How Free are We Really? Repentance from Yishmael to Elisha Ben Abuya

Spinoza, The Ethics, IVp54
Repentance is not a virtue, or does not arise from reason; instead, he who repents what he has done is twice wretched, or lacking in power...For first he suffers himself to be conquered by an evil desire, and then by sadness.

ARE WE REALLY FREE?

Rabbi Jonathan Sack: Tradition in an Untraditional Age chapter 11
Wherever we are we can change. This is surely hakatav Hashlishi, the third and reconciling verse between the two clashing axioms of Judaism: That God has no image, and that man is made in the image of GOD. The conclusion, as inevitable as it is powerful, is that man, too, has no image. Unlike all else in creation, he has no pregiven essence, no fated and ordained character. He is what he chooses to be; and if he chooses, he can change.

משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה ה׳:ב׳

אַל יַעֲבֹר בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתְּךָ דָּבָר זֶה שֶׁאוֹמְרִים טִפְּשֵׁי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם וְרֹב גָּלְמֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא גּוֹזֵר עַל הָאָדָם מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע. אֵין הַדָּבָר כֵּן אֶלָּא כָּל אָדָם רָאוּי לוֹ לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק כְּמשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ אוֹ רָשָׁע כְּיָרָבְעָם אוֹ חָכָם אוֹ סָכָל אוֹ רַחֲמָן אוֹ אַכְזָרִי אוֹ כִּילַי אוֹ שׁוּעַ וְכֵן שְׁאָר כָּל הַדֵּעוֹת. וְאֵין לוֹ מִי שֶׁיִּכְפֵּהוּ וְלֹא גּוֹזֵר עָלָיו וְלֹא מִי שֶׁמּוֹשְׁכוֹ לְאֶחָד מִשְּׁנֵי הַדְּרָכִים אֶלָּא הוּא מֵעַצְמוֹ וּמִדַּעְתּוֹ נוֹטֶה לְאֵי זוֹ דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁיִּרְצֶה.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 5:2

Permit not your thought to dwell upon that which ridiculous fools of other peoples and a majority of asinine individuals among the children of Israel say, that the Holy One, blessed is He! decrees at the very embryonic state of every man whether he should be just or wicked. The matter is not so. Every man is capable of being as just as Moses our Master or as wicked as Jeroboam, wise or incony, merciful or human, miser or philanthropist, and so in all other tendencies. There is none to either force things upon him or to decree things against him; either to pull him one way or draw him another way, but he alone, of his own free will, with the consent of his mind, bends to any path he may desire to follow.

Erich Fromm: Escape From Freedom (German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher 1900-1980)
What is freedom as a human experience? Is the desire for freedom something inherent in human nature? Is it an identical experience regardless of what kind of culture a person lives in, or is it something different according to the degree of individualism reached in a particular society? Is freedom only the absence of external pressure or is it also the presence of something--and if so, of what? What are the social and economic factors in society that make for the striving for freedom? Can freedom become a burden, too heavy for man to bear, something he tries to escape from? Why then is it that freedom is for many a cherished goal and for others a threat? Is there not also, perhaps, b.esides an innate desire for freedom, an instinctive wish for submission? If there is not, how can we account for the attraction which submission to a leader has for so many to-day? Is submission always to an overt authority, or is there also submission to internalized authorities, such as duty or conscience, to inner compulsions or to anonymous authorities like public opinion

Yuval Levin: Taking the Long Way: Disciplines of the soul are the basis of a liberal society. Journal of First Things (American political analyst, academic, and journalist)
Liberal learning is out of step with our times because it offers us not vocational skills but the shaping of habits of thought and practice. It forms our souls through exposure to beauty, to truth, and to the power of the sublime that we can only glimpse through the mediation of rare artistic genius. It is, in this sense, closer to an aristocratic idea of leisure than to the modern idea of training. It is decidedly not utilitarian. It is no short way to liberation. And it is therefore under fierce assault precisely in the academic institutions that should be havens for liberal formation....Real progress very rarely looks like social transformation. It more frequently looks like personal transformation. Each of us alone is weak and corrupt, but through profound moral exertion, and moral formation, we can rise above the dirt and make ourselves a little more noble, more responsible, more decent, more sympathetic, more loving, more free.

