Musar do Izajasza 57:78

And the levels of repentance and their stature is based on the greatness of the bitterness and the power of the grief. And that is repentance that comes by way of the purification of the soul and the purity of its intellect. For according to his intellect and according to that which he opens his eyes will be the grief of his thoughts about his great poverty. As it is stated (Isaiah 57:16), "For I will not always contend, I will not be angry forever; nay, when spirits in front of Me cover themselves, I who create the souls." Its explanation is that according to that which the spirit - which is in front of me - covers itself and is distressed, and the souls which I have made cover themselves; I will not contend and I will not be angry. For how can I not have grace and mercy upon the precious soul that is in front of Me? Therefore the sin will be light according to the weightiness of the service of the sighing about it. For grief comes from the purification of the highest soul. And it is accepted through this more than it would be accepted by many afflictions and aches of the body. And the parable for this is that a king has mercy on his attendants that were born in his household that are close to him and from the respected nobles of the land - and he gives them grace - more than on the distant and smaller ones. And it states, "I who create the souls," due to their closeness to the higher ones, even though the body and everything [else] are the work of His hands. And like this is (Exodus 32:16), "The tablets were God’s work." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, also said (Kiddushin 30a), "There are three partners in a man: His father, his mother and the Holy One, blessed be He." But because the father and mother have no partnership in the soul - therefore, it stated, "I who create the souls," That the matter is as I have explained it, is shown from its stating, "when spirits in front of Me."

The fourth principle is pain in [his] actions, as it is stated (Joel 2:12), "'Yet even now' - says the Lord - 'Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:4), "The heart and the eyes are the two intermediaries of sin." And so is it written (Numbers 15:39), "and you shall not go astray after your hearts and after your eyes." Hence with this will the sin of the intermediaries be atoned - with the measure of repentance according to the measure of the affliction. For the iniquity of the heart is atoned by its bitterness and sighing - with the brokenness with which it is broken, as it is stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves." And it is [also] written (Psalms 51:19), "God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart." And the parable about this is from the [impure] vessels - when they are broken, they are purified, as it is stated (Leviticus 11:35), "an oven or stove shall be smashed." And the iniquity of the eyes is atoned by tears, as it is stated (Psalms 119:136), "My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not obey Your Torah ." It does not state, "because I do not obey Your Torah," but rather states, "they do not obey"; since they were what caused the sin - therefore, I shed streams of waters.

And behold, there is actually the secret of the image of Nevuchadnetsar in this: Israel was given over to the hand of the king of Babylonia, "the head of gold" (Daniel 2:32). That head was humbled and given over to the hand of Persia, who are "the chest and the arms of silver." And likewise, these were pushed off for those, until Israel descended to "their feet, some of them were iron and some of them were clay" (Daniel 2:33). And what is the good finish? In the end, the Holy One, blessed be He, stands them up and carries out judgement upon them, as it is written (Deuteronomy 32:23), "I will finish My arrows upon them" - My arrows end, but Israel does not end (Sotah 9a). "All at once, the (bronze, silver, gold, etc.) were crushed" (Daniel 2:35). Behold at the beginning, it is written (Daniel 2:34), "and struck the image on its feet" - there is nothing of the image besides its feet, as the power of the head, its arms and its belly had already been nullified. And nonetheless at the end, it was crushed [entirely] as one. In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will stand up Samael and the evildoers that do his deeds and acts, and carry out the judgement upon them. And that is [the meaning of] "and You will hurl into the depths of the sea all of their sins" - it wants [to say], He will hurl the power of judgement to bring [it] down on the hands of these, who are "the depths of the sea." [As it is stated (Isaiah 57:20),] "But the wicked are like the troubled sea which cannot rest, whose waters toss up mire and mud" - these are the ones that enact judgement upon Israel, all the payment of whom falls back on their heads. And the reason is because after Israel has received their judgement, the Holy One, blessed be He, regrets even about what preceded, and He [avenges] their insult. And it is not enough [that they carried out the judgement on Israel], but rather, "I was a little mad, but they assisted for the bad" (Zechariah 1:15).

