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The Soul: I have understood what you have stated and your explanation is sufficient. Now explain to me the various aspects of favors for which I am under an obligation of increased service to the blessed G-d.

The Understanding: The obligation of increased service incumbent on human beings varies according to the benefits - general and specific - bestowed on them. These benefits fall into four divisions.

The first is the universal goodness of G-d which embraces all mankind, in having brought human creatures into existence when previously they were naught; in keeping them in life and bestowing on them bounties which we have cited in the second treatise of this work. They are accordingly under a universal obligation of service to the blessed Creator. This consists of obedience to all the rational laws observed by Adam, Enoch, Noah and his sons, Job and his companions, up to the days of our teacher Moses, peace be upon him. If one adheres to all these laws for the sake of G-d's service, the Almighty will bestow on him favors beyond those enjoyed by other men, and give him a higher degree in this existence and a great reward in the World to Come, as was the case with Abraham, to whom G-d said, "Do not fear, Abraham; I am your shield; your reward is exceedingly great" (Bereishis 15:1). But one who rebels against G-d, despite His beneficence, will fall from the degree of rational beings and their excellencies, sink to the low condition of irrational creatures and share the fate of the beasts of the earth, as it is said: "And the enemies of the L-ord shall be as the fat lambs (they shall be consumed; into smoke shall they be consumed)" (Tehilim 37:20). And in the next world they will be sentenced to an evil of which there is none greater, as it is said: "As to your spirit - fire shall devour you" (Yeshaya 33:11).

The second division consists of G-d's special goodness to one people among the peoples, one nation among the nations, as for example, the favors He showed the children of Israel, in taking them out of Egypt and bringing them to the land of Canaan. Thus He put them under an obligation of service, additional to the universal service which we have mentioned. This consists in obedience to the authoritative commandments (Divine precepts received by Moses, the reason of which is not clear), after He had exhorted them and aroused them concerning the rational moral duties (which reason can deduce such as honor your mother and father, don't steal, etc).

Whoever assumed the service for the glory of G-d was favored by the Almighty with special bounties, for which he was under an obligation of additional service beside the service due from his nation and the rest of his tribe, as Moses said: "Whoever is on the L-ord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the descendants of Levi gathered themselves together unto him" (Shemot 32:26). G-d showed them additional favor and then chose from among them Aaron and his sons to minister to His glory. He charged the Levites with special precepts in addition to those he gave to the rest of the nation, and promised them a great reward in the life hereafter. But whoever of them rebels against the exalted Creator, will fall from both these degrees of excellence and be punished in both worlds; as the wise man says: "But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days" (Koheles. 8:13).

The third division is the special goodness of G-d to a certain family among the families of the nations, such as the appointment of the priesthood and the Levites, as also the succession of sovereignty conferred upon the house of David. In return for this, He charged them with additional duties, of which those assigned to the priests and Levites are known and clearly set forth in the book of G-d's law, the Pentateuch. The specific law applying to the House of David is thus set forth: "O house of David, thus says the L-ord, execute judgment in the morning; and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor" (Jeremiah 21:12). One who completely fulfills these duties, because he loves to please G-d, will be singled out by the Almighty for happiness here and a great reward hereafter. He will be a distinguished nobleman or a teacher of righteousness, as the Scripture says concerning Pinchas, "Then stood up Pinchas and executed judgment and the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore" (Ps. 106:30-31). Further, "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok that kept the charge of My sanctuary...[They shall come near to Me to minister unto Me]" (Ezek. 44:15). But whoever among them rebels against G-d falls from those highest degrees in this world, and will suffer severe pain in the world to come, as you know from what befell Korach and his company.

The fourth division is G-d's goodness to an individual, by which he has been singled out from the rest of his family and people and other rational beings, as for instance, one chosen to be either a distinguished prophet, a leader appointed to govern a nation or a Sage whose spirit G-d has awakened and endowed with wisdom, understanding, counsel and similar qualities. For every one of these bounties, he is under the obligation of additional service of G-d. He who performs this service in full measure unto him will these gifts - general and special - be continued in this world, and G-d will increase his power over them and understanding of them, as it is said, "The L-ord has sworn unto David in truth-he will not depart from it, of the fruit of your body, I will set upon your throne. If your children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon your throne for evermore" (Ps. 132:11-12). The reward in the world hereafter is indicated in the following verse: "unless I had believed to see the goodness of the L-ord in the land of the living" (Ps. 27:13).

