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BOOK 1 I N the year of Creation 545I 1 I begin writing this with an aching heart, as will follow later. May the Lord make us rejoice as often as He has afflicted us and send our Messiah and Redeemer speedily. Amen. All that the Lord has created, He createdfor His gi()ry. The world was founded on loving-kindness. We know that the Almighty, blessed be He and blessed be His name, in His goodness and mercy created all things. He is not in need of any of His creations which He in His grace has made in diverse kinds for the use ofus sinful mortals. Every created thing is ofsome use, more than we realize or imagine. King David, on whom be peace, asked, ofwhat use are the fool, the wasp, and the spider in the world? But he found out in good time. First God and then these three saved his life-as is written in the Book of Kings. Anyone who wishes to know can read it in Holy Writ. It is known that many pious people live sad and lonely lives, suffering hardship and misery in this passing )Vorld while, in contrast, rogues enjoy much honour and great comforts. They and theirs have riches while, on the other hand, it fares badly with the righteous and their children. We ponder: How is it that Almighty God, who isjust, permits this? But this also, I think, is vanity, for it is impossible to penetrate God's actions and uncover their meaning. Moses our Teacher, on whom be peace, wanted to find out and asked: Make me know Thy ways. But as even he could not attain this, we need not concern ourselves about them. In any case, this world, which is as naught, has been created solely because of the world-to-be. God in his manifold kindness has made the passings of this world to enable us to do good and serve Him well. Also, there is a limit ofseventy years in this toilsome world, ofpreparation for the next; hundreds ofthousands of people do not reach even this age. But the world-to-come exists for ever. Oh how abtmtlant is Thy g()odness, which Thou hast laid upfor them thatfiar Thee.1 Happy is the one who has his reward in the everlasting world-to-come. The sorrows and troubles man suffers 1 16g0-g1 of the common era. I Psalm. 31: 20. I 2 HOLD FAST TO THE TOR.AH here are temporary and last but a while. And when time has flown, the poor man, as does the rich man also, lays down his life-there is no difference. Furthermore, the poor man, who has suffered so much in his lifetime, dies in peace, for every day was for him a living death, ever hoping that it would fare better with him in the next world. And always thinking that God owed him this as his due. All his consolation lies in the future world: When shall I come and see theface ofthe Lord? According to my limited understanding, I therefore think that his suffering is not too hard to bear. But this is not so with the wealthy rogue who all his days has lusted after riches, his good being solely for himself. Nothing restrained him. When his time comes to leave this world and he reflects that, though God has given him everything, he has not used his riches for good as he should have done, woe unto him! How much harder then is his last journey than that ofthe poor man. But, my dear children, what need to speak longer on this? I began writing this, with the help ofheaven, after the death ofyour pious father, to stifle and banish the melancholythoughts which came to me during many sleepless nights. We are strayed sheep that have lost our faithful shepherd. I have spent many sleepless nights and for fear offalling into a melancholia, I arose in the wakeful hours and spent the time writing this. I do not intend to write a book ofmorals, for I am not able to do so. Our wise men have written such books: and we have the Holy Torah,l from which we may learn what is useful and what will lead us from this to the future world. We must hold fast to the Torah. As an example: a ship full of passengers sailed the seas. A passenger on deck leaning...

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