Memar Marqah Book 6

1 Also by him: a discourse tied to the twenty-two letters, the roots of Hebrew speech. 2 Thanks be to the God of gods, Owner of divinity, rich in eternity, enduring in rule, Lord of oneness: One, unique, great, awesome and faithful, the Fashioner who set everything in order by his word, without helper, without partner, without a second, without companion or associate. Magnify him and praise his power over the multitude of his works! He made ten witnesses at the beginning that make him known as great and mighty: the time of light and the time of darkness, two witnesses that never shift; the four seasons, which he set up at the beginning as four witnesses; and likewise the four elements from which all that he forms grows. 3 Look at these and know that they are witnesses testifying that he is One. When he revealed the light it appeared to the whole world, and in his greatness he divided from it the light of the sun, and the moon too, and all the stars. He appointed a time for light and a time for darkness, each in its order. The four seasons each keep their place, and none mingles with another. 4 The first season is like a good mother who gives birth to children and has pity on them because they are tender and need her care, so that no hardship comes on them and they all die together. 5 The second season is like a good father who raises his children in well-being until they grow, so that every fruit pleasing to the eye and good to eat appears on them; but if hardship reached them, no fruit and no leaf would appear. 6 The third season is the season of completion: whatever was done in the first two is brought to perfection in it. If there were any weakness in it at the start, everything would be destroyed in an hour and none of it would stand. 7 The fourth season brings to growth the roots of all the seasons named here. Look at these four and know that you must be like them. Learn from them, and take from them the knowledge to be enlightened. 8 And look at the four that make what he forms grow, and know that there are signs in you that point to him. When he perfected what he formed as a structure for his service out of four roots, he divided it in his greatness and made four parts in you, so that you might stand and grow great in all of them. 9 Desire and secret thought, reflection and mind are hidden within you, and the One who created them knows their true nature. Each of them has a strong guardian in your body that gives you understanding. You who seek wisdom, put on the clothing of wisdom yourself and learn what is good in it. Do not move away from your Maker by doing what harms you, for then you would become an enemy of the True One and all impurity would come to live in you. Proclaim at all times, in your heart and your soul: there is no God but One. 10 He is righteous and upright, glorious, hidden and revealed. What king can stand before him? His crown is eternal life; life is only lent by him for a time, and he is king over every season. He created all, formed all and sustains all by his great power. He raised the heavens without pillars and decorated them with his many wonders, and he made what they need come from them and within them, so that by this he would make known the greatness of his power. For the earth does a work of its own for its own existence, and yet it needs the breath of the heavens. 11 Do not say in your mind that the earth rests on the waters of the deep. In his greatness he gave you a mind and roused it to search out wisdom, so that you may speak rightly about this. The earth does not stand on water alone; it stands only on fire and water. If it stood on water, its very existence would destroy everything, from trees to grass and herbs. There are many signs of this. Even if trees had the strength to stay standing, since fire does not mix with water, the damp would ruin everything, trees, grass and plants alike. Instead, it establishes the roots and makes the branches grow. 12 Some people have said that our Lord made this creation from the mass of the sun. Answer them: you have not gone astray in saying so; you have spoken only from wisdom. But where did the mass of the sun come from, if not from the great light and the fire that comes from it, clothed in a consuming flame? For no mass can stand apart from it. Tell them this and look into it with them; you need nothing more. It is good for you to understand this and to know the greatness of the Creator who made it. The Creator made creatures, and his creatures point to him: the creatures are great, and it is beyond any power to know the greatness of their Creator. His creatures are mighty, and it is beyond the power of understanding to know his might. His creatures are exalted, and they teach that their Creator is great and strong, yet it is beyond the power of knowledge to know his strength. What great divinity! What strong rule! What enduring kingship! What lasting greatness! What far-reaching might! 13 Who can stand before him, and who can be compared with him? Who has creatures like his, signs like his, wonders like his? His power is in the heavens above and on the earth below; no place is empty of him, for every place is his work. He made them, formed them, completed them, prepared them and supplied all they need. What is in the heavens is in the heart; what is on the earth is in the eye; what is in the four quarters is in thought; what is in every place is in the secret mind. Who can know what he is? He is known from his creatures and understood from his works. Let us pray before him and bow down to our Great One, and say: there is no God but One.

1 Since our Great One has been understood, hold firm to it; may his goodness rest on you always. 2 Adam came to know it, and by it he was rescued from the outcome of what he had done. 3 Abel came to know it and did a deed pleasing to his Lord; how terrible for Cain for what he did to his own soul. 4 Enosh came to know it and called on his name, and he was made the head of all Adam’s descendants. 5 Enoch came to know it and ran to it; he walked in obedience before him, and it became his portion. 6 Noah came to know it, and it drew him to itself and rescued him from the Flood in the ark. 7 Abraham came to know it and walked before him, and he was made the first of the righteous of the world. 8 Isaac came to know it and stretched out his neck to it, and he became the root of all who keep it. 9 Jacob came to know it and ran to it; it kept him in goodness and crowned him with honor. 10 Joseph came to know it and fled to it, and it rescued him from every evil deed. 11 Moses came to know it and stood where it set him, and it brought him to the rank of its whole success. 12 Aaron came to know it and by it was made great, and he became the mouth of the sea of forgiveness. 13 Eleazar came to know it and held on to it; he inherited all that was his father’s and sat in his rank. 14 Phinehas came to know it and ran to it, and it gave life to his descendants and to the congregation with them. 15 Joshua came to know it and put it on in righteousness, and he was given a portion that was given to no one else. 16 Caleb came to know it and stood beside it, and his Lord set him in the place of truth. 17 Look at those who came to know it and held to it with heart and soul. For their sake he wrote a book of revelations and made a covenant with them forever that will not be annulled, and because of what was done in return for their labor we are kept alive in every generation. Now see the wickedness of people who came to know it and put on its opposite. 18 The evil serpent spoke in its name, rose up in rebellion and exposed nakedness; it fell from its power, was cut off and put on a curse that will never leave it. 19 Cain came to know it and put on rebellion, and he was left under a very great curse. 20 Enoch, with his sons and all his family, came to know it, and even so they provoked it. The people of the Flood came in the same way: the Flood came and destroyed them in a moment, and every living thing on the earth died with them. 21 Cush and Nimrod came to know it, and they were zealous in what they did. 22 So too the people of Sodom: when they abandoned the knowledge of it, they all died in the blink of an eye, a very evil destruction. 