Group None

To instruct about the ways that arouse a person to repent to God Know that the paths of the causes by which a person is aroused to repent from his evil ways are six. And with each one of them, we have taught man's intellect how it is dissected for his understanding; so let him give ear according to his preparation. And we will arouse the ear to understand them, to contemplate and know the precious principles - they are expounded and analyzed to all of their wants. But more than this, my son, be careful to repent and purify your soul each day - [even] without seeing a cause that arouses [it] or the events of the day striking your thoughts. For remember your Creator, and let the thought of Him be a restoration of the soul from the ways of the events of [those who are only] a clod of dirt. And so bare and prepare the bow of knowledge to straighten the refinements of your nature. And from the fear of God and love of Him, and from the shame [of being] before him, you will always increase virtue. [Also] be consistent in the purity of your hands, cut down the rebellious thoughts from your musings and feed the arms bearers of your soul - and with the remembrance of its Former, it will adorn its jewelry and be complete in its beauty, as it is written (Isaiah 45:25), "It is through the Lord that all the offspring of Israel Have vindication and praise." However add strength to arouse your soul with these six causes which will be explained. And the one who does not grasp this virtue will surrender his uncircumcised heart from the way of the causes and from much seeing. And according to the paucity of the recognition of the way of a cause that arouses the heart of a man to repent - and according to his veering to the path of his [own] will - is it made known and verified that repentance is from the important soul.

The first path is [that] when a man encounters troubles, he will consult his heart and say [that] it is only his ways and his plots that have caused this to him, and that his sins have caused [the pain] to his soul. So he repents to God; and He has mercy upon him, like the matter that is stated (Deuteronomy 31:17), "and many evils and troubles shall befall them; and they shall say on that day, 'Surely it is because our God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us.'" But note that the custom among men is [that] if one sins to someone, and [later] at a time of trouble for him regrets it and submits to him because he needs him; such regret will be inferior in the eyes of his fellow - like the matter that Jephthah said (Judges 11:7), "How can you come to me now when you are in trouble?" However it is one of the kindnesses of God, may He be blessed, that He accepts repentance [motivated by] trouble and it is desirable in front of Him. And He will generously love the sinner when he returns to Him on the day of his rebuke and from amidst trouble, as it is stated (Hosea 14:2-5), "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have fallen because of your sin. Take words with you, etc. I will heal their affliction, generously will I take them back in love." And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), "For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors." But if the man does not repent from his evil on the day of evil, and the rebuked does not repent to the Rebuker, his iniquity grows and his punishment will be doubled. Do you not see that if a king rebukes someone who has sinned to him and he has not become chastised, [the king] will make his punishment harsher and be very hard on him. And it is written (Leviticus 26:18), "And if, for all that, you do not obey Me, I will go on to discipline you." And it is [also] stated (Job 36:13), "But the impious in heart become enraged; they do not cry for help when He afflicts them." And if he does not know and does not contemplate that the events have found him because of sins, but rather says like the Philistines (I Samuel 6:9), "it was not His hand that struck us; it just happened to us by chance" - there will be fury in front of Him for this, and his iniquity will grow. And the iniquity of this group will be greater than the sin of the first group. Therefore it is written about the first group (Leviticus 26:18), "I will go on to discipline you." And it is written afterwards about the other group [we] mentioned (Leviticus 26:21), "And if you remain hostile toward Me and refuse to obey Me, etc." For every group that is later in the section is more problematic than the one [above it]. So it is written afterwards (Leviticus 26:23-24), "And if these things fail to discipline you for Me, and you remain hostile to Me, I too will remain hostile to you." And afterwards, it is written (Leviticus 26:27-28), "But if, despite this, you disobey Me and remain hostile to Me, I will act against you in wrathful hostility." Its explanation is "you remain hostile to Me," because you will say, "It was just chance that [it] happened to us." But when a man does not recognize his deeds and does not know that he has the iniquity in his hands from his sinning, he must examine his actions and search his ways, as the matter is stated (Lamentations 3:40), "Let us search and examine our ways." But if he surely ignores his eyes and his ideas become foolish and deluded (from the expression in Scripture [Isaiah 19:13], "The nobles of Tanis have been foolish, the nobles of Memphis deluded"), and he does not investigate his ways and does not know the acts of his hands and that which his fingers have done and says, "I have not sinned" - his sin is very weighty, as it is stated (Jeremiah 2:35), "lo, I will bring you to judgment for saying, 'I have not sinned.'" And it is stated (Isaiah 42:25), "it blazed upon them all about, but they heeded not; it burned among them, but they gave it no thought." And it is stated (Proverbs 19:3), "A man’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord."

Know and understand that the reproof of God, may He be blessed, is for the good of man. For if a man sins in front of Him and does evil in His eyes, God's reproof is upon him for two purposes: One is to atone for his sins and to remove the iniquity, as it is stated (Psalms 25:18), "Look at my affliction and suffering, and forgive all my sins." So with the sicknesses of the body, with which God has made him sick, is the sickness of the soul healed. For iniquity is the sickness of the soul, as it is stated (Psalms 41:5),"heal me, for I have sinned against You." And it is [also] stated (Isaiah 33:24), "And none who lives there shall say, 'I am sick'; It shall be inhabited by folk whose sin has been forgiven." And the second is to remind him and have him repent from his evil ways, as it is written (Zephaniah 3:7), "she would fear Me, would take reproof." But if he does not receive the reproof and does not cease on account of the rebuke and does not circumcise the covering of his heart - woe is to him and woe to his soul. For he has suffered afflictions and bore his sin, but his iniquity was not atoned; but rather his punishment was doubled, as we explained.

