CHAPTER 5

Among the things to which your attention ought to be directed is his¹ expression: visions of God.² He does not say vision, in the singular, but visions, because there were many apprehensions differing in species; I mean to say three apprehensions, that of the wheels, that of the living creatures, and that of the man, who is above the living creatures. With regard to every apprehension he says: And I saw. Thus with reference to the apprehension of the living creatures he says: And I saw, and, behold, a whirlwind, and so on;³ with reference to the apprehension of the wheels he says: And I saw the living creatures, and, behold, one wheel upon the earth;⁴ and with reference to the man, who in degree is above the living creatures, he says: And I saw as the color of ḥashmal,⁵ and so on, from the appearance of his loins, and so on.⁶ In the description of the Chariot, he only repeats the word I saw these three times. The Sages of the Mishnah have already explained this matter; in fact it is they who drew my attention to it. For they said that it is permissible to teach the first two apprehensions only, I mean [8b] the apprehension of the living creatures and that of the wheels; whereas only the chapter headings may be taught with regard to the third apprehension, that of the ḥashmal and of what is connected with it. However, our holy Rabbi⁷ believes that all three apprehensions are called the Account of the Chariot and that with respect to none of them may anything other than the chapter headings be taught. Their text with regard to this is as follows: Till where [is it permissible to teach] the Account of the Chariot? Rabbi Meir says: Till the last “And I saw.”8 Rabbi Isaac says: Till [the word] “ḥashmal.” From [the first] “And I saw”⁹ till [the word] “ḥashmal,” [it is permissible] to teach; from there on the chapter headings are transmitted to [the disciple]. Some say: from [the first] “And I saw” till [the word] “ḥashmal,” the chapter headings are transmitted to him; from there on, [he may be taught] if he is a wise man, understanding in virtue of his own intelligence; and [he may] not, if [he is] not [that].¹⁰ It has thus become clear to you from their texts that there were various apprehensions to which attention is drawn by the expression: And I saw, And I saw, And I saw; that these signified different degrees; and that the last apprehension, that referred to in the words: And I saw as the color of ḥashmal¹¹ — I mean the apprehension of the form of the divided man of which it is said: From the appearance of his loins and upward, and from the appearance of his loins and downward¹²— is the ultimate perception and the highest of all. There is also a difference of opinion among the Sages about whether it is permissible for it to be alluded to in any way through teaching — I mean to say through the transmission of the chapter headings — or whether it is not permissible in any way that an allusion be made to the teaching of this third apprehension, though it be only through the chapter headings; but he who is a wise man will understand in virtue of his own intelligence. Similarly there is also, as you see, a difference of opinion among the Sages with regard to the first two apprehensions likewise — I mean those concerning the living creatures and the wheels — about whether it is permissible to teach explicitly the notions concerning them, or whether this is only permitted to be done through allusions and enigmas through the chapter headings.

You ought also to have your attention directed to the order of these [9a] three apprehensions. Thus he¹³ has put first the apprehension of the living creatures, for they come first because of their nobility and of their causality — according to what he says: For the air of the living creature was in the wheels¹⁴ — and because of other things too. After the wheels comes the third apprehension, which is higher in degree than that of the living creatures, as is clear. The reason for this lies in the fact that the first two apprehensions necessarily precede the third apprehension in the order of knowledge, the latter being inferred with the help of the other two.