From here on I will begin to give you guidance with regard to the form of this training so that you should achieve this great end. The first thing that you should cause your soul to hold fast onto is | that, while reciting the ShenuT prayer, you should empty your mind of everything and pray thus. You should not content yourself with being intent while reciting the first verse of Shemac and saying the first benediction. When this has been carried out correctly and has been practiced consistently for years, cause your soul, whenever you read or listen to the Torah, to be constantly directed -the whole of you and your thought — toward reflection on what you are listening to or reading. When this too has been practiced consistently for a certain time, cause your soul to be in such a way that your thought is always quite free of distraction and gives heed to all that you are reading of the other discourses of the prophets25 and even when you read all the benedictions, so that you aim at meditating on what you are uttering and at considering its meaning. If, however, while performing these acts of worship, you are free 1266] The Guide of the Perplexed III • 51 623 from distraction and not engaged in thinking upon any of the things pertaining to this world, cause your soul — after this has been achieved — to occupy your thought with things necessary for you or superfluous in your life, and in general with worldly things, while you eat or drink or bathe or talk with your wife and your small children, or while you talk with the common run of people. Thus I have provided you with many and long stretches of time in which you can think all that needs thinking regarding property, the governance of the household, and the welfare of the body. On the other hand, while performing the actions imposed by the Law, you should occupy your thought only with what you are doing, just as we have explained. When, however, you are alone with yourself and no one else is there and while you lie awake upon your bed, you should take great care during these precious times not to set your thought to work on anything other than that intellectual worship j consisting in nearness to God and being in His presence in that true reality that I have made known to you and not by way of affections of the imagination. In my opinion this end can be achieved by those of the men of knowledge who have rendered their souls worthy of it by training of this kind.
And there may be a human individual who, through his apprehension of the true realities and his joy in what he has apprehended, achieves a state in which he talks with people and is occupied with his bodily necessities while his intellect is wholly turned toward Him, may He be exalted, so that in his heart he is always in His presence, may He be exalted, while out¬ wardly he is with people, in the sort of way described by the poetical parables that have been invented for these notions: I sleep, but my heart waketh; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, and so on.2* I do not say that this rank is that of all the prophets 5 but I do say that this is the rank of Moses our Master, of whom it is said: And Moses alone shall come near unto the Lord,• but they shall not come near,-2s and of whom it is said: And he was there with the Lord;26 and to whom it was said: But as for thee, stand thou here by Me 27 All this according to what we have explained regarding the meaning of these verses.28 This was also the rank of the Patriarchs, the result of whose nearness to Him, may He be exalted, was that His name became known to the world through them: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...,• this is My name for ever.29 Because of the union of their intellects through apprehension of Him, it came about 29. Exod. 3: 15. The Hebrew expression translated: for ever, may also mean: /or the world.
624 The Guide of the Perplexed III • 51 [ 127*1 that He made a lasting covenant with each of them: Then 1 will remember My covenant with Jacob, and so on.30 For in those four, I mean the Patriarchs and Moses our Master, union with God - 1 mean apprehension of Him and love of Him -became manifest, as the texts testify. Also the providence of God watching over them and over their posterity was great. Withal they were occupied with governing people, increasing their fortune, j and endeavoring to acquire property. Now this is to my mind a proof that they performed these actions with their limbs only, while their intellects were constantly in His presence, may He be exalted. It also seems to me that the fact that these four were in a permanent state of extreme perfection in the eyes of God, and that His providence watched over them continually even while they were engaged in increasing their fortune — I mean while they tended their cattle, did agricultural work, and governed their household - was necessarily brought about by the circumstance that in all these actions their end was to come near to Him, may He be exalted 5 and how near! For the end of their efforts during their life was to bring into being a religious community that w'ould know and worship God. For I have known him, to the end that he may command, and so on.3i Thus it has become clear to you that the end of all their efforts was to spread the doctrine of the unity of the Name in the world and to guide people to love Him, may He be exalted. Therefore this rank befitted them, for these actions w-ere pure worship of great import. This rank is not a rank that, with a view to the attainment of which, someone like myself may aspire for guidance.32 But one may aspire to attain that rank which was mentioned before this one through the training that we described. One must beseech God that He remove the obstructions that separate us from Him, even though most of them come from us, as we have explained in certain chapters of this Treatise:33 Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.3* A most extraordinary speculation has occurred to me just now through which doubts may be dispelled and divine secrets revealed. We have already explained in the chapters concerning providence that providence watches over everyone endowed with intellect proportionately to the measure of his intellect. Thus providence always watches over an individual endowed with perfect apprehension, whose intellect | never ceases from being occupied with God. On the other hand, an individual endowed with 32. The Arabic phrase can have two meanings: (a) Someone like myself cannot aspire to be guided with a view to achieving this rank; (i>) Someone like myself cannot aspire to guide others with a view to their achieving this rank.