But when a man accepts the reproof of God, improves his ways and his plans, it is fitting for him to rejoice about the afflictions - for they help him with lofty accomplishments. So he should thank God, may He be elevated, for them. As it is stated (Psalms 116:13), "I raise the cup of deliverance and invoke the name of the Lord"; and it is [also] stated (Psalms 116:3-4), "I came upon trouble and sorrow. And I invoked the name of the Lord." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in the Sifrei, "Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya'akov says, 'The whole time a person is dwelling in tranquility, his iniquities are not atoned at all for him; but through afflictions, he becomes acceptable to the Omnipresent.'" And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), "For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors." Its explanation is, like a father to a son, so too does God desire the one He rebukes and who accepts His reproof - in the same way a father desires his son after the rebukes. And it can also be explained, like a father rebukes the son that wants it; but he does not rebuke the sons about whom he has given up, and for which rebuke will not be effective. And it is stated about people that do not recognize the good of rebuke and its purpose (Hosea 7:13), "I was their Redeemer; yet they have plotted treason against Me." And it is [also] stated (Hosea 7:15), "I braced, I strengthened their arms; and they plot evil against Me!" And it is [further] stated (Hosea 11:3), "I have pampered Ephraim, taking them in My arms; but they have ignored My healing care."

And one who trusts God should hold on during the vision of his distress; for the darkness will be the cause for the light - as it is written (Micah 7:8), "Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; since I have fallen, I rise again; since I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 22), "If I had not fallen, I would not have risen; If I had not sat in darkness, the Lord would not have been my light." And every single person on the day of his trouble should put into his heart to understand and afflict himself, [together] with the repentance and prayer - just like the community is obligated to fast and afflict themselves at the time of their trouble, as the Sages, may their memory be blessed, ordained. And that fast day is chosen and is a day of acceptance. And when the rebuke of God, may He be blessed, comes to a man that is pure and straight, it becomes a test, and enhances his reward in the world to come - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 8:16), "in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 5a), "[If] one searched his deeds at the time of his trouble, sought out and investigated, but did not find a sin - these are certainly afflictions of love."

And included in this path that we mentioned is repentance on the day of death, when the sinner sees that his evil has finished him and hope is lost - as it is written (Proverbs 11:7), "At death the hopes of a wicked man are lost" - when he confesses at that time and repents to God with a full heart. And this repentance also is effective, even though it does not reach the repentance of one who repents with his full strength, as we have discussed in the first chapter.

The second path is when the days of old age come and the days of sagacity arrive - his strength fails and diminishes, his impulse bows and he also remembers that his end is near and understands his finish - so he repents to God, and God has mercy upon him. But if he does not repent when the days of old age come, his punishment is redoubled and the animosity towards him is increased - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 113b), "There are three that the Holy One, blessed be He, hates: An arrogant pauper; a wealthy person who denies [monetary claims against him]; and a lecherous old man." And it is stated (Hosea 7:9), "Strangers have consumed his strength, but he has taken no notice; also, grey hair is scattered over him, but he has taken no notice." And it is a wonder and a surprise that a man stand at half of his days and see that the days are passing and lessening, that the destruction of the building has begun, that the state of his condition is dwindling and that he see himself drying up - as the matter is stated (Psalms 102:12), "My days are like a lengthening shadow; I dry up like grass" - how is it that he can seal his eyes from seeing and his heart from understanding, and not see that he is traveling to a place that is his permanent home, walking and going [to it] day and night?

But there are many people for which the light of repentance is obstructed. For since they are innocent and pure in their eyes, they do not avail themselves of the rectification of their actions - as it appears to them that they are [already] rectified, whereas they sin much to God. Is it not written (Ecclesiastes 7:20), "For there is no righteous man on earth who does what is best and doesn’t sin?" But since these people belittle iniquities, they do not feel or understand it; or when they are made known of their sins, it is afterwards forgotten from their hearts. And behold they are like a sick person who does not feel his sickness, so he does not think of a cure. So his sickness constantly gets worse, until he is not able to be healed. And sometimes the reason for this is from their lack of understanding. For they do not go to seek God and do not want to know His ways. Therefore they do not regularly [visit] the doors of the sages and the [Torah] students, like the matter is stated (Proverbs 15:12), "The scoffer dislikes being reproved; he will not resort to the wise."

