אמרו שכל חלום הוא בחולם, וכל מרגלית לבנה הוא בחלם כדכתיב (שמות כ"ח יט) ואחלמה:

מב. אמר להם עולו ושמעו דקדוקי נקודה דאורייתא דמשה. ישב ודרש להם חיריק שונא את הרעים ומייסרם, ובצדו הקנאה והשנאה והתחרות דכתיב (תהלים ל"ז יב) וחרק עליו שניו אל תקרי חרק אלא רחק, רחק אלה המדות ממך ויתרחק ממך הרע, וכל שכן דהטוב ידבק בך:

מג. חרק אל תקרי חרק אלא קרח, אלא כל מקום שדבק חרק נשאר קרח שנאמר (שמות ל"ד ז) ונקה:

מד. ומאי משמע דהאי חרק לשון שורף משום דהיא אש שורפת כל האשות דכתיב (מ"א י"ח לח) ותפול אש ה' ותאכל את העולה ואת העצים ואת האבנים ואת העפר, ואת המים אשר בתעלה לחכה:

כה. מה. אמר מר מאי דכתיב (שמות כ' י"ח) וכל העם רואים את הקולות ואת הלפידים, וכי נראים קולות, אלא וכל העם רואים את הקולות אותן קולות שאמר דוד (תהלים כ"ט ג) קול ה' על המים אל הכבוד הרעים ה' גו' קול ה' בכח ואומר (ישעיה י' יג) בכח ידי עשיתי, ואומר (שם מ"ח יג) אף ידי יסדה ארץ, קול ה' בהדר ואמר קרא (תהלים קי"א ג) הוד והדר פעלו וצדקתו עומדת לעד, קול ה' שובר ארזים (שם כ"ט ה) זה קשת שמשברת עצי ברושים ועצי ארזים, קול ה' חוצב להבות אש (שם ד) זה שעושה שלום בין המים ובין האש, שחוצב כח האש ומונע אותו מללחוך המים וגם מונען מלכבותו, קול ה' יחיל מדבר (שם ח) שנאמר (שם י"ח נ"א) ועושה חסד למשיחו לדוד ולזרעו עד עולם, יותר מן המדבר, קול ה' יחולל אילות ויחשוף יערות ובהיכלו כולו אומר כבוד (שם כ' ט), וכתיב (שה"ש ב' ז) השבעתי אתכם בנות ירושלים בצבאות או באילות השדה, הא למדת שבשבע קולות ניתנה תורה, ובכלם נגלה אדון העולם עליהם וראוהו והיינו דכתיב וכל העם רואים את הקולות:

כו. מו. כתוב אחד אומר (שמואל ב כ"ב) ויט שמים וירד וערפל תחת רגליו, וכתוב אחד אומר (שמות י"ט כ) וירד ה' על הר סיני אל ראש ההר, וכתוב אחד אומר (שם כ' כ"ב) כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם, הא כיצד. אשו הגדולה היתה בארץ שהוא קול אחד ושאר הקולות היו בשמים דכתיב (דברים ד' לו) מן השמים השמיעך את קולו ליסרך ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה ודבריו שמעת מתוך האש, ומאי היא הגדולה, ומאין היה יוצא הדיבור מתוך האש שנאמר (שם) ודבריו שמעת מתוך האש:

כז. מז. ומאי ותמונה אינכם רואים זולתי קול (דברים ד' יב) ההוא כדאמר להם משה לישראל (שם ט"ו) כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה, תמונה ולא כל תמונה. משל למה"ד למלך שעומד על עבדיו מעוטף כסות לבנה לא די לאימת מלכות שיסתכלו במלבושיו, ועוד רחוק היה המלך ושמעו את קולו, יכולים לראות גרונו, אמרת לא, הא למדת שראו תמונה ולא כל תמונה. והיינו דכתיב (שם) ותמונה אינכם רואים זולתי קול, וכתיב (שם) קול דברים אתם שומעים:

כח. מח. כתוב אחד אומר (שמות כ' טו) וכל העם רואים את הקולות, וכתוב אחד אומר (דברים ד' יב) קול דברים אתם שומעים, הא כיצד, בתחילה רואים את הקולות. ומה ראו שבע קולות שאמר דוד. ולבסוף שמעו הדיבור היוצא מבין כולם. והא אנן עשרה תנן, דרבנן אמרו כולהו אמירן בחדא מילתא, כן כולה אמירן בחדא מילתא, והוי שבע אמירן דשבעה קולות, ועל תלתא מנייהו נאמר קול דברים אתם שומעים ותמונה אינכם רואים זולתי קול, הא למדת דכולהו בחדא מילתא אמירן, ובעבור שלא יטעו ישראל לומר אחרים עזרוהו או אחד מן המלאכים אך קולו לבד לא יוכל להיות חזק כל כך, בעבור כן חזר וכללן:

מט. ד"א שלא יאמרו העולם הואיל והם עשרה מאמרות לעשרה מלכים. שמא לא יוכלו לדבר ע"פ אחד כתב ביה אנכי וכלל כל העשרה, ומאי עשרה מלכים שבע קולות ושלשה אמרים, ומאי אמרים וה' האמירך היום (דברים כ"ו יח), ומאי נינהו שלשה דכתיב (משלי ד' ז) ראשית חכמה קנה חכמה ובכל קנינך קנה בינה, כד"א (איוב ל"ב ח) ונשמת שדי תבינם, נשמתו של שדי היא תבינם, שלישי מאי היא כדאמר ליה ההוא סבא לההוא ינוקא במופלא ממך אל תדרוש ובמכוסה ממך אל תחקור, במה שהורשת התבונן אין לך עסק בנסתרות:

נ. תנא כבוד אלקים הסתר דבר (משלי כ"ה ב), מאי דבר, כדאמר (תהלים קי"ט קס) ראש דברך אמת, וכבוד מלכים חקור דבר (משלי שם), מאי דבר, דכתיב (שם כ"ה יא) דבר דבור על אופניו, אל תקרי אופניו אלא אפניו:

כט. נא. שאלו תלמידיו את ר' ברכיה נרצה דברינו לפניך, לא נתן להם רשות, פעם אחת נתן להם רשות, והיא דעביד לבודקן אי אינון השתא כוונו נפשייהו, יום אחד בדק אותם אמר להם השמיעוני חכמתכם, פתחו ואמרו בראשית אחד ורוח מלפני יעטוף ונשמות אני עשיתי (ישעי' נ"ז טז) פלג אלהים מלא מים (תהלים ס"ה י) מאי פלג, כך למדתנו ראינו שנטל מימי בראשית וחלקן ונתן חצים ברקיע וחצים בים אוקינוס הה"ד פלג אלהים מלא מים ועל ידם אדם לומד תורה דאמר ר' חמא בזכות גמילות חסדים אדם לומד תורה כדכתיב (ישעי' נ"ה א) הוי כי צמא לכו למים ואשר אין לו כסף לכו שברו ואכלו, לכו אליו ויגמול לכם חסד ושברו ואכלו:

נב. ד"א ואשר אין לו כסף לכו אליו כי יש אצלו כסף דכתיב (חגי ב' ח) לי הכסף ולי הזהב, מאי לי הכסף ולי הזהב, משל למה"ד למלך שיש לו שני אוצרות אחד של כסף ואחד של זהב, שם של כסף בימינו ושל זהב בשמאלו, אמר זה יהיה מזומן וקל להוציאו, ועושה דבריו בנחת והוא יהיה דבוק עם העניים ומנהיגם בנחת הה"ד (שמות ט"ו ו) ימינך ה' נאדרי בכח, ואם שמח בחלקו טוב, ואם לאו ימינך ה' תרעץ אויב, מאי ימינך ה' תרעץ אויב, א"ל זה הזהב דכתיב לי הכסף ולי הזהב:

נג. ולמה נקרא שמו זהב, שבו כלולות שלש מדות, זכר, והוא זי"ן, הנשמה, והיא הה"א, וחמשה שמות לנשמה רוח חיה יחידה נפש נשמה, מאי עבידתיה בה"א. והוא כסא לזיי"ן דכתיב (קהלת ה' ז) כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר, ובי"ת היא קיומם כדאמר בראשית ברא:

נד. ומאי עבידתיה הכא, משל למה"ד למלך שהיתה לו בת טובה ונעימה ונאה ושלימה, והשיאה לבן מלך, והלבישה ועטרה וקשטה ונתנה לו בממון רב, אפשר לו למלך לישב חוץ מביתו, אמרת לא, אפשר לו לשבת כל היום תמיד עמה, אמרת לא, הא כיצד, שם חלון בינו לבינה וכל שעה שצריכה הבת לאביה או האב לבתו מתחברים יחד דרך החלון הה"ד (תהלים מ"ה יח) כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה ממשבצות זהב לבושה:

נה. ומה היא בי"ת דכתיב בסופה (משלי כ"ד ג) בחכמה יבנה בית, נבנה לא נאמר אלא יבנה, עתיד הקב"ה לבנותה ולקשטה אלפים באחד על אשר היתה, כדאמרינן מה הוה דתחילת התורה בבי"ת דכתיב (משלי ח' ל') ואהיה אצלו אמון ואהיה שעשועים יום יום תרי אלפין שנין, שהיא ראשית, תרי והכתוב אומר שבע דכתיב (ישעי' ל' כו) והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה ואור החמה יהיה שבעתים, דאמרינן מה חמה לשבעה אף לבנה לשבעה, אנא אלפים אמרו:

נו. א"ל עד כאן חמשה מכאן ואילך מאי, א"ל אני אפרש תחלה זהב, מאי זהב, מלמד שממנו יוצא הדין, ואם תטה דבריך ימין ושמאל נזהר ממך:

נז. מאי דכתיב (ישעי' שם) והיה אור הלבנה כאור החמה ואור החמה יהיה שבעתים כאור שבעת הימים, הימים ימים מיבעי ליה, אלא אותן ימים שכתוב בהן (שמות ל"א יז) כי ששת ימים עשה ה' וגו', אמר לו חברו וכן קבלתי מדכתיב כי ששת ימים עשה ה', כמה דאת אמר ששה כלים נאים עשה הקב"ה, ומאי הם את השמים ואת הארץ, והא ז' הן וכן כתוב (שם) וביום השביעי שבת וינפש, מאי וינפש, מלמד שיום השבת מקיים כל הנפשות שנאמר וינפש:

נח. ד"א מלמד שמשם פורחין הנשמות שנאמר וינפש, עד אלף דור שנאמר. (תהלים ק"ה ח) דבר צוה לאלף דור, וסמיך ליה (שם ט) אשר כרת את אברהם, ומאי אשר כרת, כרת ליה ברית, בין עשר אצבעותיו ידיו ועשר אצבעות רגליו, נתבייש אברהם א"ל הקב"ה אני הנה בריתי אתך ובו תהיה לאב המון גוים:

נט. ומאי שמים, מלמד שגיבל הקב"ה אש ומים וטפחן זה בזה ועשה מהן ראש לדבריו דכתיב (תהלים קי"ט קס) ראש דברך אמת, והיינו דכתיב שמים, שם מים, אש ומים, א"ל עד כאן עושה שלום במרומיו נתן ביניהם שלום ואהבה יתן בינינו שלום ואהבה:

ס. ועוד אמרינן (תהלים קי"ט קמ"ד) שבע ביום הללתיך על משפטי צדקיך, אמרו לו מה הם, אמר להם לא דקדקתם בדברי, צאו ודקדקו בהם ותמצאם:

ל. סא. שאלו אותו מאי צד"י, אמר להם זה נו"ן יו"ד צד"י אף זוגו נו"ן יו" ד הה"ד (משלי י' כה) וצדיק יסוד עולם:

סב. שאלו אותו מאי דכתיב (במדבר כ"ג יד) ויקחהו שדה צופים, מאי שדה צופים, דכתיב (שה"ש ז' יב) לכה דודי נצא השדה, מאי השדה, אל תקרי השדה אלא השירה, ומאי השירה, א"ל לבו להקב"ה לכה דודי נצא השדה לטייל ואל אשב תמיד במקום אחד:

סג. ומאי לבו, א"ל א"כ בן זומא מבחוץ ואתה עמו, לב הוא שלשים ושתים והיו סתומים ובהם נברא העולם, מאי ל"ב, א"ל ל"ב נתיבות, משל למלך שהיה בחדרי חדרים ומנין החדרים ל"ב, ולכל חדר יש לו נתיב, נאה למלך זה להכנס הכל בחדרו על דרך נתיבתיו, אמרת לא, נאה לו לגלות פניניו ומשבצותיו ומצפוניו וגנזיו וחמודותיו, אמרת לא, מה עשה נגע בבת וכלל בה כל הנתיבות ובמלבושה, והרוצה להכנס בפנים יסתכל הנה, ונשאה למלך גם נתנה לו במתנה, לפעמים קורא אותה באהבתו בה אחותי כי ממקום אחד היו, ולפעמים קורא אותה בתו כי בתו היא, ולפעמים קורא אותה אמי:

סד. ועוד כי אין דין אם אין חכמה, שהרי נאמר (מ"א ה' כו) וה' נתן חכמה לשלמה, ואחרי כך דן את הדין על מתכונתו שנאמר (שם ג' כח) וישמעו כל ישראל את המשפט אשר שפט המלך ויראו מפני המלך כי ראו כי חכמת אלהים בקרבו לעשות משפט. לא:

לא. סה. ומה חכמה נתן הקב"ה לשלמה, שלמה נושא שמו של הקב"ה כדאמרינן כל שלמה האמור בשה"ש קודש לבד מאחד, אמר הקב"ה הואיל ושמך כשם כבודי אשיא לך בתי, והא נשואה היא, אימא במתנה נתונה לו, דכתיב (מ"א ה' כו) וה' נתן חכמה לשלמה, ולא פירש, והיכן פירש, להלן שנאמר (שם ג' כח) כי ראו חכמת אלהים בקרבו. לעשות משפט, הוי אומר אותה חכמה שנתנה לו אלהים ושהיא עמו בחדרו היא בקרבו לעשות משפט, מאי לעשות משפט, אלא כל זמן שאדם עושה משפט חכמת אלהים בקרבו, זאת עוזרתו ומקרבתו, ואם לאו מרחקתו, ולא עוד אלא מייסרתו דכתיב (ויקרא כ"ו כח) ויסרתי אתכם אף אני:

לב. סו. ואמר ר' רחומאי מאי דכתיב (שם) אף אני, אלא הקב"ה אמר ויסרתי אתכם, וכנסת ישראל אומרת אל תדמו שאני מבקשת רחמים עליכם אלא אף אני איסר אתכם, לא די שאני אדון הדין אלא אף אני איסר אתכם:

סז. מאי שבע על חטאתיכם, אלא אמרה כנסת ישראל ויסרתי אתכם אף אני ואותם שנאמר בהם (תהלים קי"ט קסד) שבע ביום הללתיך, נתלוו אליה וענו ואמרו אף אנו שבע, אע"פ שבנו מי שמתהפך, מי שממונה על הזכות ועל הטובה, אף אנו נתהפך ונייסר, למה, מפני חטאתיכם, ואם תשובו אלי ואשובה אליכם דכתיב (מלאכי ג' ז) שובו אלי ואשובה אליכם. ואשיב לא נאמר אלא ואשיבה אליכם, עמכם ונבקש כלנו רחמים מן המלך, ומה אומר המלך (ירמי' ג' כב) שובו בנים שובבים ארפא משובותיכם, (יחזקאל י"ח ל) שובו והשיבו, מאי שובו והשיבו, אלא שובו ובקשו לאותן שבע שישובו עמכם הה"ד והשיבו, אותם שאמרו שבע על חטאתיכם:

לג. סח. שאלו תלמידיו את ר' רחומאי מאי דכתיב (חבקוק ג, א) תפלה לחבקוק הנביא על שגיונות, תפלה, תהלה מיבעי ליה, אלא כל המפנה לבו מעסקי עולם ומסתכל במעשה מרכבה מקובל לפני הקב"ה כאלו מתפלל כל היום שנאמר תפלה, מאי שגיונות, כדכתיב (משלי ה' יט) באהבתה תשגה תמיד ' ומאי ניהו. מעשה מרכבה דכתיב (חבקוק ג' ב) ה' שמעתי שמעך יראתי:

סט. ד"א מאי דכתיב (שם) ה' שמעתי שמעך יראתי וגו' מ"ט כשאמר שמעך אמר יראתי וכשאמר בקרב שנים לא אמר יראתי אלא משמעך יראתי, ומאי משמעך, מקום ששומעים בו, ומ"ט אמר שמעתי הבנתי מבעי ליה, כד"א (דברים כ"ח מט) גוי אשר לא תשמע לשונו ע. ומ"ט אמר י ר א ת י, משום דאוזן דמות א ל " ף ואלף ר א ש ל כ ל האותיות, ולא עוד אלא אל"ף גורמת לכל האותיות קיומם, ואל"ף דמות המוח, מה אל"ף כשאתה זוכרה אתה פותח פיך כך המחשבה כשאתה חושב לאין סוף ותכלית, ומהאל"ף יצאו כל האותיות, הלא תראה שהיא בתחילתן ואומר (מיכה ב' יג) וה' בראשם, דקיימא לן דכל שם הכתוב ביו"ד ה"א וי"ו ה"א מיוחד הקב"ה ומקודש בקודש, ומאי בקדש, בהיכל הקדש, ואנה היכל הקדש, הוי אומר במחשבה והיינו אל"ף הה"ד (חבקוק שם) ה' שמעתי שמעך יראתי:

עא. וכן אמר חבקוק תפלתי ידעתי שנתקבלה בתענוג, גם אני התענגתי וכשהגעתי למקום פלוני והבנתי שמעך יראתי, על כן (חבקוק שם) הן פעלך בקרב שנים חייהו, ביחודך, משל למה"ד למלך אמון מופלא ומכוסה שנכנס לביתו וצוה בל יבקשו עליו, על כן המבקש יפחד פן ידע המלך שהוא עובר על מצותו, ולכך אמר יראתי, ה' פעלך בקרב שנים חייהו כך אמר חבקוק הואיל ושמך כך ובך שמך פעלך בקרב שנים חייהו, כן יהיה לעד:

עב. ד"א פעלך בקרב שנים חייהו משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו מרגלית טובה והיא חמדת מלכותו ובעת שמחתו מחבקה ומנשקה ושמה על ראשו ואוהב אותה, אמר חבקוק אע"פ שהמלאכים. עמך, אותה המרגלית חמדה היא בעולמך, על כן בקרב שנים חייהו, מאי משמע לישנא דשנים, שנאמר (בראשית א' ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור, ואין אור אלא יום דכתיב (שם טו) את המאור הגדול לממשלת היום ואת המאור הקטן לממשלת הלילה, והשנים הם מימים הה"ד (חבקוק שם) בקרב שנים חייהו, בקרב אותה המרגלית המולידה את השנים:

עג. והכתיב (ישעי' מ"נ ה) ממזרח אביא זרעך, והשמש זורחת במזרח, ואמרת שהמרגלית היא יום, אני לא אמרתי אלא (בראשית א' ה) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום, הה"ד (שם ב' ד) ביום עשות ה' אלהים ארץ ושמים:

עד. והכתיב (תהלים י"ח יב) ישת חשך סתרו סביבותיו סוכתו חשכת מים עבי שחקים, א"ל כתיב ביה (ישעי' מ"ה ח) ושחקים יזלו צדק, וצרק זה מדת הדין של עולם שנאמר (דברים טז כ) צדק צדק תרדוף וכתיב בתריה (שם) למען תחיה וירשת את הארץ, אם תדין עצמך תחיה, ואם לאו הוא ידין עליך ותתקיים בעל כרחך:

לד. עה. ומאי צדק צדק (דברים שם) תרי זימני, א"ל דכתיב (תהלים י"ח יג) מנגה נגדו, צדק ראשין צדק ממש והיא שכינה כדכתיב (ישעי' א' כא) צדק ילין בה, ומאי צדק שני, זה צדק שמפחיד את הצדיקים, והאי צדק הוי צדקה או לא, לאו, ומאי טעם, כדכתיב (שם נ"ט יז) וילבש צדקה כשריון, וצדק הוי כובע ישועה בראשו (שם) ואין ראשו אלא אמת שנאמר (תהלימ קי"ט קס) ראש דברך אמת, ואין אמת אלא שלום שנאמר (ישעי' ל"ט ח) כי יהיה שלום ואמת בימי, אפשר לאדם לומר כך, אלא כך אמר חזקיה אותה המדה שנתת לדוד אבי הוא חצי ימי, ושלום ואמת חצי ימי, על כן הזכיר ימי והזכיר שלום ואמת ובימי שהכל אחד הדא היא דכתיב שלום, (בראשית א' ה) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד, מה היום שלום אף הוא בקש שלום שנאמר (מ"ב כ' יט) שלום ואמת יהיה בימי, באותה מדה שנתת לדוד אבי דכתיב (תהלים פ"ט לז) וכסאו כשמש נגדו:

עו. ומאי (חבקוק ג' ב) בקרב שנים תודיע, כך אמר ידעתי שאתה האל הקדוש דכתיב (שמות ט"ו יא) מי כמוכה נאדר בקדש, וקדש בך ואתה בקדש, ואעפ"כ בקרב שנים תודיע, ומאי תודיע, תרחם, כד"א (שם ב' כה) וירא אלהים את בני ישראל וידע אלהים, מאי וידע, משל למה"ד למלך שהיתה לו אשה נאה והעמיד ממנה בנים, וחיבבם וגדלם. ויצאו לתרבות רעה שנאם ושנא אמם. חזרה אמם אליהם ואמרה בני למה אתם עושים כך שאביכם שונא אותי ואתכם, עד שנחמו וחזרו לעשות רצון אביהם, ראה אביהם כך, אהבם כבתחילה וזכר אמם הה"ד (שם) וירא אלהים וגו' וידע וגו', וכתיב (חבקוק שם) ובקרב שנים תודיע:

עז. ומאי (שם) ברוגז רחם תזכור, אמר בעת שיחטאו לך בני, ותכעוס עליהם, רחם תזכור, ומאי רחם תזכור, אותו שאמר (תהלים י"ח ב) ארחמך ה' חזקי, ונתת לו המדה הזאת שהיא שכינתו של ישראל, וזכר בנו שירשה ונתת לו דכתיב (מ"א ה' כו) וה' נתן חכמה לשלמה, וזכור אביהם אברהם, דכתיב (ישעי' מ"א ח), זרע אברהם אוהבי בקרב שנים תודיע:

עח. מהיכן היתה לאברהם בת, דכתיב (בראשית כ"ד א) וה' בירך את אברהם בכל וכתיב, (ישעי' מ"ג ז) כל הנקרא בשמי ולכבודי בראתיו יצרתיו אף עשיתיו, האי ברכה היתה בתו או לא היתה, הן בתו היתה, משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו עבד תמים ושלם לפניו נסהו בכמה נסיונות ועמד בכלן, אמר המלך מה אתן לעבד זה או מה אעשה לו, אמר אין לי אלא אצונו לאחי הגדול ליעצו ולשמרו ולכבדו, חזר העבד עם אחיו הגדול ולמד מדותיו אהבו האח מאד וקראו אוהבו דכתיב (שם מ"א ח) זרע אברהם אוהבי, אמר מה אתן לו או מה אעשה לו הנה כלי נאה עשיתי ובו מרגליות נאות אין כמותם סגולות מלכים אתננה לו ויזכה במקומו הה"ד וה' בירך את אברהם בכל:

לה. עט. ד"א שמעתי שמעך יראתי (חבקוק ג' ב) הבנתי שמעך יראתי, מה הבין שנתירא, הבין מחשבתו של הקב"ה, מה מחשבה אין לה קץ דהא חשיב אינש ושפיל לסופיה דעלמא אף האזן אין לה קץ ולא תשבע דכתיב (קהלת א' ח) דלא תמלא אזן משמוע, ומאי זיי"ן באוזן, מאי טעמא, מפני שהאזן דמות אל"ף, ואל"ף עיקריהן דעשרת הדברות הלכך לא תמלא האזן משמוע:

פ. ומאי זיי"ן דכתיב באזן, דהא אמרינן כל מה שהביא הקדוש ברוך הוא בעולמו שם מעניינו דכתיב (בראשית כ' י"ט) וכל אשר יקרא לו האדם נפש חיה הוא שמו, כלומר הוא גופו הוי כך, ומנלן דשמו גופו הוי דכתיב (משלי י' ז) זכר צדיק לברכה ושם רשעים ירקב, אטו שמו ירקב אלא גופו, הכי נמי גופו:

פא. כגון מאי, כגון שרש דשי"ן, דומיא דשרש האילן, ושורש כל האילן הוא מעוקם, ושי"ן בתרא מאי עבידתיה, ללמדך שאם תקח ענף ותטעהו ישוב שרש, זיי"ן מאי עבידתיה, כמנין ימי השבוע, ללמדך שכל יום יש לו ומאי עבידתיה הכא, ללמדך שיש חכמה גדולה באוזן לאין תכלית כך יש הכח בכל האיברים:

לו. פב. ומאי איברים שבע שיש באדם, דכתיב (בראשית ט' ו) כי בצלם אלהים עשה את האדם, וכתיב (שם א כ"ז) בצלם אלהים ברא אותו, בכל איבריו ובכל חלקיו, והא אמרינן ו' למה הוא דומה לעוטה אור כשלמה (תהלים ק"ד ה), דהא ו' אינו אלא שש קצות, א"ל ברית מילה וזוגו של אדם חשבינן חד ושתי ידיו שלשה, ראשו וגופו חמשה שתי שוקיו שבעה, וכנגדן כוחותם בשמים דכתיב (קהלת ז' יד) גם את זה לעומת זה עשה האלהים, והיינו ימים (שמות ל"א יז) כי ששת ימים עשה ה' את השמים ואת הארץ, ולא אמר בששת ימים מלמד כי כל יום ויום יש לו כחו:

לז. פג. ומאי נו"ן, ללמדך שהמוח הוא עיקר חוט השדרה, ומשם הוא שואף תמיד, אלמלא חוט השדרה לא יתקיים המוח, ובלי מוח לא יתקיים הגוף, כי כל הגוף הוא לצורך המוח, ואם לא יתקיים כל הגוף לא יתקיים המוח, על כן חוט השדרה מריק לכל הגוף מן המוח, והיא נו"ן כפופה, והא נו"ן זאת ארוכה היא, נו"ן ארוכה לעולם בהשלמת המלה, ללמדך שנו"ן ארוכה כוללת הכפופה וארוכה, אבל כפופה יסוד, ללמדך שנו"ן ארוכה כלולה מזכר ונקבה:

לח. פד. מ"ם פתוחה, מאי מ"ם פתוחה, כלולה מזכר ונקבה, מ"ם סתומה מאי, עשויה היא כמין בטן מלמעלה, והא אמר רבי רחומאי, הבטן כמין ט, ההוא דאמר כמין ט בפנים, אנא דאמרו כמין ט בחוץ:

פה. ומאי מ"ם, אל תקרי מ"ם אלא מים מה המים הללו לחים אף הבטן לח לעולם, ולמה מ"ם פחותה כלולה מזכר ונקבה וסתומה זכר, ללמדך שעיקר המ"ם הוא זכר, והוסיפה פתוחה לשם נקבה, ומה הזכר הזה אינו מוליד בפתיחה אף מ"ם סתומה אינה מולדת אלא בפתוחה, ומה הנקבה מולידה בפתוחה אף מ"ם סתומה ופתוחה. לט:

פו. ומה ראית לרבות מ"ם בפתיחה וסתימה, משום דאמרינן אל תקרי מ"ם אלא מים, והאשה קרה על כן צריכה להתחמם בזכר, ומה ראית לרבות נו"ן כפופה וארוכה דכתיב (תהלים ע"ב יז) לפני שמש ינון שמו, משני נוני"ן, נו"ן כפופה וארוכה, וצריך להיות ע"י זכר ונקבה:

פז. כתיב (קהלת א' ח) ולא תמלא אזן משמוע, וכתיב (שם) ולא תשבע עין לראות, מלמד ששניהם שואבים מן המחשבה, ומאי מחשבה, מלך שצריכים לו כל מה שנברא העולם בעליונים ובתחתונים:

פח. ומאי הוה הא דאמרינן עלה במחשבה, ולא אמרינן ירד, דהא אמרינן המסתכל בצפיית המרכבה ירד ואח"כ יעלה, התם משום דאמרינן המסתכל בצפיית המרכבה, וצפיית מתרגמינן סכותא ואמרינן (ישעי' כ"א ח) ויקרא אריה על מצפה אדני, הכא במחשבה לית ליה צפייה כלל ולית ליה תכלית כלל, וכל דלית ליה תכלית וסוף לית ליה ירידה, כדאמרי אינשי ירד פלוני לסוף דעתו של חבירו לא לסוף מחשבתו:

מ. פט. ישב רבי אמוראי ודרש מאי דכתיב סגול, אלא סגולה שמה כדאיתא לעיל, בתר זרקא, מ"ט זרקא, כשמו כן הוא דהוא נזרק כגון דבר הנזרק ובתריה אתיא סגולת מלכים והמדינות:

צ. ומ"ט זרקא, דכתיב (יחזקאל ג' מב) ברוך כבוד ה' ממקומו, מכלל דליכא דידע את מקומו, ואמרינן שם אתגא ואתיא לראש קונה, דכתיב (בראשית י"ד יט) קונה שמים וארץ, וכד אזלא הוי כזרקא וסגולה אבתריה והוי בראש כל אותיות:

צא. ומאי טעמא היא בסוף התיבה ואינה בראשה, ללמדך שאותה תגא עולה עד למעלה למעלה, ומאי משמע דהאי תגא אבן יקרה היא מכוללת ומעוטרת דכתיב (תהלים קי"ח כב) אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה, ועולה עד המקום אשר נחצבה ממנו דכתיב (בראשית מ"ט כד) משם רועה אבן ישראל. מא:

צב. ועוד אמר מאי טעמא אנו מטילין תכלת בציצית, ומאי טעמא שלשים ושתים, משל למה ה"ד למלך שהיה לו גן נאה ולו ל"ב נתיבות ושם שומר עליהם והודיע לו לבדו אותן הנתיבות, א"ל שומרם ולך בהם בכל יום ובכל זמן שתדרכם שלום לך, ומה עשה אותו השומר, שם שומרים עליהם, אמר אם אני אהיה לבדי באלה הנתיבות אי אפשר לשומר אחד לקיים כל אלה הנתיבות, ועוד כי יאמרו העולם כילי הוא מלך זה לכך שם שומר זה שומרים אחרים לכל הנתיבות, אלה הם ל"ב נתיבות:

צג. ומ"ט דתכלת, אמר השומר שמא יאמרו השומרים האלה הגן שלנו הוא, נתן להם סימן, ואמר להם ראו זה סימן של מלך שהוא שלו הגן הזה ואלה הנתיבות הוא תקנם ואינם שלי, והנה חותמו, משל למה"ד למלך ובתו שהיו להם עבדים ובקשו לילך למרחוק פחדו מאימת המלך נתן להם המלך סימנו, פחדו מן הבת, נתנה להם סימן, אמרו מעתה בשני סמנים אלה (תהלים קכא ז) ה' ישמרך מכל רע ישמור את נפשך. מב:

צד. ישב ר' אמוראי ודרש מאי דכתיב (מ"א ח' כז) הנה השמים ושמי השמים לא יכלכלוך, מלמד שע"ב שמות יש לו להקב"ה וכולם קבעם בשבטים דכתיב (שמות כ"ח י) ששה משמותם על האבן האחת ואת שמות הששה הנותרים על האבן השנית כתולדותם, וכתיב (יהושע ד' ט) ושתים עשרה אבנים הקים וגו', מה אלה אבני זכרון אף אלה אבני זכרון, ושתים עשרה אבנים הם ע"ב כנגד ע"ב שמות של הקב"ה, ומאי טעמא התחיל בשתים עשרה, ללמדך שי"ב מנהיגים יש לו להקב"ה ובכל אחד ואחד ששה כוחות' ומאי נינהו, ע"ב לשונות:

צה. ואילן אחד יש לו להקב"ה ובו שנים עשר גבולי אלכסונין גבול מזרחית צפונית, גבול מזרחית דרומית, גבול מזרחית רומית, גבול מזרחית תחתית, גבול מערבית דרומית, גבול מערבית צפונית, גבול מערבית רומית, גבול מערבית תחתית, גבול דרומית רומית, גבול דרומית תחתית, גבול צפונית רומית, גבול צפונית תחתית ומרחיבין והולכין עד עדי עד, והם זרועות עולם, ובפנים בהם הוא האילן, ובכל אלו האלכסונין יש כנגדם פקידים והם שנים עשר י', וגם בפנים בגלגל י"ב פקידים, אלה שלשים וששה פקידים עם האלכסונים, ולכל אחד יש אחד כדכתיב (קהלת ה' ז) כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר, נמצא לרוח מזרחית תשעה, לרוח מערבית תשעה, לרוח צפונית תשעה, לרוח דרומית תשעה, והיינו י"ב וי"ב וי"ב שהם פקידים בתלי, וגלגל ולב, והם ל"ו, וכלם ל"ו מל"ו שכח האחד בחבירו ואע"פ ששנים עשר בכל אחד ואחד מן השלשה כלם אדוקין זה בזה, וכל השלשים וששה כחות נמצאים בראשון שהוא תלי, אם תדרשם בגלגל תמצאם אותם עצמם, ואם תדרשם בלב תמצא אותם עצמם, הלכך לכל אחד ל"ו וכלם אינם יותר מל"ו צורות, וכלם נשלמו בל"ב מסור לל"ב ל"ב ונשארו ארבעה והם ס"ד צורות, ומנלן דנמסר ל"ב לל"ב דכתיב (שם) כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר, א"כ היינו ס"ד, חסר שמונה לע"ב שמותיו של הקב"ה והיינו דכתיב (שם) וגבוהים עליהם, והם ז' ימי השבוע וחסר א' והיינו דכתיב (שם ח) ויתרון ארץ בכל היא מלך, ומאי יתרון, מקום שמשם נחצב הארץ, והוא יתרון ממה שהיה, ומאי ניהו יתרון כל דבר שבעולם כשאנשי העולם ראוים לקחת מזיוו אז הוא יתרון:

צו. ומאי ניהו ארץ שנחצבה ממנו שמים והוא כסאו של הקב"ה, והוא אבן יקרה, והוא ים החכמה וכנגדה תכלת בציצית, דאמר ר' מאיר מה נשתנה תכלת מכל מיני צבעונין מפני שהתכלת דומה לים וים דומה לרקיע ורקיע דומה לכסא הכבוד שנאמר (שמות כ"ד י) ויראו את אלהי ישראל ותחת רגליו כמעשה לבנת הספיר וכעצם השמים לטהר, ואומר (יחזקאל א' כו) כמראה אבן הספיר דמות כסא:

מג. צז. ישב ר' ברכיה ודרש מאי דכתיב (שמות כ"ה ב) ויקחו לי תרומה, הרימו אותי בתפלותיכם ' ומי, אותו שנדבו לבו להמשך מן העוה"ז, כבדוהו כי בו אני שמח שיודע שמי, וממנו ראוי לקחת את תרומתי שנאמר (שם ב) מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו את תרומתי, מאותו המתנדב, ואמר ר' רחומאי הצדיקים והחסידים שבישראל שמרימין אותי על כל העולם בזכותיהן ומהן מתפרנס הלב והלב מפרנסן:

צח. וכל הצורות הקדושות ממונות על כל האומות וישראל קדושים נטלו גוף האילן ולבו, מה לב שהוא הדר פרי הגוף, אף ישראל נטלו פרי עץ הדר, מה אילן תמר ענפיו סביביו ולולבו באמצע אף ישראל נטלו גוף האילן זה שהוא ל ב ו, וכנגד הגוף חוט השדרה באדם שהוא עיקר הגוף, ומה לולב זה כתיב לו לב אף לב מסור לו, ומה לב, זה שלשים ושתים נתיבות פליאות חכמה בו אף בכל נתיב מהן צורה שומרת דכתיב (בראשית ג' כד) לשמור את דרך עץ החיים:

צט. ומאי ניהו צורות, דכתיב (שם) וישכן מקדם לגן עדן את הכרובים ואת להט החרב המתהפכת לשמור את דרך עץ החיים, ומאי וישכן מקדם לגן עדן, וישכן באותם הנתיבות שקדמו לאותו מקום הנקרא גן עדן ושקדם לכרובים דכתיב (שם) את הכרובים, ושקדם ללהט דכתיב (שם) ואת להט החרב המתהפכת, שקדם, והכתיב שמים דמים ואש קדמו דכתיב (שם מו) יהי רקיע בתוך המים ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים, וכתיב (שם ח) ויקרא אלהים לרקיע שמים, ומנלן דשמים הוי אש דכתיב (דברים ד, כד) כי ה' אלהיך אש אוכלה הוא אל קנא:

ק. ומנלן דשמים הקדוש ברוך הוא, דכתיב (מ"א ה' לב) ואתה תשמע השמים, אטו שלמה התפלל אל השמים שישמעו תפלתם, אלא אותו שנקרא שמו על השמים דכתיב (שם כ"ז) השמים ושמי השמים לא יכלכלוך, הרי שמו של הקב"ה והוי אש ואמרת קדם, אלא אימא כחם קדם של אותם צורות של המקום ההוא ואח"כ הצורות הקדושות ההם, ומאי ניהו כחם, כד"א (ש"א ב' ב) אין קדוש כה' כי אין בלתך ואין צור כאלהינו:

קא. ישב ר' ברכיה ודרש מה לולב דאמרינן אלא ל"ו מסור לל"ב, והאיך, א"ל שלשה שרים הם תלי וגלגל ולב, וכל אחד ואחד י"ב, חזרו בשלשה מנין ל"ו שבהם נתקיים העולם דכתיב (משלי ג' כה) וצדיק יסוד עולם:

קב. תנא עמוד אחד מן הארץ לרקיע וצדיק שמו על שם הצדיקים, וכשיש צדיקים בעולם מתגבר ואם לאו מתחלש, והוא סובל כל העולם דכתיב (שם) צדיק יסוד עולם, ואם חלש לא יוכל להתקיים העולם, הלכך אפי' אין בעולם אלא צדיק אחד מעמיד העולם שנאמר וצדיק יסוד עולם לפיכך קחו תרומתי ממנו תחילה ואח"כ וזאת התרומה אשר תקחו מאתם, מאת הנשאר, ומהו, זהב וכסף ונחשת:

קג. ד"א ויקחו לי תרומה, ויקחו לקדש תרומה שהיא יו"ד והוא עשירי ומנלן דעשירי קדש דכתיב (ויקרא כ"ז לב) העשירי יהיה קדש לה', ומאי ניהו קדש, דכתיב (יחזקאל מ"ד ל) וראשית כל בכורי כל וכל תרומת כל וגו', וכתיב (תהלים קי"א י) ראשית חכמה יראת ה' אל תקרי יראת ה' אלא ויראת ה':

קד. שאלו תלמידיו את ר' אליעזר רבינו מאי דכתיב (שמות י"ג ב) קדש לי כל בכור, וכי הוי הקב"ה בכור, א"ל אין קדש לי כל בכור אלא שני בקודש, ונקרא על שם ישראל דכתיב (שם ז' כב) בני בכורי ישראל, כביכול עמהם היה בשעת שעבוד, והיינו דכתיב (שמות ד' כז) שלח את בני ויעבדני, ולא בכורי, אמר ר' רחומאי מאי דכתיב (דברים כ"ב ז) שלח תשלח את האם ואת הבנים תקח לך, ולא אמר שלח תשלח את האב, אלא שלח תשלח את האם בכבוד אותה שנקראת אם העולם שנאמר (משלי ב' ג) כי אם לבינה תקרא:

קה. ומאי ואת הבנים תקח לך (דברים שם), ר' רחומאי אומר אותם בנים שגדלה, ומאי ניהו שבעת ימי בראשית ושבעת ימי הסוכות, והיינו שבעת ימי השבוע שהם שבעה, איכא בנייהו שהם יותר קודש דכתיב בהם (ויקרא כ"ג לז) מקראי קודש, והיינו א"כ עצרת דהוא מקרא קודש (שם ל"ו), א"ל אין, אבל זה אחד וזה שנים דכתיב (שם לה) ביום הראשון מקרא קודש וביום השביעי מקרא קודש, אמר ליה מאי טעמא הוי עצרת אחד, מפני שבו ניתנה תורה לישראל וכשנבראת התורה ראשית היה הקב"ה שליט בעולמו עמה יחידי דכתיב (תהלים קי"א י) ראשית חכמה יראת ה', אמר הואיל וכן קדושתך תהיה לך לבדך, ומאי ניהו סוכות, א"ל בי"ת, דכתיב (משלי כ"ד ג) בחכמה יבנה בית, ומנלן דסוכות הוי בית דכתיב (בראשית ל"ג יז) ויעקב נסע סכותה ויבן לו בית ולמקנהו עשה סוכות על כן קרא שם המקום סוכות:

קו. ישב ר' ברכיה ודרש מאי תלי, זה דמות שיש לפני הקב"ה דכתיב (שה"ש ה' י"א) קווצותיו תלתלים, מאי גלגל, זה בטן, ומאי לב, דכתיב (דברים ד' י"א) עד לב השמים, ובו כלולים ל"ב נתיבות פליאות חכמה:

קז. מאי דכתיב (במדבר ו' כח) יברכך ה' וישמרך, יאר ה' פניו אליך ויחנך, ישא ה' פניו אליך וישם לך שלום, זה שמו של הקב"ה המפורש, והוא שם בן שתים עשרה אותיות דכתיב הוי"ה הוי"ה הוי"ה מלמד ששמותיו של הקב"ה שלשה חיילים, וכל חיל וחיל דומה לחבירו, ושמו כשמו, וכולם חתומים ביו"ד ה"א ו"ו ה"א, והאיך תצרף יו"ד ה"א ו"ו ה"א כ"ד פעמים והיינו חיל אחד יברכך ה', וגם השני יאר ה' והם כ"ד שמותיו של הקב"ה, וגם השלישי ישא ה' והם כ"ד שמותיו של הקב"ה, מלמד שכל חיל ראשיהם ושריהם הם כ"ד, תצרף כ"ד שלשה פעמים ויהיו ע"ב שמותיו של הקב"ה, והיינו ע"ב היוצאים מן (שמות יד יט-כא) ויסע ויבא ויט:

קח. ומי הם אלה השרים, מלמד ששלשה הם, שהגבורה שר על כל הצורות הקדושות מצד שמאל של הקב"ה והוא גבריאל, ומימיני שר על כל הצורות הקדושות והוא מיכאל, ובאמצע הוא האמת והוא אוריאל שר על כל הצורות הקדושות, וכל שר כ"ד צורות ואין חקר לגדודיו דכתיב (איוב כ"ה ג) היש מספר לגדודיו, אם כן הרי ע"ב וע"ב, א"ל לא, דבשעה שישראל מקריביו קרבן לפני אביהם שבשמים מתיחדים יחד והיינו יחידו של אלהינו:

קט. ואמאי אקרי קרבן, אלא מפני שמקרב הצורות הכחות הקדושות כדכתיב (יחזקאל ל"ז י"ז) וקרב אותם אחד אל אחד לך לעץ אחד והיו לאחדים בידך, ואמר לריח ניחוח, ואין ריח אלא באף, ואין נשימה שהיא הריח אלא באף, ואין ניחוח אלא ירידה דכתיב (ויקרא ט' כ"ב) וירד ומתגרמינן ונחית, והרוח יורד ומתייחד בצורות הקדושות ההם ומתקרב ע"י הקרבן, והיינו דאקרי קרבן:

קי. השם היוצא מן השלשה פסוקים ויסע ויבא ויט (שמות יד יט כא) אותיות הפסוק הראשון של ויסע כסדר הפסוק נסדרות בשם, ואותיות הפסוק השני בהיפך הפסוק נסדרות בשם, ואותיות הפסוק השלישי שהוא ויט כסדר הפסוק נסדרות בשם כמו הראשון שהוא ויסע, ובכל אחד ואחד מהפסוקים ע"ב אותיות, נמצא שבכל שם ושם מע"ב שמות היוצאים מאלו השלשה פסוקים שהם ויסע ויבא ויט שלשה אותיות, אלה הם ע"ב שמות היוצאים ומתחלקים לג' חלקים כ"ד לכל חלק, ועל כל חלק מג' חלקים שר גבוה עליהם, ועל כל חלק יש לו ד' רוחות לשמור מזרח ומערב צפון ודרום ומתחלקים ששה לכל רוח, נמצא לד' רוחות כ"ד צורות, וכן לשני וכן לשלישי, וכולם חתומים בהוי"ה אלהי ישראל אלהים חיים שדי רם ונשא שוכן עד מרום וקדוש שמו הוי"ה בשכמל"ו:

מז. קיא. ישב ר' אהילאי ודרש מאי דכתיב ה' מלך ה' מלך ה' ימלוך לעולם ועד, אלא זהו השם המפורש שניתן בו רשות לצרף ולהזכיר דכתיב (במדבר ו' כ"ז) ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם, והוא שם בן י"ב אותיות בשם של ברכת כהנים יברכך ה' וגו' שהם שלשה והם שתים עשרה, ונקודו כן יפעל יפועל יפעול, וכל השומרו ומזכירו בקדושה ובטהרה מתקבלים כל תפלותיו, ולא עוד אלא שהוא אהוב למטה ואהוב למעלה, נחמד למטה ונחמד למעלה ונענה ונעזר מיד, זה השם המפורש הנכתב על מצח אהרן, ובשם המפורש מע"ב אותיות, ובשם המפורש שהוא י"ב שמות שמסר הקב"ה למסמריה העומד לפני הפרגוד, והוא מסרם לאליהו בהר הכרמל ובהם נתעלה ולא טעים טעם מיתה:

קיב. ואלו הן השמות המפורשות היקרות והמפוארות שהם שתים עשרה לשנים עשר שבטי ישראל אהציצה"רון אכליתה"רון שמקת"רון דמושה"רון וצפצפסית"רון הורמי"רון ברחיה"רון ער"ש גדר"און בסאו"ה מנא"הון חז"הויה הוהי"רי הא"ה אהי"ה והראית"הון. וכולם נכללים בל"ב השמים ומתחלקין לכ"ד שמות, ובהם כלול זכר ונקבה ופקודים בתלי וגלגל ולב, והם מעיינות החכמה:

קיג. ישב ר' רחומאי ודרש מאי י"ב שבטי ישראל, אלא מלמד שי"ב שבטים יש לו להקב"ה, ומאי ניהו, מלה"ד למלך שהיה לו מעין נאה ולכל אחיו אין להם מים אחרים אלא מאותו המעיין, ואינן יכולין לסבול צמא, מה עשה, עשה למעיין י"ב צנורות וקראם על שמות בני אחיו, ואמר אם יהיו הבנים טובים כאבותם יזכו ואמלא הצנורות, ירוו אבותם וישתו בניהם אחריהם ואם לא יזכו הבנים ולא יעשו דברים הגונים לפני הרי צנורות עומדות על ענין זה אתן להם מים על מנת שלא יתנו לבניהם דבר אחרי שאינם עושים רצוני:

קיד. ומאי לישנא דשבט, דבר פשוט הוא שאינו מרובע, מ"ט, דלית אפשר מרובע בגו מרובע אחר, אלא עיגולה בגו ריבועא רהטי, ואי מרובע בגו ריבועא לא רהטי:

קטו. ומאי ניהו עיגולא, הדין נקודה דאורייתא דמשה דאינהו כולהו עיגולא ודמיין באתוותא כנשמתא דחיי בגופיה דאינש דלית אפשר ליה למיתי כל היכא דלית קיימא בגויה, ולא למנקט מימרא זוטרא ורבתא בלא נשמתא כוותיה דהדין נקודה דלית אפשר למלתא זוטרא או רבתא לאתאמרה בלא נקודה:

קטז. וכל נקודה עיגולא, וכל אתיא רבועא, ומתקיימא אתיא בנקודה ואינון חייהון, והדין נקודה אתיא דרך הצינורות להדין אתיא על ידי ריח הקרבן ומיד יורד דכתיב (ויקרא א' ט) ריח ניחוח לה', שיורד לה', היינו דכתיב (דברים ו' ד) שמע ישראל ה' אלהינו ה' אחד:

מח. קיז. אמר רבי יוחנן מאי דכתיב (שמות ט"ו ג) ה' איש מלחמה ה' שמו, אלא איש הוי סימן כדמתרגמינן ה' איש מלחמה ה' מארי נצחן קרבייא, ומאי ניהו מארי, אל"ף ראשונה היכלא קדישא, היכלא קדישא סלקא דעתך, אלא אימא היכל הקדש:

קיח. יו"ד, בעשרה מאמרות שנברא בהן העולם, ומאי ניהו היינו תורת אמת שכוללת כל העולמים, ושי"ן מאי הוי, א"ל שרש האילן, דשי"ן הוי כעין שרש האילן:

קיט. ומאי הוי אילן דאמרת, א"ל כוחותיו של הקב"ה זה על גב זה, והן דומין לאילן, מה אילן זה על ידי המים מוציא פירות אף הקב"ה על ידי המים מרבה כחות חאילן, ומאי ניהו מים של הקב"ה, היינו חכמה, והיינו נשמות הצדיקים שפורחין מן המעיין אל הצנור הגדול ועולה ודבק באילן, ועל ידי מה פורח, על ידי ישראל, כשהם צדיקים וטובים שכינה שרויה ביניהם ושרויה במעשיהם בחיקו של הקב"ה ומפרה אותם ומרבה אותם:

קכ. ומנלן דשכינה אקרית צדק דכתיב (דברים ל"ג כ"ו) רוכב שמים בעזרך ובגאותו שחקים, וכתיב (ישעי' מ"ה ח) ושחקים יזלו צדק, וצדק זהו שכינה דכתיב (שם א' כא) צדק ילין בה, וצדק נתן לדוד דכתיב (תהלים קמ"ו י) ימלוך ה' לעולם אלהיך ציון לדור ודור, וכתיב (דהי"א י"א א') ציון היא עיר דוד:

קכא. מאי דור דור אמר ר' פפייס דור הולך ודור בא (קהלת א' ד') ואמר רבי עקיבא דור בא שכבר בא:

קכב. משל למה"ד למלך שהיו לו עבדים והלבישן כפי יכלתו בגדי משי ורקמה, קלקלו השורה, השליכן ודחפן מעליו והפשיטן בגדיו והלכו להם, לקח הבגדים ורחצן היטב עד שלא נותר בהן שום סיג והניחן אצלו מזומנין, וקנה עבדים אחרים והלבישן הבגדים ההם והוא לא ידע אם טובים הם אותם העבדים אם לאו, והרי זכו בבגדים שכבר באו לעולם ולבשום אחרים לפניהם, אבל הארץ לעולם עומדת והיינו דכתיב (קהלת י"ב ו') וישב העפר על הארץ כשהיה והרוח תשוב אל האלהים אשר נתנה:

