Musar su Isaia 43:7

It is obvious that anything that is desired testifies to the nature of him who desires it and that every deed testifies to the nature of him who performs it. It is, therefore, fitting for every intelligent person to engage in the choicest of occupations so that this will be a sign of his intelligence. From this we know that there is no occupation more choice and no deed more honored than the service of God, may He be exalted. For this testifies to the degree of intelligence that a man possesses and to his perfection. All the wise men of the world believe and understand that the intellect is able to grasp only two concepts: first, the Creator and second, that which was created. There is nothing else besides these. They thus believe that the Creator is first¹See Bahya Ibn Paquda, Hovat La-Levavot (Duties of the Heart), Book 1:10, (Jerusalem: Eshkol, 1969-5729), p. 75. and that that which was fashioned is created ex nihilo, that the Creator is without a beginning and an end, and that every living thing has a beginning and an end. They thus believe that the Creator has no need of anything. For one who is in need lacks the thing of which he is in need, and by securing the thing which he needs, he becomes complete. But since the Creator is perfect, He has no need of anything at all. Since. He has no need of anything, it follows that He did not create the world to fill any need of His. Since He did not create the world for any need of His, we can deduce that He created it as a loving act to reward the good who merit such reward. Even as it is said (Isaiah 43:7), “Everyone that is called by My name, [And whom I have created for] My glory, I have formed him.” Proof of this is in the way Scripture describes the Creation of the world. In the act of the Creation concerning the lights, it says (Genesis 1:17), “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth”, and it does not say, “to give light to the heavens” or “toward the heavens,” but “upon the earth.” If this is so, we know that the luminaries were not created for any use of the Creator and not to give light to the heavens, but to give light to the earth and its inhabitants. We can also recognize logically that if that which was created was for the benefit of the Creator, then it would be just as eternal as He, for His benefit would not be separated from Him, but would be found with Him always. But since we know that the world is created and not eternal, we know that before there was a world the Creator did not have any need of it. Just as He had no need of it before it came into being, so did He have no need of it after it came into being; but all of His intent in His creation of the world was for our benefit.

Furthermore, we know and understand that the Creator did not create the world for the sake of the wicked or those who anger Him, for reason cannot lead us to such a conclusion, but He created it for the sake of the pious, who acknowledge His divinity and serve Him properly. His intent was only to create the pious, but the wicked were created by virtue of the nature of creation. Just as a piece of fruit has a peel³This metaphor seems to be Kabbalistic, especially the use of "peel" for "evil."²This is a possible allusion to a favorite theme in Jewish Mysticism. "Evil is the Kelipah, the ‘bark’ of the cosmic tree or ‘The shell of the nut’ ". Gershom G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York: Schocken, 1946), p. 239. and that which is choice is what is within the peel, so the pious are the fruit of the creation of the world and the wicked are the peel . Just as we see that the intent of the sower of the seed is to cause wheat alone to grow, but that the strength of the sprout brings forth evil weeds with the wheat⁴See Isaiah 5:2. and that with the rose come all sorts of thorns, thus it is the intent of the Creator to create the pious, but by the virtue of the nature of creation, the wicked are brought forth with the pious. There is nothing that is created that cannot be divided into three parts: the choice or the purest part, which is like the finest flour; the inferior part, which consists of offal and worthless parts, such as straw or rubbish, and there is the part in between⁵This refers to some kind of intermediary state between excellence and worthlessness.. Thus you find among human beings one part which is choice and pure, and these are the pious ones; they are like the fine flour or the choicest fruit. And then there is the less worthy and the rejected, and they are the wicked that are like the rubbish or straw. Therefore, we can say that the world was not created for the sake of the wicked, but for the sake of the pious. Just as in the case of a tree, its master did not plant it and labor for the sake of the peel, but for the sake of the choicest fruit that it will yield.⁶This paragraph sounds Kabbalistic, not only in the imagery but also in the idea that evil is a necessary part in the creation of the world. Theodore Friedman in his review of Ephraim E. Urbach’s The Sages—Their Concepts and Beliefs (Hebrew) Jerusalem, Magnes: 1969, in Judaism Vol. 21:4, p. 499 deals with the famous controversy between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, whether or not it would have been better for man never to have been born (Eruvin 13b). Urbach said that the question that exercised the two Schools was whether or not it would have been better for [the wicked] never to have been born. Friedman feels "unconvinced" that such is the plain meaning of the text. It is interesting to observe that the text which Urbach uses (p. 226) taken from the Ethics of the Fathers VI: 11 "Whatsoever the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created it only for His glory", as it is written, Everything that is called by my name and that I have created, I have formed it, yea, I have made it (Isaiah 43:7) contains the very same verse which was cited by our author in the beginning of this chapter. See p. 10, lines 21-22.

