Abulafias Secrets of The Guide PDF
Abulafias Secrets of The Guide PDF
Abulafias Secrets of The Guide PDF
A LinguisticTurn
The main purpose of this studyis to elucidate some aspects of the relations
between some writingsof a mystic,AbrahamAbulafia, the founderof ecstatic
Kabbalah, and the medieval figurehe admiredmost,Maimonides,the founderof
JewishAristotelianism. This issue is to be understoodas partof a much broader
topic,whichis fundamental fortheunderstanding of theJewishspeculativecorpora
in theMiddle Ages: therelationbetweenphilosophyand mysticism.As seen below,
this issue has been alreadyabordedby several scholars,one of the most eminent
amongthembeing Prof.AlexanderAltmann.Therefore,beforedwellingupon the
details of the particularquestionlet me surveybrieflythe stateof the field.
The relationshipbetweenphilosophyand mysticismin Judaismhas been dis-
cussed severaltimesby manyscholarsand thinkers.Two of them,David Neumark1
and Franz Rosenzweig2have proposeda theory,which may be designatedas the
« pendulumtheory», whose basic assumptionis the existence of oscillations
betweenthe dominanceof the speculativeand the mysticalin Jewishthought.The
emergenceof the centraltrendin medieval Jewishmysticism,Kabbalah, is por-
trayedby them as a reaction to the ascent of Jewishphilosophyin the form
presentedby Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed.These authorsassume thatthe
fluctuation betweenspeculationand mysticismis to be tracedto ancienttimes,the
medieval period being the most obvious and importantepisode of this ongoing
oscillation.Motivatedby a deep aversiontowardKabbalah, HeinrichGraetz,the
mostimportant19thcenturyJewishhistorian,has alreadyconsideredKabbalah to
be a pernicious medieval innovation,or invention,aiming to counteractthe
influenceof the « enlightening » Aristotelianism
of the « Great eagle »3. Last but
not least, GershomScholem emphasizedthe importanceof the encounterbetween
1987], p. 137-200; « Kabbalah, Platonismand Prisca Theologia: the Case of Menasseh ben
Israel » in Y. Kaplan, H. Meshoulan, R. Popkin(eds.), Menasseh ben Israel and his World,
Brill, Leiden, 1989, p. 207-219; Havah Tirosh-Rothschild, « Sefirothas the Essence of of
God in the Writingsof David Messer Leon », Associationof JewishStudiesReview,vol. 7-
8, 1982-1983,p. 409-425; Nissim Yosha, Mythand Metaphor,Jerusalem,Ben-Zvi Institute
and The Magnes Press, 1994, [Hebrew].
12. See Sara O. Heller- Wilensky, « Isaac ibn Latif, Philosopheror Kabbalist?» in
A. Altmann (ed.), JewishMedieval and RenaissanceStudies,Cambridge,Mass, 1967,p. 185-
223; « The Guide and the Gate, The Dialectical Influenceof Maimonideson Isaac ibn Latif
and Early Spanish Kabbalah », RuthLink-Salinger et al. (eds.), A StraightPath, Studies in
Medieval Philosophyand Culture,Essays in Honor ofArthurHyman,Washington,D.C., The
CatholicUniversityof AmericaPress, 1988, p. 266-278; and « Messianism,Eschatologyand
Utopia in the Philosophical-Mystical Trendof Kabbalah of the 13thCentury», in Z. Baras
(ed.), Messianismand Eschatology,Jerusalem,1984, p. 221-238 [Hebrew].
13. Isadore Twersky, Studies in Jewish Law and Philosophy, New York, KTAV
PublishingHouse, 1982, p. 208 and Wilensky, « Messianism», ibid., p. 221.
14. Scholem, « Mi-Hoqer» [note 5 above]. On this issue see morebelow.
15. AlexanderAltmann, «Maimonides' AttitudetowardJewishMysticism», Studies in
JewishThought,Detroit,A. Jospe (ed.), 1981, p. 200-219.
16. On this issue see also the importantstudyof Wirszubski,referredbelow note 22.
Abulafia's Secrets of the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 499
19. See Giles Quispel, «From Logos to Mythos», Éranos Jahrbuch,vol. 19 [1970],
p. 330; EphraimE. Urbach,The Sages, TheirConceptsand Beliefs,tr.I. Abrahams,[Magnes
Press Jerusalem.19791. nn. 308-312.
20. See SitreiTorah, « These secretswill be revealedduringthe adventof the Messianic
era, by the prophetswho will arise [then]and by the Messiah himself,because throughthem
[the secrets of the Torah] all of Israel and those who are drawn to them, will be
strengthened. ». Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 774, f. 119a.
