Page:Ginzburg - The Legends of the Jews - Volume 5.djvu/48

95–97] $undefined$ comp. Vol. IV, p. 280.On those who repent, see note 89 and Koheleth 1.8.  $undefined$ Read (=Ezek. 28.13) instead of the meaningless .Comp. Konen 29.A scribe who misread for  added.  $undefined$ According to Yoma 45a, fine gold is the third best among the seven kinds of gold, whereas Parvaim gold (comp. note 77, as well as Masseket Kelim 89) is the very best.  $undefined$ Ma‘aseh de-R. Joshua b. Levi 48–49.This description is partly (not in its entirety, as Jellinek asserts) incorporated into Konen 28–30, which source is to be used for the establishing of a correct text of Ma‘aseh (comp. notes 94–95).Great caution must, however, be taken, since Konen had other sources, along with Ma‘aseh, at its disposal for the description of paradise.R. Joshua b. Levi’s description of paradise, found in Gaster’s Ma‘asiyyot 96–97, corresponds to ours in the introductory parts only, in which the adventure of this sage with the angel of death is mentioned (according to Ketubot 77b; comp. note 90), but not in the description of paradise proper.Very characteristic is the fact that this source knows only of three halls of paradise, one of glass, for proselytes; one of silver, for the righteous of Israel (instead of, p. 97, line 24, read ); one of gold, in which dwell the three patriarchs and Moses, Aaron, David, “the weeping” Messiah, and Elijah comforting him.On the division of paradise into three, comp. note 85.The most elaborate description of paradise is that given by Jellinek in BHM III, 131–140 (comp. also the additions, 194–198), published under the title of Seder Gan ‘Eden.This description has been extensively made use of by kabbalistic authors (comp. Jellinek, Einleitung und Zusätze, as well as Zohar I, 41a; III, 167b) who describe it as a part of the Book of Enoch.It, however, shows traces of speculative mysticism (for instance, great emphasis is laid upon the difference between spirit and soul, on the union of the masculine with the feminine souls which result in the productions of new souls, and on many other views of speculative mysticism), and it therefore could not have originated earlier than the end of the twelfth century.The division of the pious into seven classes is also known to this source, but it differs from the divisions found elsewhere (Perek Gan ‘Eden 52–53 and Sha‘are Gan ‘Eden 42–43 = Baraita di-Shemuel 28–29; comp. note 90).This source is also acquainted with a portion of paradise assigned to women, who, like the men, are divided into 