And know that there are sublime virtues given over in the positive commandments such as: The virtues of free choice, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:19), “and choose life”; and the virtues of Torah study, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:7), “and you shall speak about them;” and the virtues of walking in the ways of the Lord, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 28:9), “and you shall walk in His ways;” and the virtues of contemplation of the greatness of the Lord, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:39), “Know therefore this day and keep in mind that the Lord alone is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other,” and David said (Psalms 14:2), “The Lord looks down from heaven on mankind to find a man of understanding, a man who seeks God”; and the virtues of remembrance of His kindnesses,” as it is stated (Deuteronomy 8:2), “Remember the whole way,” and it is [also] stated (Deuteronomy 8:6), “And you shall know that the Lord your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son,” and David said (Psalms 107:43), “he will contemplate the kindnesses of the Lord,” and said (Psalms 26:3), “For Your kindness is across from my eyes”; and the virtues of holiness, as it is stated (Leviticus 11:44), “and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy”; and the virtues of worship, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “and He shall you worship;” and the virtues of fear, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), “And you shall fear the Lord”; and the virtues of love, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:5), “And you shall love the Lord, your God;” and the virtues of clinging, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:20), ”to Him shall you cling.” There are several levels to each of these, as will be explained, with God’s help. And man was created for the sake of these virtues, as it is stated (Isaiah 43:7), “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created for My glory.” And what is the hope of a creation if it does not make the things for which it was created, the toil of his soul and his main occupation?

The tenth level is the severity of the transgressions for which those who do them have no share in the world to come: All creatures are created for God’s glory, as it is stated (Isaiah 43:7), “All who are linked to My name, whom I have created, formed, and made for My glory.” Hence it is logically understood that one who profanes [God’s] name and disgraces His word will lose his hope. For it is not enough that he does not fulfill that which is expected from him from the essence of his creation - to glorify God and to sanctify Him - but he rather puts out his hands to do the inverse and the opposite, and to profane His holy name. And so is it written (Numbers 15:30-31), “But the person [...] who acts defiantly is blaspheming the Lord; that person shall be excised from among his people. Because he has spurned the word of the Lord and violated His commandment, that person shall be excised - he bears his iniquity.” For death does not atone for him, and he has no share in the world to come. Therefore it mentions, “he bears his iniquity” in this matter - for it does not mention this in other excisions.
And the explanation of “who acts defiantly (literally, with a high hand),” is such that he publicly does sins known to people. And likewise one who removes the yoke of the kingdom of the Heavens - and even privately, because he too is doing it defiantly. And the content of one who removes the yoke is, for example, one who is [defiant] in eating carcasses or forbidden fat or blood, or to profane holidays - even though he does not transgress the other commandments. Since he removed the yoke of one [negative commandment] from upon himself, he has already rebelled against God, may He be blessed. It is true that sometimes righteous people also stumble in a sin - but this is only incidental, when his impulse overpowers him. [Moreover, the righteous person’s] soul is bitter with him about the matter, and he will be careful about it afterwards. However the person who thinks in his heart to remove the yoke of one [negative commandment] from upon him anytime he wants to transgress it, is called a heretic for one thing. And we have already explained this earlier in the first section of the Gates of Repentance. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Avodah Zarah 26a), “[Regarding] all shepherds, we do not [save them], etc. (as they engage in such behavior).” And the notion of the shepherds is [about] people that would graze their animals in the fields of others, removing the yoke of the prohibition of theft from upon themselves. And their category is the category of the heretic to eat carcasses, or one of the other transgressions, out of desire. But one who is a heretic to eat carcasses in order to anger [God] is a [full-fledged] heretic (apikoros). And the content of angering, is that he does not sin out of a desire for desirable food. Rather even if there is [also] slaughtered meat in front of him, he will take from the carcass. For he is rebelling, and does not accept upon himself to beware of the prohibition of carcasses [at all].

