THREE FURTHER EPISODES

Rambam (Maimonides) spends the rest of chapter 50 explaining why 3

episodes were included in Scripture in relatively great detail. In

general terms, he says that we need to recognize the difference between

writing down a story and writing down an incident in such a way as those

who were there will see as a proper representation. In the former case, =

a plethora of details will be unnecessary, but in the latter, since the =

readers who witnessed it will be reading the record, it becomes more =

important to include a greater level of detail. One basic answer to why =

the Torah includes seemingly minute (and unimportant) details, then, is =

that it is trying to present a story in a way that even those who =

experienced it would see as acceptable.

However, Rambam also has specific explanations for each of the sections =

he discusses. In the case of the listing of the various places where the =

Jewish people encamped=97for us, just a bunch of place names, with =

little inherent meaning=97he notes that many people, both then and now, =

deny the miracles of the desert. That is, they would claim that the Jews =

actually were wandering in or near inhabited places, and got their food =

from the inhabitants of those places. To counteract this denial of the =

miracle of the man, the Torah lists each place they encamped, so that we =

can point to this list, and to the Torah=92s testimony that it was not a =

place of planting or water of its own.

Similarly, although this is in navi (the Prophets) not Torah, he notes =

that Joshua is recorded as having cursed whoever rebuilt Jericho. The =

curse was that that person should lose his children while rebuilding the =

city, with the oldest dying when he restored the foundations and the =

youngest dying when he completed the rebuilding. A verse in Melakhim =

tells us that during the reign of Ahav, a man named Hiel rebuilt =

Jericho, and that the curse was fulfilled. Rambam says that the point of =

the curse was to insure that the desolation of Jericho would remain =

forever, so that people could see the walls that had fallen and sunk =

into the ground, and know that the conquest of Jericho had proceeded as =

recorded in Scripture.=20

Here, he is not so much explaining why the story is included in Tanakh =

as he is explaining why Joshua saw fit to issue that curse. It does, =

however, continue his larger point, that the maintenance of a memory =

often requires efforts that seem excessive. In one case, that involved =

including details that seem unnecessary, in another it involves =

decreeing permanent desolation on a part of the world; in each case, the =

point is to keep safe the memory of the miracles that occurred. =

(Without, I hope, belaboring a point I have made on numerous occasions =

previously, note Rambam=92s attachment to miracles and the belief in =

them. Another example would be in his Commentary on the Mishnah, when =

the Mishnah in the fifth chapter of Avot mentions the 10 miracles God =

performed for the Jewish people at the Sea, and Rambam decides to list =

them at great length. It is a mistake to pass over these lightly, as =

they furnish important evidence about Rambam=92s view of nature and the =

possibility of miracles).=20

I find Rambam=92s view ironic, since neither Scriptural attempt at =

maintaining memory worked=97outside of Orthodox Jews (and we may be =

considered fringe fundamentalists) few people today, I suspect, really =

believe in the miracles of the desert, or that Jericho was conquered in =

the way outlined in that book. Memory of experiences outside the =

ordinary requires a great deal of effort, and of suspension of personal =

rationality, in order to be absorbed and accepted.=20

The final element of Scripture Rambam mentions is the Torah=92s emphasis =

on the cloud of smoke leading the Jewish people, deciding when they =

would break camp, when they would stop, and for how long. As the Torah =

notes, this was for varied periods of time (from as short as a night to =

as long as eighteen years), and the path they took sort of meandered =

through various deserts. According to Rambam, people at the time (and in =

his own time) assumed that the Jews had gotten lost in the desert for =

those forty years. He notes that the Torah refers to the Egyptians as =

assuming that the Jews were lost (which is why they chased after them to =

the Sea), and that the Arabic for the desert is al-Tih (which means to =

be lost, or the place of being lost).

It was to battle that misconception, Rambam says, that the Torah =

stresses the guidance of the cloud. The Torah explicitly notes that the =

shortest distance between Egypt and Israel was eleven days journey, =

which also supports the idea that there was no way they could have =

gotten so lost for so long. Rather, it was the cloud (as a messenger of =

God) that guided them on their way.

Rambam closes the chapter by saying that the techniques he has applied =

here apply to any Biblical story (or, presumably, law) for which we find =

no explanation. He notes a beautiful Yerushalmi in Peah, where the =

Talmud notes the verse in the Torah that says "ki lo davar rek hu mikem, =

for it is no vain thing from you." The verse reads well in Hebrew, =

simply to mean that the Torah is not (in general) an empty matter, that =

it contains within it the seeds of our salvation and eternal life. =

However, the Talmud plays with an extra word (mikem, from you) in the =

verse; theoretically the verse could have read "for it is not a vain =

thing," without the last word. The Talmud therefore says "ve-=91im rek =

hu=97mikem, and if it is empty, it is from you."=20

As the conclusion to his (and our) lengthy analysis of the mitsvot of =

the Torah, with a short lesson in Biblical stories as well, this well =

summarizes Rambam=92s view: the Torah is the product of a God whose =

rationality is by and large accessible to us. That rationality speaks =

throughout the Torah, so that we should be able to see the reason for =

all of its intricacies. Knowing that it is our fault if we do not =

should, Rambam would hope, prevent us from assuming that it is the Torah =

that is at fault if we do not see its value.=20

CHAPTER 51

And with that he ends this section of the Guide. The last four chapters, =

perhaps the most famous parts of the Guide, are an addition (he calls it =

a kind of conclusion), with a somewhat different set of goals from the =

rest of the work. Rambam opens the chapter by saying that this chapter =

does not include additional matter over and above what is included in =

the other chapters, it just explains the worship that would be practiced =

by someone who has understood God as much as is possible, and the =

chapter also guides someone on how to get there, and to eternal life =

generally.

Before we jump into the meat of the chapter (and these four chapters =

might easily take us until Pesah, because they are long and rich in =

conceptual detail), I just want to note the red flag that Rambam=92s =

words have just waved in front of anyone who considers him or herself a =

Rambam scholar. Rambam has clearly said that he intends (in this =

chapter, although there will be more in the next chapters) to tell us =

what real worship of God means, for someone who has correctly =

apprehended God. He has further said that he is going to provide =

guidance on how to reach the level of a true worship of God, the level =

that brings a person into the World to Come. Since there is vigorous =

debate about what Rambam meant, indeed about the fundamental elements of =

his worldview, the interpretation of these chapters will necessarily =

thrust us into some of that debate. As before, I will provide the =

interpretation of the text that seems most reasonable to me, but I =

wanted to note ahead of time that this is a place where personal =

assumptions about Rambam most clearly affect interpretation of his =

words.

PARABLE OF THE PALACE

Rambam offers a parable to explain the various levels of people, in =

terms of worship of God. For this week, we will just record the parable, =

so that we can begin to ponder what it might mean; next week, be"H, we =

will discuss Rambam=92s explanation of the parable.

Rambam envisions a ruler in his palace, with all of his subjects either =

within the city or outside of it. Of those in the city, some do not even =

pay any attention to the palace (they have their backs turned towards =

it). Others are turned towards the palace, and want to go in and stand =

before the rule, but do not yet see the palace walls. A fourth group see =

the walls and are circling the walls in order to find the gate, but do =

not yet find it. Members of a fifth group have entered the gate and are =

in the antechamber. A sixth group of people have entered the inner =

court, meaning they are in one place with the ruler, but do not yet see =

him or hear his speech. To reach that last level requires, Rambam says, =

one more thing, and then those people will see the ruler and hear his =

words.=20

That the ruler is God is a "gimme," an easy one. What the other levels =