23 Pharaoh and his army abandoned the knowledge of it; see what came upon them! 24 Amalek and his people abandoned the knowledge of it, and their memory was wiped from the face of the earth. 25 The calf-worshipers forgot it, and they all died in the plague; their guilt remains on them until the Day of Vengeance and Recompense. 26 Korah and his company abandoned the knowledge of it, and the earth swallowed them and covered them. 27 Look at all those who provoked God, and how they were made a lesson for every generation of the world. Do not abandon the truth, children of his beloved ones, and do not forget what your fathers taught you. It is not fitting for you to rebel, or to be called a stubborn and defiant son. This world is made perfect with every honor, and everything in it comes from honor and has been handed to you. The glories of the heavens make you great and strengthen you; they were set in place for your existence. Do not let your existence be cut off, or you will stand confused before every creature in the world. Turn from the path of disfavor, for it destroys those who live in it and heaps every distress on them. How terrible for anyone who lives in a place where he sees destruction and does not leave it! Whoever acts like this lacks understanding and puts his soul in great distress. 28 We are those people, for we act like this. We are in hardship, though relief stands before us. We are companions of darkness, though a great shining light is in our hands. We are companions of darkness in the sinful deeds we do, companions of darkness in every kind of distress we display. We stand among crimes and cannot restrain ourselves from them with all our strength. How terrible for us for what we have done to our own souls by these deeds that convict us! How long will we be struck by judgments, and do every day what makes us guilty? We are not corrected, and we are not ashamed to do guilty deeds. We hear the portions of blessing and do not act on them. How can it come to us, when we do not keep a single commandment? A person seeks a wage when he has done no work, yet there is no wage except in return for work. Greatness belongs to our God, who commanded us works so that he might give us a wage in truth. Whoever gives charity of his own free will gives if he wishes, and if he does not wish, he does not give. But one who has worked for someone and wants his wage from him cannot be sent away empty. See what God said about this: “The wages of a hired worker shall not stay with you until morning.” He shows that there is great guilt in it. “You shall not close your hand against your poor brother,” but do this deed, for its reward is stored up: it is the commandment of commandments, and the one who keeps it will be repaid with every good honor. 29 It is good for us to purify our hearts, to grow wise in the truth and fill our hearts with the teaching of knowledge, and then to teach every nation. So our Lord made us wise: we have a light that shines on the whole world, written by the finger of God, which came down from the holy home. Its first words were heard from the heavens with ten great wonders: fire and torches, darkness and cloud, thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, a mighty quaking, a great stillness, and the assembly of the ranks of the great angels, a mighty event beyond measure. It happened on a day that has no equal, and its like will never be seen again. The writing we have is a writing of truth, and all the writings of the nations are abominations. 30 So our Lord taught us in his Scripture: “They followed at your feet, and each received of your words.” And he confirmed it by saying, “Moses commanded us a law.” Look at this honor, which no honor equals, and know that no nation has been honored as you have, nor been given what he gave you. Do not exchange what has been given you for something worthless, and so put yourself to shame before the Lord of the world. He is the one who chose you in this way, made you hear his voice and taught you, and raised up Moses for you as a good scribe to teach you every devout teaching. If you abandon it, how terrible for you, at the beginning and at the end! How terrible for you for the evil deed you have done, which destroys the one who does it! You are not corrected by words, nor by suffering, nor by loss, nor by exile, nor by plague, nor by curse, nor by trials, nor by destruction, whatever correction you receive. Poor soul, who has piled up destruction with a cheerful heart: with what knowledge did you do all this? With what light did you see? Whom do you resemble? From whom did you learn the evil that killed you and settled within you, stripped off your crown, took the kingship from you and hid the days of Favor from you, so that you abandoned the reverence of Adam and learned the jealousy of Cain? It rose up against you; everything is held back and hidden from you and snatched away; he curses you and drives you out wherever you go. You are a slave to your enemies, and they take no pleasure in you. 31 This is the repayment that matches the deed, and God is proved just against you. So perhaps you will be ashamed and spare yourself from the desire of your heart, and tear yourself free from it with all your strength. Do not be an enemy of God and destroy your own soul. God is not harmed by your deeds, for he is not harmed by your rebellion; you are the one harmed by it. You were not created for this, nor brought into being for it, nor honored for its sake. Put all your strength into your merit, so that you are able to do it all. You are the son of good men, who were set free from the iron furnace with great signs. They crossed the Red Sea, heard the voice of God and listened to it, and saw their enemy die: he sank in the sea while they were rescued. The evil one who came after what was not his was killed by the power of God, while they were proclaimed in a book that is all life, perfected with commandments that give life to whoever keeps them. It was written by the finger of God and came down from heaven on two tablets of stone, established from the beginning of creation and made in the light, and it was made known from the mouth of its Author. A prophet received it who was full of this honor from the very start of his birth, a deliverance for the assembly of the Hebrews. Because of him the Glory was revealed, and the angels gathered because of his perfection, as when his signs were brought together. Honor came to his beginning as when goodness came and clothed him with a crown of holiness; it appeared and anointed his body; faithfulness came and settled on him with oaths. 32 Look at this great prophet Moses, whom God raised to a high place in both worlds, and who honored you in what you heard. See how the light bowed before him when he went into it and received the tablets. See how the darkness gave way before him and could not master him. See how the fire laid down its might when he stepped on it, and it became like dew to him. See how the waves of the water were stilled before him from the moment he was cast into it. 33 The Divinity said to him, “Come in peace; for your sake I appeared, to reveal my signs.” 34 The Glory said to him, “Come in peace; I will make my goodness pass before you.” 35 The angels said to him, “Come in peace, faithful one of God; we can never be parted from you.” 36 Honor said to him, “Peace be with you, teacher; I am fit for no one but you.” 37 Goodness said to him, “Peace be with you, lawgiver; I am ready to honor you.” 38 Holiness said to him, “Peace be with you, man for whose sake I was made; I will increase every good thing.” 39 Faithfulness said to him, “Peace be with you, leader who led six hundred thousand.” 40 Merit said to him, “Peace be with you, child who grew up well under my care.” 41 As these honored him, so the world bowed before him and said, “May this prophet be exalted, whom his Lord made great and who was worthy of it.” See him going into the fire to receive the tablets from God’s right hand, the writing of the True One. When God chose to do it and gave his writing to the great prophet Moses on the two tablets, after Israel had heard his voice from Mount Sinai, the tablets were written on both their sides, on one side and the other. After that Moses went back and asked for the words of mercy, which are names of attributes. Our Lord appeared and wrote before him these writings, which were written in his greatness.