Hence we are obligated to be grateful to Him for everything that He has conferred upon us and for the goodness which He has allotted us. We are also obligated to implore His help to do what is right in His eyes, to tell His greatness, and attain the utmost felicity through our performance of His Commandments. For it is for this that we were created. Not to (achieve) that which is (desirable) or useful of His own. As it is said (Job 35:6, 7), “If thou hast sinned what doest thou against Him? and if thy transgressions be multiplied what doest thou unto Him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? Or what receiveth He of thy hand?” Indeed He created us (only) to show forth and serve His glory and to make manifest the force of His power and His great worth, as it is said (Isaiah 43:7), “Everyone that is called by My name whom I have created for My glory.” Therefore I entreat Him to accept my work. Perhaps He will reward me in proportion to my desire and not in accordance with the inadequacies of my capacity and performance. For how can a lowly and transitory man conceive the greatness of his Creator? For what can man do that cometh after the King? (See Ecclesiastes 2:12).

If so, my brother, why heap up money that is not yours or hold back money that you must give for the cause of the Holy One Blessed be He (i.e., charity,) or steal from the time that you must devote to the Name of the Hoy One Blessed be He and gather at that time money, which, in the end, you will be constrained to return in suffering and trouble [(such as brigandage and illness, G-d forbid)], and to rejoice at having survived them? In sum, the world and its fullness is the L-rd's, and He created all for His honor, as it is written (Isaiah 43:7): "All that is called by My Name and which I have created for My glory, etc." And certainly no option is withheld from Him, even in this world in executing His will for better or for worse, wherefore Scripture states "Trust in the L-rd and do good."

To what may this be compared? To [the instance of] a king, who reigned over several hundreds of provinces and ruled over his kingdom with an abundance of strength and splendor, who had the wherewithal to sustain all the places of his rule and all the princes and appointees under him with an abundance of glory and strength. And afterwards there were found some individuals in one city, very few in number, who, in their haughtiness rebelled against the king. And the matter was reported to the king. And while they were yet deliberating the punishment of the rebels, the king went in the morning to promenade in his garden, where he heard a bird of beautiful form and voice singing and bade one of his attendants to take it immediately on that day and put it in his palace so that he could always enjoy it; and he did so. As he was taking it to the king's palace, it began to sing in a sweet beautiful voice — whereupon one of the fools said: "Beautiful bird, how much I would love to see you [always] and hear your beautiful song, and how great my sorrow when I bring to mind the great sorrow that will befall you. For whence will come your food now that we have heard that there are rebels against the king?" And the king's attendant answered: "You fool, with such a king — who reigns over several hundreds of provinces and numberless treasures — will the bird, whose appearance the king enjoys and whose song he rejoices in, have to worry about the few grains it needs for its sustenance because it is found in the province of a little city where one or two rebels have been found?" So, upon reflection, is it, exactly, in our case, a fortiori, many thousandfold: The Holy One Blessed be He, has created this world, the material world, and the higher world. And it is known that in the higher world many worlds are contained, almost without limit. But, as a whole, they are considered three worlds: the world of formation [olam hayetzirah], the world of the angels; above it, the world of creation [olam habriah]; and, above all, the world of Splendor [olam ha'atziluth], where the splendor of the Blessed One's holiness is found. As Chazal have said: "About this, Scripture states (Isaiah 43:7): 'All that is called by My Name [olam ha'atziluth] and which I have created for My glory [olam habriah, where the Throne of Glory is found] — I have formed it [olam hayetzirah, where are found the holy creatures (chayyoth hakodesh) seen by the prophet Yechezkel, and all the world of the angels] — I have also fashioned it [this world and all of the spheres].'" And it is known that this world and all of its spheres are as nothing compared to olam hayetzirah, for there [in the olam hayetzirah] are found classes of angels without limit. And in each class are found angels almost without number, as it is written in Daniel 7:10: "A thousand thousands serve Him. Ten thousand ten thousands stand before Him," about which Chazal have said (Chagigah 13b): "All this, in one class, and the classes are infinite, as it is written (Iyyov 25:3): 'Is there a number to His troops?'" And we find in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 31 that 496,000 ten thousands of ministering angels sanctify the name of the Holy One Blessed be He always. From the rising of the sun until its setting, they say: "Holy, Holy, etc." And from its setting until its rising: "Blessed is the glory, etc." And it is known that all of the creations, even the highest of the highest, all require the Divine effluence, as it is written (Nechemiah 9:6): "You have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and all their hosts, and You vivify all of them." But the effluence of their sustenance is not like ours. For it is rarefied, spiritual sustenance. As it is written (Psalms 78:25): "The food of the mighty did a man eat," concerning which Chazal have said: "This is the 'bread' [i.e., the Divine effluence] that the ministering angels 'feed' upon."