perfect apprehension, whose thought sometimes for a certain time is emptied of God, is watched over by providence only during the time when he thinks of God; providence withdraws from him during the time when he is occupied with something else. However, its withdrawal then is not like its withdrawal from those who have never had intellectual cognition. But in his case that providence merely decreases because that man of perfect apprehension has, while being occupied, no intellect in actu; but that per¬ fect man is at such times only apprehending potentially, though close to actuality. At such times he is like a skillful scribe at the time when he is not writing. On the other hand, he who has no intellectual cognition at all of God is like one who is in darkness and has never seen light, just as we have explained35 with regard to its dictum: The wicked shall be put to silence in darkness.36 He who apprehends and advances with his whole being toward the object of his apprehension, is like one who is in the pure light of the sun. He who has had apprehension, but is occupied, is while he is occupied in this state like one who has a cloudy day in which the sun does not shine because of the clouds that separate it and him. Hence it seems to me that all prophets or excellent and perfect men whom one of the evils of this world befell, had this evil happen to them during such a time of dis¬ traction, the greatness of the calamity being proportionate to the duration of the period of distraction or to the vileness of the matter with which he was occupied. If this is so, the great doubt that induced the philosophers to deny that divine providence watches over all human individuals and to assert equality between them and the individuals of the other kinds of animals is dispelled. For their proof for this opinion was the fact that excellent and good men experienced great misfortunes. Thus | the secret with regard to this has been explained even according to the requirements of their opinions: The providence of God, may He be exalted, is constantly watching over those who have obtained this overflow, which is permitted to everyone who makes efforts with a view to obtaining it. If a man’s thought is free from distraction, if he apprehends Him, may He be exalted, in the right way and rejoices in what he apprehends, that individual can never be afflicted with evil of any kind. For he is with God and God is with him. When, however, he abandons Him, may He be exalted, and is thus separated from God and God separated from him, he becomes in conse¬ quence of this a target for every evil that may happen to befall him. For the thing that necessarily brings about providence and deliverance from the sea of chance consists in that intellectual overflow. Yet an -impediment may 626 The Guide of the Perplexed III • 51 [ 1286 prevent for some time its reaching the excellent and good man in question, or again it was not obtained at all by such and such imperfect and wicked man, and therefore the chance occurrences that befell them happened. To my mind this belief is also shown as true by a text of the Torah; He, may He be exalted, says: And I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?57 It is clear that we are the cause of this hiding of the face, and we are the agents who produce this separation. This is the meaning of His saying: And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought.™ There is no doubt that what is true of one is true of a community. Thus it has become clear to you that the reason for a human individual’s being abandoned to chance so that he is permitted to be devoured like the beasts is his being separated from God. If, however, his God is within him, no evil at all will befall him. For He, may He be exalted, says: Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and so on.39 He says: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, | they shall not overflow thee, and so on.*0 The determination that when thou passest through the waters and I will be with thee, the rivers shall not overflow thee, is accounted for by the fact that everyone who has rendered himself so worthy that the intellect in question overflows toward him, has providence attached to him, while all evils are prevented from befalling him. It says: The Lord is for me, I will not fear; what can man do unto me?*1 And it says, Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace*'1 meaning to say: turn toward Him and you will be safe from all ill.
