Sefer HaIkkarim, Maamar 2

If we reflect upon nature as a whole, we find that it consists of three parts, which can not be denied. First, the lower world, the world of the elements and of genesis and decay. Second, the world of the spheres. Third, the world of angels.

These three parts are absolutely different from each other. In the lower world, which is the world of genesis and destruction, we find that there is no individual permanence, but all the individuals come to an end. In the world of spheres, all the individuals are permanent as such and are not subject to decay, but they are corporeal and are affected with corporeal accidents. They have form and shape, they occupy space, they come under the category of quantity and are composed of parts.

These two divisions, though different, act and react upon each other. The motions of the spheres and their change of position produce motions and changes in the elements. Sometimes they cause the wet element to predominate, and sometimes the opposite, the dry; sometimes the cold, and sometimes the hot. This brings about a mixture of the elements, from which mixture are produced the various kinds of minerals. This mixture rises to a higher level, and a new and superior combination arises, assuming the forms of the various species of plants. The mixture rises still higher and is purified gradually until it is ready to receive the form of animal. These qualities emanate from the spheres not as dead bodies, but by reason of a certain power which they have to give life to composite things when the latter are prepared for it by the motions of the spheres. This power which gives life is called the soul of the sphere.

And inasmuch as we see that the spheres move continually in a circle, and yet every sphere has a different motion from every other—one moves east, one moves west; one moves rapidly, one moves slowly—we infer necessarily that every one of them has a cause outside of it other than its soul, which gives it its peculiar motion. This individual cause of each sphere is responsible for its individual motion. Those who give the spheres their individual motions are their movers, and these movers are called Separate Intelligences, because they are free from matter, as is explained in the science of physics. In the Bible they are called angels.

It follows therefore that there must be a third division, which is called the world of angels. This division, though absolutely different from the other two mentioned before, acts upon the world of the spheres, as we said before, by giving them a great variety of movements, one moving to the east, one to the west, one inclining to the north, one inclining to the south, and those which have the same general direction differing in the specific character of their motions. These different motions bring about the union and combination of the different parts of nature, and maintain order continually in the world of spheres and the world of genesis and decay. The necessary inference is that these three parts have one controlling power which combines and unites them together.

A comparison with animal life will make the matter clear. We find in animals three distinct powers, the nutritive soul in the liver, the vital soul in the heart and the sensitive soul in the brain. All these powers or souls are different from one another in their functions. The nutritive soul in the liver is similar to the world of genesis and decay, because there the food loses its original form and changes into the form of blood. It is different, however, from the vital soul in the heart. The vital soul in the heart is similar to the world of the spheres. For as the motions of the spheres cause life to flow to the whole lower world, the world of change and genesis and decay, and if the sphere were to cease its motion for one moment, the world would by natural law come to an end, so the motions of the heart cause life to flow to the entire body, and if the heart were to cease moving for a moment the animal would die. The sensitive soul in the brain is similar to the world of angels, for from it come the five senses and the other psychic powers, like the forming power, the power of imagination, and the incorporeal powers which can not be perceived by the senses, but can be apprehended only through the acts or functions which come from them, as the Separate Intelligences can be apprehended only through the acts which come from them.

Now just as these three powers in the body of the animal have one unifying power, called the power which controls the body, a power which binds all the parts and powers of the body together, and is called by physicians nature, so in the world as a whole there is one power which binds all the parts and powers of creation together and controls them.

I am not now intending to speak of the rational power which is in man alone, and by virtue of which man is called a microcosm, because he has an intellectual power which thinks and realizes the things in his intellect from their potential state by means of his will, as the world has an intellectual principle, which brings all things into existence by its great power and simple will, unlike the lower animals, which have no power acting with volition, which can do opposite things, but have only a natural power, as is explained in the De Anima. I am referring here to the power which controls the body of the animal in a general way only. Such a power exists in every animal, though some of them have more of it than others. Nevertheless we can prove from this power, as Maimonides says, the existence of a being which controls and binds together all the individual existences and their parts. From the rational power in man we infer that that being is an intellectual substance, acting with will, as there is in man an intellectual substance acting with will, else he would not have been given commands by God.

The only difference in this comparison between the powers of the body and those of nature as a whole is, that in the former every power acts upon the other power and is in turn acted upon by the latter. Thus, the heart gives the power of life to the liver and the other organs, and the liver in turn gives the nutritive power to the heart, while the brain gives sensation and motion to the heart and the liver, and takes from them life and nutrition. But in the world as a whole it is not so. The substance which exerts influence does not receive any influence from that upon which it acts. For the influence which is bestowed upon the lower beings by the higher is exerted by way of generosity and kindness and not because of any benefit to the giver.

All this matter, discussed in this chapter, of the division of existence into these three parts and the existence of a being who controlls all things, though absolutely distinct from them, was shown to Elijah in a nobler and more perfect way in the vision which he saw on Mount Horeb, when he was asked, “What doest thou here, Elijah?”, when he ran away from Jezebel and was grieved because she persecuted him. His answer was, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant … and they seek my life to take it away.” Then he was told, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind.” This alludes to the power which controls the world of genesis and decay, which rends mountains and breaks in pieces rocks. The Bible says, “Before the Lord,” because God sees to it that the power does His will, for it is like an axe in the hands of the one who hews with it. The expression, “But God was not in the wind,” alludes to the fact that nature, which is the wind that rends mountains and breaks rocks, is not the power that controls the world of genesis and decay.

