Letter to an Unidentified Community

We declare that our God is better than all good things that provide good, for His good acts are numerous, and His kindness is great upon His treasured ones, especially His people Israel, as it is written: I will mention the grace of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed upon us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on them according to His compassions and the multitude of His mercies (Isaiah 63:7).

Therefore, we are obliged to thank Him, as it is written: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever (Psalms 118:1).

His first goodness and mercy is that He created us alive, with desires and enjoying pleasures, as it is written: You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my spirit (Job 10:12). When we turn to our souls to see the composition of our bodies and the conjunction of our limbs, we know that a wise Creator created us, and it is as though He is before our eyes, as it is written: Through my flesh I will behold God (Job 19:26). Therefore, we must know Him through His revelations [proofs] and praises [attributes], and it is thus written: Know this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God, etc. (Deuteronomy 4:39). If we do not know Him, how can we serve Him and believe in the words of His messengers that come to us? Is it not thus written: Let us know, eagerly strive to know the Lord (Hosea 6:3)? So He promised for the future, that no one will be in need of another to learn wisdom of his knowledge, as all will know Him, as it is written: No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying: “Know the Lord; for they shall all know Me, etc.” (Jeremiah 31:33). [ . . . ]

Therefore, man must be occupied with the Torah and learn and know God as best he can, for His goodness and mercy will thereby increase upon him, and His brightness will shine, as we have stated: R. Simeon ben Lakish said, “Whoever is occupied with the Torah at night, the Holy One extends a thread of kindness over him by day, as it says: By day the Lord will command His mercy, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life (Psalms 42:9). Why by day the Lord will command His mercy? Because at night His song is with me.” And some say R. Simeon ben Lakish said, “Whoever is occupied with Torah in this world, which is like the night, the Holy One shines His brightness in the world-to-come, which is like the day, as it says: By day the Lord will command His mercy and at night His song is with me, etc.” [see b. Ḥagigah 12b].

One who learns Torah must have the fear of the Lord before his face, dread His anger, observe His statutes, and perform His will and His commandments, as in this manner he will succeed and prosper in all his ways, as it is written: In every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the Torah, and in the commandments to seek his God, with all his heart he did it and succeeded (2 Chronicles 31:21). [ . . . ]

Although one who studies starts by reading from the Torah, he is obliged to recite Mishnah and Talmud and then analyze and investigate, as we stated: Rava said, “A person should learn and then analyze” [b. Shabbat 63a]. But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord, and he meditates in His Torah day and night (Psalms 1:2).

Do not rely solely on scripture, as there are several interpretations of each matter, and [there are] some equal[ly plausible, but rejected] explanations. When a person turns to the statements of our rabbis, who transmitted the explanation of each and every commandment, elucidating the desired manner [of its performance], he does not [yet] know how his Creator wants him to perform it. For [revealed] tradition is the essence, and therefore the sages will inherit in truth, as they are great and mighty [in] honor and acclaim, as it is written: Which wise men have told and have not hid from their fathers; to them alone was given the land, and no stranger passed among them (Job 15:18–19). Surely you know that when our Lord said: Three times a year all your males will appear [before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses] (Deuteronomy 16:16), although this matter was in a sweeping manner, our sages transmitted as its explanation what we are taught in the Mishnah: “All are obligated to appear except a deaf-mute, imbecile, minor, person of unknown sex, hermaphrodite, women, unfree slaves, the lame, the blind, the sick, elderly, and anyone unable to stand on his feet” [m. Ḥagigah 1:1]. Thus, they excluded most of those mentioned from the general statement because they are not included among [“all your males”]. One of unknown sex, a hermaphrodite, and women, and also a few [others] mentioned, were excluded through reasoning. The first of these is the imbecile, as we already know that he is not obligated in the commandments, not on a festival nor any other [time], as long as he is in his imbecilic state. Also the sick and elderly. They do not have the ability [to travel], and our Creator did not command [anyone] to do more than is possible. We thus know that these are excluded by reasoning and the others by way of tradition.

Without their words—whose truth we acknowledge, which were transmitted from the mouths of prophets—a deaf-mute, minor, slaves, the lame, blind, and one who is not able to ascend on his feet would be obligated—all of them—to appear, and they would be included under this verse. Therefore, when [we see that] they excluded them and declared that they are not obligated, we realize that scripture, with all its commandments, requires study, study of the explanations of each and every commandment. [ . . . ]

Even though there are general statements for some of the commandments, one must check if that general statement includes a provision or detail, for if there is a provision, he must act accordingly. Thus, when they said that men are obligated in any time-bound positive commandment, but women are exempt, they applied a provision to this general rule, and they said: unleavened bread, rejoicing on a festival, and assembly [see Deuteronomy 31:10–12], which are time-bound positive commandments, but women are obligated. Consequently, R. Yoḥanan said: One may not learn from general statements, even in a place when it says “apart from” [see, e.g., b. Kiddushin 34a]. He did not say that one may not learn anything from them, but if one sees a general statement, he should search and examine whether there is indication of anything to be excluded from it.