Sefer Ha'Madda

THE LAWS OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE TORAH These chapters discuss the following six positive commandments and four negative commandments: 1) To recognise God. 2) Not even to speculate that there might be a god other than God. 3) To unify God. 4) To love God. 5) To have fear of God. 6) To sanctify God's Name. 7) Not to desecrate God's Name. 8) Not to destroy things on which God's Name is written. 9) To listen to a prophet who speaks in God's Name. 10) Not to test God.CHAPTER ONE This chapter explains that God, Lord of the universe and Master of the world, existed before anything else did, that He has no body, and that there is none other beside Him.   1) It is the most basic of basic principles and a support for wisdom to know that there is something [namely God] that existed before anything else did and that He created everything that there is. Everything in the skies, on the ground and in between exists only because of the fact that He created them. 2) Let it be known that if the Creator did not exist then nothing else would, for nothing can exist independently of the Creator. 3) Let it further be known that if everything ceased to exist, the Creator alone would exist and would not have ceased to exist like everything else had. All things in creation are dependant upon the Creator for their continued existence, but He does not need any of them [for His continued existence]. Therefore, the reality of His existence is not like the reality of the existence of any creation. 4) One of the Prophets said, "But the Lord is the true God", meaning that only God is everlasting and that nothing else is. This is what the Torah has said: "There is none else beside Him", namely, that there is nothing in existence that is everlasting, except for God. 5) The Creator is the God of the world and Master of the Earth, and He guides the [uppermost] sphere with a power that is never-ending, never-weakening and continuous. This sphere rotates perpetually, and it is impossible for it to rotate without being guided. It is God who guides it, even though that He has no hand or body. 6) It is a positive commandment to know these matters, for it is written, "I am the Lord your God". Anyone who even speculates that there might be a god other than the Lord is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall have no other gods besides Me". Anyone who denies this principle is [in effect] denying everything, for it is on this important principle that everything depends. 7) God is not two or more entities, but a single entity of a oneness even more single and unique than any single thing in creation. His oneness is not like that of a single type which consists of many individuals [like the oneness of a species], and nor is it like the oneness of the body, which incorporates many parts, but His oneness is absolutely unique, and there is nothing else in existence with a oneness like His. Had God been more than a single entity, then all of them would have physical bodies, for entities equal in existence differ only in bodily matters. If the Creator did have a body He would have

had weaknesses and an end, for it is impossible for a physical body that has no end to exist. The strength of something that has weaknesses and an end also has an end, and a limit. The strength of our God is not like the strength of the body, for it has no end or pause, and perpetually guides the sphere. Since He has no body He has no bodily appearance, and cannot be sub-divided into different parts - therefore, it is impossible for Him to be anything other than one. It is a positive commandment to know this, for it is written, "...the Lord is our God, the Lord is one". 8) It has been stated in Scripture that God has no physical form, as it is written, "...that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath: there is none other". A physical body cannot be in two places at once. It is also written, "...for you saw no manner of form", and, "To whom then will you compare Me, that I should be his equal?" - had God had a body it would have been similar to other bodies. 9) If so, what does the Torah mean when it says things like, "under His feet" (Exodus 31:18), "written with the finger of God" (ibid), "the hand of the Lord" (Exodus 9:3), "the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 38:7), "the ears of the Lord" (Numbers 11:1), et cetera? These phrases are in line with the level of understanding of people, who can only comprehend physical existence, and the Torah speaks in terms that we can understand. All examples of this nature are merely attributory. For example, when it says, "If I whet My glittering sword" - does God really have a sword and does He really kill with one?! Such phrases are figurative. Evidence for this is that one Prophet saw God as wearing garments as white as snow, whereas another Prophet saw God as wearing crimsoned garments from Bozrah. Moses our Teacher himself saw, at the time of the splitting of the Red Sea, God as a war-waging warrior, but at Sinai as a cantor to show him the order of prayer. This shows that God has no form or shape [because He appears different to different people]. God's appearance varies according to each prophetic vision and what it contains. It is beyond Man's intellect to investigate or comprehend [the nature of] God's existence, as it is written, "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the purpose of the Almighty?". 10) What motive did Moses have to comprehend [God] as it is written, "I beg of You, show me Your glory"? Just as one can recognise a particular person's appearance and know him to be different from other people, so Moses wanted to recognise God's existence and to be able to differentiate from everything else. God replied to Moses that is beyond the strengths of a living man, whose body and soul are as one, to understand the nature of His existence. God then made to Moses things which no man before or since had known so that Moses comprehended - that God is different in intellect from other things in existence, just as a particular person is different in dress and intellect from all other people. Scripture hinted at this matter by saying, "...and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen". 11) Once it is known that God has no physical body it will become clear that He doesn't experience any bodily sensations either, sensations such as formation, decomposition, occupying a physical space or size, rising or falling [in standard], a left or right side, a need to stand or sit, et cetera. God does not exist in Time, so He has no beginning or end. God also does not change, for there is nothing that can induce a change in Him. God cannot die, and does not live as life is known. God also has no stupidity or wisdom as we know them, does not sleep or wake up, and does not experience anger, merriment, joy,

sadness, silence or speech as we know them. The Sages said, `God does not have a need to sit, a rival, a back or weariness". 12) Since matters concerning bodily experience are such, then all words connected to this mentioned in the Torah and by the Prophets are all exemplary and figures of speech. Examples of this are: "He who sits in the heavens laughs", "...that they provoked Me to anger", "...that as the Lord rejoiced", et cetera. The Sages said that the Torah is phrased in out terms. In Jeremiah 7:9 it says, "Do they provoke Me to anger?", whereas in Malachi 3:6 it says, "For I am the Lord, I do not change". If God [really] was sometimes angry and sometimes joyful, then He would be changing. Such characteristics are found only in the dark and gloomy [existence of having a] body, which lives in huts of mud and which was created from dust, but God is higher and raised above all this. CHAPTER TWO This chapter explains that it is a commandment to love God, that all creations consist of three parts, and starts the discussion of mystical and esoteric speculation.   1) It is a commandment to love and fear the venerable and feared Almighty, for it is written, "And you shall love the Lord your God", and it is also written, "You shall fear the Lord your God". 2) What is the way to love and fear God? Whenever one contemplates the great wonders of God's works and creations, and one sees that they are a product of a wisdom that has no bounds or limits, one will immediately love, laud and glorify [God] with an immense passion to know the Great Name, like David has said, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God". When one thinks about these matters one will feel a great fear and trepidation, and one will know that one is a low and insignificant creation, with hardly an iota of intelligence compared to that of God, like David has said, "When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers...what is man, that You are heedful of him?". Bearing these things in mind, I shall explain important concepts of the Creator's work, as a guide to understanding and loving God. Concerning this love the Sages said that from it will come to know God. 3) Everything that God created in His world can be placed in one of three classifications. Firstly, there are those creations, such as the bodies of men and animals, plants and the molten images, which have a shape and form which always exist and can be spoiled. Secondly, there are those creations which have a shape and form which does not vary from body to body or in appearance, like those in the first category do, but their shape is fixed by their form and can never change. These are the spheres and the stars contained therein. Their form and shape are like none other. Thirdly, there are those creations which have a form but no shape. These are the angels, which have no bodies, but whose form vary from angel to angel. 4) If so, what did the Prophets mean when they said that they saw angels of fire with wings? This is owing to the riddles of prophetic vision, for angels [in reality] have no bodies and are not affected by physical limitations, for it is written, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire". This fire is merely analogous, as it is written, "...who makes the wings His messengers". 5) In what, therefore, are these forms different if they no bodies? They are not equal in their existence, some being below others and owing their existence to those above them, and all of them owe their existence to the power of God and to His goodness. Solomon in

his wisdom hinted at this by saying, "...for there is a High One that watches over him that is high". 6) The phrase `some being below others' does not refer to positions in physical height, but just as one person can be more learned than another and we say that he is `above' the other, and just as says that one set of circumstances is `above' another, so is the meaning of this phrase. 7) Each level of angel has a different name. The highest level consists of the Holy Chayot, then come the Ophanim, the Erelim, the Chashmalim, the Seraphim, the Malachim, the Elohim, the Cheruvim and the Ishim. The highest level is that of the Holy Chayot and there is none other above it, except that of God. Therefore, in the Prophecies, it is said that they are underneath God's throne. The tenth level consists of the Ishim, who are the angel who speak with the Prophets and appear to them in prophetic visions. They are therefore called Ishim - `men' - for the reason that their level is closest to that of the intellect of Man. 8) All these forms live and know their Creator exceedingly well; each form according to its level and not according to its size. Even those on the topmost level cannot comprehend the reality of [the existence of] God for the reason that their intellect is insufficient for them to do so, but they understand and comprehend better than those on the levels below theirs do. Even those on the tenth level have some understanding of God, but it is beyond the capabilities of Man, who comprises both form and shape, to understand as well as those on the tenth level do. None know God the way He Himself does. 9) All things that exist, with the exception of God, from the Holy Chayot down to the smallest mosquito that lives in the mud, do so on account of God's might. Since God knows His own self and recognises His own greatness, glory and reality, He knows everything, and there is nothing that is hidden from Him. 10) God recognises His own reality and knows it as it is, but not with an external intellect in the way that we know things, since us and our intellect are not one. God, His intellect and His life, however, are one, in all manners of oneness. It would transpire that he is simultaneously the One that knows, the One that is known and the knowing itself, all as one. This subject cannot be spoken or heard, and it is beyond Man's understanding to recognise his Creator. Therefore, it is written, "By the life of Pharaoh", "As your soul lives" [but], "As the Lord lives"10, and not, "By the life of the Lord" - for the Creator and His life are not two, like physical life or the life of the angels. Therefore, God does not know the creations because of their own existence, but knows them of His own accord. Therefore, He knows everything, for everything relies on Him for continued existence. 11) What's been said in these two chapters is like a drop on the ocean compared to what has to be said to [fully] explain it. The explanations of the concepts in these two chapters is mystical and esoteric speculation. 12) The first Sages commanded us not to discuss these topics with more than one person and that person should be exceedingly wise. When teaching someone these topics, one teaches him first what is contained in the beginning of these chapters in small quantities, and he should be able to deduce further details on his own. These matters are extremely deep in nature, and not everyone can understand them. Solomon in his wisdom said, "Lambs shall provide Your clothing". In explaining this parable, the Sages said that those things that are His dominion over the world will be His clothing, namely, His and only His, and not for the many. On this it has been said, "Let them be only Your own, and not

strangers' with You", and it has also been said, "Honey and milk are under your tongue". The first Sages said that anything that is like milk and honey should be under one's tongue. CHAPTER THREE This chapter names the spheres and discusses their physics, and also discusses the nature and physics of the four elements.   1) Those things which are called heaven, firmament, Zevul and Aravot are spheres, and there are nine spheres altogether. The sphere nearest to us is that of the moon. The second nearest is that which contains the planet Mercury, followed by the sphere containing the planet Venus, the sphere of the sun, the sphere containing the planet Mars, the sphere containing the planet Jupiter, the sphere containing the planet Saturn, and the sphere containing all the other stars which are visible in the firmament. The ninth sphere is that which moves from east to west every day, and which encloses and encircles everything. All the stars appear to be in the same sphere, even though the spheres are layered, for the reason that the spheres are pure and transparent like glass or sapphire, so that, for example, the stars in the eighth sphere [will] appear to be under the first sphere. 2) Each and every of the eight spheres which contain the stars is split up into many [sub-] spheres, like the skin of an onion. Some of these [sub-spheres] rotate from west to east, and some, like the ninth sphere, rotate from east to west. There is no free space between the sub-spheres. 3) None of the spheres is light or heavy, and none of them has a colour. What we see as blue [in the sky] is merely an illusion, caused by the height involved. Similarly, the spheres have no smell or taste, for these properties are found only in the physical bodies beneath the spheres. 4) All these spheres that surround the world are spherical like a ball [and concentric], with the world suspended at the centre. Some of the stars have small spheres around them; these small spheres do not surround the world, but they are non-surrounding small spheres contained within the larger surrounding sphere. 5) The number of spheres that surround the world is eighteen, whereas there are only eight non-surrounding small spheres. From the movement of the stars and from knowing their rate of progress each day and hour, and from their inclination from the equator, and from their distance from the Earth, the number of spheres and the way they move and surround [the world] can be deduced. Such calculations are the key calculations to working out the seasons and the [positions of the] Zodiac signs. The wise people of [Ancient] Greece wrote many books on this subject. 6) The early Sages divided the ninth sphere, which surrounds everything, into twelve parts. Each part was given a name appropriate to the pattern of stars it contains. The names of the Zodiac symbols are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. 7) The ninth sphere has no divisions, or a form of one of the forms described above, or any stars, but with being in contact with the stars of the eighth sphere and the big stars contained therein, it appears to have these forms, or some form close to them. These twelve forms [of the Zodiac] were in conjunction with the appropriate divisions, but after the Flood, when they were named, they shifted slightly. All the stars in the eighth sphere

rotate in the same way that the sun and the moon do, but slower; the distance that sun covers in one day will take these stars [of the eighth sphere] seventy years to cover. 8) Of the visible stars, there are some smaller than the Earth, and there are some considerably bigger than the Earth. The Earth is approximately 40 times bigger than the moon, and the sun is approximately 170 times bigger than the Earth, so the moon is approximately 6800 times smaller than the sun. No star is bigger than the sun, and none is smaller then Mercury, which is in the second sphere. 9) All the stars and spheres possess souls, intellect and understanding, and they are alive, exist and recognise their Creator. Like the angels, all of them praise and laud their Creator, and do so according to their importance and level. Just as they recognise God so do they recognise themselves and the angels who are above them. The intellect of the stars and spheres is less than that of the angels, but greater than that of men. 10) The Almighty created a shape which is unlike that of the spheres [themselves] beneath the lunar sphere. This shape has four forms, which [also] aren't like the forms of the spheres. Each of these forms possesses some of this shape. The first form is that of fire, and combines with this shape to form the body of fire. The second form is that of wind, and combines with this shape to form the body of wind. The third form is that of water, and combines with this shape to form the body of water. The fourth form is that of earth, and combines with this shape to form the body of earth. It transpires that there are four bodies under the firmament, one above the other, and each body surrounds that beneath it from all sides, like a ball. The first body nearest the moon is that of fire, followed by the wind, the water and the earth. There is absolutely no free space between these bodies at all. 11) These four bodies do not possess souls, and do not know or recognise God, but they are like non-living matter. Each body has its own nature, which it does not know or understand, and cannot change. David said, "Praise the Lord from the earth, O monsters, and all deeps: fire, and hail, snow and vapours", meaning that those that are found on the earth should praise the Lord for His might that is visible in the fire and hail and in all the other creations beneath the firmament, just as their might is always recognised. CHAPTER FOUR This chapter explains that all creations are made from the four elements, discusses the form of the soul, and the difference between mystical and esoterical speculation and the Action of Creation.   1) These four elements - fire, wind, water and earth - are the foundations of all the creations under the heavens. The shape of all things, such as Man, animals, birds, fish, metals, precious stones, pearls, building materials, plants, mountains, clods of earth, et cetera, is founded on these four elements. It transpires that all bodies under the heavens, except for these four elements, consist of a combined form and shape, the shape of which consists of the four elements, but each of the four elements consists of just a combined shape and form. 2) The fire and wind follow an upward vector from the centre of the world towards the sky, whereas the water and earth follow a downward vector from the sky to the centre, for the centre of the sky is the lowest point beneath which there is none lower. Their passage in this manner is without their knowledge or will, but is their in-built tendency and nature. The nature of the fire is that it is hot and dry, and is the lightest of all the

elements. The wind is hot and humid, and the water is cold and wet. The earth is dry and cold, and is the heaviest of all the elements. The water is lighter than the earth, and is therefore found above the earth. The wind is lighter than the water, which is why it hovers above the water, and the fire is lighter than the wind. Since they are the foundations of all bodies under the firmament, it is found that each and every body, be it man or animal, beast or bird, fish or plant, metal or stone, et cetera, has its shape formed out of fire, wind, water and earth. The four elements are mixed together [in forming a body] and change in the process, so that the body formed by the mixture does not represent any single element. No part at all in this mixture will be found to be one of the four elements in its pure form, because they all changed and turned into a different body. Each and every body made out of these four elements will possess the properties of heat, cold, wetness and dryness. Some bodies, such as the bodies of living creatures, however, will contain a greater proportion of fire, which is why they are warm. Some bodies, such as stones, will contain a greater proportion of earth, so they are very dry. Some bodies will contain a greater proportion of water, so they will be the wettest [of all bodies]. In this manner, one will find one warm body hotter than another warm body, and one dry body drier than another dry body. Similarly, one will find bodies which are exceedingly cold, bodies which are exceedingly wet, or bodies which contain equal proportions of the elements. The element in the majority will be the one that will give the resultant body its [most noticeable] characteristics. 3) Anything made from these four elements will eventually be divided up again into them. Some are divided up after only a few days [following their formation], while others are divided up after many years. It is impossible for anything made from these elements not to be divided up. Even gold and rubies will be divided up. Upon division of a body, its elemental constituents return to their appropriate places. 4) If bodies are divided up into the four elements, why does it say about Man, "...and to dust you shall return"? This is because Man is composed mainly of the earth element. When a body divides up, its elemental constituents do not immediately return to their appropriate places, but turn into something else, which turns into another thing, and so on, but the elemental constituents eventually do return to their appropriate places. The elements return to [and leave] their appropriate places in a never-ending cycle. 5) The four elements are perpetually exchanging material every day and at all hours. What does this mean? Some of the earth which is nearest to the water changes and crumbles, and turns into water. Similarly, some of the water which is nearest to the wind changes and melts, and turns into wind. Likewise, some of the wind nearest the fire changes and turns into fire. Some of the fire nearest the wind turns into wind. Some of the wind nearest the water turns into water. Some of the water nearest the earth turns into earth. This process is long and slow. An element cannot change in its entirety into some other element, for it is impossible for one of the four elements to completely cease to exist, but can exchange material with one of the other elements. There is this exchange of material between each element and its neighbour in a never-ending cycle. 6) This process of change takes place because of the rotation of the spheres, as does fusion of the four elements to form the bodies of Man, living creatures, plants, stone, metal, et cetera. God, with the aid of the tenth type of angel, the Ishim, gave an appropriate shape to each body.

7) One will never see a shape without form, or a form without shape. It is because of a man's wisdom that he knows that a given body has a shape and a form, and that its shape consists of [material from] the four elements, and that there are bodies whose shapes are simple and have just a single constituent. The forms which have no shape are not visible to the eye, but are known by the power of intellect, just as we know God without seeing Him with our eyes. 8) The soul of a living creature is the form given to it by God [to differentiate it from plants], and the extra intellect found in a man's soul is the form of a man as he understands it. Concerning this form the Torah says, "Let us make Mankind in our image, after our likeness"; that is to say that Man will have a form that is capable of understanding [the concepts of] intellects without a shape, such as angels, who have a form but no shape, so that he will be similar to them. The words, "our image" do not refer to the form visible to the eye, namely the form which consists of a mouth, nose, jaw and other parts of the body, for this form is called the countenance. It is not [necessarily] a soul which is found in all living creatures that eat, drink, give birth, feel and think, but the intellect, which is in the form of the [essential] soul, concerning which Scripture said, "...in our image, after our likeness"4. This form is very often called the soul and breath. One has to very careful with these names so as not to make a mistake. Each and every name is self-explanatory. 9) This form of life is not made from the elements [just] to be able to get away from them, and is not created with the strength of or for the needs of the soul, as if the soul needs the body, but is created by God, and is from Heaven. Therefore, when a shape which is composed of the four elements divides up, the soul is `lost', because the soul is found only with a body and needs a body for all its actions, but knows and understands the knowledge which is distinct from the shapes, and knows God, and remains in existence for ever. Solomon, in his wisdom, said, "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it". 10) These matters have been discussed very briefly here, and are deep matters, but not as deep as those discussed in the first two chapters. The matters discussed in the first two chapters are those of the Action of Creation. The first Sages commanded us not to discuss these matters in public either, but with a single person one may talk about them, and one may teach them to a single person. 11) What is the difference between mystical and esoterical speculation and these matters? The former is never discussed with even a single person, unless that person is a wise and understanding person, and even then one doesn't discuss it too deeply. The Action of Creation may be discussed with any single person, even if his intellect is such that he won't understand it, and one may tell him as much as he is capable of understanding. These matters are not discussed amongst many people, for the reason that not everybody is of an intellectual level which will enable them to understand these matters. 12) Whenever a man contemplates these matters and recognises the creations - angels, spheres, Man, et cetera - and sees God's wisdom in all the formations and creations, his love for God will increase, find his soul, and his very essence will yearn to love God. Furthermore, he will fear his baseness, meagerity and lightness when he compares himself to one of the great and holy forms which have no shape and are not elemental [namely, the angels], and he will see himself as an empty and superfluous vessel, full of shame and disgrace.

13) These four chapters have discussed the first five commandments [in the list at the beginning of these Laws], and are what the first Sages called esoterical philosophy, as it is written, "Four people went to study esoterical philosophy, et cetera". Even though those four people were giants of Israel and very great sages, not all of them had the capability to understand and comprehend these matters. I say that it is not fitting to study esoterical philosophy unless one has first studied what is metaphorically called `bread and meat', which is the study of what is permitted, what is forbidden, and other commandments. These matters were called small matters by the Sages, as they have said, "Mystical and esoterical speculation is a big matter, whereas the [still applicable] debates of Abbayeh and Ravah are small matters". Nevertheless, it is still fitting to study other commandments first, because they settle a man's mind. Furthermore, they are the great good which God gave to this world, by which we can inherit life in the World To Come. It is possible for everyone - adults, children, men, women, those who are narrow-minded and those who are not - to know these matters. CHAPTER FIVE This chapter explains that all Jews are commanded to sanctify God's Name, when to transgress when under a death a threat and when to die, and defines a what constitutes a desecration of God's Name.   1) Every Jew [including women] is commanded to sanctify God's Name, for it is written, "...but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel". We are warned not to desecrate God's Name, as it is written, "Nor shall you desecrate My holy Name"1. What does this mean? If, for example, a gentile forces a Jew to commit a sin by threatening to kill him if he doesn't, then he should commit the sin in order not to be killed, for concerning this commandment it is written, "...which if a man does he shall live by them" - and not die for them. If he allowed himself to be killed by not committing the sin, then he is liable as a suicide [in the World To Come]. 2) This is talking about any sin other than idolatry, adultery and murder, for if a gentile told one to commit one of these sins or else he will kill one, one has to allow oneself to be killed by not committing the sin. This difference [between these three commandments and the others] is applicable only when the gentile intends to receive benefit for himself, by, for example, forcing a Jew to build a house for him on the Sabbath, or cook him a meal on the Sabbath, or by forcing a Jewess to have intercourse with him, but if he just wanted the Jew to sin, then the following applies: If there were no, or fewer than ten, Jews present, then he may save his life by sinning, but if there were ten, or more, Jews present, then he has to allow himself to be killed by not sinning, even if the sin involved is not one of the three mentioned above but is one of the other commandments. 3) These matters do not apply during a time of non-persecution, but at a time of persecution, such as when a wicked king such as Nebuchadnezzar arises and decrees against the Jews that they should forego their religion or one of the commandments, then one may not sin and one should allow oneself to be killed, even if the decree concerns a commandment other than the three mentioned above, and whether one is forced into sinning in the presence of ten, or more, Jews, or not. 4) Anyone who says that he will sin and so not be killed but [in the end] was killed without having sinned is liable as a suicide. Anybody who says that he will not sin and will allow himself to be killed, and is killed without sinning, is sanctifying God's Name.

If this happened in the presence of ten, or more, Jews, then it is a public sanctification, like what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah and Rabbi Akivah and his colleagues did. These are people who were persecuted by a kingdom and above whose level there isn't one, and about them it is written, "But for Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are considered as sheep for the slaughter", and it is also written about them, "Gather My pious ones together to Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice". Anybody who is told to sin, but is not threatened with death if he doesn't, and he does sin, then has desecrated God's Name. If this was in the presence of ten, or more, Jews, then it is a public desecration, and he has abrogated the positive commandment to sanctify God's Name by transgressing the negative commandment not to desecrate it. Even so, he is not liable to flogging, for the reason that the situation was forced on him. It need not be said that he is not executed by a Court of Law even if he was forced to commit murder, for the reason that flogging and execution are only for people who [of their own accord] willingly sin in the presence of witnesses who warned him, for concerning one who gives of his children to Molech it is written, "Then I will set My face against that man". According to tradition, we have learnt that the word "that" comes to exclude those people who are forced to sin, or who do so inadvertently or accidentally. Since one who is forced to commit idolatry, the worst sin of all, is not liable to karet, and it need not be said that he is not executed by a Court of Law either, then how much more so this rule applies to the other commandments of the Torah. Concerning adultery it is written, "...but you shall do nothing to the girl". {If, however, one could have saved oneself by running away from the [jurisdiction of the] wicked king but one didn't, then one is like a dog who returns to its vomit, and one receives the status of a wilful sinner [with respect to idolatry], and one will be banished from the World To Come and descend to the depth of Hades.} 5) If a group of gentiles said to a group of [Jewish] women, `Give us one of you and we will debauch her, or else we will debauch all of you', then they [may not select a `victim' and] must allow themselves all to be debauched, and they may not hand over to them even a single Jewish person. Similarly, if gentiles told a group of Jews to select one of themselves to be killed or else they will all be killed, then they must all allow themselves to be killed, and they may not hand over to them even a single Jewish person. If, however, they singled a person out by saying to the group, `Give us X to be killed, or else we will kill all of you', then if the person in question is liable to death in the way that Sheba the son of Bichri was they may hand him over, but this procedure should not, from the outset, be followed. If, however, the person in question was liable to death they should all allow themselves to be killed, and they may not hand over to them even a single Jewish person. 6) What has been said [regarding idolatry, adultery and murder, and other commandments] concerning situations forced upon one also apply to ill people. What does this mean? If someone was seriously ill and the doctors said that the cure involves breaching one of the negative commandments of the Torah [or any of the other commandments], then he may breach any of the commandments of the Torah except for idolatry, adultery and murder, in order to cure himself of a dangerous illness. One may not transgress any of these three commandments even to cure a dangerous illness. If one did transgress one of these three commandments and was cured as a result, then one is liable to the appropriate punishment in a Court of Law.

7) From where is it known that even in life-threatening situations these three sins may not be committed? It is written, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" - this applies even if God is about to take one's soul. Concerning killing one Jew in order to cure another or to save another from a forced situation; common sense tells us that we dot kill one person to save another. Adultery is compared to murder, as it is written, "...for as when a man rises against his fellow and kills him, so is this matter". 8) When it has been said that commandments other than the three special ones may be transgressed in order to cure a life-threatening illness, it may be done only if the ill person receives some [other] benefit from it, such as if the cure involves eating creeping animals or insects, or chametz on Pesach, or eating on Yom Kippur, but if the cure does not involve some [other] benefit, for instance, if the cure involves making a bandage out of chametz [on Pesach], or from orlah, or he has to drink something bitter made from something forbidden, then even if the illness is not life- threatening, one may commit the sin. Vegetables grown together and meat/milk mixtures, however, are always forbidden, even if their administration does not involve some [other] benefit. Therefore, they are not used medicinally, even without involving some [other] benefit, unless the illness is a life threatening one. 9) If someone had his eyes on a particular woman and then developed a terminal illness, and the doctors said that he cannot be cured unless he has intercourse with that woman, then he may not do so and has to die, even if the woman was unmarried. We do not even allow him to speak to her through some sort of barrier [which does allow them to see each other], even if he will die, so that Jewish girls will not be casual about adultery. 10) One who is not in a forced situation and brazenly sins in order to anger God is desecrating God's Name. Therefore, concerning one who takes a false oath it is written, "...nor shall you profane the Name of your God; I am the Lord". If he desecrated God's Name in the presence of ten, or more, Jews, then he has done so publicly. In a similar vein, anyone who runs away from sin, and fulfils mitzvot for no reason other than that God commands it, in the way that Joseph ran away from his master's wife, is sanctifying God's Name. 11) There are other things which also count as a desecration of God's Name if a man very knowledgeable in Torah and known as being pious does them; things which ordinary people do. Even though these things are not sins, they still count as a desecration of God's Name. Such things include taking possession of an article and not paying for it immediately, even though one may have sufficient funds, and one will be messing the sellers around. Being excessively merry, or eating and drinking a lot amongst ignoramuses also fall into this category, as does speaking to others in an unreposed manner and without a pleasant facial expression, but in a quarrelous and angry manner. Similar things also count. Every great sage has to judge himself, according to his greatness, how to be particular on himself and to act beyond the letter of the law. Similarly, if a wise person is particular to receive people in a reposed manner, and involves himself and receives them with a pleasant expression on his face, and does not hide from them, then even those people who [had previously] mocked him will now respect and honour him, and will trust him. He should, however, not partake of too many meals with ignoramuses, and should always be seen to be busying himself with Torah, and wrapped in his tsitsit and wearing his tephillin, and always acting beyond the letter of

the law, which involves not being too withdrawn or bewildered. If he acts in this way, then everyone will adore and love him, and follow his example. This is a sanctification of God's Name, and concerning this it is written, "...and said to me, `You are My servant, Israel, amongst whom I will be glorified". CHAPTER SIX This chapter explains that it is forbidden to erase any of the Holy Names, and states which Names mat be erased.   1) Anyone who erases one of the holy and pure Names by which God is called is liable to flogging according to the Torah, for concerning idol- worship it is written, "...and destroy the name of them from that place. This you shall not do to the Lord your God". 2) The seven Names of God are: the Tetragrammaton, which is written as either Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey or Aleph-Daled-Nun-Yud [Lord], Aleph-Lamed [Almighty], Aleph-Lamed-Hey-Yud-Mem [God], Shin-Daled-Yud [Almighty], Tsadi-Vet-Aleph-Vav-Saf [Hosts] and Aleph-Hey-Yud-Hey [I am]. Anyone who erases even one letter of any of these Names is liable to flogging. 3) Any prefixes to any Name, such as a Lamed to form, `to the Lord', may be erased, because they are not holy. Any suffixes, such as a Chaf to form, `your God', may not be erased, because they are like the letters of the Name, which lend holiness to them. Even though these added letters are holy and may not be erased, anyone who does erase them is not liable to flogging according to the Torah, but is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree. 4) If one wrote the Aleph and Lamed of `Elokim', or the Yud and Hey of the Tetragrammaton, one may not erase them, and it need not be said that the Name which is spelt Yud-Hey [Jah] itself may not be erased, firstly because it is a Name in its own right, and secondly because it is part of the Tetragrammaton. If, however, one wrote the Shin and Daled of `Shakai', or the Tsadi and Vet of `Tsvakot', one may erase them. 5) Attributes, such as Merciful and Graceful, with which God is praised are like miscellaneous holy words, and it is permitted to erase them. 6) Concerning a vessel on which a Name is written; the part on which the Name is written must be cut out and relegated to the archives [before the vessel may be used]. Even if the Name was engraved [and not written] in a metal or glass vessel, then one who melts the vessel is liable to flogging. To be allowed to use such a vessel one first has to remove that part on which the Name is engraved and relegate it to the archives. Similarly, if one had a Name written on one's flesh, one may not wash or apply ointments or creams [on that place], and one may not stand in a place which is soiled with excrement. If, for whatever reason by way of a mitzvah, one has to immerse oneself in a ritual bath, one must cover the place on which the Name is written with something that is waterproof before immersing oneself. If one could not find something that is waterproof, one should wrap a garment round [that part of one's skin] without sticking it, so that it won't act as a barrier between one's skin and the water. The only reason he has to wrap up the Name [in the first place] is that it is forbidden to stand naked in the presence of God's Name. 7) Anyone who removes, by way of destruction, even one stone from the Altar, the Holy Hall or any other part of the Temple Courtyard is liable to flogging, for concerning idol-worship it is written, "And you shall overthrow their altars...This you shall not do to the Lord your God". Similarly, anyone who, for destructive purposes, burns any sanctified