But whoever [among these who] rebels against G-d, despite the beneficence which G-d has specially bestowed upon him, will fall from all these degrees, and the Creator will hold him more strictly to account in this world, as it is said, "... this is it that the L-ord spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near Me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace" (Lev. 10:3); furthermore, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2). His punishment in the next world will be more severe, as it is said: "For Tophet (Gehinom) is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; He has made it deep and large. He makes great with fire and wood. The breath of G-d kindles it, like a torrent of brimstone" (Isaiah 30:33).

According to the above four divisions, human beings are under obligations to serve G-d. Whenever G-d increases His beneficence to an individual, that individual is under an obligation to render additional service for it. This is illustrated by the following examples. It is a duty to tithe produce, as it is written, "You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year" (Deut. 14:22). One to whom G-d has given one hundred kur of produce is obliged to give ten kur; one to whom G-d has only given ten kur has to give one kur. If the former were to separate nine and a half kur and the latter were to separate one kur, the former would be punished, while the latter would receive a reward.

So, too, if a man has no son, the obligation of circumcising and teaching his son Torah does not apply to him. If a person is lame, the duty of going to Jerusalem for the three festivals is not obligatory for him. When a person is sick, the precepts which he is unable to fulfill are not binding upon him. Analogously, if a person has been singled out by the Creator for special beneficence, he is under an obligation to increased service for it.

Hence, the saints in ancient times, when some good fortune happened to them, were troubled in two respects: First, that they should not fall short in the complete fulfillment of the service and gratitude they owed for this good fortune and that it should not turn into evil for them, as our ancestor Jacob said, "I have diminished from all the mercies, and truth which You have shown unto Your servant" (Gen. 32:11); secondly, that it should not be the Creator's reward for their service, and thus their reward in the world to come would be diminished, as the ancients explained the text, "And repays them that hate Him to their face to destroy them (in the afterlife)" (Deut. 7:10). This will suffice on this theme.

The Soul: I have understood all that you have mentioned. But I do not feel myself able to repay the Creator with services in return for His bounties, not even for those all men enjoy, much less for those with which He has specially favored me. And when it is my wish and desire to fulfill the service which it is my duty to render for them, before I have even completed forming the resolution, the hope of a future reward enters my thoughts.

And so it is with my gratitude to G-d; when I thank Him, I thank Him for His great goodness to me in words but my thought and intent is the wish that the reward may be continued and increased. I am not like the one who renounced all expectation of an increase of the reward or its continuance. And if I behave in this way in my service and gratitude to G-d, with so little of clear intent to fulfill my obligations for His universal goodness, how will I ever be able to fulfill the rest of the service I owe to Him for bounties with which He has specially favored me? I therefore need that you should teach me the minimum of service that it is my duty to render for these favors, so that I may be worthy of their continuance.

The Understanding: Your complaint of your scanty devotion in the service of G-d and ingratitude to Him and that the words of your mouth are [hypocritically] those of one who expresses thankfulness, while your purpose is that of a requester, and the wish in your heart is for an increase in the bounty and its continuance - all this is due to three dispositions:

The first is your excessive self-love, and desire to draw for yourself enjoyable things. You do not move a step to the service of the Almighty or for any other purpose without the motive to enjoy pleasures. I have already recommended as the beginning of my course of treatment that you should strive with all your might to keep this evil disposition far from you, and then I may hold out the best of hopes for you.

The second is that you do not realize the Creator's kindness to you and imagine that you will not obtain His bounty except through your supplication for it, whereas G-d has been good to you in what you know and in what you do not know, and when you supplicate Him, you do not consider Who has done all this for you from the beginning. If you would put away from yourself this idea, your service would be wholly devotional, your thanksgiving to Him would express your inward feelings, and your hopes to Him [of benefits] would then be worthier and more justified.

The third reason is that you neither know yourself nor how to conduct yourself. You deem yourself deserving of the greatest benefits and you never cease beseeching G-d for them. And when you obtain any of them, your mind yearns for something higher. You do not, however, realize that the exalted Creator deserves the greatest service on your part. When you render any service, you regard it as a favor granted by you to Him, though you realize that for all your needs you are dependent on Him and that He has no need of you.

If you were to uncover (remove) this blinding folly, study the matter with open eyes and realize that the Creator who created you thinks of you and knows what is good for you and what is not good, better than you do, you would be contented with whatever benefits He bestows upon you, and would render great thanks to Him for them with a perfect heart. Then you would not rest your hope on what disturbs you, and keeps you from recognizing the bounties that you have gotten and from discharging the obligations that you owe to G-d for them.

And it is impossible that you should not attain what you are fit for, when it will become due to you by reason of your service, and not merely because you hope for it and fix your mind on it.