T H E
K U Z A R I
Arguments in Defense of Judaism
By
Rabbi
Yehudah HaLevi
Original translation by Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld
Revised and edited by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 by Chanan Morrison
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“The Kuzari is holy and pure; and the fundamentals of Israel's faith and the Torah are contained within.”
Rabbi Elijah, the Gaon of Vilna (1720-1797)
Preface to this Edition
The Kuzari is a classic work of Jewish philosophy, completed in 1140 C.E. by celebrated Jewish poet and philosopher Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi. His goal was to defend Judaism against attacks from philosophers, Christian and Moslem theologians, and Karaites.
The book, composed of five sections, takes the form of a dialogue between the pagan king of the Khazars and a Jewish scholar who was invited to instruct him in the tenets of Judaism. It is loosely based on the true story of the conversion of the Khazar royalty and aristocracy to Judaism in the 8th century.
This edition is based on the 1905 translation by Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld of Jews’ College, London from the original Arabic. However, great efforts have been invested in order to create a work that is accessible to the modern reader.
— Archaic language has been carefully replaced by modern usage.
— The text has been revised and clarified according to the 1167 Ibn Tibbon Hebrew translation, as well as the 1973 Hebrew edition of R. Yehuda Kaufman Even-Shmuel.
— Long paragraphs, often spanning several pages, have been logically broken up.
— The beginning of each dialogue is marked clearly with a bold font.
— Hebrew words and letters are indicated by italics.
— Hebrew words in the section on Hebrew grammar have been transliterated.
— The Table of Contents is expanded and fully linked.
— In addition to Prof. Hirschfeld’s extensive introduction, this edition includes a brief biography of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi and a summary of the central arguments of The Kuzari.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Main Principles of "The Kuzari"
The Philosopher -- The Christian Scholar -- The Muslim Theologian -- Fundamentals of Judaism -- Tradition vs. Speculation -- The Parable of the King of India -- The Five Levels of Creation – The Common Origins of Humanity -- Creation vs. Eternity -- Defining Nature -- The Parable of the Fool in the Pharmacy – The Origin of Judaism -- How God Interacts with the Physical World -- The Golden Calf -- Connecting to God only through Commandments -- The Afterlife -- The Parable of the King’s Friend -- Converts
The King's Conversion -- Divine Attributes -- Anthropomorphisms – Special Qualities of the Land of Israel -- The Parable of the Grapevine -- The Day Begins in the Land of Israel -- Disloyalty to the Land -- The Temple Service -- Israel and the Nations -- Ascetism -- God is Glorified through the Jews -- Ritual Impurity (Tum'ah and Leprosy) -- The Rich Wisdom of the Torah -- The Superiority of Hebrew
Servants of God and Saintly Individuals -- The Sabbath and Other Holy Days -- Maintaining Harmony against Turmoil – Blessings and Prayers -- Benefits of Communal Prayer -- Parable to Explain the World to Come -- Karaites and Tradition -- The Oral Torah -- Rabbinic "Leniencies" -- God Alone Determines Divine Activity -- Scripture Records Only Public Events -- The Tradition Process -- Rabbinic Method of Scripture Interpretation -- Aggadah (Talmudic Homily)
God's Various Names -- Our Senses and the True Essence of Things -- Prophetic Vision vs. Philosophic Vision -- Astrology -- Other Religions and Philosophy -- Philosophers and the Pursuit of Knowledge -- Exile and the Other Religions as a Growing Seed -- Wisdom from the Book of Creation -- God's Oneness and Multiplicity -- Scientific Wisdom of the Sages
Using Dialectics vs. Relying on Tradition -- Presenting the Philosophers' Beliefs -- Creation and Prime Matter (Hyle) -- Accidental vs. Intelligent Formation -- The Glorious Creation Detailed in Psalm 104 -- The Elements -- The Human Mind and the Active Intellect -- Proofs to the Existence of the Soul -- Challenges to the Philosophers -- Principles of Kalam -- Predetermination (Fatalism) vs. Free Will (Initiative) -- Fundamentals to Foster a Belief in Free Will
Conclusion -- The Rabbi Yearns and Leaves for Israel
Introduction by Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld
RABBI YEHUDAH HALEVI
Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, the celebrated Hebrew poet and philosopher, was born in Toledo in central Spain around 1075; he died in the Land of Israel in 1141. It is likely that his father sent him to Lucena in southern Spain, to be educated in the various branches of Jewish learning at the school of Rabbi Isaac Alfasi, known as the Rif. It was probably in Lucena that HaLevi won the friendship of Alfasi's most prominent pupils, R. Joseph ibn Migas and R. Isaac ben Baruch Albalia.
Yehudah HaLevi chose medicine as his profession, but early on evinced a love for poetry and showed marked poetic talent. He was well acquainted with the work of the Arabic and the Castilian poets; yet the muse spoke to him in the old and sacred language of the Bible, in which "he sang for all times and places, soon becoming the favorite of the people" (Zunz). He also became deeply versed in Greco-Arabic philosophy. The early ripening of his poetic talent aroused the admiration of his friend and senior, the poet Moses ibn Ezra, who accorded him enthusiastic praise.
After completing his studies, Yehudah HaLevi returned to Toledo, where he soon acquired a medical practice so large that he complained of a lack of tranquility and leisure. He married in Toledo. From allusions in some of his poems, it is evident that his only child was a daughter, through whom he had a grandson, also named Yehudah.
Journey to the Holy Land
Yehudah
HaLevi does not seem to have been contented in Toledo, for he moved
to the Moslem city of Cordova. Even there he did not feel at ease.