wood is liable to flogging, for it is written, "...and burn their asherim with fire...This you shall not do to the Lord your God"2. 8) It is forbidden to burn any holy writings, or any translations of or commentaries on them. It is also forbidden to tear them up, any anyone who does so is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree. This is talking about holy writings written by a Jew in holiness, but if a Jewish heretic wrote a Sefer Torah, it must be burned along with the Names therein, for the reason that the heretic does not believe in the holiness of the Names, and does not write them with the correct intention , but treats them as ordinary literature. Since his attitudes are such his writings of [any of] God's Names are not holy, and it is a mitzvah to burn them, so as not to give any credence to heretics or to their actions. Any Names written by a gentile, however, are relegated to the archives, as are any holy writings which have become worn out or which were written by a gentile. 9) Any Names mentioned in connection with Abraham are holy. Even where it says, "...and said, `My Lord, if now I have found favour in Your eyes'", the Name there is holy. All Names mentioned in connection with Lot are not holy, with this exception: "And Lot said to them, `Oh, not so, my Lord: behold, your servant has found favour in your eyes...in saving my life". All the Names mentioned at the hills of Benjamin are holy. The Names mentioned with Michah are not holy. All the Names mentioned in connection with Navot are holy. All that Solomon wrote in the Song of Songs is holy and has the same status as the other Attributes, with this exception: "You, O Solomon, may have the thousand". Any mention of any king in the book of Daniel is not holy, with the exception of, "You, O king, king of kings", which has the status of other Attributes. CHAPTER SEVEN This chapter discusses prophecy and who warrants it, and explains the difference between the prophecy of Moses and that of the other Prophets. 1) One of the bases of religion is to know that God visits people in prophetic visions, which come only to exceedingly wise people of outstanding characteristics, whose inclinations never lead them to earthly matters but who always conquer their inclinations, and who are of correct temperaments. A person who fulfils these criteria, and is of perfect health, will, when studying esoterical philosophy and is attracted by those elevated issues and is of an appropriate temperament to understand and comprehend them , and sanctifies himself by moving away from anybody who concerns himself with ephemeral matters, and encourages himself not to have any thoughts about useless matters and its contrivances, have his thoughts permanently attuned to above, from under God's Throne, to understand the pure and holy forms, and looks upon the wisdom of God [in Creation] in its entirety, from the first form [i.e the Holy Chayot] till the centre of the Earth, and sees in them God's greatness, and then prophecy will immediately come to him. At the time when prophecy comes to him, his soul will be on the same level as that of the Ishim angels, and he will become a different man, and he will realise that he is not [any more] as he was, but will rise above the level of other wise men, as it is written, "...and you shall prophesy with him, and shall be turned into another man". 2) There are [many] levels of prophecy - in the same way that one person can be wiser than another, so can he be more prophetic. Prophetic insights come only in nocturnal visions in dreams, or by day after falling asleep, as it is written, "I the Lord make Myself known to him in a vision, and speak to him in a dream". Whenever one is receiving a prophecy, one's limbs shake, the strength of one's body weakens, and one's thoughts

become disturbed, leaving one's mind free to understand what one will see, as it is written in connection with Abraham, "...and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him", and as it is written in connection with Daniel, "...for my comely appearance was horribly changed, and I retained no strength". 3) What is made known to a prophet during prophecy is done so by way of parable, and he will immediately realise what the parable means. For instance, when Jacob the Patriarch saw the ladder with angels ascending and descending it, it was a parable representing monarchy and its subjection. Similarly, the animals which Ezekiel saw, the boiling pot and almond tree which Jeremiah saw, and all the other objects seen by the other Prophets were also parables. Of the Prophets, some, like those mentioned above, related what they saw in their prophecy and their interpretation of it, whereas some related just their interpretation. Sometimes they related just the parables [of the prophecy], like Ezekiel and Zachariah sometimes did. All of the Prophets prophesized by way of parables and riddles. 4) None of the Prophets receive prophecies whenever they wanted, but they would attune their thoughts, be happy and of a good heart, and seek solitude, for prophecy does not come to those who are sad or lazy, but only to those who are happy. Therefore, the sons of prophets would have before them harps, drums and flutes, and would seek prophecy, as it is written, "...and they shall prophesy", that is to say that they will follow the ways of prophecy until they prophecise, progressing as they go. 5) Those who seek prophecy are called the sons of prophets. Even though they attune their thoughts, the Divine Presence may, or may not, inspire them. 6) All the Prophets, from the first to the last, prophecised in these ways, with the exception of Moses our Teacher, chief of the Prophets. In what ways did Moses differ from the other Prophets? Firstly, whereas the other Prophets received their prophecies in a dream or vision, Moses received his while awake and standing, as it is written, "And when Moses was in the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him, et cetera". Secondly, the other Prophets received their prophecies via an angel. Therefore, what they saw was by way of parable and riddle. Moses, on the other hand, did not receive his prophecies via an angel, as it is written, "With him I speak mouth to mouth", "And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face", "...and the outward appearance of the Lord does he behold"7, that is to say that what Moses saw what not by way of parable, but he saw each prophecy absolutely clearly without any parables or riddles. The Torah said about him, "...manifestly, and not in dark speeches"7, showing that when Moses received a prophecy he did not do so by way of riddles, but did so with clarity, and saw everything absolutely clearly. Thirdly, the other Prophets were scared [of their prophetic visions] and would shy away, but Moses wasn't and didn't. Scripture says, "...as a man speaks with a friend"8 - just as a man is not scared to listen to his friend, so Moses had the capabilities to understand his prophecies and to stand unafraid. Fourthly, none of the Prophets prophecised whenever they wanted to, but whenever God wanted to He would visit Moses and bestow upon him prophecy. Moses did not have to attune his thoughts or otherwise prepare himself, for the reason that he was always prepared and stood like a ministering angel. Therefore, he would receive prophecies at any time, as it is written, "Stand still and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you". In this God trusted him, as it is written, "Go say to them, `Return to your tents'. But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you, et cetera". From here we see that whenever any

of the other Prophets had finished prophecising they would return to their houses [and families] and other bodily needs, like everybody else, so they therefore did not separate themselves from their wives. Moses, on the other hand, did not return to his home, and separated himself from his wife, and all that resembled her, for ever. His mind was [always] connected to God, and God's glory never left him at all; light emanated from his face, and he was holy like an angel. 7) It is possible for the prophecy of a prophet to be for him alone, to widen his outlooks and to increase his knowledge so that he will not know what he [previously] did not know from these great matters. It is also possible that he has to deliver the prophecy to one of the nations of the world, or to the people of a [particular] town, or to the citizens of a nation, [in order] to teach them wisdom, and to let them know what to do, or to prevent them from doing [again] any bad deeds. When a prophet is sent [by God] on such a mission, he is given a sign and proof [to present], so that people will know that God [really] sent him in truth. not everyone who presents a sign and proof is believed as a prophet, but only those people who are known to be suitable to receive prophecies on account of their wisdom and actions, and that they went in the ways of prophecy in its holiness and exegeses. When such people present a sign and proof and say that God sent them, it is a commandment to listen to them, for it is written, "...to him you shall listen". It is possible that although a person presents a sign and proof he is not a prophet, and the sign could be achieved by other means; even so, we are commanded to listen to him; because he is a great and wise man who is suitable to receive prophecy, we assume that his prophecy is true. In this we have commanded, just as we have been commanded to decide a verdict according to the testimony of two people who are eligible to bear testimony [together], even though they may be lying; since they have always been honest in the past, we assume that they being honest now as well. About this and similar matters it is written, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to use and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of the Torah", and it is also written, "...for a man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart". CHAPTER EIGHT This chapter discusses the signs that Moses performed and why he performed them, and that he did not do so to make the people believe in him.   1) The Children of Israel did not believe in Moses [solely] because of the signs he presented, for someone who believes [in a prophet solely] because of the signs he presents is tainted, for it could be that his signs are performed by means of spells and witchcraft. All the signs that Moses performed in the wilderness were done so according to the needs of the moment, and not to bring proof to his prophecies. There was a need to sink the Egyptians, so Moses split the sea and drowned them in it; the Children of Israel needed food, so Moses brought down the manna for them; they needed water, so Moses split the rock for them; Korah and his followers rebelled, so Moses opened up the ground and they were swallowed up. The same principle applies with all the other signs. It was the assembly at Mount Sinai that made them believe in Moses, when our eyes, and no-one else's, saw, and our ears, and no-one else's, heard, and Moses drew near to the darkness, and the voice spoke to him, and we heard it saying to Moses, "Moses, Moses, go tell them such-and-such". In connection with this it is written, "The Lord talked with

you face to face", and it is also written, "The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us". From where is it known that the assembly at Mount Sinai was the proof that the prophecy of Moses was true and that he was not speaking basely? It is derived from the verse, "Lo, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you for ever". From this we see that prior to the assembly at Mount Sinai their belief in Moses was not one that would have lasted for ever, but it was a belief that left room for discussion and thought. 2) It would transpire that those people to whom a prophet is sent are witnesses that his prophecy is true, and he need not perform any other sign, for them and they combine to form one unit with respect to this matter, in the same way that two people who saw the same thing together combine as witnesses, for each of them is a witness that the other is speaking the truth, and need not bring [additional] proof to back him up. So it was with Moses our Teacher, that all of the Children of Israel were his witnesses after the assembly at Mount Sinai, and he didn't have to perform for them any signs. This is what God said to him at the time when his prophecy started, when He showed him what signs to perform in Egypt: "And they shall listen to your voice". Moses knew that anyone who believes [solely] because of signs is tainted and will be doubtful, and expressed a reluctance to go by saying, "But behold they will not believe me"4. God told him that these signs will [continue to be performed and] applied only until they had left Egypt and assembled at Mount Sinai, whereupon any doubt will vanish, and also assured him that [at Mount Sinai] He will give signs that Moses had been sent by God in truth from the [very] beginning, and that no doubt will remain. This is what Scripture says: "...and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall God upon this mountain". From this we learn that any Prophet that came after Moses is not believed solely because of his signs to make us think that if he makes a sign we should listen to everything he says, but [is believed] because of the commandment of Moses in the Torah: "...to him you shall listen", if he gives a sign. Just as we have been commanded to decide a matter according to the testimony of two witnesses, even though we do not know if his sign is Divine or achieved by spells and witchcraft. 3) Therefore, if a prophet arose and performed great signs and wonders, and tells us to deny the prophecy of Moses our Teacher, we do not listen to him, and we [will] know for sure that his signs are the result of spells and witchcraft. The prophecy of Moses was not dependant upon signs, so the signs of this prophet cannot outweigh the signs of Moses, for we saw and heard them, just as he did. This is similar to two witnesses who bear testimony that a particular person did a particular thing in front of them, but he is not like they say he is, so we do not listen to them and we know for sure that they are false witnesses. Therefore, the Torah said that if a prophet comes with signs and wonders, we do not listen to him, for he is coming to deny that what we saw with our eyes. Since we believe in wonders only because of a commandment of Moses, how can we accept a sign that is brought to deny the prophecy of Moses which we saw and heard?! CHAPTER NINE This chapter explains that a prophet may not make any changes whatsoever in the Torah and the commandments contained therein.   1) It is explicitly and clearly stated in the Torah that it [the Torah] is an everlasting mitzvah, and cannot be changed, subtracted from or added to, as it is written, "Every

matter which I command you observe to do it; you shall not add to it, or subtract from it", and it is also written, "...but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of the Torah". From here we see that we have been commanded to keep all the commandments of the Torah for always. In connection with this it is written, "...a statute for ever throughout your generations", and it is also written, "It is not in heaven". From here we see that a prophet may not make any changes [at all] in the Torah. Therefore, if a man, whether a gentile or a Jew, arises and performs signs and wonders, and says that God sent him to add to, or take away from, a mitzvah, or to institute a new mitzvah which we did not hear from Moses, or says that the commandments with which we have been commanded are not for eternity but are meant only for a temporary period, then he is a false prophet, for he has come to undermine the prophecy of Moses. His punishment is death by strangulation, which is the punishment for deliberately speaking in the name of God without having been commanded to do so. God told Moses that all the commandments are for eternity, and no man can accuse God of being deceitful. 2) If so, why is it written in the Torah, "I will raise up for them a prophet from amongst their brethren, like you, and will put My words in his mouth, and he shall say to them all that I shall command him"? The prophet in question does not come to start a [new] religion, but to reiterate the commandments of the Torah and to warn the people not to transgress them, as the last Prophet said, "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant". Similarly, if he gave us commandment in optional matters, such as by saying, `Go (or don't go) to such-and-such a place', or, `Start (or don't start) a war today', or, `Build (or don't build) a wall here', et cetera, we are commanded to listen to him, and anyone who doesn't is liable to death at the hands of God, for it is written, "And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him". 3) Similarly, a prophet who himself transgresses his own words, and a prophet who ignores his prophecy [and does not deliver it], are also liable to death at the hands of God, for it is written, "I will require it of him"7. Similarly, if a prophet who is known to be a [true] prophet tells us to transgress one, or many, of the commandments of the Torah, whether of the stringent or of the more lenient ones, but only as a temporary practice, then we are commanded to listen to him. So we learnt from the first Sages, that we should listen to a prophet whatever the commandments he tells us to transgress are, as with Elijah at Mount Carmel, except if the commandment he tells us to transgress is that of not practising idolatry, and provided that he tells us to transgress only as a temporary practice, like Elijah did at Mount Carmel, when he offered sacrifices outside Jerusalem, which is the city chosen for offering sacrifices in, and anyone who does so outside Jerusalem is liable to karet. Even so, since Elijah was a prophet, it was a mitzvah to listen to him. The verse, "...to him you shall listen" applies also in situations like the one with Elijah. Had the people asked Elijah how he could violate the Torah verse of, "Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any place that you see", he could have told them that anyone offering sacrifices outside the Temple is liable to karet, in accordance with what Moses commanded, but he was offering sacrifices outside the Temple in accordance with what God had said to him, and in order to discredit the prophets of Ba'al. In this manner we are commanded to listen to any prophet who tells us to transgress as a temporary measure. If he tells us that a commandment of the Torah is to

be abolished for ever, then his punishment is death by strangulation, for it is written, "...belong to us and to our children for ever". 4) Similarly, if he tries to abolish [for ever] a Rabbinical institution or decree, or, concerning one of the Laws of the Torah he says that God commanded for the Law to be one way,, but we practice [in a different way] according to the words of so-and-so, then he is a false prophet and is put to death by strangulation, even if he shows a sign, for he is trying to disprove the Torah's statement of, "It is not in heaven". If, however, he said that we should do what he says only as a temporary measure, we listen to him. 5) This is talking about any commandment other than the one not to serve idols, for if he told us to serve idols we do listen to him, even if he told us to do so only as a temporary measure. Even if he performed great signs and wonders and says that God has commanded that we serve idols on a particular day, or at a particular hour, he is trying to turn us away from God, and about this it is written, "And the sign or wonder come to pass...you shall not listen to the words of that prophet...because he has spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God", for he is trying to disprove the prophecy of Moses. Therefore, we know for sure that he is a false prophet, and that all his signs are the result of spells and witchcraft, and he must be put to death by strangulation. CHAPTER TEN This chapter discusses which signs a prophet has to perform before we believe him.   1) Any prophet who arises and says that God sent him does not have to perform a sign of the type that Moses, Elijah or Elishah did, which involved supernatural events. Instead, the sign that he has to perform is to predict the future, and we have to believe him, as it is written, "And if you say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the Lord has not to spoken?'". Therefore, when a man suitable for prophecy comes in the Name of God, without wanting to add to or take away from, any of the commandments, but wants us to serve God properly, we do not ask him to split the sea, or to resurrect the dead, or to perform some other supernatural event, and then believe him, but we tell him to predict the future because he is a prophet, which he does, and we wait to see if what he says happens or not. Even if was wrong in only a small matter, he is a false prophet, but if all of what he said comes true, then he is believed. 2) A prophet has to be checked many times. If all his words are true then he is a prophet, as it says with respect to Samuel, "And all Israel, from Dan to Be'er-Sheva, knew that Samuel was accredited as a prophet of the Lord". 3) Enchanters and diviners also predict the future, so how do they differ from a prophet? Of what enchanters and diviners say some comes true and some does not, as it is written, "Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from these things shall come upon you" - it says, "from these things", and not, "from all these things", so it is possible that not all of what they said will come true, and that they were mistaken in everything, as it is written, "...that frustrates the omens of imposters, and makes diviners mad". With respect to a [true] prophet, all of what he says comes true, as it is written, "Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the Lord", and it is also written, "The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff of the wheat? says the Lord", that is to say that the words of diviners is like some chaff into which some wheat has been mixed, whereas the words of the Lord are completely true, with no

falsehoods at all. This is backed up by Scripture, which says that prognosticators and diviners deceive the nations with their words, but a prophet makes known truthful matters, and we do not have to enchant or divine [to verify his words], for it is written, "There must not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire...for these nations...The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from amongst you". From here we see that a prophet makes known only earthly matters, such as famine or plenty, war or peace, and similar things. Prophets even answer the needs of the one, such as when Saul had lost an item and went to a prophet to help him find it. A prophet may say what he wants provided that he does not start another religion, add a mitzvah or take one away. 4) If a prophet predicts something bad, such as that so-and-so will die, or that this year will be one of war or famine, et cetera, and his prediction did not come true, then it is not a disproof of his prophecy and we do not label him as a false prophet, for the reason that God is exceedingly merciful and [often] revokes bad decrees, so it is possible that those on whom evil had been decreed had, like the citizens of Nineveh, repented, or had had their decree suspended, as with Hezekiah. But if, however, the prophet decreed good things and his prediction did not come true, then he is definitely a false prophet, for whenever God makes a good decree, even if it is conditional, He does not revoke it. From here we see that a prophet is tested only with respect to good matters. This is what Jeremiah said in his answer to Hananiah the son of Azur, when Jeremiah was prophecising bad things and Hananiah good things: `If what I say does not come true, it is not a sign that I am a false prophet, but if what you say does not come true, it shows that you are a false prophet', for it is written, "Nevertheless, hear now this word...As for the prophet who prophecies for peace, when the word of that prophet shall come to pass, then shall it be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet". 5) If a prophet says about another prophet that he is [indeed] a prophet, then he is assumed to be a prophet, and the prophet who said it does not have to be cross-examined. Moses vouched for Joshua, and all of Israel believed in him before he performed a sign. Similarly in the following generations: it is forbidden to doubt or debate the prophecy of a prophet who has been found to be right time and time again, or the prophecy of a prophet who has been vouched for by another prophet, and it is [also] forbidden to test him excessively or for ever [for one who tests him is like one who tests God], for it is written, "Do not test the Lord your God as you tested Him in Massah", when we said, "Is the Lord among us, or not?". Once it has become known that he is a prophet, they will believe and know that God is amongst them, and they will nor debate or doubt his words, in accordance with what is written, "...yet they shall know that there has been a prophet amongst them". THE LAWS OF TEMPERAMENTS These chapters discuss the following five positive commandments and six negative ones: 1) To make one's ways similar to those of God. 2) To mix with those who know these ways. 3) To love one's fellow. 4) To love converts. 5) Not to hate one's fellow. 6) To rebuke. 7) Not to cause embarrassment to someone else.

8) Not to cause pain to the miserable. 9) Not to act slanderously. 10) Not to take revenge. 11) Not to bear a grudge. CHAPTER ONEThis chapter explains that there are many different temperaments and that the intermediate ways are best, and explains how to achieve them. 1) There are many temperaments, all of which are different and each of which is distinct, and which are possessed by different people. There are people of angry disposition who are always annoyed, and there are those who are even-tempered and are never angry, and if they do get angry, it is only slightly and rarely. There are people who are excessively haughty, and there are people who are excessively meek. There are those with many desires who are never satisfied with what they receive, and there are those with a very pure heart and do not desire even the simplest things that the body needs. There are those with an open heart who would not be satisfied with even all the money in the world, as it is written, "He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver", and there are those with a short heart for whom small amounts are enough and sufficient, and will not persevere to fulfil all their needs. Then there are those who mortify themselves with hunger and collect by hand, and will not even eat from a perutah of their own except with great suffering, and there are those who waste all their money without thinking. Other temperaments, such as profligacy, mourning before the burial of the deceased, miserliness, nobility, cruelty, mercy, cowardice, courage, et cetera, also follow this pattern [of extremes]. 2) Between the extremes of each temperament are the intermediate temperaments, each of which is also distinct. Of the temperaments, there are those which one has from the moment of one's creation [and] according to the one's nature, and there are those temperaments which direct one's nature and which one will quickly acquire in magnitudes greater than that of the other temperaments. Then there are those temperaments which one does not have from the moment of one's creation but which one learns from others, or which release themselves upon one depending upon one's thoughts, or which one heard is a good temperament to have and which is fitting to follow and accustom oneself to until it becomes fixed in one's behaviour. 3) There are two opposite extremes to each and every temperament, one of which will not be a good mannerism and which is not fitting to follow or to teach to oneself. If one finds that one's nature is tending to one of these temperaments or is being directed by one of them, or that one has already learnt about it and accustomed oneself to it, then one should return to good and go in the ways of good - this is the way of the upright. 4) The way of the upright is [to adopt] the intermediate characteristic of each and every temperament that people have. This is the characteristic that is equidistant from the two extremes of the temperament of which it is a characteristic, and is not closer to either of the extremes. Therefore, the first Sages commanded that one's temperaments should always be such, and that one should postulate on them and direct them along the middle way, in order that one will have a perfect body. How is this done? One should not be of an angry disposition and be easily angered, nor should one be like a dead person who does not feel, but one should be in the middle - one should not get angry except over a big matter about which it is fitting to get angry, so that one will not act similarly again.

Likewise, one should not have lust except for those things which the body needs and without which cannot survive, as it is written, "The righteous eat to satisfy his soul". Similarly, one should not labour at one's business, but one should obtain what one needs on an hourly basis, as it is written, "A little that a righteous man has is better, et cetera". Nor should one be miserly or wasteful with one's money, but one should give charity according to what one can spare, and lend as fitting to whoever needs. One should not be [excessively] praised or merry, and nor should one be sorrowful or miserable, but one should be happy for all one's days in satisfaction and with a pleasant expression on one's face. One should apply a similar principle to the other temperaments - this is the way of the wise. 5) Any man whose temperaments are intermediate is called wise. One who is particular with himself and moves away from the middle ways to either extreme is called pious. What does this mean? One who distances himself from pride by moving to its complete opposite of meekness is called pious, for this is a characteristic of piety. But if he distances himself only half-way and becomes humble he is called wise, for this is a characteristic of wisdom. the first pious people kept their temperaments from the middle ways and towards one of the extremes - one temperament they would bias one way, and another the other way [and as appropriate], but this is going beyond what the law requires. 6) We are commanded to go in these middle ways, the good and upright ways, as it is written, "And walk in His ways, et cetera". As an explanation of this commandment, we have learnt that just as God shows mercy so also should we show mercy, that just as God is merciful so also should we be merciful, and that just as God is holy so also should we be holy. It was with this in mind that the first Prophets called the Almighty with the Attributes of: long-suffering, magnanimous, righteous, upright, faultless, mighty, strong, et cetera, in order to make it known that these are good and upright ways, and that one is obligated to accustom oneself to them, and to make one's ways as similar to them as possible. 7) How should one regulate oneself with these temperaments so that one is directed by them? One should do, change one and change one's actions which one does according to the intermediate temperaments and always go back over them, until such actions are easy for one to do and will not be troublesome for one, and until such temperaments are fixed in one's soul. This way is known as the way of the Lord, for the reasons that the Creator has been called by them and that they are the intermediate characteristics which we are obligated to adopt. This is what Abraham taught his sons, as it is written, "For I know him, that he will command his children, et cetera". One who goes in this way will bring upon himself good and blessings, as it is written, "...that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him"5. CHAPTER TWOThis chapter explains that extreme temperaments are sometimes best. 1) Bodily sicknesses [can] cause bitter things to taste sweet and sweet things to taste bitter. There are some sicknesses which cause a desire to eat things which are not suitable for eating, such as dust and coal, and also cause a dislike of normal foods, such as bread and meat - it all depends upon the seriousness of the sickness in question. Such is man, that his sick soul desires and loves the bad temperaments, and hates the good ways and tries to avoid going in those ways, for their sickness makes it difficult. About such people

Isaiah said, "Woe to those people who call bad good and good bad, put dark for light and light for dark and put the sweet for bitter and the bitter for sweet", and about them it is written, "...who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness". So what is a remedy for sicknesses of the soul? Go next to wise people, for they are healers of the soul, healing it by means of temperaments which they teach until they have returned the soul to the good ways. Concerning those who recognise in themselves bad temperaments but do not amongst wise people Solomon said, "Fools despise wisdom and instruction". 2) How do they cure? They tell someone who is of an angry disposition to establish himself, and that if he is hit or cursed he should not react, and he should follow this way until his angry disposition has left him. If he was haughty, he should subject himself to a lot of disgrace and sit low down, and should dress in torn rags which are a discredit to normal clothes, and do similar things until his haughtiness has left him and he returns to the middle way, which is the good way. Once he has returned to the middle way he should follow it for the rest of his life. Other temperaments should be treated in this manner - if one was far over to one extreme, one should move oneself to the other extreme and accustom oneself to it for a long time, until one has returned to the good way, which is the intermediate characteristic that each and every temperament has. 3) There are some intermediate temperaments which one is forbidden to have, but one should adopt one of the extremities of such temperaments. One of these is the temperament of haughtiness. It is not good [enough] for one to be just modest, but one should be meek, and one's spirits should be low. Therefore, concerning Moses our Teacher it is written, "...very meek", and not just, "meek". Therefore, the Sages commanded that one should be very meek. They said further that anyone who raises his spirits is denying the essence, as it is written, "...then your heart be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God". They also said that all those with haughty airs should be excommunicated, even if they are only slightly haughty. It is the same with anger, which is an extremely bad temperament and from which it is fitting for one to distance oneself as far as its opposite extreme. One should teach oneself not to get angry, even over something about which it would be normal to get angry. If one wanted to instill fear in one's sons or members of one's household, or in the community if one was their leader, and one wants to be angry at them in order that they will return to the good [ways], then one should show them that one is being angry at them just to correct them, and, when displaying such anger, one should bear in mind that one is like a man who is similar to being angry, and that one is not really angry. The first Sages said that if one is angry, it is as if one has worshipped idols. They also said that when a man gets angry, then if he was wise his wisdom leaves him, and if he was a prophet his prophecy leaves him, and that the life of angry people is not [really] a life. Therefore, they commanded us to distance ourselves from anger until one is accustomed to not getting any angry feelings at even annoying things. This is the good way. The way of the righteous is to be humble without being humbled, not to answer back when disgraced, to do things out of love and to be joyous in suffering. Scripture says about them, "...but let them who love Him be as the sun when it comes out in its might". 4) One should always be silent and not speak, except in matters of wisdom or in matters which are necessary for one to live. It has been said about Rav, our holy instructor, that he never made unnecessary conversation in all his life, but such is the conversation of the majority of people. Even on bodily matters one should not speak too much. About this

the Sages commanded us and said that anyone who speaks excessively brings sin, and they [also] said that they have found nothing better for the body than silence. Similarly in Torah matters and in matters of wisdom; one's words should be few but should say a lot. The Sages commanded us in this respect, and said that one should always speak to one's students concisely. If one's words are many and their content little then they are foolishness, and about this it is written, "For a dream comes through a multitude of business, and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words". 5) Silence is the maturation of wisdom. Therefore, one should not be hasty in answering, and one should not speak excessively. One should teach one's students calmly and with satisfaction, without shouting and without being verbose. Solomon said, "The words of wise men heard in quiet are better, et cetera". 6) It is forbidden to associate with matters of disagreement and temptation, and one should not express one opinion while really holding another, but what one expresses should be what one holds, and that what one thinks should be what one says. It is forbidden to mislead other people, even if they are gentiles. For example, one may not sell a carcass of an animal to a gentile saying that it is the body of a slaughtered animal, nor may one sell to a gentile shoes made from the skin of a carcass and saying that they are made from the skin of a slaughtered animal, nor may one insist to eat at one's friend's house when one knows that he has no food [to spare], nor should one give refreshments to someone whom one knows won't take them, nor may one make someone open just for the sake of opening a barrel [of, for example, wine] which he wants to sell, et cetera. Even a single word of temptation or misleading is forbidden. One should have lips of truth, correct airs and a pure heart at all times. 7) One should not habitually laugh or joke, nor be sad or miserable, but one should be just happy. The Sages said that laughing and light- headedness accustom one to nakedness, and they commanded that one should not be licentious with jest, nor sad and mournful, but that one should receive all people with a pleasant expression on one's face. Similarly, one should not be greedy or scared of riches, nor should one be lazy and missing work, but one should have a good appearance, minimise one's work, and occupy oneself with Torah. One who minimises his share of things is happy. One should not be quarrelsome, envious or lustful, and nor should one pursue honour. The Sages said that [one's] envy and lust remove one from the world. The general rule of the matter is to go with the intermediate characteristics that each and every temperament has, so that all one's temperaments will be fixed in the middle ways. Solomon said, "Make even the path of your foot, and let all your ways be firm". CHAPTER THREEThis chapter explains that one should not impose on oneself more than the Torah has. 1) In case one would think that envy, lust, honour and similar things are bad ways and remove a man from the world, and that one should separate oneself from them and go to the opposite extreme, so that one won't eat meat, drink wine, marry, live in a nice house or dress in fine clothes, but dress only in sackcloth and hard wool, et cetera, like the priests of the gentiles do, which is also a bad way and one who follows this way is a sinner, for regarding a nazir it is written, "...and atone for him for that which he sinned by the dead, et cetera"; the Sages said that if a nazir, who separated himself from just wine, requires atonement, then how much more so anyone who separates himself from all things requires atonement. Therefore, the Sages commanded that one should not separate

oneself from anything, except from things which the Torah has forbidden, and one should not refrain from using permitted things by means of vows and oaths. The Sages said, `Is it not what the Torah has forbidden enough that you have to forbid for yourself other things?!'. According to this rule, those who always restrict themselves are not on the path of good. About these and similar things Solomon said, "Don't be excessively righteous, nor make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself?". 2) One has to adjust one's heart and actions to recognise only the Lord, blessed be He. One's resting, rising, speaking, and indeed everything else, should be for this end. How is this done? When one works for payment, it should not be one's intention just to amass money, but one should be working for money in order to be able to obtain things which one needs, such as food, drink, a house and a wife. Similarly, when one eats and drinks, one should not be doing so just for the benefit of it, because then one will eventually be eating just to sweeten one's palate and for the joy of it, but one should eat and drink just for the sake of the health of one's body and limbs. Therefore, one should eat only what the body will use, whether it is bitter or sweet, and one should not eat those things which are bad for the body, even if they are sweet. What does this mean? Somebody who has a temperature should not eat meat or honey, or drink wine, as Solomon said as an analogy to this, "It is not good to eat a lot of honey", but he should drink endive juice, even though it is bitter, for it is being consumed as a cure so that he will recover and be healthy - but it is impossible for one to exist without eating and drinking. Similarly, when one copulates, one should not do so just for the health of one's body and the creation of seed. Therefore, one should not copulate whenever one gets the lust for it, but one should do so whenever it is necessary to eject seed, such as a cure for some illness, or to produce children. 3) If one leads oneself in medicine only so that one's body and limbs will be complete and that one's children will do one's work and attend to one's needs, then one is not on the good path, but one should fix it in one's heart that one's body will be complete and strong in order that one's soul will be upright in recognising the Lord, for it is impossible to understand and think in wisdom if one is hungry or unwell, or if one of one's limbs hurts. One should have the intention to have a son, who might become a great sage of Israel. It would transpire that someone who follows this path throughout his life, and always worships the Lord, even when working or copulating, and has the intention to do everything in order to find all that one's body needs so that one will be able to be complete in serving the Lord; and even when sleeping; if one slept in order to rest one's mind and body in order not to become unwell, for one will be unable to serve the Lord if one is unwell, then one's sleeping is a form of serving God. Concerning this the Sages commanded that all one's actions should be for the sake of serving God. Solomon said in his wisdom, "Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your paths". CHAPTER FOURThis chapter discusses bodily health, and those services which a learned sage should make sure are available in his town. 1) The body being healthy is of the ways of the Lord, for it is impossible to understand or know the knowledge of the Creator while unwell. Therefore, one should keep away from things which destroy the body, and accustom oneself to healthy and curing matters, which are as follows: One should never eat unless one is hungry, nor drink unless one is thirsty, and nor should one hold oneself back for even a single moment from relieving

