arts and sciences. The world is also constituted of four elements: the year is divided into four seasons-Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter: the number four being, therefore, so perfect, it was requisite it should be so, since the name of the First Cause is composed of it, although He does not require it.

Coming then to the solution of the questions: it will appear (according to the ideas of the Hebrew philosophers cited), that the Tetragrammaton and ' alike represent the substance of the Divinity; the latter being in the future tense, and first person singular, and the Tetragrammaton in the third person, forming, between the two, these three words 'n 'n Was, Is, Will Be. R. Judah à Levi in the "Cuzari,"26 and the learned Aben Ezra, on the 33rd chapter of Exodus, also explains, that the name is likewise the substance; for the Tetragrammaton is numerically 26, and the two letters ' written at full length, are also 26. And this is what the Lord said to Moses, " Say unto Israel, The Tetragrammaton and ' hath sent me unto you:" for on his enquiring what he should say, if they asked him the name of the Divine Essence, he answered the two names it signifies; R. Hasdai,27 and R. Samuel ben Jacob Almoli,28 understand the words own "what is his name?" to mean, in “what is his Being or Essence ?"

This name, therefore, being of such superior excellence, may not be pronounced with its points, as is shewn in the Guemara of Pesahim; 29 and the High Priest only pronounced it once annually, on the Day of Expiation, but so harmoniously, and with such variation of tones, that the pronunciation of it was scarcely heard or perceived distinctly; thereby signifying, that the Divine Essence is Unknown, Incommunicable, and Inexplicable: in testimony of which, we ought to avoid the pronunciation of the name indicative of it. Thus it is related in Leviticus, that the son of an Egyptian pronounced the name and cursed it on which account, that law was instituted, which says, "Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin," (which is excision ;) "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death,"30 that is, by the hand of justice; which interpretation all commentators give to the text. It is so grievous a sin, that in the Guemara of "Abodah Zarah," it is related, that the Lord permitted R. Hanania ben Teradion to be burnt by a Roman emperor, because he pronounced the name with its points.

It is not to be credited that all Israel, dispersed as they are in every part of the globe, would uniformly concur in a matter of this importance, if they had not received it traditionally as such from Moses: how much more so then, when the name is not found to be pronounced in any of the ancient Assyrian, Greek, or Chaldaic writings, from which it is collected that it never should be pronounced. If, for example, the ancient Egyptians feared to mention the name of their fathers, or even of any noted man amongst them, as Hermes Trismegistus informs us, with how much more reason is this respect due to the Universal Father of all, the Lord of the creation, and Great King of kings, whose essence is hidden from all, and of whom we can form no conception. A doubt here presents itself, which is, that the name Divine Substance as demonstrated, for what reason has it not the same excellence as the Tetragrammaton, in not being pronounced? The only persons

being also the

who started this doubt, and solved it, were R. Meir Aldabi and R. Moses Chequitilla: and they say, that although 's also demonstrates the Divine Essence, it is in itself less excellent; which is shewn from its being only a part of the Tetragrammaton, for numerically it is 21, the same as the three first letters, or ' of the ineffable name.

26 B. 4, art. 3.

27 Or a Shem, b. 1, c. 5.

28 Shaar Shem Hadash.

29 C. 10.

30 Lev. 24:15.

The reason of its beginning with an N is, in my opinion, because that letter consists of two D'T' (Yods) one above, and one, below, which makes 20; the intervening line across, represents the 1 or 6, which together amount to the same number as the Tetragrammaton, 26. So that 's is a name arising from the other, and therefore of minor excellence; as not only representing the Divine Substance, but also its connection with all beings who are dependent on the First Cause; and as it signifies a different thing, it is not termed (the peculiar name), and may be pronounced with its points; and so with the name "Jah," which has another meaning, i.e. Providence, and therefore, according to the ideas of our Hebrew philosophers, Philo Judæus, Maimonides, Aben Ezra, R. Joseph Albo, R. Isaac Arama, Don Isaac Abarbanel, R. Hasdai, R. Abraham Salom, R. Meir Aldabi, R. Samuel ben Jacob Almoli, and others, the question becomes solved.

The cabalistical theologians 1 (according to what is said in the "Ticunim,' ," and referred to in "Abodath a Kodesh,3) are of a different opinion; which is, that as the substance and being of the Divinity is totally unknown, nor can any conception be formed of it, no name can therefore entirely represent or demonstrate it, it is consequently almost their general opinion that the Divine Tetragrammaton (or quadriletter word) represents the world of emanation, in which are the ten sovereign lights (or attributes), and therefore they say it is called won (the explained) as through these lights God explained and communicated himself; as also that it is called (the peculiar), because, in the construction of its letters it unites all the emanations; to wit, in good writing the ought to have a point (or head) above it, representing a crown, the first and highest light; the itself is non wisdom, the second light; the is knowledge, the third; the ↑ which is numerically six; the six following, and the last is kingdom (or sovereignty). So that in this quadriletter name, they say, are depicted all the ten sovereign lights it represents; this is also stated by R. Asher in the "Ayhud,” and R. Perez in " Maarecheth a Elaut."