קכג. אמר ר' אמוראי מאי דכתיב (ויקרא ט' כ"ב) וישא אהרן את ידו אל העם ויברכם, וירד, והרי כבר ירד, אלא וירד מעשות החטאת והעולה והשלמים ואח"כ וישא אהרן את ידיו אל העם, נשיאות זו למה, לפי שהקריב קרבן ונתקרב לפני אביהם שבשמים כדאמרינן צריך אותו שמקרבן לעליונים ומייחדן לייחד בכללן אלו, ומאי העם דכתיב אל העם, בעבור העם:

קכד. ומאי טעמא בנשיאות כפים וליברוך להון בברכה, אלא משום דאית בידים עשר אצבעות, רמז לעשר ספירות שבהם נחתמו שמים וארץ, ואותם העשרה כנגד עשרת הדברות, ובכלל אותן י' נכללו תרי"ג מצות, ומנה אותם אותיות של י' דברות ותשכח דאינו"ן תרי"ג אותיות, ובהם כל כ"ב אותיות בר מן ט' דליתא בהון, מאי טעמא, ללמדך דט' הוא בטן ואינה בכלל הספירות:

קכה. ואמאי קרי ליה ספירות, משום דכתיב (תהלים י"ט ב) השמים מספרים כבוד אל:

קכו. ומאי ניהו, תלתא אינון, ובכללן שלשה חיילות ושלשה ממשלות, הממשלה הראשונה אור, ואור החיים של מים, הממשלה השניה חיות הקודש והאופנים וגלגלי המרכבה וכל גדודיו של הקב"ה מברכין ומעריצין ומהדרין ומפארין ומקדישין למלך נאדר בקדושה ונערך בסוד קדושים רבה, מלך איום ונורא ומכתירין בשלש קדושות:

קכז. ומאי ניהו שלש קדושות ולא ארבע, מפני שקדושת מעלה שלש שלש, דכתיב ה' מלך ה' מלך ה' ימלוך לעולם ועד, וכתיב (במדבר ז' כד ו) יברכך ה' יאר ה' ישא ה', וכתיב (שמות ל"ד ו) ה' ה' והשאר של מדות ה' שלישי מה הוי ה' אל רחום וחנון וגו' שלש עשרה מדות:

קכח. ומאי הוי קדוש קדוש קדוש ואחר כך ה' צבאות מלא כל הארץ כבודו (ישעי' ו' ג) אלא קדוש כתר עליון, קדוש שורש האילן, קדוש דבק ומיוחד בכלם ה' צבאות מלא כל הארץ כבודו:

קכט. ומאי ניהו קדוש שהוא דבוק ומיוחד, אלא למה"ד למלך שהיו לו בנים ולבנים בנים, בזמן שבניהם עושים רצונו נכנס ביניהם ומעמיד הכל ומשביע הכל ומשפיע להם טובה כדי שישבעו האבות והבנים, וכשאין הבנים עושים רצונו משביע להם לאבות כדי צרכם:

קל. ומאי ניהו מלא כל הארץ כבודו (שם), אלא כל אותה ארץ שנבראת ביום הראשון שהיא למעלה כנגד ארץ ישראל מליאה מכבוד השם, ומאי ניהו, חכמה דכתיב (משלי ג' לה) כבוד חכמים ינחלו, ואומר (יחזקאל ג' יב) ברוך כבוד ה' ממקומו:

קלא. ומאי הוי כבוד ה' זה, משל למה"ד למלך שהיתה לו מטרוניתא בחדרו שכל חיילותיו משתעשעין בה, והיו לה בנים ובאים בכל יום לראות פני המלך ומברכין אותו, אמרו לו אמנו אנה היא, אמר להם לא תוכלו לראותה עתה, אמרו ברוכה תהא בכל מקום שהיא:

קלב. ומאי דכתיב (שם) ממקומו, מכלל דליכא דידע את מקומו, משל לבת מלך שבאה מרחוק ולא ידעו מאין באה, עד שראו שהיא אשת חיל נאה והגונה בכל מעשיה, אמרו זאת ודאי מצד האור נלקחה, כי במעשיה יאיר העולם, שאלו אותה מאין את, אמרה ממקומי אמרו אם כן גדולים אנשי מקומך, ברוכה תהיי ומבורכת מקומה:

קלג. וכי אין כבוד ה' זה אחת מצבאותיו, לא גרע, אמאי מברכין ליה, אלא משל למה"ד לאיש שהיה לו גן נאה וחוץ לגן בקרוב ממנו חתיכת שדה נאה עשה בו גינה נאה השקה את הגן בתחלת שקיותו והלכו להם המים על כל הגן אך לא על אותה חתיכה של שדה שהיא אינה דבקה אע"פ שהכל אחד הוא, לפיכך פתח לה מקום והשקה לה לבדה:

קלד. אמר רבי רחומאי כבו"ד ול"ב הרי הם אחד, אלא שהכבוד נקרא על שם פעולת מעלה, ולב נקרא על שם פעולת מטה, והיינו כבוד השם והיינו לב השמים:

מט. קלה. אמר ר' יוחנן מאי דכתיב (שמות י"ז יא) והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל (שמות י"ג יא) וכאשר יניח ידו וגבר עמלק, מלמד שהעולם מתקיים בשביל נשיאת כפים, מאי טעמא, משום דאותו כח שניתן ליעקב אבינו שמו ישראל, לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב ניתני כוחות, אחד לכל אחד ואחד, ובמדה שהלך כל אחד ואחד דוגמתה ניתן לו, אברהם גמל חסד לעולם שהיה מזמין לכל באי עולם ועוברי דרכים מזון וגומל חסד ויוצא לקראתם דכתיב (בראשית י"ח ב) וירץ לקראתם, ועוד וישתחו ארצה (שם) זאת היתה גמילת חסד שלימה, והקב"ה מדד לו במדתו ונתן לו מדת החסד דכתיב (מיכה ז' כ) תתן אמת ליעקב חסד לאברהם, אשר נשבעת לאבותינו מימי קדם, מאי מימי קדם, מלמד שאם לא היה אברהם גומל חסד וזוכה למדת חסד לא היה יעקב זוכה למדת אמת, שבזכות שזכה אברהם למדת חסד זכה יצחק למדת פחד דכתיב (בראשית ל"א נג) וישבע יעקב בפחד אביו יצחק, אטו יש איש שישבע כך באמונת פחד אביו, אלא עד כאן לא ניתן ליעקב כח, ונשבע בכח שניתן לאביו שנאמר וישבע יעקב בפחד אביו יצחק, ומאי ניהו, תהו שממנו יוצא הרע המתהא את בני אדם, ומאי ניהו, הוא דכתיב (מ"א י"ח לח) ותפול אש ותאכל את העולה ואת העצים ואת האבנים ואת העפר ואת המים אשר בתעלה לחכה, וכתיב (דברים ד כד) כי ה' אלהיך אש אוכלה הוא אל קנא:

קלו. ומאי ניהו חסד, היינו תורה דכתיב (ישעי' נ"ה א) הוי כל צמא לכו למים ואשר אין לו כסף, הוא כסף דכתיב לכו שברו ואכלו ולכו שברו בלא כסף ובלא מחיר יין וחלב, יאכילכם תורה וילמדכם כי כבר זכיתם לכך בזכות אברהם אשר היה גומל חסד, בלא כסף היה מאכיל, ומשקה בלא מחיר יין וחלב:

קלז. מהו יין וחלב, ומה ענין זה אצל זה, אלא מלמד שהיין הוא פחד וחלב הוא חסד, ומפני מה הזכיר יין תחילה, מפני שהוא קרוב אלינו יותר, יין וחלב סלקא דעתך, אלא אימא דמות יין וחלב, ובזכות אברהם שזכה למדת חסד זכה יצחק למדת פחד, והואיל וזכה יצחק למדת פחד זכה יעקב למדת אמת, שהוא מדת שלום, ומדד לו הקב"ה כמדתו דכתיב (בראשית כ"ה כז) ויעקב איש תם יושב אהלים ואין תם אלא שלום דכתיב (דברים י"ח יג) תמים תהיה עם ה' אלהיך, ומתרגמינן שלים תהא, ואין תם אלא תורה שנאמר (מלאכי ב' ו) תורת אמת היתה בפיהו וגו', ומה כתיב בתריה בשלום ובמישור הלך אתי, ואין מישור אלא שלום דכתיב (תהלים כ"ח כא) תום ויושר, הלכך והיה כאשר ירים משה ידו וגבר ישראל (שמות י"ג יא) מלמד שהמדה שנקראת ישראל בתוכה תורת אמת:

קלח. ומאי ניהו תורת אמת, דבר שמורה על אמיתות העולמים ופעולתו במחשבה והוא מעמיד עשרה מאמרות שבהם עומד העולם והוא אחד מהם, וברא באדם כנגד אותם עשרה מאמרות עשר אצבעות ידים, וכשהיה משה מרים ידו ומכוין במיעוט כוונת הלב באותה המדה הנקראת ישראל ובתוכה תורת אמת ורומז לו עשר אצבעות ידיו שהוא מעמיד את העשרה, ואם לא יעזור את ישראל לא יתקיימו העשרה מאמרות בכל יום ויום הלכך וגבר ישראל, וכאשר יניח ידו וגבר עמלק (שם) וכי היה משה עושה שיגבר עמלק דכתיב וכאשר יניח ידו וגבר עמלק, אלא אסור לו לאדם לשהות שלש שעות כפיו פרושות השמים:

קלט. שאלו לו תלמידיו למי נושאין כפים, אמר להם לרום השמים, מנא לן, דכתיב (חבקוק ג' י) נתן תהום קולו רום ידהו נשא, הא למדת שאין נשיאת כפים אלא לרום שמים, וכשיש בישראל משכילים ויודעים את סוד השם הנכבד ונושאים כפיהם, מיד נענים שנאמר (ישעי' נ"ח ט) אז תקרא וה' יענה, אם אז תקרא ה' יענה מיד:

קמ. מאי ניהו אז, אלא מלמד שאין רשות לקרוא לאל"ף לבדה אלא על ידי שנים האותיות הדבקים בה היושבים ראשונה במלכות, ועם האל"ף הם שלשה ונשארו שבע מעשרה מאמרות, והיינו ז' דכתיב (שמות ט"ו א) אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל גם כן:

קמא. מאי ניהו עשרה מאמרות, ראשון כתר עליון ברוך ומבורך שמו ועמו, ומי עמו, ישראל, דכתיב (תהלים ק' ג) דעו כי ה' הוא אלהים הוא עשני ולא אנחנו עמו, ולאל"ף אנחנו, להכיר ולידע אחד האחדים המיוחד בכל שמותיו:

קמב. שניה, חכמה, דכתיב (משלי ח' כב) ה' קנני ראשית דרכו קדם מפעליו מאז, ואין ראשית אלא חכמה דכתיב (תהלים קי"א י) ראשית חכמה יראת ה':

קמג. שלישי, מחצב התורה, אוצר החכמה, מחצבה רוח אלהים, מלמד שחצב הקב"ה כל אותיות התורה וחקקו ברוח, ועשה בו צורותיו, והיינו דכתיב (ש"א ב' ב) ואין צור כאלהינו, ואין צייר כאלהינו:

קמד. שלישי הוי רביעי מאי, רביעי הם צדקת ה' וזכיותיו וחסדיו עם כל העולם, והיינו ימינו של הקב"ה:

קמה. חמישי מאי, חמישי אשו הגדולה של הקב"ה שנאמר (דברים י"ח ט"ז) ואת האש הגדולה הזאת לא אראה עוד ולא אמות, והיא שמאלו של הקב"ה, ומאי ניהו הם חיות הקודש והשרפים הקדושים מימינם ומשמאלם, הם הנעימים הגבוהים עד למעלה דכתיב (קהלת ה' ז) וגבוהים עליהם, ועוד (יחזקאל א, יח) וגביהן וגובה להם ויראה להם וגבותיו מלאת עינים סביב לארבעתן, וסביביו מלאכים, גם סביבותיהם משתחוים לפניהם וכורעים ואומרים ה' הוא האלהים ה' הוא האלהים:

קמו. ששי, כסא הכבוד המעוטר המוכלל המהולל המאושר, הוא בית העולם הבא, ומקומו בחכמה דכתיב (בראשית א' ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור ויהי אור:

קמז. ואמר ר' יוחנן שני אורים גדולים היו שנאמר (שם) ויהי אור, ועל שניהם נאמר כי טוב. ולקח הקב"ה האחד וגנזו לצדיקים לעתיד לבא והיינו דכתיב (תהלים ל"א כ)ז מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך פעלת לחוסים בך גו', מלמד שאור הראשון אין כל בריה יכולה להסתכל בו שנאמר (בראשית א' ד) וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב, וכתיב (שם כ"א) וירא אלהים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד, ראה הקב"ה את כל אשר עשה וראה טוב מזהיר בהיר ולוקח מאותו הטוב וכלל בו, שלשים ושתים נתיבות החכמה ונתנו לעוה"ז והיינו דכתיב (משלי ד' ב) כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם תורתי אל תעזובו, הוי אומר זו אוצרה של תורה שבעל פה, ואמר הקב"ה אם ישמרו זאת המדה בעוה"ז שזאת המדה נחשבת בכלל העוה"ז, והיא תורה שבע"פ, יזכו לחיי העוה"ב שהוא הטוב הגנוז לצדיקים, ומאי ניהו, עוזו של הקב"ה, דכתיב (חבקוק ג' ד) ונוגה כאור תהיה, עתיד הנוגה שנלקח מן האור הראשון להיות כאור, אם יקיימו בנים התורה והמצוה אשר כתבתי להורותם (שמות כ"ד י"ב) דכתיב ומשלי א' שמע בני מוסר אביך ואל תטוש תורת אמך:

קמח. וכתיב (חבקוק שם) קרנים מידו לו ושם חביון עוזו, מאי חביון עוזו, אלא אותו האור שגנז והחביא שנאמר (תהלים ל"א ב) אשר צפנת ליראיך, וזה שנשאר לנו (שם) פעלת לחוסים בך, אותם שחוסים בצלך בעוה"ז ושומרים תורתך ומקיימים מצותיך ומקדשים שמך הגדול ומיחדים בסתר ובגלוי שנאמר (שם) נגד בני אדם:

קמט. אמר רבי רחומאי מלמד שהיא אורה לישראל ותורה אורה דכתיב (משלי ו' ג) כי נר מצוה ותורה אור, ואמרינן נר זו מצוה ואורה זו תורה שבעל פה, ואור זו תורה שבכתב אלא מתוך שכבר מתקיים האור קרי ליה אור, משל למה"ד לחדר צנוע בסופו של הבית אע"פ שיום הוא ואור גדול בעולם אין אדם רואה באותו החדר אלא אם כן הכניס בו נר, כך תורה שבעל פה אע"פ שהוא אור צריכה היא לתורה שבכתב לפרק קושיותיה ולבאר סודותיה. נא:

קנ. אמר רבי רחומאי מאי דכתיב (משלי ו' כ"ג) ודרך חיים תוכחות מוסר, מלמד שכל הרגיל במעשה בראשית ובמעשי מרכבה אי אפשר שלא יכשל שנאמר (ישעי' ג' ו) והמכשלה הזאת תחת ידך. דברים שאין אדם יכול לעמוד בהן אלא אם כן נכשל בהן והתורה אומרת תוכחת מוסר, אבל באמת זוכה לדרך חיים, לפיכך מי שרוצה לזכות בדרך חיים יסבול תוכחות מוסר:

קנא. ד"א חיים זו תורה שנאמר (דברים ל, יט) ובחרת בחיים, וכתיב (שם כ') כי היא חייך ואורך ימיך, ומי שרוצה לזכות בה ימאס בהנאת הגוף ויסבל עול מצות, ואם באו עליו יסורים יקבלם מאהבה, ואל יאמר הואיל ואני מקיים רצון קוני ואני לומד תורה בכל יום למה באין עלי היסורין, אלא יקבלם מאהבה, ואז יזכה לדרך חיים שלימה, כי מי יודע דעת הקב"ה, וחייב לומר על הכל צדיק אתה ה' וישר משפטיך (תהלים קי"ט קלז), וכל דעבדין מן שמיא לטב:

קנב. אמרת כסאו, והא אמרינן זה כתרו של הקב"ה, כדאמרינן בשלשה כתרים נכתרו ישראל כתר כהונה וכתר מלכות וכתר תורה על גביהם. משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו כלי נאה ומבושם ואוהבו מאד, לפעמים שמו בראשו והיינו תפלין שבראש, לפעמים נטלו בזרועו בקשר תפלין של זרוע, לפעמים משאילו לבנו לשבת עמו. לפעמים נקרא כסאו כי בזרועו נושאו כקמיע כעין כסא:

קנג. ומאי שביעי, היא ערבות שמים ולמה נקרא שמים אלא שהוא עגול כמו ראש, ומלמד שמים מימינו ואש משמאלו והוא באמצע, והוא שא מים מאש וממים, ומכניס שלום ביניהם, בא האש ומצא צדו מדת אש, ובאו המים ומצאו מצדן מדת המים, והיינו עושה שלום במרומיו (איוב כ"ה ב):

קנד. שביעי אינו אלא ששי, אלא מלמד שכאן היכל הקודש והוא נושא את כולם ונחשב לשנים, והוי שביעי, ומאי הוא, המחשבה שאין לה סוף ותכלית, וכך המקום הזה אין לו סוף ותכלית:

קנה. שביעי הוי מזרחו של עולם, ומשם בא זרעם של ישראל, כי חוט השדרה משוך מן המח של אדם, ובא לאמה ומשם הוא הזרע, דכתיב (ישעי' מ"ג ה) ממזרח אביא זרעך, כשישראל טובים מזה המקום אביא זרעך, ויתחדש לך זרע חדש, וכשישראל רעים מן הזרע שכבר בא לעולם שנאמר (קהלת א' ד) דור הולך ודור בא, מלמד שכבר בא:

קנו. ומאי דכתיב (ישעי' מ"ג ה) ממערב אקבצך, מאותה המדה שנוטה תמיד למערב, למה איקרי מערב מפני ששם מתערב כל הזרע, משל למה"ד לבן מלך, שהיה לו כלה נאה וצנועה בחדרו, והיה לוקח מבית אביו עושר ומביא לה תמיד, ולוקחת הכל ומצנעת אותו תמיד ומערבת הכל, לסוף ימים בקש לראות מה אסף ומה קיבץ, והיינו דכתיב וממערב אקבצך, ומאי ניהו, בית אביו, דכתיב ממזרח אביא זרעיך מלמד שממזרח מביא וזורע במערב ואחר כך הוא מקבץ מה שזורע:

קנז. שמיני מאי הוי, יש לו להקב"ה צדיק אחד בעולמו והוא חביב לו מפני שמקיים כל העולם כולו והוא יסודו, והוא מכלכלו והוא מצמחו ומגדלו ומשמרו, אהוב וחביב למעלה, אהוב וחביב למטה, נורא ואדיר למעלה, נורא ואדיר למטה, ומתוקן ומקובל למעלה, מתוקן ומקובל למטה, והוא יסוד הנפשות כולן, ואמרת שמיני, ואמרת יסוד הנפשות כולן והכתיב (שמות ל"א יז) וביום השביעי שבת וינפש, אין שביעי הוי, משום דמכריע בינייהו, דשית אינון תלת מלרע ותלת מלעיל והוא דאכרע בינייהו:

קנח. ומ"ט אקרי שביעי וכי היה בשביעי, לא, אלא מפני שהקב"ה שבת בשבת, באותה המדה דכתיב (שם) כי ששת ימים עשה ה' את השמים ואת הארץ וביום השביעי שבת וינפש, מלמד שכל יום ויום יש לו מאמר שהוא אדון לו לא מפני שהוא נברא בו אלא מפני שהוא פועל בו פעולה המסורה בידו פעלו כולם פעולתם וקיימו מעשיהם, לכך בא יום השביעי ופעל פעולתו ושמחו כולם, אף הקב"ה, ולא עוד אלא שגדלה נשמתן דכתיב וביום השביעי שבת וינפש:

קנט. ומה הוי שביתה זו דלית בה מלאכה והוי הנחה דכתיב שבת, משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו שבעה גנות ובגן האמצעי מעין נובע ממקור חיים, ג' מימינו וג' משמאלו, ומיד שפועל פעולה זו או מתמלא שמחים כולם, כי אמרו לצרכינו הוא מתמלא, והוא משקה אותן ומגדלן והם ממתינין ושובתין והוא משקה את השבעה, והכתיב (ישעי' מ"ג ה) ממזרח אביא זרעך והוי חד מנהון ומשקה ליה, אלא אימא הוא משקה את הלב והלב משקה אח"כ את כולם:

נב. קס. ישב ר' ברכיה ודרש מאי האי דאמרינן כל יומא העולם הבא, ולא ידעינן מאי קאמרינן, העוה"ב מתרגמינן עלמא דאתי, מאי עלמא דאתי, מלמד שקודם שנברא העולם עלה במחשבה לבראות אור גדול להאיר, ונברא אור גדול שאין כל בריה יכולה לשלוט בו, צפה הקב"ה שאין יכולין לסובלו, לקח שביעית ושם להם במקומו והשאר גנזו לצדיקים לעתיר לבוא, ואמר אם יזכו בזה השביעי וישמרוה אתן להם זה לעולם אחרון והיינו עולם הבא שכבר בא מקודם ששת ימי בראשית הה"ד (תהלים ל"א כ) מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליראיך וגו':

קסא. מאי דכתיב (שמות ט"ו כז) ויבואו אלימה ושם שתים עשרה עינות מים ושבעים תמרים ויחנו שם על המים, וכי מה שבח היה בשבעים תמרים, באחת מקטני המקומות יש אלף, אלא זכו לדוגמתם ויש להם משל בתמרים דכתיב ויבואו מרתה ולא יכלו לשתות מים ממרה כי מרים הם, מלמד שרוח צפונית היתה מעורבבת שנאמר (שם כ"ה) ויצעק אל ה' ויורהו ה' עץ וישלך אל המים וימתקו המים, מיד נתן הקב"ה ידו בשטן ומיעטו, ואילמלא כך לא יכלו ישראל לעמוד מפניו דכתיב (שם) שם שם לו חוק ומשפט ושם נסהו, מלמד שבאותה שעה דבק השטן בהם כדי לאבדם מן העולם דכתיב (שם כ"ד) וילונו העם על משה לאמר מה נשתה, ועוד קטרג על משה עד כי צעק אל ה' ונענה, ומאי ויורהו ה' עץ, מלמד שעץ החיים היה סביב המים ובא השטן ונטלו משם כדי לקטרג על ישראל ולהחטיאם לאביהם שבשמים, והיה אומר להם עתה תכנסו במדבר ועדיין אלה המים שהם מרים הם טובים כי תסתפקו מהם, אבל במדבר לא תמצאו אפילו לרחוץ ידיכם ופניכם, ותמותו ברעב ובצמא בעירום ובחוסר כל, באו אל משה ואמרו לו כך וכך, דחה אותם, ראה כי לא יכול להם התחזק על ישראל ועל משה ובאו העם וילונו על משה כאן חסרים לנו מים ומה נשתה במדבר, בא השטן וזייף דבריהם אל משה כדי להחטיאם, ומיד כשראה משה השטן ויצעק אל ה' ויורהו ה' עץ, אותו עץ החיים היה שהסיר השטן, וישלך אל המים וימתקו המים, שם שם לו הקב"ה לשטן חק ומשפט, ושם נסהו לישראל, ובא הקב"ה להזהיר את ישראל ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך וגו':

קסב. משל למה"ד למלך שהיתה לו בת נאה ואחרים מתאוים לה, ידע המלך בדבר ולא היה יכול להתקוטט עם המוציאים בתו לתרבות רעה, בא לביתו והזהירה, אמר לה בתי אל תחושו לדברי אלה האויבים ולא יוכלו לך, ואל תצאי לפתח הבית ועשי מלאכתך בביתך ואל תשבי בטלה אפילו שעה אחת, ולא יוכלו לראותך ולא להזיק לך, כי יש בהם מדה אחת מתרחקים משל דרך טוב ובוחרים בכל דרך רע, וכשרואין איש מדריך עצמו בדרך טובה והולך בה שונאים אותו, ומאי ניהו השטן, מלמד שיש להקב"ה מדה ששמה רעה והיא לצפונו של הקב"ה דכתיב (ירמי' א' יד) מצפון תפתח הרעה על כל יושבי הארץ, כלומר כל רעה אשר היא באה לכל יושבי הארץ מצפון היא באה:

קסג. ומאי ניהו מדה אחת, היא צורת יד ולה שליחים הרבה ושמם של כולם רע רע, אך יש בהם קטן וגדול, והם מחייבים את העולם, כי תהו לצד צפון, ואין תהו אלא רע המתהא את העולם עד שיחטיאם, וכל יצה"ר שיש באדם משם הוא בא, ולמה ניתן בשמאל, מפני שאין לו רשות בכל העולם אלא בצפון, ולא הורגל אלא בצפון, ולא רצה להיות אלא בצפון, לפי כשיהיה בדרום עד שילמד מהלך הדרום והאיך יכול להטעות יתעכב אותן ימים שילמוד ולא יחטיא. לפיכך הוא לעולם בצפון בשמאל והיינו דכתיב (בראשית ח' כא) כי יצר לב האדם רע מנעוריו, רע הוא מנעוריו ולא יטה אלא לשמאל שכבר הורגל בה, לפום הכי אמר הקב"ה לישראל (שמות ט"ו כו) אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו, ולא למצות יצה"ר, ושמרת כל חוקיו, ולא חקות יצה"ר, אני ה' רופאיך:

קסד. ומאי מרויח יצה"ר, משל למה"ד למלך שהפקיד פקידים על מדינות מלכותו ועל מלאכתו ועל סחורתו, ועל כל אחד ואחד ממונה, על אוצרות המאכל הטוב, ואחד ממונה על אוצר האבנים, באו כל העולם לקנות מאוצרות מאכל הטוב, בא זה שממונה על אוצר האבנים וראה מה שקונין ממנו קנא, מה עשה, שלח שלוחיו להרוס הבתים החלשים, כי בחזקים לא יוכלו, אמר בין כך ובין כך שישתדלו להרוס בית אחד מן החזקים יהרסו עשרים מן החלשים ויבואו כולם ויבנו אבנים ממני ולא אהיה אני פחות מחבירי, הה"ד (ירמי' א' יד) מצפון תפתח הרעה על כל יושבי הארץ, ואח"כ (שם ט"ו) כי הנני קורא לכל משפחות ממלכות צפונה נאום ה' ובאו ונתנו איש כסאו פתח שערי ירושלם וגו', והרעה יהיה להם עסק, ושם יצה"ר ישתדל תמיד, ומאי משמע, דשטן לישנא דמטה הוא, שהוא מטה את כל העולם לכף חובה, וכתיב (בראשית ל', ח טז) ויט אליה אל הדרך ומתרגם וסטה לותה, וכתיב (משלי ד טו) שטה מעליו ועבור:

נח. קסה. שבעים תמרים (שמות ט"ו כז) מאי טעם אלא קבלו עליהם המצות כדכתיב (שם כו) אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך, מיד ויבואו אלימה (שם טז), מאי אלימה, אלי מה, ושם שתים עשרה עינות מים, הקב"ה נתן להם בתחילה עינות מים ואחר החזירם להם אבנים דכתיב (יהושע ד' ט) ושתים עשרה אבנים, מאי טעמא, מפני שבתחילה היתה התורה בעולם נמשלת למים אח"כ נקבעה במקום קבוע, מה שאין המים עושין שהיום כאן ומחר להלן:

קסו. מאי שבעים תמרים (שמות ט"ו כז). מלמד ששבעים קומות יש לו להקב"ה ושואבים משתים עשרה פשוטות, מה המים האלו פשוטים אף הם פשוטים ומנא לן דתמר הוי קומה, דכתיב (שה"ש ז' ח) זאת קומתך דמתה לתמר, ולא עוד אלא שיש בתמרים שבעים מינים דכתיב ושבעים תמרים ולא היו דומים זה אל זה ופעולת זה לזה וטעם זה אינו דומה לטעם זה:

קסז. ואמרת שבעים תמרים שבעים קומות, והא אמרת שבעים ושתים, אלא שבעים ואחת הם וישראל שבעים ושתים אך אינם בכלל, והא אמרת שבעים, אלא האחד שר השטן, משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו בנים, קנה להם עבדים ואמר להם הנה לכם בשוה לכולכם, אמר אחד מהם איני רוצה עמכם כי אני יש לי יכלת לגזול מכל הכל, אמר המלך הואיל וכן הוא לא יהיה לך חלק בתוכם, ועשה ככל יכלתו יצא וארב להם בדרך והראה להם זהב הרבה ואבנים טובות וחיילות, ואמר להם סורו אלי. מה עשה המלך, סדר חיילותיו וחיילות בניו כולם, והראה להם לעבדים ואמר להם אל יטעה אתכם טועה זה לאמר חייליו רב מחיילי, הנה חיילותיו של אותו הבן רמאי וחושב לגזול אתכם, ואתם לא תשמעו לו, כי בתחילה יחליק דבריו כדי שתלכדו במצודתו ואחר כך ישחק, ואתם עבדי ואני אעשה עמכם כל טוב אם לא תשמעו לו ותסורו מאחריו כי הוא שר על תהו שנאמר (שמואל א י"ב) ולא תסורו כי אחרי התהו אשר לא יועילו ולא יצילו כי תהו המה, אך הם יכולים להזיק והנה אני מייעץ אתכם (שמות ט"ו כו) אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלהיך והישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו ושמרת כל חוקיו, משתשמור כל חוקיו כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים לא אשים עליך, למה אמר כל זה, אלא יסגור לו כל הדלתות, כדי שלא ימצאך פעם אחת רך ופעם אחת קשה, בשמרך כל חוקיו, כל המחלה אשר שמתי במצרים, על ידו, לא אשים עליך, מאי כי אני ה' רופאיך, ומתי הכהו, אלא כשיבא הוא ויכה אני ה' רופאיך:

קסח. ומאי ניהו שאמרת שמיני, מפני שבו נתחלו השמונה ובו נשלמו השמונה לחשבון, אך הוא בפעולה הוי שביעי, ומאי נינהו שנתחלו בן שמונת ימים דברית מילה ושמונה הם אינם אלא שבע, ומאי טעמא אמר קב"ה שמונה, מפני שהם שמונה קצוות שיש באדם. ומאי נינהו יד ימין ושמאל רגל ימין ושמאל ראש וגוף וברית מכריע ואשתו שהיא זוגו דכתיב (בראשית ב' כד) ודבק באשתו והיו לבשר אחד הרי שמונה. ואלו הם שמונה ימי מילה כנגדן, ותמניא אלין לא הוי אלא שבעה דגוף וברית חד הוו, הרי שמונה:

קסט. תשיעי מאי הוי, א"ל תשיעי ועשירי הם יחד זה כנגד זה, והאחד גבוה מחבירו ת"ק שנה, והם כעין שני אופנים, האחד נוטה לצד צפון והאחד נוטה לצד מערב והולכין עד הארץ התחתונה, ומאי תחתונה, אחרונה שבשבע ארצות למטה, וסוף שכינתו של הקב"ה תחת רגליו שנא' (ישעי' ס"ו א') השמים כסאי והארץ הדום רגלי, ושם נצחונו של עולם למטה דכתיב (שם ל"ד י') לנצח נצחים:

קע. מאי לנצח נצחים, אלא נצח חד הוי, ומאי ניהו, זה הנוטה למערב, ושני לו מאי הוי, זה הנוטה לצד צפון, ושלישי זה הוי של מטה, שלישי, והא אמרת שני אופני המרכבה, אלא אימא סוף השכינה הוי ג"כ נצח, והיינו לנצח נצחים, נצח חד, נצחים תרי הרי תלתא:

קעא. אמרו לו תלמידיו מלמעלה למטה ידעינן, מלמטה למעלה לא ידעינן, אמר להו ולאו חד הוי מלמטה למעלה ומלמעלה למטה, אמרו רבינו אינו דומה העולה ליורד שהיורד יורד במרוצה והעולה אינו כן, אמר להם צאו וראו, ישב ודרש להם שכינה למטה כשם ששכינה למעלה. ומאי שכינה זו, הוי אומר זה האור הנאצל מן האור הראשון שהוא חכמה, גם הוא מסובב הכל שנאמר (ישעי' ו' ג') מלא כל הארץ כבודו, מאי עבידתיה הכא, משל למה"ד למלך שהיו לו שבעה בנים ושם לכל אחד ואחד מקומו, אמר להם שבו זה ע"ג זה, אמר התחתון אני לא אשב למטה ולא אתרחק ממך, אמר להם הריני מסובב ורואה אתכם כל היום והיינו מלא כל הארץ כבודו, ולמה הוא ביניהם, כדי להעמידם ולקיימם:

קעב. ומה הם הבנים, כבר אמרתי לכם ששבע צורות קדושות יש לו להקב"ה וכולם כנגדן באדם שנאמר (בראשית ט' ו') כי בצלם אלהים עשה את האדם, (שם א' כ"ז) בצלם אלהים ברא אותו זכר ונקיבה ברא אותם, ואלו הן שוק ימין ושמאל, יד ימין ושמאל, גוף ברית וראש הרי שש, והא אמרת שבע, שבעה הוי באשתו דכתיב (שם ב' כב) והיו לבשר אחד, והא מצלעותיו נלקחה דכתיב (שם כא) ויקח אחת מצלעותיו, אמר אין מצלעותיו, ואית ליה צלע, אין, כדאמרת (שמות כ"ו כ) ולצלע המשכן ומתרגמינן ולסטר משכנא, ומאי סטר אית ביה. משל למה"ד למלך שעלה בלבו ליטע בגנו תשעה אילנין זכרים, והיו כולם דקלים, אמר כשיהיו כולם ממין אחד אי אפשר להתקיים, מה עשה נטע אתרוג ביניהם, והוא אחד מאותו התשעה שעלה בלבו להיות זכרים, ואתרוג מאי הוי נקבה והיינו דכתיב (ויקרא כ"ג א) פרי עץ הדר, כפת תמרים, מאי פרי עץ הדר, כדמתרגמינן פרי אילנא אתרוגין ולולבין:

קעג. מאי הדר, היינו הדר הכל, והיינו הדר דשיר השירים דאמר בהו (שה"ש ו' י) מי זאת הנשקפה כמו שחר יפה כלבנה ברה כחמה איומה כנדגלות, והיינו על שם נקבה, ועל שמה נלקחה נקבה מאדם שאי אפשר להתקיים עולם התחתון בלא נקבה, ומ"ט אתקריאת נקבה על שם שנקביה רחבים, ויש לה נקבים יתרים על האיש, ומאי ניהו, נקבי שדים ורחם ובית קבול:

קעד. ומאי ניהו שאמרת שיר השירים דהוא הדר, אין הדר הוא לכל ספרי הקודש, דאמר ר' יוחנן כל הספרים קדושים וכל התורה קודש ושיר השירים קודש קדשים, ומאי ניהו קדש קדשים. אלא קודש שהוא לקדשים, ומה הם הקדשים, אלו שהם כנגד שש קצוות שבאדם, וקודש הוי להו קודש לכולהו:

קעה. ומאי ניהו קודש, זה אתרוג שהוא הדר הכל, ולמה נקרא שמו הדר, אל תקרי הדר אלא הדר, זה אתרוג שהוא נפרד מאגד לולב ואין מצות לולב קיימת אלא בו, והוא גם כן אגוד עם הכל שעם כל אחד הוא ועם כולן יחד הוא:

קעו. לולב כנגד מאי, כנגד חוט השדרה. וכן הוא אומר (ויקרא כ"ג מ) וענף עץ עבות, צריך הוא להיות ענפיו חופין את רובו, ואם אין ענפיו חופין את רובו אינו כלום, מפני מה, משל למה"ד לאדם שיש לו זרועותיו ובהם יגין על ראשו, הרי זרועותיו שנים וראשו שלשה, והיינו ענף לשמאל, עבות לימין, נמצא עץ באמצע, ולמה נאמר בו עץ, מפני שהוא שורש האילן:

קעז. ומאי וערבי נחל (שם) אלו כנגד שוקי אדם שהם שנים, ומאי ניהו לישנא דערבי נחל, משום דגדול שבהם הוי למערב ומשם יונק כחו, ושל צפון קטן ממנו מהלך ת"ק שנה, והוא ברוח צפונית מערבית, ובו פועל, ונקרא על שמו, והם שניהם ערבים:

קעח. ד"א ערבי נחל, שפעמים מערבים פעולותם זה עם זה, ומאי וערבי נחל, הוי אומר על שם המקום שהם קבועים בו ששמו נחל דכתיב (קהלת א' ז) כל הנחלים הולכים אל הים והים איננו מלא, ומאי ניהו ים זה, הוי אומר זה אתרוג ומנא לן דכל מדה ומדה מאלה השבעה אתקרי נחל דכתיב (במדבר כ"א יט) וממתנה נחליאל, אל תקרי נחליאל אלא נחלי אל, וכל הששה הולכים על דרך אחד אל הים, ומאי ניהו אותו דרך אחד מכריע בנתיים דכתיב (חבקוק ג' ה) לפניו ילך דבר ויצא רשף לרגליו, וכולם הולכים לאותו צינור ומאתו צינור אל הים והיינו דכתיב וממתנה נחליאל, ממקום שניתן דהיינו המוח לנחליאל ומנחליאל במות ומאי במות כדמתרגם רמתה, מאי רמתה אותה סגולתא שאחרי הזרקא, ומבמות הגיא אשר בשדה מואב ראש הפסגה ונשקפה על פני הישימון, ומבמות הגי אשר בשדה מואב אשר הוא מזומן, ומאי הוא אותו אשר בשדה מואב, אל תקרי מואב אלא מאב, אותו האב שנאמר עליו (בראשית כ"ו ה) עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וישמור משמרתי מצותי חקותי וגו', ומאי ניהו אותו השדה, אותו שהוא בראש הפסגה וגם נשקפה על פני הישימון ומתרגמינן שמיא, ועל אותו הצינור נאמר (שה"ש ד' טו) מעין גנים באר מים חיים ונוזלים מן לבנון, ומאי ניהו לבנון, הרי אומר זה חכמה, ומאי ערבי נחל, הרי אומר אותו שנתן נחלה לישראל והיינו שני אופני המרכבה:

קעט. תאנא עשרה גלגלים ועשרה מאמרות הם, וכל גלגל וגלגל יש לו מאמר, לא שהוא סובב בו אלא שהוא מסבבו, העוה"ז כהרדלא בעזקתא, מ"ט משום רוחא דמנשבא ביה וקאים בהכי, ואלמלא כליא רוחא חדא שעתא או רגעא חדא איתחרב עלמא:

קפ. שלשה גלגלים יש לו לעוה"ז והאיך, העולם הזה נוטה לצד צפון ולדרום, היאך, צפונית מערבית דרומית, צפונית מערבית הוא גלגל הראשון הסובב עלינו, צפונית מערבית סלקא דעתך, אלא אימא כחו צפונית, והיינו שוק שמאל, ועליו גלגל שני והוא כולו מערבית. מערבית ס"ד, אלא אימא כחו הוה מערב, אלו הן נצחי עולם, ועליו גלגל שלישי וכחו מערבית דרומית, ומאי ניהו כחא קמא דאמרת שני, הוי אומר שוק של ימין, והדין כחא דמערבית דרומית הוא יסודו של עולם שנאמר בו (משלי י' כו) וצדיק יסוד עולם, וכח שני עומד מאחורי המרכבה וכחו הראשון מלפניו, וצדיק יסוד עולם באמצע, הוא יוצא מדרומו של עולם, והוא שר על אלה השנים, גם בידו נפש כל חי כי הוא חי העולמים, וכל לשון בריאה בדידיה עבידא, ועליו כתיב (שמות ל"א יז) שבת וינפש, והוא מדת יום השבת, ועליו נאמר (שם כ' ח) זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, והא ג"כ כתיב (דברים ה' יב) שמור, ההיא במדה שביעית, ובשביעית אמר הכתוב (ויקרא י"ט ל) את שבתותי תשמורו ומקדשו תראו, ומאי ניהו מדה שביעית, זה מדת טובו של הקב"ה:

קפא. ומאי טעמא אמר (שם) את שבתותי תשמורו ולא אמר את שבתי, משל למה"ד למלך שהיתה לו כלה נאה, וכל שבוע ושבוע מזמינה יום אחד להיות עמו, והמלך יש לו בנים נאים ואוהבם, אמר להם הואיל וכן היא שמחו אתה גם כן ביום שמחתי, כי בשלכם אני משתדל ואתם ג"כ הדרו אותי:

קפב. ומאי טעמא זכור ושמור, זכור לזכר ושמור לכלה, ומאי טעמא ומקדשי תראו, שמרו עצמכם מהרהור, כי מקדשי קדש הוא, למה, כי אני ה' מקדשכם בכל:

צד. קפג. ומאי טעמא אמרינן על כל מה שברא וכו' חי העולמים, ולא אמרינן על כל מה שבראת, אלא אנו מברכין להקב"ה שמשפיע חכמתו לחי העולמים זה והוא נותן הכל:

קפד. ומאי טעמא אמרינן אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו, ולא אמרינן אשר קדשתנו וצויתנו, מלמד שחי העולמים כלולים בו כל המצות כולן וברחמיו עלינו נתתם לנו כדי לקדשנו בהם ואולי נזכה, ומ"ט, כי בשעה שאנו נזכה בעוה"ז לעוה"ב שהוא גדול, ובידו אוצר כל הנשמות, ובשעה שישראל טובים הנשמות זוכות לצאת ולבוא לעוה"ז, ואם אינם טובים לא יצאו, והיינו דאמרינן, אין בן דוד בא עד שיכלו כל הנשמות שבגוף, ומאי כל הנשמות שבגוף, הוי אומר כל הנשמות שבגוף האדם ויזכו החדשות לצאת, ואז בן דוד בא זוכה להולד כי נשמתו תצא חדשה בכלל האחרים, משל למה"ד למלך שהיה לו חיל ושלח להם פת מאכל לרוב, ונתעצלו ולא אכלו אותו גם לא שמרוהו ונתעפש ונפסד הפת, בא לדרוש ולפקוד אם יש להם מה יאכלו ואם אכלו מה ששלח להם מצא להם פת מעופש ומצאם מתביישים לבקש פת אחרת, כלומר זה לא שמרנו ואחר נבקש, גם המלך כעס ולקח אותו הפת המעופש וציוה עליו לייבשו ולתקנו כפי היכלת, ונשבע לאלה האנשים פת אחרת לא אתן להם עד שיאכלו כל הפת המעופש הזה, שלחו להם מחדש, מה עשו, אמרו לחלוק אותו, חלקוהו ונטל כל אחד מהם חלקו, הזריז שם חלקו באויר ושמרו ואכלו טוב, והאחר לקחו ואכל ממנו בתאוה, אכל מה שאכל והשאר הניחו ולא שמרו כי נתייאש ממנו ונפסד יותר ונתעפש ולא יכול כלל לאכלו ונשאר רעב עד שמת, נפקד עליו עון גופו למה הרגת עצמך, לא די שהפת קלקלתם לכם מתחילה והחזרתיו לכם מתוקן וקלקלתם אותו' ואתה קלקלת חלקך ונתרשלת מלשמרו, ולא עוד אלא שהרגת עצמך, והוא משיב אדוני מה הייתי עושה, ועונה אותו היה לך לשומרו, ואם תאמר לא יכלת, היה לך להשגיח בחבירך ושכניך שחלקו עמך הפת ותראה מעשיהם ושמירתם ותשתדל לשמור כמותם, ועוד דורשין אותו למה הרגת עצמך, לא די שקלקלת הפת אלא עוד הוספת והרגת חומר גופך וקצרת ימיך או גרמת, ואפשר שהיה יוצא ברא מעליא ממך שהיה מציל אותך וקלקולך ואחרים וקלקולם, לכן מכל צד ירבו עליך יסורין, נבהל והשיב ומה הייתי יכול לעשות אחר שלא היה לי פת, וממה הייתי יכול לחיות, אומרים לו אם היית עמל ויגע בתורה לא היית משיב כסילות ועזות כזאת, שמתוך תשובת דבריך ניכר שלא עמלת ולא יגעת בתורה והלא כתוב בתורה כי לא על הלחם לבדו יחיה האדם כי על כל מוצא פי ה' יחיה האדם (דברים ח, ג), היה לך לדרוש ולחקור ולשאול מה הדבר אשר יחיה האדם בו, ומאי ניהו מוצא פי ה', הוי אומר יחיה בתורה דהיינו מוצא פי ה', מכאן אמרו ולא עם הארץ חסיד, אם עליו אינו גומל חסד איך אפשר להקרא חסיד:

קפה. ובמה יתחסד עם קונו, בתלמוד תורה, שכל הלומד תורה גומל חסד לקונו דכתיב (שם ל"ג כו) רוכב שמים בעזרך, הוי אומר כשאתם לומדים תורה לשמה אזי אתם עוזרים לי ואני רוכב שמים, ואז ובגאותו שחקים (שם), ומאי שחקים, הוי אומר בחדרי חדרים כדמתרגמינן ומימריה בשמי שמיא, הילכך לא על הלחם לבדו יחיה האדם אלא על כל מוצא פי ה' שהיא תורה שיצאה מפי ה' עליה יחיה האדם, וכסיל יענה עזות, עזוב עזות ולא תענה כאשר ענית, הלכך נענש, ומה עונשו כבר פירשתיו:

קפו. מאי דכתיב (איוב ט"ו ב) החכם יענה דעת רוח, מאי ניהו דעת רוח, אלא דעת שקרוב לרוח, דכתיב (ישעי' י"א ב) ונחה עליו רוח ה' רוח חכמה ובינה, חכמה ואחריו בינה, ובבינה עצה וגבורה ודעת ויראת ה', והאמרת לן שעצה זו גמילת חסדים ובינה זו מדת הדין דעת זו האמת, וכן הדעת שבה בוחן שאדם האמת, יראת ה' היא אוצרה של תורה. והיינו דאמרי אנא אלא שזו למעלה, דאמר ר' עקיבא כל מה שברא הקב"ה ברא לנגד שנאמר (קהלת ז' יד) גמ את זה לעומת זה עשה האלהים, ומאי ניהו אוצרה של תורה דכתיב (ישעי) י"ג יראת ה' היא אוצרו, לפיכך צריך אדם שיהא ירא שמים תחילה ואח"כ ילמוד תורה משל לאדם שבא לקנות דבש תמרים ולא הוליך כלי להביאם אמר אביאם בחיקי, הביאם בחיקו כבד משאם עליו, פחד פן יקרעו ויתלכלכו הבגדים וזרקם בדרך, נענש שנים אחת משום הפסדן אוכלים ואחת משום איבוד ממונו:

קפז. ויראת ה' זו היא שהיא למעלה, היא בכפו של הקב"ה, וגם היא עוזו, ואותו הכף שנקרא כף זכות משום דמטה את העולם לכף. זכות והיינו דכתיב (ישעי' י"א ג) והריחו ביראת ה' ולא למראה עיניו ישפוט ולא למשמע אזניו יוכיח, אלא מטה את כל העולם לכף זכות ומשם עצה יוצאה, ומשם בריאות יוצאת לעולם. ומשם רועה אבן ישראל (בראשית מ"ט כד), והוא המקום שנקרא שם שנאמר (חבקוק ג' ד), ושם חביון עוזו:

קפח. וכיון שבאה מלתא זו חדדה, מאי חידודא, אימא לן מאי ניהו וקרנים מידו לו (חבקוק שם), ומאי ניהו דאמר קרניים ואח"כ אמר ידו, ידיו מיבעיא ליה, לא קשיא דהיינו דכתיב (שמות ל"ב יט) ויחר אף משה וישלך מידיו את הלוחות וגו', מידו כתיב, והיינו דכתיב (שם י"ח יב) ויהי ידיו אמונה עד בא השמש, ולא אמר אמונות, אמרו לו רבינו אנו מקשין לך לתרץ ואתה מכסה את ענינו, למדתני רבינו משיבין על ראשון ראשון ועל אחרון אחרון, ומאי קא בעיתו, קרנים מידו לו, העבודה פרשתיו לכם עתה בתוך דברי, איכסיפו,כיון דחזינהו דאכסיפו התחיל ואמר להם והלא מים הוו ומהם יצא האש, אמרו לו דברי הבל, אם כן המים כוללים האש, רבי ומאי היא קרנים, אמר להם חמשה קרנים ה' אצבעות שביד ימינו של אדם:

קפט. ורבינו, את הוא דאמרת לן משמיה דר' יוחנן דאינם אלא שתי זרועות עולם, אמר להם אין, ברם הכא קרנים משמש לשתי קונים דשלמטה הימנו, ומאי ניהו, אמר להם בכעס ראשך, ומלמעלה מאי, אמר להם יראת ה':

קצ. ומאי ניהו יראת ה', האור הראשון דאמר ר' מאי דכתיב (בראשית א' ג) ויאמר אלהים ויהי אור ויהי אור, ולא אמר ויהי כן, אלא מלמד שהאור ההוא היה גדול מאד ואין כל בריה יכולה להסתכל בו גנזו הקב"ה לצדיקים לעתיד לבוא, והיא מדת כל סחורה שבעולם, והיא כח אבן יקרה שקורין סוחרת ודר, ועל מה היא מדת דר, אלא מלמד שלקח הקב"ה מזיווה אחד מאלפים ובנה ממנה אבן יקרה נאה ומקושטת וכלל בה כל המצות. ובא אברהם ובקש כח לתת לו ונתנו לו אבן יקרה זו, ולא רצה אותה, זכה ולקח מדתו החסד דכתיב (מיכה ז' כ) חסד לאברהם, בא יצחק ובקש כח ונתנו לו ולא רצה בה זכה ונטל מדת הגבורה דהיינו הפחד דכתיב (בראשית ל"א נג) וישבע יעקב בפחד אביו יצחק, בא יעקב ורצה בה ולא נתנוה לו, אמרו לו הואיל ואברהם למעלה ויצחק תחתיו אתה תהיה באמצע ותטול שלשתן, ומאי ניהו אמצע, היינו שלום, והכתיב (מיכה שם) תתן אמת ליעקב, י אמת ושלום חד הוי כד"א (אסתר ט' ל) דברי שלום ואמת, (מ"ב כ' יט) כי אם שלום ואמת יהיה בימי, והיינו דכתיב (ישעי' נ"ח יד) והאכלתיך נחלת יעקב אביך, דהיינו נחלה גמורה דאית ליה החס"ד והפח"ד והאמ"ת והשלו"ם ולפיכך אמר (תהלים קי"ח כב) אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה, אבן שמאסו אברהם ויצחק שבנו את העולם היתה עתה לראש פנה:

קצא. ולמה מאסו בה והלא נאמר (בראשית כ"ו ה) עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי וישמור משמרתי מצותי חקותי ותורותי, מאי משמרתי, כך אמרה מדת החסד כל ימי היות אברהם בעולם לא הוצרכתי אני לעשות מלאכתי שהרי אברהם עמד שם במקומי וישמור משמרתי, כי אני זאת מלאכתי שאני מזכה את העולם ואפי' נתחייבו אני מזכה אותם, ועוד משיבם ומביא בלבם לעשות רצון אביהם שבשמים, וכל זה עשה אברהם דכתיב (שם כ"א לג) ויטע אשל בבאר שבע ויקרא שם בשם ה' אל עולם, סדר לחמו ומימיו לכל באי עולם והיה מזכה אותם ומדבר על לבם למי אתם עובדים, עבדו את ה' אלהי השמים והארץ, והיה דורש להם עד שהיו שבים, ומנא לן שאף החייבים היה מזכה שנאמר (שם י"ח י"ז) המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עושה ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום ונברכו בו כל גויי הארץ, אלא אזכהו שידעתי שיבקש עליהם רחמים ויזכה, וכי אפשר לומר שלא ידע הקב"ה שלא יוכלו להנצל, אלא לזכותו קאמר, מכאן אמרו הבא ליטהר מסייעין לו, הבא ליטמא פותחין לו, מאי פותחין לו, אותן הפתוחים תמיד:

קצב. מצותי חקותי ותורותי (שם כ"ו ה) אמר הואיל ולא חפצתי בה אשמור מצותיה, ומאי תורתי, אלא אפי' הוראת ופלפולין שמורין למעלה הוא ידעם וקיימם:

קצג. ומאי משם רועה אבן ישראל (בראשית מ"ט כד) שמשם נזון אבן ישראל ומאי משם, הוי אומר צדיק עליון, ומה הוא היינו האור הגדול הצפון, והיינו סוחרת, והאבן שדרה למטה הימנה נקרא דר, ומאי הוא קרנים שנאמר (חבקוק ג' ד) קרנים מידו לו, היינו חמש אצבעות של יד ימין:

נח. קצד. אמר רבי רחומאי כך קבלתי כשבקש משה לדעת ידיעת השם הנכבד והנורא ית' ואמר (שמות ל"ג יח) הראיני נא את כבודך, בקש לדעת מפני מה צדיק וטוב לו צדיק ורע לו, ורשע וטוב לו רשע ורע לו ולא הודיעוהו. ולא הודיעוהו סלקא דעתך, אלא לא הודיעוהו מה שבקש, וכי תעלה על דעתך שמשה לא היה יודע סוד זה אלא כך אמר משה דרכי הכחות אני יודע אבל איני יודע איך המחשבה מתפשטת בה, יודע אני שבמחשבה האמת אבל לא ידעתי חלקיו ובקשו לדעת ולא הודיעוהו:

קצה. מפני מה צדיק וטוב לו צדיק ורע לו, מפני שהצדיק הזה כבר היה רשע לשעבר ועתה נענש, וכי מענשין על ימי הנערות, והאמר ר' סימון שאין מענשין בבית דין של מעלה אלא מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה, אמר ליה אנא לא בחיי אמרי, אנא דאמרי שכבר היה לשעבר אמרו לו חביריו עד מתי תסתום דבריך, אמר להם צאו וראו משל למה"ד לאדם שנטע בגנו כרם ויקו לעשות ענבים ויעש באושים, ראה שלא הצליח נטעו גדרו ופרצו ונקה הגפנים מן הבאושים ונטעו עוד שנית ראה שלא הצליח גדרו נטעו אחר שנקה וראה שלא הצליח ועקרו ונטעו עד כמה, א"ל לאלף דור דכתיב (תהלים ק"ה ח) דבר צוה לאלף דור, והיינו דאמרו, תתקע"ד דורות חסרו ועמד הקב"ה ושתלן בכל דור ודור:

קצו. אמר רבה אי בעי צדיקי ברו עלמא מי מבדיל, עונותיכם, דכתיב (ישעי' נ"ט ב) כי אם עונותיכם היו מבדילים ביניכם לבין אלהיכם, הא אם לא היו עונותיכם לא היה הפרש ביניכם ובינו, דהא רבא, ברא גברא שדריה לקמיה דר' זירא הוי קא משתעי בהדיה ולא קא מהדר, ואלמלא עונותיכם הוה מהדר, וממאי הוה מהדר, מנשמתיה, ומי הוי ליה לאינש נשמתא למיעל ביה, אין, דכתיב (בראשית ג' ז) ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים, ולאינש הוה ליה נשמת חיים, ואלמלא עונותיכם שאין הנשמה טהורה, והיינו הפרש שיש ביניכם לבינו דכתיב (תהלים ח' ו) ותחסרהו מעט מאלהים, מאי מעט, דאית ליה עונות, והקב"ה לית ליה, וברוך הוא ומבורך שמו לעדי עד, עונות הוא דלית ליה אבל יצר מיהו מניה אתי, אתי סלקא דעתך, אלא אימא הוה קאתי מניה עד דאתי דוד והרגו הה"ד (תהלים ק"ט כב) ולבי חלל בקרבי, כך אמר דוד הואיל ולא יכלתי לו, לא יגורך רע (שם ה' ה), ובמה יכל לו דוד, בגרסתו, שלא היה שותק לילה ויום, והיה מחבר תורה של מעלה, כי כל שעה שאדם לומד תורה לשמה התורה של מעלה מתחברת להקב"ה, והיינו דאמרינן לעולם ילמוד אדם תורה ואפי' שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה, ומאי ניהו תורה דאמרת, היינו כלה שמקושטת ומעוטרת ומוכללת בכל המצות, והיא אוצר התורה, והיא ארוסתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא דכתיב (דברים ל"ג ד) תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב, אל תקרי מורשה אלא מאורסה. הא כיצד כשישראל עוסקים בתורה לשמה היא ארוסתו של הקב"ה, ובזמן שהיא ארוסתו של הקב"ה היא מורשה לישראל:

נט. קצז. ישב רבי אמוראי, ודרש מפני מה זכתה תמר ויצאו ממנה פרץ וזרח, מפני שהיה שמה תמר, והא תמר אחות אמנון, היא דעבידא לכך, ומאי טעמא אקרי פרץ וזרח, פרץ איקרי על שם הלבנה, שהלבנה נפרצת לעתים ונבנית לעתיד, וזרח איקרי על שם החמה, שהחמה זורחת תמיד בענין אחד, והא פרץ היה הבכור וחמה גדולה מן הלבנה, לא קשיא דהא כתיב (בראשית ל"ח כח) ויתן יד, וכתיב (שם) ואחר יצא אחיו אשר על ידו השני ויקרא שמו זרח, דהוא היה לו להיות הבכור, ומפני שמחת הקב"ה שצפה שעתיד לצאת ממנו שלמה, שעתיד לומר שיר השירים החזירו:

קצח. ומאי טעמא אקריאת תמר ולא שאר שמות, מפני שהיא נקבה, נקבה סלקא דעתך, אלא מפני שכוללת זכר ונקבה, דכל אילני תמרים כלולים זכר ונקבה, והאיך, שהלולב הוי זכר, והפרי מבחוץ הוי זכר ומבפנים הוי נקבה, והאיך, בגרעיני התמר שהיא סדוקה כעין אשה, כנגדה כח הלבנה למעלה, והקב"ה ברא אדם זכר ונקבה שנאמר (בראשית א' כז) זכר ונקבה ברא אותם, אפשר לומר כך, והא כתיב (שם) ויברא אלהים את האדם בצלמו בצלם אלהים ברא אותו, ואחר כך (שם ב' יח) אעשה לו עזר כנגדו, (שם כא) ויקח אחת מצלעותיו ויסגור בשר תחתינה, אלא אימא כתיב בהם יצירה וכתיב עשיה וכתיב בריאה בעת עשיית הנשמה, עשיה זכר ונקבה בראם, יצירה בעת הרכיב הנשמה על הגוף, ואסף הרוח, ומנא לן דהאי יצירה לישנא דאסיפה דכתיב (שם יט) וייצר ה' אלהים מן האדמה כל חית השדה ואת כל עוף השמים ויבא אל האדם לראות מה יקרא לו וגו' והיינו דכתיב (שם ה' ב) זכר ונקיבה בראם, וכתיב (שם ה' כח) ויברך אותם אלהים:

קצט. נשמת נקבה מן הנקבה ונשמת זכר מן הזכר, והיינו דקאזיל נחש בתרה דחוה, אמר הואיל ונשמתה מצד צפון. אסיתנה מהרה, ומאי הסתה הוה בה, משום דבא עליה:

ר. שאלו תלמידיו אימא לן עובדא היכי הוה, אמר להם סמאל הרשע קשר עם כל צבאות מעלה על רבו, משום שאמר הקב"ה ורדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים, אמר האיך נוכל להחטיאו ולגרשהו מלפניו, ירד עם כל חיילותיו וביקש לו בארץ חבר כמותו, ומצא הנחש, והיה לו דמות גמל ורכב עליו, והלך לו אל האשה אמר לה (בראשית ג' א) אף כי אמר אלהים מכל עץ הגן, אבל אבקש יותר ואוסיף כדי שתגרע היא, אמרה לא מנענו אלא מפרי עץ אשר בתוך הגן אמר אלהים לא תאכלו ממנו ולא תגעו בו פן תמותון, והוסיפה שתי דברים, אמרה ומפרי העץ אשר בתוך הגן ולא נאמר אלא ומעץ הדעת, ואמרה לא תגעו בו פן תמותון, מה עשה סמאל הרשע, הלך ונגע באילן, והיה האילן צווח ואומר רשע אל תגע בו שנאמר (תהלים ל"ו יב) אל תבואני רגל גאוה ויד רשעים אל תנדני, שם נפלו פועלי און דחו ולא יכלו קום, הלך ואמר לאשה הנה נגעתי באילן ולא מתי אף אתה געי בו ולא תמותי, הלכה האשה ונגעה באילן, וראתה מלאך המות שבא כנגדה, אמרה אוי לי עכשיו אני מתה והקב"ה עושה אשה אחרת ונותנה לאדם, אלא הריני גורמת לו שיאכל עמי אם נמות נמות שנינו ואם נחיו נחיו שנינו, ולקחה ואכלה מפירות האילן ונתנה גם לבעלה, נתפקחו עיניו וקהו שיניו, אמר לה מהו זה שהאכלתני שהקהו שני כך קהו שני כל הדורות, ישב לו בדין אמת שנאמר (תהלים ט' ה) שופט צדק, קרא לאדם אומר לו למה ברחת מפני, אמר לו את קולך שמעתי בגן ורעדו עצמותי, ואירא כי עירום אנכי ואחבא (בראשית ג' י), כי עירום אנכי מפועלי, כי ערום אנכי מצווי, כי ערום אנכי ממעשי שנאמר (שם) כי ערום אנכי ואחבא, מה היה לבושו של אדם עור של צפורן, כיון שאכל מפירות האילן הפשיט את עורו של צפורן מעליו, ראה עצמו ערום שנאמר (שם יא) מי הגיד לך כי עירום אתה, אמר אדם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא רבון כל העולמים כשהייתי לבדי שמא חטאתי לך אלא האשה שהבאת אצלי היא הדיחה אותי מדבריך שנאמר (שם יב) האשה אשר נתת עמדי, אמר לה הקב"ה לא דייך שחטאת אלא החטאית את אדם, אמרה לפניו רבון כל העולמים הנחש השיאני לחטוא לפניך מביא שלשתן וגזר עליהם דין תשע קללות ומות, והפיל את סמאל הרשע ואת הכת שלו ממקום קדושו מן השמים, וקצץ רגליו של נחש ואיררו מכל חית השדה ומכל בהמה ופקד עליו שיהא מפשיט עורו לאחר שבע שנים, וסמאל נענש שנעשה שר מעשו הרשע, לעתיד כשיעקור הקב"ה מלכות אדום במהרה בימינו ישפילהו תחילה שנאמר (ישעי' כ"ד כא) יפקוד ה' על צבא מרום במרום, והאמירה והמיתה והעונש כל זה על שהוסיפה על ציווי של הקב"ה ועל זה נאמר כל המוסיף גורע, והשם יאיר עינינו במאור תורתו, וישם בלבנו יראתו, ויזכנו לקראתו, אשר הלבבות יאיר, ולב בינה יעור, והעינים זוהר יזהיר:

30.11 Zohar selections

30.11.1 In the Beginning the Creation Of Elohim

30.11.2 The Hidden Light

30.11.3 Adam's Sin

30.11.4 Male And Female

30.11.5 After The Flood

30.11.6 Abram, The Soul-Breath

30.11.7 Abram's Descent Into Egypt

30.11.8 Openings

30.11.9 An Offering To God

30.11.10 The Binding Of Abraham And Isaac

30.11.11 Jacob's Journey

30.11.12 Joseph's Dream

30.11.13 Seduction Above And Below

30.11.14 Jacob's Garment Of Days

30.12 Sefer Yetzirah

30.12.1 Text

30.12.2 Commentary

30.13 Sefer Haredim

30.14 Shiur Komah

30.15 Charles Ponce Kabbalah

30.16 Essene Book of Revelation

30.17 The Midrash of Shemhazai and Aza'el

30.18 Sefer Zerubabel

30.19 R. Çai Gaon on Redemption

RESPONSUM OF R. HAI GAON ON THE TOPIC OF REDEMPTION

This responsum was first published in R. Eliezer Ashkenazi, טעם זקנים (Frankfurt am Main: I. Kauffman, 1854), 59-61. Additional versions with some textual variation can be found in ’Oêar ha-Geonim: Tractate Sukkah (ed. B. M. Lewin; Jerusalem: [s.n.], 1934), 72-75, and Abraham ben Azriel, Sefer ‘Arugat ha-Bosem (ed. Ephraim E. Urbach; 4 vols.; Jerusalem: Mekitze Nirdamim, 1939), 1:256-63. The present translation renders the text published by Yehudah Even-Shmuel, Midreshey Ge’ullah (2d ed.; Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik, 1954), 135-41.

Regarding what you asked to have explained to you; namely, how the redemption will transpire from its start to its end, and (regarding) the resurrection of the dead, and (regarding) the renewal of the heavens, were I to expound each and every matter in all its particulars, the appointed time would expire (before I could finish), but I will indicate some general points about each matter, and so I speak (as follows):

When seven years remain of the years comprising the ‘appointed time’ (הקץ), these will be the years when redemption commences, for the Sages provided an identifying sign for them when they said: ‘the week (שבוע) when the son of David comes ....’ During that week Edom will rule over Israel for a period not less than nine months and no more than three years. This is because Israel can only take sovereignty away from Edom, as Scripture affirms: ‘Edom will have possession; Se‘ir, their enemies, will have possession, but Israel will powerfully prevail. One from Jacob will rule, and he will destroy what remains of the city’ (Num 24:18-19), after Edom has taken sovereignty away from Asshur, as Scripture states: ‘ships will come from the place of the Kittim, and they will afflict Asshur and ‘Ever, and even he will be destroyed forever’ (Num 24:24), after Asshur has taken sovereignty away from the Kenites, who are the Midianites, who are the Ishmaelites, as Scripture says: ‘however Qayin (i.e., the Kenite) will be consumed until the time when Asshur takes you captive’ (Num 24:22). Therefore when we see that Edom has attained ruling authority over the land of Israel, we can affirm that our redemption is beginning, for Scripture declares: ‘deliverers will ascend Mount Zion in order to judge the mountain of Esau, and sovereignty will belong to the Lord’ (Obad 1:21).

At that time [at God’s instigation] there shall arise from among the descendants of Joseph a man who will be called the Lord’s Messiah, and many people will assemble around him in Upper Galilee, and he will become their ruler. Other people will continue gathering themselves to him, two or three coming from this province, and four or five from that one. Regarding this time Scripture states: ‘I will take you—one from a city, and two from a family’ (Jer 3:14). However, most of Israel will remain in their places of exile, for they will not realize that the appointed time has come.

Then the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph will go up from Galilee to Jerusalem together with the people who had gathered themselves to him, and they will kill the official appointed by the ruler of Edom and the people associated with him. Regarding this time Scripture states: ‘I will enact my vengeance against Edom by the agency of my people Israel’ (Ezek 25:14). He will dwell in Jerusalem for a brief time.

When all the nations hear that a king for Israel has arisen in Jerusalem, they will rise up against them in the rest of the provinces and drive them out. They will say to them: ‘Up to now you dwelt loyally with us, since you had no ruler or prince of your own. But now that you have a ruler, you can no longer dwell in our land!’ Many Israelites will go out into the wilderness regions adjacent to their (former) homelands—regarding this time Scripture says: ‘I shall make you enter the wilderness of the peoples’ (Ezek 20:35)—and they will dwell there in tents, as Scripture says about this time: ‘I shall make you live in tents again’ (Hos 12:10). Many of them will lack food and water, and they will experience suffering based on their (previous) deeds. Scripture states about this time: ‘I will make you pass beneath the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant’ (Ezek 20:37). Many will abandon the covenant with Israel, for they will be weary of their lives (as Jews), and about them Scripture has stated: ‘I will purge from among you those who rebel and those who offend Me’ (Ezek 20:38).

It will happen that when the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph and all the people who are with him have made their dwelling in Jerusalem, Armilos will hear the news about them. He will come and prepare charms and enticements so as to lead many astray by them. He will come up and do battle against Jerusalem, and he will defeat the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph and his people. Some of them he will kill, whereas others he will take captive, and he will divide their spoil. Regarding this time Scripture states: ‘I will gather all the nations at Jerusalem to do battle’ (Zech 14:2). Even the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph will be slain, and Israel will experience great distress. Scripture reveals about this time: ‘and they shall look to Me about the one whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one would mourn an only child, and feel bitterness about him as one would feel bitterness about (the death of) a firstborn son. On that day the mourning will be great in Jerusalem’ (Zech 12:10-11).

Why will Armilos be granted the power to kill the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph? (This will occur) in order to break the heart(s) of the dissenters among Israel; i.e., those who have no faith. They will say: ‘This is the man for whom we have been waiting? He has come and been slain! No more deliverance remains for [for Israel]!’ They will abandon the covenant of Israel and cling to the Gentile nations, but these latter will kill them, for Scripture says about them: ‘all the sinners among My people will die by the sword’ (Amos 9:10). Consequently those who remain in Jerusalem will be refined and purified, and also those who went out to the wilderness areas will be tested and refined; about two parts will be left over from these and about a third will be left of those. About them Scripture testifies: ‘and it will come to pass in all the land—utterance of the Lord—that two portions in it will be cut off (and) will expire, and only a third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part into the fire, and I will refine them like one refines silver, and I will test them like one tests gold’ (Zech 13:8-9). During that time all the ‘messianic birth-pangs’ will pass over them, those things which have been expounded in numerous places from Scriptural verses and the teachings of our Sages, may their memory be blessed. Afterwards they will cry out, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will hearken to their cry, as Scripture promises: ‘and he will call upon My name, and I will answer him.’ (Zech 13:9).

At that time Elijah will appear in the desert among those who are located in the wilderness regions, and he will restore their hearts, as Scripture says: ‘he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers’ (Mal 3:24). The Messiah of the lineage of David will suddenly appear to those who are in the Land, for the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph had previously assembled the people before him, as Scripture states: ‘behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. Suddenly the Lord Whom you seek will enter His Temple’ (Mal 3:1). The Israelites who are in the wilderness regions will follow Elijah until they meet the Israelites who are with the Messiah of the lineage of David in Judaea. Scripture says about them: ‘in those days the house of Judah will come with the house of Israel, and they will come together from a northern land unto the land which I bequeathed your ancestors’ (Jer 3:18).

Most of those who were slain will lie dead in the Land for forty days, for when the Messiah of the lineage of Joseph is killed, his corpse will be cast aside for forty days. Nevertheless no impure thing will afflict it until the Messiah of the lineage of David comes and resurrects him at the command of the Lord. This will be the first of the signs which he will perform; namely, the resurrection of the dead, for he will regain life.

Then the Messiah of the lineage of David, Elijah, and the Israelites who came from the wilderness regions to Jerusalem will dwell securely (and) undisturbed for a long time. They will construct houses, plant vineyards, and enjoy prosperity in business and trade. (This situation will continue) until Gog hears news of them, as it is written: ‘I shall come up against a land of unwalled towns; I will come to those who are tranquil (and) who live unsuspectingly’ (Ezek 38:11). The land of Gog is Magog, (a territory) in the land of Edom, for Scripture has said about him: ‘[Gog of the land of Magog] is chief prince of Meshek and Tubal’ (Ezek 38:2). He will bring (with him) peoples from all of its surrounding areas and from Edom, as Scripture attests: ‘the far reaches of the north and all his flanks—numerous peoples’ (Ezek 38:6). There will moreover be augmented by masses (of people) drawn from every city and province through which they pass: (some will be) wicked and destructive men intending to mob them and annihilate them, but (also) others, some of the best of the Gentiles, ‘who plan to gather beneath the wings of the Shekinah.’ All of them will come to do battle, and they will fight against Jerusalem with the Messiah of the lineage of David and those persons with him. Scripture says about this time: ‘behold I will make Jerusalem (to be) a cup of venom’ (Zech 12:2), in addition to what is said in the passage about Gog (i.e., Ezekiel 38-39). At that time a mighty earthquake will also rock the Land of Israel.

‘The Lord will come forth and wage battle against those nations’ with four types of catastrophic blows. Some of them will perish by fire, brimstone, and catapulted boulders—these latter are the ‘hailstones’ mentioned in the Scriptural verse: ‘torrential rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone’ (Ezek 38:22). Some of them will perish by the sword being wielded by this one against that one, as Scripture states: ‘I will summon for a sword to be used against him throughout all My hills—utterance of the Lord God—each one’s sword will be against his brother’ (Ezek 38:21). There are some whose flesh will rot away limb by limb. Regarding them Scripture states: ‘this will be the plague with which the Lord will afflict all the peoples who unite together in battle against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will melt in their sockets, and their tongues will putrefy in their mouths’ (Zech 14:12), and it will happen that when one (of these) grabs the hand of his colleague in order to gain support for himself, his hand will be pulled off, as Scripture predicts: ‘each will grasp the hand of his colleague, and his hand will prevail over that of his colleague’ (Zech 14:13). Others of them will fall casualty to blindness, an injured hand or foot, or a lacerated nose or ear. These will take flight and go to distant provinces, and there they will recount what they saw with their own eyes, as Scripture says: ‘I will put a mark on them, and I will dispatch some of them as refugees to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, those who bend the bow, to Tubal and Ionia; distant coastlands that have not heard My news and have not seen My glory, and they shall recount My glory among the nations’ (Isa 66:19).

At that time all the nations of the world will take thought and say, ‘What sort of gift might we bear to this king? Are not all kinds of money, clothing, or vessels reckoned as nothing before him? Let us bear to him the descendants of his people and his congregation as a gift!’ For Scripture states: ‘they will bring all your brethren as a gift for the Lord’ (Isa 66:20). Each nation will transport them in accordance with its wealth. Some will ride on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on dromedaries, whereas others will be carried by them on their shoulders, as Scripture predicts: ‘They will bring your sons in their arms and will carry your daughters on (their) shoulder(s)’ (Isa 49:22). Some will ride on ships from Tarshish, for Scripture states: ‘ships from Tarshish will be among the first to bring your children from afar’ (Isa 60:9). Others will be in reed vessels, as Scripture says: ‘who sends emissaries by sea in reed vessels floating on the surface of the water’ (Isa 18:2), and it also says: ‘from the other side of the rivers of Cush my suppliants, O daughter of Putzay, will bear my gift’ (Zeph 3:10), and it also says: ‘O land of buzzing wings, which lies beyond the rivers of Cush’ (Isa 18:1). No wooden ships are able to travel there due to the rocks and shoals which lie concealed in the water. As for the remainder of Israel—those found in wilderness regions where there are no Gentiles to bring them—our God will lift them up as if by winds, for Scripture states: ‘I will say to the north, "Give!" and to the south, "Do not hold back!"’ (Isa 43:6), and they will likewise be borne upon clouds and fog, as Scripture states: ‘Who are these floating like a cloud?’ (Isa 60:8). At the approach of these exiles, the sea of Egypt will be divided for them at one spot, and the Euphrates river will be split at seven places. With regard to this time Scripture states: ‘I will open rivers on the heights and fountains in the midst of plains; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the arid land a place where water gushes forth. I will place cedar, acacia, myrtle, and oil tree in the wilderness, and I will set out together in the barren plain cypress, elm, and box-tree’ (Isa 41:18-19)—these latter will serve as shade for them. No single Israelite will be left alive in any (foreign) place when they come to Jerusalem, for Scripture says: ‘I will not leave a single one of them there’ (Ezek 39:28).