1 A question: open your ears, fix it in your heart and listen. When God wrote the Ten Words, he first wrote the twenty-two letters, which are the roots of the words of the Law. When the Glory proclaimed before him the Ten Words that magnify him, he proclaimed them at the start, and you will find that no letter is missing from them except Tit alone: “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, punishing children and grandchildren for their fathers’ wrongdoing, to the third and fourth generation.” 2 When the True One called out the first ten before him, the Glory took them up again and proclaimed ten as well. When the True One proclaimed, Moses was not permitted to proclaim; but when the Glory proclaimed, he was permitted to begin the ten. The ten that the Glory proclaimed began with “the Lord” and ended with “faithfulness”; the ten that Moses proclaimed began with “the Lord, slow to anger” and ended with “fourth generation.” 3 Where is there one like Moses, and who can be compared to Moses, a prophet with no equal among all humankind? When God revealed himself to him in the bush, twenty-two letters stood written before him in a consuming fire, and by them Moses explained the Law. They are the roots of the words of the Hebrew language. Picture him as he wrote the Law and divided its sections as God had commanded him: from the first portion he left out Tit, and from the second portion he left out six letters. These are Nun, Simkat, Phi, Tsadi, Qof and Taf. 4 Moses explained the holy Scripture only by the command of God. The Glory and the assembly of all the angels on high and the Ancient God were gathered when he wrote with his hand, and they stood and magnified his commandments and gave instruction for what was to be done. The Divinity appeared and established the creation, and the Glory revealed and magnified goodness, and the angels came to magnify honor. All of them gathered beside Adam. The Divinity formed him and breathed into him the breath of life, and the Glory perfected him with a great spirit and clothed him with two crowns of great light. The Divinity gave him perfect knowledge, and the Glory gave him a strong light. The Divinity also honored him with speech, and the Glory honored him with complete wisdom. The angels were witnesses to what he did, and all of them gather in every place where God is remembered in truth. 5 Let us come back to the words that concern us, and inquire into the roots of wisdom: why were the sections of the Law not written with all twenty-two letters, but written with seven missing? I have revealed them to you so that you may understand. As for there being seven, no more and no fewer, it is good for us to inquire into this mystery. 6 Tit, Nun, Simkat, Phi, Tsadi, Qof, Taf. Look at this mystery, which God set before you on purpose. I have shown you the letters, and their number too; it is good for you to understand them. Their sum is seven hundred and eighty-nine, which points to a great matter. The first is Tit and the last Taf, nine at the beginning and four hundred at the end. Each one makes known its own place before it speaks and does its work, made complete by all wisdom. For wisdom is a lamp that burns in the heart, and any heart with no wisdom inside it as a companion is like a blind man groping in the dark. The wisdom of knowledge is a ladder set up from the heart to the Dwelling. If the heart is upright, it sees every wonder as it truly is. When the heart of Jacob was full of the spirit of wisdom, every good thing was revealed to him, for the wisdom in him was a true wisdom. He lay down to sleep, and every honor appeared to him: he began to sow and became the harvester. Thanks be to the King who repays every deed according to the perfect work that came before it. 7 This is a good garden with every good tree in it, whose fruit is perfected from the Dwelling on high. 8 This is a good garden with every good tree in it, whose root is in the earth and whose leaves are in the Dwelling. 9 This is a good garden with every good tree in it, planted in the Dwelling and grown on earth. The Divinity planted it, the Glory tended it and the Truth covered it until Moses came. This is a well of living water dug by a prophet whose like has not arisen among humankind, and the water in it comes from the mouth of the Divinity. Let us eat our fill of the fruit in this garden and drink the water in this well. We do not need to seek it in a place we cannot reach: it is not in the heavens, nor across the sea; it is made in the mouth and in the heart. How terrible for us, since we fail to do it, and it is far from us. We do not know it, though it came down from heaven, was given to us and was entrusted to us as it was to them. It was within the light, and the Glory was its working, for it is the word of God. He wrote it with his hand and a prophet received it with exalted signs. The Lord came down and met with him, and gave it to him from his right hand into Moses’ right hand and entrusted it to him. 10 So we have abandoned this faith and become lying men, thieves: we have lied against the truth and followed our own desires. How terrible for us for our deeds! We have stolen wisdom and hidden it, so we need to learn from outsiders. Our knowledge falls short of what we once had, and we do evil deeds. How long will we die without feeling it, with no one to rouse us from either this or that? How long the punishment, and we are not ashamed? If it were a book of praises, it would still be evil. How long will shameful deeds appear among us at all times, and we not be ashamed of them? How often we are called, and we do not answer! How often the Truth has testified of us, calling us firstborn sons, a holy and treasured people, priests and also kings, a heritage and the chosen; he gave us his Scripture and honored us with knowledge of him, crowned us with holiness, made us great with commandments, carried us on eagles’ wings, brought us through the sea, sweetened for us the water of Marah, fed us the manna, let us hear his voice and honored us with his Scripture. Who among all the nations has been honored like us, or made as great? How could we let ourselves be torn away from this wisdom, when the great prophet Moses is our teacher? How could we need others, when everyone needs us? What we have done is evil: we have hated the heart of truth, and we have loved evil deeds. This heart of ours has grown out of stone. Today we find ourselves in distress, and we take no pity on ourselves. What is this evil work? All of it answers to the desire that rules over us, clothing us in darkness of heart and destroying our knowledge, so that we need outsiders to teach us. If we turned back and circumcised the heart, the glory that left us would return. Turn back to God, and you will find him merciful, accepting everyone who repents and returns to him. 11 It is good for us to come back to the words we were examining. When God made his voice heard on Mount Sinai, exalting Moses and showing his perfection, it was as if Israel were saying, “Is the Lord of the world not speaking with Moses?” His greatness appeared and spoke with him, and they all listened there in fear. They said to Moses the faithful one, “You go near and listen, for it is not for us.” 12 Where is there anyone like Moses, the apostle of the True One, the faithful one of God’s house and his servant? He drew near to the holy thick darkness where the Divine One was, and he saw the hidden wonders, a sight no one else could see. The image rested on him; how fearsome it was to anyone who looked, and no one could stand before it! His mouth was a Euphrates whose living water rolled on that quenches the thirst of everyone who drinks. His tongue was like a drawn sword, quick to anger and quick to turn it back. His heart was like a garden whose every fruit is life and blessing. His thought was like the tree of life: whoever eats from it does not come near death. His understanding was like a pleasant dish whose taste is the taste of truth. His mind was like a lampstand whose lamps are trimmed by the King who made them; whoever is guided by it never strays, for its light goes before him to deliverance. With his hands he received God’s own writing, and it was a treasury of all wisdom. He mingled with the angels on high and lived among them, worthy of it. His speech was like the speech of his Lord, and he did everything his Lord told him. His voice joined the voice of his Lord, and so he was raised above all humankind. He set his feet in the great fire, and it was like dew under his feet. 13 Where in the world is there a prophet to equal Moses in the signs he showed and the wonders he performed? How often he was honored, how often exalted! Not even a person of great knowledge can grasp the greatness of Moses. Thanks be to God, who made him worthy of all this and set him in a place no one else has held. He struck down the Egyptians, Pharaoh and all his army, and his Lord honored him in the sight of both orders. He was a shepherd of sheep before the mountain. He built a home perfect in every glory, until his Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire with many wonders. He hurried to him in holiness until he stood in great glory, and there he stood while his Lord called him, until he stepped into the fire and He spoke with him. When he came before Pharaoh the unbeliever, wonders were his crown: he trampled down his might, turned the water of the river into blood and brought frogs out of it, brought gnats out of the dust and swarms throughout the land of Egypt, made soot and ashes, and brought destruction on people and animals. He opened the sea with great might and closed it with great strength. 14 See how he killed Pharaoh and all who were with him, and set Israel free with all who went with them. See him sweeten the water of Marah with a piece of wood and bring water out of the rock. See him stand with his hands raised in the war against Amalek, until he struck down Amalek and all his band. See him live in the cloud with great power, all the angels on high arranged around him. See him pray for Israel’s rescue after the calf was made. See him ascend to the Glory, until he was exalted by the proclamation of His mouth. See him build the tabernacle and complete it as God commanded him. See him teach Aaron his brother the great blessing, as the True One had taught him. See him stand before the rock and bring out water, and all Israel drank. See him pray for Miriam’s healing for Aaron’s sake, so that there would be no blemish. At first he did not pray for her, and then he was afraid there would be an evil memory. 15 See him explain the law and write it down at God’s command. See him stand while Tit, Nun, Simkat, Fi, Tsadi, Qof and Taf spoke with the great prophet Moses in great force, each one pressing its request, for they saw that he had written their companions before them at the heads of the sections, while they themselves were not written at the beginning or in any section of the writing. Even if they were lacking in the writing, there was no lack in the words themselves; he would supply what each word needed, and not one letter would be missing from them, for no word holds all the letters. The great Scripture lacks them at the heads of the sections that he divided with his great ability. See how each of these letters speaks with the great prophet Moses, speaking with greatness!