And behold [with] people who are righteous and straight of heart, what constantly roars like a lion in their thoughts and growls like the sea is their sins, and their hands falling short from the service of God. For about [the latter] - when a person transgresses, his guilt grows as with weighty sins, like the matter that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Chagigah 1:7), "The Holy One, blessed be He, forwent about [prohibited] sexual relations, but did not forego about the nullification of Torah (wasting time that should be spent in Torah study). Especially since these people's main thoughts and actions are matters of their body and the vanities of their time, they have done much evil. But to the secret of fear, their souls should not come; and their glory should not be associated with the study of their consciences in the images of their hearts and chambers, and their images for fixed times within which they do not give a portion to Torah [study] among their occupations. And the calculation of their souls has been lost from within their hearts, for they are a nation that loses its counsel. And how much are they on the lowest level! And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 5:21), "At sixty, old age; at seventy, fullness of years; at eighty, the age of strength; at ninety, a bent body; at one hundred, as good as dead and gone completely out of the world." And their intention, may their memory be blessed, with these words was to warn about repentance - that when a man reaches the days of old age, he should think about his end, if he did not merit to do so in the days of his youth. And since his time is close to coming, he should leave the matters of his body and his desires and rectify his soul. And when he reaches the days of fullness of years, he should add to the removal of [involvement with] the world from his heart. And according to the reduction of years [left], he should reduce his occupation in the world. And he should constantly seclude himself to meditate about fear of God, to think about his soul, to refine his traits and to seek Torah and [its] commandments. And that which they said, "at ninety, a bent (lasuach) body" is from the [same usage as in] (Psalms 102:1), "spill his prayer (sicho)" [and] (Genesis 24:63), "to pray (lasuach) in the field" - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 26b), "Isaac established the afternoon prayers, as it is stated, "to pray (lasuach) in the field." For after one reaches ninety years, it is fitting for him that all of his occupation should be with prayer and praises of God, and to speak about His wonders. And King Solomon, peace be upon him, spoke about the matter of the days of old age - that a person should not then be lazy about service to God, may He be blessed. And he said (Ecclesiastes 11:6), "Sow your seed in the morning, and don’t hold back your hand in the evening, since you don’t know which is going to succeed, the one or the other, or if both are equally good." He compared the days of childhood and youth to the morning and the days of old age to evening. And seed is metaphoric for children and for students, as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yevamot 62b), "If he married a woman in his youth, he should marry [another] one in his old age; if he established students in his youth, he should establish [other] students in his old age." For perhaps the children of old age will be more successful in Torah and in the commandments than the children of youth. And likewise the students that he establishes in his old age may be more successful than the first ones. Or they could both be equally good. Afterwards, he stated (Ecclesiastes 11:7), "How sweet is the light, what a delight for the eyes to behold the sun!" Its explanation is that he went back to speaking about the days of old age which he compared to the evening. And since an old man will not taste that which he eats and that which he drinks - like the words of Barzilai the Gileadite - he stated that the old man should enjoy the light of the sun and not be disgusted by it. As disgust obstructs a person from his service to the Heavens. So he should enjoy the light, when he compares it to the days of darkness that are coming - as it mentions in the verse below this (Ecclesiastes 11:8), "Even if a man lives many years, let him enjoy himself in all of them, remembering how many the days of darkness are going to be; the only future is nothingness!" The explanation is that even if a person get very old, let him not be a burden to himself. Rather he should rejoice in all of his years, so that he not lose one of his years and not rest from the service of the Creator. And he should remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. And then he will not be able to perform the service, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 6:6), "in the pit, who can acclaim You?" And the righteous ones overcome their old age, gird their power and renew their strength for the service of God. It is as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 152), As Torah scholars grow older, wisdom is increased in them." And it is stated (Psalms 92:15), "In old age they still produce fruit; they are full of sap and freshness." And he mentioned above (Psalms 92:13-14), "The righteous bloom like a date-palm, etc. Planted in the house of the Lord, etc." For the righteous are planted in the house of the Lord from their youth, and grow in the house of study from their young adulthood - like a date-palm that blossoms and like a cedar that grows in the Lebanon. And as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, likewise said, (Midrash Tehillim 92:14), "'The righteous bloom like a date-palm' - these are the infants, in the way that it was stated (Psalms 144:12), 'For our sons are like saplings, well-tended in their youth.'" And he stated after this about this thing, that they are not [completely] compared to trees. For trees will not give their strength when they age. But the righteous "in old age, they still produce fruit." And King David, peace be upon him, also stated (Psalms 71:18), "And even in hoary old age do not forsake me, God, until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation, Your mighty acts, to all who are to come."

The third path is [that] when he hears reproof from the sages that are reprimanding [him], he listens, submits, repents and accepts in his heart all the words of reprimand - and not subtract one thing from their words. And behold that man went out from darkness to a great light at that instant. For at the time that he listened and paid attention and his heart understood and repented and accepted the words of the rebuker on the day he heard them, and took upon himself to do like everything that the holders of Torah instructed him - from that day onward - to be careful as the knowers of understanding of the times instructed him: His repentance is effective and he is changed into a different person. And from the time that he accepted this in his heart, he acquired merit and reward for his soul for all of the commandments and ethical acts. And happy is he for justifying his soul in a short time. And so did our Rabbis, may their memory be well, say (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael, 12:28), "And the Children of Israel went and did' - and did they do it right away? Did they not only do it on the fourteenth of the month? Rather since they accepted upon themselves to do it, [the verse] counts it for them as if they did it immediately." And he said in Avot of Rabbi Natan (Avot d'Rabbi Natan 22), "Anyone whose actions are greater than his wisdom - his wisdom will endure, as it is stated (Exodus 24:7), 'we shall do and we shall listen.'" The explanation of the thing is that when a man accepts upon himself with a faithful heart to keep and do according to the Torah that he was taught and about the law which those sitting upon judgement told him - from that day, he has the reward for all of the commandments that his ear heard and that he understood, [as well as] for all of the things which his ear has still not heard about. So he wore righteousness and acquired merit for all of what was revealed to him and for all that was hidden from his eyes. And after this, he should study from and regularly attend the doors of those that reprimanded him, and comprehend [the teachings] of all that teach him. And it comes out that the actions of this man are greater than his wisdom, since he did not know the thing, but behold its reward (for it) is with him. And it is like the matter that Israel said, "We shall do and we shall listen," at [Mount] Sinai - as they had the acceptance of the deed upon themselves, precede the listening. And in no other way it is possible for the actions of a man to be greater than what he knows.