Though personally he occupied an honored position as a physician, he
felt the intolerance of the Almoravid fanatics toward his
coreligionists. He had long yearned for a new, or rather for the old,
home — the Holy Land. This yearning was deepened by his intense
application to his religio-philosophical work and by his resulting
clearer insight into Judaism. At length he decided to set out on a
journey to the Land of Israel. For himself at least, he wished "to
do away with the contradiction of daily confessing a longing and of
never attempting to realize it" (Kaufmann). Therefore, after the
death of his wife, he bade farewell to daughter, grandson, pupils,
friends, rank, and affluence. There was only one image in his heart —
Jerusalem:
“Oh! Had I eagle's wings, I'd fly to you. And with my falling tears, make moist your earth.”
After a stormy passage, Yehudah HaLevi arrived in Alexandria, where he was enthusiastically greeted by friends and admirers. At Damietta, Egypt, he had to struggle against the promptings of his own heart and the pleadings of his friend that he remain in Egypt, which was free from intolerant oppression. He, however, resisted the temptation to remain there, and started on the tedious land route trodden of old by the Israelite wanderers in the desert. Again he is met with, worn out, with broken heart and whitened hair, in Tyre and Damascus.
Here authentic records fail. But Jewish legend has taken up the broken threads of history and woven them further. It is related that as he came near Jerusalem, overpowered by the sight of the Holy City, he sang his most beautiful elegy, the celebrated "Zion ha-lo Tish'ali." At that instant he was ridden down and killed by an Arab horseman, who dashed forth from a gate (Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah).
The life-work of Yehudah HaLevi was devoted to poetry and philosophy. His poetry is usually classified under the categories of secular and religious, or liturgical and non-liturgical. Such a division, however, is superficial. For the essential characteristic of HaLevi's poems — which are the expression of a deeply religious soul — is the lofty key to which they are attuned. Even in his drinking- and love-songs, an attentive reader may hear the vibrations of religion's overtones.
His Religious Poetry
If
one may speak of religious geniuses, Yehudah HaLevi must certainly be
regarded among the greatest produced by medieval Judaism. No other
individual, it would seem, drew so near to God as HaLevi; none else
knew how to cling to Him so closely, or felt so safe in His shadow.
At times the body is too narrow for him. The soul yearns for its Father in heaven, and would break through its earthly shell. Without God, his soul would wither away; nor is it well with him, except when he prays. The thought of God allows him no rest. Early and late, He is his best beloved, and is his dearest concern. He occupies the mind of the poet waking and sleeping; and the thought of Him, the impulse to praise Him, rouses HaLevi from his couch by night.
Although Yehudah HaLevi strives to be free from subjection unto many, he rejoices that he is subject to the One, whose servant he gladly designates himself; for he may win the grace of God throughout eternity. When HaLevi is ill, he hopes to be cured by God's grace rather than by the medicines he himself has prepared. Even during the voyage, amid storms and surrounded by rough sailors, over whom only the pilot has any authority, HaLevi finds peaceful trust in God. His poems composed at sea are among the most beautiful of his religious lyrics. In all situations in life, God is the friend to whom his heart turns in the fullness of its longing. If God is with him, all is bright in his "narrow prison," and sorrow's gloom dissolves in gladness.
Patriotism
Next
to God, the poet's people stand nearest to his heart: their
sufferings and hopes are his. Like the authors of the Psalms, he
gladly sinks his own identity in the wider one of the people of
Israel; so that it is not always easy to distinguish the personality
of the speaker. No other Jewish poet is so steeped in recollections
of the ancient history of Israel when singing of the tokens of God's
love to His chosen people. Whenever Yehudah HaLevi reflects on his
coreligionists, the reproachful question rises, despite his
reverence: "Why have You sold us to the oppressors?" "Shall
we be captives forever in a strange land?" "How long must
our anxious hopes drag on?" "When shall the morn of freedom
dawn for Israel?"
On earth, none can or will answer him. Yet while "Edom and Ishmael riot in the Holy City" and Israel everywhere is in bondage, his prayers shall wring from heaven the redemption of his people. How he prays for "new life," for "refreshment for the weary flower" — Israel! Through temporary resignation and despair, the poet fights his way to confidence and hope; for "the prophet has foretold all." He represents Israel calling upon God with tender persuasion to set him free.
Often Yehudah HaLevi's poetic fancy finds joy in the radiant thought of the return of his people. Then his words seem to be the music of the harp; and he summons Israel, "the dove in a strange land," to jubilant rejoicing over her triumphant return. The period of political agitation about 1130, when Islam (so intensely hated by the poet) was gradually losing ground before the victorious arms of the Christians, gave HaLevi reason to hope for such a return in the near future. The vision of the night, in which this was revealed to him, remained indeed but a dream. Yet HaLevi never lost faith in the eventual deliverance of Israel and in the eternity of his people.
Representative Character of His Poetry
The
remarkable and apparently indissoluble union of religion,
nationalism, and patriotism characteristic of post-exilic Judaism
reached its height in Yehudah HaLevi and his poetry. Yet this very
union in one so consistent as HaLevi demanded the fulfillment of the
supreme politico-religious ideal of medieval Judaism — the return
to Jerusalem. Though his impassioned call to his contemporaries to
return to Zion might be received with indifference or even with
mockery, his own decision to go to Jerusalem never wavered. "Can
we hope for any other refuge either in the East or in the West where
we may dwell in safety?" he exclaims to one of his opponents.