1 Tit said: “Why was I not placed at the head of the sections, as my companions were, when my name is not at the beginning of Genesis? Was I not a crown, complete in every good? Did I not stand before Adam when he was choosing every choice thing? Did I not stand with the righteous and make their hearts my home in greatness? Did I not run to Joseph and make him great in the land of Egypt? Did I not stand with you to exalt you in every place where God set you, when I had no place in the proclamation of the words God called out on Mount Sinai? I pleaded until it was revealed to you, and God appeared and wrote me before you. Why was I not written at the head of this section, the section that was written before me? From your light comes light for the whole world. How can this be, when everything is done by your hand? Your speech is the speech of God, and all that you reveal is his work.” 2 The great prophet Moses answered it and said: “Your greatness, Tit, is known in everything, as is what was done for you in the world, just as I became the head of the distress in the world that the serpent caused and revealed to all its generations. When your greatness was mighty and abundant, you were repeated in the proclamation. The Proclaimer gave me light, and I took you from the beginning of Genesis and made you great, as God showed, and he made the world great through you. He revealed it in great light and commanded me to multiply its generations for your sake. This great honor done to you is a memorial that multiplies children in the womb, and everyone born through you is wholly at peace, for you nurture them until they are grown. 3 “So I taught Israel what God commanded me and proclaimed the Ten before them in greatness: ‘so that your days may be long’ and ‘so that it may go well with you.’ How terrible for the person whose days are lengthened in great evil, cut off from good, in great suffering! It was said of Jacob, ‘a perfect man,’ and he was upheld by ten good deeds. When his mother received the word about him, she saw great wisdom in him. When he came out into the world, his rank was high. When he grew to maturity, he took hold of all wisdom. He kept up the home of Abraham his grandfather and did not leave the home of Isaac his father empty. That is why it was said of him, ‘And Jacob was a perfect man, living in tents.’ God blessed him and his father. He made a vow and kept his vow. His brother’s heart was turned to peace, and hostility turned into love. 4 “Do not be troubled at any deed except the deeds his four sons did on four occasions: the first by Reuben, the second by Simeon and Levi, the third by the same two, and the fourth by Judah. The first deed, Reuben’s, was that he made his father’s bed impure with adultery. The second, which Simeon and Levi did, was that they laid waste the city and killed its kings, and Jacob was afraid because of that deed, that a foreign hand would turn against them. The third was what they did to Joseph: they oppressed him and pressed hard on him. They took no thought for themselves in the face of God’s anger and had no pity on his young age in what they did. Ten times they provoked, and their sons learned the deed from them. That is why God said of their sons, ‘they have tested me these ten times.’ 5 “Consider the provocations they committed against Joseph. They turned their thoughts from good to evil and plotted to kill him, and they threw him into the pit. These are foreign hearts! They thought they could hide the sun that shone from Jacob. They sat down to eat bread with great hardness, for they needed it and ate their fill. In great fear they stood before him and sold him. The deed they did was evil, and they ate up the silver paid for him, an evil deed toward their father. The blindness of their hearts brought them deep shame: they deceived their father and became like Cain going out to the field and killed Abel. They did not know that Joseph’s heart was pure and that no evil would ever come near it. The fourth deed, Judah’s, was grave, in that he committed sexual immorality. 6 “Because of these four deeds they had done, Pharaoh asked Jacob about the days of the years of his life. See what he did and how he answered. He did a deed that Joseph had taught him, and he answered as God had said; but Jacob’s days should never be evil! There the wise man taught his sons what lay ahead of them in the neighborhood where they were to live, and how the Favor would strike them. In the same way our Lord revealed to Abraham what we would say, and how all our days we would walk in evil and not turn back.” 7 Tit is exalted in what happened to it from the beginning to the end. When Tit came to know the glory with which it had been honored, it was joyful and understood why it had not been written at the head of the sections of the law, and that three great portions had been made for it. The first portion is at the beginning of Genesis: the Lord of the world made it a crown for Tit. The second portion exalted the righteous and increased every honor for them wherever they lived. The third portion exalts children in the womb, so that they come out whole into the world. Let the mind grasp this mystery and know what has been said about the letter Tit.

1 See how Nun comes speaking on its own behalf: “If Tit had all these merits, my Lord made me great in ten roots. Through my number the four came into being and creation grew. If there are ten roots, God appeared and divided them. I came to the Sabbath and stood before it, and took from it a share of its greatness. I came to Noah and joined him, and his Lord commanded him to possess me and made me a root of his name; he was joyful at it and knew that it was an honor for him.” 2 And it said to Moses: “I came to you when you were thrown into the river, and I let no hand reach you. I revealed myself to you in great signs and made you strong with great power. I served you from one shore of the sea to the other. I roused your brother and was a holy crown on him, and his portions were in my number, for they are great portions with nothing impure in them, every one of them holy. I appear in the name Aaron and in the word Mishkan, the tabernacle, both made by my number, and so the God of all sought from Aaron and from the tabernacle a lasting rank. I exalted Phinehas and made a place for him, and I will never be removed from it, for it is the root of deliverance: the great priesthood is his and his descendants’ after him.” 3 “Know your greatness, Nun, for there is no letter like you. You are a root in ‘prophet’ and ‘priest,’ a portion for me and for Aaron my brother, since there is nothing like the priesthood and the role of a prophet. So there is none like you among all the letters.” 4 “Aaron’s clothing came from my clothing. How can an outsider reach us? No outsider can come near to put on any of the garments made for Aaron. Will his sons, anointed with the oil of greatness, not help him and stand with him?” 5 God revealed this honor to us in ten advantages entrusted to them. They are all anointed with the oil of greatness, and an outsider who comes near is to be put to death. Aaron offers true sacrifices, and his sons with him; they all go into the tabernacle, and no outsider comes near. He offers true sacrifices, and his sons with him; they go into the sanctuary, and no outsider comes near. Nothing of what is holy leaves the sanctuary for the outside; the fire devours it at their hands. No outsider shares with them the bread of the offerings that are in their hands. So too with the blessing God taught them: no outsider has a share in it with them. They burn it in fire in the tabernacle. Who can come near to that place? Who can stand before the cherubim when the voice of God speaks with him? Who can begin the words of the prayer for forgiveness with his sons beside him? Who can compare with them when they finish it? Who can speak a single word with them? Who can be made pure as they are made pure, or be made impure as they are made impure? Who holds a rank as lofty as this? All of them wear the crown of the prophetic role. Where in the world is there anything like the priesthood? 6 Nun was its beginning and its end. “This is yours alone, Nun, what was done for you; you need nothing else.” “People of this generation, stay faithful to this and know why I was not put at the beginning of the section: it begins the role of a prophet and ends priesthood. The divisions of the priesthood and the breadth of the tabernacle are in my number, and so its length is double my number.” “So Aaron had to rise up in the service of the sanctuary, for the rank of the priesthood is very great, and the head of every honor is in your hands.” Know, Nun, all the honor with which God has honored you: the priesthood stands in you forever and ever. How terrible for the person who has a light before him and still walks in thick darkness! This light is the light of the priesthood, which shines on the whole congregation of Israel, and by it they are led. It is not right for us to abandon this great light that exalts us in every generation. Who will there ever be in the world like Aaron, or Eleazar, or Phinehas, or the branches that came from them? 7 The covenant was made to exalt Israel, as God said, “And it shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood”: good news for him and for Israel! Every enemy of theirs will be cut off before them, as he said, “Crush the lower backs of those who rise against him.” 8 Thanks be to God the Merciful, who honored the priesthood and raised it above every rank!

