על הגירת אברהם ל״אOn the Migration of Abraham 31
א׳
1[168] One that has been exalted so high above the earth will no longer suffer any parts of his soul to have their converse down below among things mortal, but will draw them all up with him, just like bodies hanging on a rope. So a divine intimation was given to the wise man to this effect: “Come up to thy Lord, thou and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the Senate of Israel” (Ex. 24:1).
ב׳
2[169] This means: “Come up, O soul, to behold the Existent One, come with thy being in harmony, that is, with thy speech and reason active, come willingly, fearlessly, affectionately, come in the holy and perfect measures of seven multiplied tenfold.” For “Aaron” is called in the Laws Moses’ prophet (Ex. 7:1), speech acting as prophet to understanding, and “Nadab,” meaning voluntary, is he that under no constraint does honour to the Deity, while “Abihu” means “my father,” and represents the man who stands in need of God to govern him, not as a master owing to his folly, but much rather as a father owing to his good sense.
ג׳
3[170] These are the powers that form the bodyguard of the mind that is worthy of sovereignty, and it is meet that they should accompany the King as His escort.
ד׳
4But the soul has reason to fear ascending in its own strength to the sight of Him that IS, ignorant as it is of the way, lifted up as it is at once by ignorance and by daring, and grievous are the falls that have been occasioned by lack of knowledge and excess of boldness;
ה׳
5[171] and therefore Moses prays that he may have God Himself, to guide him to the way that leads to Him; for he says: “If Thou Thyself goest not with me on my journey, lead me not up hence” (Ex. 33:15): for loss is entailed by all movement that is not under Divine direction, and it is better to stay where we are, roaming, with the bulk of mankind, through this mortal life, rather than to lift ourselves heavenward and incur shipwreck as imposters. This has been the fate of multitudes of sophists, through their imagining that wisdom consists in finding specious arguments, and not in appealing to the solid evidence of facts.
ו׳
6[172] But perhaps the force of the prayer may be such as this: “Raise me not up on high, endowing me with wealth or fame or honours or offices, or aught else that is called good fortune, unless Thou Thyself art about to come with me.” For these things often bring upon those who have them very great losses as well as very great advantages, advantages, when the judgement is under God’s guidance; hurts, when this is not so: for to thousands the things I have named, not being really good things, have become the cause of incurable evils.
ז׳
7[173] Now he that follows God has of necessity as his fellow-travellers the words and thoughts that attend Him, angels as they are often called. What we read is that “Abraham travelled with them, joining with them in escorting them on their way” (Gen. 18:16). What a glorious privilege to be put on a level with them! The escort is escorted; he gives what he was receiving; not one thing in return for another, but just one thing only that lies ready to be passed backwards and forwards from one to the other.
ח׳
8[174] For as long as he falls short of perfection, he has the Divine Word as his leader: since there is an oracle which says, “Lo, I send My messenger before thy face, to guard thee in thy way, that he may bring thee in into the land which I have prepared for thee: give heed to him, and hearken to him, disobey him not; for he will by no means withdraw from thee; for My name is on him” (Ex. 23:20 f.).
ט׳
9[175] But when he has arrived at full knowledge, he will run with more vigorous effort, and his pace will be as great as that of him who before led the way; for so they will both become attendants on the All-leading God, and no holder of strange doctrines will follow after them any more. Nay, even Lot has been severed from their company, for he bent aside his soul which had the capacity to grow up straight and unswerving.