In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth,
seven things were created: the Torah written with black fire on white
fire, and lying in the lap of God; the Divine Throne, erected in the
heaven which later was over the heads of the Hayyot; Paradise on the
right side of God, Hell on the left side; the Celestial Sanctuary
directly in front of God, having a jewel on its altar graven with the
Name of the Messiah, and a Voice that cries aloud, "Return, ye children
of men."[1]
When God resolved upon the creation of the world, He took counsel with
the Torah.[2] Her advice was this: "O Lord, a king without an army and
without courtiers and attendants hardly deserves the name of king, for
none is nigh to express the homage due to him." The answer pleased God
exceedingly. Thus did He teach all earthly kings, by His Divine
example, to undertake naught without first consulting advisers.[3]
The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was
skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the
sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts. But God
dispelled her doubts. He told her, that repentance had been created
long before, and sinners would have the opportunity of mending their
ways. Besides, the Temple service would be invested with atoning power,
and Paradise and hell were intended to do duty as reward and
punishment. Finally, the Messiah was appointed to bring salvation,
which would put an end to all sinfulness.[4]
Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly created
by God. He made several worlds before ours, but He destroyed them all,
because He was pleased with none until He created ours.[5] But even
this last world would have had no permanence, if God had executed His
original plan of ruling it according to the principle of strict
justice. It was only when He saw that justice by itself would undermine
the world that He associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule
jointly.[6] Thus, from the beginning of all things prevailed Divine
goodness, without which nothing could have continued to exist. If not
for it, the myriads of evil spirits had soon put an end to the
generations of men. But the goodness of God has ordained, that in every
Nisan, at the time of the spring equinox, the seraphim shall approach
the world of spirits, and intimidate them so that they fear to do harm
to men. Again, if God in His goodness had not given protection to the
weak, the tame animals would have been extirpated long ago by the wild
animals. In Tammuz, at the time of the summer solstice, when the
strength of behemot is at its height, he roars so loud that all the
animals hear it, and for a whole year they are affrighted and timid,
and their acts become less ferocious than their nature is. Again, in
Tishri, at the time of the autumnal equinox, the great bird ziz[7]
flaps his wings and utters his cry, so that the birds of prey, the
eagles and the vultures, blench, and they fear to swoop down upon the
others and annihilate them in their greed. And, again, were it not for
the goodness of God, the vast number of big fish had quickly put an end
to the little ones. But at the time of the winter solstice, in the
month of Tebet, the sea grows restless, for then leviathan spouts up
water, and the big fish become uneasy. They restrain their appetite,
and the little ones escape their rapacity.
Finally, the goodness of God manifests itself in the preservation of
His people Israel. It could not have survived the enmity of the
Gentiles, if God had not appointed protectors for it, the archangels
Michael and Gabriel.[8] Whenever Israel disobeys God, and is accused of
misdemeanors by the angels of the other nations, he is defended by his
designated guardians, with such good result that the other angels
conceive fear of them. Once the angels of the other nations are
terrified, the nations themselves venture not to carry out their wicked
designs against Israel.
That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the Angels of
Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the heavens, from
which they may never stir, while the Angels of Mercy encircle the
Throne of God, at His behest.[9]