But the one who does not get aroused by the voice of his rebukers will double his iniquities. For they reprimanded him and he hardened his heart - as it is stated (Proverbs 17:10-11), "A rebuke works on an intelligent man, more than one hundred blows on a fool. An evil man seeks only to rebel; a cruel messenger will be sent against him." The explanation is that the evil man will not submit to the voice of the rebukers. Rather he will seek to rebel. And since he did not stop from the words of the reprimanding angel, a cruel angel will be sent against him - measure for measure. For rebukers are called angels (malakhim, which literally means messengers), as it is stated (II Chronicles 36:16), "But they mocked the messengers of God and disdained His words and taunted His prophets." And King Solomon, peace be upon him, also said (Proverbs 15:10), "Discipline seems bad to him who forsakes the way; he who spurns rebuke will die." Its explanation is [that] it is true that harsh rebuke is appropriate for one who has forsaken the way and transgresses the words of the Torah. However there is hope that he will take the rebuke and repent from his evil way. But worse than him is one who hates rebuke. For he has no hope and rectification from harsh rebuke. Rather his one verdict is to die. For one who does a transgression - his desire overpowered him and the impulse pushed him. But it is likely that his soul is bitter about that which he was [not stronger] in the face of his impulse. And maybe he longs for reprimand and hopes for reproof. But one who hates reprimand has already abandoned his soul; and his hatred for reprimand will be a proof that he hates the words of God, may He be blessed.

King Solomon, peace be upon him, also said (Proverbs 15:30-31) "What brightens the eye gladdens the heart; good news puts fat on the bones. He whose ear heeds the reprimand of life lodges among the wise." And every wise-hearted person should know that it is not likely that King Solomon, peace be upon him, composed idle words like these [in the middle of] words of reproof and fear of God for nothing - since Scripture has already testified about him (I Kings 5:11), "He was the wisest of all men." Rather this is the understanding of the thing: "What brightens the eye gladdens the heart" - the eye is a very esteemed organ, for they will see all the events that gladden the heart with it. But more esteemed than it is the ear, for they will hear good news, that puts fat on the bones, through it. For [the ear] has no feeling and it will not be fattened from the light of the eyes, unless it is a special enjoyment. And so did our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, say (Bava Kamma 85b) that the ear is more esteemed than the other organs. For if one blinded his eye, he must pay for the value of his eye; but if he makes him deaf, he pays all of his value. And truly a person is obligated to serve, God, may He be blessed, with his limbs. And they were all formed for His service - as it is written, (Proverbs 16:4), "The Lord made everything for His sake." Even with the esteemed limbs that He formed in him, is he obligated to serve their Maker. And the great punishment is even much greater if he prevents them from doing His commandments, he does not do the service with them and he does not pay back the good that is done through them. For with his esteemed senses, God gave him a great kindness; and He crowned him with beauty and glory through them. Therefore he prefaced to mention one of the virtues of the ear in order for you to see the greatness of the obligation of its service. And afterwards, he explained that the service of the ear should be in listening to reprimand; and he said "He whose ear heeds the reprimand of life lodges among the wise." Its explanation is [that] it is fitting to dwell among the sages, since he can [then] listen to their reprimands. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shemot Rabbah 27:9), If a man falls from a roof and all of his limbs are broken, he needs a bandage and a plaster for every one of his limbs and his bones. And a sinner who has sinned with all of his limbs is considered as if he received a great wound on all of his limbs - from the sole of his foot to his crown, as it is stated (Isaiah 1:6), 'From head to foot, no spot is sound.'" But behold the Holy One, blessed be He, heals all of his limbs with one bandage. And that is the listening of the ear, as it is stated (Isaiah 55:3), "Incline your ear and come to Me; hearken, and you shall be revived."

The fourth path is [that] when a man meditates upon the Torah of God and reads the words of the Prophets and the Writings and understands the pleasantness of the reprimands and sees the warnings and the punishments - he trembles and prepares his heart to improve his ways and his plans and become acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "Yet to such a one I look - to the poor and brokenhearted, who trembles about My word." And likewise is it written about the matter of Yoshiyahu (II Kings 22:11), "And when the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, he rent his clothes." And about the matter of Ezra is it stated (Nehemiah 8:9), "for all the people were weeping as they listened to the words of the Torah." And the one that does not pay attention to the words of God will have his transgression become greater for him, like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 36:24), "yet they showed no fear and did not tear their garments." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:1), "Anyone who studies but does not uphold [what he learned] - it would have been better that his placenta would have flipped itself on his face, and he had not come out to the light of the world." And it is stated (Hosea 8:12), "The many teachings I wrote for him have been treated as something alien." And it is [also] stated (Jeremiah 8:8), "How can you say, 'We are wise, and we possess the Torah of the Lord'; assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribe."