And after all who are alive have been gathered together (in Israel) and no Israelites remain (in the Diaspora) save for those who have died, a loud blast will be blown on the shofar, the earth will shake, and the Israelite dead will resurrect, as Scripture says: ‘on that day a loud blast will be blown on the shofar’ (Isa 27:13). They say that Zerubbabel will be the one who blows this shofar. Why will there be a massive earthquake? This is to effect the release of the bones which have been crushed into powder and then incorporated into buildings and baked into bricks and upon which debris has collapsed, so that each bone can draw near to one another just as it is described in the Scriptural portion about the valley (i.e., the ‘valley of dry bones,’ or Ezek 37:1-14). The Holy One, blessed be He, will stretch tendons among them, encase them in flesh, and cover them with skin, but they will be lacking an animating breath. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a vivifying dew fall from heaven, a dew which contains within it a light which revives life, as Scripture says: ‘Your dead will revivify; they will raise my corpse. Awake and shout, O dwellers in dust, for your dew will be one containing light’ (Isa 26:19). They will realize that they were formerly alive, then dead, and now revivified, for Scripture says: ‘You will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and conduct you out of your tombs, O My people!’ (Ezek 37:13). Everyone who had some sort of physical defect will initially arise with that defect: if one was elderly (at the moment of death), one will return in this elderly state and weakened condition. (This will be done) so that they (i.e., skeptics) might not say: ‘these are really different creatures (and not the resurrected dead)!’ Afterwards the Holy One, blessed be He, will heal them, as Scripture states: ‘then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be cleared; the crippled one will leap like a gazelle, and the mute tongue will shout’ (Isa 35:5-6), and Scripture also says: ‘your youth will be renewed like the eagle’s’ (Ps 103:5). [And from whence do we learn that the resurrection of the dead takes place during the time of the Messiah? Scripture says: ‘we shall raise for him] seven shepherds and eight human princes’ (Mic 5:4). [Our Sages of blessed memory say that the seven shepherds] are Adam, Seth, Methuselah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David; and the ‘eight human princes’ (nesikey adam) are Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Hezekiah, Elijah, and the Messiah. Who will be resurrected? All those in Israel who were completely righteous and those who even though they committed sin made repentance (will be resurrected), but those whose iniquities are more numerous than their merits and did not make repentance will not arise during the time of the Messiah, for Scripture states: ‘many of those who repose in the ground will awaken: some of them to life eternal, but others of them to derision (and) to eternal abhorrence’ (Dan 12:2). This is why our Sages have taught: ‘if someone is ill and approaching death, they say to him: “Make confession!” Such is the way with all those who are about to die—they make confession. And if they do not know how to make confession, they tell them: “Say—I have sinned, I have erred, and I have transgressed! May my death serve as atonement for my wickedness!”’ This insures that all Israel will merit resurrection from the dead. Furthermore, the dead whom the Holy One, blessed be He, will resurrect will not return to dust, for Scripture states: ‘these to eternal life’ (Dan 12:2), and it also says: ‘all who are inscribed for life in Jerusalem will be called holy’ (Isa 4:3). Israel will marvel and ask: ‘From where have all these suddenly come?’ This accords with Scripture: ‘She (Zion) will say to herself: “Who engendered these with me?”’ (Isa 49:21). Even the gentile nations will be amazed, as Scripture says: ‘Who has ever heard of anything like this? Who has ever seen anything like these things?’ (Isa 66:8).

After the dead and the living have been assembled together, the form and feature(s) of the Temple will be revealed to us on its site: it will correspond with the vision which the priest (and) prophet Ezekiel the son of Buzi (upon him be peace!) saw. There are some who say that it will descend to its site from heaven, as Scripture says: ‘Jerusalem already constructed like the city joined together with it’ (Ps 122:3).

Then all the children of Israel will become prophets, for Scripture states: ‘it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy’ (Joel 3:1). The same will happen to the male and female servants of Israel, as Scripture says: ‘in those days I will pour out My spirit even upon slaves and maidservants’ (Joel 3:2).

Those gentile nations who remain [alive] will become proselytes, as Scripture says: ‘for then I will restore a pure speech to the nations so that all of them might invoke the name of the Lord’ (Zeph 3:9), ‘and they will say: “Come, let us ascend the mount of the Lord to the Temple of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways so that we might walk in His paths. For Torah issues forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord (comes) from Jerusalem!”’ (Isa 2:3). And when they arrive in the presence of the King Messiah, he will command that they cease engaging in violence and wars, for Scripture says: ‘they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; one nation will no longer lift a sword against another, and no more will they learn the art of warfare’ (Isa 2:4).

Then He will resettle Sodom and Gomorrah in their cities and the whole of the plain so that the Land of Israel will no longer be blemished by the devastation (which took place) within it, as it is written: ‘and your sisters—Sodom and her suburbs—will return to their former condition’ (Ezek 16:55). All dangerous wild animals will cease to exist in the Land, as Scripture states: ‘the wolf will live with the lamb, and the panther will repose with the goat-kid; the calf, the lion, and the fatling will be together, with a small child leading them. The cow and the bear will graze: their offspring will lie down together, and the lion will feed on straw like an ox. An infant will play over the hole of a serpent; a small child will stretch his hand over the lair of a snake. Nothing terrible or destructive will happen on the whole of My holy mountain, for the Land will be filled with knowledge of the Lord just like water covers the sea’ (Isa 11:6-9).

The people whom the King Messiah found still alive will live long lives and then die, as Scripture states: ‘they will not build and another live (there), nor will they plant and another consume (the fruits), for the days of My people will be as long as the days of a tree’ (Isa 65:22). No one will die in the prime of life or as a child, for Scripture says: ‘no longer will there be an infant or an elder who does not live out their full lifespan. A young boy will be one who dies at one hundred years of age, while the one who fails to attain one hundred years will be thought accursed’ (Isa 65:20). It is doubtful that such a one would die; rather, this will be the way it is at the time of redemption. Whoever dies at the age of one hundred then will be comparable to one who dies at the age of twenty now, and should one who is one hundred years old wrong someone so that the latter curses him, they would not tolerate it, for he would not deserve toleration in their estimation, since he would be equivalent to our youth of about twenty years of age. There are some who say that death will be uprooted from the world, for Scripture says: ‘He will eradicate death forever’ (Isa 25:8). Others say that they will be dead for only three days and then they will revivify, and about them Scripture says: ‘He will invigorate us for two days, and on the third day He will raise us up, and we will live before Him’ (Hos 6:2). The dead ones who resurrect during the time of the Messiah will live eternally in the World to Come thanks to the merit of those who were completely righteous.

In those times when the Temple and Jerusalem are revealed, the Shekinah will descend from heaven and stand erect like a column of fire extending from the ground to the sky, as Scripture foretells: ‘and the Lord will create upon all the locality of Mount Zion and its place of assembly a (canopy of) cloud and smoke by day, and a bright flame of fire by night’ (Isa 4:5). All who seek to come to Jerusalem will see that column of fire on its eastern edge and will be guided by its light until they arrive in Jerusalem, as Scripture states: ‘the nations will come to your light’ (Isa 60:3). That light consequently will be brighter than the light of the sun or moon, for it will darken them, as Scripture says: ‘the moon will darken and the sun will blush, for the Lord of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem’ (Isa 24:23).

At that time they will notice that the heavens and earth will look as if they have been remade, as if the heavens and earth existing at the time when Israel was subjugated departed and were replaced, and a new set of heavens and earth put in their place. For Scripture says: ‘behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth’ (Isa 65:17). Moreover, both Jerusalem and Israel will notice that they themselves have become as new, as if the Jerusalem and Israel existing at the time of their subjugation have passed away and been replaced, and others put in their place marked by joy and celebration, as Scripture notes: ‘for behold, I am creating Jerusalem (as a place for) rejoicing, and her people (as a cause for) delight’ (Isa 65:18).

They will dwell in their kingdom until the end of the world. There are some who say that this will be at the completion of seven thousand years counting from the era of Creation. Others say that many thousands (of years) beyond reckoning will transpire, and that eventually the heavens and earth will perish, as Scripture states: ‘for the heavens will dissipate like smoke, and the earth wear out like a cloth garment’ (Isa 51:6). The dead who resurrected and witnessed the redemption will depart bodily for the World to Come, as Scripture says: ‘My redemption is eternal, and my victory will not break apart’ (Isa 51:6). At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will create another set of heavens and earth different from those (which deteriorated), and the righteous will make their dwelling among them for all eternity, as Scripture envisions: ‘for just as the new heavens and the new earth which I made endure before Me, so will your offspring and your name endure!’ (Isa 66:22).

30.20 R. Yakov Emden

30.21 The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

THE TESTAMENTS OF THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS

From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament by R. H. Charles, vol. II, Oxford Press

THE TESTAMENT OF REUBEN, THE FIRST-BORN SON OF JACOB AND LEAH

1 1 The copy of the Testament of Reuben, even the commands which he gave his sons before he 2 died in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. Two years after the death of Joseph his 3 brother, when Reuben fell ill, his sons and his sons' sons were gathered together to visit him. And 4 he said to them: My children, behold I am dying, and go the way of my fathers. And seeing there Judah, and Gad, and Asher, his brethren, he said to them: Raise me up, that I may tell to my brethren and to my children what things I have hidden in my heart, for behold now at length 5 I am passing away. And he arose and kissed them, and said unto them: Hear, my brethren, and 6 do ye, my children, give ear to Reuben your father in the commands which I give unto you. And behold I call to witness against you this day the God of heaven, that ye walk not in the sins of 7 youth and fornication, wherein I was poured out, and defiled the bed of my father Jacob. And I tell you that he smote me with a sore plague in my loins for seven months; and had not my father 8 Jacob prayed for me to the Lord, the Lord would have destroyed me. For I was thirty years old 9 when I wrought the evil thing before the Lord, and for seven months I was sick unto death. And 10 after this I repented with set purpose of my soul for seven years before the Lord. And wine and strong drink I drank not, and flesh entered not into my mouth, and I eat no pleasant food; but I mourned over my sin, for it was great, such as had not been in Israel.

2 1 And now hear me, my children, what things I saw concerning the seven spirits of deceit, when 2 I repented. Seven spirits therefore are appointed against man, and they are the leaders in the works 3 of youth. [And seven other spirits are given to him at his creation, that through them should be 4 done every work of man. The first is the spirit of life, with which the constitution (of man) is 5 created. The second is the sense of sight, with which ariseth desire. The third is the sense of hearing, with which cometh teaching. The fourth is the sense of smell, with which tastes are given 6, 7 to draw air and breath. The fifth is the power of speech, with which cometh knowledge. The sixth is the sense of taste, with which cometh the eating of meats and drinks; and by it strength is 8 produced, for in food is the foundation of strength. The seventh is the power of procreation and 9 sexual intercourse, with which through love of pleasure sins enter in. Wherefore it is the last in order of creation, and the first in that of youth, because it is filled with ignorance, and leadeth the youth as a blind man to a pit, and as a beast to a precipice.

3 1 Besides all these there is an eighth spirit of sleep, with which is brought about the trance of 2 3 nature and the image of death. With these spirits are mingled the spirits of error.] First, the spirit of fornication is seated in the nature and in the senses; the second, the spirit of insatiableness, 4 in the belly; the third, the spirit of fighting, in the liver and gall. The fourth is the spirit of 5 obsequiousness and chicanery, that through officious attention one may be fair in seeming. The fifth is the spirit of pride, that one may be boastful and arrogant. The sixth is the spirit of lying, 6 in perdition and jealousy to practise deceits, and concealments from kindred and friends. The seventh is the spirit of injustice, with which are thefts and acts of rapacity, that a man may fulfill the desire of his heart; for injustice worketh together with the other spirits by the taking of gifts. 7, 8 And with all these the spirit of sleep is joined which is (that) of error and fantasy.] And so perisheth every young man, darkening his mind from the truth, and not understanding the law of 9 God, nor obeying the admonitions of his fathers as befell me also in my youth. And now, my children, love the truth, and it will preserve you: hear ye the words of Reuben your father. 10 Pay no heed to the face of a woman, Nor associate with another man's wife, Nor meddle with affairs of womankind. 11 For had I not seen Bilhah bathing in a covered place, I had not fallen into this great iniquity. 12 For my mind taking in the thought of the woman's nakedness, suffered me not to sleep until I had 13 wrought the abominable thing. For while Jacob our father had gone to Isaac his father, when we were in Eder, near to Ephrath in Bethlehem, Bilhah became drunk and was asleep uncovered in her 14 chamber. Having therefore gone in and beheld nakedness, I wrought the impiety without her 15 perceiving it, and leaving her sleeping I departed. And forthwith an angel of God revealed to my father concerning my impiety, and he came and mourned over me, and touched her no more.

4 1 Pay no heed, therefore, my children, to the beauty of women, nor set your mind on their affairs; but walk in singleness of heart in the fear of the Lord, and expend labour on good works, and on study and on your flocks, until the Lord give you a wife, whom He will, that ye suffer not as I did. 2 For until my father's death I had not boldness to look in his face, or to speak to any of my brethren, 3 because of the reproach. Even until now my conscience causeth me anguish on account of my 4 impiety. And yet my father comforted me much and prayed for me unto the Lord, that the anger of the Lord might pass from me, even as the Lord showed. And thenceforth until now I have 5 been on my guard and sinned not. Therefore, my children, I say unto you, observe all things 6 whatsoever I command you, and ye shall not sin. For a pit unto the soul is the sin of fornication, separating it from God, and bringing it near to idols, because it deceiveth the mind and understanding, 7 and leadeth young men into hades before their time. For many hath fornication destroyed; because, though a man be old or noble, or rich or poor, he bringeth reproach upon 8 himself with the sons of men and derision with Beliar. For ye heard regarding Joseph how he guarded himself from a woman, and purged his thoughts from all fornication, and found favour in 9 the sight of God and men. For the Egyptian woman did many things unto him, and summoned 10 magicians, and offered him love potions, but the purpose of his soul admitted no evil desire. Therefore 11 the God of your fathers delivered him from every evil (and) hidden death. For if fornication overcomes not your mind, neither can Beliar overcome you.

5 1 For evil are women, my children; and since they have no power or strength over man, they use 2 wiles by outward attractions, that they may draw him to themselves. And whom they cannot 3 bewitch by outward attractions, him they overcome by craft. For moreover, concerning them, the angel of the Lord told me, and taught me, that women are overcome by the spirit of fornication more than men, and in their heart they plot against men; and by means of their adornment they deceive first their minds, and by the glance of the eye instill the poison, and then through the accomplished 4 act they take them captive. For a woman cannot force a man openly, but by a harlot's 5 bearing she beguiles him. Flee, therefore, fornication, my children, and command your wives and your daughters, that they adorn not their heads and faces to deceive the mind: because every woman 6 who useth these wiles hath been reserved for eternal punishment. For thus they allured the Watchers who were before the flood; for as these continually beheld them, they lusted after them, and they conceived the act in their mind; for they changed themselves into the shape of men, and 7 appeared to them when they were with their husbands. And the women lusting in their minds after their forms, gave birth to giants, for the Watchers appeared to them as reaching even unto heaven.

6 1 Beware, therefore, of fornication; and if you wish to be pure in mind, guard your senses from every 2 woman. And command the women likewise not to associate with men, that they also may be pure 3 in mind. For constant meetings, even though the ungodly deed be not wrought, are to them an 4 irremediable disease, and to us a destruction of Beliar and an eternal reproach. For in fornication 5 there is neither understanding nor godliness, and all jealousy dwelleth in the lust thereof. Therefore, then I say unto you, ye will be jealous against the sons of Levi, and will seek to be exalted 6 over them; but ye shall not be able. For God will avenge them, and ye shall die by an evil death. 7 For to Levi God gave the sovereignty [and to Judah with him and to me also, and to Dan and 8 Joseph, that we should be for rulers]. Therefore I command you to hearken to Levi, because he shall know the law of the Lord, and shall give ordinances for judgement and shall sacrifice for all Israel until the consummation of the times, as the anointed High Priest, of whom the Lord spake, 9 I adjure you by the God of heaven to do truth each one unto his neighbour and to entertain love 10 each one for his brother. And draw ye near to Levi in humbleness of heart, that ye may receive 11 a blessing from his mouth. For he shall bless Israel and Judah, because him hath the Lord chosen to 12 be king over all the nation. And bow down before his seed, for on our behalf it will die in wars visible and invisible, and will be among you an eternal king.

7 1, 2 And Reuben died, having given these commands to his sons. And they placed him in a coffin until they carried him up from Egypt, and buried him in Hebron in the cave where his father was.

THE TESTAMENT OF SIMEON, THE SECOND OF JACOB AND LEAH.

1 1 The copy of the words of Simeon, the things which he spake to his sons before he died, in the 2 hundred and twentieth year of his life, at which time Joseph, his brother, died. For when Simeon was sick , his sons came to visit him, and he strengthened himself and sat up and kissed them, and said:--

2 1 Hearken, my children, to Simeon your father, And I will declare unto you what things I have in my heart. 2 I was born of Jacob as my father's second son; And my mother Leah called me Simeon, Because the Lord had heard her prayer. 3 Moreover, I became strong exceedingly; I shrank from no achievement, Nor was I afraid of ought. 4 For my heart was hard, And my liver was immovable, And my bowels without compassion. 5, 6 Because valour also has been given from the Most High to men in soul and body. For in the time of my youth I was jealous in many things of Joseph, because my father loved him beyond 7 all. And I set my mind against him to destroy him, because the prince of deceit sent forth the spirit of jealousy and blinded my mind, so that I regarded him not as a brother, nor did I spare even 8 Jacob my father. But his God and the God of his fathers sent forth His angel, and delivered him 9 out of my hands. For when I went to Shechem to bring ointment for the flocks, and Reuben to Dothan, where were our necessaries and all our stores, Judah my brother sold him to the Ishmaelites. 10 And when Reuben heard these things he was grieved, for he wished to restore him to his father. 11 But on hearing this I was exceedingly wroth against Judah in that he let him go away alive, and 12 for five months I continued wrathful against him. But the Lord restrained me, and withheld from 13 me the power of my hands; for my right hand was half withered for seven days. And I knew, my children, that because of Joseph this had befallen me, and I repented and wept; and I besought the Lord God that my hand might be restored, and that I might hold aloof from all pollution and envy 14 and from all folly. For I knew that I had devised an evil thing before the Lord and Jacob my father, on account of Joseph my brother, in that I envied him.

3 1 2 And now, my children, hearken unto me and beware of the spirit of deceit and envy. For envy ruleth over the whole mind of a man, and suffereth him neither to eat nor to drink, nor to do any 3 good thing. But it ever suggesteth (to him) to destroy him that he envieth; and so long as he that 4 is envied flourisheth, he that envieth fadeth away. Two years therefore I afflicted my soul with fasting in the fear of the Lord, and I learnt that deliverance from envy cometh by the fear of God. 5 For if a man flee to the Lord, the evil spirit runneth away from him, and his mind is lightened. 6 And henceforward he sympathiseth with him whom he envied and forgiveth those who are hostile to him, and so ceaseth from his envy.

4 1 And my father asked Concerning me, because he saw that I was sad; and I said unto him, I am 2 pained in my liver. For I mourned more than they all, because I was guilty of the selling of Joseph. 3 And when we went down into Egypt, and he bound me as a spy, I knew that I was suffering justly, 4 and I grieved not. Now Joseph was a good man, and had the Spirit of God within him: being compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but loved me even as the rest of his 5 brethren. Beware, therefore, my children, of all jealousy and envy, and walk in singleness of soul and with good heart, keeping in mind Joseph your father's brother, that God may give you also grace and glory, and blessing upon your heads, even as ye saw in 6 Joseph's case. All his days he reproached us not concerning this thing, but loved us as his own 7 soul, and beyond his own sons glorified us, and gave us riches, and cattle and fruits. Do ye also, my children, love each one his brother with a good heart and the spirit of envy will withdraw from 8 you. For this maketh savage the soul and destroyeth the body; it causeth anger and war in the mind, and stirreth up unto deeds of blood, and leadeth the mind into frenzy, and suffereth not prudence to act in men; moreover, it taketh away sleep, [and causeth tumult to the soul and trembling to the body]. 9 For even in sleep some malicious jealousy, deluding him, gnaweth and with wicked spirits disturbeth his soul, and causeth the body to be troubled, and waketh the mind from sleep in confusion; and as a wicked and poisonous spirit, so appeareth it to men.

5 1 Therefore was Joseph comely in appearance and goodly to look upon, because no wickedness 2 dwelt in him; for some of the trouble of the spirit the face manifesteth. And now, my children, Make your hearts good before the Lord, And your ways straight before men. And ye shall find grace before the Lord and men. 3 Beware, therefore, of fornication, For fornication is mother of all evils, Separating from God, and bringing near to Beliar. 4 For I have seen it inscribed in the writing of Enoch that your sons shall be corrupted in fornication, 5 and shall do harm to the sons of Levi with the sword. But they shall not be able to withstand Levi; 6 for he shall wage the war of the Lord, and shall conquer all your hosts. And they shall be few in number, divided in Levi and Judah, and there shall be none of you for sovereignty, even as also our father prophesied in his blessings.

6 1, 2 Behold I have told you all things, that I may be acquitted of your sin. Now, if ye remove from you your envy and all stiff-neckedness, As a rose shall my bones flourish in Israel, And as a lily my flesh in Jacob, And my odour shall be as the odour of Libanus; And as cedars shall holy ones be multiplied from me forever, And their branches shall stretch afar off. 3 Then shall perish the seed of Canaan, And a remnant shall not be unto Amalek, And all the Cappadocians shall perish, And all the Hittites shall be utterly destroyed. 4 Then shall fail the land of Ham, And all the people shall perish. Then shall all the earth rest from trouble, And all the world under heaven from war. 5 Then the Mighty One of Israel shall glorify Shem, For the Lord God shall appear on earth, And Himself save men. 6 Then shall all the spirits of deceit be given to be trodden under foot, And men shall rule over wicked spirits. 7 Then shall I arise in joy, And will bless the Most High because of his marvellous works, [Because God hath taken a body and eaten with men and saved men].

7 1 And now, my children, obey Levi and Judah, and be not lifted up against these two tribes, for 2 from them shall arise unto you the salvation of God. For the Lord shall raise up from Levi as it were a High-priest, and from Judah as it were a King [God and man], He shall save all [the Gentiles 3 and] the race of Israel. Therefore I give you these commands that ye also may command your children that they may observe them throughout their generations.

8 1 And when Simeon had made an end of commanding his sons, he slept with his fathers, being an 2 hundred and twenty years old. And they laid him in a wooden coffin, to take up his bones to 3 Hebron. And they took them up secretly during a war of the Egyptians. For the bones of Joseph 4 the Egyptians guarded in the tombs of the kings. For the sorcerers told them; that on the departure of the bones of Joseph there should be throughout all the land darkness and gloom, and an exceeding great plague to the Egyptians, so that even with a lamp a man should not recognize his brother.

9 1, 2 And the sons of Simeon bewailed their father. And they were in Egypt until the day of their departure by the hand of Moses.

THE TESTAMENT OF LEVI, THE THIRD SON OF JACOB AND LEAH

1 1 The copy of the words of Levi, the things which he ordained unto his sons, according to all that 2 they should do, and what things should befall them until the day of judgement. He was sound in health when he called them to him; for it had been revealed to him that he should die. And when they were gathered together he said to them:

2 1, 2 I, Levi, was born in Haran, and I came with my father to Shechem. And I was young, about

3 twenty years of age, when, with Simeon, I wrought vengeance on Hamor for our sister Dinah. And when I was feeding the flocks in Abel-Maul, the spirit of understanding of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all men corrupting their way, and that unrighteousness had built for itself walls, and lawlessness 4 sat upon towers. And I was grieving for the race of the sons of men, and I prayed to the 5 Lord that I might be saved. Then there fell upon me a sleep, and I beheld a high mountain, and 6 I was upon it. And behold the heavens were opened and an angel of God said to me, Levi enter 7 And I entered from the first heaven, and I saw there a great sea hanging. 8 And further I saw a second heaven far brighter and more brilliant, for there was a boundless light also therein. 9 And I said to the angel, Why Is this so? And the angel said to me, Marvel not at this, for thou shalt see another heaven more brilliant and incomparable. 10 And when thou hast ascended thither, Thou shalt stand near the Lord, And shalt be His minister, And shalt declare His mysteries to men, And shall proclaim concerning Him that shall redeem Israel. 11 And by thee and Judah shall the Lord appear among men Saving every race of men. 12 And from the Lord's portion shall be thy life, And He shall be thy field and vineyard, And fruits, gold, and silver.

3 l Hear, therefore, regarding the heavens which have been shown to thee. The lowest is for this cause gloomy unto thee, in that it beholds all the unrighteous deeds of men. 2 And it has fire, snow, and ice made ready for the day of judgement, in the righteous judgement of God; for in it are all the spirits of the retributions for vengeance on men. 3 And in the second are the hosts of the armies which are ordained for the day of judgement, to work vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And above them are the holy ones. 4 And in the highest of all dwelleth the Great Glory, far above all holiness. 5 In [the heaven next to] it are the archangels, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for all the sins of ignorance of the righteous; Offering to the Lord a sweet- smelling savour, a reasonable and a bloodless offering. 7 And [in the heaven below this] are the angels who bear answers to the angels of the presence of the Lord. 8 And in the heaven next to this are thrones and dominions, in which always they offer praise to God. 9 When, therefore, the Lord looketh upon us, all of us are shaken; yea, the heavens, and the earth, and the abysses are shaken at the presence of His majesty. 10 But the sons of men, having no perception of these things sin and provoke the Most High.