1 When Nun had finished speaking with Moses the prophet, the Simkat came, stood before him and said: “Great prophet, why do I have no share at the heads of the first sections of the law? I revealed my number to Isaac with greatness and established from him descendants who inherited his rank. With my name I clothed him: the redemption of the congregation. The answer came in my name and in my measure, and God made me a root for every honor. Through me judgment will be turned back, and through me Aaron will stand. I will be in his mouth on the day when anger and truth are shown as they truly are and good is raised up, when the Glory appears and all the angels are joyful, when God shows mercy and holiness increases, and his mercy spreads out on the day the congregation is set free from the sins that have multiplied upon it. 2 “Congregation, stay faithful to that day and know the honor of the day on which evils depart and do not return, the day on which the Time of Disfavor is cut off from the world and the Favor is revealed, the day on which distress is lifted and no one is left in slavery. Consider the greatness of that day and stay faithful to it; do not be left without its honor. How good that day is! Happy are all who are loved on that day! The Lord forgives every soul that is sincere in it. Give thanks to God, who revealed it to us and made it a jubilee on which every soul is set free. 3 “You who are weak, strengthen your strength and take hold of the great honor prepared for you. You who are oppressed, ask for relief and rest. You who are bound by sins, hope for forgiveness, and meet that great day with ten good ways: holiness of thought, purity of body, truthful speech, a good store laid up, great decency, perfection in deed, a sincere heart, a ready mind, firm strength and much repentance. These are what exalt the one who has them. See the honor of each of them, and exalt each one according to its rank. 4 “Holiness of thought: it devises nothing abominable, only good. Purity of body: it does not come near anything unclean, and it guards itself from incurring guilt. Truthful speech: it keeps the self far from every evil desire and swears never to go near it, never testifies falsely against a neighbor and never curses the deaf. A good store laid up: let your store be a good store, so that you find it in the last days. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbor, which is an evil store, but seek from your God a true store, which is the beginning of the fear of the Lord of the world, for whoever fears him is afraid of nothing. The fear of God is a great store that exalts the one who has it at all times. Great decency: joy comes close to it, and the one who has it must keep the commandments God commanded, for is it not written before him? Perfection in deed: one does not commit three evil deeds. He does not kill a person, he does not bow down to an image, and he does not have sex with a married woman. Sincerity of heart lies in the fear of God, never being apart from it, for the fear of God is a ladder whose steps are life, giving life to whoever climbs it. 5 Whoever fears God does not come near an evil deed; he knows it stands before him, and he never comes near it. Whoever fears God has love, and whoever loves does not disobey him but walks in his paths, and whoever walks in his paths is clothed in his will. Perfection of knowledge is knowing that the Lord is God and there is no other besides him. The beginning of wisdom is when a person knows the might of his Creator, trembles at his greatness and is in awe of his power, for he is wise in everything hidden and everything revealed, and there is no other beside him. Happy is the one who sets himself in obedience to his Lord at all times and uses his strength to stand in righteousness, a strength that exalts every strength and increases prayer. For whoever teaches does not lead his teaching into foolishness, but exalts everyone like him. If you have all this, you are crowned with every honor; and know that you will meet the day of the fast made perfect in every kindness and every good.” 6 When the Simkat understands what was done for it from the heart of honor and revealed to it, it will make forgiveness great, and from it will come the redemption of souls. It serves the priesthood and also the role of a prophet, so that no word goes out in vain. Once the Simkat had established these things, it stood firm in its measure, neither more nor less. 7 Give your heart to this, chosen one chosen by God: do not change what your God has taught you. Whoever squanders what is his own, how should he seek what is not his? If you waste what is yours through your evil desires and then come on purpose to seek what belongs to others, shame on you always, you who lack understanding, for what you have done to yourself! How long will you be punished for your evil deeds? Even if they were praises, they would be evil! How long the sins, how long the poverty, how long the cursing, how long the fathers fathering children who are not theirs? How long houses empty of their people, how long vineyards planted and bringing no return? How long will your ox be slaughtered and everything you own plundered before your eyes? All this comes from the evil you have done and your hurry to do it. You left the path of truth and walked in the path of evil. Hurry, come and wash in the basin of fear, for its immersion washes away every uncleanness and erases every sin. And the Simkat stands there sprinkling the water of purification, to make you whole, to give you rest from your weariness and to restore you to the rank you once had. 8 When the Simkat grasped this great matter, it took heart, put on kindness, and spoke a word of wisdom with Tit, its companion through all the generations of the world: “You and I stood together in action. You brought strength, and I brought greatness. You brought the garment of kingship, and I brought the garment of relief. You brought comfort, and I brought honor.” 9 Thanks be to God the Merciful, whose mercies are endless and whose might no one knows! Praise the King of eternal life, from whom all life is borrowed. Let us bow before his greatness and fear his great anger. People, hurry to ask of God that his mercy may draw near and our distress be relieved, for he is merciful and gracious, as he wrote about himself. 10 The Simkat stood before the great prophet Moses and said: “Faithful one, who explained the sections of the law, to whom God gave the role of a prophet, whom he clothed with his name and called by the names ‘servant,’ ‘man,’ ‘faithful in his house,’ ‘good teacher,’ ‘honored leader’ and ‘his lawgiver’: consider each of these words. 11 “‘The servant of God’: he stepped into the fire, and it was like dew under his feet. ‘Man’: the partner of power, for his power was revealed in all his deeds. ‘Faithful in his house’: when he had received the tablets and laid them in the ark, he could not come near them until he was called and spoken to. ‘Good teacher’: he heard instruction for Israel from his Lord, as he said, ‘as the Lord my God commanded me.’ ‘Honored leader’: he led all Israel, and their heart was with him, and no anger reached them. When they went astray and asked for a leader other than him, they fell into great evil, and destruction came heavily upon them; and if not for the prayer of Moses the faithful one, they would all have died like the people of Sodom. ‘Lawgiver of the world’: it tells us that he is unique, that no one like him has arisen and no one ever will. 12 “Who is there whose rank is like his? Through him God set Israel free from the house of slavery, and through him he revealed a faith that is enough for all, as his Lord wrote of him: ‘And no prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses.’ Let us exalt our Lord and believe in a prophet whose like is not found in the world.” 13 See the Simkat saying to him: “I stood with you at Marah, and also at Rephidim and at Hazeroth. Why did you leave me out, so that not one section of the law begins with me?” The great prophet Moses answered: “Enough for you is what you did with Sarah when she conceived Isaac and gave birth to him, and your standing with Israel in Egypt and at the Red Sea. You need nothing more than these deeds of yours.” 14 Let us exalt our Lord, who has filled us with every honor. Let us be humble before him, bow down to him and thank his power for its many good gifts. He made his commandments known to us, gave us a perfect law and showed us a righteous prophet, who taught us what holds every great honor beyond measure. What perfect excellence! What great rule! No nation but us has been honored with it.