The fifth path is [that] on the ten days of repentance, the heart of one who fears the Lord will pine inside himself, knowing in his mind that all of his deeds are written in a book and that at that time, God brings all of His creation to judgement about all that is hidden - whether for the good or for the bad. For man is judged on Rosh Hashanah and his final verdict is sealed on Yom Kippur. And at a time that he knows that they will bring his case in front of a king of flesh and blood, does he not tremble greatly, seek counsel for himself and scurry industriously to find a way to escape? And it does not come to his spirit to turn to the right or to the left or to occupy himself with the rest of his business. And he will not break up and furrow his land nor turn through the vineyards. And on a day of distress, he will not falter from preparing his heart to escape like a deer from the hand [of the hunter]. Therefore how foolish are those who go out to their labors and their work until the evening on the Days of Awe - days of judgement and verdict - and do not know what their verdict will be. Is it not that their hearts are preoccupied [even] about their sister on the day when she will be spoken for - as it is stated (Song of Songs 8:8), "What shall we do for our sister when she is spoken for?" And it is fitting for anyone that fears God to reduce his affairs, so that his ideas are at ease; to fix times during the day and night to seclude himself in his rooms, search his ways and investigate; to be early to the watches and occupy himself with the ways of repentance and the refinement of action; and to pour out speech, raise prayer and song and to lay down supplication. And this time is a time of [good] will, and prayer will be heard on it - like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 49:8), "In an hour of favor I answer you, and on a day of salvation I help you." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 18a), "'Seek the Lord while He can be found' - these are the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur." And it is a positive commandment from the Torah for a man to arouse his spirit to repent on Yom Kippur, as it is stated (Leviticus 16:30), "of all your sins, you shall be pure before the Lord." Therefore Scripture warned us that we should purify ourselves before God with our repentance; and He will atone for us on that day to purify us.

The sixth path is that he should prepare to meet his God every instant. Therefore he should darken his conscience and prepare in righteousness to return his soul in purity to God who gave it [to him]. So he should search his ways and his plans every day - record them in the mornings and examine them all the time. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 153a), "Rabbi Eliezer says, 'Repent one day before your death.' His students asked him, 'Our teacher, but does a person know the day on which he will die?' He said to them, 'All the more so should one repent today, lest he die tomorrow; and so one will spend his entire life in [a state of] repentance.'" And it states (Ecclesiastes 9:8), "Let your clothes always be white, and your head never lack oil." The whiteness of clothes is a metaphor for the cleanliness of the soul that has repented; and the oil is a metaphor for good deeds and a good name. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, also said about this matter (Kohelet Rabbah 9:6), "There is a [relevant] parable about the wife of a sailor who would adorn herself and paint her eyes while her husband was traveling on the seaways. So her neighbors said to her, 'Didn't your husband go on a faraway journey? So isn't this beautifying of yourself for naught?' She said to them, 'My husband is a sailor. Maybe the sea wind will change and ease it for him to come quickly and he will find me - and behold I [will be] adorned.'" And when a person is at ease and tranquil, he should assess in his soul how his heart will worry, fear and tremble when the day of death comes to him - that he should be prepared to rise and give an accounting; and how he will give a confession with a crushed heart at the time of his death. So the fear of heaven will be upon him.

And a person should always be performing new commandments - maybe the turn of his death has come, and he will [otherwise] not perform these commandments. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 3:18), "Anyone who performs a commandment close to his death is as if he performed the entire Torah and was only lacking this commandment. And anyone who performs a transgression close to his death is as if he negated the whole Torah."

But there are people that do not sense the matter of death, to make provisions for the road and to rectify their actions; and they do not pay attention to the day of their death until it comes. So they are compared to animals that do not sense the matter of death until the day of slaughter - as it is stated, (Psalms 49:15), "Sheeplike they head for the pit, with death as their shepherd; the upright shall rule over them in the morning, and their form - from above him - shall waste away in the pit." Its explanation is: They lead their souls to the pit, since they don't sense the matter of their death until its sudden arrival. "With death as their shepherd" - the death of evildoers is not like the death of animals; the death of animals is once, but the death of the evildoers will shepherd them every day. [That shepherd can be a verb in the continuous present is indicated] from the wording, "shepherd Bashan and Gilead" (Micah 7:14); and from the content of (Job 18:13), "death’s first-born consumes his tendons." For destruction and deterioration will cling to the soul of the evildoers at every instant, until it is destroyed, ends and is gone. "The upright shall rule over them in the morning" - it compared the time of the resurrection of the dead to the morning, when a man wakes up from his sleep; and like the matter that is stated (Daniel 12:2), "Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake." For then the righteous will rule over the evildoers, as it is written (Malachi 3:21), "And you shall trample the wicked to a pulp, for they shall be dust beneath your feet." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about the matter of the day of judgement for the resurrection of the dead (Rosh Hashanah 17a), "After twelve months, their bodies end, and their souls are burnt and become ashes under the feet of the righteous - as is is stated, 'And you shall trample the wicked, etc.'" [And it is written (Psalms 49:15),] "And their form (tsuram) shall waste away in the pit" - tsuram is like tsuratam (the conventional way of writing, their form). Likewise, "idols, ketvunam" (Hosea 13:2), is understood as ketvunatam. And the soul is called the form of man. But there are some among those who speak about the soul that said, about the definition of the soul, that it is a (essential) [contingent] form. And the explanation of the matter is that the pit wears out the evildoer's soul. And it is "above (zevul) him" - for the soul is from the higher beings. [This is seen] from the wording (Isaiah 63:15), "from Your holy height (zevul)." And with his sins, the evildoer caused and brought about that his precious and elevated soul that is above him will be worn out by the pit below. And how difficult is death for the one who has not separated desires of the world from his soul until it is separated by death! And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in Tractate Derekh Erets, "Is your will not to die? Die before you die." The explanation of the matter is [that] the one that wants that the day of his death be [a gateway] for him to eternal life should speak to his heart - since his end is to leave the ground and to leave the matters of the body, and in his end, he will despise them and abandon them; he should leave them when he is [still] alive, and only use the ground for service to the Creator, may He be blessed. And then the day of death will be [the beginning] of life without end for him.