The songs that accompany his pilgrimage sound like one great symphony
wherein the "Zionides" — the single motive ever varied —
voice the deepest soul-life alike of the Jewish people and of each
individual Jew. The most celebrated of these "Zionides" is
found in every Jewish liturgy, and is usually repeated in the
synagogue on the Ninth of Av. The following is the English
translation by Nina Davis of the opening lines:
"Zion, will you not ask if peace's wing Shadows the captives that ensue your peace, Left lonely from your ancient shepherding?
"Lo! west and east and north and south — world-wide — All those from far and near, without surcease, Salute you : Peace and Peace from every side."
Synagogal Poetry
The
poems of Yehudah HaLevi which have been adopted into the liturgy
number more than 300. Every season, whether of sorrow or of joy, has
been enriched by his songs. The longest and most comprehensive poem
is a "Kedushah,"
which summons all the universe to praise God with rejoicing. These
poems were carried to all lands, even as far as India; and they
influenced the rituals of the most distant countries. Even the
Karaites incorporated some of them into their prayer-book. There is
scarcely a synagogue in which HaLevi's songs are not sung in the
course of the service.
The following critique of Yehudah HaLevi's synagogal poems is made by Zunz: "As the perfume and beauty of a rose are within it, and do not come from without, so with Yehudah HaLevi: word and Bible passage, meter and rime, are one with the soul of the poem; as in true works of art, and always in nature, one is never disturbed by anything external, arbitrary, or extraneous."
"The use of foreign (i.e., Arabic) meters destroys the essence of the Hebrew language, which is based on homophony and results in harmony," is the observation put into the mouth of the rabbi in HaLevi's Kuzari (ii., § 74), together with other original remarks on the Hebrew language. Nevertheless, HaLevi himself used the most complicated Arabic meters in his poems with much good taste. A later critic, applying a Talmudic witticism to HaLevi, has said, "It is hard for the dough when the baker himself calls it bad." Although these forms came to him naturally and without effort, unlike the mechanical versifiers of his time (see Kuzari, v. 16), he would not except himself from the number of those he had blamed. His pupil Solomon Parhon relates that Yehudah HaLevi repented having used the new metrical methods, and had declared he would not again employ them. That HaLevi felt them to be out of place, and that he opposed their use at the very time when they were in vogue, plainly shows his desire for a national Jewish art independent in form as well as in matter.
Yehudah HaLevi was recognized by his contemporaries as the great Jewish national poet, and in succeeding generations by all the great scholars and writers in Israel.
As Philosopher
The position of Yehudah HaLevi in the domain of Jewish philosophy is parallel to that occupied in Islam by Ghazali, by whom he was influenced. Like Ghazali, HaLevi endeavored to liberate religion from the bondage of the various philosophical systems in which it had been held by his predecessors, Saadia, David ben Marwan al-Mekamez, Gabirol, and Bahya. In a work written in Arabic and known in the Hebrew translation of Yehudah ibn Tibbon by the title Sefer ha-Kuzari, HaLevi expounded his views upon the teachings of Judaism, which he defended against the attacks of philosophers, heretics, Karaites, etc.
The Main Principles of “The Kuzari”
The work is divided into five essays (ma’amarim), and takes the form of a dialogue between the pagan king of the Khazars and a Jew who had been invited to instruct him in the tenets of the Jewish religion. After a short account of the incidents preceding the conversion of the king, and of the conversations of the latter with a philosopher, a Christian, and a Moslem concerning their respective beliefs, the Jew appears on the stage, and by his first statement startles the king. Instead of giving him proofs of the existence of God, he asserts and explains the miracles performed by Him for the Israelites.
The king expresses his astonishment at this exordium, which seems to him incoherent. But the Jew replies that the existence of God, the creation of the world, etc., being taught by religion, do not need any speculative demonstrations. Further, he propounds the principle upon which his religious system is founded; namely, that revealed religion is far superior to natural religion. For the aim of ethical training, which is the object of religion, is not to create in man good intentions, but to cause him to perform good deeds. This aim cannot be attained by philosophy, which is undecided as to the nature of good, but can be secured by religious training, which teaches what is good. As science is the sum of all the particles of truth found by successive generations, so religious training is based upon a set of traditions. In other words, history is an important factor in the development of human culture and science.
"Creatio ex Nihilo"
Now as the Jews are the only depositaries of a written history of the development of the human race from the beginning of the world, the superiority of their traditions cannot be denied. No comparison is possible between Jewish culture, which is based upon religious truth, and Greek culture, which is based upon science alone; for the wisdom of the Greek philosophers lacked that Divine support with which the Prophets were endowed.
Had a trustworthy tradition that the world was created out of nothing been known to Aristotle, he would have supported it by at least as strong arguments as those advanced by him to prove the eternity of matter. Belief in the eternity of matter, however, is not absolutely contrary to Jewish religious ideas; for the Biblical narrative of the Creation refers only to the beginning of the human race, and does not preclude the possibility of preexistent matter. Still, relying upon tradition, the Jews believe in "creatio ex nihilo," which theory can be sustained by as powerful arguments as those advanced in favor of the belief in the eternity of matter. The objection that the Absolutely Infinite and Perfect could not have produced imperfect and finite beings, made by the Neoplatonists to the theory of "creatio ex nihilo," is not removed by attributing the existence of all mundane things to the action of nature; for the latter is only a link in the chain of causes having its origin in the First Cause, which is God.
Unique Status of Judaism
Having established that revelation and not speculative philosophy is the only trusty guide to the knowledge of God, the Jew proceeds to demonstrate the superiority of his religion. The preservation of the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness, the delivery to them of the Law on Mount Sinai, and their later history -- are to him evident proofs of their unique status. He impresses upon the king the fact that God’s favor can only be won by accomplishing the precepts in all their minutiæ, and that those precepts are binding only on the adherents of Judaism. The Jewish scholar then shows that the immortality of the soul, resurrection, reward, and punishment are all implied in Scripture and discussed in Jewish writings.