And the seventh principle is whole-hearted submission and lowliness. For the one who knows his Creator knows how one who transgresses His words is crooked and lowly - so he is lowered in his worth, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 15:4), "for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent." And it is [also] stated, (Job 15:16), "What then of one loathsome and foul man, who drinks wrongdoing like water"; [and] (Jeremiah 6:30), "They are called rejected silver." Therefore he will be submissive and lowly in his [own] eyes. And when King David, peace be upon him, confessed after Nathan the prophet came to him, he said at the end of his words (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart" - "a contrite spirit" is a lowly spirit. From this we have learned that submission is from the principles of repentance, since this psalm is wholly founded upon the principles of repentance. And with submission, a man is acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "To the poor and brokenhearted." And it is stated about the matter of repentance, (Isaiah 57:14-15), "[The Lord] says, 'Build up, build up a highway, etc.' For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, 'I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit - reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We learn [also from here] that submission is from the principles of repentance. And likewise does the entire remainder of this section speak about penitents: "For I will not always contend, etc. For their sinful greed I was angry, etc. I see their ways, and I will heal them and I will guide them, etc." (Isaiah 57:16-18). Its explanation is, I see that their ways are [grounded] in submission, as it stated, "yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit"; and with bitter-heartedness, as it stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves"; "and I will heal them," as I will forgive his iniquity, like [in] (Hosea 14:5), "I will heal their affliction," [and in] (Isaiah 6:10), "and repent and save itself"; "and I will guide them" - I will help him to leave the sin, and give him strength against his impulse.

And the seventh principle is whole-hearted submission and lowliness. For the one who knows his Creator knows how one who transgresses His words is crooked and lowly - so he is lowered in his worth, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 15:4), "for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent." And it is [also] stated, (Job 15:16), "What then of one loathsome and foul man, who drinks wrongdoing like water"; [and] (Jeremiah 6:30), "They are called rejected silver." Therefore he will be submissive and lowly in his [own] eyes. And when King David, peace be upon him, confessed after Nathan the prophet came to him, he said at the end of his words (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart" - "a contrite spirit" is a lowly spirit. From this we have learned that submission is from the principles of repentance, since this psalm is wholly founded upon the principles of repentance. And with submission, a man is acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "To the poor and brokenhearted." And it is stated about the matter of repentance, (Isaiah 57:14-15), "[The Lord] says, 'Build up, build up a highway, etc.' For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, 'I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit - reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We learn [also from here] that submission is from the principles of repentance. And likewise does the entire remainder of this section speak about penitents: "For I will not always contend, etc. For their sinful greed I was angry, etc. I see their ways, and I will heal them and I will guide them, etc." (Isaiah 57:16-18). Its explanation is, I see that their ways are [grounded] in submission, as it stated, "yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit"; and with bitter-heartedness, as it stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves"; "and I will heal them," as I will forgive his iniquity, like [in] (Hosea 14:5), "I will heal their affliction," [and in] (Isaiah 6:10), "and repent and save itself"; "and I will guide them" - I will help him to leave the sin, and give him strength against his impulse.

And the seventh principle is whole-hearted submission and lowliness. For the one who knows his Creator knows how one who transgresses His words is crooked and lowly - so he is lowered in his worth, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 15:4), "for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent." And it is [also] stated, (Job 15:16), "What then of one loathsome and foul man, who drinks wrongdoing like water"; [and] (Jeremiah 6:30), "They are called rejected silver." Therefore he will be submissive and lowly in his [own] eyes. And when King David, peace be upon him, confessed after Nathan the prophet came to him, he said at the end of his words (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart" - "a contrite spirit" is a lowly spirit. From this we have learned that submission is from the principles of repentance, since this psalm is wholly founded upon the principles of repentance. And with submission, a man is acceptable to God, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:2), "To the poor and brokenhearted." And it is stated about the matter of repentance, (Isaiah 57:14-15), "[The Lord] says, 'Build up, build up a highway, etc.' For thus said He who high aloft forever dwells, whose name is holy, 'I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit - reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We learn [also from here] that submission is from the principles of repentance. And likewise does the entire remainder of this section speak about penitents: "For I will not always contend, etc. For their sinful greed I was angry, etc. I see their ways, and I will heal them and I will guide them, etc." (Isaiah 57:16-18). Its explanation is, I see that their ways are [grounded] in submission, as it stated, "yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit"; and with bitter-heartedness, as it stated (Isaiah 57:16), "when spirits in front of Me cover themselves"; "and I will heal them," as I will forgive his iniquity, like [in] (Hosea 14:5), "I will heal their affliction," [and in] (Isaiah 6:10), "and repent and save itself"; "and I will guide them" - I will help him to leave the sin, and give him strength against his impulse.