oneself, for whenever one feels the need to pass water or to defecate, one should do so immediately. 2) One should not eat until one's stomach is [very] full, but one should [only] eat until one's stomach is three-quarters full. Nor should one drink water during a meal, except a little mixed with wine, but once the food begins to digest one should what one needs to drink, but one should never drink too much, even when the food digests. One should nor eat unless one has checked oneself to make sure that one does not need to relieve oneself. One should not eat unless one has first relieved oneself, or until one's body gets warm, or unless one has worked at something else first. The general rule of the matter is that one should always answer one's body. In the morning, one should work until one's body gets warm, then one should wait until one's soul has settled, and then one may eat. It is good to wash in hot water after having worked, then wait a while, and then eat. 3) When one eats, one should always sit in one's place, or recline on one's left side, and one should not ride, work or agitate one's body until the food has been digested. Someone who goes for a walk, or works, after eating will bring upon himself bad and difficult illnesses. 4) The day and night [together] are twenty-four hours long. It is sufficient to sleep for a third of this, i.e. eight hours, which should be at the end of the night, so that there will be eight hours from when one goes to sleep to sunrise. One should get up before sunrise. 5) One should not sleep on one's front or on one's back, but on one's side; at the beginning of the night one should sleep on one's left side, and at the end of the night on one's right side. One should not sleep close to having eaten, but one should first wait three or four hours. One should not sleep during the day. 6) One should not eat at the beginning of a meal things which purge one's bowels, such as grapes, figs, strawberries, pears, water melons or types of cucumber. One should not mix one's foods, but one should wait until the first course has passed from one's upper stomach before eating the second course. Those things, such as pomegranates, quinces, apples or small pears, which exert the bowels should [only] be eaten at the end of a meal, and one should not eat too many of them. 7) If one wants to eat poultry and animal meat together at the same meal, one should eat the poultry first. If one wanted to eat poultry and eggs together, one should eat the eggs first. If one wanted to eat lean animal meat and fat animal meat together, one should eat the lean meat first. One should always eat the lighter foods before the heavier foods. 8) In summer, one should eat cold foods without excessive amounts of spices, and one should also eat vinegar. In the winter, one should eat hot foods with lots of spices, and small quantities of mustard and Assa foetida as well. One should also follow this rule in hot or cold places, and in any place where it is suitable to do so. 9) There are some foods which are exceedingly bad, and it is fitting never to eat them. Such foods include big fish, old salted cheese, morels, truffles, old slated meat, wine straight from the wine-press, and a cooked food which has been allowed to give off a smell. Similarly, any food which has a bad smell or which is bitter is like poison to the body. There are some bad foods which are not as bad as those already mentioned. Therefore, it is fitting to eat only a little of them, and even then only rarely, and also to accustom oneself not to having with, or as, one's food things such as big fish, cheese, milk which is more than twenty-four hours old, the meat of big oxen or big goats, broad beans, lentils, sappir, barley bread, matzah, cabbage, hay, onions, garlic, mustard and

radish - all these are bad foods. It is only fitting to eat a little of them and in the winter, but in the summer one should not eat of them at all. It is not fitting to eat broad beans or lentils in both the summer and the winter, and one should eat gourds only in the winter. 10) There are some foods which are not as bad as those mentioned [above], and they include water-fowl, young doves, dates, bread which has been roasted in oil, bread which has been kneaded in oil, fine flour which has been baked until it no longer has the smell of grain, brine and pickles. It is not fitting to eat a lot of these foods. Someone who is wise and abides by the Creator, is not pulled by his desires and does not eat these foods except as a medicine, is mighty. 11) One should always refrain from [eating] the fruits of the trees, and one should not eat of them excessively, even if they have been dried and especially if they are moist; before they have been boiled they are like swords to the body. Similarly, carob and all sour fruits are bad foods, and one should not eat of them except in summer or in hot places. Figs, grapes and almonds are always good [to eat], whether they are moist or dried, and one may eat of them all that one wants to, but one shouldn't persist in eating them even though they are the best of the fruits of the trees. 12) Honey and wine are bad for children but good for adults, and especially in the winter. In the summer, one should eat two-thirds of the amount that one eats in the winter. 13) One should always endeavour to have healthy bowels throughout one's life, and one should always be close to [having] a slight diarrhoea. This is a very important general rule in health - whenever faeces is avoided or is passed with difficulty, a bad illness will follow. If one has to exert oneself [when defecating], one can cure one's bowels in the following ways: If one is a young lad one should eat salty foods early in the morning, well- cooked and mixed with olive oil, brine and salt, without bread, or one should drink the water in which spinach or cabbage has been boiled, together with olive oil, brine and salt. If, however, one is an older person, one should drink honey dissolved in hot water in the morning, wait four hours, and then eat one's meal. This procedure should be followed for one day, or three or four days if necessary, until one's bowels have been cured. 14) The Sages stated another general rule about bodily health: Whenever one exercises and works but is not satisfied with what one eats and one's bowels are healthy, one will not become sick and one's strength will increase, even if one eats bad foods. 15) Anyone who does not exercise, or holds back from relieving himself, or who has hard bowels, will have a painful life and his strength will weaken, even if he eats good foods and looks after himself medicinally. Overeating is like poison to the body, and is the cause of many illnesses. Most illnesses are cause by bad foods and overeating, even if one overeats good foods. Solomon said in his wisdom, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles", that is to say that one should guard one's mouth from eating either bad foods or unnecessarily, and one's tongue from speaking except when necessary. 16) One should wash oneself every seven days. One should not enter a wash-house shortly after having eaten, nor when one is hungry, but one may when one's food has just started to digest. One should wash with hot water whose temperature is below scalding temperature, and one should wash one's head with water that would scald one's body. Then, one should rinse oneself with lukewarm water, then with cooler water, and so on, until one is washing with cold water. One should nor pour lukewarm or cold water over one's head. One should not wash with water that is so cold that one will sweat and

[thereby] dehydrate. One shouldn't stay for too long in a wash-house - once one feels that one is beginning to sweat and that one is beginning to dehydrate, one should rinse oneself and then leave. One should check oneself before entering a wash-house to see that one does not need to relieve oneself. One should carry out similar checking before and after eating, before and after copulation, upon getting tired, before doing exercise and before and after sleeping. The total number [of times that one should check oneself] is ten. 17) When one leaves a wash-house one should put on one's clothes and cover one's head externally, so that one won't catch a cold. One has to be particular about this even in the summer. After coming out, one should wait until one's soul has settled and one's body has rested and become warm again before eating. One should not drink cold water after leaving the wash- house, and it need not be said that one shouldn't drink in the wash-house itself. If, however, one was thirsty when one came out of the wash-house, one should mix the water with wine or honey before drinking. In the winter it is good to anoint oneself with oil in the wash-house. 18) One should not accustom oneself to letting blood frequently, for one should not let blood unless absolutely necessary. One should not let blood in the summer or winter, but one should let a little during Nissan and Tishrei. Once one has reached the age of fifty one should not let blood at all. One should not let blood and go to the wash-house on the same day, nor should one let blood before travelling, and nor on the day when one completes a journey. One should rest on the day of letting, and one should not tire oneself, do exercises or even go on excursions on the day of letting. 19) Semen is the strength of the body, its life and the light of its eyes. If one ejaculates es excessively then one's body and strength will come to an end, and one's life will be lost. Solomon said in his wisdom, "Do not give your strength to women". If one indulges [excessively] in copulation, one will age rapidly, one's strength will disappear, one's eyes will dim, a bad smell will give off from one's mouth and armpits, the hair of one's head, eyebrows and eyelashes will thin, the hair of one's beard, armpits and legs will grow [a lot], one's teeth will fall out, and many sources of suffering apart from these will befall one. The doctoring Sages said that [of people who die because of illness] one in a thousand die of miscellaneous illnesses, whereas the rest die because of excessive copulation. Therefore, one has to be careful in this matter if one wants to live well, and one should copulate only when one's body is healthy and at its strongest. If one's organ erects often without one's having thought about it, or it erects while one is thinking about other things, or one finds that one's lower loins heavy as if the vas deferens is being drawn, and the flesh is hot, then one has to copulate, for the cure for this condition is copulation. One should not copulate when full or when hungry, but only when one's food has begun to digest. One should check oneself before and after copulation to see that one doesn't need to relieve oneself. One should not copulate while standing or while sitting, nor in a wash-house or on the day when one is scheduled to go to the wash-house, nor on a day when one lets blood, nor on a day when one starts or finishes a journey. and nor on the days preceding or following such days. 20) I can guarantee that anyone who accustoms himself to these ways which we have discussed will not become sick throughout his whole life, and will never need to take any medicines. His body will be perfect and healthy for his entire life, except if his body was imperfect from birth, or if he had been accustomed to a bad habit from birth, or if a plague, pestilence or drought occurred.

21) All of these good habits which we have mentioned are suitable only for those who are healthy. If someone is ill, or has a limb which is ill, or has been accustomed to a bad habit for many years, then there is for each one [of such conditions] other ways and habits [for a cure], depending upon the condition in question, as explained in the Book of Medicines. A change in the menstrual period [other than during pregnancy] is the beginning of sickness. 22) It is not suitable for a healthy or sick person in any town where there is no doctor to deviate from any of the ways mentioned in this chapter, for every one [of these ways] brings good. 23) It is not permitted for a learned sage to live in a town which does not have the following ten things: a doctor, a blood-letter, a wash-house, a toilet, naturally occurring water such as a river or spring, a synagogue, a midwife, a scribe, a warden of charity and a Court of Law which imprisons people. CHAPTER FIVEThis chapter explains how a learned sage should conduct himself, and that he should be an outstanding example in all he does. 1) Just as a wise person is recognisable in his wisdom and temperaments and is differentiated by them from other people, so also should he be recognisable in his actions: his manner of eating, drinking, copulation, relieving himself, speaking, walking, dressing and the conducting of his affairs with his work and his giving [should all be exemplary]. All of these actions should be as fine and as correct as possible. What does this mean? A learned sage should not be a glutton, but should eat foods according to the health of his body, and should not eat of them more than is necessary to fill himself, and he should not rush to fill his stomach like those who fill themselves with food until they burst do. This is explained in Kaballah when it says, "...and spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts". The Sages have said that concerning those people who eat and drink [perpetually] and make all their days festivities it has been said, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die" - this is referring to wicked people eating. These tables are the ones which Scripture has denounced when it said, "For all tables are full of vomit and filth, so that there is no place clean". A wise person, however, should eat only one or two foods, and should eat of them just sufficiently to support life. Solomon said, "The righteous eats to satisfy his soul". 2) When a wise person eats the little that is suitable for him, he should eat only in his house and at his table, and he should not eat in a shop or in the market, except in time of great need, so that he won't be abandoning health. He should eat with ignoramuses, or at those tables which are full of `vomit and filth'. He should not increase [the number of] his meals in any place, even with wise men, and he should not join in a meal at which there is a large gathering of people. It is not fitting to eat someone else's food, except at a feast of a mitzvah such as the feasts of betrothal and marriage, but only if a learned sage married the daughter of a learned sage. The early righteous people and Sages did not partake of any meal that was not theirs. 3) When a wise person drinks wine he should drink only enough to soften the food that is in his stomach. Anyone who gets drunk is sinning, and is disgracing and losing his wisdom. Getting drunk in front of ignoramuses is a desecration of God's Name. It is forbidden to drink wine in the afternoon, even in small quantities, except if it was

included in a meal, for wine included in a meal does not inebriate. One only has to be particular about wine that is not drunk during a meal. 4) Even though a man's wife is always permitted to him, it is fitting for a learned sage to accustom himself to holiness and not to [continually] be his wife like a chicken, except on Friday nights if he has the strength. When he has relationships with his wife, he should have them with her at the beginning of the night, when he is still full, and nor at then of night, when he is hungry, but he should have them in the middle of the night, when his food has been digested in his stomach. He should not be excessively frivolous, and nor should he use unsuitable language on meaningless matters, even between himself and her, for in the Kabballah it is written, "...and declare to man what is his thought". The Sages said that even light conversation between a man and his wife will, in the future, be judged. The two of them should not be drunk, lazy or sad, and even one of them should not be so. She should not be asleep, and he should not have relationships with her against her will, but only when both of them are willing and happy. He should tell her stories to make her laugh, in order that her soul will be settled. He should copulate in shame and not in brazenness, and should withdraw immediately. 5) For anyone who is accustomed to this practice, it is not sufficient for him to sanctify his soul, purify himself and [make] correct his temperaments, but if he had sons they should be fine and shameful, and suitable for wisdom and piety. Anyone who accustoms himself to the customs of the rest of the people who do in darkness will have children like those people. 6) Learned sages should be accustomed to many big modesties: they shouldn't despise or uncover their heads or bodies. Even when they entered the toilet they would be modest, and would not uncover themselves until they had sat down. They wouldn't wipe themselves [afterwards] with their right hands. They would draw away from everyone else, and go into absolute privacy before relieving themselves. If a learned sage wanted to relieve himself behind a fence he would position himself such that he wouldn't [be able to] hear someone on the other side sneezing. If he relieved himself in a valley [or some other open place] he would position himself such that he wouldn't be able to see his friend's uncovered body. He should not speak while relieving himself, even for a great need. When going to the toilet at night one should follow the same procedure as when going to the toilet by day. One should teach oneself to relieve oneself in the morning and in the evening so that one won't have to go out of one's way. 7) A learned sage should not shout or scream like an animal or beast when speaking, and should not excessively raise his voice, but should speak to everybody in repose, and when he does so he should be careful that it should not sound like haughtiness. One should always be first in extending greetings so that one's mood will always be inclined towards oneself, and one should always judge others to the side of merit. One should always speak up for the benefit of one's friend and never to his detriment, and one should always love and adore peace. If one sees that what one wants to say will be useful and listened to one should say it, and if not then one shouldn't. What does this mean? One should not reconcile one's friend when one is angry, nor ask him about his vow when he makes it, until one's temperament has cooled and settled. Furthermore, one should not comfort one's [bereaved] friend while the deceased is in front of him, for he is hard- pressed until the burial. One should not change what one says, or add and detract [from one's words], except in words of peace and similar things. The general rule is not to speak except in

connection with wisdom, charitable acts and similar things. One also should not chat with women in the market, even if the woman in question is one's wife, sister or daughter. 8) A learned sage should not walk at his full height, and nor with an a raised head, in accordance with the verse, "...and walk with outstretched necks and ogling eyes", and nor should he walk bent over to one side like the women and haughty people do in accordance with the verse, "...walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their foot"6. He also should not run in the public domain in the way that crazy people do, and nor should he hunch himself over as though he had a hump, but he should look downwards [while walking] as though he were standing in prayer. He should walk in the market like one who is [fully] occupied with his business. One can tell from the way a man walks whether he is wise and possesses sense, or whether he is a fool and stupid. Solomon in his wisdom said, "Also, when a fool walks by the way his understanding fails him, and he reveals to everyone that he is a fool" - i.e. he informs everyone about himself that he is a fool. 9) The clothing of a learned sage should be pleasant and clean, and it is forbidden for him to [be able to] find a stain or fattiness. He should not wear a the clothing of royalty, such as gold or purple [colours], and similar things,for the reason that everyone looks at them, and nor should he dress like a poor person, for the reason that this disgraces his dress, but he should wear clothes of an average fineness. One's flesh should not be visible through or seen from under one's clothing, as is possible with the clothes of very thin linen made in Egypt, and nor should one's clothes trail on the ground like the clothes of those with haughty airs, but one's clothes should reach one's ankles, and one's sleeves should reach one's knuckles. One should not let down one's cloak for the reason that this would appear haughty, but one may do so on the Sabbath if one does not have a change of cloak. One should not put on patched shoes which have patches on top of patches in the summer, but in the winter one may if one is a poor person. One should not go to the market wearing perfume, and nor with perfumed clothes. One should not put spices in one's hair, but it is permitted to rub spices into one's skin as a method of cleaning. Similarly, one should not go out alone at night unless one had a fixed time at which one goes out to one's students. All of these matters are a precaution against suspicion. 10) A learned sage should maintain his things according to [his] judgement: he should eat, drink and feed the members of his household according to his finances and luck, but he should not bother himself excessively. The Sages commanded that, as good manners, one should only eat meat when hungry, for it is written, "...because you long to eat meat, you may eat meat to your heart's desire". It is enough for health to eat meat from one Friday to the next, and if one is rich enough to be able to eat meat every day one may do so. The Sages commanded that one should always eat less than one can afford, but should dress accordingly, and should respect one's wife and children more than accordingly. 11) It is the way of sensible people to obtain a job that will support them, then to buy accommodation and then to get married, for it is written, "Who has built a house and has not yet dedicated it? Who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? Who has betrothed a wife and has not yet taken her?". Stupid people start by getting married, then buying a house if they can afford one, and then, towards the ends of their lives, try to find a job, or else support themselves by charity. It is written in the curses, "You shall betroth a wife and another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house but shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard but shall not gather its grapes". This is to say that if one's

actions are in the wrong order one will not be successful. As a blessing, it is written, "And David succeeded in all that he did, and the Lord was with him". 12) It is forbidden to disown or sanctify all one's property and then bother other people [for support]. One should not sell one's field and/to buy a house, or one's house and/to buy moveable objects, or make merchandise worth as much as one's house, but one may sell moveable objects and/to buy a field. The general rule is that one should adjust one's tendencies to save one's belongings, and to change at the end of one's existence. One's intention should not be to get minimum benefit with each hour, and nor to argue or lose out excessively. 13) The purpose and lot of a learned sage is truth and belief: on something negative he should say no and on something positive he should say yes; he should be particular on himself regarding accounts; and he should abolish other people's debts to him and should not be particular about them. He should give the [full] value of a purchased item immediately [upon purchase], and should not make himself a guarantor or guardian of belongings, and should not use them without permission. He should not make himself liable in business matters where the Torah didn't make him liable, so that people will honour his word and not hate him. If others made him liable in court he should forgive them, and should lend to them [if the need arises], and should be compassionate. He should not enter his friend's profession, and never in his life should he desire [the possessions] of other people. The general rule is that one should be amongst the pursued and not amongst the pursuers, and amongst the humiliated and not amongst the humiliators. Concerning a man who does these and similar things Scripture says, "You, Israel, are My servant, in whom I will be glorified". CHAPTER SIXThis chapter tells us to leave wicked people and join upright ones, to love all creations, and to be extra careful regarding orphans and widows. 1) The nature of man is to be pulled by his temperaments and actions after his friends, and to accustom himself to the customs of the people of his country. Therefore, one has to associate with righteous people and to sit always amongst learned people, so that one will learn from their actions. One should distance oneself from wicked people, who go in darkness, so that one will not learn from their actions. Solomon said, "He who walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall suffer harm". It is also written, "Happy is the man is who does not follow the counsel of the wicked, nor adopts the way of sinners, nor sits amongst scorners". Similarly, if one was in a country where there were bad customs and whose citizens did not follow the straight path, then one should go to a place whose citizens are righteous and who have good customs. If one heard about every country that one knows that it has bad customs, or if, for reasons of mobilisation, one was unable to move to a country with good customs, then one should live alone [and in isolation], as it is written, "Let him sit alone and keep silence". If there were bad people and sinners around one who would not leave one alone unless one mixes with them and follows their bad customs, then one should go and live in a cave, or amongst the bushes or in the wilderness, and one should not accustom oneself to the ways of sinners, as it is written, "Oh, that I were in the wilderness in an inn for travellers!". 2) It is a positive commandment to associate with wise people and their students in order to learn from their actions, as it is written, "...and you shall hold fast to him" - this `him' is not God, for how can one associate with the Divine Presence? In explaining this

commandment, the Sages said that one has to associate with wise people and their students. Therefore, one should endeavour to marry the daughter of a learned sage, to marry one's daughter to a learned sage, to eat and drink with learned sages, to trade with them and to join with them in all matters in which one can join, as it is written, "...and to hold fast to him". The Sages similarly commanded that one should join with the dust of their feet, and to listen enthusiastically to their words. 3) One is commanded to love each and every Jew as one does oneself, for it is written, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself". Therefore, one has to count other people's gains and to be as careful with their money as one is with one's own and according to one's self-respect. Anybody who does not respect his fellow has no share in the World To Come. 4) Loving a convert who has entered under the Wings of the Divine Presence involves two commandments - one because he is included amongst one's fellows, and the other because he is a convert. The Torah says, "Love therefore the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt". The commandment to love a convert is similar to the commandment to love God, for it is written, "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God",. The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself loves converts, for it is written, "...and [He] loves the convert". 5) Anyone who secretly hates another Jew is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall not hate your brother secretly". Transgressing this commandment does not make one liable to flogging, because no physical action is involved. The Torah warned only against hating secretly, but one who aggravates his fellow and strikes him (even though this is not permitted) has not transgressed this commandment. 6) If one is sinned against by someone else, then one should not hate him secretly, for regarding wicked people it says, "And Absalom spoke neither good nor bad to his brother Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon". It is a commandment to make one's hatred known to the person who wronged one and to ask him why he did what he did and why he wronged one in the way that he did, for it is written, "You shall definitely rebuke your fellow"12. If he request forgiveness, one has to forgive him. One who forgives should not be too harsh, for it is written, "So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they bore children". 7) Upon seeing someone else committing a sin or following a way which is not good, it is a commandment to return him to doing good and to make it known to him that he is sinning against himself, for it is written, "You shall definitely rebuke your fellow"12. When rebuking someone, whether in matters between him and others or between him and God, one should do so in private, speak to him in repose and soft tones, and make sure that he understands that one is speaking to him for his own good, and [thereby] to bring him to life in the World To Come. If one's words are accepted then it is good, but if not then one should rebuke him a second and third time [or as many times as necessary]. Similarly, one is obligated to rebuke a sinner until he hits one and tells one that he isn't listening. Anyone who has the opportunity to protest but doesn't is transgressing these sins, for he could have protested against them. 8) When rebuking someone for the first time, one should speak to him [so] harshly that he will be humiliated, for it is written, "...and not suffer on his account"12. The Sages said: `Can you rebuke him and his face will not change?!'. This teaches us that the words, `and not suffer on his account' teach us that it is forbidden to [insult or] humiliate a Jew,

especially in public. Even though humiliating someone does not make one liable to flogging, it is nevertheless a great sin. The Sages said that anyone who humiliates someone else in public has no share in the World To Come. Therefore, one has to be careful not to shame someone else in public, whether he is a child or an adult, nor to call him by an embarrassing name, and nor to tell him anything which will cause him embarrassment. This is talking about matters concerning Man and his Fellow, but concerning matters between Man and God, if he did not repent [when one rebuked him] in private, one should rebuke him in public, publicise his sins, and aggravate him to his face. We should pour scorn on him and curse him until he returns to the ways of good. The Prophets of Israel used to do this. 9) If one was sinned against by someone else but did not want to rebuke him or speak [about it] to him for the reason that the sin was very small or because one's senses were faulty, but one forgave him in one's heart and one does not hate or rebuke him, then one has the characteristic of piety. The Torah was particular only about hating. 10) One is obligated to be careful regarding orphans and widows, for their spirits are very low indeed, even though they may be very rich. Even regarding the widow and orphans of a king one has to be careful, for it is written, "You shall not distress any widow or orphan". So how does one associate with them? One should speak to them in soft tones only, treat them with respect, not cause them any physical pain by way of work or mental anguish by way of harsh words, and one should be more careful with their money than one is with one's own. Anyone who teases them, or causes them to be angry, or causes them mental anguish, or tyrannises them, or wastes their money, is transgressing a negative commandment - how much more so one who strikes or curses them is. Even though committing this sin does not make one liable to flogging, the Torah mentions its punishment: "And My anger shall be inflamed, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives shall be widows and your children orphans". The Creator made a covenant with them, stating that whenever they cry because they were insulted they will be answered, as it is written, "...and they cry to Me, I shall surely hear their cry". This is talking about when one hurts them for one's own reasons, but is permitted for a Rabbi or Master to hurt them in order to teach them Torah or a trade, or to make them follow the straight path - even so, one should not make them accustomed to the ways of all men, but one should treat them differently and with great repose, mercy and respect, for it is written, "For their redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with you" - one is fatherless and the other is motherless. Orphans are referred to as orphans in connection with this matter until they have reached the age when they no longer need an adult to support, assist and teach a trade to them, and they can do all they need to do on their own, like other adults. CHAPTER SEVENThis chapter warns us against slander, tale-bearing, taking revenge and bearing a grudge. 1) If one speaks slanderously about someone else one is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall not go around as a tale-bearer amongst your people". Even though this sin is not punishable by flogging, it is nevertheless a great sin and can cause many Jewish deaths, which is why this commandment is mentioned next to that of, "...nor shall you stand aside when trouble befalls your fellow"1. Learn from what happened to Do'eg the Edomite.

2) Who counts as a slanderer? One who carries matters from one [person] to another and says that so-and-so did such-and-such, or that he heard such-and-such regarding so-and-so is counted as a slanderer. Even though what he says may be true, it [still] destroys the world. This is a very great sin, and is under the heading of tale-bearing, which is telling about someone else's dishonour, even if it is the truth, but one who tells lies publicises a bad name about his fellow. A tale-bearer is one who says that so-and-so did such-and-such, or that his ancestors were like that, or that he heard such-and-such about him, and relates bad things. Concerning this Scripture said, "May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things". 3) The Sages said that there are three sins which `collect' of a man in this world and deprive him of a share in the World To Come. These sins are idolatry, adultery and murder, but tale-bearing is above all. The Sages further said that tale-bearing is like denying God, for it is written, "Who have said, `With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord above us?'". The Sages further said that three types of tale-bearing kill - telling, listening and slandering. The sin of listening is worse than that of telling. 4) There are things which are similar to tale-bearing. What does this mean? For example, one who says to someone else that he should be like him, or one who says that he has nothing to say about so-and-so and doesn't care what happens to him [are comparable to tale-bearers]. Similar things also count. Telling about someone else's goodness because one hates him is also similar to tale-bearing, for it will cause the listeners to tell it [to other people] in a bad way. Concerning this Solomon said, "He who blesses his friend in a loud voice, rising early in the morning, shall have it counted as a curse to him", for out of good will come bad. Similarly, concerning tale-bearing with laughter and frivolity and showing no hatred Solomon said in his wisdom, "As a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death, so is a man who tricks his fellow and says, `But I was only joking!'". Similarly, one who bears tales by swindling, i.e. by telling to his surprise as if he doesn't know that what he is saying is tale-bearing and that when he is rebuked he says that he didn't know that it was tale-bearing, or that so-and-so also does it [is also like a tale-bearer]. 5) Bearing tales in the subject's presence or absence, telling something that can cause damage and hearing from someone else to damage someone else in physical or financial matters (even to trouble or frighten him) are also counted as tale-bearing. It one said it in front of three people, then it becomes a known matter. If one related the matter to one of the three on another occasion then it is not tale-bearing, provided that he did not intend to publicise or reveal the matter further. 6) It is forbidden to live in a neighbourhood of tale-bearers, and how much more so sit with them and listen to what they say. A verdict was made on our ancestors in the wilderness because of tale-bearing. 7) One who takes revenge on someone else is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall not take revenge". Even though committing this sin does not make one liable to flogging, it is nevertheless a very bad characteristic. It is fitting to forgive everything, for all matters of adepts are nonsense and not worth taking revenge over. What is revenge? If [for example] one's friend asked to borrow one's axe [and one refused to give it to him], and then later one went to him and asked to borrow his axe and he says that just as one did not lend him one's own axe so he will not lend one his axe,

then he is taking revenge. He should really lend with a complete heart, and not recompense one in the way that he was treated. Similar situations have the same law. David said about his good temperaments, "Indeed, I have rescued him that is without cause my enemy". 8) Similarly, anyone who bears a grudge against another Jew is also transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "...nor bear nay grudge against the children of your people"7. What is a grudge? If [for example] Reuben asked Simon to rent him his house or lend him his ox, and Simon refused, and then after some time Simon asked a loan or rental of Reuben, and Reuben gives it to him but tells him that unlike him he does lend, then Reuben is transgressing the injunction against bearing a grudge. Reuben should really erase the matter [of having being refused] from his heart and should not bear a grudge, for so long as he bears a grudge he may take revenge. Therefore, the Torah is particular against bearing a grudge, so much so that one should totally forget the matter and not remember it at all. This is the correct temperament, for with it one can fulfil the commandments of settling the Land of Israel and helping other people.THE LAWS OF TORAH-STUDY These chapters explain the two positive commandments of learning Torah and respecting those who teach it. CHAPTER ONEThis chapter explains who is obligated to learn Torah and to teach Torah, whether one may teach for payment, and tells us to divide our learning time into three parts.   1) Women, servants and children are exempt from learning Torah, but a child's father is obligated to teach him Torah, for it is written, "And you shall teach them to your children and speak of them". A woman is not obligated to teach her son, because only those who are obligated to learn are obligated to teach. 2) Just as one is obligated to teach one's son, so is one obligated to teach one's grandson, for it is written, "...but teach them to your sons, and your son's sons". This doesn't just apply to teaching one's sons and grandsons, but every learned Jew is obligated to teach all his students, for it is written, "And you shall teach them to your children". This tells us to teach our children, and students are [also] called children, as it is written, "And the sons of the prophet went out". If so, why is there a commandment to teach one's sons and grandsons? This tells us to give our sons precedence over our grandsons, and our grandsons precedence over someone else's son. One is obligated to hire a teacher for one's son, but one may only teach someone else's son for free. 3) Someone whose father did not teach him is obligated to teach himself as much as he can, for it is written, "...that you may learn them, keep and do them". This is similarly stated in any case where the learning is before the action, for learning causes action but action does not cause learning. 4) Someone who wanted to learn Torah but had a son whom he wanted to teach takes precedence over his son, but if his son was more sensible and intellectual than him then the son takes precedence. Even though his son may take precedence, he should not miss out on his own learning, for just as he is commanded to teach his son so is he commanded to teach himself.

