earth, and whatever is between them, exist only through the truth' of His existence; so that if we were to suppose that He did not exist, no other thing could exist; but if we were to suppose that all other things existing, beside Himself, did not exist, He Himself would still exist, and would not be destroyed in consequence of their destruction; since all things existing stand in need of Him, but He, blessed be He! does not stand in need of them, not even of any one of them. His truth therefore is not like the truth of any one of them. Thus the prophet says: But the Lord is the TRUE God, (Jer. x. 10.), [meaning that] He alone is truth, and that there belongs to no other being a truth like His truth. This too is what the law2 says; There is none else, (Deut. iv. 39.), that is there is not a being, beside Himself, who as to truth, is like Him.

to say,

II. This Being is the God of the Universe, the Lord of the whole earth; and it is He who

1 DND through the truth, i. e. by the fact of His existence.

2 the law; the Rabbins divide the whole of the Old Testament into three classes; namely, into the law,

תורה the writings. By כתובים the Prophets, and נביאים

they understand exclusively the law of Moses or the Pentateuch; the D'an comprehend in themselves the books of the Psalms, Job, the Proverbs, Daniel, Ezra, the Chronicles, and also the books commonly called by the Rabbins ibad won the five Rolls, which are the Books of Ruth, Esther, the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes and the Lamentations. All the other

נביאים books of the Prophets are included in

conducts the orb3 with a power, to which there is no end or limit-with a power, of which there is no cessation; for the orb revolves continually, and it is impossible that it should revolve without some one causing it to revolve; and it is He, blessed be He! who causes it to revolve, without a hand and without a body, (i. e. without bodily effort).

III. Now the knowledge of this matter is a positive commandment, for it is said: I am the Lord thy God, (Exod. xx. 2.); and every one who holds the opinion that there is another God besides this, transgresses a negative commandment, for it is said: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me, (Exod. xx. 3.); and also denies the radical principle, for this is the great radical principle upon which every thing depends.

IV. This God is one-not two, nor more than two, but one-whose unity is not like the unity of any one of the individuals existing in the universe-not one as a kind [is one], for this includes many individuals; nor one as a body [is one], for this is divisible into parts and portions;

3 For the system of the Orbs, as displayed by our author, see Precepts relating to the foundations of the law, Chapter the third.

4 The Rabbins count in the Mosaic law 613 Commandments altogether, 248 of which they call y MD or wy positive Commandments, and 365 пwyn MID

wyn or 18, negative Commandments. Thus they say:

לא

.negative לאו or תעשה

תר"יג מצות נאמרו לו למשה בסיני ש"סה לאוין כמנין ימות החמה רמ"ח עשה כנגד איבריו של אדם

but one, and such an One, that there is no other Unity like His, in the universe.

V. Were there many Deities they would needs be bodies and frames, since things, that can be numbered, which are equal in their essence, are distinguishable one from another only by the accidental qualities which belong to bodies or frames; now were the Creator a body or frame, He would have an end and a limit; for it is impossible that there should be a body which has not an end; and of every thing that has an end and a limit, the power too must have an end and a limit.

VI. But as to our God, blessed be His name! since His power has no end, and never ceases (for behold! the orb revolves continually); His power is not the power of a body; and since He is not a body, none of the accidental qualities of bodies can belong to Him, so that He should be separable and distinguishable from another. Therefore it is not possible that He should be other than One; and the knowledge of this matter is a positive commandment, for it is said: The Lord our God is ONE Lord, (Deut. vi. 4).

VII. Behold! it is plainly stated in the law and in the Prophets that the Holy One, blessed

"Six hundred and thirteen Commandments have been enjoined (or told) to Moses on Sinai. Three hundred and sixty five negative Commandments, amounting to the number of days [in the year according to the revolution] of the sun, and two hundred and forty eight positive Commandments corresponding with the [number of the] limbs of man."

Bab. Talmud. Treatise Mackoth, Section 3.

be He is not a body or frame; for it is said: That the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, (Deut. iv. 39.); but a body cannot be in two places [at the same time]. Again it is said: For ye saw no manner of similitude, (Deut. iv. 15.); and it is also said: To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? (Isai. xl. 25.), now if He were a body, He might be likened to other bodies.

VIII. But if so, what means this which is written in the law? And there was under His FEET, (Exod. xxiv. 10.); Written with the FINGER of God, (Exod. xxxi. 18.); The HAND of the Lord, (Exod. ix. 3.); The EYES of the Lord, (Deut. xi. 12.); The EARS of the Lord, (Numb. xi. 18.); and other expressions like these. All these [are used] with reference to the intellectual capacity of the sons of men, who can comprehend only corporeal beings; so that the law spoke in the language of the sons of men, and all these are expressions' [merely], just as: If I whet my glittering sword, (Deut. xxxii. 41.); [for] has He then a sword? or does He slay with a sword? [certainly not], this is only a figure; and thus all are figures.

IX. As a proof of this [may serve the fact of] one prophet saying, that he saw the Holy One, blessed be He! whose garment was as white as snow, (Dan. vii. 9.); whilst another saw Him with dyed garments, (Isai. lxiii. 1). Moses our

1 literally: Epithets.

Rabbi himself saw Him' upon the sea, · like a warrior engaging in battle, and upon Sinai, like a reader of prayers wrapped [in a surplice]; show

וכך אמרו ז"ל על הים נתראה כאיש מלחמה 1

שנאמר יהוה איש מלחמה ובסיני נגלה כזקן מלא רחמים

"And so they (the sages) blessed be their memory! say: On the sea He was seen like a man of war, for it is said: The Lord is a man of war, (Exod. xv. 3.); but on Sinai, He was revealed like an old man full of mercies."

This saying of the Rabbins we give here in the words as quoted in the Yad Joseph, in the Second Lecture on the Section Jethro.

-literally : like a Deputy of the Congre כשליח צבור עטוף 2

gation wrapt [in his surplice]. The person that reads prayers in the synagogue is called the Messenger or Deputy of the Congregation; and whilst reading the prayers he wears a kind of surplice called, garment, dress or surplice. In the Treatise Rosh Hashanah we meet with the following passage:

ויעבור יהוה על פניו ויקרא אמר רבי יוחנן אלמלא מקרא זה אי אפשר לאמרו מלמד שנתעטף הקדוש ברוך הוא כשליח צבור והראה לו למשה סדר תפלה אמר ליה כל זמן שישראל חוטאין לפני יעשו לפני כסדר הזה ואני אמחול להם עונותיהם

"And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, (Exod. xxxiv. 6). Rabbi Jochanan said: If not for this written text it would have been impossible to say so; this informs us that the Holy One, blessed be He! has wrapped Himself like a prayer-reader, and has shown unto Moses the manner of praying, saying unto him: Whenever the Israelites happen to sin against Me, let them do before Me after this manner, and I will pardon them their sins."

Bab, Talm. Treatise Rosh Hashanah, Sect. 1, Again in the Medrash Shemoth Rabah we read the follow

ing passage:

בוא