"A man ought to persevere in employing himself in [the study of] the law, be it even not for the sake of the law itself; seeing that by dint of [studying the law], not for the sake of the law itself, he will [in the end] come to [this, that he will study the law, solely] for the sake of the law." And therefore, when we instruct children, women, or the common class of vulgar men, we direct them, to serve [God] out of fear, and with the view of receiving a reward, until their knowledge becomes greater, and their wisdom more transcendent; when we ought by degrees to initiate them into the secret', and gently to train them to the [truth of the] matter, until they comprehend and know it, and then they will serve [God] out of love. VI. But now, the matter is clear and manifest, that the love of the Holy One, blessed be He! cannot be made fast in the heart of a man, unless he be constantly and duly absorbed in the same, and unless he renounce every thing in the world except this [love], as He has commanded [us], saying: [And thou shalt love the Lord thy God] WITH ALL THINE HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, (Deut. vi. 5). A man, however, can love the Holy One, blessed be 1 literally: they reveal to מגלין להן רז זה מעט מעט them this secret little by little. 2 phiyaw na ba ay literally and forsake (abandon); all that is in the world. He only by the knowledge which he has of Him; so that his love will be in proportion to his knowledge; if [the latter be] slight, [the former will also be] slight; but if [the latter be] great, [the former will also be] great. And therefore a man ought solely and entirely to devote himself to the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, by applying to those sciences and doctrines, which are calculated to give him. such an idea of his Creator, as it is in the power of the intellect of man to conceive; as was stated by us in the Precepts relating to the foundations of the law. 3 My literally: by the knowledge with which he knows Him. -literally: which make his Pos המודיעים לו את קונו 4 SESSOR known unto him. SS GLOSSARY*. r. stands for root, and p. for page; the Hebrew letters affixed to the references point out the paragraphs from which the quotations are made. אבל הצבור 8 p. 49. ", but the congregation. pl dust; figuratively: every thing subtile, fine, pierc- yn nws pax p. 37, 7, subtile, or indirect slander. p. 54, for this is subtile or שזה אבק גזל הוא it is ,יז ,35 .p אחד יתום מאב ואחד יתום מאם one and the same [thing] whether it be a fatherless or motherless orphan. * This Glossary is entirely confined to Rabbinical words contained in the Selections, and to the acceptation in which they are used by Maimonides; no notice being taken of the various other significations which they may have. Of pure Hebrew words very few are noticed, and of these only such as either do not frequently occur in the Scriptures, or are used by our Author in a technical sense. The Rabbinical words are placed in the order of the Alphabet either according to their roots, or according to the form in which they occur in the text, just as was thought more expedient to facilitate the labour of the student in looking out for the words he may want. Thus, for instance, if he wants to look for the words w he is feeling .which is אי זו -p. 45, 8, which is per אי זו היא תשובה גמורה if there were ה 2 .p אילו היו אלוהות הרבה אילו אילך many Deities. Tw p. 49, , from the third and onward. .(מתי and אי when ? at what time? (compound of אימתי and until what ,יז ,36 .p ועד אימתי נקראין יתומים time (i. e. how long) are they called orphans? .there is אית p. 28, 1, he in whom מאן דאית ביה גסות הרוח bw xbx p. 5, 17, but [it is] a figure. but, only. ... אלא nothing לא ...... p. they לא נמצאו אלא מאמתת המצאו exist only through the truth of His existence. .unless אלא אם כן unless he be ,יז ,13 .p אלא אם כן היה חכם אלוהות wise. these, those. r. ליסודות אלו p. 11, , into these elements. Deity, and also plur. Deities. feeling, he shall accustom, he must look in letter for way or a (their respective roots, which cannot be mistaken); but such words as Ty they shake, rononnn they melt away, they dissolve themselves, he will find in letter, exactly in the same form as they occur in the text, and not under y or don (which might perhaps not immediately strike him as their respective roots). This hint, it is hoped, will be enough to guide the student in the use of this Glossary. In cases where the words are given in the form in which they are found in the text, and not by the root, their respective roots are always noticed. if אלם . אלמלא r. שאלמלא היה חי בחיים ויודע בדעה חוץ ממנו p. 6, 1, for if He were living with a life, and .middle or midst מצע .r אמצע אמתת .truth, reality אמת .r אסור bound, stopped, i. e. unlawful, forbidden, (in אסר .r contradistinction to lawful, permitted). is unlawful, and that which is lawful. p. 14, 5, to know that which לידע האסור והמותר p. 24, 2, it is unlawful to אסור לחשב אחריו make reflections on him. .(אלו and אף though, even, (comp. of אפילו though he denied כד 52 .p אפילו כפר בעיקר the root, (i. e. the radical principle). .a heretick פקר or אפק . אפיקורוס .though, although, even though אף על פי ,יז ,13 .p אף על פי שאינו מבין אותו מדעתו though he does not understand it by his own .for all this, still, nevertheless אף על פי כן ,כא 14 .p אף על פי כן ראויים הן להקדימם nevertheless they deserve to have the precedence .it is possible פשר .r -p. 16, 1, it is pos אפשר שתשרה שכינה עליהן sible that the Shechina should rest on them. p. 45, and the possibility ואפשר בידו לעשותו (i. e. the power) is in his hand to do it. .it is impossible אי אפשר -p. 26, 1, and it is im ואי אפשר להיות בזולתן אפשר possible to be (to exist) without them. |