5) One should learn Torah before one gets married, for if one gets married first one won't be able to concentrate on one's learning. If, however, one's inclinations overcame one so that one could not learn, one should get married first. 6) From when is a father obligated to teach his son Torah? When the child begins to speak he should teach him the verse, "Moses commanded us a Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob", and also the first verse of the Shema. Then he should teach him bit by bit, verse by verse, until he is six or seven years old and according to his capacity, and then one should let a teacher take over. 7) If the custom of one's country was for the teacher to take wages then one pays him, and he is obligated to teach the children (and accept the wages) until they have read the Written Torah in its entirety. In a place where the custom is to be paid for teaching the Written Torah one may accept the wages, but it is [always] forbidden to teach the Oral Torah for payment, for it is written, "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgements, even as the Lord my God commanded me, et cetera" - just as God taught for free, so also should we teach for free, and that just as Moses learnt without having to pay, so should we learn without having to pay. If one could not find someone to teach one for free, one may pay someone [to teach one], for it is written, "Buy the truth, et cetera". One might have thought that this verse permits one to teach for payment, but it is also written, "...but don't sell it"8. From here we learn that it is forbidden to teach for payment, even if one's own teacher had taken payment. 8) Every Jew is obligated to learn Torah, whether he is rich or poor, physically complete or disabled, or whether he is young or an old person of failing strength. Even if he is a poor person supported by charity and begging, and even if he had a wife and children, he still has to set aside time during the day and by night for Torah study, for it is written, "...but you shall engage in it by day and night". 9) OF the great Sages of Israel, some were woodcutters, others were water-fetchers, and others were blind. Even so, they learnt Torah by day and by night, and they were of the people who received from as far back as Moses and passed on traditions by word of mouth. 10) One is obligated to learn the Torah till the day of one's death, for it is written, "In case they leave your mind through your life". As long as one learns Torah, one is nor forgotten. 11) One is also obligated to divide one's [learning] time into three: a third for learning the Written Torah, a third for learning the Oral Torah and a third in which to understand and comprehend what one learnt into the first two thirds by deriving facts from other facts, and one should use the thirteen principles of Rabbi Ishmael until one understands the principles of the principles, how we learn what is permitted and what is forbidden, and other traditional matters. This type of learning is the Talmud. 12) How is division of time done? If one had a profession at which one worked for three hours a day, and one learnt Torah for nine hours, then of those nine hours one should learn the Written Torah for three, the Oral Torah for another three, and for the remaining three one should contemplate what one learnt [in the first six hours], and equate facts. Matters of Kabbalah are counted as part of the Written Torah whereas explanations of them are part of the Oral Torah. Esoteric philosophy is part of the Talmud. This is talking about when one first starts to learn Torah, but once one has matured in wisdom one no longer needs to learn the Written Torah or the Oral Torah [as much]. One should

nevertheless still read occasionally from the Written Torah and matters of tradition so that one won't forget any part of the Torah law. Every day, though, one should learn as much Talmud as one can. 13) A woman who studies Torah is rewarded, but not as much as a man is, for the reason that she has not been commanded to learn. Anyone who does something voluntarily is not rewarded as much as someone who is obligated to do it is. Even though she is rewarded for learning, the Sages commanded that one should not teach Torah to one's daughter, for the reason that most women don't have the mentality for learning, and they think of Torah matters as being nonsensical. The Sages said that teaching one's daughter Torah is like teaching her trivialities. This is talking only about the Oral Torah, but one nevertheless shouldn't teach her the Written Torah either, but if one did it is not like teaching her trivialities. CHAPTER TWOThis chapter tells us to found schools in all towns for the children, when children may leave their learning, and what the maximum size for a class is.   1) In every country, district and town we should arrange for Torah lessons for the children. A city which does not have a Torah-school for its children is excommunicated until arrangements for Torah lessons are made. If the citizens of that town don't want to make such arrangements then the city should be destroyed, for the world exists only because of the [merit of the] Torah study of school children. 2) A child should start learning Torah when he is six or seven years old, depending on his capacity and physical capabilities, but he should not start to learn if he is less than six. The teacher may hit his pupils in order to instill fear of him in them, but he should not hit them too hard or in a harsh manner. Therefore, he should not hit them with a whip or stick, but he may with a small strap. The pupils should sit and learn for the whole day and for some of the night as well in order that they will be educated to learn by day and by night. The children should not waste any time at all, except towards the end of the day on Fridays and the days before Festivals, and also on the Festivals themselves. They should not learn anything new on the Sabbath, but they should revise what they learnt during the week. Children should not waste their learning time even to help build the Temple. 3) A teacher who sets the children work and then leaves them to it, or who does different work with them, or who is slovenly with their studies, is included in the curse of, "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord negligently". Therefore, one should only employ a God-fearing teacher who reads a lot with the children and is quick to correct them. 4) Somebody who isn't married shouldn't teach children, on account of the mothers who come to be with their children. Similarly, a woman shouldn't teach children, on account of the fathers who come to be with their children. 5) A single teacher shouldn't teach more than 25 children [at once]. If there were more than 25 children but fewer than 40, then someone else should help him with the teaching. If there were more than 40 children, then two [independent] teachers should be appointed. 6) A child should be taken from one teacher to a faster teacher, whether he is faster in reading or correcting. This is talking about a situation where the two teachers lived in the same town with no natural boundaries, such as a river, between them. One may not,

however, move a child from one town to another, or from one side of a natural boundary to another, unless there was a strong bridge which is not liable to collapse spanning it. 7) If a member of a movoi, or even of one of the courtyards therein, requested to be the teacher, then his neighbours may not disagree with him. Similarly, a teacher whose friend opened a school next to his own in order to teach other children or to take children from him may not stop his friend, for it is written, "The Lord was well pleased for His righteousness' sake, to acclaim the Torah and to make it glorious". CHAPTER THREEThis chapter tells us that the commandment to study Torah is above all other commandments, and how someone who wants to learn should conduct himself.   1) Israel has been crowned with three crowns: The crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of monarchy. Aaron received the crown of priesthood, for it is written, "...and he shall have it, and his descendants after him, the covenant of everlasting priesthood". The crown of monarchy was received by David, as it is written, "His descendants shall endure for ever, and his throne shall be like the sun before Me". The crown of Torah is ready and waiting for all Jews, as it is written, "Moses commanded us a Torah, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" - anybody who wants Torah is invited to come and get it. What if one thinks that the latter two crowns are more important than the crown of Torah? The verse, "By Me kings reign and princes decree justice, by Me princes rule" teaches us that the crown of Torah is the greatest of them all. 2) The Sages said that an illegitimate learned person has priority over an ignorant High Priest, for it says, "She is more precious than rubies", which refers to the High Priest who enters the Inner Sanctum on the Day of Atonement. 3) Of all the commandments there is none as meritorious as learning Torah (which is above all other commandments), for the reason that learning brings one to action. Therefore, one should learn before doing anything. 4) If one had the option of either doing a mitzvah or learning Torah, then one should not interrupt one's learning if it possible for the mitzvah in question to be done by others, but if not, one should do the mitzvah and then return to one's learning. 5) The beginning of one's Judgement [after death] is based on how much learning one did, and then on one's other actions. Therefore, the Sages said that one should always busy oneself with Torah, whether for the sake of it or not, for out of learning not for the sake of it one will come to learning it yes for the sake of it. 6) Someone who has made up his mind to fulfil the commandment of learning Torah is right and should be crowned with the crown of Torah, and he shouldn't think about other things or associate Torah with riches and honour. The way of the Torah is to eat bread with salt, drink water from a cup, sleep on the ground, lead a life of hardship and labour at learning Torah. There is no end to learning, and it is not permitted to waste learning- time. The more one learns the more one is rewarded. The reward is proportional to the effort made. 7) If one puts off learning because one wants to amass money, or until one retires, or until one feels like it, then one will never warrant the crown of Torah. One should, however, make one's Torah learning fixed, and one's work temporary. One should never put off learning till one feels like it, because one may never feel like it.

8) It is written in the Torah, "It is not heaven...nor is it beyond the sea". This means that the Torah is not found with those who have haughty mannerisms, nor with the sea-faring merchants. Therefore, the Sages said that not everybody who occupies himself with business becomes clever. They commanded that one shouldn't work a lot, but that one should occupy oneself with Torah. 9) The Torah is compared to water, as it is written, "Hey, everyone that thirsts come to the water", i.e. just as water doesn't remain in high places but collects in low places, so also Torah isn't found with haughty or proud people but with humble people, who reach for the dust of the feet of Sages, are without desires and enjoy their time, and who work just enough to be able to support themselves and learn Torah in the rest of their time. 10) Anybody who undertakes to learn Torah all the time, not work, and support himself from charity is desecrating God's Name, disgracing the Torah, extinguishes his Jewish spark, causes bad to befall him and destroys his life in the World To Come, for it is forbidden to benefit from Torah matters in this world. The Sages said that anyone who does benefit from Torah matters is destroying his life, and they further commanded one not to make a garland with which to glorify oneself, nor an axe with which to dig. Furthermore, one should like one's work and dislike being a rabbi. Any Torah which one studies without working at is worthless, and causes punishment. A man who acts like this will become a bandit. 11) Someone who supports himself by his own work is at an advantage. This was the way of the first pious people, and will merit one to all the honour and goodness of this world and the World To Come, for it is written, "For you shall eat of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well for you". The words, "you shall be happy" refer to this world, and the words, "and it shall be well for you" refer to the World To Come, where everything is good. 12) Torah matters do not stay with someone who is careless about them, and nor with someone who is gluttonous, but they will stay with someone who is willing to die for them, or who leads a troubled life, and does not sleep excessively. By way of a hint, the Sages said that the verse, "This is the Torah: when a man dies in a tent, et cetera" teaches us that the Torah stays only with someone who commits himself to the tent of wisdom. Solomon is his wisdom similarly said, "If you faint on the day of adversity, your strength in small". He also said, "So I was great and rose above all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom also remained with me", i.e. what he learnt in anger he did not forget. The Sages said that a covenant was made stating that anyone who learns Torah in a synagogue will not forget it quickly, but anyone who learns in privacy will become wise, as it is written, "...but with the lowly is wisdom". Anyone who learns aloud will always remember what he learnt, but anyone who learns in silence will quickly forget. 13) Even though it is a commandment to learn by day and by night, most of one's wisdom comes at night. Therefore, someone who wants the crown of Torah will be careful not to waste even a single night on sleeping, eating, drinking, talking, et cetera, but will learn Torah instead. The Sages said that there is no crying out of Torah except at night, as it is written, "Arise, cry out in the night". Anyone who learns Torah at night will be treated kindly during the day, as it is written, "The Lord will command His steadfast love in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life". Any house in which words of Torah are not heard at night will be burnt down, as it is written, "Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go

ill with he who is left in his tent". The words, "because he has despised the word of the Lord" refer to someone who is uninterested in Torah. Similarly, anyone who could occupy himself with Torah but doesn't, or who reads nonsensical things, leaves his learning and neglects it is despising God's word. The Sages said that anyone who neglects Torah study for riches will eventually become poor, and that anyone who learns Torah despite being poor will eventually become rich. This idea is mentioned in the Torah: "Because you wouldn't serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things, you shall therefore serve your enemies...in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things". The Torah has also said, "...that he might afflict you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end". CHAPTER FOURThis chapter tells us not to teach Torah to dishonest people, how a class should be conducted, the laws regarding a Bet Hamedrash, and how to ask two students who ask questions simultaneously.   1) One should teach Torah only to someone who is honest and acts pleasantly, or to a simpleton. If someone had bad customs, one should first bring him back to the good ways, makes sure that he sticks to these ways, and then one may take him to a Bet Hamedrash and teach him Torah. The Sages said that anyone who teaches a dishonest person is like someone who throws a stone at Markulis, which is the way that that idol was worshipped, for it is written, "As one who binds a stone in a sling, so is one who gives honour to a fool". The only honour is Torah, as it is written, "The wise shall inherit honour". Similarly, one should not learn from a Rabbi who does not have good ways, even though he may be very learned and everybody needs him, until he returns to the good ways, for it is written, "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek Torah from him, for he is a messenger of the Lord of hosts". The Sages said that if a Rabbi is similar to a messenger of God, Torah will seek him out, and if not, Torah won't seek him out. 2) What teaching method should be used? The teacher should sit at the top, and everybody should sit round him in a semi-circle so that they all will be able to see him and hear what he says. The teacher shouldn't sit on a chair if the students sit on the ground, but either they all sit on the ground, or they all sit on chairs. Originally, both the students and the teacher used to stand, but since the destruction of the second Temple all teachers stand, and all students sit. 3) If the teacher speaks directly to the students he should just speak to them continuously. If he speaks to them via a translator, then the translator should stand between him and the students, and repeat to them everything that the teacher says to him. If one of the students asks the translator a question, then the translator should ask it to the teacher and then repeat the teacher's answer to the person who had asked the question. The translator shouldn't speak louder than the translator, or vice versa. The translator is not permitted to take away from, add to or otherwise change what the teacher says, unless he was the teacher's father. If the teacher says to the translator that what he is teaching he had heard from his teacher or father, then the translator should say it to the class in the name of the teacher, and mention the teacher's teacher or father by saying that it was originally said by so-and-so, even if the teacher didn't mention his name, because it is forbidden to call one's Rabbi or father by name.

4) The teacher shouldn't get angry or annoyed with the class even if they didn't understand what he said, but he should go back over the matter and rephrase it, even many times, until they fully understand it. Similarly, a student shouldn't say that he understands something if he doesn't, but should ask for it to be repeated until he does understand it. If the teacher got annoyed with him he should say, `Rabbi, this is Torah and I need to learn, but I am slow to understand'. 5) A student who has learnt many times shouldn't embarrass someone who has learnt just a few times, for if someone is embarrassed in this way he won't learn anything when he comes to a Bet Hamedrash. Therefore, the first Sages said that an easily-embarrassed person shouldn't be taught by someone who is hot-tempered. This is talking about a situation when the students don't fully understand the matter or are slow to understand, but if the teacher sees that they aren't understanding because they don't really want to he is obligated to get annoyed with them and to humiliate them in order to make them understand. Concerning this the Sages said that one should instill fear [of one] in one's students. Therefore, a teacher shouldn't act frivolously or play in front of his students, nor eat or drink with them, so that they will always be afraid of him and will learn from him quickly. 6) When a teacher enters a Bet Hamedrash one shouldn't ask him any questions until his mind has settled, and a student shouldn't ask any questions until he has sat down and made himself comfortable. Two people shouldn't ask questions together. One shouldn't ask a teacher a question on a subject which is different [from the one which he is teaching], but one should ask only on the relevant subject, in order that he won't be embarrassed. The teacher may try to mislead his students by asking them false questions in order to sharpen their wits and to see whether they remember what they had learnt or not. He may even ask them about a different subject in order to hurry them up. 7) One shouldn't ask a question while standing, and one shouldn't answer a question while standing, sitting in a high place, sitting far away from the asker, or if there were people between oneself and the asker. One may ask the teacher questions only on the topic which he is teaching. One should ask seriously, and not more than three questions on the same topic. 8) If two people asked questions simultaneously, then the following applies: if one of them had asked about the subject at hand and the other hadn't, then the teacher should answer the question on the subject at hand first. If one of them had asked a question which requires an immediate answer and the other hadn't, then the teacher should answer the question which requires the immediate answer first. If one of them had asked a question on halachah and the other on midrash, then the teacher should answer the question on halachah first. If one of them had asked on midrash and the other on aggadah, then the he should answer the one on midrash first. If one of them had asked on aggadah and the other on the comparison of circumstances in halachah, then he should answer the one on the comparison of circumstances in halachah first. If one of the people who had asked was learned and the other was a student, then the teacher should answer the learned person first. If one of them was a student and the other an ignoramus, then the teacher should answer the student first. If both of them were learned, or if both were student, or if both were ignoramuses, or if both questions fell into the same category, then the teacher may choose whom he answers first.

9) One may not sleep in a Bet Hamedrash. Anybody who dozes in a Bet Hamedrash will forget what he has learnt. Solomon said in his wisdom, "...and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags". One may talk only about Torah matters in a Bet Hamidrash - even if someone sneezes in a Bet Midrash one may not say, `Bless you!' to him. It need not be said that one may talk about other things. A Bet Hamedrash is holier than a synagogue. CHAPTER FIVEThis chapter discusses respecting one's Rabbi, whom one should fear, and how a Rabbi should love his students.   1) Just as one is commanded to honour and fear one's father, so also is one obligated to honour and fear one's Rabbi even more so than one's father, for the reason that one's father brings one into this world, but one's Rabbi brings one into the World To Come by teaching one. Returning a lost item which belongs to one's Rabbi takes precedence over that of one's father. If one sees one's Rabbi carrying something heavy at the same time that one sees one's father carrying something heavy, one should help one's Rabbi first. If both one's Rabbi and one's father were being held to ransom, then one should redeem one's Rabbi first, but if one's father was a learned sage one should redeem him first. Even if one's father was [learned but] not as learned as one's Rabbi he takes precedence in the returning of a lost item. There is no honour or fear greater than that which one's Rabbi deserves. The Sages said that one should fear one's Rabbi as one fears God, and that anyone who disagrees with his Rabbi is like someone who disputes God, as it is written, "...when they contended against the Lord". Anyone who quarrels with his Rabbi is like someone who quarrels with God, for it is written, "...because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was sanctified by them". Anyone who resents his rabbi or grumbles against him is like someone who grumbles against God, for it is written, "...your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord". Anybody who speaks against his Rabbi is like someone who speaks against God, for it is written, "And the people spoke against God and against Moses". 2) Disputing a Rabbi consists of setting a time for teaching and/or actually teaching without his permission while he is still alive, even if he is in another country. It is always forbidden to teach in one's Rabbi's presence, and one who does is liable to death. 3) If one was [at least] 12 mil away from one's Rabbi and someone asked one a question on halachah, it is permitted to answer. It is permitted to set aside something which is forbidden, even in one's Rabbi's presence. For example, if one sees someone unknowingly doing something forbidden, one is allowed to tell him that it is forbidden, even if one's Rabbi is present and even without his permission, because whenever there is a desecration of God's Name, we don't worry about the honour of a Rabbi. This is talking about a situation when something has already happened, but to set oneself up to answer people's questions is forbidden, even if one's Rabbi is at the other end of the world, until one's Rabbi passes away or unless one received permission from him to do so. 3) Not everybody whose Rabbi has died is permitted to teach, but only someone who has reached a sufficiently high level may teach. Any student who does not reach this [high] level is a fool, a wicked person and haughty, and about him it has been said, "For she has cast down many wounded, and many strong men have been slain by her". Any person who does reach this level but does not teach is preventing Torah-learning, and is like someone who puts an obstacle in front of a blind person. It has been said about such

people, "...and many strong men have been slain by her"6. These types of students who don't learn Torah as appropriate but learn because they want to grow in the eyes of ignoramuses and members of their towns, and sit on the High Court of Israel, are those who cause arguments, destroy the world, extinguish the light of Torah and destroy the works of God. Solomon in his wisdom said about them, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom". 5) It is forbidden to call one's Rabbi by name, even behind his back. It is also forbidden to mention his name in his presence. Even to call [in the presence of one's Rabbi or father] someone who has the same name as one's Rabbi or father is forbidden, but one should change their name to something similar. For example, if his name was `Ploni' one should call him `Pelee', or something else that is similar. One should not greet one's Rabbi, or return greetings to him, in the same way that one does with a friend, but one should bow slightly and say, `Greetings, my Rabbi' in reverence. One returns greetings by saying, `Peace on you, my revered Rabbi'. 6) One shouldn't take off one's tephillin in one's Rabbi's presence, nor should one recline, but one should sit as if one were sitting before a king. One shouldn't pray in front of one's Rabbi, behind him or at his side, and it need not be said that it is forbidden to walk at his side, but one should walk some distance, but not directly, behind him, and then pray. One shouldn't enter a wash-house with one's Rabbi, sit in his place, decide matters in his presence, contradict him, sit down in his presence before receiving permission to sit, or stand up in his presence before receiving permission to stand. When one leaves one's Rabbi one shouldn't turn one's back on him, but one should leave walking backwards so that one is always facing him. 7) One is obligated to stand for one's Rabbi when one sees him [approaching] from afar, and to remain standing until he has passed, and then one may sit down again. One is always obligated to welcome one's Rabbi on a Festival. 8) One should honour a student in the presence of his Rabbi unless the Rabbi would respect his students. A student should do for his Rabbi anything that a servant would do for his master. If one was in a strange place and didn't have any tephillin and one was afraid that people would look on one as a servant, then one should not help one's Rabbi put on and take off his tephillin. Any Rabbi who prevents his student from waiting on him is doing so out of kindness, but nevertheless weakens his fear of God. Any student who disrespects his Rabbi causes the Divine Presence to leave Israel. 9) If one's Rabbi revises a Torah matter one should tell him that one has already learnt it. Whenever one mentions something which one had learnt from someone else, one should say it in the name of that person. When one's Rabbi dies, one should tear one's clothes as a display of one's feelings, and one should never repair them again. This is in reference to the Rabbi from whom one learnt most of one's knowledge. Any other Rabbi is like a fellow student and does not have to be respected in these ways, but one should nevertheless stand over him [in the event of his death] and tear one's clothes, like one does with people whom one is obligated to mourn, even if one had learnt just one thing from him. 10) Any right-thinking learned sage shouldn't speak in the presence of someone cleverer than him, even if he hadn't learnt anything from him.

11) A Rabbi who wants to forego his honour in all or any of these matters for all or any of his students may do so. Nevertheless, a student is still obligated to glorify him, even at the time of the foregoing. 12) Just as students are obligated to honour their Rabbi so also is the Rabbi obligated to honour them and to bring them closer to him. The Sages said that the honour of one's students should be as dear to one as one's own. One should always love one's students, for they are the ones who create pleasantry in this world and in the World To Come. 13) Students add to the wisdom of their Rabbi, and open his heart. The Sages said that they learnt more from their Rabbis than from their friends, but learnt even more from their students. Just as a small candle can light a big one so a student sharpens his Rabbi's wits, by extracting from him his wisdom by means of questions. CHAPTER SIXThis chapter tells us to respect a learned sage, the difference between a learned sage, one's father and a Prince, and discusses the law regarding one who puts a learned sage to shame, and also lists the offenses punishable by excommunication.   1) It is a commandment to glorify a learned sage, even if he isn't one's Rabbi, for it is written, "You shall stand up before the old man, and honour the face of the old man". The words `old man' refer to someone who is learned. If he comes within four cubits of one one is obligated to stand up, and one has to remain standing until he has passed. 2) One does not have to stand up for a learned sage in a wash-house or toilet, for it is written, "You shall stand up...and honour"1 - the standing up has to be honourable. A workman while working does not have to stand up for a learned sage, for the reason that the standing up has to honourable - just as honour doesn't involve a loss of money so also standing up shouldn't involve a loss of money. We learn from the words, "...and fear your God; I am the Lord"1 that one shouldn't try to avoid noticing a sage until he has passed. This verse is mentioned in connection with anything that involves devotion. 3) It is not becoming of a sage to bother people by walking amongst them to make them stand up, but he should go by the shortest route and try not to be seen in order to bother as few as people as possible. The Sages used to use a circuitous route in order not to be seen at all so that no-one would be bothered. 4) A sage who travels in a vehicle is covered by the same law as one who walks, and one has to stand up for him in the same way that one has to for one who walks. 5) If three people were walking together, the Rabbi should walk in the middle, the next greatest on his right, and the third on his left. 6) If one sees a sage approaching one shouldn't stand up until he is within four cubits of one, and one may sit once he has passed. If one sees a Head of a Court of Law [approaching] one should stand up when one sees him from afar and one should not sit down until he has passed more than four cubits away from one. If one sees a Prince approaching one should stand up the moment that one sees him, and one should not sit down until he has. A Prince can forego his honour. When a Prince enters a Bet Hamedrash everybody should stand up, and they should not sit down until he says so. When the Head of a Court of Law enters a Bet Hamedrash everybody should stand up in two rows for him to walk between, and they should all wait for him to sit down before doing so themselves.

7) When a sage enters a Bet Hamedrash one should stand up when he gets within four cubits of one, and one should wait for him to sit down before doing so oneself. If the sons or students of a sage entered at a time when people need them they may sit in the sage's seat, but one doesn't have to honour the last one to enter. If one had to go out to attend to one's needs one may return to one's place afterwards. When a sage speaks and his sons want to listen to him they should look at him, but if not they should look at the people. 8) A student who sits in front of his Rabbi should get up only for morning and evening prayers, so that the honour he gives to his Rabbi won't be greater than the honour he gives to God. 9) One should stand up for someone who is very old, even if he isn't learned. Even a young sage should stand for such a person. One does not have to stand up fully to honour such a person, but just enough to honour him. One has to pay respect even to an aged gentile in these manners, and one should lend him a hand for support, for it is written, "You shall stand up before the old man" - i.e. one should stand up for all elderly people. 10) Learned sages do not have to help with building, digging, et cetera for the sake of settling Israel with everyone else, so that they won't be though lowly of. They also don't have to climb up to build walls, or repair gates or watchtowers, and they also don't have to help in presenting gifts to the king. We do not make them pay taxes, whether a local tax or a national one, for it is written, "Though they have hired lovers amongst the nations, now I will gather them, and in a little while they will tremble at the burden of a king and princes". Similarly, if a learned sage had goods for sale he should be given the first opportunity to sell, and other merchants shouldn't be allowed to sell until he has sold his goods. Likewise, if he regularly used to sit as a judge he should be given preference in judging a court case. 11) It is a great sin to hate or despise a sage. Jerusalem wasn't destroyed until people started despising the sages, as it is written, "But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets", i.e. they scoffed the people who taught Torah. In a similar vein the Torah said,"And if you shall despise My statutes", which refers to despising those people who teach these statutes. Anybody who despises the Sages loses his share in the World To Come and is included in the verse of, "Because he has despised the word of the Lord, et cetera". 12) Even though someone who despises the Sages doesn't have a share in the World To Come, nevertheless, if witnesses state that someone has despised even just their words, that someone is punishable by excommunication. The Court of Law should publicly excommunicate him, and he is fined a litra of gold, regardless of whether they are in Israel or not, which is given to the sage whom he despised. Somebody who despises a sage after his death is taken to a Court of Law, and should have his excommunication only after he has repented. If, however, the sage himself is still alive, then he is taken out of excommunication only if the sage agrees to it. The sage himself may excommunicate an ignoramus who scorned him, and does not need witnesses or to give him a warning [in order to be able to do so]. Excommunication of this nature is not lifted until the sage says so, but three people [acting together] may lift it. If the sage wants to forgive him and not excommunicate him, he may do so. 13) If a Rabbi isolates himself for his own respect then all his students have to honour his [wish of] isolation. If a student isolated himself for his own respect then his Rabbi does not have to honour his [wish of] isolation, but everyone else does. Similarly, one who is

isolated by a Prince is isolated from everybody, but not vice versa. One who is ostracised from his towns is ostracised from other towns as well, but not vice versa. 14) This is talking about someone who is excommunicated for having despised a learned sage, but if somebody, even a child, is excommunicated for having committed an offence punishable by excommunication, then everybody, Princes included, is obligated the excommunication until the excommunicated person has repented and his excommunication has been lifted. There are 24 offenses which, whether committed by a man or a woman, are punishable by excommunication, and they are as follows: (i) Despising a sage, even after his death. (ii) Despising a messenger of a Court of Law. (iii) Referring to someone else as a slave. (iv) Ignoring a summons to a Court of Law. (v) Scorning the words of the Sages, and how much more so the words of the Torah. (vi) Not accepting the Laws - this lasts until one does. (vii) Having in one's possession a hazardous item, such as a dog or unstable ladder, and not taking any necessary precautions. (viii) Selling land to a gentile - this lasts until one accepts responsibility for anything the gentile does to accompanying fields. (ix) Testifying against a fellow Jew in a gentile court and extracting money from him in a manner contrary to Jewish Law - this lasts until one pays him back. (x) Not giving tithes to a fellow priest if one oneself is a priest - this lasts until one does. (xi) Desecrating the second day of a Festival in the diaspora, even though it is just a custom to observe it. (xii) Working after midday on the day before Passover. (xiii) Taking God's Name in vain, or when making a nonsensical vow. (xiv) Causing a lot of people to desecrate God's Name. (xv) Causing a lot of people to eat holy food outside the Temple. (xvi) Modifying the Calendar in the diaspora. (xvii) Misleading people. (xviii) Preventing the many from fulfilling a mitzvah. (xix) Allowing traifah food through if one is a cook. (xx) Failure to have one's shechitah knife checked by a sage. (xxi) Forcing oneself not to understand. (xxii) Going into partnership with one's ex-wife after having divorced her, or else fulfilling her needs. A Court of Law should excommunicate both of them until they are brought before it. (xxiii) Not behaving as a sage should if one is a sage. (xxiv) Excommunicating someone who is not punishable by excommunication.

CHAPTER SEVENThis chapter discusses excommunicating sages and Princes, isolation, how these are revoked, and how the first pious people never excommunicated anyone.   1) An exceedingly learned sage, a Prince or the Head of a Court of Law should never be excommunicated openly, unless he did something like Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his friends did. For other sins, however, he should be flogged in private, for it is written,

"Therefore you shall fall on the day, and the prophet will fall with you as well in the night, and I will destroy your mother" - even though he may have sinned he is nevertheless punished in private, and after the punishment we say to him, `Be honoured, and stay in your house'. Similarly, if a sage is to be punished by excommunication the Court of Law shouldn't excommunicate him promptly, but should try to avoid excommunicating him altogether. The pious sages used to pride themselves in the fact that they never excommunicated a learned sage, even though they would bring him to be flogged if he was to be punished by flogging. They would even bring to a flogging which he deserves because of a Rabbinical decree. 2) How is somebody excommunicated? We say, `So-and-so is excommunicated', but if he is being excommunicated in his presence then we say, `This person is hereby excommunicated'. To isolate someone we say, `So-and-so is isolated and cursed, imprecated and excommunicated, and on him is an oath'. 3) How is excommunication revoked? We say to him, `You are permitted and forgiven'. If, however, his excommunication or isolation is to be revoked in his absence we say, `So-and-so is permitted and forgiven'. 4) What does being excommunicated involve? Somebody who has been excommunicated may not shave, cut his hair or wash, in the same way as a mourner, so long as he is excommunicated, cannot count as one of the people required to make a zimmun, and also cannot count as one of the people of a quorum. We do not sit within four cubits of him, but he may teach [Torah to] others and they may learn from him. It is permitted to employ or be employed by him. If he died during his excommunication the Court of Law arranges for a stone to be placed on his coffin, i.e. he is stoned, for the reason that he was different from the rest of society. It need not be said that eulogies are not made for him, and nor is he given a [proper] funeral. 5) Isolation is more strict than excommunication. Somebody who has been isolated may not teach others, and nor may others learn from him, but he may learn for himself in order not to forget what has already learnt. It is not permitted to employ him, and it is also forbidden to accept employment from him. No business transactions are carried out with him, except for the barest minimum which he needs for support. 6) If somebody has already been in excommunication for thirty days and has not requested for his excommunication to be lifted, then he is excommunicated for a further thirty days. If after this time he still hasn't requested his excommunication to be lifted, he is isolated. 7) How many people are needed to lift a ban of excommunication or isolation? Three ordinary people are needed, but an expert in the Laws can do it on his own. A student can lift an excommunication or isolation ban, even in the place of his Rabbi. 9) If somebody was excommunicated by three people and then repented fully, then any three people can lift the ban. 10) Somebody who doesn't know who excommunicated him has to go the Prince to have his excommunication ban lifted. 11) Conditional excommunication requires cancellation, even if the condition was stipulated by the excommunicated person. A learned sage who excommunicated himself, even on someone else's suggestion or because he did something punishable by excommunication, may lift his own ban.

12) Somebody who was excommunicated in a dream needs ten people who are experts in the Law to lift his excommunication ban, even if he knows who excommunicated him. If he couldn't find ten such people, then he has to search for them as far as one parsah away. If he still could find them then ten experts in the Mishnah will suffice, failing which ten people who can read Torah, failing which ten people who can't even read will do. If he can't find ten people at all, then three people are enough. 13) Somebody who was excommunicated in his presence can have his ban lifted only in his presence, but if he was excommunicated in his absence he can have his ban lifted whether he is present or not. There are no differences between the way an excommunication ban is initiated and how it is lifted. A person can be excommunicated and have the ban lifted simultaneously upon repentance. If the Court of Law sees that someone should be excommunicated for many years then they should excommunicate him for a period of time which is proportional to his wickedness. Similarly, if the Court of Law sees it fit to isolate someone, or someone who ate or drank with him or came within four cubits of him, then they may do so, doing so in order to remove his influence and to protect the principles of the Torah so that neither his influence nor sinners will spread. Even though a sage may excommunicate himself for the sake of honour it is not a praiseworthy practice, for a sage should listen to what people say and not ignore them, as Solomon said in his wisdom, "Also, ignore unspoken words". The way of the first pious people was not to react to derogatory statements made about them, and they would even forgive the person who had made them. The Great Sages acted in a praiseworthy manner by never excommunicating or isolating themselves for the sake of honour - this is the way in which it is fitting for a learned sage to act. This is referring only to derogatory statements made in private, but if a learned sage was disgraced or shamed by someone in public it is forbidden for him to forego his honour, and if he did forego his honour he should be punished, because it is a disgrace to the Torah. Instead, he should keep the matter in mind until the person in question asks for forgiveness, whereupon he should forgive him. THE LAWS OF IDOL-WORSHIP AND ITS REGULATIONS These chapters discuss the following two positive commandments and forty-nine negative commandments: 1) Not to follow idolaters. 2) Not to follow one's inclinations or after what one sees. 3) Not to blaspheme. 4) Not to serve idols in the appropriate manner. 5) Not to bow down to idols. 6) Not to make a graven image for oneself. 7) Not to make a graven image for others. 8) Not to make figures, even for decoration. 9) Not to influence others into idolatry. 10) To burn down an influenced city. 11) Not to rebuild an influenced city. 12) Not to benefit from any of the monies of idols. 13) Not to mislead someone into serving idols. 14) Not to like a misleader. 15) Not to refrain from hating a misleader.