And know that the soul of the evildoer whose entire desire while alive is for the things of the body - the desire of which is separated from service to the Creator and is removed from its roots - will in his death descend to the ground, to the place of its desire. And its destiny will be - like the nature of the ground - to descend and not to arise. However it will be brought up for justice and for trial and to see how it exchanged the above for the pit - like they bring up a stone to the hollow of a slingshot. But after they raise [the stone] up - by its nature - it comes down to the ground, when the stone comes back and falls down to the ground after [its] projection, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life in the care of the Lord, your God; but He will fling away the lives of your enemies as from the hollow of a sling." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in Midrash Mishlei (Kohelet Rabbah 3:27), "Both the souls of the righteous and the souls of the evildoers [rise above and are judged there: The souls of the righteous are triumphant in their trial and hidden under the Throne of Glory, but the souls of evildoers] are eaten away to the ground, as it is stated, 'but He will fling away the lives of your enemies, etc.'" And it is stated (Proverbs 11:7), "At death the hopes of a wicked man are lost." For there is no hope for the soul of an evildoer to leave from the darkness to the light, as it is stated (Psalms 49:20), "yet he must join the company of his ancestors, who will never see daylight again."

Behold it has been explained from the two verses that we mentioned - [as well as] from the words of the Sages, may their memory be blessed - that the soul of the evildoers goes down to the pit. And it has also been stated (Proverbs 15:24), "For an intelligent man the path of life leads upward, in order to avoid the pit below." And it has also been stated (Ecclesiastes 3:21), "Who knows if the spirit of men does rise upward and if a beast’s spirit does sink down into the earth?" The explanation [of this] is who can recognize the righteous ones and the evildoers in this world? For there are are evildoers whose actions are in the dark, and people will not know it about them; and there are righteous ones that fear the Heavens in private, like the matter that is stated (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly." And he called the soul of an evildoer, the soul of a beast, because it follows its physical desire like a beast. And [this is] like the matter that is stated (Jonah 4:11), "who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!" But he called the righteous ones, "the spirit of men" - like the matter that is stated (Ezekiel 34:31), "you are men." And the explanation of the wording of the verse is like this: Who knows the spirit of men - which are the righteous ones - which goes above; for there are many righteous people that a person cannot determine in this world that they are truly righteous, and that their souls will arise above, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 16:7), "man sees only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart." And also since there are many righteous ones whose fear of the Heavens is secret, and their righteousness is not known, and like the matter that is stated, (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly with your God." "And the beast's spirit, etc." is that there also many evildoers that a man would not recognize from their actions, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 29:15), "who do their work in dark places and say, 'Who sees us, who takes note of us?'" And they, may their memory be blessed, likewise explained in Midrash Kohelet (Kohelet Rabbah 3:21) that the "spirit of men" is the righteous ones, "and the beast's spirit" is the evildoers. But a person cannot say that he is in doubt whether the soul of a man rise up; for behold it is written (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And also how can he doubt whether the spirit of a beast descends below? Is the spirit of a beast not from the earth? So how could it rise? And it is explained in the Torah that the soul of man is supernal. As it is written about the spirit of an animal that it is from the ground, as it is stated (Genesis 1:24), "Let the earth bring forth living spirits according to their specie." But about the spirit of man, it is written (Genesis 2:7), "and He blew into his nostrils a living soul." Therefore the soul of man rises above with the death of the body; since all things return to their source, like the matter that is stated (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "And the dust returns to the ground as it was, and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And it is stated about the soul of the righteous one (Zechariah 3:7), "and I will permit you to move about among these ones standing." Its explanation is among the angels that are standing and enduring - as it is stated (Psalms 148:6), "And He made them stand forever." And it is [also] stated (Daniel 7:16), "approached one of the standing." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 152b), "The souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life." And all men of heart will consider this world like a temporary dwelling; so they will only use it for the service of the Creator, may He be blessed, and prepare provisions for their souls. For if a man lives many years - even if he lived twice a thousand years - since there is a number to his years, the number will end, and his end will be as if they had not been. But the world of repayment has no end, like the matter that is stated (Job 16:22), "For a few more years will pass, and I shall go the way of no return." Even more so, since the days of man are like a passing shadow, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 90:10), "The span of our life is seventy years, etc." And it is [also] stated (Psalms 144:4), "his days are like a passing shadow." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:3), "Not like the shadow of a tree or the shadow of a wall, but rather like the shadow of a flying and passing bird." It means to say a person is obligated to compare in his heart, this world to the shadow of a bird that if flying and passes over in a small instant - especially since a man does not know whether he is here today but in the grave tomorrow. And it would come out in his efforts today for tomorrow, that he has taken pains for a world that is not his. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 100b), "Grieve not about tomorrow’s trouble, because you know not what a day may bring."

