The Foundations of Understanding and the Tower of Faith

The science that inquires into the creation of existing things and their characteristic forms investigates and examines things that are hidden from the eye and from the bodily senses. One can know such concepts only through abstract reasoning, and there are great disputes between the scholars over these issues. Thus, one can accept the opinion that he thinks is the best and that he prefers, and need not fear blame or criticism. He can also include his own ideas and add certain things and reject others, in accordance with his own understanding, without necessarily departing from the path of wisdom.

The science that inquires into sacred matters is handed down through the Holy Spirit. It consists of the study of concepts that cannot be fully comprehended, due to their essentially wondrous nature and great illumination. Just as the eye cannot gaze at the light of the midday sun, because its light is brighter and stronger than the light of the human eye, so too the principles of faith and the truth of the words of Torah are so bright and wonderful that people can grasp them only with the help of the prophets, who were entrusted with the Holy Spirit by the Holy One and one is obliged to accept their words. He does not have permission to add or subtract anything, but only to add protective fences and clarify the commandments. If he does add or subtract, he is a sinner and will be punished by heaven. These are the levels of wisdom, the three levels, and the definition that we determined for science includes them all. These sciences are called the rational sciences, or the science of the intellect.

[After the vegetative soul and the animal soul], the third soul is that with which a person can understand the difference between good and evil in all worldly matters, and right and wrong behavior. It enables one to differentiate between truth and falsehood in all subjects that people understand, as well as to ascertain correctly when someone is speaking deceitfully. In this manner, he is distinguished from the beasts; indeed, he differs from all other creatures and is like the angels and other beings of the upper world. This soul is called the rational [lit., “speaking”] and reasoning soul, because it is with this soul that a person reasons and speaks. Now the terms reasoning and speaking in this context do not mean reasoning that is verbally expressed, or speech that is heard by means of the tongue. Rather, they refer to the reasoning in the heart and soul and their formulation into words. We have found that the term expression [higayon] can refer to one’s internal musings and the thoughts of the heart and the matters of the soul, as the verse states: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation [hegyon] of my heart be acceptable before You, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:15). And it is likewise written: I will also meditate [hagiti] upon all Your work (Psalms 77:13). It is incorrect to explain that hagiti means verbal reading; rather, it denotes thought and musings; that is, one attends to God’s works and their wondrous nature. [ . . . ] You should likewise understand that when we mention the reasoning and speaking soul, we mean internal speech and expression.

It is through this soul that the definition of man is established, and his unique sphere is delineated, as it is the foundation of his creation, and it serves to distinguish him from the animals. Now, man is a creature who lives, speaks, and dies. The fact that he lives is the broad principle, in which he is equated to all other created beings. His capacity for speech separates him from all the animals, beasts, and fowl, and from all living creatures that do not talk and places him in the category of the angels. Finally, his death is another characteristic that differentiates him from the angels and renders him similar to the animals and all other creatures that will ultimately die. The “speech” referred to here is internal speech and the ability to understand, which is like the speech of the angels, and it is in regard to this attribute that we said that man can speak and understand. For if this were not the meaning of the term, a mute could not be categorized as a man, since he cannot talk verbally, and yet he is called a man and is classified as such, because he understands in his heart. [ . . . ]

And let my masters, who examine these statements of mine, not accuse me, for I do not want to be in their eyes like one who has placed himself on the edge of a precipice, or in a narrow strait where one should not walk. They should not say that I have endangered myself by venturing out of my path. For I will reveal to them my secret: I did not enter willingly, nor for the sake of my own honor so that people should ascribe greatness to me. Rather, many of my greatest peers, whose advice I am compelled to accept, have brought me to all this, as no books were written in Hebrew in the whole of France about these fields of science. On their instruction, I translated them from Arabic books into the holy tongue, as best as I could understand them, as it is written: Every man shall give as he is able from his portion, according to the blessing of the Lord your God, which He has given you (Deuteronomy 16:17).

Each person must teach the knowledge he has accumulated, in accordance with his understanding, as “one who does much and one who does little have equal merit, if they direct their hearts to heaven” [see, e.g., b. Berakhot 5b]. I humbly request from every reader of this work to judge me favorably, as it is written: In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor (Leviticus 19:15). Let him emend in his kindness any error or mistake that he finds in these words of mine, whether semantic or substantial, if he is certain of it, and may God double his reward. Likewise, I beseech my Rock that He assist me and spare me from sin and transgression, and place His favor upon me, both in His eyes and in the eyes of all His pious ones, as everything is in His hands, and there is no Rock apart from Him.