16) Not to save an inciter. 17) Not to credit an inciter with any merits. 18) Not to refrain from doing bad to a misleader. 19) Not to prophecise in the name of an idol. 20) Not to listen to one who does prophecise in the name of an idol. 21) Not to prophecise falsely, even in the name of God. 22) Not to refrain from executing a false prophet. 23) Not to take an oath in the name of an idolater. 24) Not to perform necromancy. 25) Not to perform wizardry. 26) Not to pass someone through a Molech. 27) Not to establish a monument. 28) Not to bow down on a figured stone. 29) Not to plant an asherah. 30) To destroy idolatry and all that is made for it. 31) Not to benefit from idol-worship or any of its accoutrements. 32) Not to benefit from an idol's covering. 33) Not to make a covenant with idol worshippers. 34) Not to favour an idol-worshippers. 35) Not to permit idolaters to live in our land. 36) Not to follow their customs and way of dress. 37) Not to perform soothsaying. 38) Not to use divination. 39) Not to enchant. 40) Not to employ a charmer. 41) Not to consult the dead. 42) Not to consult a necromancer. 43) Not to consult a wizard. 44) Not to perform witchery. 45) Not to shave the corners of one's head with a blade. 46) Not to shave the corners of one's beard with a blade. 47) For a man not to wear a woman's ornaments. 48) For a woman not to wear a man's ornaments. 49) Not to make tattoos. 50) Not to cut oneself as a sign of mourning. 51) Not to make a bald patch on one's forehead as a sign of mourning.  

CHAPTER ONEThis chapter discusses the evolution of idolatry, until Abraham came and recognised God, and made His oneness made known throughout the world. 1) In the days of Enosh, the people deviated, and the counsel of the wise people degenerated into stupidity. Enosh himself was amongst those who deviated. Their mistaken reasoning was that since God created the skies and spheres as part of nature, and placed them high up [in the skies], and gave them dignity, and that they are servants who serve Him, it would be appropriate to laud, glorify and honour them as well. It is the

will of the Almighty to make great and to dignify those who make Him great and honour Him, in the same way that a king wants to honour the servants who serve him - such is the honour of a king. Once this matter was decided upon, they proceeded to build temples to the stars, to bring sacrifices to them, to laud and glorify them verbally and to bow down to them, in order to attain [by these means] the will of the Creator by their opinions, which were evil. This was the core of idolatry, but the knowledgeable worshippers did not deny the existence of God by saying that only such-and-such a star exists. This is what Jeremiah said: "Who would not fear You, King of the nations? For to You it is fitting, for among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms there is none like You. Stupid and senseless are they all - the teaching of their vain idols is but wood!"; that is to say that everyone knows that just God exists, but their mistake and foolishness was to imagine that idolatry was God's will. 2) After some time, prophets of falsehood arose, and said that the Almighty had commanded them to serve such-and-such a star, to bring sacrifices to it, to offer drink sacrifices to it and to build a temple containing its form to it, in order that all people -including women, children and ignoramuses - will be able to bow down to it. Each of these prophets made known a form which he had invented himself, and claimed that it was the form of such-and-such a star which had been made known to him in a prophecy. In this manner, people started to make figures in the temples, under trees and on the tops of mountains and hills, and they congregated and bowed down to them. The prophets said that it was a form which brought good and bad, and that it was fitting to serve and fear it. The prophets said that through this service one will multiply and be successful, and issued instructions concerning what may and may not be done. Other prophets of falsehood began to make themselves known, and said that the star itself, or a sphere or angel, had spoken to them about how to be served, and what may or may not be done. This matter, namely the worship of forms in different manners, the offering of sacrifices to them and the bowing down to them, became propagated throughout the whole world. Owing to the passage of time, the honoured and fear-inducing Name was forgotten by all of nature, and was not recognised. Everybody, women and children included, knew only their forms of wood and stone, and the temples of stone, which, from childhood, they had been educated to bow down to, worship and take the name of for oaths. The wise people amongst them, such as the priests, imagined that there is no God, but only the stars and spheres, because of whom they made representative figures. But as for the Creator, there was not a single person who recognised Him, except for various individuals, such as Hanoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem and Eber. Things continued in this manner until Abraham the Patriarch, supporter of the world, was born. 3) Once Abraham was weaned, he, as a child, began contemplating and thinking day and night, and wondered how a sphere could follow a fixed path without being directed. If so, who directed it? Surely it would be impossible for it to rotate on its own! Abraham did not have a mentor, but was immersed amongst the stupid idolaters of Ur Casdim, where everyone, including his mother and father, served idols, as did he. In his heart, however, he continued to contemplate, until he realised the way of truth and understood the ways of righteousness from nature, and knew that there is a God who directs the spheres, created the world, and besides whom there is none other. He also knew that the whole world was erring, and knew that what caused the mistake was that they [had] worshipped the stars and figures for so long that the truth had vanished. Abraham was forty years old

when he recognised his Creator. Once he achieved this, he began to reason with the inhabitants of Ur Casdim and to argue with them, saying that by serving idols they were not following the way of truth. He broke their images, and began to proclaim that it is not fitting to serve anyone other than God, and to Him it is fitting to bow down and to offer drink sacrifices and sacrifices to, so that all creation will recognise Him. Abraham also proclaimed that it was fitting to break and destroy all the figures, so that nobody will err on account of them, like those who imagined that there is no God except for their idols did. Since people were listening to him, the king, Nimrod, sought to kill him, but a miracle was performed for Abraham, and he went to Haran, where he got up and proclaimed to the whole world that there is just one God in the world, whom it is fitting to worship. He went and gathered people together from cities and kingdoms, until he reached the land of Canaan, where he continued his proclamations, as it is written, "...and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God". Since agnostics were coming to him with questions about this matter, he would answer each person [in a way] so that he would return to the way of truth, until thousands and tens of thousands came to him. These were the people of the house of Abraham. He placed this important principle in their way of thinking, wrote books, and taught it to his son Isaac. Isaac also brought people back [to the way of truth], and taught it to Jacob, instructing him to teach as well, who then taught and brought back those who accompanied him. Jacob the Patriarch taught all his sons, but distinguished Levi, appointing him as head, making him stay in a seminary to teach the way of God and to fulfil the commandments of Abraham. He commanded his [other] sons not to cease supporting the children of Levi, in order that this teaching would not be forgotten. This matter became more and more publicized amongst the children of Jacob and those who accompanied them, and a nation who knew God was established in the world. This was only until Israel was in Egypt, where they learned the ways of the Egyptians, and worshipped idols like they did, with the exception of the tribe of Levi, who remained in the ways according to the commandments of the Patriarchs. The tribe of Levi never served idols. Not a lot of time passed and Israel was almost loathed [by God], and the core principle which Abraham initiated was extirpated. The children of Jacob returned to the mistakes of the nations, and to their straying from the true path. Out of love and out of keeping the covenant made with Abraham, God sent Moses our Teacher, chief of all the Prophets. Since Moses prophecised and God chose Israel as an inheritance, He crowned them with commandments, and made know to them the way to worship Him, and what the law regarding those who serve idols and those who err to pursue them is. CHAPTER TWOThis chapter tells us not to worship any creation, such worship being the core of idolatry, not to read any of the books of idolatry, and also discusses the laws regarding a blasphemer. 1) The core prohibition of idol worship is not to worship any creation, be it an angel, one of the spheres, a star, one of the four elements or something created from one of the elements. Even though a worshippers knows that the Lord is God but nevertheless worships one of the creations in the way that Enosh and those of his generation did before they forgot God, he is still counted as an idolater. This matter is what the Torah warned us against when it said, "And in case you look to the skies, and when you see the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the host of heaven, and you be misled to worship them, et cetera";

that is to say, "In case your judgement wanders and you think that it is they who control the world, and that the Lord allotted the whole world to them to live and exist in, and that they are not spoiled by the ways of the world", and then one will think that it is fitting to bow down to them and to worship them. We have received commandments concerning this matter when it says, "Be careful that your judgement is not deluded, et cetera"; that is to say that one should not be led to deviate by one's thoughts and think of the idols as a go-between between oneself and God. 2) Idolaters wrote many books about their worship, what the main part of their worship is, how it is done and what the related laws are. God commanded us not to read such books at all, and nor to think about them or any connected matter at all. Even to look at a figure is forbidden, as it is written, "Don't turn to idols". Concerning this matter it says, "...and don't inquire about their gods by saying, `How did these nations serve their gods?'", i.e. not to inquire about the method of worship even if one won't worship, because this causes one to worship and to do as they do, for it is written, "Even so I will do the same". 3) All these transgressions [mentioned so far] are in the same category, namely that of not turning to idolatry. Anyone who does turn to idolatry and performs the appropriate acts of worship should be flogged. It is not just turning to idolatry by thoughts that is forbidden, but we are also warned not to consider any thoughts which may lead to [one's own] uprooting of any of the Torah's principles. We are warned not to think in this way or to turn one's attention to it, or allow oneself to become confused by following the [incorrect] impulses of one's heart. This is because a man's reasoning is limited, and not all ways of thinking can attain the truth of the creation [and Creator], and if a man is pulled by his impulsive thoughts he will appear to destroy the world by the limitations of his mind [when spreading such opinions amongst others]. What does this mean? Sometimes he will adopt idolatry, and sometimes he will consider the oneness of the Creator - whether He exists or not, what is in heaven and beneath the ground, what existed before the world was created and what will be after it. Sometimes he will contemplate whether the prophecies are true or not, and sometimes he will contemplate whether the Torah is heavenly [in origin] or not, and he won't know the correct attributes necessary to know the truth, and he will become an heretic. The Torah warned us against this by saying, "...and that you don't follow your impulses and what you see, which lead you astray"; that is to say not to be attracted by the limitations of one's mind, which will prevent one from attaining the truth. The Sages said that the words, `your impulses' refer to heresy, and that the words, `what you see' refer to adultery. Even though this sin [of following incorrect impulses] can cause a person to be cut off from the World To Come, it does not carry a penalty of corporal punishment. 4) The commandment of [not practising] idolatry is above all other commandments, as it written, "And if you have erred and not obeyed all these commandments, et cetera". This is talking about idolatry, and teaches us that anyone who subscribes to idolatry denies all that the Torah and Prophets say and all that is commanded from [the time of] Adam until the end of the world, for it is written, "...from the day that the Lord gave command and forthwith throughout your generations". Anyone who denies idolatry acknowledges all of the Torah and Prophets and all that is commanded from the time of Adam until the end of the world. This is a key part of all the commandments.

5) A Jew who commits idolatry is considered as a gentile in all respects, and not like a Jew who has committed some other sin which carries a penalty of stoning. A convert to [the ways of] idolatry is considered as an apostate. Similarly, a Jewish infidel is not considered as a Jew in all respects, and is never accepted in repentance, for it is written, "None that go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life". Infidels are those who follow the impulses of their hearts with respect to the aforementioned matters, so much so that they transgress the key commandments of the Torah in contempt and brazenness, and they will say that they are not sinning. It is forbidden to converse with them or make them repent at all, for it is written, "...and don't approach the door of her house". The thoughts of an heretic are keyed to idolatry. 6) Anyone who accepts idolatry as truth is aggravating and blaspheming the honoured and fear-inducing Name, even if he doesn't actually serve idols. Idolatry and blasphemy are equal in severity, for it is written, "But the person that acts brazenly, whether he was born in the land or is a stranger, dishonours the Lord". Therefore, an idolater is hanged [after he is stoned] in the same way that a blasphemer is. Because of this, I have written the laws of blasphemy with the laws of idolatry, for the reason that both of them deny the basic principles. 7) These are the laws of a blasphemer: A blasphemer is not liable to stoning unless he explicitly says the Tetragrammaton, which is spelt Aleph-Daled-Nun-Yud, and curses it with one of the other Names which may not be erased, for it is written, "And he who blasphemes the Lord's name shall surely be put to death". One is liable to stoning if one blasphemes one of the Names, but if one blasphemes one of the Attributes one has merely committed a sin. One authority holds that one is liable to stoning only on account of blaspheming the actual Tetragrammaton, but I say that one is liable to stoning for blaspheming either four-letter Name. 8) The forewarning of a blasphemer is derived from the verse, "Do not revile the judges". In the event of the trial of a blasphemer, the witnesses should only hint at what the blasphemer actually said when they are cross- examined. Once all the questioning has finished and a verdict is about to be passed, everybody is told to go outside, and then the greater (or older) of the witnesses is told to say explicitly what the blasphemer had said, which he does. The judges then genuflect and tear their clothes, and should never repair them. The second witness then says, `I heard the same'. If there were more than two witnesses, then each and every one of them has to say, `I heard the same'. 9) Taking back one's blasphemy immediately after saying it is ineffective, and if one's blasphemy was [said] in the presence of witnesses one is stoned. Someone who blasphemes the Name in the name of an idol will [probably] be killed by zealots, but if they don't kill him and he is brought to court he is not stoned, unless he cursed the Name with one of the other Names that may not be erased. 10) One who hears God's Name being cursed is obliged to tear his clothes, even if it was only an Attribute which he heard being cursed. This is with the proviso that he heard it from a Jew. One who hears it from the one who first heard it [i.e. as reported speech] is under the same law as the one who hears it directly. If one hears it from an idolater one is not obliged to tear one's clothes. Eliakim and Shebna tore their clothes only because Rab-shakeh was a Jewish apostate. After the court-case has been completed, all the witnesses and judges, one by one, place their hands, on the head of the blasphemer, and say to him, `Your blood is accountable to you, for you have caused its spilling!'. Of all the types of

people executed by a Court of Law, it is only with a blasphemer that this ceremony is performed, for it is written, "...and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head". CHAPTER THREEThis chapter discusses serving idols willingly or inadvertently, whether correctly or not, the laws concerning someone who makes a god for himself or for others, the prohibition of forms for decoration even if they are not for idolatry, and the difference between protruding and sunken forms. 1) Anyone who willingly and knowingly worships idols is liable to karet. If he did so in the presence of witnesses who forewarned him then he is stoned, but if he did do inadvertently he has to bring a standard sin offering. 2) Many different types of worship were invented by the idolaters for each and every image and form, and no two types of worship are identical. For example, the method of worshiping Pe'or was to defecate before it, and the method of worshiping Markulis was to throw stones at it or to remove stones [which had been thrown at it] from before it. Other similar manners of worship were established for other images. Therefore, if someone defecated in front of Markulis or threw stones at Pe'or he is exempt from punishment, for the reason that he has not worshipped in the appropriate manner. Only those who worship in the appropriate manner are liable, for it is written, "How did these nations serve their gods? Even so I will do likewise". Because of this, the Courts of Law have to make known the ways of worship, for an idolater is not stoned unless he knew he was performing the appropriate acts. 3) When it says, "...nor serve them" it is a warning against such worships and similar things. This is talking about all manners of worship except for bowing, sacrificing, burning incense or offering drink offerings. Anyone who worships any idol in one of these manners is liable, even if it was not the appropriate manner of worship. For example, if one offered a drink offering to Pe'or, or sacrificed to Markulis, one is liable, for it is written, "He who sacrifices to any god except for the Lord shall be utterly destroyed". This makes one who bows liable, even if it was not the appropriate manner of worship. This law also applies to burning incense and offering drink offerings. Someone who sprinkles blood [after a sacrifice] is classified as one who offers a drink offering. 4) If one cuts up excrement [instead of cakes or meat] or pours out a [large] chamber pot of urine in front of an idol, one is liable. If one sacrificed a locust to an idol one is not liable, unless such was the appropriate manner of worship. Similarly, if one sacrificed an animal that had a limb missing to an idol one is not liable, unless such was the appropriate manner of worship. Concerning an idol which is worshipped by breaking sticks before it; if one broke a stick before it one is liable and the stick is forbidden for use, but if one just threw the stick before it one is still liable, but the stick is not forbidden for use. This is because the throwing of a stick is not like the sprinkling of blood, for the reason that the stick does not change in form when thrown, but blood spreads out when sprinkled. Anyone who accepts upon himself an idol as a god is liable to stoning, even if he merely picked upon ordinary brick and declared it his god. Any similar statements also make one liable [to stoning]. Even if on immediately took back what one had said and said that it is not one's god, it is ineffective, and one is still liable to stoning. 5) Anyone who worships an idol in the appropriate manner is liable, even if he did so in a manner of mockery. For example, if someone defecated in front of Pe'or in order to mock it, or threw a stone at Markulis in order to mock it, he is obligated to bring a sin offering

on account of his inadvertent transgression [and is not liable to karet because he had the wrong attitude when worshiping]. He has to bring a sin offering for the reason that it was not the appropriate manner of worship. 6) One who worships an idol out of love, for instance he worshipped a particular form on account of its outstanding beauty, or if he worshipped out of fear that it would cause him bad if he didn't, like those who worship them imagine, namely that an idol causes good or bad to befall someone, is liable to stoning if he accepted it upon himself as a god, but if he worshipped it in the appropriate manner, or performed one of the four special acts of worship before it, out of love or fear of the idol [and did not accept it upon himself as a god], he is not liable. Someone who hugs an idol and kisses it, or cleans the area in front of it, or washes it in order to clean it, or washes and anoints himself in its honour, or dresses specially for it, et cetera, is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "...nor serve them". This is because these things are in the category of worship. Nevertheless, one who does one of the above is not liable to flogging, for the reason that these activities are not explicitly forbidden, but if it was the appropriate manner of worship and one performed it for the sake of worship, one is liable. 7) If one was sitting in front of an idol and a thorn entered one's foot, one should not bend down to remove it, because it will look as if one is bowing down [to the idol]. It is also for this reason that one should not bend down to collect money that was spread out in front of the idol, but one should lower oneself in stages so that it will not look like bowing. 8) One should not place one's mouth next to that of a sculptured figure which spouts water in front of an idol in order to drink, because it will look as if one is bowing down to the idol. 9) Someone who makes an idol for himself has transgressed a negative commandment and is liable to flogging, even if he himself did not make it [but had someone else to make it for him] or if he did not worship it, for it written, "You shall not make for yourself any carved idol or semblance, et cetera". Similarly, someone who himself makes an idol for others, even for a gentile, is liable to flogging, for it is written, "..nor make for yourselves molten gods". Therefore, someone who makes an idol himself and for himself is flogged twice, once for transgressing each of these commandments. 10) It is forbidden to make forms of people for decoration, even though they may not be idols, for it is written, "You shall not make with me gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold". This refers to gold or silver figures meant for decoration, so that deviants won't mistake them for idols. Therefore, one may not sculpt figures of people out of wood, clay or stone. This applies only if the figure is not protruding, an example of which would be a three-dimensional figure sculpted onto a wall, or some similar thing. One who did make a sculpture of this nature is liable to flogging. However, sculptures which are impressed into the surface, or a form of colours, such as the figures which can be found on tablets and plates/slates, or which are embroidered in cloth, are permitted. 11) Concerning a signet ring which had the image of a man on it; if the image is protruding it is forbidden to wear it but it is permitted to seal with it, but if the image is sunken it is permitted to wear it but forbidden to seal with it, because the image made when sealing with it will be a protruding one. It is similarly forbidden to make images of the sun, moon, stars, zodiac constellations or angels, for it is written, "You shall not make

with me"7, which means not making images of those in the firmament who serve God. It is even forbidden to draw them on a board. It is permitted to make images of animals and any other living creatures except for man, and of trees, plants, et cetera, even if the image is a protruding one. CHAPTER FOURThis chapter discusses influenced cities, and states that the laws of such a city do not apply to Jerusalem or any of the refuge cities. 1) Those who influence a Jewish city [into idolatry] are stoned, even if they themselves did not worship but just influenced the city's citizens to worship idols. The people of the influenced city are put to death by the sword if they actually worshipped idols or accepted them upon themselves as gods. The verse, "...nor let it be heard from your mouth" serves as a warning against such an influence. 2) A city does not get the status of an influenced city unless it was influenced by two or more people, for it is written, "Certain wicked persons have gone out". The people who did the influencing have to be from the same town or tribe, for it is written, "...and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city"2, and also have to influence the majority of the town in order to be classified as influencers. The number of influenced people has to be between one hundred and the majority of a tribe. If they influenced more than the majority of a tribe, then those who were influenced are judged separately, for it is written, "...the citizens of that city". A small village or a large city cannot become influenced cities. A small village is any village with fewer than one hundred citizens, whereas a large city is one which contains the majority of a tribe. Therefore, if women, children or an individual influenced a city, or if only a minority was influenced, or if they influenced themselves, or if they were influenced by people from a different city, then they are not judged as [citizens of] an influenced city, but they are classified as individuals who worshipped idols. Those who worship are stoned to death, and their heirs inherit their property in the same way as with any person executed by a Court of Law. 3) The judgement of an influenced city is performed only by the Great Sanhedrin of seventy-one members, for it is written, "You shall bring out the man or woman who has committed that wicked thing to your gates" - individuals are executed by the Small Sanhedrin of twenty-three members, but the many can be executed only by the Great Sanhedrin. 4) A refuge city cannot be condemned as an influenced city, for it is written, "...in one of your cities". Jerusalem also cannot be condemned as an influenced city, because it was not divided up amongst the tribes. A city on the border [of Israel] also can't be condemned as an influenced city, so as not to give gentiles a point of entry to Israel to destroy it. The same Court of Law cannot condemn three cities which are close to each other as influenced cities, but may do so for three cities which are far away from each other. 5) A city can be condemned as an influenced city only if those who influenced the citizens spoke in the plural form and said things like, `Let us go and worship', `Let us go and sacrifice', `Let us go and burn incense', `Let us go and offer a drink offering', `Let us go and bow down' or `Let us accept this idol as a god', [et cetera,] and the citizens listen to them and worship the idols in the appropriate way or in one of the four special ways, or accept the idol as their god. If the city or the influencers did not meet with these conditions, then each and every person of those who worshipped is warned and testified

against individually and then stoned, like individuals who worshipped idols, and their heirs inherit their property. 6) What procedure is followed when condemning a city as an influenced city? The Great Sanhedrin sends messengers to it, who inquire and investigate until they know beyond the shadow of a doubt that all, or the majority, of the city has been influenced and has turned to idolatry. Then, they [the Great Sanhedrin] sends two learned Sages to warn them and bring them back [to the way of truth]. If the citizens of the city repent the city cannot be condemned as an influenced city [but the citizens are judged individually]. If, however, they remained in their wicked ways, the Great Sanhedrin commands all of Israel to rise up against them in battle. They then besiege the city, following which they attack it until it has been broken into. Once this has been done, many [small] Courts of Law are immediately set up, and the inhabitants are judged. Anybody who worshipped idols in the presence of witnesses after having been warned by them is put away [in prison]. If the idol-worshippers were found to be in the minority, then they are stoned and the rest of the city goes unpunished. If, however, they were found to be in the majority, then they are taken to the Great Sanhedrin for the completion of the judgement. All those who worshipped are put to death by the sword, as are all other people living in the city, including women and children, if influenced as well. If the worshippers were in the majority, then their wives and children are put to death by the sword [even if they had not worshipped]. The influencers are stoned whether the entire city or just the majority was influenced. All the booty of the city is collected into the [main] square. If the city did not have such a square then one is made for it. If the square was outside the city, then a wall has to be built such that the square becomes incorporated into the city, for it is written, "...into the open place of the city". Then, all living creatures within the city are killed, and the booty is burned along with the city. It is a positive commandment to carry out this burning, for it is written, "...and shall burn with fire both the city and all the booty taken form it"6. 7) The property of those citizens who were not influenced with the majority is burnt along with the rest of the booty - since they were living in that city, their money is forfeit. Anyone who benefits from even a small amount of the booty is flogged once, for it is written, "Nothing of that marked for destruction shall remain in your hands". 8) In a case where the witnesses were found to be plotters then anyone who takes for himself any of the city's booty has the right to keep it [as opposed to destroying or returning it] and may benefit from it, because the witnesses were plotters. He has the right to keep it because all the citizens of the city gave up their money [as lost] when the verdict was delivered. A city which has been condemned as an influenced city may never be rebuilt, for it is written, "...it shall not be built again". Anyone who does rebuild it is flogged. It is permitted to convert the ruins into parks or orchards, because the Torah refers only to rebuilding the city as it was. 9) A small community, such as a nomadic one, which travels from place to place and had been camped in the influenced city at the time of its being influenced is wiped out with the city, and the property of the members of that community is forfeit, provided that they had been camped in the city for more than thirty days. If they had been camped in the city for fewer than thirty days, they are stoned, and their property is inherited by their heirs. 10) Property of another city which had been deposited in an influenced city is not destroyed with the booty of the city, even if the citizens of the influenced city had

accepted responsibility for it, but it is returned to its rightful owner. the words, "its booty"8 come to exclude the property of another city. If the property of citizens of an influenced city had been deposited in another city then it is burnt with the rest of the booty of the city if it had ever been inside the influenced city, but if not, it is given to the appropriate heirs. 11) An animal which is owned in part by citizens of an influenced city and in part by citizens of a different city and which had been inside the influenced city is forbidden [for benefit]. Dough owned in partnership is permitted, because it is possible to divide it up. 12) An animal of an influenced city which had been slaughtered [after the verdict had been delivered] is forbidden for benefit, just as a goring ox which had been sentenced to stoning and had then been slaughtered is. The hair of the citizens' heads may be used, whether it is hair of a man or a woman, but hair grown for alien ways of [bodily] decoration is classified as booty, and is forbidden for benefit. 13) Fruit still on the trees in an influenced city is permitted, for it is written, "And you shall gather all its booty...and burn with fire...the entire booty taken in it"8, which refers to things which need gathering only prior to their destruction. This excludes fruit which is still on the trees, because they need both picking and gathering prior to their destruction. This is the same law with respect to human hair. It need not be said that the trees themselves are permitted, and they belong to the heirs. Concerning any sanctified animal within the influenced city; any animal which had been sanctified for sacrifice on the Altar is killed - "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination" - whereas items sanctified for the upkeep of the Temple are redeemed and then destroyed, for the words, "its booty"8 come to exclude sanctified items. 14) The first-born animals and any tithes in an influenced city are counted as animals which have been sanctified for sacrifice on the Altar if they are physically perfect, and are killed. If they were blemished, then they are counted as animals of the city, and are destroyed. Any tithes taken for the priests from an influenced city and which had already been given to a priest may be kept by him, because it is his property, but if it was still in the possession of a citizen of the influenced city then it is given to a priest of a different city, for the reason that such tithes are heavenly property, and have intrinsic holiness. 15) Secondary tithes, its monies, and holy writings of an influenced city are relegated to the archives. 16) Anyone who is involved in the judgement of an influenced city is like one who brings a burnt offering, for it is written, "...entirely for the Lord your God"8. Furthermore, he lessens any [of God's] anger towards Israel, for it is written, "...that the Lord may return from the fierceness of His anger", and he also brings a blessing and mercy upon Israel, for it is written, "..and show you mercy, and have compassion upon you"10. CHAPTER FIVEThis chapter discusses inciters, the difference between inciting and influencing, false prophets, and the prohibition to exalt a gentile. 1) Somebody who incites another Jew, whether a man or a woman, into worshiping idols is stoned, even if he or the person he incited did not actually serve idols, in which case he stoned for showing the person the method of worship. The inciter is always stoned, whether he was a prophet or an ordinary person, or whether he incited an individual or many people of either gender.

2) One who incites the majority of the citizens of a town is an influencer, and does not come into the category of an inciter. If the person who influenced the majority of the citizens of a town was a prophet then his death penalty is that of stoning, and those who were influenced are judged as individuals and do not fall into the category of citizens of an influenced city unless there were two [or more] people who did the influencing. Somebody who says, `An idol told me to serve it', or, `God told me to serve this idol' is an influencing prophet, and is stoned if he influenced the majority the a city's citizens. An inciter is always stoned, whether he uses the singular or the plural. Inciting consists os saying to someone, `I will go and worship the stars', or, `Let us go and serve this idol in the appropriate manner', or, `I will offer sacrifices to this idol', or, `Let us go and offer sacrifices to this idol', et cetera. 3) If somebody incited two people, then they, as witnesses, bring him to a Court of Law, where they testify against him and stone him. It is not necessary to forewarn an inciter. If someone tries to incite a [single] person, then that person should tell the inciter that he has friends who [also] want to follow him, in order that there will be two witnesses and that it will be possible to execute the inciter. If the inciter didn't want to incite more than one person [at a time], then it is a commandment to hide two people so that they will be able to overhear the inciter and will then be bale to come as witnesses. This process is not followed by any of the sins of the Torah which carry a death penalty except for inciting. How are people hidden for this purpose? The person whom the inciter is trying to incite should hide two people in a dark place so that they will be able to see and hear the inciter, but he won't be able to see them.. The person then asks the inciter to repeat to him what he had said to him in private, which he does. The person then asks him, `How can you leave our God who is in heaven in order to worship sticks and stones?!'. If the inciter then takes back his attempts at inciting or else shuts up, he is exempt [from being stoned], but if says, `Such is our obligation and such is fitting for us' [or words to that effect], then those people who were hidden bring him to a Court of Law, and stone him. 4) It is a commandment for the incited person to kill the inciter, for it is written, "Your hand shall be the first upon him". It is forbidden for the incited person to like the inciter, for it is written, "You shall not consent to him". With respect to someone whom one hates it is written, "You shall surely unload it with him", so one might have thought that one may help an inciter. The words, "nor listen to him" teach us that we may not help an inciter. From the verse, "...neither shall you stand aside when trouble befalls your fellow man" we might have thought that one should be obligated to save an inciter. The words, "...nor shall you have pity on him"4 teach us that one isn't. It is forbidden for the incited person to spare the inciter, for it is written, "...nor shall you spare him"4. If he knows of a debt which the inciter has he is forbidden from remaining quiet about it, for it is written, "...nor shall you conceal him"4. The forewarning of an ordinary person [as opposed to a prophet] who incites is derived from the verse, "And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall no longer do any such wickedness". 5) One who incites others to worship him by saying, `Worship me!' is stoned if they worshipped him, but not if they didn't, even if they accepted him upon themselves [as a god]. If, however, he incited them to worship another man, or some type of idol, then he is stoned, even if they didn't perform any actual worship but just accepted that man or idol upon themselves [as a god]. The incited people are also stoned, for it is written, "You shall not consent to him, or listen to him"4. If one did listen to him one is culpable.