1 See the Fi speaking, a speech that exalts whoever hears it: “Great prophet Moses, whom God set apart for the mission, and who opened before you the gate of the hidden world: I stood with you in seven places, and I did not leave you for a moment. As I stood at the beginning of Genesis, until I went out into the world in peace, I took my stand, opened the gate of light and placed seven gates inside it. 2 “The first gate, which was mingled with the darkness by the strength of its power, which He saw and set firm. The second gate, the gate of fire, made the root of all created things. The third gate, by which the sun grew great, the sun that took its strength from the fire. The fourth gate, which clothed your descendants in a rank of greatness, all of it comfort. The fifth gate, which clothed the stars in shining light that never fails, for their rule is in their hands and never ceases; as they were set, so they remain forever. The sixth gate, the great one, the source of all these gates. The seventh gate, which was shut until you came and then was opened before you: within it were the tablets, which were hidden until you came and then came down into your hands. That is the first place where I stood; see everything that was done in it. 3 “The second place: I stood in the earth and opened every good treasure in it, with which the Merciful One fills them with every honor, enough for those in need. The third place: I stood in the earth until you were made perfect twice. The fourth place: I stood in the water, until many wonders came out of it. The fifth place: I stood at the gate of the righteous and raised up their children. The sixth place: I stood with Isaac three times. The first time was when he was a boy and opened his mouth and asked a true question. The second time, his question was answered, and so it was there: he opened his mouth and blessed God his God, who chose him for this. The third time, he was clothed in great blessings, for himself and for his descendants after him. It is good for me to give thanks to the merciful King, who set me apart for that deed and chose it for me. 4 “The seventh time, I stood with you when you were an infant, cast into the river in the ark, and I opened the gates of wonders for you, until all your enemies were amazed. The first thing I did for you was to still the water, until the Egyptians were amazed at it, and still more when Pharaoh’s daughter took you up: she opened her mouth with good words, as I had done when I first saw you. The third time, I made your speech great, until I brought you to a high rank. The fourth time was when I went in with you, made your speech great and likewise your brother’s speech. The fifth time was when I stood in the sea and divided its waters before you. The sixth time, I stood before you and opened the gate of the cloud for you. The seventh time, I opened the two gates of heaven to receive your requests. 5 “All these were my deeds with you. I am the writing of his hand and the message of his word. After we were revealed to you, we came down onto your hand, and everything our God commanded is in your hand alone. Our Lord entrusted us to you in truth, and since we were his, he entrusted to you what was his, everything in the world. It was created with five of us, and with it it was completed: ‘In the beginning God created’ and ‘God finished.’ We are only like a hand, not the Creator, for every created thing has a new beginning and also an end, while we have neither a new beginning nor an end. As we were at the beginning, so we will be at the end.” 6 Then Moses answered these words with a true word crowned with wisdom, all of it light: “This by which you were set apart is great! You exalt me and creation. The light is yours, the earth is yours, the water is yours. The beginning of speech is yours, and the treasures of the firmament are yours. Isaac’s speech is yours, and Joseph’s speech with Pharaoh is yours. Everything that has been done for me came through your hand, and you are a great witness to it. The good news of honor to people is yours, for the mouth is the head of a person’s treasure: when it is opened, what is in it becomes known. If what comes out is choice, it belongs to the Lord; if it is worthless, it is thrown away. The one is rewarded and the other is known. So my Lord said to me and to Aaron my brother, ‘And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth.’ And when he honored me and revealed my honor, he said to Aaron and Miriam, ‘Mouth to mouth I speak with him.’ From this place your rank was made known, Fi: your Lord has given you all this great honor.” 7 Greatness belongs to God, in whose words there is nothing but wisdom; happy is the person who possesses it! People, learn; people, understand, and do not let yourselves be robbed of knowledge, for a person’s life is not the length of his days; a person’s life is the growth of his knowledge. How terrible for the person who is joyful in days in which God has no place! He is pleased with wealth that goes and leaves him; his brightness departs and nothing is left in his hand. But if he set some of it aside before it vanished, he is very glad. He has learned that wisdom is the head of all wealth, exalting its owner through all the generations of the world. He reaches it by this, by decency: whether in his life or in his death, his heart lives in the home above, and mercy is drawn to him like a sea of rolling waves, whose water makes life grow. The heart that shines with wisdom is good; its owner lives in the Garden under good trees. 8 Praise the Light that fills those who know with the spirit of wisdom, until they become like lamps shining in the world and pushing back the darkness. Were it not for those who know, the world would not be well ordered or decorated with kindness. Those who have knowledge are great in the world, so that their days are good and full of light. How good were the days of the righteous of the world! No evil thing was ever brought about in them. Let us always give thanks to the Mighty One, who made for us a holy Scripture, all of it life, blessings and mercy.

1 See the Tsadi standing and speaking with greatness, while everyone listens to its words, and Moses receives them, amazed at its speech. It said: “Great prophet Moses, you are the one whose heart shines more than the light of the sun. The sun meets the needs of souls in abundance, but you brought into being what souls live by. The sun’s rest is in the middle of the sky by day; its rule was made by the power of its Creator, and your heart lives in the home above by the word of the Mighty One who created it and set it there for you. You are the one who filled the earth with the light of life, which makes great the people who believe in it. Great prophet Moses, why do I have no place at the heads of the sections, when I crowned the heavens with all their wonders? I stood in the Garden and filled it with every honor. Was I not spread out over the earth, and did I not crown it? I stood in the hidden place and carried the speech of Sarah. I came down in the mouth of an angel with my whole number, increased it to perfection, revealed her distress and made her a wonder among women. I was with you when you went to Midian. I was beside you as you laid your heart open to the world. I was with you as you led the west wind against four lofty companies, and I called out among every one of those companies. I was with you and never left you, and I made you great as your Lord made you great. All this was done before your role as a prophet, and when it was announced I did still more. By my number I raised your standing, until you received me and set me up in the world from the first. I carried the speech of Israel and set it before the seat of battle, and I made faith in you and in God live in their hearts. 2 “Great prophet, whom God set apart above every prophet in the world: when I stood with you at the sea, I carried your cry up to the home in heaven, and the cry of Israel too, so that they went out in peace. I made your cry great at the waters of Marah, and I appeared to you at the hour when you cried out all these words. Through Abraham, who was the root for raising up descendants, Sarah grew great by my number, and Abraham by the number of my great companion.” 3 How great is the standing of the great prophet Moses in all the many wonders he worked at his Lord’s command! 4 When Moses heard these words, he answered with words that were wholly true: “Your share is greater than all this. Through you the creatures were brought to completion, and you need no other witness than this. So you are a beginning, and all good is yours, and more besides. At God’s command you were made the beginning of life. God wrote no commandment without your name, and you are found in it.” 5 For the Tsadi honored Sarah and stood by Moses, and by the people of Israel as well, in every cry that went up from them. Every commandment of the Lord is established by it; the Law bears witness to this, and it is plain before you. 6 You asked to be named at the beginning of the portions, and you are not cut off from that. Why should we do away with its mention in the Law, when it is with us? The reading is worth nothing, and prayer is not accepted, unless a heart full of repentance offers it. If we read and do not keep what we read, what use is that reading? If we pray with a heart turned toward another god, the prayer is not accepted and the petition is not answered. We follow the desire of our own souls, not the desire of our Lord. Every day we bind ourselves to idols, and we set aside the words of truth. How long the sins, how long the judgments? The Lord of the world does not want this from us. We ask for compassion, and there is no merit in us. We ask for good things, and no upright conduct shows in us. We ask for mercy without fear. We ask for relief without humility or regret. What mind could bear this or hope for it? I am afraid we will be swept into the hands of wicked men who covet what is ours, for ever since Adam we have seen it: the companions of evil are the enemies of the companions of truth. Cain loved evil and killed Abel, and so brought evil jealousy into the generations of the world. In the same way we have seen those who lack wisdom set against those whose minds are full of light. We found this with Lot and Abraham: when they were together, they were not at peace. And again with Joseph and his brothers: when they saw that he was wise, they hated him. 7 How terrible for anyone whose heart is like that and who does not hurry to learn what he needs! That is why he warned us and wrote for us, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.” Evil is the hatred that evil loves, and good is the hatred in which the truth is joyful. See the hatred in which evil is joyful: the hatred of the son of Shelomith, who was stoned before the congregation and was not left among the living, and many like him went with him. And see the hatred in which the truth is joyful: the hatred of Phinehas for the doers of evil. When he rose up and showed his zeal, he gave life by it to himself and to all his descendants after him; he rescued Israel from judgment, made atonement for them and held back the plague. Such hatred is life through and through. 8 Happy is the person who makes it his portion! Praise to the great Powerful One, who revealed life to us, all of it teaching, by which we live forever.

