Blessed be God, the Mighty, the Wise, the One who is nigh, Responsive, the One, the Eternal, the Primordial, the Creator; greatly exalted be He. Verily, when we look at man who is the best of all the creatures of the Creator, exalted be His majesty, we recognize that he is the object aimed at in the creation of all substances and beings. Furthermore, he is best proportioned, as regards constitution, of all living beings; and, in addition to this, most perfect and most beautiful of form, and most completely fashioned. He possesses a rational soul, elemental,4Horovitz, accepting the Hebrew translation, פנינה would render this "transparent," "luminous" (p. 108, note 65); cf. Dukes ("Phil."," p. 57, note 5). wise, everlasting, which does not perish with him. For all this there are clear proofs, both intellectual and Scriptural, which every intelligent man knows. The surest proof that man is pre-eminent among creatures is, that he partakes of the state of the angels in regard to speech and understanding. These two are divine and spiritual properties. Nay more, we see, besides this, that the angels busy themselves with the righteous man, as we learn from the case of Abraham, peace be unto him, in that they brought him glad tidings and also warned him; likewise from the case of Isaac and Jacob, our fathers. The latter said in the course of his excellent prayer for his son (Gen. xlviii. 16), "The angel which redeemed me";1In giving the English of Gabirol's biblical citations, I have quoted as much as is required to elucidate the general context. In doing so, I depart from the precedent laid down by the author or scribe, who frequently cites no more than an initial word or two of the Scriptural passage, sometimes even the non-essential ones, leaving it to the reader to recall the rest. In citing the number of chapter and verse, the Hebrew original has been followed. and Scripture says of him (Hos. xii. 5), "Yea, he had power over the angel and prevailed"; and Daniel said (vi. 23), "My God hath sent his angel." Concerning the help vouchsafed to the pious and the destruction of their enemies, it is said (II Kings xix. 35), "And it came to pass that night that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians." There are many similar examples, which I will not go to the length of enumerating.
אָמַר הַמְחַבֵּר: יִתְבָּרַךְ הָאֵל הָעִזּוּז, וְהַגִּבּוֹר הַקָּרוֹב הָעוֹנֶה, הָאֶחָד הַקַּדְמוֹן הָרִאשׁוֹן הַנּוֹרָא, וְיִתְעַלֶּה לְאֵין קֵץ. וְאַחַר כָּךְ נֹאמַר כֵּן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֲנַחְנוּ רוֹאִים אֶת הָאָדָם מִבְחַר בְּרוּאֵי הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ יָדַעְנוּ כִּי הוּא עִנְיַן הַכַּוָּנָה בִּבְרִיאַת כָּל הַגּוּפוֹת וְהַהֲוָיוֹת. וְעוֹד כִּי הוּא שָׁוֶה וּמְכֻוָּן בְּמִזְגּוֹ מִכָּל בַּעֲלֵי חַיִּים. וְהוּא שֶׁנִּבְרָא מְתֻקָּן בְּצוּרָתוֹ וְנָאֶה בִּמְלַאכְתּוֹ מִכֻּלָּם, בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ מְדַבֵּר פְּנִינָה חָכְמָה קַיֶּמֶת לֹא תִּפָּסֵד. וְלִמְּדוּ עַל זֶה הַמּוֹפְתִים הַנִּרְאִים שֶׁמּוֹרֶה עֲלֵיהֶם הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַכְּתוּבִים אֲשֶׁר אֵינָם נִסְתָּרִים מִכָּל חֲכַם־לֵב, וְאָמַר מִבְּלִי הֲטוֹת כִּי הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבִּדְבָרִים הַמַּצְרִיכִים לְהוֹדוֹת כִּי הוּא מִבְחַר הַבְּרוּאִים מָצָאנוּ אוֹתוֹ מְשֻׁתָּף עִם הַמַּלְאָכִים בְּדִבּוּר וּבְשֵׂכֶל וְאֵלֶּה הַבּ' מִדּוֹת הֵמָּה אֱלֹקִיּוֹת רוּחָנִיּוֹת. וְעִם זֶה אָנוּ רוֹאִים שֶׁהַמַּלְאָכִים מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים בְּצָרְכֵי הָאָדָם הַצַּדִּיק, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּדַעְנוּ מֵאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע"ה בְּבַשְּׂרָם וְהַזְהֲרָתָם אוֹתוֹ, וְכֵן יִצְחָק וְכֵן יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ אָמַר בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ: "הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגּוֹאֵל אוֹתִי מִכָּל רָע" (בְּרֵאשִׁית מ"ח ט"ז). וְהַכָּתוּב אָמַר (הוֹשֵׁעַ י"ב ה) וַיָּשַׂר אֶל מַלְאָךְ וַיֻּכַל. וְדָנִיֵּאל אָמַר (דָּנִיֵּאל ו כ"ג) אֱלָהִי שְׁלַח מַלְאֲכֵהּ וְגוֹ'. וּבְעֶזְרַת הַצַּדִּיקִים וּנְגִיפַת שׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם אָמַר (מְלָכִים ב' י"ט ל"ה) וַיְהִי בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא וַיֵּצֵא מַלְאַךְ יְיָ וַיַּךְ בְּמַחֲנֵה אַשּׁוּר וְכוּ'. וְרַבִּים כָּעִנְיָנִים הָאֵלֶּה לֹא אַאֲרִיךְ בְּזִכְרָם.
Blessed be God, the Mighty, the Wise, the One who is nigh, Responsive, the One, the Eternal, the Primordial, the Creator; greatly exalted be He. Verily, when we look at man who is the best of all the creatures of the Creator, exalted be His majesty, we recognize that he is the object aimed at in the creation of all substances and beings. Furthermore, he is best proportioned, as regards constitution, of all living beings; and, in addition to this, most perfect and most beautiful of form, and most completely fashioned. He possesses a rational soul, elemental,4Horovitz, accepting the Hebrew translation, פנינה would render this "transparent," "luminous" (p. 108, note 65); cf. Dukes ("Phil."," p. 57, note 5). wise, everlasting, which does not perish with him. For all this there are clear proofs, both intellectual and Scriptural, which every intelligent man knows. The surest proof that man is pre-eminent among creatures is, that he partakes of the state of the angels in regard to speech and understanding. These two are divine and spiritual properties. Nay more, we see, besides this, that the angels busy themselves with the righteous man, as we learn from the case of Abraham, peace be unto him, in that they brought him glad tidings and also warned him; likewise from the case of Isaac and Jacob, our fathers. The latter said in the course of his excellent prayer for his son (Gen. xlviii. 16), "The angel which redeemed me";1In giving the English of Gabirol's biblical citations, I have quoted as much as is required to elucidate the general context. In doing so, I depart from the precedent laid down by the author or scribe, who frequently cites no more than an initial word or two of the Scriptural passage, sometimes even the non-essential ones, leaving it to the reader to recall the rest. In citing the number of chapter and verse, the Hebrew original has been followed. and Scripture says of him (Hos. xii. 5), "Yea, he had power over the angel and prevailed"; and Daniel said (vi. 23), "My God hath sent his angel." Concerning the help vouchsafed to the pious and the destruction of their enemies, it is said (II Kings xix. 35), "And it came to pass that night that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians." There are many similar examples, which I will not go to the length of enumerating.