TESHUVA AS 'NOW'

דברים י׳:י״ב

וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃

Deuteronomy 10:12

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul,

בראשית רבה כ״א:ו׳

וְעַתָּה פֶּן יִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ (בראשית ג, כב), אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁפָּתַח לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא פֶּתַח שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה, וְעַתָּה, אֵין וְעַתָּה אֶלָּא תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י, יב): וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ וגו', וְהוּא אוֹמֵר פֶּן, וְאֵין פֶּן אֶלָּא לַאו.

Bereshit Rabbah 21:6

And now lest he send his hand: Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, "It teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, opened an opening of repentance for him: 'and now' - and 'and now' is always [referring to] repentance, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:12), 'And now Israel, what does the Lord, your God, etc.' And it states, 'lest'; and 'lest' is always [meaning], no (such that Adam refused to repent).

THE CASE OF ELISHA BEN ABUYA

חגיגה ט״ו א:י׳-י״ג

אָמַר רַב מְשַׁרְשְׁיָא מַאי קְרָאָה גַּבֵּי צַדִּיקִים כְּתִיב לָכֵן בְּאַרְצָם מִשְׁנֶה יִירָשׁוּ גַּבֵּי רְשָׁעִים כְּתִיב וּמִשְׁנָה שִׁבָּרוֹן שׇׁבְרֵם שָׁאַל אַחֵר אֶת רַבִּי מֵאִיר לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּצָא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה מַאי דִּכְתִיב לֹא יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוֹכִית וּתְמוּרָתָהּ כְּלִי פָז אָמַר לוֹ אֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה שֶׁקָּשִׁין לִקְנוֹתָן כִּכְלֵי זָהָב וּכְלֵי פָז וְנוֹחִין לְאַבְּדָן כִּכְלֵי זְכוּכִית אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא רַבָּךְ לֹא אָמַר כָּךְ אֶלָּא מָה כְּלֵי זָהָב וּכְלֵי זְכוּכִית אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרוּ יֵשׁ לָהֶם תַּקָּנָה אַף תַּלְמִיד חָכָם אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁסָּרַח יֵשׁ לוֹ תַּקָּנָה אָמַר לוֹ אַף אַתָּה חֲזוֹר בָּךְ אָמַר לוֹ כְּבָר שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד שׁוּבוּ בָּנִים שׁוֹבָבִים חוּץ מֵאַחֵר תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאַחֵר שֶׁהָיָה רוֹכֵב עַל הַסּוּס בְּשַׁבָּת וְהָיָה רַבִּי מֵאִיר מְהַלֵּךְ אַחֲרָיו לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה מִפִּיו אָמַר לוֹ מֵאִיר חֲזוֹר לְאַחֲרֶיךָ שֶׁכְּבָר שִׁיעַרְתִּי בְּעִקְבֵי סוּסִי עַד כָּאן תְּחוּם שַׁבָּת אָמַר לוֹ אַף אַתָּה חֲזוֹר בָּךְ אָמַר לוֹ וְלֹא כְּבָר אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ כְּבָר שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד שׁוּבוּ בָּנִים שׁוֹבָבִים חוּץ מֵאַחֵר תַּקְפֵיהּ עַיְּילֵיהּ לְבֵי מִדְרְשָׁא אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְיָנוֹקָא פְּסוֹק לִי פְּסוּקָךְ אָמַר לוֹ אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר ה׳ לָרְשָׁעִים עַיְּילֵיהּ לְבֵי כְנִישְׁתָּא אַחֲרִיתִי אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְיָנוֹקָא פְּסוֹק לִי פְּסוּקָךְ אָמַר לוֹ כִּי אִם תְּכַבְּסִי בַּנֶּתֶר וְתַרְבִּי לָךְ בּוֹרִית נִכְתָּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנַי עַיְּילֵיהּ לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא אַחֲרִיתִי אֲמַר לֵיהּ