6) If someone says, `Such-and-such an idol (or star) said to me that it is a commandment to do, or not to do, this and that', then he is a prophet who is prophecising in the name of an idol, even if he described commandments as they really are. If he was warned by two witnesses he is put to death by strangulation, for it is written, "...or who speaks in the name of other gods, then that prophet shall die". The forewarning for this is derived from the verse, "...and make no mention of the name of other gods". 7) It is forbidden to protract the judgement of one who prophecises in the name of an idol, and he is not asked for any signs. If he gave signs of his own accord, we don't investigate or [even] think about them. Anyone who thinks that the signs may be true is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall not listen to the words of that prophet". the punishment of a false prophet is death by strangulation, even if he prophecised in God's Name and did not try to add to or take away from any of the commandments of the Torah, for it is written, "And that prophet, who presumes to speak in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that speaks in the name of other gods, shall die"7. 8) One who states as a prophet something which he didn't hear in a prophetic vision, and one who heard somebody else's prophecy and claimed it as his own, stating it as such, are classed as false prophets, and are put to death by strangulation. 9) Anyone who refrains from executing a false prophet because of his high ways of walking in the ways of prophecy is transgressing a negative commandment, for it is written, "You shall not be afraid of him". Similarly, one who refrains from publicising a debt of a false prophet, or who fears his words, is also transgressing this negative commandment. A false prophet is judged only by the Great Sanhedrin of seventy-one members. 10) One who takes a vow in the name of, or who swear by, an idol is culpable to flogging, for it is written, "...and make no mention of the name of other gods". This includes both vows one makes to oneself and those made to an idolater. It is forbidden to swear in the name of an idol out of fear [of that idol]. Even to make mention of the name of an idol not by way of an oath is forbidden, for it is written, "...and make no mention of the name of other gods"11. 11) One should never arrange to meet one's friend by an idol, or similarly [to] use an idol. Any idol mentioned in Scripture, such as Pe'or, Ba'al, Nebo, Gad, et cetera, may be mentioned by name. It is also forbidden to cause others to act in the name of an idol. Only those who take a vow or act in the name of an idol, or swear by it, are culpable to flogging. CHAPTER SIXThis chapter discusses necromancy, wizardry, Molech, monuments, figured stones, and the prohibition to plant a tree in the Temple. 1) One who willingly and knowingly practices necromancy or wizardry is liable to karet, but if he did so in the presence of witnesses who warned him, he is liable to stoning. If he did so inadvertently, he has to bring a standard sin offering. What is are the acts of necromancy? A necromancer stands and burns specific incenses, waves a myrtle twig around in the air and speaks slowly in matters known to necromancers until the person consulting him gets the impression that there is someone speaking to him, answering his question about lowly matters in a quiet voice but that it is almost as if he isn't hearing him with his ears but telepathically. Similarly, taking the skull of a dead person, burning

incense to it and divining with it until one hears a low voice emanating from one's armpit and answering one is also necromancy. anybody who carries out any of these rituals is liable to stoning. 2) Wizardry consists of placing a bone of the jerboa in one's mouth, burning incense and performing other [strange] acts until one collapses like an epileptic, whereupon one starts to speak to the future. All of these are types of idol-worship, and the warning against them is derived from the verse, "You shall not employ necromancers or wizards". 3) One who willingly and knowingly gives of his offspring to Molech is liable to karet, but if he did so inadvertently he has to bring a standard sin offering, and if he did so in the presence of witnesses who warned him he is stoned, for it is written, "...who gives of any of his offspring to Molech shall surely be put to death - the people of the land shall stone him with stones". The warning against this [practice] is derived from the verse, "And you shall not let any of your offspring pass through (the fire) to Molech", and also from the verse, "There must not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire". What the ritual [of giving someone to Molech] consists of is lighting a big fire and giving of one's children to the priests who attend the fire. After giving the father permission to pass the children through the fire, the priests return the child to him, and he passes them through the fire by holding them on his shoulders and jumping from one side of the fire to the other. Children are not offered to Molech by burning in the way that they are to other idols, but they are offered by this process of passing through, which is known as `Molech'. Therefore, one who follows this procedure for an idol other than Molech is exempt [from stoning or karet]. 4) One is not liable to karet or stoning [depending upon witnesses being present or not] unless one gives one's child to Molech and passes it through the fire in the described way. If one gave but did not pass it through, or if one passed it through without having given, or if one gave but passed it through in the incorrect manner, one is exempt. One is not liable unless one passes through just some of one's children, for it is written, "...because he has given of his offspring to Molech". This refers to giving just some of one's children, and not all of them. 5) One is liable only if one passes through any of one's children, whether they are legitimate or not. One is also liable if one passes through any of one's grandchildren, but if one passes through any of one's siblings, parents or even oneself, one is exempt. If one passed through any of one's children while one is asleep or blind, one is exempt. 6) The types of monuments forbidden by the Torah are those buildings in which people congregate, even to worship God, because this was the way of idol worshippers, as it is written, "Nor shall you set up any pillar, which the Lord your God hates". Anyone who does construct such a monument is liable to flogging. Similarly, one who bows down, even to God, on a figured stone is also liable to flogging, for it is written, "...nor shall you install a figured stone in your land for bowing down on". It was the way of idol worship to place a stone in front of the idol and to bow down on it. Therefore, one does not do the same when worshiping God. One is not liable to flogging unless one spreads out one's arms and legs completely so that one is spreadeagled on the stone, which is the method of bowing as meant by the Torah. 7) This is talking about any place outside the Temple, but it is permitted to bow down to God on stones inside the Temple, for it is written, "...nor shall you install...in your land"8, which refers to ordinary stones, but in the Temple on is bowing down on specially

dedicated stones. Therefore, in synagogues with stone floors, Jews are accustomed to spreading out matting or bits of straw on the floor, in order for there to be some [sort of] barrier between their faces and the floor. If one could not find something to act as a barrier between one's face and the [stone] floor, one should go to a place where the floor is not stone to bow down, or else one bows down on one's side so that one's face doesn't touch the stone. 8) Anyone who bows down to God on specially dedicated stones without spreading out his arms and legs is liable to flogging because of a Rabbinical decree, but with respect to idols one is liable to stoning the moment one's face touches the ground, even if one didn't spread out one's arms and legs. 9) Anyone who plants a tree, whether a fruit-bearing one or not, next to the Altar or any other place in the Temple Courtyard is liable to flogging, even if he did so for the decoration, for it is written, "You shall not plant for yourself an asherah of any tree near the Altar of the Lord your God". It is the way of idolaters to plant trees next to altars so that people will congregate [there]. 10) It is forbidden to build any wooden porch in the Temple in the way that one does in ordinary courtyards, even if the porch is fabricated and not made of [still-] living trees, for it is written, "...any tree"9. All the porches and lobbies protruding from the walls of the Temple were made of stone, and not wood. CHAPTER SEVENThis chapter discusses the prohibition to benefit from idols or their accoutrements, and also discusses the difference between the idols of Jews and those of gentiles. 1) It is a positive commandment to destroy idolatry, associated accoutrements and all that is made for idolatry, for it is written, "You shall completely destroy all the places, et cetera", and it is further written, "But you shall deal with them in this way: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their asherim, and burn their carved idols with fire". It is a commandment to pursue idolaters and idolatry in Israel until they are totally eradicated from our land, but we are not commanded to pursue them outside Israel, but from any place which is conquered [by us] we have to eradicate idolatry, for it is written, "...and obliterate their name from that place". This shows us that we have to pursue them in Israel, but not outside Israel. 2) It is forbidden to derive any benefit from any idol, its accoutrements and anything sanctified to or made for it, for it is written, "Nor shall you bring an abhorrence into your house". Anybody who does derive benefit from any of the above is liable to two sets of flogging; one for transgressing this negative commandment, and one for transgressing that of, "And nothing of that which was devoted to destruction shall remain in your possession". 3) It is forbidden to derive any benefit from an animal which has been offered to an idol, even from its excrement, bones, horn, hooves or skin - everything is forbidden for benefit. Therefore, if there was a mark on a skin identifying it as the skin of an animal which had been offered to an idol, then it is forbidden to derive any benefit from that skin. Such a mark could be a hole that had been cut in the skin in order to remove the heart [during sacrifice]. The law is the same in similar circumstances. 4) What differences are there between the idols of gentiles and those of Jews? Those of gentiles become forbidden for benefit immediately [upon consecration], as it is written, "You shall burn with fire the carvings of their gods", for the reason that they become

their gods as soon as they are carved. The idols of Jews do not become forbidden for benefit before they are actually used, for it is written, "...and sets it up in secret". This is because the moment a Jew sets up an idol in secret [doing so out of fear of getting caught] it is as if he has all ready worshipped it. Accoutrements of idolatry do not become forbidden for benefit until they are actually used, whether they belong to gentiles or Jews. 5) Someone who makes an idol for someone else may use the payment he receives for so doing, even though he is liable to flogging. Even if he makes the idol for a gentile, whereupon it becomes forbidden for benefit immediately, he may keep the payment, because the idol does not become forbidden for benefit until the moment it is completed, and the part of the payment for the finishing act is less than a perutah. If one buys frippery from a gentile and finds amongst it some idols, then the following laws apply: if one had paid for the frippery but had not yet picked it up then one returns the idols to the gentiles. Similarly, if one had picked it up but had not yet paid for it then one returns the idols to the gentiles, even though that taking from a gentile is an act of acquisition, for in this case it is a case of mistaken purchase. If one had paid for and taken them then one has to irretrievably dispose of the idols, e.g. by throwing them into the Dead Sea. Similarly, if a convert and his [gentile] idolatrous brother inherited their father who was also an idol-worshippers, the convert may say to his brother, `You take the idols and I will take the money; you take the libated wine and I will take the fruit', et cetera. If the convert acquires the idols, though, they become forbidden for benefit. 6) It is permitted to benefit from figures made by gentiles for decoration, but those made for idol-worship are forbidden. Any figures found in a gentile village are forbidden for benefit, because it is assumed that they were made for idol-worship, as figures in the villages usually are. Concerning figures found in cities, if they were standing at the entrance to the city and next to them was a figure of a stick, bird, ball or sword, or if they were wearing wreaths or rings, then they are assumed to have been made for idolatry, as such figures usually are, and are forbidden for benefit. If the figures were otherwise it is assumed that they were made for decoration, and are permitted for benefit. 7) Images found discarded in a market-place or amongst frippery are permitted for benefit, and how much more so are pieces of idols [found in this way]. If one finds a hand, foot or some other limb of an idol image and it can be seen that it had not broken off something [and that it had been made separately], then one may not use it, for the reason that it definitely comes from an idol that had been worshipped. Such pieces are forbidden for benefit unless it is known that the idol-worshippers have annulled the idol's status [as their god]. 8) If one comes across vessels on which there are figures of the sun, moon or a dragon, and these vessels were made of gold or silver, or were silk clothes, nose-rings or ordinary rings, then one may not benefit from them. If such images were found on other vessels, then those vessels may be used, because it is assumed that they have been put there for decoration. Similarly, all other types of figures found on any type of vessel are assumed to have been put there for decoration. 9) Idols, associated accoutrements and sacrifices made to them make mixtures forbidden even singly. What does this mean? If, for example, an idol got mixed up with some decorative figures, then the whole lot has to be disposed of, even if there were a thousand decorative figures [to the one idol]. In a similar manner, if a goblet of idolaters got mixed

up with some other goblets, or a piece of meat from an idolatrous sacrifice got mixed up with some other pieces of meat, then the whole lot has to be disposed of. Similarly, if a skin which had a hole in it from where the heart had been removed during sacrifice got mixed up with some other skins, then the whole lot is forbidden for benefit. If one sinned and sold an idol, or an item from the associated accoutrements, or an animal which had been offered to an idol, then the money received is forbidden for benefit and makes mixtures forbidden even singly, just as an idol does, for it is written, "...in case you become accursed like it" - anything derived from an idol, its accoutrements or sacrifices has the same status as the idol itself. 10) The ashes of an idol or asherah which was burnt are forbidden for benefit. Burning coals of idolatry may not be used, but a fire may, for the reason that it is intangible. If there is a doubt as to whether something belongs to idolatry, it may not be used, but if there is a doubt as to whether there is a doubt, it may be used. What does this mean? If, for example, a goblet of idolatry fell amongst other goblets, then the whole lot is forbidden for benefit, for the reason that idols and their accoutrements make mixtures forbidden even singly. If one of those goblets fell amongst [at least] two other goblets, then all of them may be used. As a further example, if an idolater's ring fell amongst a hundred other rings and then [at least] two of those rings fell into the sea, then the rest may used, for I hold that the forbidden ring was one of the ones that fell into the sea. If, however, the hundred rings got split it into two groups, one of forty rings and the other of sixty rings, and the entire group of forty rings fell amongst other rings, then all of the second mixture may be used, for I hold that the forbidden ring was in the larger group. If the group of sixty rings fell amongst other rings, they may not be used. 11) It is forbidden to sit in the shade of the trunk of an asherah, whether it had been worshipped or whether there was an idol under it, but it is permitted to sit in the shade of its boughs and leaves. It is forbidden to walk under an asherah if there was another [equidistant or shorter] route one could follow instead, but if there wasn't another such route one could follow, one should pass through it while running. 12) It is permitted to make use of chicks which are no longer dependant upon their mothers and which had nested in an asherah, but eggs and chicks which are dependant upon their mothers may not be used, because the asherah is their base. The nest itself at the top of the asherah may be used, because the birds bring the sticks [to build it with] from other trees. 13) Sticks and twigs taken from an asherah may not be benefitted from. If they were used to start the fire in an oven, one has to wait until the fire has gone out and the oven has cooled down before using permitted sticks to restart the fire. Bread baked on a fire made with (those) forbidden sticks may not be used, and if it got mixed up with other bread, then [something] of the same value as that bread must be disposed of [irretrievably] in order that the bread may be used. 14) If one took a stick from an asherah and used it as a shuttle on a loom on which one wove a garment, then that garment is forbidden for benefit. If that garment got mixed up with other garments, then [something] the value of that garment must be disposed of [irretrievably], and then the whole lot may be used. It is permitted to plant vegetables under an asherah [and then use them], whether in the summer, when they need the shade, or in the winter. In the summer, the shade of the asherah, which is forbidden [for benefit], combines with the ground, which is permitted [for benefit], to make the vegetables grow,

and in any situation where something that is forbidden combines with something that is permitted to cause the formation of something else, the resultant something may be used. Therefore, it is permitted to sow [crops] in a field which has been fertilized with fertilizer of idolatry, and a cow which has been fattened with horse-beans of idolatry may be eaten. The law is the same in similar situations. 15) Meat, wine or fruit which had been set aside specially as offerings to idols are not forbidden for benefit, even if they were brought into the temple of the idol. Once they have been offered, though, they have the status of a sacrifice, and even if the gentiles then removed them from the temple, they are forbidden for benefit. Anything, even water or salt, found in the temple of idolaters is forbidden by the Torah for benefit, and anyone who eats [of] anything found in a temple of idolaters is liable to flogging. 16) Clothes, vessels or money found discarded in an irreverent manner on the top of an idol are permitted for benefit, but if they had been placed there in a reverent manner, they are forbidden for benefit. What does this mean? If, for example, one found a pouch suspended by a rope hanging from the idol, or a folded garment on its head, or a vessel which had been forced onto its head, then one may use them, for they have been placed there in an irreverent manner. The law is the same in similar situations. On the other hand, if one found on the head of the idol something of the type of animal [or item] offered on the Altar in the Temple, it is forbidden for benefit. All this is talking about a situation when one finds something outside a temple of idolatry, but anything found inside a temple, whether it is arranged in an irreverent manner or not and whether it is something that could have been used on the Altar or not, is forbidden for use. This even includes water and salt. Anything found inside or [just] outside a temple of Pe'or or Markulis is forbidden for benefit. Any stone found near Markulis is forbidden for benefit. 17) If an idol had a pool or garden associated with it, one may benefit from it only if one doesn't pay the idolaters for it, but one may not benefit from it if one has to pay them [an `entrance' fee]. If it was owned in part by idolaters and in part by others, one may benefit from it with or without paying. 18) It is permitted to wash in a wash-house which contains forms or figures, because they are there for decoration and not for worship. It is permitted to wash there because it says, "...their gods", from which we learn that these restrictions apply only to forms and figures which the gentiles regard as gods, and not to figures they dishonours by, for example, urinating on one which stands next to a gutter. If such was the way of worship, namely to wash in front of it, then it is forbidden to [use or] enter that wash-house. 19) If one slaughtered an animal with a knife that belongs to idolatry, one may eat the animal because its value has been decreased by its being slaughtered, but if the animal had a terminal disease it may not be eaten, for had it been allowed to die of its own accord it would have been forbidden to eat it, and so one is benefitting [by being able to eat the animal] from an accoutrement of idolatry. Similarly, one may not cut up meat with a knife which belongs to idolatry, because this is a an act of `repair', but if one cut up the meat badly or in an incorrect manner, one may eat it. CHAPTER EIGHTThis chapter discusses those things which are forbidden for benefit because of idolatry, and also discusses the difference between the idols of Jews and those of gentiles. 1) Any natural object which cannot be picked up does not become forbidden for benefit, even if worshipped. Therefore, if idolaters worshipped mountains, hills, trees which were

originally planted for their fruit, a spring used by the general public, or an animal, then they are [still] permitted for benefit, and it is permitted to eat such an animal or the fruit of such trees. It need not be said that an animal which had been set aside for idolatry, whether for being worshipped or as a sacrifice, is permitted for benefit so long as no act connected with idolatry has been committed with it. If such an act had been committed, then the animal is forbidden for use. Such an act could be branding the animal in such a way as to show that it has been dedicated to idolatry. If an object had been substituted for an idol it becomes forbidden for benefit, as does any object which is substituted for the first object, because it [or they] acquire the status of an idol. This is talking about a situation involving one's own animal, but if one sacrificed someone else's animal to an idol, or substituted it, it does not become forbidden for benefit, because one cannot make forbidden for benefit something that isn't one's own. Holes, pits and caves dug for idolatry may not be used. 2) Water brought on a wave and which was bowed down to is not forbidden for benefit, but if the water had been used for washing and had then been bowed down to, it is forbidden for benefit. Boulders which had been moved by natural causes, such as a tempest, and which had been worshipped in the place where they had come to rest are permitted for benefit, because they are [natural] objects which cannot be picked up. 3) If a Jew stood a brick up in order to bow down to it but in the end did not do so and a gentile came along and bowed to it, it becomes forbidden for benefit, for its being stood up was an act of dedication. Similarly, if an egg was stood up in this manner and a gentile bowed down to it, it is forbidden for benefit, even though that its being stood up is not as apparent as a brick's being stood up. If one bowed down to half a pumpkin, then the other half which it is connected to is [also] forbidden for benefit, out of doubt that it may have been the half which one had bowed down to. A tree which had been planted for the purpose of being worshipped may not be used - this is what the Torah means by an `asherah'. If a tree had been planted and had then become cut in such a way as to make it unfit for the idolaters, then even if one of its branches had been bent down and been forced into the ground in order to grow [into] another tree, or a branch of another tree had been grafted to it, and tendrils had grown, then those tendrils have to be cut off and are forbidden for benefit, but the rest of the tree may be used. Similarly, the trunk of a tree which had been worshipped does not become forbidden for benefit, but all the tendrils, leaves, branches and fruit which grew while the tree was still being worshipped are forbidden for benefit. If an idolater grew a tree in order to make wine for an idol from the fruit, which he then did and drank an a day of festival, then the [entire] tree is forbidden for benefit, because it is clearly obvious that it is an asherah, because which the wine was made from its fruit - this is the procedure followed with an asherah. 4) A tree beneath which an idol stands is forbidden for benefit all the time that the idol is standing there, but if one planted something underneath the tree, then that something may be used for the reason that it is not the tree itself that is being worshipped. A house built by idolaters for the purpose of being bowed down to is forbidden for benefit, as is a house built for other purposes but which was bowed down to. If it had been built [for purposes other than idolatry] and was then plastered and figures were built into it for the purpose of idolatry, then what was added is forbidden for benefit because it was made for idolatry and must be removed, but the rest of the house is permitted. A house into which an idol has been brought is forbidden for use so long as the idol is inside the house, but once it

has been taken out the house may be used. Similarly, a stone which had been hewn for idolatrous purposes is forbidden for benefit. If, after having been hewn, it was sculpted or tiled and then worshipped, then even if the sculpted part or tiles were in the very body of the stone they should be removed in order for the rest of the stone to be permitted for benefit. These parts are forbidden for benefit for the reason that they were made for idolatry. 5) A stone on which an idolater has [temporarily] placed an idol may not be used so long as the idol is standing on it, but once it has been removed the stone maybe used. If one had a house which shared a wall with a temple of idolaters and the house collapsed, then it is forbidden to rebuild it [in the same place], but one should rebuild the house with that wall four cubits into one's property and away from its original position, and one should fill the resultant space with thorns or excrement so as not to give extra space to a temple of idolatry. If the wall was half one's own and half the idolaters', then one's own half is permitted for benefit, but everything - woods, stones, dust, et cetera - of the idolaters' half is forbidden for benefit. 6) Idols, associated accoutrements, offerings and anything else connected to idolatry and which is forbidden for benefit has to be destroyed, either by grinding it up and throwing it to the wind, or by burning it, or by throwing it into the Dead Sea. 7) An object which cannot be picked up, such as a mountain, animal or tree, remains permitted for benefit even if worshipped, but anything used to cover it is forbidden for benefit. Anyone who benefits from such a covering is liable to flogging, for it is written, "You shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them". The coverings of idols are classed as associated accoutrements. 8) An idol belonging to a gentile and whose status [as an idol] has been revoked by an idolater before coming into the possession of a Jew is permitted for benefit, as it is written, "The carvings of their gods you shall burn with fire"1. This is referring to a situation where the idolaters [still] regard their idols as their gods, but if they have revoked their idols' status they become permitted for benefit. 9) The status of a Jew's idol can never be revoked. Even if he owned the idol in partnership with an idolater [who revoked the status of his share], his revoking is meaningless; the idol is for ever forbidden for benefit, and has to be buried. Similarly, if an idol belonging to a gentile came into the possession of a Jew following which the gentile revoked its status, then the revoking is meaningless and the idol is for ever forbidden for benefit. A Jew cannot revoke the status of an idol, even with its [idolatrous] owner's permission. A gentile child or idiot also can't revoke an idol's status. The revoking performed by a gentile is always valid, even if he revoked the status of other people's idols or if a Jew forced him to perform the revoking, but only on the condition that the gentile is an idolater, for the revoking performed by a non-idolatrous gentile is meaningless. The revoking of an idol automatically includes any associated accoutrements, but if the status of the associated accoutrements is revoked the idol itself remains forbidden for benefit until it itself has its status revoked. The status of offerings to an idol can never be revoked. 10) How is revoking performed? Cutting off the tip of the nose, ear or finger of the idol, or smashing its face [with a hammer] even without removing anything, or selling it to a Jewish smelter are all acts of revoking, but pledging or selling it to a gentile or a Jew who isn't a smelter, having a building collapse on it without its actually falling over, or its

being stolen by bandits without being recovered afterwards are not acts of revoking. Spitting at an idol, urinating in front of it or smearing it with clay or excrement are not acts of revoking. 11) An idol which has been deserted by its worshippers at a time of peace may be used, for such a desertion is an act of revoking. At a time of war it may not be used [if it is deserted], because they have deserted it only on account of the war. Bits which have broken off an idol are forbidden for benefit until their status has been revoked. Therefore, if one finds bits of an idol one may not use them, in case they have not had their status revoked. If the bits were of a design such that any non-skilled person could easily reassemble them then each and every part requires separate revoking, but if they were of a design such that any non-skilled person could not easily reassemble them, then even if [even just] one limb of the idol had its status revoked, the status of the [rest of the] pieces is automatically revoked as well. 12) An altar of idolaters which became spoiled remains forbidden for benefit, unless the majority of the altar has been broken by the idolaters. A pedestal of idolatrous statuary and which became spoiled may be used. What is the difference between a pedestal and an altar? A pedestal consists of one stone, whereas an altar consists of many stones. How is the status of stones of Markulis revoked? If they have been used for building purposes, or in laying a road, or for some similar purpose, they become permitted for benefit [for it is as if their status has been revoked]. How is the status of an asherah revoked? Removal of a leaf, twig, stick or branch of the asherah and unnecessary pruning are acts of revoking. If it was pruned necessarily, the asherah remains forbidden for benefit, but the clippings may be used. If, however, the asherah belonged to a Jew, then whether its being pruned was unnecessary or not, the asherah and the clippings are forbidden for benefit for ever, because the status of a Jew's idol can never be revoked. CHAPTER NINEThis chapter discusses the prohibition to trade with idolaters before and during their festivals. 1) It is forbidden in the three days before a festival of idolaters to buy from, or sell to, idolaters any non-perishable goods, to lend to or borrow from them, or to collect or pay and debt which was with them, whether that debt is a documented one or dependant on a pledge, but a verbal debt with them may be settled in order to prevent trouble. It is, however, permitted to sell to them perishable goods, such as vegetables and cooked foods, but only until the day before their festival. These restrictions apply [for the three days before the festival] only in Israel, and they apply only on the day of the festival itself outside Israel. If one transgressed and dealt with them during these three days one may use what [payment] one gets, but if one did so on the day of the festival itself one may not. 2) It is also forbidden to send a gift to a gentile on a festival, unless one knows that he does not believe in or practice idolatry. Similarly, if a Jew was sent a gift by an idolater on the day of a festival he should not accept it, but if he was afraid that refusal would create enmity he should accept it, but he should not benefit from it. If, however, he knew that the gentile giving the gift does not believe in or practice idolatry, he may accept it straight away.

3) If the idolaters' festival lasted many days, then all the days are like the first one, and the above restrictions apply on all the days of the festival as well as on the three days before the start of the festival. 4) Edomites are idolaters, and for them every Sunday is a festival. Therefore, in Israel, it is forbidden to have any commercial [or financial] dealings with them on any Thursday and Friday and, of course, Sunday. [Dealings on Sabbath are forbidden anyway.] Such restrictions apply to all festivals of idolaters - see above. 5) A day on which idolaters assemble in order to appoint for themselves a king is like one of their festivals, and the same restrictions that apply to other festivals apply to this one as well. This is because on such a day they praise and offer sacrifices to their gods. Concerning an individual who makes for himself [only] a festival and praises his idol, these restrictions apply only on that day and only in connection with that man. Such a festival could be made, for example, to celebrate a birthday, the day on which hair was ritually cut and styled, the completion of a sea voyage, release from prison, marriage of a child, et cetera. Similarly, on a day when someone has died and there is a [commemorative] festival, these restrictions apply only on that day itself and only in connection with those participating in the festival. At any death [or funeral] of idolaters where artifacts or incenses are burned, it is obviously [being done] for the purpose of idolatry. The restrictions mentioned above apply only in connection with those who serve the idols during the festival, but not in connection with those who, out of a desire to keep the peace or out of honouring the king, participate in the feasting, so long as they do not acknowledge the idols [as gods]. 6) It is always forbidden to sell items which are directly connected to a type of idolatry to an idolater who practices that type of idolatry, and/or in a place where that type of idolatry is practised. Items which are not directly connected [to idolatry] may be sold to idolaters, but if an idolater explains that he wants such an item for use in his idolatrous practices it is forbidden to sell it to him, unless it was unfit to be offered to an idol, for the reason that idolaters never offer defective items to their idols. 7) If items connected to idolatry got mixed up with items that are not, e.g. pure frankincense got mixed up with black frankincense, then one may sell the whole lot [as one unit] to idolaters without specifying a use for them, and one does not have to worry that they will separate the pure frankincense from the black and use it for idolatry. The law is the same in similar circumstances. 8) Just as one may not sell to idolaters items which they could use in their idolatrous practices, so also may one not sell to them things which can cause damage to the public, such as bears, lions, weapons, dogs, man-traps, et cetera, and nor may one sharpen their sword for them. It is forbidden to sell to a Jew who is suspected of dealing with idolaters any item which one may not sell [directly] to an idolater, and nor may one sell to Jewish bandits items that can cause damage. 9) If Jews living amongst idolaters made a covenant with them, it is permitted for them to sell weapons to the king's subjects and soldiers, because they will fight the enemies of the country, and will [as a result] be protecting the Jews who live amongst them. 10) It is permitted to walk around a town in which there are idols, but it is forbidden to enter it. If, however, the idols were on the outside of the town, then it is permitted to enter it. If one was travelling, it is forbidden to pass through any town that contains idols. This

is talking about a situation when there was another route one could follow, but if there was no other route, one may enter the town. 11) It is forbidden to build with idolaters a straw hut in which they will place their idols, but if one transgressed and did build such a hut, one may nevertheless use one's payment. One may, however, from the outset, build the granary or courtyard that will contain the straw hut. 12) Concerning a town in which there were idols and of whose shops some were decorated [with roses, myrtle, fruit, et cetera] and some were not; it is forbidden to benefit from anything at all from the decorated shops, for the reason that it is assumed that they have been decorated in honour of the idols, whereas one may benefit from the undecorated shops. It is forbidden to rent a shop from idolaters, for the reason that so doing will give them benefit. 13) If one sells something to an idolater, then the money one receives is forbidden for benefit and has to be disposed of. If, however, an idolater forced a Jew to sell him his house and then erected an idol in it, then the Jew may make use of the payment received, and he may [for the sake of self-preservation] draw up a sales document and present it in one of their courts for validation. 14) It is forbidden to eulogize with flutes which belong to idolaters. If one goes to a market which is organized by idolaters, one may, in order to save them from the idolaters, buy animals, non-Jewish slaves and maid- servants, houses, fields and vineyards, and [one may even] document the transaction in one of their courts. This applies only to a vendor who does not take a commission, but it is forbidden to buy from a vendor who does take a commission for the reason that he will give the commission to the idolaters and so one will, in effect, be giving them benefit. If one transgressed and did buy from a vendor who takes a commission, then the following rules apply: If one had bought an animal then one lacerates its legs from the knees downwards. If one had bought clothing or vessels then one leaves them to rot. If one had accepted money or bought metal objects which won't corrode, then one has to dispose of it/them. If one had bought a slave, then one does not do actively do anything to [save or kill] him. 15) It is forbidden to benefit from a wedding banquet made by an idolater for one of his children. Even to eat at it from one's own food and drink is forbidden, because one is still eating at an idolater's party. Furthermore, it is forbidden to eat from any of the idolater's food from the moment he starts preparing for the banquet until thirty days after it, and if he made [yet] another banquet on account of the marriage, then it is forbidden to eat any of his food for twelve months [subsequently]. These restrictions have been made as a precaution against being tempted into idolatry, for it is written, "...and call you, and you eat of their sacrifice; and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters act as harlots before their gods and make your sons act as harlots before their gods". 16) A Jewish woman should not give her baby to an idolatrous woman to nurse it [even for payment], because she will bring the child up as an idolater. One should not act as a midwife for an idolater except for payment, in which case one is doing so to prevent enmity. A Jewish woman may allow an idolatrous woman to nurse her child only in her presence in order to prevent the nurse from murdering the child [when her back is turned]. 17) It is forbidden to have any dealings with those who are on their way to debauchery at idolatrous festivals, but one may with those who are returning, provided that they are not

as a group, for if they are as a group it is possible that they will return. It is permitted to have dealings with a Jew who is on his way to debauchery at idolatrous festivals, in case he will change his mind and not go, but dealings with him on his return are forbidden. Dealings with an apostate are forbidden at all times, whether he is going to a festival or coming back. 18) It is forbidden to have dealings with a Jew who is returning from a market organized by idolaters, in case he sold idols to them there. Payment in the hands of a Jew received for idols is forbidden for benefit, but in the hands of an idolater is permitted. Therefore, one may have dealings with an idolater who is returning from such a market, but not with a Jew who is returning from such a market. Dealings with an apostate are forbidden at all times, whether he is going to the market or coming back. CHAPTER TENThis chapter discusses selling houses and fields to idolaters inside and outside Israel, and tells us to be charitable to poor gentiles as well as to poor Jews. 1) One may not make a covenant with any of the seven nations, making peace with them and leaving them to serve their idols, for it is written, "You shall make no covenant with them", but one should make them leave their idolatrous practices, or else kill them. It is forbidden to show mercy to them, for it is written, "...nor show mercy to them"1. Therefore, if one sees one of them lost, drowning or in any other situation perilous to his life one does not save him, but purposely to put him in a situation perilous to his life is forbidden, for the reason that they are not at war with us. This is talking about the seven nations, but it is a commandment to put purposely Jewish informers, infidels and heretics in situations perilous to their lives, because they persecute the Jews and [try to] take them away from the ways of God, in the way that Zaddok, Baysos and their followers did. May the names of wicked people rot. 2) From this it follows that it is forbidden to doctor an idolater, even for payment. If, however, one was afraid that they will harm one if one refuses, or that refusal will be a source of enmity, then one may doctor them for payment, but to doctor them for free is always forbidden. One may doctor a settling stranger for free, for there is a commandment to sustain him. 3) One may not sell houses of fields in Israel to idolaters, but in Surah [and other places conquered by David] one may sell houses to them, but not fields. One may rent houses to them in Israel, provided that they do not make for themselves a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood cannot consist of fewer than three people. One may not rent to them fields in Israel, but in Surah one may. The reason why the law with fields is more strict is two- fold. Firstly, selling or leasing to them fields leads to tithes not being given, and secondly, it gives them a foothold in Israel. In countries other than Israel, it is permitted to sell houses and fields to them, because such countries are not ours. 4) In any situation where it is permitted to rent houses to them, it is referring to houses other than those meant for dwelling purposes, because an idolater will bring idols into such a house, and it is written, "Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house". One may, however, rent them houses for storage purposes. One may not sell to them unharvested fruit or produce, but may do so after they have been harvested, or else on the condition that they will harvest it. Why don't we sell to them? It is written, "...nor show mercy to them"1, from which we learn not to sell them land, for without land, their residence is temporary. It is also forbidden to make reference to their glory by saying

things like, `How beautiful is this idol in form!', so how much more so is it forbidden to praise idolaters' actions or hold dear one of their concepts, for it is written, "...nor show mercy to them"1 - they should not be liked, because liking them will cause on to associate with them and learn from their evil ways. It is forbidden to give anything to an idolater for free, but to a settling stranger one may, for it is written, "You shall give it to the settling stranger who is within your gates, or you may sell it to an alien" - sell, but not give for free. 5) One may provide for the poor of idolaters as one does for the Jewish poor so as not to create enmity, and nor do we prevent them from taking any of the gifts of harvest for the poor, for the same reason, and one may enquire after their health, even on one of their festivals, for the same reason. One should not enter an idolater's house on one of their festivals in order to exchange civilities, but if, on one of their festivals, one met an idolater in the market [or street], one should exchange civilities with him in a quiet voice and with a bowed head. 6) The laws concerning the sale of property and support of the poor, et cetera, mentioned in this chapter apply only when the Jews are exiled amongst the nations, or when they are attacking the Jews, but when we are attacking them it is forbidden to have them in our midst. Concerning temporary residence or moving from one rented house to another; we may not allow a gentile into our land unless he has accepted upon himself the Seven Commandments of the Sons of Noah, for it is written, "They shall not dwell in your land", even for a single hour. If a gentile accepted upon himself the Seven Commandments then he is classed as a settling stranger. Settling strangers are accepted only at a time when the Jubilee is observed, but a righteous stranger, i.e. a convert, is accepted at all times. CHAPTER ELEVENThis chapter discusses not following the practices of idolaters, and discusses soothsaying, divination, enchantment and witchery. 1) One may not follow the practices of idolaters [in matters other than idolatry as well], and one may not dress like them, or style one's hair like them, et cetera, for it is written, "And you shall not follow the practices of the nations", and it is further written, "...neither shall you follow their practices", and it is also written, "Guard yourself that you not ensnared into following them". All these verses come to warn us not to copy idolaters, but a Jew should be [distinct and] different from them in his manner of dress and other actions, in the same way that he is different from them in his knowledge and characteristics. It is also written,"...and have segregated you from the peoples " - do not dress in their style of clothing; do not grow the forelocks of your heads in the same style that they do; do not shave the sides of your heads leaving the hair in the middle plaited like they do; do not shave your head from ear to ear leaving a pony-tail at the back like they do; do not build temples like the temples of idolaters, which they build in order to accommodate many people. Anybody who commits any of these actions is liable to flogging. 2) When a Jew gives an idolater a haircut, he should not cut in the space three fingers around the plaiting [if there is any plaited hair]. 3) It is permitted for a Jew who is close to the monarch and who has to sit before him to dress and shave in the way that they do, so as not to be the odd one out.