Consider the song on mishaps: You will find that it describes this great providence and the safeguard and the protection from all bodily ills, both the general ones and those that concern one individual rather than another, so that neither those that are consequent upon the nature of being nor those that are due to the plotting of man would occur. It says: That He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His pinions, and under His wings shalt thou take refuge; His truth is a shield and a buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day; of the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor of the destruction that wasteth at noonday.*3 He then goes on to describe the protection against the plotting of men, saying: If you should happen to i2g a] The Guide of the Perplexed III • 51 62 7 pass on your way a widely extended field of battle and even if one thousand were killed to your left and ten thousand to your right, no evil at all would befall you. Do you not perceive and see with your eye God’s judgment and retribution directed against the wicked that are killed while you are safe? These are its words: A thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the recompense of the wicked.** This is followed by what is said about divine safeguard 5 then it gives the reason for this great protec¬ tion, saying that the reason for this great providence being effective with regard to the individual in question is this: Because he hath set his passionate love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known My Name.*5 We have already explained in preceding chapters that the meaning of knowledge of the Name | is: apprehension of Him. It is as if [the psalm] said that this individual is protected because he hath known Me and then passionately loved Me.46 You know the difference between the terms one who loves [oheb\ and one who loves passionately [hosheq] 5 an excess of love [mahabbah], so that no thought remains that is directed toward a thing other than the Beloved, is passionate love [cishq].
The philosophers have already explained that the bodily faculties impede in youth the attainment of most of the moral virtues, and all the more that of pure thought, which is achieved through the perfection of the intelligibles that lead to passionate love of Him, may He be exalted. For it is impossible that it should be achieved while the bodily humors are in effervescence. Yet in the measure in which the faculties of the body are weakened and the fire of the desires is quenched, the intellect is strength¬ ened, its lights achieve a wider extension, its apprehension is purified, and it rejoices in what it apprehends. The result is that when a perfect man is stricken with years and approaches death, this apprehension increases very powerfully, joy over this apprehension and a great love for the object of apprehension become stronger, until the soul is separated from the body at that moment in this state of pleasure. Because of this the Sages have indicated with reference to the deaths of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam that 46. cashiqani. The meaning of the Arabic verb cashiqa corresponds to that of the Hebrew verb hashoq (from which the participle hosheq, mentioned by Maimonides in this pas¬ sage, is derived). Both may signify: “to love passionately.” On the other hand, the Arabic verbal form ahabba {from which the word mahabbah, likewise mentioned by Maimonides in this passage, is derived), corresponds to the Hebrew word ahob, from which the participle oheb is derived. Both the Hebrew and the Arabic verb mean: “to love.”
628 The Guide of the Perplexed III • 51 [ 129& the three of them died by a kiss. They said47 that the dictum [of Scripture], And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab by the mouth of the Lord,*8 indicates that he died by a kiss. Similarly it is said of Aaron: By the mouth of the Lord, and died there.49 And they said of Miriam in the same way: She also died by a kiss. But with regard to her it is not said, by the mouth of the Lord; because she was a woman, the use of the figurative expression was not suitable with regard to her. Their purpose was to indicate that the three of them died in the pleasure of this apprehension due to the intensity of passionate love. In this dictum the Sages, may their memory be blessed, followed the generally accepted poetical way of expression that calls the apprehension | that is achieved in a state of intense and passionate love for Him, may He be exalted, a kiss, in accordance with its dictum: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, and so on.50 [The Sages], may their memory be blessed, mention the occurrence of this kind of death, which in true reality is salvation from death, only with regard to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. The other prophets and excellent men are beneath this degree; but it holds good for all of them that the apprehension of their intellects becomes stronger at the separation, just as it is said: And thy righteousness shall go before thee,• the glory of the Lord shall be at thy rear}* After having reached this condition of enduring permanence, that intellect remains in one and the same state, the impediment that sometimes screened him off having been removed. And he will remain permanently in that state of intense pleasure, which does not belong to the genus of bodily pleasures, as we have explained in our compilations and as others have explained before us.
Bring your soul to understand this chapter, and direct your efforts to the multiplying of those times52 in which you are with God or endeavoring to approach Him and to decreasing those times in which you are with other than He and in which you make no efforts to approach Him. This guidance is sufficient in view of the purpose of this Treatise.