Chagigah 15a:10-13

Aḥer asked Rabbi Meir another question, again after he had gone astray. What is the meaning of that which is written: “Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall its exchange be vessels of fine gold” (Job 28:17)? If it is referring to the praise and honor of the Torah, it should have compared it only to gold, not to glass. He said to him: This is referring to words of Torah, which are as difficult to acquire as gilded vessels and vessels of fine gold but are as easy to lose as glass vessels. Aḥer said to him: Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say so, but taught as follows: Just as golden vessels and glass vessels have a remedy even when they have broken, as they can be melted down and made into new vessels, so too a Torah scholar, although he has transgressed, has a remedy. Rabbi Meir said to him: If so, you too, return from your ways. He said to him: I have already heard the following declaration behind the dividing curtain, which conceals God from the world: “Return, rebellious children,” (Jeremiah 3:22) apart from Aḥer. The Gemara cites a related story: The Sages taught: There was once an incident involving Aḥer, who was riding on a horse on Shabbat, and Rabbi Meir was walking behind him to learn Torah from him. After a while, Aḥer said to him: Meir, turn back, for I have already estimated and measured according to the steps of my horse that the Shabbat boundary ends here, and you may therefore venture no further. Rabbi Meir said to him: You, too, return to the correct path. He said to him: But have I not already told you that I have already heard behind the dividing curtain: “Return, rebellious children,” apart from Aḥer? Nevertheless, Rabbi Meir took hold of him and brought him to the study hall.

חגיגה ט״ו ב:י׳

כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אֲמַר אָמְרִי בְּמַעְרְבָא רַבִּי מֵאִיר אֲכַל תַּחְלָא וּשְׁדָא שִׁיחְלָא לְבָרָא דָּרֵשׁ רָבָא מַאי דִּכְתִיב אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל וְגוֹ׳ לָמָּה נִמְשְׁלוּ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים לֶאֱגוֹז לוֹמַר לָךְ מָה אֱגוֹז זֶה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּלוּכְלָךְ בְּטִיט וּבְצוֹאָה אֵין מַה שֶּׁבְּתוֹכוֹ נִמְאָס אַף תַּלְמִיד חָכָם אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁסָּרַח אֵין תּוֹרָתוֹ נִמְאֶסֶת

Chagigah 15b:10

When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said: In the West, Eretz Yisrael, they say: Rabbi Meir ate a half-ripe date and threw the peel away. In other words, he was able to extract the important content from the inedible shell. Rava taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “I went down into the garden of nuts, to look at the green plants of the valley” (Song of Songs 6:11)? Why are Torah scholars compared to nuts? To tell you: Just as this nut, despite being soiled with mud and excrement, its content is not made repulsive, as only its shell is soiled; so too a Torah scholar, although he has sinned, his Torah is not made repulsive.

How Trigger Warnings Are Hurting Mental Health on Campus - The Atlantic

Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt: The Coddling of the American Mind 2019 p49-50
Something began changing on many campuses around 2013, and the idea that college students should not be exposed to “offensive” ideas is now a majority position on campus….The notion that a university should protect all if its students from ideas that some of them find offensive is a repudiation of the legacy of Socrates, who described himself as the “gadfly” of the Athenian people. He thought it was his job to sting, to disturb, to question, and thereby to provoke his fellow Athenians to think through their current beliefs, and change the ones they could not defend….Hannah Holborn Gray, the president of University of Chicago from 1978 to 1993, once offered this principle: “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think”.