Question of Attributes
In the second essay, Yehudah HaLevi enters into a detailed discussion of some of the theological questions hinted at in the preceding one. To these belongs in the first place that of the Divine attributes. HaLevi rejects entirely the doctrine of essential attributes which had been propounded by Saadia Gaon and Bahya. For him, there is no difference between essential and other attributes. Either the attribute affirms a quality in God, in which case essential attributes cannot be applied to Him more than can any other, because it is impossible to predicate anything of Him, or the attribute expresses only the negation of the contrary quality, and in that case there is no harm in using any kind of attributes. Accordingly, HaLevi divides all the attributes found in the Bible into three classes: active, relative, and negative, which last class comprises all the essential attributes expressing mere negations.
The question of attributes being closely connected with that of anthropomorphism, Yehudah HaLevi enters into a lengthy discussion on this point. Although opposed to the conception of the corporeality of God as being contrary to Scripture, he would consider it wrong to reject all the sensuous concepts of anthropomorphism, as there is something in these ideas which fills the human soul with the awe of God.
The remainder of the essay comprises dissertations on the following subjects: the excellence of the Land of Israel, the land of prophecy, which is to other countries what the Jews are to other nations; the sacrifices; the arrangement of the Tabernacle, which, according to HaLevi, symbolizes the human body; the prominent spiritual position occupied by Israel, whose relation to other nations is that of the heart to the limbs; the opposition evinced by Judaism toward asceticism, in virtue of the principle that God’s favor is to be won only by carrying out His precepts, and that these precepts do not command one to subdue the inclinations suggested by the faculties of the soul, but to use them in their due place and proportion; the excellence of the Hebrew language, which, although sharing now the fate of the Jews, is to other languages what the Jews are to other nations and what the Land of Israel is to other lands.
The third essay is devoted to the refutation of the teachings of Karaism and to the history of the development of the oral tradition, the Talmud. Yehudah HaLevi shows that there is no means of carrying out the precepts without having recourse to oral tradition. That such tradition has always existed may be inferred from many passages of the Bible, the very reading of which is dependent upon it, since there were no vowels and accents in the original text.
Names of God
The fourth essay opens with an analysis of the various names of God found in the Bible. According to Yehudah HaLevi, all these names, with the exception of the Tetragrammaton, are attributes expressing the various states of God's activity in the world. The multiplicity of names no more implies a multiplicity in His essence than do the multifarious influences of the rays of the sun on various bodies imply a multiplicity of suns. To the intuitive vision of the prophet, the actions proceeding from God appear as images of the corresponding human actions. Angels are God's messengers; and either they exist for a length of time, or they are created only for special purposes.
From the names of God and the essence of angels, HaLevi passes to his favorite theme and demonstrates that the views of the prophets are a purer source for a knowledge of God than the teachings of the philosophers. Although he professes great reverence for Sefer Yetzirah, from which he quotes many passages, he hastens to add that the theories of Abraham elucidated therein had been held by the patriarch before God revealed Himself to him. The essay concludes with examples of the astronomical and medical knowledge of the ancient Hebrews.
Arguments Against Philosophy
The fifth and last essay is devoted to a criticism of the various philosophical systems known at the time of the author. HaLevi attacks by turns the Aristotelian cosmology, psychology, and metaphysics.
To the doctrine of Emanation, based, according to him, upon the Aristotelian cosmological principle that no simple being can produce a compound being, he objects in the form of the following query: "Why did the emanation stop at the lunar sphere? Why should each intelligence think only of itself and of that from which it issued and thus give birth to one emanation, thinking not at all of the preceding intelligences, and thereby losing the power to give birth to many emanations?"
He argues against the theory of Aristotle that the human soul is his thought and that only the soul of the philosopher will be united, after the death of the body, with the active intellect. "Is there," he asks, "any curriculum of the knowledge one has to acquire to win immortality? How is it that the soul of one person differs from that of another? How can one forget a thing once thought of?" and many other questions of the kind. He shows himself especially severe against the Motekallamin, the Islamic speculative theologians, whose arguments on the creation of the world, on God and His unity, he terms dialectic exercises and mere phrases.
However, Yehudah HaLevi is against philosophical speculation only in matters concerning Creation, God, etc.; and he follows the Greek philosophers in treating of the genesis of the material world. Thus he admits that every being is made up of matter and form. The movement of the spheres formed the sphere of the elements, from the fusion of which all beings were created. This fusion, which varied according to climate, gave to matter the potentiality to receive from God a variety of forms, from the mineral, which is the lowest in the scale of creation, to man, who is the highest because of his possessing, in addition to the qualities of the mineral, vegetable, and animal, a hylic intellect which is influenced by the active intellect. This hylic intellect, which forms the rational soul, is a spiritual substance and not an accident, and is therefore imperishable.
The discussion concerning the soul and its faculties leads naturally to the question of free will. HaLevi upholds the doctrine of free will against the Epicureans and the Fatalists, and endeavors to reconcile it with the belief in God's providence and omniscience.
The Influence of “The Kuzari"
Although The Kuzari failed to stem the philosophical flood which, at the time of the appearance of the work, was inundating Judaism, it exercised a great influence upon the theologians. It was much studied, and traces of it are to be found in all the theological and cabalistic writings of the Middle Ages. Besides the Hebrew translation of Yehudah ibn Tibbon, which passed through eleven editions, another rendering into Hebrew was made by Yehudah ben Isaac Cardinal, at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The study of The Kuzari seems to have become very popular in the fifteenth century; no fewer than six commentaries on it appeared in the first half of that century.