Now to know the meaning of a certain letter being such a light, and what foundation there is for the assumption, I have not found in any work; and although bold on my part, I shall, nevertheless, give my ideas, leaving myself open to correction by those who are more learned in Cabala than myself. Plato considered that the world, from the order which prevails in every thing, and pervades every part of it, was not produced by chance, and therefore says, it is positive it was formed by the Wise Understanding and Mind. And if the wisdom and art of the Supreme Maker made every part of the universe in perfect concordance and order, it was necessary that the plan of things so wisely formed should (according to our mode of speaking) have pre-existed in the mind of their Architect and Maker; otherwise, they would not be artificial, but produced casually. So these plans of the universe which preexisted in the divine mind, are termed by him ideas; therefore each of the elements have, in principle, an incorporeal form, from which participation they possess their natural properties, and these he calls ideas; and maintains that fire is really fire from formal essence, and the element of that quality would really be fire, by participating in such idea of the Divine Projector, and so of all the others. Now these ideas or plans in my opinion, according to my weak judgment, are the letters (of the divine language or mode of

31 A short explanation of Cabala and the Splendours or Sovereign light will be found in a note page 91.-TRANSLATOR. 33 C.9.

32

At the beginning.

speech).34 This is treated on in various ways; in the "Sepher Yeshira,” it is said that by the combination of letters, God created every thing.

R. Joseph ben Carnetol, explaining this in his "Shaaré Sedek,"35 observes, there is no word that by transposing the letters may not be formed into some other with a different meaning, as God; the letters being transposed form no: a crown, by transposition forms л an excision; the said work then states the progressive combination of letters; two letters form two changes, three form six; and proceeding thus, it is found that by letters combined in different manners are produced various words with different meanings; and that God, by a combination of his own divine letters in various ways, created the universe.

Nachmanides says that the words of the law by combination and transposition of the letters all form words that are names of God; and in the "Sepher Abitahon" it says all operations can be performed by these letters: from all which it is seen, that these letters were the seeds or ideas of every thing they represent those roots (or their equivalents) which were in the mind of the Sovereign Artificer.

This may also be so affirmed from another consideration, which is, they are numbers that are made use of; and Pythagoras constituted that they were the beginning of all things: from these reflections, it is allowable for us to say that such a letter is such a light or attribute, and such a one another; and this from the letters being patterns (or symbols) of every thing. R. Barahiel, in his "Peraquim,' "36 therefore says, that numbers proceeded from Him who was before all numbers, as they go not beyond ten. These lights are no more, and are denominated D in the singular, which is derived from numbers; they are numbers, each possessing the property of the number it represents. Thus these theologians, not without some reason, say that the Tetragrammaton signifies and represents the ten sovereign lights, in all which the divinity is infused; because the words formed by these letters are invariable, although they admit of twelve transpositions and combinations; namely,―

;ידוהיההו יוהה הוהי הויה ההוי והיה וההי ויהה היהו,היוה הויה,

37

neither of which says or means anything else than Being; for this reason Malachi says "I am the Lord, I change not." 38 For the Tetragrammaton name combined in any way is always the same; and, according to the Cabalists,

34 To explain this more amply, and avoiding any idea of materiality in the author's mind, we must reflect, that if we give human ideas form and tangibility by means of enunciated words or written language, so were the ideas pre-existing in the Divine Mind when brought into action by the expression or effect of his will; for the works of creation are represented by those works as intelligibly to human comprehension as words in a book; the various parts whereof being typical of the letters of that divine language actually spoken,* or thoughts conceived in the Divine Mind for their production, whose whole (humanly speaking) is the totality of the immense systems of the universe seen or unseen by man, and are similar, as far as comparison can be drawn between any thing divine and human, to letters and words forming parts of human language (spoken or written) whose resources are not definitely known, but expand as need requires for use.

* And God "said."-By the "word" of the Lord, by the spirit of his mouth. Gen & Ps. "My thoughts are not your thoughts." Isa. 55:8.-TRANSLATOR.

