Ba'alei HaNefesh
- Author's Introduction.1
Abraham ben David, may his memory be blessed, the author, said: "The esteemed and awe-inspiring name stirred my spirit to speak on the matter of the attachment of a man to his wife and to explain the laws of their union and separation, along with all their causes and circumstances, as commanded by the Creator."
- Author's Introduction.2
And from them I composed a book and called it Sefer Ba'alei HaNefesh (The Book of the Masters of the Soul), because it is a law and a principle for those who rule over their souls, and their souls do not rule over them. I wish to explain: The soul that desires is the animal soul, which governs the foolish and draws them to the desires and pleasures of the world, until they forget the wonders of the Creator and the greatness of His works, and they say, "Who sees us, and who knows us?" as it is said, "For the wicked praise their desires, and the one who practices violence blesses himself, despising God." But the righteous, who rule through the fear of God, have the Spirit of God added to them, and the righteous will hold onto their path, taking with them the soul of intellect to battle the animal soul, like a warrior fighting with his weapons. When it rises, he will humble it; and when it strengthens, he will weaken it, until he sits securely and peacefully, finding rest for his soul, as it is written, "Desire becomes sweet to the soul, and the abomination of fools will depart from evil." The root of Desire is "I will be," and it was acquired, and it follows the same pattern as the soul that answers, meaning the broken desire which is later sweet to the soul—it is the soul of intellect. And the abomination of fools turns away from evil because fools have corrupted the good and chosen the evil. And they will not be able to turn away from their desires and from the stubbornness of their evil hearts. And in this manner, the righteous are called the masters of the soul because they are masters of their souls and lords over their desires. Therefore, I named this book Sefer Ba'alei HaNefesh.
- Author's Introduction.3
And I begin by saying that the Creator, blessed be His name, created the world in six days, and on the sixth day, He created from the earth the beasts, the animals, the creeping things, and the creatures of the earth. Lastly, He created man, just as a person prepares a feast and arranges all the needs for the feast, and afterward brings in the guests. So too, the Creator, blessed be He, after creating the heavens and their hosts, the earth and all its offspring, the seas and their progeny, created man and appointed him over all the lower creatures, as it is written, "You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet." He also gave him dominion over the higher beings, as it is written, "Let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth," and it is written, "For signs, for seasons, for days and for years." Even the highest of the higher beings, the seven planets and twelve constellations, are all entrusted with serving humanity, whether in matters of elevation or descent, wisdom or foolishness, wealth or poverty. Likewise, the four fundamental elements of man are built upon the four foundational elements of the world, and from them, humanity is sustained. Moreover, the higher spiritual beings are assigned to serve the righteous man, as we find with the angel who came to announce the news to Sarah and also to inform her maid. There is no need to elaborate on this, as there are many such examples, and they are well-known to everyone. We should not be surprised by this, because even the Creator, blessed be He, is said to be involved in the needs of the righteous, as it is written, "The land which the Lord your God seeks out always." And it is written, "I am the Lord who created it for a purpose, I will provide for it." There is no need to elaborate on this either, as there are many such examples, and they are well-known to everyone.