THE CASE OF YISHMAEL

תהילים כ״ז:א׳-י״ד

שְׁמַע־ה' קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחׇנֵּ֥נִי וַֽעֲנֵֽנִי׃ לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ ה' אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃ אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַ֥ל תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹקֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי׃ כִּֽי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽה' יַאַסְפֵֽנִי׃ ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי ה' דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שֽׁוֹרְרָֽי׃

Psalms 27:1-14

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; have mercy on me, answer me. In Your behalf my heart says: “Seek My face!” O LORD, I seek Your face. Do not hide Your face from me; do not thrust aside Your servant in anger; You have ever been my help. Do not forsake me, do not abandon me, O God, my deliverer. Though my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will take me in. Show me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my watchful foes.

בראשית כ״א:י״ד-כ׳

וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֣ם אַבְרָהָ֣ם ׀ בַּבֹּ֡קֶר וַיִּֽקַּֽח־לֶ֩חֶם֩ וְחֵ֨מַת מַ֜יִם וַיִּתֵּ֣ן אֶל־הָ֠גָ֠ר שָׂ֧ם עַל־שִׁכְמָ֛הּ וְאֶת־הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֶ֑הָ וַתֵּ֣לֶךְ וַתֵּ֔תַע בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע׃ וַיִּכְל֥וּ הַמַּ֖יִם מִן־הַחֵ֑מֶת וַתַּשְׁלֵ֣ךְ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד תַּ֖חַת אַחַ֥ד הַשִּׂיחִֽם׃ וַתֵּ֩לֶךְ֩ וַתֵּ֨שֶׁב לָ֜הּ מִנֶּ֗גֶד הַרְחֵק֙ כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣י קֶ֔שֶׁת כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֔ה אַל־אֶרְאֶ֖ה בְּמ֣וֹת הַיָּ֑לֶד וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב מִנֶּ֔גֶד וַתִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹלָ֖הּ וַתֵּֽבְךְּ׃ וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אֱלֹקִים֮ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַנַּ֒עַר֒ וַיִּקְרָא֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ אֱלֹקִ֤ים ׀ אֶל־הָגָר֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר לָ֖הּ מַה־לָּ֣ךְ הָגָ֑ר אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֧ע אֱלֹקִ֛ים אֶל־ק֥וֹל הַנַּ֖עַר בַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הוּא־שָֽׁם׃ ק֚וּמִי שְׂאִ֣י אֶת־הַנַּ֔עַר וְהַחֲזִ֥יקִי אֶת־יָדֵ֖ךְ בּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל אֲשִׂימֶֽנּוּ׃ וַיִּפְקַ֤ח אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶת־עֵינֶ֔יהָ וַתֵּ֖רֶא בְּאֵ֣ר מָ֑יִם

Genesis 21:14-20

Early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar. He placed them over her shoulder, together with the child, and sent her away. And she wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water was gone from the skin, she left the child under one of the bushes, and went and sat down at a distance, a bowshot away; for she thought, “Let me not look on as the child dies.” And sitting thus afar, she burst into tears. God heard the cry of the boy, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.

בראשית רבה נ״ג:י״ד

בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם, אָמַר רַבִּי סִימוֹן קָפְצוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לְקַטְרְגוֹ, אָמְרוּ לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, אָדָם שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהָמִית אֶת בָּנֶיךָ בַּצָּמָא אַתָּה מַעֲלֶה לוֹ בְּאֵר, אָמַר לָהֶם עַכְשָׁו מַה הוּא, צַדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע, אָמְרוּ לוֹ צַדִּיק, אָמַר לָהֶם אֵינִי דָן אֶת הָאָדָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁעָתוֹ.

Bereshit Rabbah 53:14

...

Rosh Hashanah 16b:4

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A man is judged only according to his deeds at the time of his judgment, and not according to his future deeds, as it is stated with regard to Ishmael: “For God has heard the voice of the lad where he is” (Genesis 21:17). Although Ishmael and his descendants would act wickedly in the future, his prayer was heard and answered because he was innocent at the time.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/killing-baby-hitler-ethics/412273/

Max Scheler, "Repentance and Rebirth" in On the Eternal in Man, 40
(German Philosopher 1874-1928)
There are present to us in the experience of every one of our indivisible, temporal moments of life the structure and idea of the entirety of our life and personal Selfhood...It is by virtue of this wonderful fact...that the sense and worth of the whole of our life still come, at every moment of our life, within the scope of our freedom and action...The whole of the past, at least with respect to its significance, never ceases to present us with the problem of what we are going to make of it.