And King Solomon, peace be upon him, essentially composed the book of Ecclesiastes in order that man put to his heart that the world is a vanity of vanities and [that] he only use it for the service of the Creator, may He be elevated. And he made his intention known in his introduction and his conclusion: For he opened and said, (Ecclesiastes 1:2), "Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet, vanity of vanities - everything is vanity." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 3:13), "If another man had said this, we would have said, 'Maybe he has not gathered two small coins in his entire days; therefore the world is considered like vanity in his eyes.' However it is appropriate for King Solomon - about whom it is written (I Kings 1:27), 'The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones' -to say that the world is vanity of vanities." And he concluded his book and said (Ecclesiastes 12:13), "The sum of the matter, when all is said and done; revere God and observe His commandments, for this is all of man."

And whoever God, may He blessed, has graced with intelligence should place into his heart that God, may He be blessed, has sent him into this world to keep His watch, His statutes and His commandments. And he should only open his eyes to do his mission. And at the end of days - if he did his mission trust-worthily - he comes back with joy and with eternal gladness upon his head; like a servant that the king has sent to cross the sea, whose eyes and heart are only upon the matter of his agency until he returns to his master. And likewise did King Solomon, peace be upon him, say (Proverbs 22:19-21), "That you may put your trust in the Lord, etc. To let you know truly reliable words, that you may give a faithful reply to him who sent you."

And among the things for which a person is obligated to remember the day of death is in order that he not waste [time] and his hands not falter from the service of God, may He be blessed; that he remove sleep from his eyes to toil in Torah [study] and to contemplate fear of God, to refine the traits of his soul [so as] to reach levels of fear and love; and to think thoughts of how to enhance and beatify the commandments such that his soul should be a charm and a treasure - like the matter that is stated (Proverbs 10:8), "He whose heart is wise accepts commandments." For he will know and remember that the days are short - as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:15), "The day is short, and the work is plentiful, and the laborers are indolent, and the reward is great, and the Master of the house is insistent."

But the one who does not always remember the day of his death is similar in his own eyes to one who has extra time and calm (mitun) to reach his goal. (It appears to me that it is from the usage [in Avot 1:1], "be patient [matunim] in judgement." And in Berkhot 20a, [we read], matun [which can also mean two hundred] and matun is equal to four hundred zuz.) And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 4:17), "more precious is one hour in repentance and good deeds in this world, than all the life of the world to come; and more precious is one hour of the tranquility of the world to come, than all the life of this world."

And likewise did King Solomon, peace be upon him, say (Kohelet 9:4) "For he who is connected with the living has hope - even a live dog is better than a dead lion." Its explanation is that he praised life in this world with regards to repentance, performance of commandment[s] and attainment of spiritual virtues. And this is the hope that is found for those connected with the living. And the explanation of "even a live dog" is that even a lowly man that is alive can add to his spiritual virtues - which is not the case for a righteous sage that is dead. But in another place, he disgraced and condemned this world, regarding the attainment of pleasures and honor, and said (Kohelet 1:3) "What advantage is there for a man in all of his toil that he does beneath the sun?" And he also said (Kohelet 4:2), "Then I accounted those who died long since more fortunate than those who are still living."

And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 3:1), "Keep your eye on three things, and you will not come to sin [...] From where did you come? From a putrid drop. And to where are you going? To a place of dust, worms, and maggots. And before whom are you destined to give an account and a reckoning? Before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He." The explanation of the content is [that] when you think of from where you came, your spirit will be humbled and you will hate pride. And when you remember where you are going, you will scorn the world, recognize that its superfluous luxuries are nothing and only be involved with it for the service of the Creator, may He be blessed. And when you put into your heart in front of whom you will be giving a reckoning, fear of the Heavens will be upon you. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Genesis Rabbah 9:5), "'And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good' (Genesis 1:31) - this ('very good') is death." For even death is good, so as to subdue spirits, that there be fear of God upon the hearts and that they not make this world into the main one. But there are people that do not give time to their souls to understand their ends, because of their preoccupation with acquisitions of the world - like the matter that is stated (Job 4:21), "Their cord is moved, and they die, and not with wisdom." Its explanation is, is not their cord (yeteram, which can also be understood as their excess or advantage) - their money - moved from them in their move; for behold they have no benefit from it [when they die], yet it lost much good for them. For it caused them to die without wisdom, as they did not show wisdom to understand their end, to rectify their souls and prepare provisions for their journey, - like the matter that is stated, (Deuteronomy 32:29), "Were they wise, they would think upon this, gain insight into their future."