And you will also find [another] big and great benefit in breaking desire: For he will reveal his true heart and goodly desire for repentance. As he is disgusted by the nature that caused him to sin. And through this, he will become acceptable to God, may He be blessed, and find favor in His eyes. And it is accordingly written (Psalms 51:19), "True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart." The contrite spirit is a lowly and submissive spirit; and a broken heart is [speaking] about the breaking of physical desire - for desire is placed into the heart, as it is stated (Psalms 21:3), "You have granted him the desire of his heart." And this verse (51:19) is stated in the psalm of repentance. And from its stating, "You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart," we learn that a penitent becomes acceptable to God, through the breaking of his physical desire, and that this is from the principles of repentance. And it is also stated about the matter of repentance (Isaiah 57:15), "reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite."

Modesty is a ladder by which one ascends to the ways of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said: "He guides the humble in justice and He teaches the humble His way" (Ps. 25:9). Through humility he attains the reverence of God, Blessed be He, as it is said: "The reward of humility is fear" (Prov. 22:4). The Shekinah dwells on the humble as it is said : "I dwell… with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Is. 57:15). The Holy One, Blessed be He, ignored all the high mountains and hills and inclined His Spirit to Mount Sinai and descended to this lowly mountain. And it is written: "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust — for thy dew is as the dew of light" (Is. 26:19). He that lives in the dust in his earthy life will live in the world to come.

“You must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them” (Deuteronomy 20:19). For we were warned with this not to cut down any fruit tree - even to build fortifications with it, so long as one finds enough fruitless trees for his needs. And we were also warned with this not to throw money around for no reason - even the value of a perutah (a small coin). And our Rabbis said (Bava Kamma 91b), “One who rends his garments excessively over his dead [relative] is lashed.” And all the more so, one who breaks vessels in his anger, as he has done two evils - destroying his wealth; and letting his anger be in control, to make him transgress matters of the Torah. As from now on, he will have a struggle with the impulse of anger, to make him transgress his religion - like the matter that is written (Proverbs 29:22), “a hot-tempered man commits many offenses.” And we have already let you know that which our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 105b), “One who breaks his vessels in his anger [...] should be like an idol worshiper in your eyes, as that is the way of the evil impulse. Today it tells him, ‘Do this,’ and tomorrow it tells him, ‘[...] worship idols.’” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yevamot 44a), “A man should not pour out water from his well when others need it.” We were even warned not to waste the body, by giving it over to dangers or torturing the body to consume it needlessly with fasts from his distress and anger, and not to mourn [more than is necessary] for his dead [relative]. But [regarding] one who grieves and mourns over his iniquities - about him is it stated (Isaiah 57:18), “I note how they fare and will heal them; I will guide them and mete out solace to them, and to the mourners among them.” And it is stated (Genesis 9:5) “But for your souls’ blood, I will require a reckoning.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Kamma 91b), “From the hand of your souls (i.e., from yourself), will I require your blood.”

And one who plays with children and [masturbates] whether with the hand or the foot is liable. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Niddah 13b) that his punishment is like the punishment of the generation of the flood, that had corrupted their ways. And likewise one who does like the act of Er and Onan - to thresh (the penis) inside (the vagina) and winnow outside, to destroy the seed - is liable, as it is stated (Genesis 38:10), “And what he did was displeasing to the Lord, and He killed him as well.” And it is stated about those that waste seed (Isaiah 57:5), “You who inflame yourselves among the terebinths, under every verdant tree; who slaughter children, etc.”

