Musar su Ecclesiaste 7:29

then the wise and intelligent man ought to expend all his efforts in order to reach the highest dignity which he seeks, in order that it may be, as one of the sages said, "Help the celestial bodies with your souls, even as tilling and irrigating help the seed to grow";²Horovitz (pp. 127, 128, notes 105, 106). Maimonides holds that to admit the influence of the planets upon human relations is to limit the freedom of man. The possibility of such limitation of human freedom by planetary influence Gabirol would not be ready to admit, except in some such way as modern freedomists take account of the influences of heredity and environment. Thein ("Der Talmud oder das I'rincip des planetarischen Einflusses," Frag, 1874, p. 65 ft seq.) discusses the position of Maimonides, Albo, Ibn Ezra, and Jehuda ha-Levi in regard to this mystic and unphilosophic teaching. and this occurs naturally through the instrumentality of the earth. He should endeavor to be one of the number of the excellent and through his zeal follow in their steps. Further, he must refine his qualities until they be improved and not employ his senses except when it appears necessary, until he becomes one (of those) who is honorably known and famed for his excellence, for that is worldly happiness. But when man reaches it, his eyes must not cease to gaze wistfully at the attainment of that which is above it, i.e., enduring happiness which he can reach in the intellectual world, the world to come. For this is the highest gift of God to His servants, in addition to the favor which is their common lot as existent creatures.³The thought that existence is in itself a mark of favor from God to man, as set forth in this passage, is dwelt upon at greater length in "The Crown of Royalty," and is, according to Sachs (p. 244. and note), emphasized by many of the later moralists. The prince David, peace be unto him, had implored that he might attain to the well-being of this world, in saying (Ps. Ixxxvi. 17), "Make with me a covenant for goodness." He also desired to be one of those well fitted to attain the bliss of the world to come, in that he said (Ps. xxxi. 20), "O how great is the goodness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee"; (Ps. xxxvi. 9), "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house. " This height cannot be reached by any one save through merit. Thus he asked (Ps. xv. i, 2), "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle, who shall dwell in thy holy hill?" And the answer is, "He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness." Having arrived in the course of our remarks at this stage in the account of man's preeminence, let us direct our attention to the statement of the object of this our work and the method of deriving some advantage therefrom. This will come to pass after we shall have divided the treatise into all its sections as is incumbent upon us. Then will we realize the benefit of it. Thus Solomon the Wise, peace be unto him, has said (Eccles. vii. 27), "Behold this have I found, saith the Preacher, counting one by one to find out the account"; by which he meant to say that when things are brought together, it is necessary to enumerate them. So, also, by properly ordering the discourse, it will be understood.

And, in truth, this is a great error. For if so, why did the Torah command this [(abstention from lashon hara)] by a negative commandment? Is it not known that "the Holy One Blessed be He does not deal despotically with His creatures"? The Torah, then, should have included this only in the class of middoth [desirable character traits], like other holy middoth, that are addressed only to unique individuals, [and not as a mitzvah]. But certainly the Creator of man put it in the power of each and every Jew that if he only puts his eyes and his heart to his ways he can avoid this [(speaking lashon hara)]. As we find in Sifrei, Parshath Ha'azinu (Devarim 32:4): "He is a G-d of trust, without wrong." That is, He did not create men to be reshaim, but to be tzaddikim. (For if not so, there is wrong, G-d forbid, in the ordinance of the Blessed One in the punishment that He metes out to them afterwards.) And thus is it written (Koheleth 7:29): "G-d made man just and they sought out many [devious] accountings." And thus is it stated in Tanchuma, Parshath Bereshith 7: "G-d made man just" — The Holy One Blessed be He, who is called "tzaddik and yashar [just]," created man in His image only to be tzaddik and yashar, as He is. And if you ask: "Why, then, did He create an evil inclination, of which it is written (Bereshith 8:21): 'For the inclination of a man's heart is evil from his youth'? You say: 'It is evil. Who can make it good?' The Holy One Blessed be He answers: "You made it evil. You were a child and did not sin. You grew up and you sinned. [That is, a man draws it (the yetzer) upon himself by his acts and by his affairs. For the Holy One Blessed be He gave man the power to withstand it and to make it his servant in many areas for the ultimate end, as it is written (Bereshith 4:17): "And you shall overcome it." And it is written (Mishlei 29:21): "One who indulges his servant from youth, etc." The words lend themselves to much elaboration.] And how many things there are in this world tougher than the yetzer hara and more bitter than it, yet you 'sweeten' them. There is nothing more bitter than lupine, yet you exert yourself to soak it and to season it in water seven times until it is sweet, and so with mustard and caper. Now, if the bitter things which I have created, you season to your needs, the yetzer hara, which is given into your hands, how much more so!"

God made man to be upright (see Eccl. 7:29), and the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is Truth (Shabbath 55a and see T.P. Sanh. 1:5). And it is written, "He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes" (Ps. 101:7). When a man occupies himself with falsehood, then the falsehood does not cleave to the truth. And where there is Truth is as though one were able to describe it as the place of His dwelling in the heavens and directed towards mankind, for where there is Truth among mankind, then everyone concedes that He made heaven and earth and the sea and all they contain. And this is what is said, "Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is" (Ps. 146:6). And this is followed by, "Who keepeth truth for ever" (ibid.). But where there is treachery and falsehood, it would appear that the place of the dwelling of the Eternal One is not in the heaven and the earth. And he who is worthy to consider these things, how the souls are hewn out from the source of Truth, will conduct all of his affairs with Truth, and he will not permit falsehood to enter into the place of the holiness of truth. And therefore the verse says, "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him in truth" (Ps. 145:18). For the Holy One, Blessed be He, who is Truth, draws near to him who calls upon Him in truth. And what is meant by, "Who call upon Him in truth?" This refers to the one who cleanses his heart of everything in the world, and draws near to the Holy One, Blessed be He, alone; and whose mind continually strengthens itself to cleave to the supernal light; and who directs his thought in that desire always. And this is what a man can attain when he sits alone in his room and studies, and for this reason every pious person should often separate himself and sit alone, and should not associate with people, except for a great need. But if he prays with only the movement of his lips, facing the wall, and thinks about the affairs of the world, and he calls to God with his tongue, while his mind is on some thing else, or if he expects to be honored because of the sweetness of his voice, and he tries to find favor in the eyes of people, in order to receive praise from them, then his service is not true. And he is one of those of whom it is said, "Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins" (Jer. 12:2).