4) It is forbidden to use soothsaying like they do, for it is written, "...nor shall you use soothsaying". Soothsaying involves making statements like one of the following: `Since my bread has fallen from my mouth, or my stick has fallen from my hand, I will not go to such-and-such a place, for if I go, I will not be successful', or, `Since a fox passed me on the right-hand side I will not leave my house today, for if I do I will meet a Roman', et cetera. Similarly, those who listen to the singing of the birds and say things like, `Such-and-such will happen and such-and-such will not', or, `It is good to do this, but bad to do that', et cetera, are also soothsaying. Similarly, someone who tells one to slaughter a cock that made a sound like a raven, or a hen that had made a sound like cock, is also soothsaying. Similarly, one who makes signs for himself by saying that he will act according to what he sees, like Eliezer the servant of Abraham did, is also soothsaying. All things similar to these are forbidden, and anyone who does any of them is liable to flogging. 5) It is permitted to make statements like, `This house that I built is a good sign for me', or, `This woman that I married (or animal that I bought) is blessed, for once I obtained her (or it) I became rich', or to ask a child [who is still learning] to read one a verse [of his choice] and to declare the child's reading of a verse from the blessings as a good sign. These statements are permitted because by making them one has not decided upon a course of action or refrained from doing something - one has just accepted whatever it is as a good sign for what has all ready happened. 6) Divination consists of performing particular actions in order to elevate oneself and clear one's mind of all [thoughts and] matters until one starts predicting the future by saying, `Such-and-such will, or will not, happen', or, `It is fitting to do such-and-such, but because of such-and-such a reason'. Some diviners make use of stones or sand, some crouch on the ground while moving and shouting, some stare into an iron mirror or lantern before speaking, and others hold a stick in their hands, leaning on it and hitting themselves with it until their minds have cleared, and then they start speaking. This what [one of] the Prophets said: "My people ask counsel of a piece of wood, and their staff declares to them!". 7) It is forbidden to practice divination or to consult a diviner. One who consults a diviner is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree, but the diviner himself is liable to flogging [according to the Torah], for it is written, "There must not be found amongst you...anyone who uses divination". 8) Enchantment consists of arranging things astrologically, and saying things like, `Day X is a good day', `Day Y is a bad day', `Day Z is a bad day on which to do such-and-such a job', `This year (or month) is bad for this thing', et cetera. 9) It is forbidden to enchant, even though one doesn't perform any action, but merely makes known that nonsense which the stupid people imagine is true and wise. Anyone who does something because of what an enchanter said, and adjusts his work or travel accordingly, is liable to flogging, for it is written, "...nor observe times". Similarly, one who rubs his eyes [to make out that he is doing something unnatural] so that those watching him will imagine that he is doing something peculiar is classed as an enchanter, and is liable to flogging. 10) Charming consists of speaking on unearthly matters which are in disarray. Charmers do this, thinking, in their stupidity, that this helps, and they keep this up until they say that whoever says such-and-such about the snake or scorpion will not cause any damage,

and that whoever says such- and-such about Man will not be harmed. While charming, they hold in their hands a key, rock or similar object. All of these practices are forbidden. One who charms without holding anything in his hands, or accompanies his speaking with an action such as the raising of his finger or head, is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree, as is one who sits in front of a charmer and listens to what he is saying, thinking that there is benefit to be derived from it. These two types of people are flogged because they associate themselves with the stupidity of charming. All of these ugly statements are not evil, but there is no good in them. 11) It is permitted to whisper [in the manner of charming] over the bite of a snake or scorpion, even on the Sabbath, in order to give the bitten person peace of mind and assurance. Even though this doesn't help in the slightest, it is permitted for its psychological benefits because the bite is dangerous. 12) Concerning the recital of Torah verses in order to cure an illness, reciting Torah verses over a baby so that it won't be agitated, and placing a Torah Scroll or phylacteries on a small child so that he will sleep; it is not enough that such activities are in the categories of soothsaying and charming, but they also deny the Torah, for they are using the Torah to help bodily health, and the Torah provides only for spiritual health, as it is written, "So shall they be life for your soul". It is permitted, though, for a healthy person to recite verses and songs from the book of Psalms in order to receive the merit for such a recital and [thereby] be saved from troubles and harm. 13) How are the dead consulted? They are consulted by fasting and then sleeping in a graveyard, so that a dead person will appear to one in a dream and answer one's questions. There are others who [when consulting the dead] put on specific clothes, burn incense and sleep [in a graveyard] alone, so that a dead person will appear to them in a dream and speak to them. The general rule is that anyone who does anything to make a dead person appear to him and answer his questions is liable to flogging, for it is written, "There must not be found among you...one who consults the dead". 14) It is forbidden to consult a necromancer or wizard, for it written, "There must not be found among you...that uses...necromancy or wizardry"10. This shows us that a necromancer or wizard himself is liable to stoning, whereas those who consult them are flogged because of a Rabbinical decree, but are liable to flogging [according to the Torah] if they followed their advice. 15) One who performs witchery is liable to stoning, provided that he performed an act of witchery, but if he rubbed his eye and appeared to do something but didn't he is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree and not because the Torah says so, for the sin of witchery mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:10-11 is punishable by stoning and not by flogging, for it is written, "You shall not allow a witch to live". 16) All these matters [i.e. necromancy, enchantment, et cetera] are all matters of falsehood and deceit, and it was with these that the early idolaters made the other [non-idolatrous] gentiles deviate and follow them. It is not fitting for Jews, who are the cleverest of the clever, to use such nonsense, or even to think that they are of any use, for it is written, "Surely there is no enchantment in Jacob, or divination in Israel", and it is also written, "For these nations, whom you shall dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so". Anyone who believes in these or similar things and privately thinks that they are true and wise, but that [we don't practice them because] the Torah forbade them, is an idiot and lacks

knowledge, and is in the category of women and children, who are of an deficient mentality. But those people who are wise and of a perfect mentality know very clearly that all these things that the Torah forbade are not wise, but are merely stuff and nonsense which those lacking in knowledge follow and because of which abandon the ways of truth. Because of this, when warning us against these nonsenses, the Torah says, "You shall be perfect with the Lord your God". CHAPTER TWELVEThis chapter discusses shaving one's head or beard, the positive commandments from which women are exempt, and also discusses tattooing. 1) One may not shave [with a knife] the corner's of one's head, in the way that idolaters and their priests do, for it is written, "You shall not round the corners of your head". One is liable separately for each corner. Therefore, if one shaves both sides one is flogged twice, even if one shaved both sides at once, and/or was warned by witnesses just once. Whether one shaved just the corners and left the rest of one's head alone, or whether one shaved the rest of one's head as well makes no difference - since one has shaved the corners of one's head one is liable to flogging. The punishment of flogging is imposed only on a man who shaved himself, but if he was shaved by someone else he is exempt, unless he consented to it. One who shaves the corners of a child's head is liable to flogging. 2) A woman who shaved the corners of a man's head, or those of her own, is not liable to flogging, for it is written, "You shall not round the corners of your heads, nor shall you mar the corners of your beard"1 - only those people to whom the second clause of this verse applies are liable to flogging if they transgress the first clause. Since the second clause is not applicable to women, for the reason that they don't have beards, they are not liable [to flogging] if they transgress the first clause. Therefore, Canaanite slaves are subject to both parts of this law, because they have beards. 3) Both men and women are obligated to observe all the negative commandments of the Torah, with the exceptions of not shaving the corners of one's head and a priest not defiling himself for the dead, in which only men are obligated. Women are exempt from observing all time-dependant positive commandments, with the exceptions of the sanctification of the Sabbath, eating unleavened bread on the first night of Passover, slaughtering and eating the Pascal Lamb, attending the Assembly and being joyous on Festivals, which they are obligated to observe. 4) In the cases of persons of undetermined sex and hermaphrodites, there is a doubt. They are subject to the strict measures of men and women in all circumstances and are obligated to observe all commandments, but are not liable to flogging if they transgress [a commandment from which women are exempt]. 5) Even though a woman may shave the corners of her head, she is prohibited from shaving those of a male's head, even if he is a child. 6) The size of the corner of the temple of the head was not defined by the Sages, but it has been handed down to us that the width of these corners should not be less than forty hairs' breadths. It is permitted to cut [the hair on] these corners with scissors, for the prohibition is only on the use of a blade. 7) The way of the priests of idolatry was to mar their beards. Therefore, the Torah forbade it. The beard has five corners: the upper jaw, the lower jaw, both sideburns and the chin. If one shaved all five at once one is liable to five sets of flogging. One is not

liable unless one uses a blade, for it is written, "...nor shall you mar the corners of your beard" - namely, by using a method that involves marring. Therefore, if one cut one's beard with scissors one is not liable. One is not liable if someone else marred the corners of one's beard, unless one consented to it. A woman who has a beard may mar it, and is not liable if she marred a man's beard. 8) It is permitted to cut one's moustache with a blade, the moustache being the hair above the upper lip. Any hair which is hanging loosely from the lower lip may be cut with a blade. Even though cutting in these places is permitted, Jews have the custom not to cut there, but they merely trim the hair in these places so that it won't interfere with eating and drinking. 9) The removal of other bodily hair, such as pubic hair or hair under the armpits, is not prohibited by the Torah, but is by the Sages. Anybody who does remove other bodily hair is flogged because of a Rabbinical decree. This is talking only about hair in places from which [only] women remove the hair for the sake of beauty, but if one removed hair from a place where both men and women remove hair, one is not liable to flogging. It is permitted to remove with scissors hair from the limbs, even in places where men usually don't. 10) A woman may not adorn herself with the ornaments of a man, for example, by wearing a turban, a [man's] hat or armor, et cetera, or to cut her hair in a man's style. A man may not adorn himself with the ornaments of a woman, for example, by wearing colour ed clothing or items of gold jewelry in a town where such items are worn only by women. Everything [in this respect] depends upon the country's customs. A man who adorns himself with the ornaments of a woman, or vice versa, is liable is flogging. One who plucks white hairs from amongst the black ones of his head or beard is liable to flogging, even if he plucked just one hair, for this is a woman's practice. Similarly, if he dyed the white hairs black, he is liable to flogging, even if he dyed just one hair, for this is a woman's practice. Those of undetermined sex and hermaphrodites may not dress like a woman or shave their heads in men's style, but are not liable to flogging if they did. 11) Tattooing as mentioned by the Torah involves making an incision in one's skin and filling that incision with blue [eye-shade], ink or some other colour ed substance. This is a practice of idolaters, who brand themselves for an idol in order to show that they are dedicated to its worship. Liability to flogging commences from the moment one fills any incision on any part of the body with a colour ed substance, for it is written, "...nor print marks upon you". If one applied a colour ed substance to one's skin without having made an incision one is exempt, unless one made a proper tattoo. This is talking only about tattooing oneself, but if one was tattooed by someone else one is only liable if one consented to it. 12) One who cuts himself as a sign of mourning for a deceased person is liable to flogging, for it is written, "You shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead"5. Priests and non-priests are commanded separately in this respect. If one cut oneself a number of times, each time for a different deceased person, or if one cut oneself a number of times for the same deceased person, one is flogged for each cut about which one was warned [by witnesses]. 13) Cutting with an implement is equivalent to scratching with one's nails in this respect. Just as idolaters used to scratch their flesh on account of the dead and out of anguish, so they used to wound themselves for idolatrous purposes, as it is written, "..and cut

themselves in their manner". This practice is also forbidden by the Torah, for it is written, "You shall not gash yourselves". Any scratching on account of a dead person, whether that scratching is on one's flesh or on a vessel, makes one liable to flogging, but with respect to scratches made for idolatrous purposes, one is only liable to flogging if one made them on a vessel. 14) On account of this statement in Deuteronomy 14:1, we learn that there should not be two [or more] Courts of Law with different customs in the same town, because this can cause arguments. The Hebrew for, "You shall not gash yourselves"7 can be interpreted to mean, "You shall not set up separate factions". 15) Anyone who makes any bald patch on account of a deceased person is liable to flogging, for it is written, "...nor make any bald patch on your forehead for the dead"7. Even though Priests have been commanded separately [and again] in this respect, they are flogged only once for transgressing this commandment, as are non-priests. One who makes more than one bald patch on account of the same deceased person is flogged for each and every patch about which witnesses warned him. Whether one made the bald patch by hand or whether one made it with some hair- removing compound makes no difference - one is still liable, and if one applied a hair-removing compound to several places on one's head at the same time one is flogged for each patch thus made, even if one was warned [by witnesses] just once, for they were made simultaneously. This prohibition applies to the entire head as well as between the eyes, for it is written, "They shall not make baldness on their heads". The minimum size bald patch [which one has to make] to make one liable is one the size of a groat. 16) One who makes a bald patch on his head, or scratches his flesh, because his house collapsed, or because he lost a ship at sea, or because of some other calamity, is not liable to flogging - one is only liable if one did one of these things on account of a deceased person , or if one scratched oneself for idolatrous purposes. If one scratched someone else's skin, or made a bald patch on someone else's head, or tattooed someone else, and the other person consented, then of the two, only he who [willingly and] knowingly participated is liable to flogging, but he who did so inadvertently is exempt. THE LAWS OF REPENTANCE These chapters discuss the single positive commandment to confess and return to God if one sinned. CHAPTER ONEThis chapter discusses levels of repentance, sins which are forgiven immediately upon repentance, and sins which are forgiven only after some time after repentance. 1) If one transgressed any commandment of the Torah, whether a positive or a negative one, whether deliberately or accidentally, then when one repents one has to confess verbally to God, for it is written, "When a man or a woman commits any sin that people commit...then they shall confess their sin which they have done". This means verbal confession, which is commanded positively to do, and is performed by saying, `O Lord, I have sinned, transgressed and rebelled before You, and have done such- and-such, and I am ashamed by my actions and will never do it again'. This is the main part of verbal confession, and expanding on it is praiseworthy. A sin- or guilt-offering when brought because of sins committed either deliberately or accidentally are of no effect unless the person bringing it repents and confesses verbally, for it is written, "...that he shall confess that he has sinned in that matter". Similarly, capital and corporal punishment do not atone

unless the recipient repents and confesses verbally. Likewise, if one does financial damage to someone one is not forgiven unless one repents and resolves never to do it again, even if one paid back the money, for it is written, "...any sin that people commit". 2) The goat sent to Azazel on the Day of Atonement is an atonement for all of Israel. The High Priest confesses verbally over it for all Jews, as it is written, "..and confesses over it all the iniquities of the Children of Israel". This goat atones for all transgressions of whatever severity of any of the Torah's commandments, whether they were committed deliberately or accidentally, whether the transgressor had confessed or not, provided that the guilty parties had repented, for without repentance the goat sent to Azazel repents only for the less-severe transgressions. Severe transgression are those which a Court of Law can punish by death, or which carry a penalty of excision, and also false oaths and falsehood, even though they do not bear a penalty of excision. Transgressions of negative commandments or other transgressions the transgression of which does not carry a penalty of excision are considered less-severe. 3) In this day and age we have only repentance, for we don't have the Temple and Altar. This repentance [that we have to do nowadays] can atone for all sins. Even a person who was wicked throughout his life but at the end repented does not have any of his wickedness remembered, as it is written, "...as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not stumble because in the end he turned from his wickedness". The very aspect of the Day of Atonement atones for penitents, for it is written, "For on that day He will forgive you". 4) Even though repentance atones for all transgressions, as does the very aspect of the Day of Atonement, there are nevertheless some sins which are not atoned for immediately upon repentance, and there are some which are atoned only after some interval [after repentance]. If, for example, one had transgressed a positive commandment which does not carry a penalty of excision and one then repented, one is not atoned until one has been forgiven,, for it is written, "Return, faithless children, and I will restore your decline". If, for example, one had transgressed a negative commandment which does not carry a penalty of excision or death and one then repented, then one's repentance is held in suspense, and the Day of Atonement completes the atonement, for it is written, "For on that day He will forgive you"6. If, for example, one had transgressed a commandment which carries a penalty of excision or death and one then repented, then one's repentance and the atonement of the Day of Atonement are held in suspense, and one's death completes the atonement. Full atonement is never really achieved until the punishment is carried out, for it is written, "...then I will punish their transgression with the reed, and their iniquities with lashes". This is talking only about a situation where one hadn't desecrated God's Name when one transgressed, but if one had desecrated God's Name then even if one repented and the Day of Atonement arrived and one received one's punishment, one's atonement is completed only after one's death, for it is written, "And it was revealed to me by the Lord of Hosts; surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven for you till you die". CHAPTER TWOThis chapter discusses complete repentance, at what times repentance is especially received, those sins which have to be publicized at the time of repentance, and how to ask forgiveness from someone else.

1) Repentance is completed when an opportunity to commit one's original transgression again arises but one doesn't and repents instead, but not if the reason for repenting was that someone was watching or because of physical weakness. For example, if one copulated in sin with one's wife, and then later one had another opportunity to do it again but didn't, then even though one may still love her and she may be in perfect physical health and was even in the same country [when the opportunity arose], one has repented completely. Solomon said, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near when you shall say, `I have no pleasure in them'". If one repented only one's old age, or at a time when one can no longer commit the original sin, then it is not the best type of repentance, but it is to his advantage and is nevertheless repentance. Even if one sinned throughout one's life but repented on one's dying day and died atoned, then all one's sins are forgiven, as it is written,"...before the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain", which refers to the day of one's death. The general rule is that one is forgiven provided one repented before dying. 2) What exactly is repentance? Repentance involves forsaking sins and removing such thoughts from one's way of thinking and resolving firmly never to do it again, as it is written, "Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord". One should also be remorseful over what one has done, as it is written, "For after I had returned away I repented". One also has to testify to God that one will never return to that sin, as it is written, "...nor shall we say any more to the work of our hands". All of these three declarations have to be made out loud. 3) Anybody who follows this procedure but does not resolve in his heart never to do it again is like someone who ritual immerses himself [in a mikveh] while holding a defiling object in his hand, for in that case the ritual immersion is useless. It has been said, "Whoever confesses and forsakes his sins shall have mercy". One also has to detail one's sin, for it is written, "Oh, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold". 4) One of the ways to repent is to cry out to the Lord with supplications, to give as much to charity as one can, to remove oneself as far as possible from the original sin, to change one's name, thereby saying that one is not the person who did those sins but that one is someone else, and one also has to change one's actions for the better and to be upright in character. One should also exile oneself from one's hometown, for exile atones for sins, for this will cause one to be subdued, humble and meek. 5) It is very praiseworthy for a repentant to confess verbally in public, and to reveal any sin which he committed against someone else, by saying, `It is true that I have sinned against so-and-so and did such-and-such, but I hereby regret it and am doing repentance'. Anybody who hides his sins and does not make this declaration has not done full repentance, for it is written, "He who covers up his sins shall not prosper". This is talking only about sins committed against one's fellow man, but one does not have to publicize any sins against God. Nevertheless, one is being insolent if one hides them, and one has to declare one's sins in public to God. It is better if one doesn't reveal one's sins [against God], for it is written, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered". 6) Even though repentance and pleading for forgiveness are always appropriate, they are even more appropriate in the ten days between New Year and the Day of Atonement,

when they are accepted immediately, as it is written, "Seek out the Lord while He may be found". This is referring to the repentance of an individual, but sincere communal repentance is always accepted, as it is written, "...as the Lord our God is in all things that we call him for?". 7) The Day of Atonement is a time of repentance for all, whether individually or with the community, and completes the pardoning and forgiving of Israel. Therefore, one is obligated to confess and repent on the Day of Atonement. It is also a mitzvah to recite a confession on the day before the Day of Atonement before eating the last meal before the fast, in case one chokes to death during the meal, so that one won't die without having confessed. Even though one may have confessed before this meal, one still confesses again at each of the five prayers - the evening prayer, the morning prayer, Musaf, the afternoon prayer, and Ne'ilah - on the Day of Atonement. An individual confesses after his prayer, whereas the Cantor confesses in the middle of the fourth blessing of his prayer. 8) The confession which all Jews recite starts, `For we have sinned, et cetera'. This is the core of confession. Any sins which one may have committed on the Day of Atonement one repents for on the following day of Atonement, even though one is repenting at the time, for it is written, "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me". 9) Repentance and the Day of Atonement atone only for sins, such as eating a forbidden food, having prohibited intercourse, et cetera, which are committed against God. Sins such as injuring, cursing, stealing, et cetera, which are committed against one's fellow man are never atoned for until one has paid any necessary fines to the person against whom one sinned, and discussed it with him. Even though one may have paid back any due money one still has to discuss the sin with him and ask for forgiveness. Even if one teased someone else just verbally one has to appease him and make up for it, in order that he will forgive one. If the person against whom one had sinned did not want to forgive one then one has to ask him for forgiveness in front of three of his friends. If he still didn't want to forgive one then one asks him in front of six, and then in front of nine, of his friends, and if he still didn't want to forgive him one leaves him and goes away. Anybody who does not want to forgive is a sinner. If one had to ask one's Rabbi for forgiveness, one us to approach him even a thousand times until one receives forgiveness. 10) It is forbidden for one to be harsh and non-appeasing. One should rather be forgiving and slow to anger, and whenever a sinner asks one for forgiveness one should grant it wholeheartedly. Even if the sinner had distressed one considerably and sinned against one a lot, one should/may not take revenge or bear a grudge, in the manner of a true Jew, and not like that of idolaters, who always bear grudges. Concerning the Gibeonites, who did not forgive or appease, it has been said, "The Gibeonites were not of the Children of Israel". 11) If one sinned against someone else and he died before one could ask forgiveness from him, then [in order to gain forgiveness] one has to go to his grave with ten people, where one says, `I have sinned before the Lord, God of Israel, and to this person, for I did such-and-such to him'. If one had to pay him money, one pays it to his heirs instead. If one could not find any heirs, then one leaves the money in a Court of Law and confesses. CHAPTER THREE

This chapter describes who is righteous, who is average and who is wicked, why the shofar is sounded on New Year, that pious gentiles have a share in the World To Come, the types of people who don't have a share in the World To Come, and defines an infidel and a heretic. 1) Each and every person has merits as well as sins. Somebody whose merits outnumber his sins is considered to be righteous, but somebody who has more sins than merits is a wicked person. Somebody who has equal amounts of merits and sins is an average person. Righteousness is when one's merits are more numerous than one's sins, and wickedness is when one's sins are more numerous. The whole world operates on this principle. 2) Somebody whose sins are more numerous than his merits will die because of his wickedness, as it is written, "...for the multitude of your iniquity". Similarly, a country which has a multitude of sins will be destroyed as a result, as it is written, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very serious, et cetera". In the same vein, if the sins of the entire world were more than its merits it will become corrupt as a result, as it is written, "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of Man was very great on the earth". This measuring system does not work on a one-for-one basis, as there are some merits which outweigh many sins, as it is written, "...because of him some good thing is found". On the other hand, there are some sins which outweigh many merits, as it is written, "Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good". Only God knows how to evaluate sins and merits in this respect. 3) Somebody who is casual about fulfilling mitzvot, regrets achieving merits, wants to know what he will gain from them and regrets having done them in the first place will lose everything and will have no merits at all, as it is written, "The righteousness of the righteous shall not save him on the day of his transgression", which is referring to someone who regrets earlier merits. Just as one's merits and sins are counted on the day of one's death, so also are they counted on New Year. Anyone who is found to be righteous will continue living, whereas anyone found to be wicked will have death decreed against him. An average person is held in suspense until the Day of Atonement - if he repented he will continue to live, but if not he will be decreed to die. 4) Even though the sounding of the shofar on New Year is a statute of the Torah, it nevertheless carries a message, instructing sinners to arouse, become aware of their actions, and repent, for anyone who has forgotten the truth and engaged in useless activities to give up such activities, and for everyone to give up their bad ways and return to the good. Therefore, one has to see oneself throughout the year as having an equal number of merits and sins, which is the same outlook that the whole world should have. If one committed a sin, one is damaging and corrupting both oneself and the whole world. When one achieves a merit one brings salvation to oneself and to the whole world, as it is written, "...but the righteous is an everlasting foundation". Somebody who is righteous is supporting and saving the world. Because of this, all Jews have the custom to engage in more charitable, righteous and meritable acts between New Year and the Day of Atonement than normal. They all are also accustomed to getting up during the night during this period to pray in matters of supplication in the synagogue until daybreak. 5) When one's transgression are evaluated, one's first two transgressions are not counted, and the counting starts from the third transgression. If one's transgressions as counted in this way are more than one's merits, then the first two [uncounted] transgressions are now

counted in order to tip the balance. If the number of one's merits and the number of one's transgressions when counted from one's third transgression were equal, then one's transgressions are recounted from the fourth one, and then from the fifth one, and so on in steps of one, for when the third one is counted as the first one it has pardoned the first two, and when the fourth one is counted as the first one it has pardoned the third one. Counting in this way is continued until no transgressions are left. This process is carried out only with an individual, as it is written, "God does all these things twice or three times with a man". The transgressions of a congregation, however, are counted from the fourth one onwards, as it is written, "For three transgressions of Israel I will turn punishment away, but for the fourth I will not turn away his punishment". {When the transgressions of a congregation are counted they are counted from the fourth one onwards.} Concerning someone who has an equal number of merits as sins: If his transgressions included never having put on tephillin then he is judged according to his sins but still has a share in the World To Come - every Jew has a share in the World To Come even if he sinned, for it is written, "Your people also shall be righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever". The word `land' here refers to the Land Of Life, namely the World To Come. Similarly, pious gentiles also have a share in the World To Come. 6) The following types of people have no share in the World to Come, and are cut off, destroyed and excommunicated for ever on account of their very great sins and wickedness: An infidel; a heretic; one who denies the Torah; one who denies that there will be a Resurrection; one who denies that there will be a Redemption; one who converts from Judaism; one who causes a lot of people to sin; one who withdraws from communal ways; one who publicly sins in a defiant way like Jehoiakim did; an informer [against Jews]; one who instills fear in the congregation but not in the Name of God; a murderer; one who relates loshan ho'rah; and one who pulls back his foreskin [in order to cover his brit milah]. 7) Five types of people are classified as infidels: One who says that there is no God and that there never has been a Leader; one who admits that there is a Leader but that there is more than one; one who admits that there is a single God but that He has a body and form; one who says that God is not the first and that He did not create everything; and one who worships a star or constellation in order for there to be an advocate between himself and God. Each of these opinions counts as infidelity. 8) There are three types of heretic: One who says that there is no Prophecy at all and that there is no knowledge given by God to men; one who refutes the Prophecy of Moses; and one who says that God doesn't know the actions of men. There are three types of people who deny the Torah: One who says that the Torah is not Divine (even if he says this bout just one sentence or word) and says that Moses wrote the Torah by himself; one who denies the explanations of the Torah, i.e. the Oral Law, and refutes its preachers in the way that Zaddok and Baysoth did; and one who says that God substituted one mitzvah for another and invalidated the Torah, even if it was from God, in the way that Jesuites and Hagarites do. All of these opinions deny the Torah. 9) There are two types of opposer: One who opposes with respect to just one commandment; and one who opposes the whole Torah. Opposing with respect to just one commandment consists of accustoming oneself to committing deliberately, frequently and publicly a particular transgression, even if the transgression in question is one of the lesser ones, such as persistently wearing forbidden mixtures of fibers, or not leaving the

corner of one's field unharvested for the poor. This is as if one has permanently abolished for oneself the commandment in question, and one is an opposer with respect to this matter, provided that it was done to enrage. One who opposes the whole Torah is one who, when Jews are being persecuted, adopts the ways of the gentiles and remains with them, and says to himself, `How unjust is my reward for being Jewish, by being humiliated and pursued; it is better that I side with the attackers'. Such a person is opposing the whole Torah. 10) How can one cause a lot of people to sin? One way involves a big sin, like what Jeroboam, Zaddok and Baysoth did, and another involves lesser transgressions, or even the abolishment of just a single positive commandment. Another way is to persecute people until they sin, in the manner of Menasseh, who killed Jews in order to make other Jews serve idols, and another way is to mislead people so that they leave the ways of mitzvot. 11) Someone who withdraws from communal ways, even if he didn't commit any sins, but differentiates himself from the congregation of Israel and does not fulfil any communal mitzvot or fast any of the communal fasts, but goes in his own ways like one of the gentile nations and as if he isn't a Jew, does not have a share in the World To Come. Someone who, like Jehoiakim, commits sins defiantly, whether the sins are major transgressions or lesser ones, does not have a share in the World To Come. This type of person is one who misinterprets the Torah because of acting in a defiant and brazen manner and was not ashamed to transgress the words of the Torah. 12) There are two types of informer: One who informs on his fellow Jew to gentiles such that he will be killed or beaten; and one who informs on his fellow Jew such that his money will fall into the hands of gentiles or into the hands of a brigand (who is regarded as a gentile in this respect). Both of these types of informer do not have a share in the World To Come. 13) Instilling fear in the congregation but not in the Name of God consists of tyrannizing the community with force so that one will be feared, but that one is doing so only for one's own glory and not for the glory of God. An example of such a person is a king of idolaters. 14) None of these twenty-four types of people has a share in the World To Come, even if he was Jewish. Some of these transgressions are less severe than others, but even so, the Sages said that anyone who accustoms himself to any of them has no share in the World To Come, and that it is [also] fitting to keep away from the following types of people: One who makes a [derogatory] nickname for someone else; one who calls someone else by such a nickname; one who publicly embarrasses someone else; one who enjoys seeing another being embarrassed; one who disgraces Sages; one who disgraces his Rabbis; one who desecrates the Festivals; and one who desecrates any of the holy sacrifices. People who do any of these things do not have a share in the World To Come if they died without having repented, but if they had returned from their wickedness and repented before dying they will receive a share in the World To Come, for there are no sins for which repentance does not atone. Even if one had denied everything throughout one's life but in the end repented on will still get a share in the World To Come, as it is written, "`Peace, peace, both for far and near', says the Lord, `and I will heal him'". All wicked people, opposers and others, who repented, whether publicly or privately, still get a share in the World To Come, as it is written, "Return, faithless children, et cetera" - even if one

is still faithless and one repented privately and not publicly, one will enter the World To Come in a state of repentance. CHAPTER FOURThis chapter lists twenty-four things that prevent repentance, and tells us that even so, there is nothing that stands in the way of repentance. 1) There are twenty-four things for which repentance cannot be done. Four of these are very great sins, and if one commits any of them God will not accept one's repentance on account of the seriousness of the sin. These four sins are as follows: (i) Causing a lot of people to sin. Included in this category is preventing a lot of people from fulfilling a mitzvah. (ii) Bringing one's fellow from good to bad, e.g. by enticing or influencing him. (iii) Not preventing one's son from entering a bad culture. Since one's son is in one's charge, then if one had tried to prevent him he wouldn't have entered the bad culture, so it is as if one has caused him to sin. Included in this category is not preventing another person or persons from doing wrong but instead leaving them to their failings. (iv) Sinning with the intention of repenting afterwards. Included in this category is sinning with the intention of waiting for the Day of Atonement to atone one. 2) There are five sins which lock the Gates of Repentance for one, and they are as follows: (i) Disassociating oneself from the community, for at a time when they repent one won't be associated with them or with the merit of their repentance. (ii) Arguing with the words of the Sages, for arguing like this causes one to disassociate, whereupon one won't know [how to reach] the Gates of Repentance. (iii) Mocking the mitzvot, which makes them as nothing in one's own opinion, so that one won't fulfil them - if one doesn't fulfil them, how else will one achieve merits?! (iv) Disgracing one's Rabbis, for doing this will cause one to be pushed and loathed like Gehazi, and when one is bothered it will transpire that one is not learning, or being taught, the true way. (v) Hating the rebukes [in the Torah], for this obstructs repentance. Rebuke leads to repentance. When one remembers one's sins and is humiliated by them, one will repent, as it is written, "Remember, and don't forget, how you provoked the Lord you God to anger...you have been rebellious, et cetera", and it is also written, "Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day", and it is also written, "Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your father who bought you?". Isaiah similarly rebuked the Jews by saying, "Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that deal corruptly", and, "The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people does not consider", and, "Because I know that you are obstinate and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass". In this vein the Lord has commanded us to rebuke sinners, as it is written, "Cry aloud, do not spare, raise your voice like a shofar and show my people their transgression". Similarly, all the Prophets rebuked the Jews until they repented. Therefore, in each and every Jewish community, a wise, God-fearing and great person who is loved by everyone should rise up, rebuke everybody and make them repent. One who hates rebukes will not be affected by them and will remain with his sins, which in his opinion are good.