(Adapted from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia)
KITAB
AL KHAZARI
Translated from
the Arabic with an Introduction
By
HARTWIG
HIRSCHFELD, PH.D.
LONDON
1905
THE invitation extended to me by the publishers to prepare an English version of the book The Kuzari has afforded me an opportunity of carrying out an intention which I had long cherished. It is now twenty years ago that my German translation of the work was published, and it is but natural that during this long interval I was able to detect a number of passages which required correction or, at least, general revision.
The character of the book justifies the translation in the interest of those who are unable to read it in the original, or in the Hebrew version. It was meant by the author to be a book for the people, and contains sufficient attractive and instructive material to interest even those readers who would skip the more abstruse passages. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that edition after edition followed almost from the earliest days of the printing-press down to our own time. Indeed, the most elaborate edition was undertaken by a non-Jewish scholar.
The present translation was made directly from the Arabic original, as was also the case with the German translation mentioned before. I deem it desirable to make this statement in order to explain the discrepancies between these two translations and all previous ones. Jacob Abendana's Spanish, Buxtorf’s Latin, and the late Dr. D. Cassel's German translation, all follow the printed Hebrew edition which, however, already in the editio princeps differs considerably from the author's original. It was my endeavor to reproduce as much as possible the author's own words and to eliminate the marginal notes and comments which had crept into the text from the pens of ancient writers and readers during several centuries.
An English version of the book by E. H. Lindo exists in MS., now preserved in the library of Jews' College. A closer inspection of the same, however, revealed the fact that it follows in the main the Spanish version, and is therefore scarcely suitable for publication.
Finally, I wish to thank Mr. J. H. Loewe, who kindly assisted me in reading the proofs.
H. HIRSCHFELD.
PART ONE
I was asked to state what arguments and replies I could bring to bear against the attacks of philosophers and followers of other religions, and also against [Jewish] sectarians who attacked the rest of Israel. This reminded me of something I had once heard concerning the arguments of a Rabbi who sojourned with the King of the Khazars. The latter, as we know from historical records, became a convert to Judaism about four hundred years ago.
The king had a dream –- a dream that appeared to him many times. In the dream, it appeared as if an angel addressed him, saying: 'Your way of thinking is indeed pleasing to the Creator, but not your actions.' Yet the king was so zealous in the performance of the Khazar religion, that he personally would serve in their sanctuary and offer sacrifices with a perfect heart. Notwithstanding this devotion, the angel came again at night and repeated: 'Your way of thinking is pleasing to God, but not your actions.' This caused him to ponder over the different beliefs and religions, and in the end he converted to Judaism, together with many other Khazars.
As I found among the arguments of the Rabbi, many which appealed to me, and were in harmony with my own opinions, I resolved to write them down exactly as they had been spoken.
When the King of Khazar (as is related) dreamt that his way of thinking was agreeable to God, but not his actions, and he was commanded in the same dream to seek that which God desires, he inquired of a philosopher concerning his beliefs.
1. The Philosopher replied: There is no favor or dislike in [the nature of] God because He is above desire and intention. A desire intimates a want in the person who feels it, and not until it is satisfied does he become (so to speak) complete. If it remains unfulfilled, he lacks completion. In a similar way He is, in the opinion of philosophers, above the knowledge of individuals, because the latter change with the times, while there is no change in God's knowledge. He, therefore, does not know you, much less your thoughts and actions, nor does He listen to your prayers, or see your movements.
If philosophers say that He created you, they only use a metaphor, because He is the Cause of causes in the creation of all creatures; but not because this was His intention from the beginning. He never created humanity. For the world is without beginning, and there never arose a person otherwise than through one who came into existence before him, in whom were united forms, gifts, and characteristics inherited from father, mother, and other relations, besides the influences of climate, countries, foods and water, spheres, stars and constellations.
Everything is reduced to a Prime Cause; not to a Will proceeding from this, but an Emanation from which emanated a second, a third, and fourth cause. The Cause and the caused are, as you see, intimately connected with one another, their coherence being as eternal as the Prime Cause and having no beginning.
Every individual on earth has his completing causes. Consequently, an individual with perfect causes becomes perfect, and another with imperfect causes remains imperfect, like the primitive savage who is able to receive nothing more than the human shape and speech in its least developed form. The philosopher, however, who is equipped with the highest capacity, receives through it the advantages of disposition, intelligence and active power, so that he lacks nothing to make him perfect. Now these perfections exist but in abstraction, and require instruction and training to become practical, and in order that this capacity, with all its completeness or deficiencies and endless grades, may become visible.
In the perfect person, a light of Divine nature, called Active Intellect, is with him, and its Passive intellect is so closely connected therewith that both are but one. The person [of such perfection] thus observes that he is the Active Intellect himself, and that there is no difference between them. His organs -- I mean the limbs of such a person -- only serve for the most perfect purposes, in the most appropriate time, and in the best condition, as if they were the organs of the Active Intellect, but not of the material and passive Intellect, which used them at an earlier period, sometimes well, but more often improperly. The Active Intellect, however, is always successful. This level is the last and most longed for goal for the perfect individual whose soul, after having been purified, has grasped the inward truths of all branches of science, has thus become equal to an angel, and has found a place on the nethermost step of angelic beings. This is the level of the Active Intellect, namely, that angel whose level is below the angel who is connected with the sphere of the moon. There are spiritual forces, detached from matter, but eternal like the Prime Cause and never threatened by decay.