Then it continues, “And after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake.” This is an allusion to the world of the spheres, concerning which it is said, “And the Ofannim and the holy Hayyot raise themselves with great noise,” the spheres being called “holy Hayyot,” as Maimonides says in the third chapter of Part Three of the Guide. “But the Lord was not in the earthquake,” indicates that God is not the soul of the sphere, as the ancients thought.

He continues, “And after the earthquake a fire.” This alludes to the world of angels, which are called in the Bible fire, “The flaming fire Thy ministers.” The appellation fire is an allusion to the fact that as a man can not perceive the element fire with the sense of sight because the eye has no power over elemental fire, and yet we are aware of it through its functions or acts, so the angels are known through their acts, though the eye can not see them. For the very same reason the Bible compares God to fire, “For the Lord thy God is a devouring fire.” The meaning is, He is known from His acts, though He can not be perceived by the senses. This is why the Bible calls the world of angels in this vision fire.

Our Rabbis also call the angels fire. In the treatise Hagigah they say: “What is the meaning of hashmal? It stands for hayyot esh memalelot (= fiery hayyot speaking).” “Fiery hayyot” means, not perceptible by the senses, like fire. The “holy hayyot,” on the other hand, namely the spheres, which are perceptible by the senses, are not called “fiery hayyot.” The angels alone are called fiery hayyot. “Speaking” has reference to the fact that they are known from their acts, which is their speech. And to prevent the error of supposing that “fiery hayyot” refers to the spheres, and that the expression “speaking” is to be understood in the same way as, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” the author of the Talmud quotes a baraita, which explains the meaning of the word hashmal in another way, showing clearly that it alludes to the angels, as Rabbi Judah said. The difference is only in the interpretation.

The baraita says, “At times they are silent, and at times they speak. When speech comes from the mouth of God, they are silent, and when there is no speech coming from the mouth of God, they speak.” The baraita means to explain a very subtle philosophical idea. The effect understands in a manner its cause and it also understands its own essence. As a result of the conception it has of its cause, which is the more noble of the two, an angel emanates from it, i. e. a Separate Intelligence. As a result of the conception it has of itself, a sphere emanates from it, as was explained in the eleventh chapter of this Book. This is the meaning of the expression in the baraita, “When speech comes from the mouth of God, they are silent.” This refers to the fact that the conception which the first effect, let us say, forms of God results in the emanation of a Separate Intelligence which is not perceptible by the senses. This is the meaning of the expression, “they are silent.” “And when speech does not come from the mouth of God, they speak.” This refers to the fact that the conception which the effect forms of its own essence, causes the emanation of a sphere which is perceptible to the senses. “They speak,” means the same thing as, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” It is clear therefore that the Rabbis call the Intelligences, “fiery hayyot.” In many passages the Rabbis call them, “fiery seraphim.”

The meaning of the expression, “The Lord was not in the fire,” is that God’s existence is different from that of the angels. The angels are effects and possible existents, whereas God is a cause and a necessary existent. And to indicate that God’s quiddity is absolutely unknown, and absolutely simple, in a manner inconceivable, the text says in the sequel, “And after the fire a still small voice,” pointing to the impossibility of understanding God’s quiddity, so much so that the only way to speak of Him or of the attributes of His perfection is by way of negation, which is the still, small voice. The literal meaning of the biblical expression is, “a voice of fine silence,” fine silence being an allusion to the subtle distinction to be observed in the understanding of the various negative attributes predicated of God, as we explained in the preceding chapter.

In the same vision Elijah was told, “Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-Meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.” In these words it was made clear to him that the three worlds mentioned before are governed by God. In the world of genesis and decay, where it is the nature of one animal to overpower another animal or human being and put him to death, like Hazael, who prevailed over the king of Aram and slew him, this is not an accident, but the result of God’s providence, rewarding and punishing individuals and groups and exercising judgment through them over those who transgress His will, as is said, “And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay.”

The expression, “And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel,” indicates that divine providence stands above the prognostication of the constellations, and nullifies their influence in favor of God’s will and purpose. The constellations sometimes indicate prosperity to the wicked and misfortune to the righteous. But Jehu killed all the wicked men who worshipped Baal and saved all the righteous men who worshipped God, indicating that the judgment in this case was due to divine providence and not to the influence of the stars. Then the text says, “And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-Meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.” This indicates that the prophetic inspiration which the prophets get from the world of angels, comes only through the will and command of God.

To sum up, then, we say that in this great vision Elijah was informed of the division of existence into the three worlds, the world of genesis and decay, the world of spheres and the world of angels. Also that there is one Being over them who binds together all the parts of nature, and controls them, and watches over their effects in the lower world, realizing His purpose and will. This is God, who is absolutely different from them. His quiddity is absolutely unknown, and He can be described only in negative attributes, which are called a still, small voice, for the reason we gave before. This is the purpose of this chapter.

And so we close the Second Book, which deals with the first principle, the existence of God, and the derivative dogmas derived from it. Praise be to God, who is One without a second, He is first and He is last, and beside Him there is no God.