The second section: The flatterer who praises the evildoer in front of people - whether in front of him or not in front of him - even though he does not justify him for his extortion or lie about his trial, but says about him that he is a good man. About this is it stated (Proverbs 28:4), “Those who forsake Torah praise the wicked.” For had he not forsaken the Torah, he would not have praised one who transgressed its words and breached its commandments. Even if he only praises the evildoer for that which he finds that is good about him and he defends him to people to tell them of his righteousness, but he does not mention the bad - this too is a sore evil. For in his mentioning the good and not mentioning the bad and covering up all of his transgression, he will be thought of as a righteous man by those listening and they will give him honor and elevate him. And we have already mentioned [and] let you know the stumbling blocks and the destruction that is found in honoring evildoers. Hence it is incorrect to mention their righteousness without mentioning their evil and foolishness as well, as it is stated (Proverbs 10:7), “But the fame of the wicked rots.” And it is [also] stated (Isaiah 57:12), “I hereby pronounce judgment upon your deeds; your deeds shall not help you.” The explanation is [that] your good deeds will not help to save you from your evil when you will come to judgement and in My evaluation for eternity - since the matters of your iniquities finished off [their merit]. And it is like our Rabbis said (Rosh Hashanah 16b), “One whose iniquities are greater than his merits is written and sealed for death.” And evildoers are recognizable by their speech and behavior, as we discussed earlier with you, in the Gates of the Fear of Sin (no longer extant).

This is the general rule: there is no hour in the life of man that if he does complete repentance, it will not be accepted and his prayer answered. The Creator is not like the created who can abandon forever or bear a grudge forever, as it is said (Isaiah 57:16), “For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth.” And as it is said (Jeremiah 3:12), “For I am merciful, saith the Lord, I will not bear a grudge for ever.” And on this theme, it is said (Isaiah 55:6), “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,” meaning at those times when He can be found or in other words, as long as a man lives.

In the guarding of the tongue there are also many holy qualities: 1) being rescued through it from all of the punishments attendant upon this sin [of lashon hara]. 2) being secure through this of what one has gained of the desired end, that he will not henceforward lose it. (For in not guarding his tongue, he is in danger of losing all, G-d forbid, as explained above in Chapters III and VI in the name of the Midrash.) 3) being called "a man," as it is written (Psalms 34:3): "Who is the man who desires life, etc." For lacking this quality, he is only in the class of an "unspeaking animate object." And in Midrash Shocher Tov we find (Isaiah 57:20): "'And the wicked are driven as the sea' — Just as the sea spews all its mire on the shore, so do the wicked spew their mire on their lips." 4) Because he suppresses himself from "prosecuting" and seeks merit with all his strength, so, above, the ministering angels argue his cause, as we find in Midrash Mishlei.

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

Laws concerning property damage, financial compensations, etc. in the portion of משפטים are listed right after the Ten Commandments to show that all legislation emanates from G–d. When our sages in Avot described תורה, עבודה, גמילות חסדים "Torah, service of the Lord, deeds of loving kindness" as well as אמת, דין, and שלום , "truth, justice and harmony" as being the pillars which are the foundation that all civilization is based on, that is what they had in mind. אמת and תשובה are category A; עבודה and תפלה are category B; תורה and דין are category C; צדקה, and גמילות חסדים are category D, the final category. There remains the pillar of שלום, peace, harmony, which must be viewed as the "seal" of the previous four categories listed. Unless there is שלום, none of the other categories can achieve their purpose. This is what the prophet Zachariah 8,19, has in mind when he says "והאמת והשלום, אהבו!" "love truth and peace!" He states that success and happiness are contingent on the presence of these factors. It is written concerning the repentant sinner "peace, peace to the distant as well as to the near one," which our sages interpret as referring to people who were once far removed from our tradition but have found their way back (Isaiah 57,19). The "seal" of the עבודה, the priestly blessing, in our daily prayers is שלום, peace, as is the concluding benediction in our principal prayer, the עמידה. We find a similar thought expressed in Isaiah 32,17: "The work of the righteous shall be peace."