Thus the soul of the perfect individual and that Intellect become one, without concern for the decay of his body or his organs, because he becomes united to the other. His soul is cheerful while he is alive, because it enjoys the company of Hermes, Asclepios, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; nay, he and they, as well as everyone who shares their level, and the Active Intellect, are one thing. This is what is called allusively and approximately Pleasure of God. Endeavour to reach it, and the true knowledge of things, in order that your intellect may become active, but not passive. Keep just ways as regards character and actions, because this will help you to effect truth, to gain instruction, and to become similar to this Active Intellect. The consequence of this will be contentment, humility, meekness, and every other praiseworthy inclination, accompanied by the veneration of the Prime Cause, not in order to receive favor from it, or to divert its wrath, but solely to become like the Active Intellect in finding the truth, in describing everything in a fitting manner, and in rightly recognizing its basis.
These are the characteristics of the [Active] Intellect. If you have reached such disposition of belief, do not be concerned about the forms of your humility or religion or worship, or the word or language or actions you employ. You may even choose a religion in the way of humility, worship, and benediction, for the management of your temperament, your house and [the people of your] country, if they agree to it. Or fashion your religion according to the laws of reason set up by philosophers, and strive after purity of soul.
In summary, seek purity of heart in which way you are able, provided you have acquired the sum total of knowledge in its real essence. Then you will reach your goal, namely, the union with this Spiritual, or rather Active Intellect. Maybe He will communicate with you or teach you hidden knowledge through true dreams and proper visions.
2. Replied the Kuzari: Your words are convincing, yet they do not correspond to what I wish to find. I know already that my soul is pure and that my actions are calculated to gain God’s favor. To all this I received the answer that this way of action does not find favor, though the intention does. There must no doubt be a way of acting, pleasing by its very nature, but not through the medium of intentions. If this be not so, why then do Christian and Moslem, who divide the inhabited world between them, fight with one another, each of them serving his God with pure intention, living as either monks or hermits, fasting and praying? For all that, they vie with each other in committing murders, believing that this is a most pious work and brings them nearer to God. They fight in the belief that paradise and eternal bliss will be their reward. It is, however, impossible to agree with both.
3. The Philosopher replied: The philosophers' creed knows no manslaughter, as they only cultivate the intellect.
4. The Kuzari: What could be more erroneous, in the opinion of the philosophers, than the belief that the world was created in six days, or that the Prime Cause spoke with mortals? Not to mention the philosophic doctrine, which declares the former to be above knowing details. Moreover, one might expect the gift of prophecy to be quite common among philosophers, considering their deeds, their knowledge, their researches after truth, their exertions, and their close connection with all things spiritual; also that wonders, miracles, and extraordinary things would be reported of them. Yet we find that true visions are granted to persons who do not devote themselves to study or to the purification of their souls, whereas the opposite is the case with those who strive after these things. This proves that the Divine influence as well as the souls have a secret which is not identical with what you say, O Philosopher.
After this the Kuzari said to himself: I will ask the Christians and Moslems, since one of these persuasions is, no doubt, the God-pleasing one. As regards the Jews, I am satisfied that they are of low station, few in number, and generally despised.
He then invited a Christian scholastic, and put questions to him concerning the theory and practice of his faith.
The Scholastic replied: I believe that all things are created, while the Creator is eternal; that He created the whole world in six days; that all humanity sprang from Adam, and after him from Noah, to whom they trace themselves back; that God takes care of the created beings, and keeps in touch with humanity; that He allows wrath, pleasure, and compassion; that He speaks, appears, and reveals Himself to his prophets and favored ones; that He dwells among those who please him.
In short [I believe] in all that is written in the Torah and the records of the Children of Israel, which are undisputed, because they are generally known as lasting, and have been revealed before a vase multitude.
Subsequently the Divine essence became embodied in an embryo in the womb of a virgin taken from the noblest ranks of Israelite women. She bore Him with the semblance of a human being, but covering a divinity, seemingly a prophet, but in reality a God sent forth. He is the Messiah, whom we call the Son of God, and He is the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We condense His nature into one thing, although the Trinity appears on our tongues. We believe in Him and in His abode among the Children of Israel, granted to them as a distinction, because the Divine influence never ceased to be attached to them, until the masses rebelled against this Messiah, and they crucified Him. Then Divine wrath burdened them everlastingly, while His favor was confined to a few who followed the Messiah, and to those nations which followed these few. We belong to their number.
Although we are not of Israelite descent, we are well deserving of being called Children of Israel, because we follow the messiah and His twelve Israelite companions who took the place of the tribes. Many Israelites followed these twelve [apostles], and became the leaven, as it were, for the Christians. We are worthy of the level of the Children of Israel. To us was also granted victory, and expansion over the countries.
All nations are invited to this religion, and charged to practice it, to adore the Messiah and the cross on which He was put, and the like. Our laws and regulations are derived from the Apostle Simon, and from commandments taken from the Torah, which we study. Its truth is indisputable, as is also the fact that it came from God. It is also stated in the New Testament: ‘I came not to abolish one of the laws of Moses, but I came to confirm and enlarge it.’
5. Then said the Kuzari: I see here no logical reasoning; on the contrary, logic rejects most of what you say. If both appearance and experience are so palpable that they take hold of the whole heart, compelling belief in a thing of which one is not convinced, one renders the matter more feasible by a semblance of logic. This is how natural philosophers deal with strange phenomena which come upon them unawares, and which they would not believe if they had only heard of them without seeing them. When they have examined them, they discuss them and ascribe them to the influence of the stars or spirits, and do not disregard the visual evidence.
