Derech Hashem - Intro

The advantage of knowing things within the framework of their parts - according to their divisions and the structures of their relationships - over their knowledge without distinction is like the advantage of seeing a garden beautified by its flowerbeds, enhanced by its paths and planted in specific rows, over seeing a thicket of reeds or a forest growing mixed together. For in truth, the perception of many parts about which we do not know their connections or true places in the structure of all that is constructed by them is nothing but a heavy and joyless burden to the intellect that desires to understand [it]. The intellect wearies itself with it; it toils, despairs, tires and has no pleasure; as it will not quench its desire to come to the purpose of any [part] that one has come to consider. For this will not come to him, since he is missing its complete context. As a great part of something is surely its relationships to those things that relate to it, and its place within its context - and this is lacking from him. So it comes out that his desire is his unresolvable burden; and his longing is his unassuageable pain. Not so is the one who knows something in its context. When he examines it, it is clearly revealed in his eyes as it [actually] is. He grows in his understanding of that to which he turns and he enjoys the beauty of his work and is exhilarated. And, in general, that which one needs to examine about his subject is [the knowledge of] its true place that we mentioned. And that is because when we surely examine all things - physical and conceptual, which is all that can be grasped by our intellects - it comes out that they are not all of one type or one function, but rather of different types and differing functions. And according to the difference in their types, so will their properties and axioms differ. And this is what compels us to distinguish between them with our intellects, so that we may truly understand them - each one according to its axioms. However the first [step in knowledge] of the types and functions is one. And that is to know to which one of them the subject belongs, meaning to the part or the whole, to the specific or the category, to the cause or the effect, to the subject or its associations. And this is what is required to know about a subject first: Is it the whole thing or a part, a category or a specific, is it a cause or an effect, is it the [actual] subject or an association?

And so based on its place will be the examinations by which it is necessary to examine it, according to its nature, to fully understand its form and its function: If it is a part, he will seek to know the whole of which it is a part. If it is a specific, he will seek to analyze the category. If it is a cause, he will seek to analyze its effects; if an effect, its cause. If it is an association, he will seek [knowledge] about the subject, as well as to know what type of association it is - if precedent, if antecedent or if accompanying; if essential or contingent; and if potential or actual. All of these are examinations without which he will not completely comprehend the form of the thing. With all of it [however], he may contemplate the nature of the thing, to know if it is constant or limited. And if it is limited, he should investigate its limits. For surely any true matter will end up becoming false if it is ascribed to a subject not fitting it or if it is seen outside of its limits.

However one must consider that the number of details is much too great for the intellect of man to contain, and it is impossible for one to know them all. Yet what is fit is for him to attempt to know the general principles. As the nature of every principle is to contain [knowledge about] many details. So when one grasps one principle, he [also] grasps a great number of details. And even though he has not yet examined them because they are [only] details [subsumed by] the principle; [nevertheless] when one of them comes to him, he is not stunted by knowing it, since [its] general matter - which perforce must exist - is already known to him. And likewise the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifrei Devarim 306:20), "Matters of Torah should always be in your hands as general principles and not as details."

Yet what is required in the knowledge of general principles is knowing them through all of their limits and in all of their characteristics, as I wrote above. And you must even pay attention to, and not neglect, things that first appear to be lacking any application. For there is no small or large thing in a general principle that does not have [some] application in the details. And if it does not add or take away anything about some of the details, it will certainly have great application about others. Since a principle is a principle about all the details, it must contain [some information] about each of them. Hence you must be very exacting about this and examine their functions, their relationships and their connections with great precision. And you must examine their processes and progression very very well - [to know] how one matter leads to another, from the beginning to the end. 'And then you will be successful and then you will understand.'

Now see, pleasant reader, that it is according to these things that I have written this short composition. And my intention in it was to present with clarity in front of you the general principles of faith and [divine] service in such a way that you could understand them properly, so that they create a model for you sufficiently free of jumble and confusion. Then you will clearly see their roots and branches and contexts; such that they will sit well upon your heart, and you will acquire them with your mind in the most superior way. And from then on, it will be easy for you to find knowledge of God in all of the sections of the Torah and its commentaries and to understand all of its secrets, 'according to the blessing that the Lord, your God, will bestow upon you.' And see that I have tried to arrange the things in an order that I have thought to be more pleasant, and with words that I have considered fitting, in order to give a full picture of these things which I have decided to teach you. Hence you must now also be precise about all this and hold on to it with outstanding diligence until you find a place where it will help you. And do not neglect any nuance, lest an essential matter escape you. Rather this is what you should do: Be precise with all the words, and make efforts to understand the content of all of the matters and to store all of their truth in your mind. Then you will find it to be a comfort that will benefit you. And behold I have entitled the book, The Way of God. For it truly consists of His ways, may He be blessed, that He revealed to us through His prophets and made known to us through His Torah, and by which He leads us and leads all of His creatures. And I have divided it into four sections: In the first I will speak about the principle of the foundations of existence and its details; in the second about His providence, may He be blessed; in the third about prophecy; and in the fourth about [divine] service. And you, my brother [among] all the seekers of the Lord - go in this 'way' and may the Lord be with you and give you eyes to see and ears to hear the 'wonders of His Torah.' Amen, may it be His will.

The existence of God: Every person of Israel must believe and know that there is a preexisting, eternal First Being. And He brought into being, and brings into being, everything that exists. And that is God, may He be blessed.

The foundation of piety and the root of perfect service [of G-d] is for a man to clarify and come to realize as truth what is his obligation in his world and to what he needs to direct his gaze and his aspiration in all that he toils all the days of his life.

Now the LORD had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,

For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is just and right, in order that the LORD may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.”

The LORD is beneficent in all His ways and faithful in all His works.

One who controls himself with increased restrictions, and distances himself even from the mean tendency,²Shabbat, 30-31. G. a little one way or a little the other way, is called devout. How may one do it? One who will distance himself from the extreme point of arrogance and become exceedingly humble is called devout for, this is the tendency of piety. If one distances himself to the mean point only and practices meekness he is called a wise man for, this is the tendency of wisdom. A like pathway exists in all the rest of the tendencies. The ancient devotees diverged their tendencies from the middle-path facing the two extremes; some tendency they bent opposite to the last extreme and some tendency they bent opposite the first extreme. This is more than being within the limits of the law.³Baba Mezi’a 30a. G. As for us, we are charged to walk in these middle-paths, which are the good and straight paths, even as it is said: "And thou shalt walk in His ways" (Deut. 28 9).

Light is sown for the righteous, radiance for the upright.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: I too say a similar idea. Not all are fit for light, and not all are fit for gladness. The righteous are fit to be rewarded with light, and the upright are fit to be rewarded with gladness. The righteous are fit to be rewarded with light, as it is written: “Light is sown for the righteous” (Psalms 97:11), and the upright are fit to be rewarded with gladness, as it is written, in the same verse: “And gladness for the upright in heart.”

We must be especially careful to observe the mitzvah of tzedakah, more so than any other positive mitzvah, for tzedakah is a sign of the righteous [tzadik] lineage of Abraham, our father, as it is said, (Genesis 18:19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity [to keep the way of the LORD] by doing what is just [tzedakah].¹⁷⁵See Babylonian Talmud Yevamot 79a. The throne of Israel is established and the religion of truth stands only on tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 54:14) You shall be established through righteousness [tzedek]. And Israel will only be redeemed through tzedakah, as it is said, (Isaiah 1:27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; her repentant ones, in the retribution [tzedakah].¹⁷⁶See Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 139a.