50. Song of Songs 1:2. 51. Isa. 58:8. 52. Or: moments.
CHAPTER 52 Man does not sit, move, and occupy himself when he is alone in his house, as he sits, moves, and occupies himself when he is in the presence of a great king 5 nor does he speak and rejoice while he is with his family and relatives, as he speaks in the king’s council. Therefore he who chooses to achieve human perfection and to be in true reality a man of God must give heed and know | that the great king who always accompanies him and cleaves to him is greater than any human individual, even if the latter be David and Solomon. This king who cleaves to him and accompanies him is the intellect that overflows toward us and is the bond between us and Him, may He be exalted. Just as we apprehend Him by means of that light which He caused to overflow toward us - as it says, In Thy light do we see light 1 — so does He by means of this selfsame light examine us 5 and because of it, He, may He be exalted, is constantly with us, examining from on high: Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?2 Under¬ stand this well. Know that when perfect men understand this, they achieve such humility, such awe and fear of God, such reverence and such shame before Him, may He be exalted - and this in ways that pertain to true reality, not to imagination — that their secret conduct with their wives and in latrines is like their public conduct with other people. This, as you will find, was the way of our most renowned Sages with their wives: One uncovers a haridbreadth and covers up a handbreadth,3 They also said: Who is modest? Whoever behaves by night as he behaves by day.* You know already that they forbade5 walking about with an erect carriage because [of the biblical dictum,] The whole earth is full of His glory;6 all this being intended firmly to establish the notion that I have mentioned to you, that we are always before Him, may He be exalted, and walk about to and fro while His Indwelling is with us. And the greatest among the Sages, may their memory be blessed, avoided uncovering their heads, because man is covered about by the Indwelling. They also spoke little for this reason. We have already given in [the Commentary on] Aboth 7 the explanation that was needed concerning the habit of speaking but little: For God is in heaven and thou upon the earth; therefore let thy words be few.6 This purpose to which I have drawn your attention is the purpose of all the actions prescribed by the Law. | For it is by all the particulars of the 7. Commentary on the Mishnah, Aboth, I 17. 8. Eccles. 5:1.
25 6jo The Guide of the Perplexed III • 53 [ 15m actions and through their repetition that some excellent men obtain such training that they achieve human perfection, so that they fear, and are in dread and in awe of, God, may He be exalted, and know who it is that is with them and as a result act subsequently as they ought to. He, may He be exalted, has explained that the end of the actions prescribed by the whole Law is to bring about the passion of which it is correct that it be brought about, as we have demonstrated in this chapter for the benefit of those who know the true realities. I refer to the fear of Him, may He be exalted, and the awe before His command. It says: If thou wilt not take care to observe all the words of this Law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name, the Lord thy God.9 Consider how it is explicitly stated for your benefit that the intention of all the words of this Law is one end, namely, that thou mayest fear the Name, and so on. The fact that this end is achieved through actions, you can learn from its dictum in this verse: If thou wilt not take care to observe. For it has already been made clear that this refers to actions prescribed by commandments and prohibitions. As for the opinions that the Torah teaches us — namely, the apprehension of His being and His unity, may He be exalted — these opinions teach us love, as we have explained several times. You know to what extent the Torah lays stress upon love: With all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.i0 For these two ends, namely, love and fear, are achieved through two things: love through the opinions taught by the Law, which include the apprehension of His being as He, may He be exalted, is in truth; while fear is achieved by means of all actions prescribed by the Law, as we have explained. Understand this summary. | CHAPTER 55 This chapter includes an interpretation of the meaning of three terms that we have need of interpreting: namely, hesed [loving-kindness], mishpat [ judgment ], and sedaqah righteousness].
We have already explained in the Commentary on Abothx that the meaning of hesed is excess in whatever matter excess is practiced. In most cases, however, it is applied to excess in beneficence. Now it is known that 1. Commentary on the IVIishnah, Aboth, V 6, and II 10, 131^] The Guide of the Perplexed III • 55 631