As for me, I cannot accept these things, because they come upon me suddenly, not having grown up in them. My duty is to investigate further.
He then invited one of the Doctors of Islam, and questioned him regarding his doctrine and observance.
The Doctor said: We acknowledge the unity and eternity of God, and that all people are derived from Adam and Noah. We absolutely reject embodiment [of God]; if any element of this appears in the Writ, we explain it as a metaphor and allegory. At the same time, we maintain that our Book is the Speech of God, being a miracle which we are bound to accept for its own sake, since no one is able to bring anything similar to it, or to one of its verses. Our prophet is the Seal of the prophets, who abrogated every previous law, and invited all nations to embrace Islam.
The reward of the pious consists in the return of his spirit to his body in paradise and bliss, where he never ceases to enjoy eating, drinking, women's love, and anything he may desire. The punishment of the disobedient consists in being condemned to the fire of hell, and his punishment knows no end.
6. Said to him the Kuzari: If anyone is to be guided in matters Divine, and to be convinced that God speaks to man, while he considers it improbable, he must be convinced of it by means of generally known facts, which allow no refutation, and particularly imbue him with the belief that God has spoken to man. Although your book may be a miracle, as long as it is written in Arabic, a non-Arab as I am, cannot perceive its miraculous character; and even if it were read to me, I could not distinguish between it and any other book written in the Arabic language.
7. The Doctor replied: Yet miracles were performed by him, but they were not used as evidence for the acceptance of his law.
8. The Kuzari: Exactly so; but the human mind cannot believe that God has intercourse with man, except by a miracle which changes the nature of things. We then recognize that to do so, He alone is capable who created them from nought. It must also have taken place in the presence of great multitudes, who saw it distinctly, and did not learn it from reports and traditions. Even then they must examine the matter carefully and repeatedly, so that no suspicion of imagination or magic can enter their minds. Then it is possible that the mind may grasp this extraordinary matter: namely, that the Creator of this world and the next, of the heavens and lights, should hold intercourse with this contemptible piece of clay, I mean man, speak to him, and fulfill his wishes and desires.
9. The Doctor: Is not our Book full of the stories of Moses and the Children of Israel? No one can deny what He did to Pharaoh, how He divided the sea, saved those who enjoyed His favor, but drowned those who had aroused His wrath. Then came the manna and the quails during forty years, His speaking to Moses on the mount, making the sun stand still for Joshua, and assisting him against the mighty. [Add to this] what happened previously, namely, the Flood, the destruction of the people of Lot. Is this not so well known that no suspicion of deceit and imagination is possible?
10. The Kuzari: Indeed, I see myself compelled to ask the Jews, because they are the relic of the Children of Israel. For I see that they constitute in themselves the evidence for the Divine law on earth.
He then invited a Jewish scholar, and asked him about his belief.
11. The Rabbi replied: I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt with signs and miracles; who fed them in the desert and gave them the Land, after having made them traverse the sea and the Jordan in a miraculous way; who sent Moses with His law, and subsequently thousands of prophets, who confirmed His law by promises to the observant and threats to the disobedient. Our belief is comprised in the Torah -- a very large domain.
12. The Kuzari: I had not intended to ask any Jew, because I am aware of their reduced condition and narrow-minded views, as their misery left them nothing commendable. Now should you, O Jew, not have said that you believe in the Creator of the world, its Governor and Guide, and in Him who created and keeps you, and such attributes which serve as evidence for every believer, and for the sake of which one pursues justice in order to resemble the Creator in His wisdom and justice?
13. The Rabbi: That which you do express is religion based on speculation and system, the research of thought, but open to many doubts. Now ask the philosophers, and you will find that they do not agree on one action or one principle, since some doctrines can be established by arguments, which are only partially satisfactory, and still much less capable of being proved.
14. The Kuzari: That which you say now, Jew, seems to be more to the point than the beginning, and I should like to hear more.
15. The Rabbi: Surely the beginning of my speech was just the proof, and so evident that it requires no other argument.
16. The Kuzari: How so?
17. The Rabbi: Allow me to make a few preliminary remarks, for I see you disregard and depreciate my words.
18. The Kuzari: Let me hear your remarks.
19. The Rabbi: If you were told that the king of India was an excellent man, commanding admiration, and deserving his high reputation, one whose actions were reflected in the justice which governs his country and the virtuous ways of his subjects -- would this obligate you to revere him?
20. The Kuzari: How could this obligate me, while I am not sure if the justice of the Indian people is natural, and not dependent on their king, or due to the king or both?
21. The Rabbi: But if his messenger came to you bringing presents which you know to be procurable only in India, and from the royal palace; accompanied by a letter in which it is distinctly stated from whom it comes, and to which are added drugs to cure your diseases, to preserve your health, poisons for your enemies, and other means to fight and kill them without battle -- would this make you beholden to him?
22. The Kuzari: Certainly. For this would remove my former doubt that the Indians have a king. I should also acknowledge that a proof of his power and dominion has reached me.
23. The Rabbi: How would you, then, if asked, describe him?
24. The Kuzari: In terms about which I am quite clear, and to these I could add others which were at first rather doubtful, but are no longer so.
25. The Rabbi: In this way I answered your first question.
In the same fashion, Moses spoke to Pharaoh, when he told him: 'The God of the Hebrews sent me to you,' namely, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Abraham was well-known to the nations, who also knew that the Divine spirit was in contact with the Patriarchs, watched after them, and performed miracles for them. [Moses] did not say, 'The God of heaven and earth,' nor 'my Creator and yours sent me.'
In the same way, God commenced His speech to the assembled people of Israel: 'I am the God whom you worship, who has led you out of the land of Egypt.' He did not say, 'I am the Creator of the world and your Creator.’