And behold we shall conclude this topic with an esteemed statement of the Sages of Israel, may there memory be blessed: Hillel, peace be upon him, used to say (Avot 1:14), "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if not now, when?" The explanation of the content is [that] if a person does not arouse his soul, what effect can reproof have? For even if they enter his heart on the day that he hears them, the impulse will forget them and drive them out of his heart, like the matter of that which was stated (Hosea 6:4) "when your goodness is like a morning cloud." And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 10:20), "The tongue of a righteous man is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little worth (kimeat)." Its explanation is that the reproof of a righteous man is pure without any dross, and his speech is chosen. But the heart of the evildoers that listen to his reproof is [only for] one instant. This is from the usage (Psalms 81:15), "then would I subdue their enemies instantly (kimeat)" - the meaning of which is, in an instant would I subdue their enemies. And [only] an understanding and refined heart is called a heart, as it is stated (Proverbs 15:32), "he who heeds reproof acquires heart"; and (Proverbs 17:16), "to purchase wisdom, when he has no heart?" Indeed, a man must arouse his heart when he hears reproof and place the things into his heart, to constantly think about them. And he should add teaching from his own heart and produce words. He should also meditate in the chambers of his spirit and repent, to turn the hand of the reproof upon himself and not just rely upon the rebuke of the rebuker. [Otherwise. that] rebuke will be like morning clouds, and for [fleeting] instants, until he takes the reproof upon himself and until he purifies himself. "But if I am for my own self [only], what am I?" Even when I am for myself and I reflect upon wisdom all the time, what am I? For the grasp of a man is short and weak. So [even] with the effort and the refinement, he will only attain a little of the virtues - see what I am and what my life is when I am not for myself, to make efforts to refine my soul. And the comparison here is to a field that is inferior. For with great toil and refinement, and with much work, it will bring out a small [amount of] seed. But if they do not toil in its refinement, it will not produce [anything] and no grass will grow in it besides thorns and brambles. However there is benefit in sowing a superior field - even if he does not toil in working it. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about this matter (Avot D' Rabbi Natan 16), "That which it is written (Psalms 103:14), 'For He knows our formation' - there is a [relevant] metaphor of a king that gave a field to his servants and warned them to work it and guard it, and to bring him thirty kor from it each year. And they toiled on it and worked it well, but only bought five kor in front of the king. He said to them, 'What have you done?' They said to him, 'Our master, the king, the field that you gave us was inferior, and we worked it with all of our strength. But with all of the toil, it did not make more grain than this.'" "And if not now, when?" It is not appropriate for me to delay my efforts, a day or two, in refining my soul and fixing set times for Torah [study]. For if I say, "I shall hope for leisure time and until I have enough money in my hands for my needs" - behold the distractions of the world do not stop. As our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:4), "Say not, 'When I shall have leisure I shall study,' lest you will not have leisure."

And the second [reason not to delay] is after he gathers and brings in [produce or other income], he will still long to gather. As our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:13), "A man does not depart the world with half of what he desires in his hands. If he has a hundred in his hands, he will desire to make two hundred; if his hands attained two hundred, he desires to make them four hundred." And so is it written (Ecclesiastes 5:9), "A lover of money never has his fill of money."

And the third [reason] is that the time decreases and the work is plentiful: The work of Torah [study], refinement of the soul and attainment of the virtues - such as love, fear and cleaving. As they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avot 2:15), "the day is short, and the work is plentiful."

The fourth [reason] is that when refinement of the soul is delayed, iniquity will happen and he will constantly stumble over transgressions.

The fifth [reason] is that with the delay of the refinement of the soul, the impulse continually strengthens. So it will be more difficult for him to refine his soul afterwards, as it is written (Proverbs 24:31), "It was all overgrown with thorns, etc." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that when the impulse is connected to transgression, it will become similar to the matter of heresy - and his hands will not attain his purification. And they said in the ethical teachings, "Habit about anything controls."

The sixth [reason] is that maybe his days will not be long and he will die before he completes the measure of his repentance. Therefore, Solomon warned (Ecclesiastes 9:8), "Let your clothes always be white."

The seventh [reason] is that with his delay in repentance, his iniquities will be old, and he will forget their anguish. So he will not worry about them as [he would have] earlier.

The eighth [reason] is that in his getting on in days and the weakening of the strength of the impulse, he will not receive the [same] reward for the repentance as it would be for the refinement of his heart during the days of his youth. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Avodah Zarah 19a), "'Happy is the man who fears the Lord' (Psalms 112:1) - when he is still a man." And they [also] said (Sanhedrin 22a), "When the thief is lacking [what] to steal, he makes himself like a man of peace."

The ninth [reason] is that during the days of his old age - with the absence of the power of emotion - he does not have the reserve of strength to create new paths in his heart, to arrange thoughts with which to fight his impulse, to attain virtues and to toil and strive in Torah and in [his] actions (and in the worlds). As it is written (Ecclesiastes 12:1), "So remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive of which you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" Therefore, it is appropriate for a person to rush to save his soul, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 119:60), "I have rushed and not delayed to keep Your commandments."