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God, to which the third section, " Sha'ar Abodat Elo" (Gate of Divine Worship), is devoted. Every benefit received by man, says Bahya, will evoke his thankfulness in the same measure as it is prompted by intentions of doing good, though a portion of self-love be mingled with it, as is the case with what the parent does for his child, which is but part of '

him

and upon which his hope for the future is more so with what the master does for

himself, built;

still

who is his property. Also charity bestowed by the rich upon the poer is more or less prompted by commiseration, the sight "Worship of of misfortune causing pain of which his slave,

God.

the act of charity relieves the giver; likewise does all helpfulness originate in that feeling of fellowship which is the consciousness of mutual need. God's benefits, however, rest upon love without any consideration of self.' On the other hand, no creature is so dependent upon helpful love and mercy as man from the cradle to the grave. Worship of God, however, in obedience to the commandments of the Law is in itself certainly of unmistakable value, inasmuch as it asserts the higher claims of human life against the lower desires awakened and fostered by the animal man. Yet it is not the highest mode of worship, as it may be prompted by fear of divine punishment or by a desire for reward or it may be altogether formal, external, and void of that spirit which steels the soul against every temptation and trial. Still the Law is necessary as a guide for man, says Bahya, since there exists in man the tendency to lead only a sensual life and to indulge, like the brute, in passion and lust. There is another tendency to despise the world of the senses altogether, and to devote oneself only to the life of the spirit. Both are abnormal and injurious: the one is destructive of society the other, of human life in both directions. The Law therefore shows the correct mode of serving God by following " a middle way," alike remote from sensuality and contempt of the world. The mode of worship prescribed by the Law has therefore mainly a pedagogical value, asserts Bahya. It educates the whole people, the immature as well as the mature intellects, for the true service of God, which must be that of the heart. Here an exposition of the teachings of Pedagogic- the Law and the Rabbis is given, with al "Value the view of emphasizing the need of of the Law. spirituality without which all the observances of the ceremonies and the painstaking study of the dry volumes of rabbinical law fail of their purpose. lengthy dialogue follows, between the Soul and the Intellect, on Worship, and on the relation of Free Will to Divine Predestination Bahya insisting on human reason as the supreme ruler of action and inclination, and therefore constituting the power of self-determination as man's privilege. Another subject of the dialogue is the physiology and psychology of man with especial regard to the contrasts of joy and grief, fear and hope, fortitude and cowardice, shamefulness and insolence, anger and mildness, compassion and cruelty, pride and modesty, love and hatred, generosity and miserliness, idleness and industry ten pairs of faculties of the soul



A



—

Bahya ten Joseph

which occur also in Ibn Gabirol's "Tikkun Middot ha-Nefesh " (see Kaufmann, " Theologie des Bachya ibn Pakuda," pp. 194 et seg. Rosin and Brtill, I.e.), and may have been borrowed from an older Arabic source.

Trust in God forms the

title

and the subject of the

fourth gate, " Sha'ar ha-Bittahon. "

Greater than the magical power of the alchemist who creates treasures of gold by his art is the power of trust in God, says Bahya for he alone who confides in God is independent and satisfied with what he has, and enjoys rest and peace without envying any one. Yet only God, whose wisdom and goodness comprise all times and all circumstances, can be implicitly confided in for He provides for all His creatures out of true love,' and with the full knowledge of what is good for

each.

Particularly does He provide for man in a manner that unfolds his faculties more

Divine

and more by new wants and cares, by trials and hardships that test and strengthen his powers of body and

Providence,

Confidence in God, however, should not preseeking the means of livelihood by the pursuit of a trade; nor must it lead him to expose his life to perils. Particularly is suicide a crime often resulting from lack of confidence in an all-wise Providence. Likewise is it folly to put too much trust in wealth and in those who own great fortunes. In fact, all that the world offers' will disappoint man in the end and for this reason the Saints and the Prophets of old often fled their family circles and comfortable homes to lead a life of seclusion devoted soul.

vent

man from



to

God only. Bahya here dwells

at length on the hope of immortality, which, in contradistinction to the popular belief in bodily resurrection, he finds intentionally alluded to only here and there in the Scriptures, in view of the immature and childlike understanding of the multitudes, who need a training to morality by threats and bribes, by rewards and punishments, that appeal to the sense. To Bahya the belief in

immortality is purely spiritual, as expressed in Zech. 7, "I give thee places among these that stand by." His frequent recurrence, however, to the Saints, whom he lauds for their ascetic life, as showing their perfect confidence in God and iii.

Immortality of the Soul,

hope in the soul's future, betrays singular dualism pervading his system on the one hand, a mysticism derived from Arabic thinkers; and, on their

the

—

the other, the practical common-sense religion of the

Jewish Law. Sincerity of purpose is the theme treated in the fifth "gate", called "Yihud ha-Ma'aseh" (Consecration of Action to God) literally, " Unification of Action. Nothing is more repulsive to the pious soul than the hypocrite, who is far worse than the heathen that worships idols, but does not deceive men and insult God's majesty as does the hypocrite. But it is characteristic of the age in which Bahya lived that he regarded skepticism as the chief means of seducing men to hypocrisy and all other sins. At first, says Bahya, the seducer will cast into man's heart doubt concerning immortality, to offer a welcome excuse for sensualism and, should he fail, he will awaken doubt concerning God and divine worship or reve;