Now in the same style I spoke to you, Prince of the Khazars, when you did ask me about my beliefs. I answered you as was fitting, and is fitting for the whole of Israel who knew these things. First from personal experience, and afterwards through uninterrupted tradition, which is equal to the former.
26. The Kuzari: If this be so, then your belief only obligates yourselves?
27. The Rabbi: Yes, but any Gentile who joins us unconditionally shares our good fortune -- without, however, being quite equal to us. If the Law were binding only because God created us, then all would be equal [in this obligation], whether white or black, since He created them all. But the Law was given to us because He led us out of Egypt, and remained attached to us, because we are the pick of humanity.
28. The Kuzari: Jew, I see you quite altered, and your words are poor after having been so pleasant.
29. The Rabbi: Poor or pleasant, give me your attention, and let me express myself more fully.
30. The Kuzari: Say what you will.
31. The Rabbi: The laws of nature comprise nurture, growth, and propagation, with their powers and all conditions attached thereto. This is particularly the case with plants and animals, to the exclusion of earth, stones, metals, and elements.
32. The Kuzari: This is a principle which requires explanation, but it is true.
33. The Rabbi: As regards the soul, it is given to all animated beings. The result is movement, will power, external as well as internal senses and such like.
34. The Kuzari: This, too, cannot be contradicted.
35. The Rabbi: Intellect is humanity's birthright above all living beings. This leads to the development of his faculties, his home, his country, from which arise administrative and regulative laws.
36. The Kuzari: This is also true.
37. The Rabbi: Which is the next highest level?
38. The Kuzari: The level of great sages.
39. The Rabbi: I only mean that level which separates those who occupy it in a qualitative way, as the plant is separated from inorganic things, or humans from animals. Differences in quantity, however, are endless, as they are only accidental, and do not really form a [separate] level.
40. The Kuzari: If this be so, then there is no level above human beings among tangible things.
41. The Rabbi: If we find an individual who walks into the fire without being hurt, or abstains from food for some time without starving, on whose face a light shines which the eye cannot bear, who is never ill, nor ages, until having reached his life's natural end, who dies spontaneously just as a person retires to his couch to sleep on an appointed day and hour, equipped with the knowledge of what is hidden as to past and future -- is such a level not visibly distinguished from the ordinary human level?
42. The Kuzari: This is, indeed, the Divine and angelic level, if it exists at all. It belongs to the province of the Divine influence, but not to that of the intellectual, animal, or natural world.
43. The Rabbi: These are some of the characteristics of the prophets whose prophecy was undisputed; through whom God made Himself manifest, and who also made known that there is a God who guides them as He wishes, according to their obedience or disobedience. He revealed to those prophets that which was hidden, and taught them how the world was created, how the generations prior to the Flood followed each other, and how they reckoned their descent from Adam. He described the Flood and the origin of the 'Seventy Nations' from Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah; how the languages were split up, and where people sought their habitations; how arts arose, how they built cities, and the chronology from Adam up to this day.
44. The Kuzari: It is strange that you should possess an authentic chronology of the creation of the world.
45. The Rabbi: We reckon according to it with confidence, and there is no difference between the Jews of Khazar and Ethiopia in this respect.
46. The Kuzari: What date do you consider it at present?
47. The Rabbi: Four thousand and nine hundred years [from creation]. The details can be demonstrated from the lives of Adam, Seth and Enosh to Noah; then from Shem and Eber to Abraham; and then from Isaac and Jacob to Moses. All of them represented the essence and purity of Adam on account of their intimacy with God.
Each of them had other children who were only outwardly similar to them, but not really like them, and, therefore, without direct union with the Divine influence. The chronology was established through the medium of those sainted persons who were only single individuals, and not a crowd, until Jacob bore the Twelve Tribes, who were all under this Divine influence. Thus the Divine element reached a multitude of persons who carried the records further. The chronology of those who lived before these has been handed down to us by Moses.
48. The Kuzari: An arrangement of this kind removes any suspicion of untruth or common plot. Not ten people could discuss such a thing without disagreeing, and disclosing their secret understanding; nor could they refute anyone who tried to establish the truth of a matter like this. How is it possible where such a mass of people is concerned? Finally, the period involved is not large enough to allow untruth and fiction.
49. The Rabbi: That is so. Abraham himself lived during the period of the separation of languages. He and his relatives retained the language of his grandfather Eber, which for that reason is called Hebrew.
Moses came four hundred years after him, at a time when the world had a wealth of knowledge concerning the heavens and earth. He approached Pharaoh and the wise men of Egypt, as well as those of the Israelites. While agreeing with him, the [Israelites] questioned him, and refused to fully believe that God spoke with man, until he caused them to hear the Ten Sayings [at Sinai]. The people acted in the same way, not from ignorance, but on account of the knowledge they possessed. They feared magic and astrological arts, and similar snares, things which, like deceit, do not bear close examination; while the Divine influence is like pure gold, ever increasing in brilliancy.
How could one imagine that [they would accept] an attempt to show that five hundred years previously only Eber's language was spoken [in the world]? That [this common language] was split up in Babel during the days of Peleg? And to trace the origin of certain nations back to Shem or Ham, and the same with their lands? Is it likely that anyone could today invent false statements concerning the origin, history, and languages of well-known nations, the latter being less than five hundred years old?
50. The Kuzari: This is not possible. How could it be, since we possess books in the handwriting of their authors written five hundred years ago? No false interpolation could enter the contents of a book which is not above five hundred years of age, such as genealogical tables, linguistic and other works.