רמב"ן על בראשית, הקדמה

(א) בשם האל הגדול והנורא. אתחיל לכתוב חידושים בפירוש התורה. באימה ביראה ברתת בזיע במורא. מתפלל ומתודה בלב נדכה ונפש שבורה. שואל סליחה מבקש מחילה וכפרה. בקידה בבריכה בהשתחויה. עד שיתפקקו כל חוליות שבשדרה. ונפשי יודעת מאד ידיעה ברורה. שאין ביצת הנמלה כנגד הגלגל העליון צעירה. כאשר חכמתי קטנה ודעתי קצרה כנגד סתרי תורה. הצפונים בביתה הטמונים בחדרה. כי כל יקר וכל פלא. כל סוד עמוק וכל חכמה מפוארה. כמוס עמה חתום באוצרה. ברמז בדבור בכתיבה ובאמירה. כאשר אמר הנביא המפואר בלבוש מלכות והעטרה. משיח אלקי יעקב ונעים הזמירה. לכל תכלה ראיתי קץ. רחבה מצותך מאד. ונאמר פלאות עדותך על כן נצרתם נפשי. (ב) אבל מה אעשה ונפשי חשקה בתורה. והיא בלבי כאש אוכלת בוערה. בכליותי עצורה. לצאת בעקבי הראשונים אריות שבחבורה. גאוני הדורות בעלי גבורה. להכנס עמם בעובי הקורה. לכתוב בהם פשטים בכתובים ומדרשים. במצות ואגדה. ארוכה בכל ושמורה. ואשים למאור פני נרות המנורה הטהורה. פרושי רבנו שלמה. עטרת צבי וצפירת תפארה. מוכתר בנימוסו במקרא במשנה ובגמרא. לו משפט הבכורה. בדבריו אהגה. באהבתם אשגה. ועמהם יהיה לנו משא ומתן דרישה וחקירה. בפשטיו ומדרשיו וכל אגדה בצורה. אשר בפירושיו זכורה. ועם רבי אברהם בן עזרא. תהיה לנו תוכחת מגולה ואהבה מסותרה. (ג) והאל אשר ממנו לבדו אירא. יצילני מיום עברה. יחשכני משגיאות ומכל חטא ועברה. וידריכני בדרך ישרה. ויפתח לנו שערי אורה. ויזכנו ליום הבשורה. כדכתיב מה נאוו על ההרים רגלי מבשר. משמיע שלום מבשר טוב משמיע ישועה. אומר לציון מלך אלקיך. (ד) צרופה אמרתך מאד ועבדך אהבה (תהלים קיט קמ). (ה) צדקתך צדק לעולם ותורתך אמת (תהלים קיט קמב). (ו) צדק עדותיך לעולם. הבינני ואחיה (תהלים קיט קמד).