21. Abulafia's opinion was thatthe Messiah, apparentlyhe himself,will reveal himself
in 1290.
22. A descriptionof the extantHebrew fragments and the Latin translationis foundin
Chaim Wirszubski,« Liber Redemptionis-the Early Versionof R. AbrahamAbulafia's Kab-
balistic Commentaryon the Guide of the Perplexed in the Latin Translationof Flavius
Mithridates », Divrei ha-Akademiaha-Le'umitha-Israelitle-Mada'im, III, Jerusalem,1970,
p. 139-149,whichwill be quotedbelow fromits reprinted formin Ch. Wirszubsky,Between
theLines, Kabbalah, ChristianKabbalah and Sabbateanism,M. Idel (ed.), Jerusalem,1990,
p. 135-149 [Hebrew].
23. Leviticus.25:31.
24. Sitrei Torah,Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 774, f. 117a.
25. Ms. Leipzig 39, f. 4b. See also below beside note 38.
26. Ms. Munich408, f. Ib.
Abulafia's Secretsof the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 501
27. This is quite obvious in the writingsof Al-Ghazzali, for example; See also below,
note 32 the discussionof the kiss of God.
28. Sitrei Torah, Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 774, f. 115b. More on this issue see
below § IX.
29. Pines, « The Limitationsof Human Knowledgeaccordingto Al-Farabi,Ibn Bajja and
Maimonides», in I. Twersky (ed.), Studies in Medieval Jewish Historyand Literature,
Cambridge,Mass., 1979, p. 89-109.
30. Guide, 111:51.
502 Moshe Idei
«just as his Master36 who is detachedfromall matter is called the Knowledge, the
KnowerandtheKnown,all at thesametime,sinceall thethreeare one in Him,so shall
he,theexaltedman,themaster oftheexaltedName,be calledintellect, whilehe is actually
knowing;thenhe is also theknownlikehisMaster,andthenthereis no difference between
them,exceptthathis Masterhas His supreme rankby His ownrightandnotderivedfrom
whilehe is elevatedto his rankbytheintermediary
othercreatures, of thecreatures »37.
« religious namelytheinterpretation
wisdom, of therationale
forthelifeof therational
andtheinterpretation
soul38, of theworship of God outof love.Andevenifthesubjectof
eachof them[thetwobooks]is uniquein itself,everything
goes to thesameplace»39.
« the secretsof the Torah, and the secretsof reality44and the foundationsof the com-
mandments, are not told but orally,froma perfectpersonto someone who meritsto receive
the perfection,face to face, afterthe test and the trial, [regarding]the intentionof the
receiver,if he is meritousand it is rightto transmit[them]to him or not»45.
42. Idel, « Maimonidesand Kabbalah », note 3 above, p. 59-62. For Abulafia's straight-
forwardrejectionof Kabbalisticesotericismsee his declarationin Sefer 'Otzar *EdenGanuz:
« I know thatthereare manyKabbalistswho are not perfect,thinkingas theydo thattheir
perfectionconsistsin notrevealinga secretissue; I shall care neitherabout theirthoughtnot
about theirblamingme because of the disclosure,since my view on this is verydifferent
from,and even opposite,theirs», Oxford,Ms., 1580, f. 55a.
43. See note 91 below.
44. This phraseoccurs in the Guide, 11:26; S. Pines, Chicago, Chicago UniversityPress,
1963, p. 331 translatesit as « mysteryof being». In generalI preferthe term« secret» to
thatof mysteryin some instances.
45. ShomerMitzvah,Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 853, f. 74ab.
46. Sheva' Netivotha-Torah,printedin A. Jellinek, Philosophie und Kabbala, Leipzig,
1854, p. 12; ChayimHenoch, Nahmanides,Philosopherand Mystic,Jerusalem,1978, p. 32,
note 14 [Hebrew].
Abulafia's Secrets of the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 505
47. Qabbalah sikhlit.See also in the same book, Paris, Bibiliothèquenationale,ms. 770,
f. 161b, 176b, wherethe same issue may be understoodboth by means of Kabbalah and the
intellect.On fol. 163a, the authoradvises receivingthe Kabbalistictraditionby means of the
intellect,in a mannerreminiscent of Abulafia's position.
48. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, ms. 770, f. 175b. Throughoutthis book, the phrase
'rashei peraqim' recurs,pointingin some instancesto the combinatorytechniquebased on
SeferYetzirah.See also Abulafia'sSefer 'ImreiShefer,Paris,Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 777,
p. 91.