4 1 Now, therefore, know that the Lord shall execute judgment upon the sons of men. Because when the rocks are being rent, And the sun quenched, And the waters dried up, And the fire cowering, And all creation troubled, And the invisible spirits melting away; And Hades taketh spoils through the visitations of the Most High, Men will be unbelieving and persist in their iniquity. On this account with punishment shall they be judged. 2 Therefore the Most High hath heard thy prayer, To separate thee from iniquity, and that thou shouldst become to Him a son, And a servant, and a minister of His presence. 3 The light of knowledge shalt thou light up in Jacob, And as the sun shalt thou be to all the seed of Israel. 4 And there shall be given to thee a blessing, and to all thy seed, Until the Lord shall visit all the Gentiles in His tender mercies for ever. 5 And therefore there have been given to thee counsel and understanding, That thou mightst instruct thy sons concerning this; 6 Because they that bless Him shall be blessed, And they that curse Him shall perish.

5 1 And thereupon the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I saw the holy temple, and upon 2 a throne of glory the Most High. And He said to me: Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the 3 priesthood until I come and sojourn in the midst of Israel. Then the angel brought me down to the earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, and said to me: Execute vengeance on Shechem because 4 of Dinah, thy sister, and I will be with thee because the Lord hath sent me. And I destroyed at 5 that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly tables. And I said to him: I pray 6 thee, O Lord, tell me Thy name, that I may call upon Thee in a day of tribulation. And he said: I am the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel that they may not be smitten utterly, 7 for every evil spirit attacketh it. And after these things I awaked, and blessed the Most High, and the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel and for all the righteous.

6 1 And when I was going to my father, I found a brazen shield; wherefore also the name of the 2 mountain is Aspis, which is near Gebal, to the south of Abila And I kept these words in my 3 heart. And after this I counselled my father, and Reuben my brother, to bid the sons of Hamor not to be circumcised; for I was zealous because of the abomination which they had wrought on 4, 5 my sister. And I slew Shechem first, and Simeon slew Hamor. And after this my brothers 6 came and smote that city with the edge of the sword. And my father heard these things and was wroth, and he was grieved in that they had received the circumcision, and after that had been 7 put to death, and in his blessings he looked amiss upon us. For we sinned because we had done 8 this thing against his will, and he was sick on that day. But I saw that the sentence of God was for evil upon Shechem; for they sought to do to Sarah and Rebecca as they had done to Dinah our 9 sister, but the Lord prevented them. And they persecuted Abraham our father when he was a stranger, and they vexed his flocks when they were big with young; and Eblaen, who was born in his 10 house, they most shamefully handled. And thus they did to all strangers, taking away their 11 wives by force, and they banished them. But the wrath of the Lord came upon them to the uttermost.

7 1 And I said to my father Jacob: By thee will the Lord despoil the Canaanites, and will give 2 their land to thee and to thy seed after thee. For from this day forward shall Shechem be 3 called a city of imbeciles; for as a man mocketh a fool, so did we mock them. Because also 4 they had wrought folly in Israel by defiling my sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.

8 1, 2 And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had spent there seventy days. And I saw seven men in white raiment saying unto me: Arise, put on the robe of the priesthood, and the crown of righteousness, and the breastplate of understanding, and the garment of truth, and the plate of faith, and the 3 turban of the head, and the ephod of prophecy. And they severally carried (these things) and put (them,) on me, and said unto me: From henceforth become a priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed for 4, 5 ever. And the first anointed me with holy oil, and gave to me the staff of judgment. The second washed me with pure water, and fed me with bread and wine (even) the most holy things, and clad 6, 7 me with a holy and glorious robe. The third clothed me with a linen vestment like an ephod. The 8, 9 fourth put round me a girdle like unto purple. The fifth gave me a branch of rich olive. The sixth 10 placed a crown on my head. The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and filled my 11 hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God. And they said to me: Levi, thy 12 seed shall be divided into three offices, for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come. And the 13 first portion shall be great; yea, greater than it shall none be. The second shall be in the priesthood. 14 And the third shall be called by a new name, because a king shall arise in Judah, and shall 15 establish a new priesthood, after the fashion of the Gentiles [to all the Gentiles]. And His presence is beloved, as a prophet of the Most High, of the seed of Abraham our father. 16 Therefore, every desirable thing in Israel shall be for thee and for thy seed, And ye shall eat everything fair to look upon, And the table of the Lord shall thy seed apportion. 17 And some of them shall be high priests, and judges, and scribes; For by their mouth shall the holy place be guarded. 18, 19 And when I awoke, I understood that this (dream) was like the first dream. And I hid this also in my heart, and told it not to any man upon the earth.

9 1, 2 And after two days I and Judah went up with our father Jacob to Isaac our father's father. And my father's father blessed me according to all the words of the visions which I had seen. And 3 he would not come with us to Bethel. And when we came to Bethel, my father saw a vision 4 concerning me, that I should be their priest unto God. And he rose up early in the morning, 5 and paid tithes of all to the Lord through me. And so we came to Hebron to dwell there. 6 And Isaac called me continually to put me in remembrance of the law of the Lord, even as the 7 angel of the Lord showed unto me. And he taught me the law of the priesthood, of sacrifices, 8 whole burnt-offerings, first-fruits, freewill-offerings, peace-offerings. And each day he was instructing me, and was busied on my behalf before the Lord, and said to me: Beware of the spirit of 10 fornication; for this shall continue and shall by thy seed pollute the holy place. Take, therefore, to thyself a wife without blemish or pollution, w bile yet thou art young, and not of the race of 11 strange nations. And before entering into the holy place, bathe; and when thou offerest the 12 sacrifices wash; and again, when thou finishest the sacrifice, wash Of twelve trees having leaves 13, offer to the Lord, as Abraham taught me also. And of every clean beast and bird offer a 14 sacrifice to the Lord. And of all thy first -fruits and of wine offer the first, as a sacrifice to the Lord God; and every sacrifice thou shalt salt with salt.

10 1 Now, therefore, observe whatsoever I command you, children: for whatsoever things I have 2 heard from my fathers I have declared unto you. And behold I am clear from your ungodliness and transgression, which ye shall commit in the end of the ages [against the Saviour of the world, Christ, acting godlessly], deceiving Israel, and stirring up against it great evils from the 3 Lord. And ye shall deal lawlessly together with Israel, so He shall not bear with Jerusalem because of your wickedness; but the veil of the temple shall be rent, so as not to cover your 4 shame. And ye shall be scattered as captives among the Gentiles, and shall be for a reproach 5 and for a curse there. For the house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem, as is contained in the book of Enoch the righteous.

11 1,2 Therefore when I took a wife I was twenty-eight years old, and her name was Melcha. And she conceived and bare a son, and I called his name Gersam, for we were sojourners in our land 3, 4 And I saw concerning him, that he would not be in the first rank, And Kohath was born in the 5 thirty-fifth year of my life, towards sunrise. And I saw in a vision that he was standing on high 6 in the midst of all the congregation, Therefore I called his name Kohath [which is, beginning of 7 majesty and instruction]. And she bare me a third son, in the fortieth year of my life; and since his mother bare him with difficulty, I called him Merari, that is, 'my bitterness,' because he also was 8 like to die. And Jochebed was born in Egypt, in my sixty-fourth year, for I was renowned then in the midst of my brethren.

12 1, 2 And Gersam took a wife, and she bare to him Lomni and Semei. And the sons of Kohath, 3, 4 Ambram, Issachar, Hebron, and Ozeel. And the sons of Merari, Mooli, and Mouses. And in the ninety-fourth year Ambram took Jochebed my daughter to him to wife, for they were born in one 5 day, he and my daughter. Eight years old was I when I went into the land of Canaan, and eighteen years when I slew Shechem, and at nineteen years I became priest, and at twenty-eight years I took 6 a wife, and at forty-eight I went into Egypt. And behold, my children, ye are a third generation. 7 In my hundred and eighteenth year Joseph died.

13 1 And now, my children, I command you: Fear the Lord your God with your whole heart, And walk in simplicity according to all His law. 2 And do ye also teach your children letters, That they may have understanding all their life, Reading unceasingly the law of God. 3 For every one that knoweth the law of the Lord shall be honoured, And shall not be a stranger whithersoever he goeth. 4 Yea, many friends shall he gain more than his parents, And many men shall desire to serve him, And to hear the law from his mouth. 5 Work righteousness, therefore, my children, upon the earth, That ye may have (it) as a treasure in heaven. 6 And sow good things in your souls, That ye may find them in your life. But if ye sow evil things, Ye shall reap every trouble and affliction. 7 Get wisdom in the fear of God with diligence; For though there be a leading into captivity, And cities and lands be destroyed, And gold and silver and every possession perish, The wisdom of the wise nought can take away, Save the blindness of ungodliness, and the callousness (that comes) of sin. 8 For if one keep oneself from these evil things, Then even among his enemies shall wisdom be a glory to him, And in a strange country a fatherland, And in the midst of foes shall prove a friend. 9 Whosoever teaches noble things and does them, Shall be enthroned with kings, As was also Joseph my brother.

14 1 Therefore, my children, I have learnt that at the end of the ages ye will transgress against the Lord, stretching out hands to wickedness [against Him]; and to all the Gentiles shall ye become a scorn. 2 For our father Israel is pure from the transgressions of the chief priests [who shall lay their hands upon the Saviour of the world]. 3 For as the heaven is purer in the Lord's sight than the earth, so also be ye, the lights of Israel, (purer) than all the Gentiles. 4 But if ye be darkened through transgressions, what, therefore, will all the Gentiles do living in blindness? Yea, ye shall bring a curse upon our race, because the light of the law which was given for to lighten every man this ye desire to destroy by teaching commandments contrary to the ordinances of God. 5 The offerings of the Lord ye shall rob, and from His portion shall ye steal choice portions, 6 eating (them) contemptuously with harlots. And out of covetousness ye shall teach the commandments of the Lord, wedded women shall ye pollute, and the virgins of Jerusalem shall ye defile: and with harlots and adulteresses shall ye be joined, and the daughters of the Gentiles shall ye take to wife, purifying them with an unlawful purification; and your union shall be like unto Sodom and 7 Gomorrah. And ye shall be puffed up because of your priesthood, lifting yourselves up against 8 men, and not only so, but also against the commands of God. For ye shall contemn the holy things with jests and laughter.

15 1 Therefore the temple, which the Lord shall choose, shall be laid waste through your uncleanness, 2 and ye shall be captives throughout all nations. And ye shall be an abomination unto them, and ye 3 shall receive reproach and everlasting shame from the righteous judgement of God. And all who hate 4 you shall rejoice at your destruction. And if you were not to receive mercy through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers, not one of our seed should be left upon the earth.

16 1 And now I have learnt that for seventy weeks ye shall go astray, and profane the priesthood, and 2 pollute the sacrifices. And ye shall make void the law, and set at nought the words of the prophets by evil perverseness. And ye shall persecute righteous men, and hate the godly the words of the 3 faithful shall ye abhor. [And a man who reneweth the law in the power of the Most High, ye shall call a deceiver; and at last ye shall rush (upon him) to slay him, not knowing his dignity, taking 4 innocent blood through wickedness upon your heads.] And your holy places shall be laid waste 5 even to the ground because of him. And ye shall have no place that is clean; but ye shall be among the Gentiles a curse and a dispersion until He shall again visit you and in pity shall receive you [through faith and water].

17 1 And whereas ye have heard concerning the seventy weeks, hear also concerning the priesthood. 2 For in each jubilee there shall be a priesthood. And in the first jubilee, the first who is anointed to the priesthood shall be great, and shall speak to God as to a father. And his priesthood shall be perfect with the Lord, [and in the day of his gladness shall he arise for the salvation of the world]. 3 In the second jubilee, he that is anointed shall be conceived in the sorrow of beloved ones; and his 4 priesthood shall be honoured and shall be glorified by all. And the third priest shall be taken hold 5 of by sorrow. And the fourth shall be in pain, because unrighteousness shall gather itself against 6 him exceedingly, and all Israel shall hate each one his neighbour. The fifth shall be taken hold of 7 by darkness Likewise also the sixth and the seventh. And in the seventh shall be such pollution 8 as I cannot express before men, for they shall know it who do these things. Therefore shall they 9 be taken captive and become a prey, and their land and their substance shall be destroyed. 10 And in the fifth week they shall return to their desolate country, and shall renew the house of the 11 Lord. And in the seventh week shall become priests, (who are) idolaters, adulterers, lovers of money, proud, lawless, lascivious, abusers of children and beasts.

18 1 And after their punishment shall have come from the Lord, the priesthood shall fail. 2 Then shall the Lord raise up a new priest. And to him all the words of the Lord shall be revealed; And he shall execute a righteous judgement upon the earth for a multitude of days. 3 And his star shall arise in heaven as of a king. Lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun the day, And he shall be magnified in the world. 4 He shall shine forth as the sun on the earth, And shall remove all darkness from under heaven, And there shall be peace in all the earth. 5 The heavens shall exult in his days, And the earth shall be glad, And the clouds shall rejoice, [And the knowledge of the Lord shall be poured forth upon the earth, as the water of the seas; And the angels of the glory of the presence of the Lord shall be glad in him. 6 The heavens shall be opened, And From the temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification, With the Father's voice as from Abraham to Isaac. 7 And the glory of the Most High shall be uttered over him, And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him [in the water]. 8 For he shall give the majesty of the Lord to His sons in truth for evermore; And there shall none succeed him for all generations for ever. 9 And in his priesthood the Gentiles shall be multiplied in knowledge upon the earth, And enlightened through the grace of the Lord: In his priesthood shall sin come to an end, And the lawless shall cease to do evil. [And the just shall rest in him.] 10 And he shall open the gates of paradise, And shall remove the threatening sword against Adam. 11 And he shall give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, And the spirit of holiness shall be on them. 12 And Beliar shall be bound by him, And he shall give power to His children to tread upon the evil spirits. 13 And the Lord shall rejoice in His children, And be well pleased in His beloved ones for ever. 14 Then shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob exult, And I will be glad, And all the saints shall clothe themselves with joy.

19 1 And now, my children, ye have heard all; choose, therefore, for yourselves either the light or the 2 darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. And his sons answered him, saying, 3 Before the Lord we will walk according to His law. And their father said unto them, The Lord is witness, and His angels are witnesses, and ye are witnesses, and I am witness, concerning the word 4 of your mouth. And his sons said unto him: We are witnesses. And thus Levi ceased commanding his sons; and he stretched out his feet on the bed, and was gathered to his fathers, after he had 5 lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. And they laid him in a coffin, and afterwards they buried him in Hebron, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

THE TESTAMENT OF JUDAH, THE FOURTH SON OF JACOB AND LEAH

1 1, 2 The copy of the words of Judah, what things he spake to his sons before he died. They gathered 3 themselves together, therefore, and came to him, and he said to them: Hearken, my children, to Judah your father. I was the fourth son born to my father Jacob; and Leah my mother named 4 me Judah, saying, I give thanks to the Lord, because He hath given me a fourth son also. I was 5 swift in my youth, and obedient to my father in everything. And I honoured my mother and my 6 mother's sister. And it came to pass, when I became a man, that my father blessed me, saying, Thou shalt be a king, prospering in all things.

2 1, 2 And the Lord showed me favour in all my works both in the field and in the house. I know that 3 I raced a hind, and caught it, and prepared the meat for my father, and he did eat. And the roes I used to master in the chase, and overtake all that was in the plains. A wild mare I overtook, and 4 caught it and tamed it. I slew a lion and plucked a kid out of its mouth. I took a bear by its paw 5 and hurled it down the cliff, and it was crushed. I outran the wild boar, and seizing it as I ran, 6 I tore it in sunder. A leopard in Hebron leaped upon my dog, and I caught it by the tail, and 7 hurled it on the rocks, and it was broken in twain. I found a wild ox feeding in the fields, and seizing it by the horns, and whirling it round and stunning it, I cast it from me and slew it.

3 1 And when the two kings of the Canaanites came sheathed in armour against our flocks, and much people with them, single-handed I rushed upon the king of Hazor, and smote him on the greaves 2 and dragged him down, and so I Slew him. And the other, the king of Tappuah, as he sat upon his 3 horse, [I slew, and so I scattered all his people. Achor the king] a man of giant stature I found, hurling javelins before and behind as he sat on horseback, and I took up a stone of sixty pounds 4 weight, and hurled it and smote his horse, and killed it. And I fought with (this) other for two 5 hours; and I clave his shield in twain, and I chopped off his feet, and killed him. And as I was 6 stripping off his breastplate, behold nine men his companions began to fight with me. And I wound my garment on my hand; and I slung stones at them, and killed four of them, and the rest fled. 7 And Jacob my father slew Beelesath, king of all the kings, a giant in strength, twelve cubits high. 8, 9 And fear fell upon them, and they ceased warring against us. Therefore my father was free from 10 anxiety in the wars when I was with my brethren. For he saw in a vision concerning me that an angel of might followed me everywhere, that I should not be overcome.

4 1 And in the south there came upon us a greater war than that in Shechem; and I joined in battle array with my brethren, and pursued a thousand men, and slew of them two hundred men and 2, 3 four kings. And I went up upon the wall, and I slew four mighty men. And so we captured Hazor, and took all the spoil.

5 1 On the next day we departed to Aretan, a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us 2 with death. But I and Gad approached on the east side of the city, and Reuben and Levi on the 3 west. And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, were drawn down against 4 us. And so my brothers secretly climbed up the wall on both sides by stakes, and entered the city, 5 while the men knew it not. And we took it with the edge of the sword. And as for those who had taken refuge in the tower, we set fire to the tower and took both it and them. 6 And as we were departing the men of Tappuah set upon our spoil, and delivering it up to our sons we fought with them as far as Tappuah. 7 And we slew them and burnt their city, and took as spoil all that was in it.

6 1, 2 And when I was at the waters of Kozeba, the men of Jobel came against us to battle. And we fought with them and routed them; and their allies from Shiloh we slew, and we did not leave 3 them power to come in against us. And the men of Makir came upon us the fifth day, to seize our spoil; and we attacked them and overcame them in fierce battle: for there was a host of mighty 4 men amongst them, and we slew them before they had gone up the ascent. And when we came to 5 their city their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood, And I and Simeon hid ourselves behind the town, and seized upon the heights, and destroyed this city also.

7 1 And the next day it was told us that the king of the city of Gaash with a mighty host was coming 2 against us. I, therefore, and Dan feigned ourselves to be Amorites, and as allies went into their 3 city. And in the depth of night our brethren came and we opened to them the gates; and we destroyed all the men and their substance, and we took for a prey all that was theirs, and their three 4 walls we cast down. And we drew near to Thamna, where was all the substance of the hostile kings. Then being insulted by them, I was therefore wroth, and rushed against them to the summit; and 6 they kept slinging against me stones and darts. And had not Dan my brother aided me, they would 7 have slain me. We came upon them, therefore, with wrath, and they all fled; and passing by 8 another way, they besought my father, and he made peace with them. And we did to them no hurt, 9 and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil. And I built Thamna, and my 10 father built Pabael. I was twenty years old when this war befell. And the Canaanites feared me and my brethren.

8 1, 2 And I had much cattle, and I had for chief herdsman Iram the Adullamite. And when I went to him I saw Parsaba, king of Adullam; and he spake unto us, and he made us a feast; 3 and when I was heated he gave me his daughter Bathshua to wife. She bare me Er, and Onan and Shelah; and two of them the Lord smote: for Shelah lived, and his children are ye.

9 1 And eighteen years my father abode in peace with his brother Esau, and his sons with us, after 2 that we came from Mesopotamia, from Laban. And when eighteen years were fulfilled, in the fortieth year of my life, Esau, the brother of my father, came upon us with a mighty and strong 3 people. And Jacob smote Esau with an arrow, and he was taken up wounded on Mount Seir, and 4 as he went he died at Anoniram. And we pursued after the sons of Esau. Now they had a city with walls of iron and gates of brass; and we could not enter into it, and we encamped around, and 5 besieged it. And when they opened not to us in twenty days, I set up a ladder in the sight of all and with my shield upon my head I went up, sustaining the assault of stones, upwards of three 6, 7 talents weight; and I slew four of their mighty men. And Reuben and Gad slew six others. Then they asked from us terms of peace; and having taken counsel with our father, we received them as 8 tributaries. And they gave us five hundred cors of wheat, five hundred baths of oil, five hundred measures of wine, until the famine, when we went down into Egypt.

10 1 And after these things my son Er took to wife Tamar, from Mesopotamia, a daughter of Aram. 2 Now Er was wicked, and he was in need concerning Tamar, because she was not of the land 3 of Canaan. And on the third night an angel of the Lord smote him. And he had not known her according to the evil craftiness of his mother, for he did not wish to have children by her. In the days of the wedding-feast I gave Onan to her in marriage; and he also in wickedness knew her not, 5 though he spent with her a year. And when I threatened him he went in unto her, but he spilled the seed on the ground, according to the command of his mother, and he also died through wickedness. 6 And I wished to give Shelah also to her, but his mother did not permit it; for she wrought evil against Tamar, because she was not of the daughters of Canaan, as she also herself was.

11 1 And I knew that the race of the Canaanites was wicked, but the impulse of youth blinded my 2 mind. And when I saw her pouring out wine, owing to the intoxication of wine I was deceived, and 3 took her although my father had not counselled (it). And while I was away she went and took for 4 Shelah a wife from Canaan. And when I knew what she had done, I cursed her in the anguish of 5 my soul. And she also died through her wickedness together with her sons.

12 1 And after these things, while Tamar was a widow, she heard after two years that I was going up 2 to shear my sheep, and adorned herself in bridal array, and sat in the city Enaim by the gate. For it was a law of the Amorites, that she who was about to marry should sit in fornication seven days 3 by the gate. Therefore being drunk with wine, I did not recognize her; and her beauty deceived 4 me, through the fashion of her adorning. And I turned aside to her, and said: Let me go in unto thee. And she said: What wilt thou give me? And I gave her my staff, and my girdle, and the 5 diadem of my kingdom in pledge. And I went in unto her, and she conceived. And not knowing 6 what I had done, I wished to slay her; but she privily sent my pledges, and put me to shame. And when I called her, I heard also the secret words which I spoke when lying with her in my drunkenness; 7 and I could not slay her, because it was from the Lord. For I said, Lest haply she did it in 8 subtlety, having received the pledge from another woman. But I came not again near her while 9 I lived, because I had done this abomination in all Israel. Moreover, they who were in the city said there was no harlot in the gate, because she came from another place, and sat for a while in the 10, 11 gate. And I thought that no one knew that I had gone in to her. And after this we came into 12 Egypt to Joseph, because of the famine. And I was forty and six years old, and seventy and three years lived I in Egypt.

13 1 And now I command you, my children, hearken to Judah your father, and keep my sayings to 2 perform all the ordinances of the Lord, and to obey the commands of God. And walk not after your lusts, nor in the imaginations of your thoughts in haughtiness of heart; and glory not in the deeds 3 and strength of your youth, for this also is evil in the eyes of the Lord. Since I also gloried that in wars no comely woman's face ever enticed me, and reproved Reuben my brother concerning Bilhah, the wife of my father, the spirits of jealousy and of fornication arrayed themselves against me, until I lay with Bathshua the Canaanite, and Tamar, who was espoused to my sons. For I said to my father-in-law: I will take counsel with my father, and so will I take thy daughter. And he was unwilling, but he showed me a boundless store of gold in his daughter's behalf; for he was 5 a king. And he adorned her with gold and pearls, and caused her to pour out wine for us at the 6 feast with the beauty of women. And the wine turned aside my eyes, and pleasure blinded my 7 heart. And I became enamoured of and I lay with her, and transgressed the commandment of the 8 Lord and the commandment of my fathers, and I took her to wife. And the Lord rewarded me according to the imagination of my heart, inasmuch as I had no joy in her children.

14 1 And now, my children, I say unto you, be not drunk with wine; for wine turneth the mind away 2 from the truth, and inspires the passion of lust, and leadeth the eyes into error. For the spirit of fornication hath wine as a minister to give pleasure to the mind; for these two also take away the 3 mind of man. For if a man drink wine to drunkenness, it disturbeth the mind with filthy thoughts leading to fornication, and heateth the body to carnal union; and if the occasion of the lust be 4 present, he worketh the sin, and is not ashamed. Such is the inebriated man, my children; for he 5 who is drunken reverenceth no man. For, lo, it made me also to err, so that I was not ashamed of the multitude in the city, in that before the eyes of all I turned aside unto Tamar, and I wrought 6 a great sin, and I uncovered the covering of my sons' shame. After I had drunk wine I reverenced 7 not the commandment of God, and I took a woman of Canaan to wife. For much discretion needeth the man who drinketh wine, my children; and herein is discretion in drinking wine a man 8 may drink so long as he preserveth modesty. But if he go beyond this limit the spirit of deceit attacketh his mind, and it maketh the drunkard to talk filthily, and to transgress and not to be ashamed, but even to glory in his shame, and to account himself honourable.

15 1 He that committeth fornication is not aware when he suffers loss, and is not ashamed when put 2 to dishonour. For even though a man be a king and commit fornication, he is stripped of his 3 kingship by becoming the slave of fornication, as I myself also suffered. For I gave my staff, that is, the stay of my tribe; and my girdle, that is, my power; and my diadem, that is, the glory of my 4 kingdom. And indeed I repented of these things; wine and flesh I eat not until my old age, nor 5 did I behold any joy. And the angel of God showed me that for ever do women bear rule over 6 king and beggar alike. And from the king they take away his glory, and from the valiant man his might, and from the beggar even that little which is the stay of his poverty.