Ramban on Genesis, Introduction

(1) In the name of the great G-d, and the fearful,¹Daniel 9:4. It could not be Deuteronomy 10:17 since there the attribute mighty is mentioned. It is possible that the author chose the verse from Daniel rather than that of Deuteronomy in order to allude to the rest of the verse there: And I prayed unto the Eternal my G-d, and made confession and said, O, Eternal the great and fearful G-d, and Who keepest the covenant and mercy with them that love Thee and keep Thy commandments. There is thus here an allusion to a prayer for G-d’s mercy in the author’s work before him. I will begin to write novel interpretations On the explanation of the Torah, With terror, with fear, With trembling, with sweat, with dread,²See Berachoth 22 a, where it is explained that these are the ways in which the Torah was given and by which it was studied. Praying and confessing With a humble heart and a broken spirit, Asking forgiveness, Seeking pardon and atonement,³That is, in case he errs in his interpretations and especially in his refuting the opinions of the other masters. With bowing to the ground, With kneeling, with prostration, Until all the vertebrae of the spine Seem to be loosened.⁴Berachoth 28 b. And that my soul knoweth right well,⁵Psalms 139:14. In clear awareness, That the egg of the ant is not as small In comparison to the outermost sphere As is my little wisdom And brief knowledge Against the hidden matters of the Torah⁶A reference to the Cabala — the mystic teachings of the Torah — elements of which the author intends to include in his commentary, but here he confesses his brief knowledge thereof. That lie hidden in her house, Concealed in her room; For every precious thing and every wonder, Every profound mystery and all glorious wisdom Are stored up with her, Sealed up in her treasure By a hint, by a word, In writing and in speaking; Just as the prophet — who was adorned With royal garments and a crown, The annointed of the G-d of Jacob,⁷II Samuel 23:1. The author of the sweetest of songs — said: I have seen an end To every purpose; But Thy commandment Is exceedingly broad,⁸Psalms 119:96. And it is said, Thy testimonies are wonderful; Therefore doth my soul keep them.⁹Ibid., Verse 129. (2) But what shall I do Since my soul craves for Torah And she is in my heart As a consuming, burning fire¹⁰See Jeremiah 20:9. In my kidneys restrained; To go forth in the steps Of the former ones, The lions of the group,¹¹A reference to the most distinguished scholars of the generations. The exalted of the generations, The men of might;¹²That is, in their knowledge of the Torah. “A man of might” is he who knows to answer in a discussion of the Torah. (Sanhedrin 93 b.) To enter with them “The thickest part of the beam,¹³The heart of the problem. To write as they did Explanations of the verses, And Midrashic interpretations On the precepts, And the Agadah [homily], Ordered in all things, and sure.¹⁴II Samuel 23:5. The preceding part of the verse reads: For an everlasting covenant he hath made with me. Ramban thus suggests that his part in the Torah was assured from on high, and therefore he need not fear to go forth in the steps of the former giants of the Torah. I will place as an illumination before me The lights of the pure candelabrum,¹⁵Exodus 31:8. The commentaries of our Rabbi Shlomo [Rashi], A crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty,¹⁶Isaiah 28:5. Adorned in his ways, In Scripture, Mishnah and Gemara. The right of the first-born is his.¹⁷Deuteronomy 21:17. A reference to the fact that Rashi’s commentary to the Torah was the first great commentary to be accepted by all Israel. In his words will I meditate, And in their love will I ravish,¹⁸See Proverbs 5:19. And with them we will have Discussions, investigations and examinations, In his plain explanations And Midrashic interpretations, And every difficult Agadah Which is mentioned in his commentaries. And with Abraham the son of Ezra We shall have open rebuke and hidden love.¹⁹Ibid., 27:5. The exact quotation: Better is open rebuke than love that is hidden. Ramban thus suggests that while he will criticize Ibn Ezra openly on many of his interpretations, yet his admiration of his work will not be lessened. (3) And G-d Whom alone I shall fear He shall save me from the day of wrath.²⁰Zephaniah 1:15. He shall keep me from mistakes And from all sin and transgression, And He shall lead me in the straight way And open for us the gates of light, And He shall deem us worthy To see the day of tidings,²¹“The day of tidings” was to Ramban a reality which was to transpire in the very near future. See his commentary further, 2:3, towards the end of the verse. As it is written: How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of the messenger of good tidings That announceth peace, The harbinger of good tidings That announceth salvation, That saith to Zion: ‘Thy G-d reigneth.’²²Isaiah 52:7. (4) Thy word is tried to the uttermost, And Thy servant loveth it.²³Psalms 119:140. (5) Thy righteousness Is an everlasting righteousness, And Thy law is truth.²⁴Ibid., Verse 142. (6) Thy testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding, And I shall live.²⁵Ibid., Verse 44. (See my Hebrew commentary, p. 20, for the reason why Ramban mentions these three verses from Psalms.)