3) There are five sins for which there is no complete repentance, because they are sins committed against one's fellow man but one doesn't know against whom exactly one had sinned in order to [be able to] pay him back or ask for forgiveness. These sins are as follows: (i) Cursing a group of people, but not a particular person, for then one can ask an individual for forgiveness. (ii) Teaming up with a thief, because one doesn't to whom the stolen articles belong. The thief steals from many people and brings the stolen goods to one, which one accepts. Furthermore, this is encouraging the thief to steal, thereby one is causing him to sin. (iii) Finding a lost article and not searching for its owner. When, after some time, one repents, one will not know to whom to return it. (iv) Using charity which has been set aside for poor people, orphans and widows. Such people are miserable and not very well known, move around a lot from town to town, and hardly anybody knows them. Anybody who uses their charity won't know to whom to pay it back. (v) Accepting a bribe in order to bias a judgement. One who does so will not feel as though he is having is judgement affected and so will not correct it, for this matter is uncontrollable. Furthermore, one is causing the briber to sin. 4) There are five sins for which one [probably] won't repent, because in most people's opinions these are minor sins and not even considered as sins. These sins are as follows: (i) Eating a meal such that one's host will have insufficient food for his next meal - this is also akin to theft. One who does this will not consider it a sin, and will try to justify it by saying that he had permission to eat. (ii) Using the guarantee of a loan given to a poor person, for such an item would be a spade or plough. Somebody who acts in this way will think that the poor person isn't lacking the item and will not count it as theft. (iii) Looking at the nakedness of any of one's close relatives. One who does this will think it as nothing, for the reason that he did not draw near to, or have intercourse with, her. He does not know that staring is a great sin and causes coition, as it is written, "...and that you do not stray after your own heart and your own eyes". (iv) One who revels in the degradation of someone else will not consider it a sin, because the person in question was not standing there and was not shamed or embarrassed, but he is instead comparing that person's actions to his own so that he will be respected and the other person will be shamed. (v) One who suspects properly-acting people [of sinning] will not consider it a sin, because he will think that he is not causing any damage, but that there is only suspicion present. He does not know that this is a great sin, for he is considering properly-acting people as sinners. 5) There are five sins to which people who commit them are attracted and find it difficult to retract from. Therefore, one has to be careful not to be attracted by them, for they all extremely bad temperaments. These sins include slander, tale-bearing, having bad thoughts, and making friends with a wicked person, because one will learn from his actions and will become wicked. Solomon said, "A companion of fools shall suffer harm". It has already been explained in the Laws of Temperaments what one has to accustom oneself to - how much more so a penitent [has to accustom himself to these things].

6) None of these sins completely prevents repentance, even though they may inhibit it. If somebody repented for having committed one of these sins his repentance is accepted, and he will get a share in the World To Come. CHAPTER FIVEThis chapter explains the concept of free will, and how it is not opposed by God's knowledge of everything. 1) One has a free choice to follow either the good ways and to be righteous, or to follow the bad ways and be wicked. The Torah says, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil", i.e. there is only one Mankind in the world and that there is no other type with respect to this matter. One should decide one's opinions and thoughts for oneself, whether they will be good or bad, and to do what one wants. Nobody should influence one to do good or bad. Nevertheless, it is written, "What if he stretches out his hand, et cetera"1. 2) Do not even consider what the stupid gentiles and most of the idiots of Israel say, that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, decrees upon each person at the time of birth whether he will be good or bad. This is not so - every person has the potential to be as righteous as Moses our Teacher, or as wicked as Jeroboam, clever or stupid, merciful or cruel, misery or noble, or indeed to possess any of the other temperaments. Nobody can force one, decree upon one, or lead one into one of the ways, but one should choose a way out of one's own free will. Jeremiah said, "Does not both good and evil come from the mouth of the most high?", i.e. that the Creator does not decree upon a person whether he will be good or bad. Nevertheless, a sinner damages himself, and it is therefore fitting for him to cry and eulogize on account of his sins and on what he has done to his soul by wrapping it with evil. Jeremiah further said, "Why then does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?". By this he means that since it is in our own free will to do evil, it is [also] fitting for us to return in repentance and to leave our evils, for this is also in our free wills. He further said, "Let us search and try our ways, and turn back to the Lord". 3) This matter [of there being a free will] is a very important principle, and is a support of the Torah and meritorious deeds, as it is written, "See, I have set before you on this day life and good, and death and evil". It is also written, "Behold, I set before you on this day a blessing and a curse". This is to say that one has the free will to do what one wants, whether it is good or bad. It is for this reason that it is written, "O that there were such a heart in them", i.e. the Creator does not force or decree upon anybody to do good or bad, but lets them choose. 4) If the Almighty did decree upon everybody to be righteous or wicked, or if there was something which guided one from birth to one of the many ways, knowledges, temperaments or ways of acting, like the stupid astrologers think, then how could we have been commanded by the Prophets to do one thing and not the other, to improve our ways and not to follow the wicked people?! Has one's destiny been decreed upon one at birth, or does the time of one's birth govern one's destiny irrevocably? Where does the Torah fit into all this? Which law or statute disturbs a wicked person but rewards a righteous one? Do not consider and ponder how a one can have a free will and do what one wants, for there are things in the world over which one has not control, as Scripture says, "Whatever the Lord wishes He has done in heaven and on earth" - recognize that everything was made according to His wishes, even though our actions can affect them. What does this mean? Just as it is the Creator's will that the fire and wind rise up, that the

water and earth sink down, that the spheres move in circles, and that all creations will do what He wants them to do, so is it also the Creator's will that men should have a free will and should be allowed to do what they want without having to be forced or directed, but should always want to do [what they do] out of their own minds, which the Almighty has given to them. Therefore, one is judged according to one's actions, whether they are good or bad. The Prophets have said, "...this has been your own doing", and, "For they have chosen their own ways". Solomon said on this subject, "Rejoice, O young men, in your youth...but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgement". This is to say that one has the potential to do what one wants, but that one will be judged accordingly. 5) The Holy One, Blessed Be He, knows everything that will happen before it has happened, so does He know whether a particular person will be righteous or wicked, or not? If He does know, then it will be impossible for that person not to be righteous. If He knows that he will be righteous but that it is possible for him to be wicked, then He doesn't know everything that He has created. To prevent one from thinking on this subject, know that the explanation of this paradox is very long and complicated, and that there are many important principles which depend on it. One first has to understand that I am talking about the following: I have already explained in the second chapter of the Laws of The Basic Principles of The Torah that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, does not have any temperaments and is outside such realms, unlike people, whose selves and temperaments are two separate things. God and His temperaments are one, and God's existence is beyond the comprehension of Man. just as one cannot comprehend or behold the Creator's existence, as it is written, "...for no man shall see Me and live", so is it also beyond one's capabilities to comprehend or behold His temperaments. One of the Prophets said, "`For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways', says the Lord". Nevertheless, we do not have the capabilities to comprehend how the Holy One, Blessed Be He, knows all creations and events. Know without doubt that people do what they want without the Holy One, Blessed Be He, forcing or decreeing upon them to do so. Do not accept this fact solely because of religious acceptance, but out of common sense. It has been said because of this that a man is judged according to all his actions - if they are good or bad. This is the principle on which all prophecies are dependant. CHAPTER SIXThis chapter discusses how verses in the Torah are interpreted, and how one's existence is apparently governed by one's actions. 1) There are many verses in the Torah and the words of the Prophets which would appear to contradict this principle [of free will]. Most people deduce from these verses and make it their opinion that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, decrees upon a person whether he will do good or bad and that one's will is not given to one for doing what one wants. I am hereby going to explain a major principle from which a means of explaining such verses can be deduced - when a person, or the people of a country, sins, and commits a sin out of free will and with the knowledge that it is a sin, then it is fitting to treat him (or them) accordingly. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, knows how to treat him (or them) accordingly: there are some sins which the Law punishes in this world, whether physically, financially or through one's small children, for one's children who are so small that their intelligence has not yet started to develop and who have not yet started to fulfil

mitzvot are considered merely as possessions, and it is written, "Every man shall be put to death for his own sin", but not before he has become a man. There are some sins which the Law punishes in the World to Come and for which people who commit them do not suffer in this world. There are also some sins which are punished in both worlds. 2) This is talking about someone who didn't repent. If he did repent, then his repentance is like a shield in front of punishment. Just as one can commit sins knowingly and out of one's own free will, so can one also repent knowingly and out of one's own free will. 3) It is possible to commit a great sin or a number of sins until one comes before the True Judge for judgement, but one's punishment will be according to the sins which one had committed knowingly and willingly, which hinder repentance and do not allow one to return from one's wickedness, so one will therefore die and be destroyed because of one's sin. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, said through Isaiah, "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and smear over their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and be healed". It is similarly written, "But they mocked God's messengers, and despised His words, and scoffed His Prophets, until the Lord's wrath mounted against His people, till there was no remedy". This is saying that they sinned willingly and their iniquities were numerous, until we were obligated to suppress their repentance, repentance being the `remedy'. Therefore, the Torah says, "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart" - because he initially sinned willingly and caused bad for the Jews living in his country, as it is written, "Come, let us deal wisely with them", the Law permitted the suppression of his repentance until it was denied to him. Therefore, the holy One, Blessed Be He, hardened his heart. So then why did He send Moses to say, "Send them, and repent" when He had already decided that he won't send them, as it is written, "But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God", and, "And in very deed for this cause I have raised you up, to show My power by you; and that My Name may be proclaimed throughout the whole world"? This was to make it known to Mankind that once the Holy One, Blessed Be He, denies repentance to a sinner he cannot return, and will die on account of his initial and willing wickedness. Similarly with Sihon - since he had committed so many sins he was denied repentance, as it is written, "...for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate". Also with respect to the Canaanites, to whom repentance was denied on account of their abominations until they fought with Israel, as it is written, "For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He may totally destroy them", that is to say that they were denied repentance. It transpires from this that it was not decreed upon him to harm Israel, or on Sihon to sin in his land, or on the Canaanites to commit acts of abomination, or on Israel to worship idols, but all of them sinned willingly, and were therefore liable to being denied repentance. 4) On this subject, the righteous people and Prophets have requested of God in their prayers to Him to guide them on the true path, like David said: "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk with Your truth", that is to say, `Don't deny me the way of truth because of my sins, for by this path I will now Your ways and the Oneness of your Name'. It has similarly been said: "...and uphold me with a willing spirit", that is to say, `Adjust my spirit so that it will do what You want, and don't let my sins cause a denial of repentance, but the power to do what I want should be in my hands until I understand, know and return to the true path'. All similar verses should be understood in this way.

5) What did David mean when he said, "Good and upright is the Lord - therefore He instructs sinners in the way, He directs the humble in justice, and He shows the meek His way"? This is referring to the Prophets who were sent to publicize the ways of God and to make the people return by repentance. Furthermore, people have been given the power to learn and understand. This is characteristic of any person: So long as he is pulled by the ways of wisdom and righteousness he is attracted by them and will pursue them. The Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that we should purify those who follow these ways, i.e. that one will find oneself helped in this matter. It is written in the Torah, "...and shall serve them, and they will afflict them" - was it decreed upon the Egyptians that they will do bad? It is also written, "...and this people will rise up, and go astray after the gods of the strangers of the land" - apparently it was decreed upon the Jews to serve idols, so why is he disturbed by them? The decree was not made upon a particular person about whom it was known that he would commit adultery, but out of all those adulterous people, if there was someone who didn't want to be idolatrous as well then he didn't have to, so he wouldn't have served, and so the Creator would have made known [to Moses] only the ways of the world. This is similar to saying that there will be both righteous people and wicked people amongst the nation. It is not because of this that a wicked person will say to himself that it has been decreed upon him for him to be wicked, for it was made known to Moses that there will be wicked Jews, as it is written, "For the poor shall never cease out of the land". It was the same with the Egyptians - of all the Egyptians and [other] persecutors of the Jews, if one of them had not wanted to persecute us he wouldn't have, for such decrees [to persecute the Jews] are not made on individual people. It was, however, made known to Abraham that his children will, in the future, be enslaved. We have already said that it is beyond one's capabilities to understand how the Holy One, Blessed Be He, can know things that will occur in the future. CHAPTER SEVENThis chapter discusses the ways of a penitent, and how wonderful his level is. 1) Since, as explained, one has the freedom to do what one wants, one should endeavour to repent, to confess verbally and to keep away from sins, so that when one dies one will have the status of a repented person, and will merit life in the World To Come. 2) One should consider oneself as if one is about to die [and one that one should therefore repent], in case one dies without having repented. Therefore, one should repent immediately and not wait until one becomes obligated to, in case one dies first. Solomon said in his wisdom, "Let your garments always be white". 3) Do not think that repentance is only for sins which involve an action, sins such as adultery, theft and robbery, but just as one has to repent if one committed such sins, so also does one have to seek out one's bad characteristics and abandon [those such as] anger, hatred, jealousy, jesting, financial greed, honour, megalomania and similar characteristics - one has to return in repentance from all of these. These are the more serious sins which involve an action, for once one sinks into them it is very difficult to leave them. It is written with reference to this, "Let the wicked abandon his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts". 4) Somebody who repents should not consider himself as being far below the standard of righteous people because of the sins and misdeeds which he committed. This is not so - he is loved and endeared by the Creator as if he had never sinned. Furthermore, his reward is very great, for he had tasted sin but nevertheless turned away from it, and

conquered his inclinations. The Sages said that the perfectly righteous people can't stand in the rank of a penitent, i.e. a penitent's standard is higher than that of someone who had never sinned, for [the reason that] a penitent exercises more control over his inclinations. 5) All the Prophets commanded us to repent, for Israel cannot be redeemed without having repented. The Torah has already promised that Israel will repent at the end of her exile and will then be redeemed immediately, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass when all these things have happened...and shall return to the Lord your God...and then the Lord your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, amongst whom the Lord your God has scattered you". 6) Great is repentance which draws a person near to the Divine Presence, as it is written, "O Israel, return to the Lord your God". It is also written, "`Yet you have not returned to Me', says the Lord", and it is also written, "`If you will return, O Israel', says the Lord, `return to Me'" - i.e. if we return in repentance we will be attached to God. Repentance draws near [even] those who are far away - one day someone can be hated by God as an abomination and a distant loathsome object, and [through repentance] he can be loved the next day, and be [held] close and endeared. One sees in this manner with the same phraseology that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, repels the sinners He [also] attracts the penitents, whether singly or in numbers, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass that instead of that which was said to them, `you are not My people', it shall be said to them, `You are the sons of the living God'". It is written about the wickedness of Jechoniah, "Write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper during his life", and, "If Konaih the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on my right hand, yet would I tear you off". Since he returned from exile, it is said about Zerubabbel his son, "`On that day', says the Lord of Hosts, `I will take you, O Zerubabbel My servant, the son of Shealtiel' says the Lord, `and will make you like a signet ring'". 7) How wonderful is the uplifting of repentance! Somebody can, on one day, be separated from the Lord, God of Israel, as it is written, "Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God"; we beg but are ignored, as it is written, "...even when you make many prayers I will not hear"; we perform mitzvot but they are discarded by Him, as it is written, "...who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?", and, "`O that there were one among you who would shut the doors that you might not kindle fire on My Altar for nothing! I have no pleasure in you', says the Lord of Hosts, `nor will I accept an offering at your hand" - and on the next day he can attached to the Divine Presence, as it is written, "But you who cleaved of the Lord your God"; he begs and is answered immediately, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer"; he performs mitzvot and they are accepted with repose and joy, as it is written, "...for God has already accepted you works". Furthermore, God prefers such people, as it is written, "Then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years". 8) The manner of penitents is to be meek and humble. If fools tease them about their previous actions by saying, `Yesterday you used to do such-and-such; yesterday you used to say such-and-such', then they shouldn't feel badly towards them, nut should listen carefully and rejoice by knowing that this [teasing] is a merit for them, for whenever they are shamed about their previous actions and are ashamed of them, their merits are increased and their standard improves. It is an outright sin to say to a penitent, `Remember your previous actions!', or to mention them in his presence in order to

embarrass him, or to mention matters or topics which are similar [to his previous actions] in order to remind him of his previous actions - it is forbidden to do any of these. This is warned against by the Torah in the concept of causing pain with words, as it is written, "You shall not therefore defraud each other". CHAPTER EIGHTThis chapter discusses the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked in the World To Come, and what existence there is like. 1) The goodness reserved for the righteous is life in the World To Come. Such life is life without death, and has goodness without badness. It is written in the Torah, "...that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your life". According to a tradition, we learn that the words, `that it may be well with you' refer to a world where all is good, and that the words, `and that you prolong your life' refer to a world which is eternal, i.e. the World To Come. The reward of righteous people is that they will receive this pleasantry and goodness, whereas the punishment of the wicked is that they will not receive this life, but are cut off and die. Anybody who does not receive this life dies without receiving an eternal afterlife, and is cut off on account of his wickedness and is lost like an animal. This is the cutting-off which is mentioned in the Torah, such as when it is written, "...that soul shall be utterly cut off". According to a tradition we learn that the words, `cut off' refer to being cut off from this world, and that the word, `utterly' comes to include [being cut off from] the World To Come, i.e. that soul which was separated from its body in this world will not merit life in the World To Come, but is cut off from there as well. 2) Life in the World To Come does not involve a body or an inner body. The World To Come is inhabited by souls of the righteous people without their bodies, like the ministering angels. Since they do not have any bodies they don't need to eat or drink, nor do they need to do any of the things which men's bodies in this world need, and nor do they do any of the things which people in this world do with their bodies, such as standing, sitting, sleeping, dying, feeling pain, acting frivolously, et cetera. The first Sages said that in the World To Come there is no eating, drinking or coition, but that the righteous people sit with their crowns on their heads and benefit from the radiance of the Divine Presence. This shows that because there is no eating or drinking there is no [physical] body. When they said that the righteous people sit they meant it figuratively, i.e the righteous people are there, without laboring or pains. Similarly, when they said that the righteous people have crowns on their heads they were referring to the knowledge because of which they inherited a place in the World To Come. This knowledge is always with them, as is their crown, as Solomon said, "...with the crown with which his mother crowned him". It is also written, "..and everlasting joy shall be upon their head" - this is not physical pleasure which they will receive, but the crown of the Sages, i.e. knowledge. When they said that they will benefit from the radiance of the Divine Presence they meant that they will know and understand the existence of God in a manner that they couldn't while in their gloomy and paltry bodies. 3) Whenever the word `soul' is mentioned, it does not mean the soul-body combination but the actual soul itself, which is the understanding given by the Creator and which causes other understandings and actions. This is the form which was explained in the fourth chapter of the Laws of The Basic Principles of The Torah. It is called `soul' with respect to this matter. This life, which does not involve death, for the reason that death is an occurrence of the body, or a body is called the bond of life, as it is written, "Yet the

soul of my lord shall be bound with the bond of life" - this is the reward above which there is no other rewards, and the goodness above which there is no other goodness, and with which all the Prophets were granted. 4) Look how many figurative names this goodness has: "The mountain of the Lord" (Psalms 24:3) "The place of His Holiness" (ibid) "The holy way" (Isaiah 35:8) "And the courtyards of the Lord" (Psalms 92:14) "The beauty of the Lord" (Psalms 27:4) "The tent of the Lord" (Psalms 15:1) "The temple of the Lord" (Psalms 5:8) "The house of the Lord" (ibid) "The gate of the Lord" (Psalms 118:20), et cetera. By way of illustration, the Sages called this goodness an invitation to a `meal', which is always called the World To Come. 5) The ultimate revenge and punishment is the cutting off of the soul so that it won't enter the World To Come, as it is written, "...that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" - this is the destruction. This is what the Prophets figuratively called a pit of destruction, general destruction, a hearth, a leech, and all sorts of other forms of destruction and annihilation as well, for this is an irreversible annihilation, and a damage for which there is no remedy. 6) Do not under-rate this goodness by reckoning that the reward for mitzvot is not that one will be perfect on the way of truth, but that one will eat and drink good foods, involve oneself in coition with people of outstanding appearance, dress in purple embroidered clothes, live in a tent of ivory and use vessels of gold and silver, and have similar things, in the way that the stupid and adulterous Arabs occupy themselves. The Sages said that those who possess knowledge know that all these things are just rubbish and nonsense, and are useless. We have no goodness better than this in this world, for we have physical bodies. All these things are bodily requisites, and the soul desires and wants them only for the sake of the body so that the body's wants will be met and will continue to exist. When there is no body, all these things become as nothing. The great goodness which the soul experiences in the World To Come is beyond any means of comprehension in this world. In this world we know only the physical pleasures to which we are tied, but that goodness [in the World To Come] is exceedingly good, and has no rating when compared to the pleasures of this world, except figuratively. In the way of truth, however, which continues physical pleasures into the World To Come for the soul by way of food and drink is not so, but that goodness is beyond investigation, and has no limit or comparison. David said, "How great is Your goodness which you have laid up for those who fear You; which You have performed for those who trust in You in the sight of the sons of men!". 7) How much David yearned and hungered for life in the World To Come, as it is written, "Were it not that I believed I should see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". the first Sages have already made it known that it is beyond one's capabilities to comprehend the goodness of the World To Come at all, and that one cannot know its greatness, beauty and very essence, but it only the Holy One, Blessed Be He, who can understand it. All the goodnesses which the Prophets prophecised to Israel are only physical pleasures from which they will benefit in the days of the Messiah and when monarchy has been returned to Israel. The goodness of the World To Come, however, has no limit or size, and was not discussed by the Prophets so as not [even] to hint that it might have a limit. Isaiah said, "Neither has the eye seen that a God besides You should do such a thing for him who waits for him", i.e. the goodness which the Prophet did not

see but only God saw was made by (that) God for those who wait for it. The Sages said that all the Prophets spoke only about the days of the Messiah, but with respect to the World To Come: "Neither has the eye seen a God beside You"9. 8) This is what the Sages referred to as the World To Come, but not because it is in existence now and that it will follow after this world is destroyed, for such is not the case. The World To Come does exist, as it is written, "O how great is Your goodness, which You have prepared for those who fear You". It was called the World To Come only because life there comes to one only after life in this world, where we exist in a body- soul combination, which is how men exist first. CHAPTER NINEThis chapter explains verses which seem to imply that the righteous people are rewarded and the wicked people punished in this world. 1) Once it is known that a reward is given for fulfilling commandments and that the goodness which we will receive if we follow the way of God as mentioned in the Torah is life in the World to Come, as it is written, "...that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your life", and that the revenge which shall be unleashed upon the wicked people who disregarded the righteous mannerisms as mentioned in the Torah is excision, as it is written, "...that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him" - then what is it that is written in throughout the Torah, that if one listens, one will receive such-and-such, and that if one doesn't listen such- and-such will happen to one, as well as all earthly matters such as plenty, famine, war, peace, monarchy, humility, living in Israel, exile, success, misfortune and other covenantal matters? All these matters were true and always will be. Whenever we fulfil the commandments of the Torah we will receive all good earthly matters, and whenever we transgress them, all the mentioned evils will befall us. Nevertheless, the goodness is not all that the reward for fulfilling commandments consists of, and the evils are not the entire punishment received by transgressors. This is how all matters are decided: The Holy One, Blessed Be He, gave us this Torah, which is a support of life, and anybody who does what is written in it and knows that everything contained in it is complete and correct, will merit life in the World To Come. He will merit [a portion] in proportion to the magnitude of his actions and to the extent of his knowledge. The Torah assures us that if we fulfil it with joy and pleasure and always act according to it, then all things such as illness, war, famine, et cetera, which could prevent us from doing so will be removed, and all things such as plenty, peace, richness, et cetera, which will aid us in fulfilling the Torah will be influenced to come our way so that we will not have to occupy ourselves all day in [obtaining] bodily needs, but that we will be free to sit all day, learn and gather knowledge and fulfil commandments, in order to merit life in the World To Come. In this vein it is written in the Torah after the assurance of goodness in this world, "And it shall be accounted virtue in us, if we take care to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us". The Torah also tells us that if we willingly neglect the Torah to pursue valueless activities, like it is written, "But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked", that the True Judge removes from the transgressors all the goodness of this world which they had in their possession but rejected, and will bring upon them all the evils which will prevent them from attaining life in the World To Come, so that they will be lost in their wickedness. It is written, "Because then would you not serve the Lord your God...therefore shall you serve your enemies which the Lord shall send against you". It

would seem that all the blessings and curses are fulfilled in this manner, namely that if one serves God with joy and follows His ways one will be blessed accordingly and all the curses will be removed far away from one so that one will be [entirely] free to become knowledgeable in Torah and busy oneself in it, in order to merit life in the World To Come. If one does not acquire wisdom and if one has no meritorious deeds, then with what will one merit life in the World To Come?! For it is written, "...and there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol". If one ignores God and transgresses by means of food, feasting, adultery or similar activities, then one will bring upon oneself all these curses and remove all the blessings, so that one's days will end in panic and fear and one will not have the opportunities or perfect body to perform mitzvot, and one will not merit life in the World To Come, and then one will have lost out on two worlds, for when someone is troubled in this world by illness, plague or hunger he does not busy himself with learning or mitzvot, with which life in the World To Come is merited. 2) Because of this, all Israel, her Prophets and her Sages, has yearned fro the days of the Messiah, in order that they will be free of any monarchies which do not let them occupy themselves suitably with Torah and mitzvot, and they will have a repose and will be able to increase their knowledge in order to merit life in the World To Come, for in those days [of the Messiah] knowledge, wisdom and truth will be increased in the world, as it is written, "...for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord". It is also written, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother", and it is also written, "...and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh". That king who will arise from the descendants of David will be even wiser than Solomon, and will approach the level of Moses our Teacher in prophecy, and he will therefore [be able to] teach the people the ways of God and to fear them. All the nations will come to listen to him, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass, in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, et cetera". The ultimate reward and goodness, which is continuous and uniform is life in the World To Come. The Messianic age will consist of this world continuing in the normal way, except that monarchy will be returned to Israel. The first Sages all ready said that the only difference in the world between now and the Messianic age is that now we serve their kings, and then we won't. CHAPTER TENThis chapter discusses serving God out of love and fear, how to teach Torah to children and ignoramuses, and those who study Torah solely for the sake of it. 1) One should not think to oneself that one will fulfil the commandments of the Torah and occupy oneself in its wisdom in order to receive the blessings mentioned therein, or to merit life in the World To Come, and to avoid the transgressions against which the Torah warns in order to be saved from the curses mentioned therein, or in order not to be cut off from life in the World To Come, for it is not fitting to serve God in this manner. Anyone who does serve in this manner is doing so out of fear. This was not the [spiritual] level of the Prophets and Sages. Only ignoramuses, women and children serve in this manner, for they are educated to do so until their knowledge has increased sufficiently so that they will serve out of love. 2) Anyone who serves out of love and occupies himself with Torah and mitzvot and follows the ways of wisdom should not do so for any earthly reason[s] or out of fear of the curses or to receive the blessings, but should fulfil the truth because it is the truth. Out

of this he will receive goodness. This level is a very high one, and not every wise person attains it. This is the level of Abraham the Patriarch, whom God called His `friend', for the reason that he served God solely out of love. This is a level which God commanded, via Moses, us [to attain], as it is written, "And you shall love the Lord your God". Once a person loves God appropriately, he will fulfil the commandments out of love. 3) What is appropriate love? This is an extremely strong and profound love of God, so that one's soul is committed to the love of God and that one will be so preoccupied with it that one will appear to be lovesick, in which one's mind is perpetually occupied at all times with a particular woman. Apart from this, one's love of God has to be absolute and continuous, as we have been commanded: "...with all your heart and with all your soul"2. Solomon said by way of example, "For I am sick with love". The entire Song Of Songs is exemplary of this concept [of the love of God]. 4) The first Sages said that to prevent us from [falling into the trap of] learning Torah in order to become rich or to be called a Rabbi or to be rewarded in the World To Come, the Torah says, "...to love the Lord your God", i.e. all that one does should be done purely out of love. The Sages said further that the verse, "Happy is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments" refers to the commandments, and not to the reward. In this vein, the greater Sages commanded just their wiser students and told them not to be like a servant who serves his master solely for payment, but to be like a servant whose attitude is that because his master is the master it is fitting to serve him, i.e. to serve purely out of love. 5) Anyone who occupies himself with Torah in order to receive reward or to prevent any troubles is not doing so for the sake of it, whereas anyone who does so out of love for the Master of this world, and not with any ulterior motives, is doing so for the sake of it. The Sages said that one should always occupy oneself with Torah even if not for the sake of it, for out of doing so not for the sake of it one will come to doing so for the sake of it. Therefore, when one is teaching children, women and ignoramuses one should teach them to serve God out of fear and inn order to be rewarded. As their knowledge increases and they become more wise, we reveal this `secret' to them bit by bit and accustom them to this concept in repose until they totally understand it, and will serve out of love. 6) It is a known matter that the love of God is not permanent in a man's heart until he attunes himself to it appropriately, as we have been commanded, "...and with all your heart and with all your soul". One loves God only as one thinks fit, and one's love should be according to one's temperament, i.e. the extent of one's love should be as one sees fit. Therefore, one has to discipline oneself to understand the wisdom and reasonings to the full extent of one's abilities to do so, as explained in the Laws of The Basic Principles of The Torah.