506 Moshe Idei
V. LANGUAGE:FROMCONVENTIONAL
TO NATURAL
Maimonides' view on language,includingHebrew,is thatit is a conventional
phenomenon.This view has farreachingrepercussionson his view of revelation
and Scripturesand it has been alreadyanalyzed by scholars49.It is on this issue
that sharp critiquesof Kabbalists were addressedto Maimonides' thought.More
evidentin some writingsof R. JosephGikatilla,a studentof Abulafia,or in a less
conspicuousway by the elevationof the Hebrew to a sublimestatusof a perfect
language, in Abulafia's own books Maimonides is not criticisedon this point,
thoughhis stand was not accepted. Let me startwiththe more extremeformula-
tions,whichare characteristicof the beginningof a retreatfromthe Maimonidean
thoughtin 13thcenturyCastille. In a verystrikingpassage foundin a commentary
on some topics in the Guide, printedas the workof Gikatilla,it is said that
« Regardingall thelanguagesof the world,withtheexceptionof theholylanguage,there
is no purposein asking the reasons for the particularlettersof a word, since theyare the
resultsof humanconvention,and do not reflectnature,namelytheyare resultof a nation's
decisionto call somethingsuch and so. Therefore,
thewordsof theirlanguagesdo notpossess
an innerstructure50.Whereaswiththe holy languagethisis not the case, because it is not a
language thatpeople agreed upon, but rather,is indeed born of Divine wisdom which has
no end, and is entirelyestablishedin accordancewithDivine intent»51.
54. See M. Idel, Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic, Albany, Suny Press, 1995,
p. 215-218.
55. Numbers16:31.
56. BabylonianTalmud,Sanhédrin,f. 99a.
57. Ma' amar Nal Penimiyyutha-Torah,printedby GershomScholem, in Qiryat Sefer,
vol. 6, 1930, p. 111-112. On this textsee also Gottlieb,Mehqarim[note 51 above], p. 128-
131. 61) See Idei, Language,Torah and Hermeneutics[note 59 above], pp. 11-14.
58. Perush SeferYetzirah,Jerusalem,1961, f. 3 Id. On oral traditionas necessaryforthe
understanding of the Guide see also ibid., f. 55c and Idei, « Transmission» [note53 above],
Appendix.
59. On thisissue see Vajda, « Un chapitre» [note6 above],p. 49-56, 130-133;Moshe Idel,
Language,Torahand Hermeneutics in AbrahamAbulafia,Albany,Suny, 1989, p. 1-29.
508 Moshe Idei
« he has testified
on thesecretof combinations
in partII whendiscussing
theissueof
prophecy,whendealingwiththewordBHL andHBL »77.
« You shouldknow thatspeech alone is not the intellect,but it is the truefacultyof the
soul. And thereis, in soul, no naturalfacultythatis higherthan it is because the separate
just as the sun is emanatinglightupon theeye. Speech
intellectemanatesupon it its intellect,
is a facultyin the soul thatis similarto the eye in relationto the sun, whichgenerateslight
upon it. And the lightof the eye is the verylightof the sun, and not somethingdifferent
fromit. Likewise the intellectof the soul79is the veryemanationof the AgentIntellect,not
somethingdifferent fromit. And the speech, as conceptualized80in the intellect,and the
imaginativefaculty81 and the appetitivefacultyand the sensitiveone, are ruledby it [...] and
the intellectcommandsto the speech, and the speech commandsthe appetitive,and the
appetititeto imagination,and imaginationto the senses, and the senses are moving,in order
to fulfillthe commandof the intellect.»82
88. Sitrei Torah, ibid., f. 118b. On the glossed Latin version of this statement,see
Wirzubsky,Betweenthe Lines, [note 22 above], p. 146-147.
89. Darkiy 'aniy.
90. SitreiSefer Yetzirah.
91. Ms. Leipzig 39, f. 5b. On theLatin,glossedversionof thisstatement,
see Wirszubsky,
Betweenthe Lines, [note 22 above], p. 143.
92. Sefer Gan Na^ul, Sefer 'Otzar %EdenGanuz and a commentaryprintedby Yisrael
Weinstock, Jerusalem,Mosad ha-Rav Kook, 1984.
93. See Idel, « Maimonidesand Kabbalah » [note 3 above], p. 61-62.
Abulafia's Secrets of the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 515
97. See also Sheva*Netivotha-Torah [note 46 above], p. 20 and Idel, Language, Torah
and Hermeneutics, p. 46 and p. 171, note 80.