16 1 Observe, therefore, my children, the (rights limit in wine; for there are in it four evil spirits--- of 2 lust, of hot desire, of profligacy of filthy lucre. If ye drink wine in gladness, be ye modest in the fear of God. For if in (your) gladness the fear of God departeth, then drunkenness ariseth and 3 shamelessness stealeth in. But if ye would live soberly do not touch wine at all, lest ye sin in words of outrage, and in fightings and slanders, and transgressions of the commandments of God, 4 and ye perish before your time. Moreover, wine revealeth the mysteries of God and men, even as I also revealed the commandments of God and the mysteries of Jacob my father to the Canaanitish 5 woman Bathshua, which God bade me not to reveal. And wine is a cause both of war and confusion.

17 1 And now, I command you, my children, not to love money, nor to gaze upon the beauty of women; because for the sake of money and beauty I was led astray to Bathshua the Canaanite. 2, 3 [For I know that because of these two things shall my race fall into wickedness. For even wise men among my sons shall they mar, and shall cause the kingdom of Judah to be diminished, which 4 the Lord gave me because of my obedience to my father. For I never caused grief to Jacob, my 5 father: for all things whatsoever he commanded I did. And Isaac, the father of my father, blessed 6 me to be king in Israel, and Jacob further blessed me in like manner. And I know that from me shall the kingdom be established.

18 1 And I know what evils ye will do in the last days.] 2 Beware, therefore, my children, of fornication, and the love of money, and hearken to Judah your father. 3 For these things withdraw you from the law of God, And blind the inclination of the soul, And teach arrogance, And suffer not a man to have compassion upon his neighbour 4 They rob his soul of all goodness, And oppress him with toils and troubles, And drive away sleep from him, And devour his flesh. 5 And he hindereth the sacrifices of God; And he remembereth not the blessing of God, He hearkeneth not to a prophet when he speaketh, And resenteth the words of godliness. 6 For he is a slave to two contrary passions, And cannot obey God, Because they have blinded his soul, And he walketh in the day as in the night.

19 1 My children, the love of money leadeth to idolatry; because, when led astray through money, men name as gods those who are not gods, and it causeth him who hath it to fall into madness 2 For the sake of money I lost my children, and had not my repentance, and my humiliation, and 3 the prayers of my father been accepted, I should have died childless. But the God of my fathers 4 had mercy on me, because I did it in ignorance. And the prince of deceit blinded me, and I sinned as a man and as flesh, being corrupted through sins; and I learnt my own weakness while thinking myself invincible.

20 1 Know, therefore, my children, that two spirits wait upon man the spirit of truth and the spirit 2 of deceit. And in the midst is the spirit of understanding of the mind, to which it belongeth to turn whithersoever it will. 3 And the works of truth and the works of deceit are written upon the hearts of men, and each one of them the Lord knoweth. 4 And there is no time at which the works of men can be hid; for on the heart itself have they been 5 written down before the Lord. And the spirit of truth testifieth all things, and accuseth all; and the sinner is burnt up by his own heart, and cannot raise his face to the judge.

21 1 And now, my children, I command you, love Levi, that ye may abide, and exalt not yourselves 2 against him, lest ye be utterly destroyed. For to me the Lord gave the kingdom, and to him the 3 priesthood, and He set the kingdom beneath the priesthood. To me He gave the things upon the 4 earth; to him the things in the heavens. As the heaven is higher than the earth, so is the priesthood of God higher than the earthly kingdom, unless it falls away through sin from the Lord and is 5 dominated by the earthly kingdom. For the angel of the Lord said unto me: The Lord chose him rather than thee, to draw near to Him, and to eat of His table and to offer Him the first-fruits of the choice things of the sons of Israel; but thou shalt be king of Jacob. 6 And thou shalt be amongst them as the sea. For as, on the sea, just and unjust are tossed about, some taken into captivity while some are enriched, so also shall every race of men be in thee: some shall be impoverished, being taken captive, and others grow rich by plundering the possessions of others. 7 For the kings shall be as sea-monsters. They shall swallow men like fishes: The sons and daughters of free men shall they enslave; Houses, lands, flocks, money shall they plunder: 8 And with the flesh of many shall they wrongfully feed the ravens and the cranes; And they shall advance in evil, in covetousness uplifted, 9 And there shall be false prophets like tempests, And they shall persecute all righteous men.

22 1 And the Lord shall bring upon them divisions one against another. And there shall be continual wars in Israel; 2 And among men of another race shall my kingdom be brought to an end, Until the salvation of Israel shall come, Until the appearing of the God of righteousness, That Jacob [and all the Gentiles] may rest in peace. 3 And He shall guard the might of my kingdom for ever; For the Lord sware to me with an oath that He would not destroy the kingdom from my seed for ever.

23 1 Now I have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness and witchcrafts, and idolatries which ye shall practise against the kingdom, following them that have familiar spirits, diviners, and 2 demons of error. Ye shall make your daughters singing girls and harlots, and ye shall mingle in 3 the abominations of the Gentiles. For which things' sake the Lord shall bring upon you famine and pestilence, death and the sword, beleaguering by enemies, and revilings of friends, the slaughter of children, the rape of wives, the plundering of possessions, the burning of the temple of God,] the 4 laying waste of the land, the enslavement of yourselves among the Gentiles. And they shall make some of you eunuchs for their wives. 5 Until the Lord visit you, when with perfect heart ye repent and walk in all His commandments; and He bring you up from captivity among the Gentiles.

24 1 And after these things shall a star arise to you from Jacob in peace, And a man shall arise [from my seed], like the sun of righteousness, walking with the sons of men in meekness and righteousness; And no sin shall be found in him. 2 and the heavens shall be open unto him, To pour out the spirit, (even) the blessing of the Holy Father; 3 And He shall pour out the spirit of grace upon you; And ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, And ye shall walk in His commandments first and last. 4 [This Branch of God Most High, And this Fountain giving life unto all.] 5 Then shall the sceptre of my kingdom shine forth; And from your root shall arise a stem; 6 And from it shall grow a rod of righteousness to the Gentiles, To judge and to save all that call upon the Lord.

26 1 And after these things shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob arise unto life, and I and my brethren shall be chiefs of the tribes of Israel: Levi first, I the second, Joseph third, Benjamin fourth, 2 Simeon fifth; Issachar sixth, and so all in order. And the Lord blessed Levi, and the Angel of the Presence, me; the powers of glory, Simeon; the heaven, Reuben; the earth, Issachar; the sea, Zebulun; the mountains, Joseph; the tabernacle, Benjamin; the luminaries, Dan; Eden, Naphtali; the sun, Gad; the moon, Asher. 3 And ye shall be the people of the Lord, and have one tongue; And there shall be there no spirit of deceit of Beliar, For he shall be cast into the fire for ever. 4 And they who have died in grief shall arise in joy , And they who were poor for the Lord's sake shall be made rich, And they who are put to death for the Lord's sake shall awake to life. 5 And the harts of Jacob shall run in joyfulness, And the eagles of Israel shall fly in gladness; And all the people shall glorify the Lord for ever.

26 1 Observe, therefore, my children, all the law of the Lord, for there is hope for all them who hold 2 fast unto His ways. And he said to them: Behold, I die before your eyes this day, a hundred and 3 nineteen years old. Let no one bury me in costly apparel, nor tear open my bowels, for this 4 shall they who are kings do; and carry me up to Hebron with you. And Judah, when he had said these things, fell asleep; and his sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they buried him in Hebron, with his fathers.

THE TESTAMENT OF ISSACHAR, THE FIFTH SON OF JACOB AND LEAH.

1 1 The copy of the words of Issachar. For he called his sons and said to them: Hearken, my children, to Issachar your father; Give ear to the words of him who is beloved of the Lord. 2, 3 I was born the fifth son to Jacob, by way of hire for the mandrakes. For Reuben my brother 4 brought in mandrakes from the field, and Rachel met him and took them. And Reuben wept, and 5 at his voice Leah my mother came forth. Now these (mandrakes) were sweet-smelling apples 6 which were produced in the land of Haran below a ravine of water. And Rachel said: I will not give them to thee, but they shall be to me instead of children. For the Lord hath despised me, 7 and I have not borne children to Jacob. Now there were two apples; and Leah said to Rachel: 8 Let it suffice thee that thou hast taken my husband: wilt thou take these also? And Rachel said 9 to her: Thou shalt have Jacob this night for the mandrakes of thy son. And Leah said to her: 10 Jacob is mine, for I am the wife of his youth. But Rachel said: Boast not, and vaunt not thyself; for he espoused me before thee, and for my sake he served our father fourteen years. 11 And had not craft increased on the earth and the wickedness of men prospered, thou wouldst not now see the face of Jacob.

2 1 Then appeared to Jacob an angel of the Lord, saying: Two children shall Rachel bear, inasmuch 2 as she hath refused company with her husband, and hath chosen continency. And had not Leah my mother paid the two apples for the sake of his company, she would have borne eight sons; for this reason she bare six, and Rachel bare the two: for on account of the mandrakes the Lord 3 visited her. For He knew that for the sake of children she wished to company with Jacob, and not for lust of pleasure. For on the morrow also she again gave up Jacob. Because of the mandrakes; 5 therefore, the Lord hearkened to Rachel. For though she desired them, she eat them not, but offered them in the house of the Lord, presenting them to the priest of the Most High who was at that time.

3 1 When, therefore, I grew up, my children, I walked in uprightness of heart, and I became a husbandman for my father and my brethren, and I brought in fruits from the field according to 2, 3 their season. And my father blessed me, for he saw that I walked in rectitude before him. And 4 I was not a busybody in my doings, nor envious and malicious against my neighbour. I never slandered any one, nor did I censure the life of any man, walking as I did in singleness of eye. 5 Therefore, when I was thirty-five years old, I took to myself a wife, for my labour wore away my strength, and I never thought upon pleasure with women; but owing to my toil, sleep overcame me. 6 And my father always rejoiced in my rectitude, because I offered through the priest to the Lord 7 all first-fruits; then to my father also. And the Lord increased ten thousandfold His benefits in my 8 hands; and also Jacob, my father, knew that God aided my singleness. For on all the poor and oppressed I bestowed the good things of the earth in the singleness of my heart.

4 1 And now, hearken to me, my children, And walk in singleness of your heart, For I have seen in it all that is well-pleasing to the Lord. 2 The single-(minded) man coveteth not gold, He overreacheth not his neighbour, He longeth not after manifold dainties, He delighteth not in varied apparel. 3 He doth not desire to live a long life, But only waiteth for the will of God. 4 And the spirits of deceit have no power against him, For he looketh not on the beauty of women, Lest he should pollute his mind with corruption. 5 There is no envy in his thoughts, [No malicious person maketh his soul to pine away,] Nor worry with insatiable desire in his mind. 6 For he walketh in singleness of soul, And beholdeth all things in uprightness of heart, Shunning eyes (made) evil through the error of the world, Lest he should see the perversion of any of the commandments of the Lord.

5 1 Keep, therefore, my children, the law of God, And get singleness. And walk in guilelessness, Not playing the busybody with the business of your neighbour, 2 But love the Lord and your neighbour, Have compassion on the poor and weak. 3 Bow down your back unto husbandry, And toil in labours in all manner of husbandry, Offering gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving. 4 For with the first-fruits of the earth will the Lord bless you, even as He blessed all the saints 5 from Abel even until now. For no other portion is given to you than of the fatness of the earth, 6 whose fruits are raised by toil. For our father Jacob blessed me with blessings of the earth and of 7 first-fruits. And Levi and Judah were glorified by the Lord even among the sons of Jacob; for the Lord gave them an inheritance, and to Levi He gave the priesthood, and to Judah the kingdom. 8 And do ye therefore obey them, and walk in the singleness of your father; [for unto Gad hath it been given to destroy the troops that are coming upon Israel].

6 1 Know ye therefore, my children, that in the last times Your sons will forsake singleness, And will cleave unto insatiable desire; And leaving guilelessness will draw near to malice; And forsaking the commandments of the Lord, They will cleave unto Beliar. 2 And leaving husbandry, They will follow after their own wicked devices, And they shall be dispersed among the Gentiles. And shall serve their enemies. 3 And do you therefore give these commands to your children, that, if they sin, they may the more 4 quickly return to the Lord; For He is merciful, and will deliver them, even to bring them back into their land.

7 1 Behold, therefore, as ye see, I am a hundred and twenty-six years old and am not conscious of committing any sin. 2 Except my wife I have not known any woman. I never committed fornication by the uplifting of my eyes. 3 I drank not wine, to be led astray thereby; I coveted not any desirable thing that was my neighbour's. 4 Guile arose not in my heart; A lie passed not through my lips. 5 If any man were in distress I joined my sighs with his, And I shared my bread with the poor. I wrought godliness, all my days I kept truth 6 I loved the Lord; Likewise also every man with all my heart. 7 So do you also these things, my children, And every spirit of Beliar shall flee from you, And no deed of wicked men shall rule over you; And every wild beast shall ye subdue, Since you have with you the God of heaven and earth (And) walk with men in singleness of heart. 8 And having said these things, he commanded his sons that they should carry him up to Hebron, and bury him there in the cave with his fathers. And he stretched out his feet and died, at a good old age; with every limb sound, and with strength unabated, he slept the eternal sleep.

THE TESTAMENT OF ZEBULUN, THE SIXTH SON OF JACOB AND LEAH.

1 1 The copy of the words of Zebulun, which he enjoined on his sons before he died in the 2 hundred and fourteenth year of his life, two years after the death of Joseph. And he said to them: 3 Hearken to me, ye sons of Zebulun, attend to the words of your father. I, Zebulun, was born a good gift to my parents. For when I was born my father was increased very exceedingly, both in flocks 4 and herds, when with the straked rods he had his portion. I am not conscious that I have sinned 5 all my days, save in thought. Nor yet do I remember that I have done any iniquity, except the sin of ignorance which I committed against Joseph; for I covenanted with my brethren not to tell 6 my father what had been done. But I wept in secret many days on account of Joseph, for I feared my brethren, because they had all agreed that if any one should declare the secret, he should be slain. 7 But when they wished to kill him, I adjured them much with tears not to be guilty of this sin.

2 1, 2 For Simeon and Gad came against Joseph to kill him, and he said unto them with tears: Pity me, my brethren, have mercy upon the bowels of Jacob our father: lay not upon me your hands 3 to shed innocent blood, for I have not sinned against you. And if indeed I have sinned, with chastening chastise me, my brethren but lay not upon me your hand, for the sake of Jacob our 4 father. And as he spoke these words, wailing as he did so, I was unable to bear his lamentations, and began to weep, and my liver was poured out, and all the substance of my bowels was loosened. 5 And I wept with Joseph, and my heart sounded, and the joints of my body trembled, and I was 6 not able to stand. And when Joseph saw me weeping with him, and them coming against him to 7 slay him, he fled behind me, beseeching them. But meanwhile Reuben arose and said: Come, my brethren, let us not slay him, but let us cast him into one of these dry pits, which our fathers digged 8 and found no water. For for this cause the Lord forbade that water should rise up in them, in order that Joseph should be preserved. And they did so, until they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

3 1, 2 For in his price I had no share, my children. But Simeon and Gad and six other of our brethren took the price of Joseph, and bought sandals for themselves, and their wives, and their children, 3 saying: We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood, but we will assuredly tread it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, and so let us see what will become of 4 his dreams. Therefore it is written in the writing of the law of Moses, that whosoever will not raise 5 up seed to his brother, his sandal should be unloosed, and they should spit in his face. And the brethren of Joseph wished not that their brother should live, and the Lord loosed from them the 6 sandal which they wore against Joseph their brother. For when they came into Egypt they were unloosed by the servants of Joseph outside the gate, and so they made obeisance to Joseph after the 7 fashion of King Pharaoh. And not only did they make obeisance to him, but were spit upon also, 8 falling down before him forthwith, and so they were put to shame before the Egyptians. For after this the Egyptians heard all the evils that they had done to Joseph.

4 1 And after he was sold my brothers sat down 2 to eat and drink. But I, through pity for Joseph, did not eat, but watched the pit, since Judah feared lest Simeon, Dan, and Gad should rush 3 off and slay him. But when they saw that I did not eat, they set me to watch him, till he was 5 sold to the Ishmaelites. And when Reuben came and heard that while he was away (Joseph) had been sold, he rent his garments, (and) mourning, said: How shall I look on the face of my father 6 Jacob? And he took the money and ran after the merchants, but as he failed to find them he returned grieving. But the merchants had left the broad road and marched through the Troglodytes by a short cut. 7 But Reuben was grieved, and eat no food that day. Dan therefore came to him and said: 8, 9 Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob. Let us slay 10 a kid of the goats, and dip in it the coat of Joseph; and let us send it to Jacob, saying: Know, is 11 this the coat of thy son? And they did so. For they stripped off from Joseph his coat when they were selling him, and put upon him the garment of a slave. Now Simeon took the coat, and would not give it up, for he wished to rend it with his sword, as he was angry that Joseph lived and that 12 he had not slain him. Then we all rose up and said unto him: If thou givest not up the coat, we 13 will say to our father that thou alone didst this evil thing in Israel. And so he gave it unto them, and they did even as Dan had said.

5 I And now, my children, I bid you to keep the commands of the Lord, and to show mercy to your neighbours, and to have compassion towards all, not towards men only, but also towards, beasts. 2 For all this thing's sake the Lord blessed me, and when all my brethren were sick, I escaped without 3 sickness, for the Lord knoweth the purposes of each. Have, therefore, compassion in your hearts, my children, because even as a man doeth to his neighbour, even so also will the Lord do to him. 4 For the sons of my brethren were sickening and were dying on account of Joseph, because they 5 showed not mercy in their hearts; but my sons were preserved without sickness, as ye know. And when I was in the land of Canaan, by the sea-coast, I made a catch of fish for Jacob my father; and when many were choked in the sea, I continued unhurt.

6 1 I was the first to make a boat to sail upon the sea, for the Lord gave me understanding and 2 wisdom therein. And I let down a rudder behind it, and I stretched a sail upon another upright 3 piece of wood in the midst. And I sailed therein along the shores, catching fish for the house of my father until we came to Egypt. 4, 5 [And through compassion I shared my catch with every stranger. And if a man were a stranger, or sick, or aged, I boiled the fish, and dressed them well, and offered them to all men, as every man 6 had need, grieving with and having compassion upon them. Wherefore also the Lord satisfied me with abundance of fish when catching fish; for he that shareth with his neighbour receiveth manifold 7 more from the Lord.] For five years I caught fish [and gave thereof to every man whom I saw, 8 and sufficed for all the house of my father]. And in the summer I caught fish, and in the winter I kept sheep with my brethren.

7 1 [Now I will declare unto you what I did. I saw a man in distress through nakedness in winter time, and had compassion upon him, and stole away a garment secretly from my father's house, and 2 gave it to him who was in distress. Do you, therefore, my children, from that which God bestoweth upon you, show compassion and mercy without hesitation to all men, and give to every man with 3 a good heart. And if ye have not the wherewithal to give to him that needeth, have compassion for 4 him in bowels of mercy. I know that my hand found not the wherewithal to give to him that needed, and I walked with him weeping for seven furlongs, and my bowels yearned towards him in compassion.

8 1 Have, therefore, yourselves also, my children, compassion towards every man with mercy, that the 2 Lord also may have compassion and mercy upon you. Because also in the last days God will send 3 His compassion on the earth, and wheresoever He findeth bowels of mercy He dwelleth in him. For in the degree in which a man hath compassion upon his neighbours, in the same degree hath the 4, 5 Lord also upon him.] And when we went down into Egypt, Joseph bore no malice against us. To whom taking heed, do ye also, my children, approve yourselves without malice, and love one 6 another; and do not set down in account, each one of you, evil against his brother. For this breaketh unity and divideth all kindred, and troubleth the soul, and weareth away the countenance.

9 1 Observe, therefore, the waters, and know when they flow together, they sweep along stones, trees, 2 earth, and other things. But if they are divided into many streams, the earth swalloweth them up, 3, 4 and they vanish away. So shall ye also be if ye be divided. Be not ye, therefore, divided into two heads, for everything which the Lord made hath but one head, and two shoulders, two 5 hands, two feet, and all the remaining members. For I have learnt in the writing of my fathers, that Ye shall be divided in Israel, And ye shall follow two kings, And shall work every abomination. 6 And your enemies shall lead you captive, And ye shall be evil entreated among the Gentiles, With many infirmities and tribulations. 7 And after these things ye shall remember the Lord, and repent, [And He shall cause you to return]; for He is merciful and compassionate. And He setteth not down in account evil to the sons of men, because they are flesh, And the spirits of deceit deceive them in all their deeds. 8 And after these things there shall arise unto you the Lord Himself, the light of righteousness, [And healing and compassion shall be in His wings. He shall redeem all the captivity of the sons of men from Beliar; And every spirit of deceit shall be trodden down]; And he shall bring back all the Gentiles into zeal for Him. And ye shall return unto your land. And ye shall see Him in Jerusalem, for His name's sake. 9 And again through the wickedness of your works shall ye provoke Him to anger, And ye shall be cast away by Him unto the time of consummation.

10 1 And now, my children, grieve not that I am dying, nor be cast down in that I am coming to my 2 end. For I shall rise again in the midst of you, as a ruler in the midst of his sons; and I shall rejoice in the midst of my tribe, as many as shall keep the law of the Lord, and the commandments 3 of Zebulun their father. But upon the ungodly shall the Lord bring eternal fire, and destroy them 4, 5 throughout all generations. But I am now hastening away to my rest, as did also my fathers. But 6 do ye fear the Lord our God with all your strength all the days of your life. And when he had 7 said these things he fell asleep, at a good old age. And his sons laid him in a wooden coffin. And afterwards they carried him up and buried him in Hebron, with his fathers.

THE TESTAMENT OF DAN, THE SEVENTH SON OF JACOB AND BILHAH.

1 1 The copy of the words of Dan, which he spake to his sons in his last days, in the hundred and 2 twenty-fifth year of his life. For he called together his family, and said: Hearken to my words, ye 3 sons of Dan; and give heed to the words of your father. I have proved in my heart, and in my whole life, that truth with just dealing is g

30 Appendix

30.1 Encounters on the Internet

30.1.1 Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Forum

30.1.1.1 RaZ

30.1.1.2 Poem

30.1.1.3 Poem on Mystic Life

30.1.1.4 Yetzirah Plane

30.1.1.5 Colors

30.1.1.6 Hashmal

30.1.1.7 Lag Ba Omer

30.1.2 Breslov Discussions

30.1.2.1 Nachal Novea Makor Hochmah

30.1.3 Greek Qabalah

30.1.4 Pluto

30.1.5 Ransom or Atonement and Closeness or Sacrifice

30.1.6 Love of God

30.1.7 Soc.culture.jewish

30.1.7.1 Baseless Love

30.1.7.2 The Chosen House

30.1.7.3 Philosophy

30.1.7.4 Rebbe

30.1.7.5 Criticism

30.1.7.6 Moshiach

30.1.7.7 Levi Yitzhak

30.1.7.8 David and Bathsheva

30.1.7.9 Torah is Not a Work of History

30.1.7.10 Cain’s Wife

30.1.7.11 Sukkot

30.1.7.12 Lashon Horah

30.1.7.13 Reincarnation

30.1.7.14 Resurrection

30.1.8 Talk.religion.newage

30.1.8.1 No Man Can Be God

30.1.8.2 Vision

30.1.8.3 Virgin Birth

30.1.9 Messianic

30.1.9.1 Living Atonement

30.1.9.2 Sacrifice

30.1.9.3 Sacrifice 2

30.1.9.4 The Lord is One

30.1.9.5 HaAlmah and Betulah

30.1.9.5.1 Refuse evil

30.1.9.5.2 Isaiah Chapter 7

30.1.10 Atonement story

30.1.11 Deut 23

30.1.12 Children

30.2 Lekutei Halakhot

30.3 Kuzari

30.4 Letters and Signs

30.4.1 Nachman

30.4.2 Korea

30.5 Messilat Yesharim

30.5.1 Concerning Man's Duty in the World

30.5.2 The Trait of Watchfulness

30.5.3 The Divisions of Watchfulness

30.5.4 The Manner of Acquiring Watchfulness

30.5.5 The Factors which Detract from Watchfulness

30.5.6 The Trait of Zeal

30.5.7 The Divisions of Zeal

30.5.8 The Manner of Acquiring Zeal

30.5.9 The Factors which Detract from Zeal

30.5.10 The Trait of Cleanliness

30.5.11 The Particulars of the Trait of Cleanliness

30.5.12 The Means of Acquiring Cleanliness

30.5.13 The Trait of Separation

30.5.14 The Divisions of Separation

30.5.15 The Means of Acquiring Separation

30.5.16 The Trait of Purity

30.5.17 The Means of Acquiring Purity

30.5.18 The Trait of Saintliness

30.5.19 The Divisions of Saintliness

30.5.20 The Weighing of Saintliness

30.5.21 The Means of Acquiring Saintliness

30.5.22 The Trait of Humility

30.5.23 The Means of Acquiring Humility

30.5.24 The Fear of Sin

30.5.25 The Manner of Acquiring Fear of Sin

30.5.26 The Trait of Holiness

30.6 Midrash Tanhuma

30.7 Perkei Avot