על שינוי השמות כ׳On the Change of Names 20
א׳
1[115] And since God cares for His own flock He has ready at hand a multitude of gifts for those of His charges who obey Him and do not rebel. In the Psalms there is a hymn of this kind, “The Lord is my shepherd, and nothing shall be lacking to me” (Ps. 23(22):1).
ב׳
2[116] So then we shall not be surprised to find the mind which has the Divine Word for its shepherd and king asking of its seven daughters, “Why have ye returned with such speed and so eagerly to-day?” (Ex. 2:18). For at other times when you visited the objects of sense you spent a long time out there and almost refused to return, so greatly were you enticed by them. But now something or other has induced you to come back with this unwonted eagerness.
ג׳
3[117] So they will reply that this hasty breathless racing out to the world of sense and back again is not due to themselves but to the man who rescued them from the shepherds of the savage herd, and they call Moses an Egyptian (ibid. 19), Moses who was not only a Hebrew, but of that purest Hebrew blood which alone is consecrated. They cannot, that is, rise above their own nature.
ד׳
4[118] For the senses are on the border-line between the intelligible realm and the sensible, and all that we can hope is that they should desire both realms and not be led by the latter only. To suppose that they will ever give their affections to the things of mind only would be the height of folly, and therefore they give both titles. By the word “man” they point out the world which reason alone discerns, by “Egyptian” they represent the world of sense.
ה׳
5[119] On hearing this the father will ask again, where is the man? (ibid. 20). In what part of your surroundings does the element of the reason dwell? Why have you left him so easily, and why when you once fell in with him did you not take to your arms that treasure, so beautiful above all, so profitable to yourselves? But if you have not as yet,
ו׳
6[120] at least now “invite him that he may eat” (ibid. 20) and feed on your advance to higher stages of goodness and a closer affinity to him. Perhaps he will even dwell among you and wed the winged, inspired and prophetic nature called Zipporah (ibid. 21).