Commentary on the Mishnah: Introduction

When you find an animal or plant that, in your opinion, does not provide any benefit or sustenance, this is due to our deficient knowledge. Instead, it must be the case that every herb, every fruit, and every type of animal—from the elephant to the worm—contains something beneficial to humanity. And your proof for this is that in every generation, the benefits of the grasses and the various types of fruits become clearer, over what we used to know. And there are many benefits from them. No single individual can comprehend the benefits of all the plants of the earth. Rather this becomes clear, through experience, over the course of generations.

And perhaps you will say: What about all the lethal poisons, like [aconite] and [cinnabar], which bring about a person’s destruction and have no benefit? Know, rather, they do have a benefit. Even though they kill when consumed, they do not do so if you place them on the outside of the body; if you understand the great [medical] benefit of the [even more poisonous viper], all the more so for everything that is less [poisonous].

Since we find that the purpose of all these things is to contribute to the existence of a person, we are further obligated to search out why an individual exists and what his purpose is. And when we delve deeply into this search, we discover that humans have many different activities. By contrast, all species of animals and trees have just one or two activities—and a single purpose. As we see that the date tree has only one function, namely, to create dates, so this is true of the other trees. Similarly, we find that some animals are intended only to weave, like the spider; some to build, like the swallow; and some to gather, like the ant. However, a human does many different things. Therefore, we examine each of his activities, one by one, to understand his purpose. And we find that the purpose of his activities is just one, while the remaining activities merely enable the completion of this one activity—that is, the apprehension of the intelligibles and knowledge of the truths upon which they rest. This is because it is impossible for the final purpose of a human to be to eat or drink or fornicate or build a structure or become a king. Because these purposes are fleeting for him, they have no benefit for his essence! And all these activities are shared with various animals. But it is through knowledge that he surpasses the animals and moves from the state of lowliness to an exalted state. Because he was a person in potentia and [through it] becomes a person in actu. Because before a person acquires knowledge, he is like an animal, since a person is only distinguished from the rest of the animals due to his reason. He is a rational animal. By reasoning I mean apprehension of the intelligibles. And the greatest of the intelligibles is apprehension of God’s oneness and of related matters in the divine sciences [metaphysics], for the rest of the sciences are preparatory to the attainment of divine science. But any complete discussion of this purpose would take a long time.

However, along with the attainment of the intelligibles there is an obligation to cast off superfluous physical pleasures, because the first intelligible to be ascertained is that the destruction of the soul comes about in the furtherance of the body, and the furtherance of the soul comes about in the destruction of the body. Because if a person pursues his desires and prefers the sensibles, his intellect will be subservient to his desires, and he will become like one of the animals and the ostriches, who think of nothing but food and drink and fornication. If that is the case, then no divine potential will appear in him—I mean [in] his intellect—and he will be like a lone speck of matter in the hylic sea.

It is certain, from all these premises, that the [ultimate] purpose—in this world and with all that is in it—is to form a person of knowledge and virtue. An individual of the human species acquires both knowledge and deeds. By “knowledge” I mean the attainment of foundational truths and all knowledge that one can acquire. And by “deed,” I mean righteous behavior, moderation in natural matters, renouncing desire, and only taking what is necessary for the maintenance of the body and improvement of character traits. When a person is in this state, that is the goal.

This matter was known not only to the prophets, but also to the sages of the ancient nations; even if they did not see the prophets or hear their judgments, they also knew this, namely, that a person is only complete if he possesses both knowledge and deed. And the statement of the greatest philosopher, [Aristotle,] is sufficient: “God’s desire for us is that we be learned and virtuous.” Therefore, if an individual is wise and understanding but pursues his desires, [then] he is not truly wise, because the beginning of wisdom comes from taking only from physical pleasures that which is for the maintenance of the body, and in our commentary on [Pirke] Avot we will explain this goal as we need to and will clarify it as is necessary and required.