We find a dispute concerning the meaning of Isaiah 57,15: ואת דכא ושפל רוח, usually translated as "with the contrite and the lowly in spirit." In Sotah 5a Rav Huna understands the verse to mean that the דכא is in the company of G–d, i.e. G–d elevates him to His level, whereas Rav Chisda understands it to mean that G–d lowers Himself to the level of the contrite and lowly spirit. The Talmud feels that the interpretation of Rav Chisda has more to commend it, seeing that G–d lowered Himself to the low mountain of Sinai when He gave the Torah to the Jewish people. He spurned the option of raising Mount Sinai to greater heights. I believe that we can understand the two opinions expressed here as being complementary; there is no dispute at all. In our present world G–d lowers Himself to the lowly in spirit. In the World to Come, G–d elevates the people who practiced humility in this world to His lofty level. When the Talmud described the opinion of Rav Chisda as more logical, the meaning is that on the basis of past experience this has been G–d's practice.

The general rule is that wherever you find true greatness you find humility. Our sages went so far as to say that "wherever you find the greatness of G–d described you will find His humility described at the same time" (Megillah 31a). Examples of this rule are written in the Torah, repeated in the Books of the Prophets and again repeated in the Hagiographa. We read in Deut. 10,17: "The Lord your G–d is the G–d of all gods, Master of all masters, the Great G–d, the Powerful One, the Awesome One, who does not show favoritism nor accept bribes." This is followed immediately by the statement "who upholds the cause of the orphan, the widow, who loves the proselyte (stranger) to provide him with bread and clothing." We read in Isaiah 57,15: "For thus says He who high aloft dwells forever, whose name is holy; I dwell on high, in holiness; yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit- reviving the spirits of the lowly, reviving the hearts of the contrite." We read in Psalms 68,5: "Sing to G–d, chant hymns to His name; extol Him who rides the clouds; the Lord is His name. Exult in His Presence--the father of orphans, the champion of widows, G–d in His Holy Habitation. G–d restores the lonely to their homes, sets free the imprisoned safe and sound, etc."

The relationship between G–d and people who have achieved שלימות הגוף is indicated in Isaiah 57,15 which places G–d, whose name is holy, who towers in the lofty Celestial Regions, as side by side with the ones of contrite spirit. Our sages comment that the picture of man, אדם, is engraved on G–d's throne.

Abravanel disagrees with this contention of Maimonides in the beginning of his work Ma'ayeney HaYeshuah, citing Seder Olam, an ancient history book, which includes Daniel in the list of prophets enumerated. Besides, he reasons "how is it possible to exclude Daniel when we consider the numerous and profound prophecies recorded by him?" He feels that, on the contrary, this is proof of his standing, seeing that his companions did not see any of these visions! He says that when the Talmud calls the companions "prophets," this only means they had been instructed by G–d to transmit certain messages to the Jewish people. The word נביא, "prophet," has its root in the Hebrew expression ניב שפתים, "heartening, comforting words" (Isaiah 57,19). When Aaron is described as Moses' prophet, ואהרון אחיך יהיה נביאך, "and your brother Aaron will be your prophet," the point made is that he will be Moses' mouthpiece (Exodus 7,1). Although Daniel had achieved superior status, he had not been instructed to impart these messages to Israel; this is why the Talmud does not refer to him as a prophet. Should you ask why he was not chosen to convey these messages to the Jewish people, the answer is that the three prophets mentioned returned to the Holy Land with the Israelites who went to settle there again and to build the second Temple. There was a need therefore, to become G–d's messengers, which was not the case with Daniel who did not make עליה. The Torah reports in Genesis 15,1, והנה דבר ה' אל אברהם במחזה לאמור, "here the word of G–d came to Abraham in a vision to say, etc." The meaning seems to be that Abraham was on the level of prophecy. If nonetheless he is not numbered among the prophets, this is only because G–d had not sent him with a message to His people. This is the approach of the Abravanel to our problem. It is my personal view that both Maimonides and Abravanel are on the right track, אלו ואלו דברי אלוקים חיים. Daniel was indeed a prophet, but he belonged to the category that we previously described as סוף נבואה. This was still part of the domain of רשימו.