37 From the respect due to the name thus written, the second letter is not completed.— TRANSLATOR.

38 Mal.3:6.

this is the superior excellence of this name to which Don Isaac Abarbanel also refers. The second is, that this name, as the fountain and root, produces all others, and itself is derived from none; which is shewn by being written which are seventy-two; adduced in "Bereshit Raba," 38 "Yalcut,"39" Taniya," "40 and R. Joseph Caro in "Beth Joseph," 41 as one of the highest names, and was taught by the priests and wise men seven years to their equals in piety and virtue, from the pronunciation of it being extremely difficult and secret; the same is also stated in "Medrash Hazit."

once in

From this name also the divine number forty-two is derived, thus

11, by which R. Meir Aldabi 42 observes, the prophet Elisha cursed the forty-two boys who were torn by the two she-bears. The numbers forty-five, sixty-three, and one hundred and thirty, and many others are formed from it, as R. Joseph Chequitilla states, and, as it has been demonstrated, the names ' and ' also proceed therefrom. The same with pns, one of the seven names, quoted by Maimonides 43 from the Guemara, which is eighty-six, containing in itself two considerations; the first is, that twenty-six written in full is 11, which, numerically, is one hundred and twelve; subtracting twentysix from it, there remains eighty-six (which is the number contained in D's). These four letters written thus 181 87 71 make forty-five, which written at length is on, equal to eighty-six; so that this and many other numbers proceed from the fountain-source of the Tetragrammaton; this is the second excellence.

The third is (according to R. Moses of Cordova, in his "Pardes Rimonim "44), all the Divine names except this, are derived from some action or effect, as we may see in the following, the three names (considered as one),

(strength) אלות Eloa, are derived from אלה ,Elohim אלהים, אל

signifying that from the First Cause proceeds all power.

(Shaddai), is derived from 77 (Overpowerer), as it subdues the aspect and force of the planets.

(Tsebaot), is from NY (host), as to the Lord is attributed the mastery of all the hosts of heaven.

? (Ehyé) אהיה

ז (Ahya) היה

(Adonai), Lord, as He governs the entire machinery of the universe. Being, from all beings being dependent on Him. And, (Jah), is considered to represent His Providence.

To the Tetragrammaton alone no effect or action can be attributed, nor is it derived from any. Therefore, as the author cited proves, all except this venerated name are applied to other things in Holy Writ; from which consideration, as almost every Cabalist assumes, (if true,) that the Divine lights are emanations of the First Cause, and appertaining to it, like flames to the fire, or rays to the sun; or if the Divinity of the Lord is infused into them, then, by this mode, the philosophers and Cabalists agree, since by giving this appellation to those lights, it is given to the First Cause, which is infused and shines in them. Various other points of a more sublime nature might be said on this subject, in respect to the form of these letters, but which are omitted, not to extend it too far; particularly as those desirous of farther information can obtain it by referring to the very learned work of R. Abraham Cohen de Herrera, entitled "The Gates of Heaven." It need only be said, that it is stated by these theologians, in the book of "Zoar," that all creatures are

and you will see

depicted by this divine name, and which says, "Look at man, that the head has the form of the; the five fingers of the right hand, the first; the five of the left the other; and the line of body between them the 1; observe also the eagle, the head is the ', the two wings are the two 'ns, and the body in the centre the ;" by which they affirm, that there is no animal or plant in which the ineffable name is not depicted. And it is also found to be stated, in the most ancient works of Alato, Cecina, Trismegistus, and Zoroaster, the leaves of trees and plants are so many letters, teaching us the virtue of their roots.

In conclusion of this subject, it is to be remarked, that according to the Cabalistical theologists, Moses asking the Lord if he would tell him the name of his Divine Essence, received for answer, say "I AM THAT I AM” sent me to you (the children of Israel), equivalent to saying, What use is it to ask what is inexplicable, “I AM THAT I AM;" or, as the ancient sages 45 say, meant, that as He was with them in that captivity so would He be in others; and therefore, He then revealed to Moses the Tetragrammaton; and this He repeated, as He would manifest Himself by its representing the ten sovereign lights: and by that means would become known, although veiled in them; because His existence will be ever hidden from all, and cannot be explained by any character.

QUESTION 72.

Exod. 3:19. And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, and not by a mighty hand.

Exod. 6:1.

And with a mighty hand shall he drive them out of his land.

Where in the first place the Lord said to Moses, that the king of Egypt would not send them away with a mighty hand, how does it say the contrary subsequently?

66

RECONCILIATION.

Mighty hand" means punishment; and so Rashi understands the first text, "And I know and not with a mighty hand," that is, until I put my mighty hand on him, and punish him severely, as the verse following shews, “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite," &c., and he explains the latter passage in the same way.

The learned Aben Ezra understands it differently; he translates the verse thus: "And I know the king of Egypt will not let you go, not by a mighty hand;" for, according to Grammarians, the letter is often used instead of 111 (by) so that should be translated "by hand," as if he said, “I know the king of Egypt will not let you go; and this will not be by his mighty hand, or the great power he possesses, for as much as I will stretch out my hand and smite," &c. R. Bechayai considers it in the same way, but Onkelos, in his " Chaldaic Paraphrase," was the first that thus interpreted it.

R. Levi ben Gershon (as is collected from his words) adopts another gram

45 The roots of Hebrew words are different from other langnages: they are, with few exceptions, of three letters, forming the third person masculine singular, in allusion to the Deity, whose eternal existence is all we know of Him; that is, He is, He was, He will be, comprised in the three letters '. This subject is further treated on in Part III. Question 17, on Isaiah.-TRANSLATOR.