Index

Abbayé and Raba (Talmudic sages), 245 Asher ben Meshullam, 74–75 Abraham, 73, 154–159, 155–156nn52–54, Astronomy, 64n8 158n58, 166–168 Abraham bar Ḥ iyya, 4, 55–58, anti-Maimonideanism and, 36 56–57n90, 62, 64, 67–69, 70, 191 creativity and, 29, 29n5, 32 Abraham ben Axelrad, 186–187, knowledge of and, 120n53 186n131 Lebanon, explanation of term, 43 , 3, 135–139, 135n3, logical argumentation and, 160 166–167 philosophic ethos and, 143–144 Abraham ben Isaac, 3, 135n3, 246 Sefer ha- and, 213n66 Abraham ben Moses ben Maimon, 145 Ba‘alé ha-Nefesh (Abraham b. David), on Exod. 20:2, 232 135 on investigating God, 69, 70, 76, 80, Baḥya ibn Pakuda 80n65 divine unity and, 87, 138 Judah ha-Levi and, 129–131 hermeneutical techniques of, 88 on love of God, 89–90 investigating God and, 69–70, 80, 86, philosophic tradition and, 4, 62 137, 151–152 worship and, 93 love of God and, 90, 90n87 Abraham ibn Ḥ asdai, 156n54 on Psalm 100:3, 216 Aggadat Shir ha-Shirim, 46n56, 112, 177 Sefer ha-Bahir and, 198–199 R. Akiva, 116, 117, 118–119 worship and, 93, 198 Alef, interpretation of term, 203–205, B. Berakhot, 145n29, 147–148, 211, 212 148–149n35, 174, 177, 178 Alḥarizi, Judah, 71, 72–73, 164–165, Bere’shit Rabbati, 112, 177 175, 181, 199 Book of Beliefs and Opinions (Saadia ben Almohade invasion, 64 Joseph), 85, 90n88, 126 Anatoli, Jacob, 73–74, 92, 92n93, 247 Book of the Apple (Abraham ibn Animals, human beings vs., 220, 223 Ḥasdai), 156n54 Apple, explanation of term, 47–48, Book of the Commandments (Ḥ efets ben 47n60 Yatsliaḥ), 78–80, 83, 151–152 language, 4, 61–62n2, 63, 71, 76 Book of the Commandments , 6, 19, 249 (­), 150, 225, 227–228 Asher ben David Book of the Commandments (Samuel alef, meaning of term, 204 ben Ḥofni), 77–78 created world and, 160–161 on divine unity, 19, 137–139, Canticles. See Song of Songs 138–139n8 , philosophic tradition in, 21, epistemological analysis and, 144 64–65, 67, 95–96, 249 esoteric traditions and, 140–141n15 Chariot, account of the innovation and, 29 study and, 7, 246 intellectual effort and, 144 Maimonides on, 33, 39, 41, 59 investigating God and, 140–142, 189 Naḥmanides, 240 Kabbalistic scholarship and, 4 Rabbinic treatment of, 114–115 love of God and, 170–172 Sefer ha-Bahir and, 199, 201 Maimonideanism and, 36 1 Chronicles 28:9 Psalm 100:3 and, 213n66 Abraham ben Axelrad on, 187 recognizing God and, 104 Abraham ben David on, 136 270 index

Abraham ibn Ezra on, 129 Commentary on Tractate Berakhot Asher ben David on, 142 (Asher ben Meshullam), 74–75 Baḥya ibn Pakuda on, 70 Created world, studying of, 86, 160–161, Eleazar ben Judah on, 124 161n69 investigating God and, 67 Creation, account of, 7, 41, 59, 240 Judah ha-Levi on, 132–133 Creativity in first Kabbalistic writings, Rabbinic treatment of, 98, 106–108 2–3, 21, 27–60 worship and, 93, 95, 175, 177 Commentary on the Song of Songs Commandments. See also Halakhic and, 32–34 ­obligations esoteric traditions and, 34–41 First Existent and, 225 Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona and, investigating God and, 76–84, 41–60 80–81n65, 147, 150–151, 227–229 love of God and, 89–91 David ben Saul, 77, 144–147, reasons for, 36, 36n26, 60, 149 145–146n29 worship and, 177 Decalogue, 82 Commentary on Ecclesiastes (Samuel ibn Deuteronomy 4:39 Tibbon), 39–40, 51 Abraham bar Ḥ iyya on, 68–69 Commentary on Job (Naḥmanides), 58, Abraham ibn Ezra on, 69–70, 80n65, 242n73 129 Commentary on Avot Asher ben David on, 142 (­Maimonides), 71, 73 David ben Saul on, 146 Commentary on Sefer Yetsirah (Eleazar Eleazar ben Judah on, 124 ben Judah), 126 Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona on, 140, Commentary on Sefer Yetsirah (Isaac the 151, 228–229 Blind), 44n48, 162 Ḥefets ben Yatsliaḥ on, 79, 83, 152 Commentary on Sefer Yetsirah (Judah investigating God and, 66–67 ben Barzillai), 7, 78–79, 153, 214, Maimonides on, 72, 82, 83–84n71 215n67 Naḥmanides on, 218–219n8 Commentary on Sefer Yetsirah (Saadia Rabbinic treatment of, 98–101 Gaon), 7 Samuel ben Ḥ ofni on, 78 Commentary on the Bible (Naḥmanides), Deuteronomy Rabbah, 99–101 221–222 (cleaving to God), 17, Commentary on the Song of Songs (Ezra 222–223 ben Solomon of Gerona) Divine names, 46, 46n56, 46n58, 131, Abraham, depiction of, 157 185. See also Tetragrammaton Abraham bar Ḥiyya and, 55–56 Divine unity commandments, reasons for, 60 investigating God and, 152–154 creativity in, 31, 48–49, 59 knowing God and, 136–139, as early Kabbalistic work, 31, 31n11, 137–139n8 34, 38–39, 139 logical argumentation and, 160 esoteric meaning in, 41–42 love of God and, 171–172 investigating God and, 139–140 in philosophic literature, 79–80, Keter Shem Tov and, 186 87–88 love of God and, 167 Donnolo, Shabbetai, 126 messianic significance in, 32–33, Duties of the Heart (Baḥya ibn Pakuda), 59–60 69, 72–73, 74, 90n87, 137, 151–152, Commentary on the Talmudic Aggadot 156n54, 191, 198 (Azriel of Gerona), 43, 46n56, 46n58, 213n66 Ecclesiastes 1:13, 79 Commentary on the Talmudic Aggadot Eleazar ben Judah of Worms, 118, 122, (Ezra ben Solomon of Gerona), 123–127, 237 46n56, 46n58, 49, 163–164, 177 Eleazar ha-Darshan, 124n63 Commentary on the Ten (Azriel R. Eliezer, 174–175, 177, 178–181, of Gerona), 29, 29n5 183–184