1 See the Qof hurrying to reveal words overflowing with blessing: “Peace be upon you, great prophet, for even more than this is fitting for you, since your standing is great through the honor of your Lord. God revealed these things to no one but you, and our secrets are not kept from you. My honor was revealed long before you, from the holy day on which our Lord rested; our Lord sanctified it by my name. Truth is in it as well, and I live in every heart. My standing was great in the heart of Enoch: I entered it and revealed his perfection. I stood in the mouth of Enosh and revealed his goodness. I set my seal on the heart of Noah and made his glory great. In Abraham I completed his merit. I stood with Isaac and raised his rank. I walked with Jacob and lit up his understanding. I taught Joseph and increased his wisdom. This great perfection was brought about through me. I lived in your heart and did not leave you, and wherever I went I was led by your light. I clothed Aaron with a crown of holiness from you; at your request your Lord honored you and did it, and so a priesthood was made for his descendants that will never change. I live in the Tabernacle and make the congregation great. Why was I not named at the beginning of the portions, like my companions that were written down, with which all the portions of the Law begin?” 2 Then the great prophet Moses answered these words with words that enlarge the one who hears them: “To you, Qof, belongs more than that. Abraham was made great by your number and brought to perfection. The Sabbath stood through you: you made it great and revealed its glory to every generation. On the day the congregation of the Lord was set free, you revealed the salvation that makes their kingship great. In it Israel is joyful, set apart in holiness.” 3 And the faithful prophet spoke a word wholly true: “Be at rest, blessed letter, for while you stand there is life, and when you fail we die. When you are established there is life, and when you cease there is ruin. There is more well-being for the congregation that keeps you, and loss for the congregation that lacks you. How terrible for the generation in which you are missing! There will be no light in it, and no one will be found there to turn back from sin.” 4 Then it stood up and answered him, so that the generation might turn back to the truth: “Hidden things and revealed things belong to the Lord; when he wants, he acts. That is a house of provocation, and everyone in it is wicked. Congregation, keep your heart away from that house and do not cross over to it, for it is not in your power to change it. If you hate it, your honor will rise above what it is now; if you love it, it will be your end. If you say, ‘I will not cross over to it,’ the name of the Lord will be called over you and all your enemies will fear you. The glory of your fathers will remain with you, and what they established for you by covenant will never be changed. Wake up to what you understand of the perfect deed that makes its doer great. Wake up, people, to this wisdom, and learn it with a believing heart! If you are empty of it, the Law will not be handed to you, and you will be left with only your own deeds. 5 “The Powerful One is great, who did not make you depend on the teaching of outsiders or the wisdom of fools, but gave you a writing full of life, written with his own finger and handed from his right hand to a faithful prophet, complete, crowned with signs, made great with wonders and strengthened with miracles.” This is a great matter! By it Moses was made great and raised above every human being. His Lord’s testimony about him is: “No prophet like him has arisen, and none ever will arise.” 6 He is the prophet whose role as a prophet is a treasure that will not be taken from him as long as the world lasts: father of wonders, storehouse of miracles, companion of the covenants, light of both worlds, sun of prophecy, with no prophet like him among all the children of Adam. The living listened to him and the dead feared him; heaven and earth never disobeyed his words.

1 See the Taf standing and speaking with the great prophet Moses, speaking grandly: “I am from the beginning. I stood in Bereshit, when the world was formless and empty. Through me the True One made the elements grow, the foundations of creation. I opened the gate of good and stood with Abraham in great perfection. My Lord made my goodness pass before him and revealed to him every great wonder, and hid from him nothing of what he would do or of what would come about through my number. I was a record for him and for his descendants at its completion. The armies of the Lord went out and put on what I had spoken, and all honor was theirs. Was I not a seal on what was written, to make great all that was done, so that every good thing would grow through me in time? How terrible for all who are found in it: a time that overturns everyone found in it, as suffering pours over them! The congregation will scatter after foreign gods, sacrifice to demons and provoke our Lord. It will go badly for them; it will be a time of loss, a world in which they provoke God with their abominations. 2 His anger will be revealed: he will kill the fathers, bring the sons to an end and abandon the women steeped in uncleanness. They will build places of evil and abandon the places of the True One. The True One will withdraw; the days of Favor will be hidden and the Time of Disfavor revealed. The world will be in distress over the many blessings taken from it. Their head, Righteousness, will be humbled by the apostasy of its children, and Evil will be delighted with what it sees there. Evil will say to Righteousness, ‘What is this loss that has come upon these children of yours, who were like the stars of heaven in their greatness and number, whose Lord took pleasure in them and comforted them with goodness? I am driven away before them at all times, like a mother who destroys her own children. I crushed Cain and all his descendants after him; I burned all the people of Sodom with sulfur and fire; Cush and his son Nimrod, the Egyptians and all their children, Amalek and his people: all of them ceased to be. Balaam, chief of the enemies of the Hebrews, was killed by the sword, and his town was laid waste.’ 3 “Then Righteousness answered at once and said: ‘Enough of these words you have spoken! I do not want children like yours, who burn in the fire. I have children too; see what happened to the children I raised. When Noah was righteous, I carried him on the face of the waters, and your children died. When Abraham was the same, I stood with him, and I caused suffering for those who tried to make him suffer. When Isaac was upright, I made him great and made all his enemies need him. When Jacob was the same, I turned his brother’s heart toward him and increased his peace. When Joseph was mine, I made him ruler over his brothers. When the faithful prophet Moses was my companion, he was great: he put sinners to death and did not pity them. If you are delighted with what you have seen of the overthrow of those who hold to the truth, I am not like you. The sinner goes to the fire, and I have no pity for him. If only a few are left, I will do at the end as I did at the beginning. At the end of the number I will appear in greatness and make them extremely great; as I did then, so I will do now, with growing kingship and readiness.’” 4 The great prophet Moses is exalted, who wrote in the portion in which he blessed Israel and laid a foundation that will never fail: “Congregation, why would you leave your stand empty of all this, abandon the light, walk in darkness and let outsiders bring ruin on you, when an open table is set before you loaded with every honor? Why would you be a slave, when you were destined for kingship and hold a high rank inherited from your fathers? Why would you walk after your enemies in shame, with no leader to bring your complaints to? God said to you, ‘They sit at your feet,’ and whatever is spoken from your mouth they will hear: Praise God, who chose you, Israel! And how terrible for you, Israel, for the choice you have made for yourself! Turn back to your Lord, who is merciful and compassionate and receives everyone who turns back to him. Repentance made in earnest is good, and his mercies are good. We are called a holy people: open the gate of goodness and enter it in peace, and live there in peace. Repentance is good: it opens on the Garden, whose trees are good. Happy is the one who gathers from them and eats their blessing! He will share in it, and his Lord will care for him; he will see every honor, anger will be lifted from him, his Lord will take pleasure in him, and his heart will be joyful wherever he is.”