- Author's Introduction.4
How wondrous are the works of the Creator, and who can understand their secrets? For all creatures made from the earth, male and female, were created by Him. Yet, man was created alone, and only afterward was a helper created from him, to stand against him. Who can comprehend the greatness of His deeds and wonders, or reach the ultimate wisdom of His works?However, man should consider his own limited understanding and his small intellect, for everything the Creator did, He did with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. He made everything with purpose. And I surmise easily in my mind that for the benefit of man and for his enjoyment, He created him alone. If man had been created like other creatures, male and female from the earth, as with the other creatures, the woman would have been like the female animal to the male, not accepting the dominion of the male, nor standing with him to serve him. Indeed, one would take from the other, one would strike the other, and each would go his own way. And they would not be bound to one another, for at first, man was created alone and the woman alone.Therefore, the Creator saw the need of man and his enjoyment and created him alone. He took one of his ribs and built the woman from it, bringing her to the man to be his wife, his helper, his support, because she is considered to be like one of his limbs, created for his service.And just as the man rules over his own limbs, so too will he rule over her. She will desire him just as his limbs desire the pleasures of his body. This is the meaning of the verse, "And the man could not find a helper fit for him." Had man been created as an animal, with male and female from the earth as with other creatures, the woman would not have been a suitable helper for him. And He said, "It is not good," meaning that this arrangement, upon inspection, is not fitting, and cannot be applied to the Creator.Rather, in the realm of the original thought, when male and female were created from the earth, He looked at the good of man and saw that there was no suitable helper for him in that creation. And He said, "It is not good for man to be alone."That is, just as the animals, where the female does not unite with the male, so too will I make him a helper opposite him, who will serve him in all his needs, standing by him always. Therefore, it is good that man be united with the woman. For the animals are solitary, and the females do not belong exclusively to the males. Therefore, He said, "I will make him a helper opposite him," meaning I will create her in such a way that she will be dedicated to him. This is what is meant by "opposite him," that she will stand by him day and night. The creation of the animal and the beast in relation to the creation of the woman shows that if the woman had been created for man as the animals and beasts were, man would not have had a helper in the woman. Therefore, the Creator made her from the body of man. And upon seeing her, man recognized that she was taken from him, and said, "Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife." This means that she is fit to be specially united with man, and man is united with God.
- Author's Introduction.5
Therefore, a man is worthy of loving his wife as his own body, honoring her more than his own body, having mercy on her, and guarding her as one would guard any of his limbs. Similarly, she is obligated to serve him and love him as her own soul, for she was taken from him. This is why the Creator commanded man regarding his wife, saying, "Her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights shall not be diminished."
- Author's Introduction.6
And in order for man to know that he has a Creator who governs over him, He set laws and commandments for him regarding his connection to his wife, just as He set His laws over all the gifts He gives to man. For example, when He gives him a field, He commands certain laws about plowing, sowing, and harvesting. He is not to plow with mixed seeds, nor sow mixed seeds, and when harvesting, he should not fully harvest the corners of his field. Any sheaves that fall from his hands should be left for the poor, the gleaner. And when gathering the sheaves, if he forgets one in the field, he should not return to take it, and after completing the work of his harvest in the threshing floor, he must give a portion of it as tithes and offerings. When kneading his dough, he should set aside a portion for the challah, and when eating his bread, he should bless his Creator before and after. Likewise, in his vineyard and olive grove, He set laws for him, including specific rules for the vineyard's fruit and the olives, as well as other laws.Similarly, regarding his clothing, He set commandments, commanding him not to wear garments made of mixed fabrics. If he has a garment with four corners, he must attach tzitzit to it. If he owns an animal, he should not breed it with a different kind, and the firstborn of a donkey must be redeemed with a lamb. The firstborn of a pure animal must be given to the priest. If he plants a tree, he should not graft it with another species, and if he plants a fruit tree, he must observe the laws of Orlah (not eating its fruit for the first three years) and the laws of Revai (the fourth-year fruit).He also set a law for his body: to circumcise the flesh of his foreskin. As for the days of his life, He commanded him to observe the Sabbaths and the holidays. Regarding the woman whom He gave to him as a helper, He also set laws and commandments and tested him. He commanded that she be separated from him during her menstrual period and after childbirth, bringing various laws with distinct regulations. There are also other times when he is required to separate from certain situations and sanctified matters, as will be explained in the chapter on separation, God willing.
- Author's Introduction.7
And because I have seen that their deeds are numerous and their secrets are hidden from many people, and since these matters are prone to mistakes, and most people act according to them in error, I have set my heart to seek, inquire, and investigate their secrets in order to understand their nature. From this, I have composed this book and divided it into seven sections....
- Author's Introduction.8
The first section: The Gate of Separation.
- Author's Introduction.9
The second section: The Gate of the Mikveh (Purification) Cycles.
- Author's Introduction.10
The third section: The Gate of Stains.
- Author's Introduction.11
The fourth section: The Gate of Counting and Inspection.
- Author's Introduction.12
The fifth section: The Gate of Immersion.
- Author's Introduction.13
The sixth section: The Gate of Waters.
- Author's Introduction.14
The seventh section: The Gate of Holiness.
Sefaria Community Translation. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: https://www.sefaria.org Licence: CC0. Source.