98. Scholem, Originsof the Kabbalah [note5 above], p. 387-388. On Nahmanides'reti-
cence towardgematriaand its significancesee M. Idel, « We have no kabbalistictradition
on this» in I. Twersky (ed.), Rabbi Moses Nahmanides (Ramban): Explorations in his
religiousand literaryvirtuosity,Cambridge,Mass., 1983, p. 58-59.
516 Moshe Idei
99. Idel, Language, Torah and Hermeneutics[note59 above], p. 85-101. In one of this
laterworks,Abulafiais quite aware of thedivergencesbetweenNahmanidesand Maimonides,
and prefersthe Maimonides' view. See Mafteah ha-Sefirot,Ms. Milano-Ambrosiana 53,
f. 179b.
Abulafia's Secrets of the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 517
103. On this issue see M. Idel, Hasidism: BetweenEcstasy and Magic, Albany, Suny
to Daniel Abrams (ed.), of The Book Bahir
Press, 1995, p. 45-145 as well as myintroduction
Los Angeles,CherubPress, 1994, p. 1-6, [Hebrew].
104. See § VI above.
105. See the spurious epistle printedunder the name Megillat Setarim in Hemdah
Genuzah,Z. Edelmann (ed.), Koenigsburg,1856, vol. I, p. 43:
« fromthebeginning in
to theend,[just]as I toohavereceivedit fromthetransmitters,
theformof theheadingof thechapters
»109.
« a divineman,a Kabbalist,
whotaught methepathofKabbalahby 'headsofchapters'.
And,notwithstandingthefactthatbecauseof thelittleI knewfromthescienceof natureit
seemedto metobe impossible,mymaster saidto me: 'My son,whydo younegatean issue
youdidnotexperience? Indeed,it wouldbe worthwhile to experience
it' »m.
Justas in the case of the numberof the secretshiddenin the Guide also the
numberof the chaptersis conceived to be a traditionand both referto a certain
numericaldecodingof a Biblical verse or term.If this numerical,and exegetical
approachof Abulafia reflecta previous stand,then we may assume thathe has
inheritednot only a philosophicaltraditionbut also one thathas some numerolo-
of theGuide includednot only
gical aspects. Or, in otherwords,an interpretation
109. Sitrei Torah, Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 774, f. 163b. See also Abulafia's
epistle,Matzrefla-Kesef,Ms. Sassoon 56, f. 33b, wherea more clear statementabout dis-
closing the headingsof the chaptersis found.
110. See Hagigah, f. 13a.
111. SeferSha^arei Tzedeq (ed.), J. E. Porush [Jerusalem,1989], p. 23.
112. On the whole issue see Raphael Jospe,«The Numberand Division of Chaptersin
the Guide of the Perplexed», in M. Idel, W.Z. Harvey, E. Schweid (eds.), Shlomo Pines
JubileeVolume [Jerusalem,1988], vol. I, p. 833-887 [Hebrew].
113. Sitrei Torah,Paris, Bibliothèquenationale,ms. 774, f. 115b.
Abulafia's Secretsof the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 521
ben Jacob ha-Kohen in Castile. See Idel, Language, Torah and Hermeneutics[note59
above], p. 152; and, apparentlyalso in this milieu, in a kabbalistic text attributedto
R. MeshullamTzarfati, Meshullamthe Frenchman:Oxford,123, f. 70b-71a; See Idel, The
MysticalExperience[note 31 above], p. 105, Verman, The Book of the Contemplation[note
3 above], p. 205.
119. Namelythingsrelatedto naturaltopics.
120. Printedby Raphael Kircheim,'Otzar Nehmad,vol. 2, Wien, 1857, p. 133. See Idel,
R. AbrahamAbulafia[note85 above], p. 40 note 28; Ravitzky, Al Da at ha-Maqom,p. 155,
« Secrets of the Guide » [note 41 above], p. 175, where a differenttranslationof this text
has been offered.
121. See e.g. Nahmanides'remarkthatMaimonidesrestricted the numberof miraclesand
increasedthe scope of nature,foundin his sermon« Torat ha-ShemTemimah», Kitveiha-
Ramban,Ch. D. Chavel (ed.), Jerusalem,Mossad ha-Rav Kook, 1963, vol. I, p. 154.
122. See Ravitzky,Al Da^at ha-Maqom,p. 154; « Secretsof the Guide » [note41 above],
p. 174.