1 When the seven letters already mentioned had finished revealing their merits as they wished, and their case had been made plain to the minds of those who understand, the others asked to speak of what they knew and what had been revealed to them. How great is the need to speak of them, and how great is their knowledge in every generation! The letters began to speak to the great prophet Moses as well: “You whom the Lord of the world chose from the time you were formed in your mother’s womb, and appointed from then on to bring deliverance: the letters that asked why they were not named at the beginnings of the portions, you showed each of them its rank. Why then were we written at the beginnings of the portions, when none of us holds a high rank?” 2 When the great prophet Moses heard this, he answered at once: “Every portion given a beginning with one of your letters stands rightly so, each in its own case; nothing is lacking there. Even if these had not been written at the beginnings of the portions, nothing about them would have grown or shrunk, and the book of the Law would still have contained them all, without lacking a single letter.” Then they answered him firmly and asked for what would make them great: “We ask you now to reveal our rank, as you did for our companions.” The great prophet Moses gave them an answer that enlarges those who hear it and honors those who learn: “Let each one begin, say its word and learn what its standing is.” 3 Then the Alaf began to speak words that enlarge everyone who has knowledge; let every discerning person listen to the words of wisdom set before him. The Alaf said: “See the honor by which I was made great. I was made the first of the letters and the beginning of the great name by which our Lord brought the world into being. I opened the gate of Bereshit, completed it with every wonder and made it great with every good thing. So the crown of kingship was made for you. You drew near to the thick darkness and lived in the cloud; you were crowned with light; you stepped on the fire and stood where no human being but you has stood. You called to heaven and it answered you, and the earth did the same. The waters fell still at your word and could not overturn the power that held them down, and when you stepped on the fire you made its strength light and walked in it. The angels honored you and raised your standing, and the Glory was revealed to you. I am the head of the proclamation of truth that the True One made in the hearing of the whole congregation, the call that woke their minds and bound their hearts to the truth: ‘I am the Lord your God.’ There Israel trembled and was alarmed, and had it not been for his mercy and great compassion, Israel would not have survived, when God made himself known among Israel and trembling seized their hearts. He began by reading ten words before them, so that it might go well with them. ‘And I am the Lord’ is the beginning of the words that honor you: your Lord, who was before Israel, ‘I am the Lord.’ How terrible for those who provoke him, for that deed brings them great harm! The good know that it makes them great, and the evil know that it is a judgment on them. God has taught us this and revealed it before us. Learn these words, so that you may prosper in all your deeds.” 4 The great prophet Moses answered it: “More than this is yours. You are the root of the opening of the mouth; no word leaves it unless you come first, for you are the beginning of ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh’ and ‘I, I am he.’ All this was done for you.” When the Alaf had finished speaking, the Bit came, stood and spoke: “Great prophet, whose rank has been raised through all the generations of the world, you are the faithful one whom God entrusted with what is past and what is to come. What was before creation was revealed to you, and what will be after the Day of Vengeance you know. Thanks be to God, who set you apart for this! Where in the world is there a prophet like you? Hear what I say: all wisdom has been learned from you. I am the first of the writing that your Lord commanded you to set out in clarity. The two tablets are in my number, and every good pairing is in me.” 5 The great prophet Moses answered it: “More than this is yours. You were made a root in many good things. You were joined to seven good visions; through you the light was completed, and through you the world was finished. Your greatness is more than this.” The Bit departed. 6 The Gaman came and began its speech: “Great prophet Moses, give me permission to speak, like my companions who have begun to speak. Was my name not made a delight to souls, adding wisdom and widening knowledge? Where I live there is no trouble, and where I appear there is no distress. I make the great ones great; wherever I stand, no one is great except by my name. The one who knows understands this and seeks it. Its light grows good and its perfection grows, for wisdom in the world is like a young dove carrying good news with love, and people of knowledge are like lamps that shine where they are and drive away the darkness. Thanks be to God, who made them so and made the light of their hearts greater than that of all people.” The Gaman finished speaking. 7 The Dalat began and said: “Great prophet, whose Lord made you great and made your mind greater than every mind, let my words be laid out before you, so that you may know my rank. I complete the body through the four elements, and by my number the rivers of the Garden of Eden were set flowing with strength. So the world was settled, with its corners. The Powerful One is great; all praise and exaltation belong to him!” Then the great prophet Moses gave it a fitting answer, one that enlarges those who know: “You are made great by what you say, for more than all this is yours. The number of the two great names was established in you. How terrible for anyone who blasphemes it! He will be stoned like the son of Shelomith, who was paid back for his deed. And by the great name with which my Lord honored me, he revealed my greatness through all the generations of the world before the eyes of every creature. You make the world great at all times. Get ready, good people, to hear what is spoken in your hearing: the Dalat does all this, and its greatness is above everything.” 8 The He came like a king with a precious crown on its head, stood before the great prophet Moses and began to speak: “Son of the house of God, companion of the covenant, trusted one of his divinity, entrusted with what is hidden and honored in what is revealed, who lived within the cloud and wore the shining of light, for which a great veil was prepared from on high to honor it, since it struck terror into the minds of Israel so that they could not look on its form: where is there a prophet like you? No one has arisen and no one will arise. You make great the great Power who sent you. Your Lord loved you and you loved him; he honored you and you honored him; what he commanded you, you kept, without adding or taking away. So you are a remedy for the good and a judge for the evil. Happy is the one who follows you and keeps the commandments that came down into your hands! How terrible for the one who does not listen to you, for he puts his soul in great suffering. Moses the prophet is exalted, who revealed these secrets to us!” 9 Hear the He as it speaks words that enlarge the learner: “My number was made the number of the name by which the world was created, and it was doubled in both great names, Ehyeh and YHWH. I sealed your name, prophet, and through me Abraham and Sarah grew great. I opened every narrow gate before you, so that nothing would be hidden from you, for you were created for this work and you are worthy of more than this. The world was revealed in you, and through you all who live in it were raised up. Whatever you ask of your Lord, he answers you. Ten times anger was revealed, and you asked your Lord to turn it back: 10 “The first time, when they made the calf and bowed down to it. 11 “The second, when they gave way to craving and searched for what had been stored away. 12 “The third, when they went up to break through and were told, ‘Do not go up and do not fight.’ 13 “The fourth, when they went up to spy out the land and see the good things in it. 14 “The fifth time, when the snakes were sent and bit the bodies of Israel. 15 “The sixth time, when the fire went out and burned the people with an evil burning. 16 “The seventh time, when they turned in their desire to set up a leader to take them back to Egypt. 17 “The eighth time, when they stood up to do evil in the sight of the Lord. 18 “The ninth time, when they made the circumcision impure by drawing near to sexual immorality. 19 “The tenth time, when Korah sought what was not his.” 20 “Be honored, He!” the great prophet Moses said to it. “I know the glory by which you were honored; that is why I made the books of the Law to your number.” 21 This is the end of what I found written before me in the Ark of Marqah, the Lord’s favor be upon him. Amen. 22 Blessed be our God forever, and blessed be his name forever. There is no God but One.