The Legends of the Jews, vol 1 | Page 7

to undertake naught without first consulting
advisers.[3]
The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was
skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the
sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts. But
God dispelled her doubts. He told her, that repentance had been created
long before, and sinners would have the opportunity of mending their
ways. Besides, the Temple service would be invested with atoning

power, and Paradise and hell were intended to do duty as reward and
punishment. Finally, the Messiah was appointed to bring salvation,
which would put an end to all sinfulness.[4]
Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly created by
God. He made several worlds before ours, but He destroyed them all,
because He was pleased with none until He created ours.[5] But even
this last world would have had no permanence, if God had executed His
original plan of ruling it according to the principle of strict justice. It
was only when He saw that justice by itself would undermine the world
that He associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule jointly.[6]
Thus, from the beginning of all things prevailed Divine goodness,
without which nothing could have continued to exist. If not for it, the
myriads of evil spirits had soon put an end to the generations of men.
But the goodness of God has ordained, that in every Nisan, at the time
of the spring equinox, the seraphim shall approach the world of spirits,
and intimidate them so that they fear to do harm to men. Again, if God
in His goodness had not given protection to the weak, the tame animals
would have been extirpated long ago by the wild animals. In Tammuz,
at the time of the summer solstice, when the strength of behemot is at
its height, he roars so loud that all the animals hear it, and for a whole
year they are affrighted and timid, and their acts become less ferocious
than their nature is. Again, in Tishri, at the time of the autumnal
equinox, the great bird ziz[7] flaps his wings and utters his cry, so that
the birds of prey, the eagles and the vultures, blench, and they fear to
swoop down upon the others and annihilate them in their greed. And,
again, were it not for the goodness of God, the vast number of big fish
had quickly put an end to the little ones. But at the time of the winter
solstice, in the month of Tebet, the sea grows restless, for then
leviathan spouts up water, and the big fish become uneasy. They
restrain their appetite, and the little ones escape their rapacity.
Finally, the goodness of God manifests itself in the preservation of His
people Israel. It could not have survived the enmity of the Gentiles, if
God had not appointed protectors for it, the archangels Michael and
Gabriel.[8] Whenever Israel disobeys God, and is accused of
misdemeanors by the angels of the other nations, he is defended by his
designated guardians, with such good result that the other angels
conceive fear of them. Once the angels of the other nations are terrified,

the nations themselves venture not to carry out their wicked designs
against Israel.
That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the Angels of
Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the heavens, from
which they may never stir, while the Angels of Mercy encircle the
Throne of God, at His behest.[9]
THE ALPHABET
When God was about to create the world by His word, the twenty-two
letters of the alphabet[10] descended from the terrible and august
crown of God whereon they were engraved with a pen of flaming fire.
They stood round about God, and one after the other spake and
entreated, "Create the world through me! The first to step forward was
the letter Taw. It said: "O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to
create Thy world through me, seeing that it is through me that Thou
wilt give the Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses, as it is written,
'Moses commanded us the Torah.' " The Holy One, blessed be He,
made reply, and said, "No!" Taw asked, "Why not?" and God answered:
"Because in days to come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the
foreheads of men." As soon as Taw heard these words issue from the
mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, it retired from His presence
disappointed.
The Shin then stepped forward, and pleaded: "O Lord of the world,
create Thy world through me: seeing that Thine own name Shaddai
begins with me." Unfortunately, it is also the first