Original Torah: Ancient Words in a Modern Light

Guide for the Perplexed, Moses Maimonides (Rambam)

Translated into English from the Hebrew translation of Yosef Qapah, 1977
English translation by Benjamin Fleischer. Not to be construed as a scientific translation, but as an amateur attempt to convey the philosophy of this sage into the English idiom, 2002.

Section 1, Chapter 54
What Moses our Rabbi requested in his saying ‘Make me know, pray, your ways’, ‘Make me see, pray, your glory’, and on what he was answered, and in what he was answered.– An explanation of the descriptions of actions that are related to H’, and that are to Men results of personal reflections(?).– It is fit to the ruler to be similar in attributes in which H’ is described, not due to reflection but in fitting the need.

Guide 1:54

Know that the Rabbi of the Sages, Moses our Rabbi, upon him peace, requested two requests, and the response came to him for his two requests. The first request is, that he requested from Him, supernal, the He make him know Himself and his veracity. The second request and it is that which he requested first, that he make him know his descriptions. And He responded, supernal, on his two questions in that He promised to make him know all His descriptions and that they are His actions, and to make him known that his Self cannot be perceived as it is, but suggested a place of contemplation to perceive from it the end which Man can perceive, and that which he perceived, upon him peace, no Man perceived before or since. His request knowing His attributes is they said ‘Make me know, pray, Your ways that I know you etc.’, and consider what is included in this phrase, this is from the wonders, they said ‘make me know, pray, Your ways that I know you’ teaches on his being, supernal, known in his descriptions that if one knows his ways he knows him. And they said ‘that I may find grace in your eyes’, teaches that he that knows H’, he will find grace in His eyes, not he that fasts or prays alone, but all that know Him, he is the desired and closened, and he that flouts his knowledge*, he is disdained and distanced; according to the value of knowledge and flouting will be the desire/pleasure and disdain, and the closening and the distancing. And we have already displaced from the goal of our chapter, and I will return to the issue.

And when he requested knowing the descriptions and requested the forgiveness on the nation and was answered on the forgiveness of them, after that he requested perceiving himself, supernal, and he said ‘make me see, pray, your glory’, he was answered on the first request and that is ‘make me know, pray, your ways’, and it is said to him ‘I will pass all my goodness before you/on your face’, and it is said in response to the second question ‘you cannot see my face etc.’ But they said ‘all my goodness’ it hints to what he stands up before him all that exists and that upon it is said ‘and God saw all that he did and it was very good’, I intended in their standing up before him that he should perceive their nature and their connections this to that, that then he will know

Notes:

H’ is an abbreviation for the Divine Name YHWH, and may be pronounced here ‘ha-Shem’=the Name.

*directs his intelligence towards unimportant tasks