123. See Idel, R. AbrahamAbulafia [note 85 above], p. 129-133.
Abulafia's Secrets of the Guide : A LinguisticTurn 523
have been received fromseveral persons. Thus, thoughwe cannot rule out the
disseminationof Abulafianinterpretations
among some youngerpersonsin Italy,
to whomZerahiahwould react,it seems moreplausible to allow the impactof the
thoughts,and may be even writings,which served as the sources for Abulafia
himself.
b) The talismanicreadingof the Guide implied in the termtzurahthatoccurs
in Zerahiah's quote is met by the spuriousepistle,where the termruhaniyyut, a
crucial termforthe taiismanicmagic, occurs128. Moreover,in some ecstaticKab-
balistictextswrittenafterthe deathof Abulafia,like in some of the writingsof R.
Isaac of Acre, the termruhaniyyut recurstimeand again129. In any case, I am not
aware in Spain of a mystical-magical interpretationof theGuide and the case that
such a readingusheredof beforeAbulafiaseems to me nevertheless quite plausible,
forthe reasons I would like to propose in the following.
1) Inroadsof talismanicterminology in Kabbalah is alreadyevidentin the sixties
of the 13thcentury,in the writingsof R. Yehudah ben Nissim ibn Malka, though
his thoughtwas notinfluencedby Maimonides,and a magicalreadingof theGuide
seems to be implausiblein his case130.This seems to be the case also insofarother
Kabbalists are concerned. R. Bahiya ben Asher, apparentlyin Barcelona, has
recoursedto talismanictermsin his commentary on Deut, 18:II131,and this is the
case also in R. Abrahamof Esquira, a late 13th centuryor early 14th century
Spanish authorof a voluminousKabbalisticbook namedSefer Yesod yOlam,who
uses thetermruhaniyyut, but again he was, strangelyenough,notaware of Maimo-
nides' book132.R. Bahiya and R. Abraham of Esquira have not too much in
common insofar as their Kabbalistic systems are involved; though both were
ecclecticauthors,theircompilationsdrawupon different kabbalisticsources.Never-
theless,theymighthave somethingin common:the latterKabbalistwas acquainted
withR. Shem Tov ben Abrahamibn Gaon, while this Kabbalist was part of the
same circle of Kabbalist which was cultivated,at least for a considerableperiod
by R. Bahiya, namelythe circle of Kabbalistsin Barcelona. So far,such a nexus
may be non-consequential; however,it is R. Shem Tov ibn Gaon who mentions,
forthe firsttime,a Kabbalisticvision of Maimonides,and even mentionsthathe
has seen in Spain an epistle of « Maimonides», where he is depicted in terms,
stronglyreminiscent of the Heikhalotliterature.In his Migdal KOz,a. commentary
This passage has been writtenaround 1320 in the Galilee, probablyin Safed and
it refersto somethingR. Shem Tov has seen alreadyin Sefarad,a termwhich is
quite ambiguousfromthe geographicalpointof view. We may assume,but this is
not quite sure,thatit may pointto Castile, wherethis authorwas in his youthfor
a while, to studyKabbalah withR. Moshe of Burgos. This would mean thatthe
fabricationof thedocument,describedas writtenupon an old pergament, musthave
been done not later than the early eightiesof the 13th century.If so, I wonder
whetherScholem's assumptionregardingthenexusbetweenthe second controversy
around the Guide, which has presumablyhave inspiredthe compositionof this
forgery133.However,the truncatedformof the quote, shortas it is, may neverthe-
less help us understandbetterthe backgroundof the forgeries.When mentioning
the similaritybetweenthe contentof the epistle and the words of Nahmanidesat
the beginningof his commentary on the Torah, R. Shem Tov apparentlyrefersto
Nahmanides'prefaceto his commentary. There he mentionsonly once words of
Kabbalists, namely the statementabout the Torah as the continuumof Divine
Names. I suppose,followingScholem's suggestionto thiseffect,thatthisparticular
view of Nahmanides' has been compared by Shem Tov to the lost spurious
Moreover,again as Scholemhas suggested,thephrase« I have descended
epistle134.
to thechambersof theMerkavah» mayreflecta certainreverberation of an expres-
sion he foundonly in R. Ezra Commentary on the Talmudic Aggadot135.
Moreover,as the same kabbalistsput it elsewherein his commentary on Maimo-
nides' Code of the Law136,Maimonideshas offeredrationalesfor the command-
mentsfromhis own reason,an approachthatastonishedthe Kabbalist,who claims
that somethinglike that should not be done, especially by someone « who has
receivedthe secrets,orally froma personto another». This conceptionof trans-
missionof secretmay also reflectthe view of Nahmanides,whichagain, has been
projectedonto Maimonides137.
The time of the forgeryof the epistle quoted by R. Shem Tov would be not
earlierthanthe beginningof the seventies,when Nahmanides'commentary on the
Bible was alreadycirculating.Thus, it would be saferto conjecturethatthe Kab-
Moshe Idel