על החלומות, ספר ב ל״טOn Dreams, Book II 39
א׳
1[255] Again God promises wise Abraham a portion of land “from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18), not meaning a section of country, but rather the better part in ourselves. For our body and the passions engendered in it or by it are likened to the river of Egypt, but the soul and what the soul loves to the Euphrates.
ב׳
2[256] Here he lays down a doctrine of the greatest importance and value to life, namely, that the good man has received for his portion soul and the soul’s virtues, even as the bad on the other hand has body and the vices which belong to and arise through the body.
ג׳
3[257] Now “from” has two meanings, one where the thing from which what we are describing starts is included, the other where it is excluded. For when we say that there are twelve hours from early morning to evening, or thirty days from the new moon to the end of the month, we take into our reckoning the first hours in the former case and the new moon itself in the latter. But when one says that the field is three or four stades distant from the city, clearly he does not include the city.
ד׳
4[258] So in this case we must suppose that in the phrase “from the river of Egypt” “from” is used in this exclusive sense. For Moses would have us remove right away from bodily things, which present themselves amid restless flux and motion, which destroys and is destroyed, and receive the soul as our heritage with the virtues which are indestructible and worthy to be such.
ה׳
5[259] Thus our investigation has shewn what was meant when the speech which deserves praise was compared to a river. It follows that speech which calls for censure was none other than the river of Egypt—speech, that is, which is ill-trained, ignorant and practically soulless. And therefore it changes into blood (Ex. 7:20), since it cannot provide nourishment, for the speech of indiscipline none can drink. And further it is prolific of frogs, bloodless, soulless creatures, whose cry is a strange harsh noise, painful to the hearers.
ו׳
6[260] We are told, too, that all the fish in it died (ibid. 21), and by fish thoughts are symbolized. For thoughts swim and are bred in speech as in a river, and like living creatures give vitality to it. But set in undisciplined speech ideas die. For in such speech there is no sense to be found, only “bawling” cries disordered and “unregulated,” as the verse has it.