Back
Likutei Amarim
Chapter 8וְעוֹד זֹאת בְּמַאֲכָלוֹת אֲסוּרוֹת, שֶׁלְּכָךְ נִקְרָאִים בְּשֵׁם אִיסּוּר, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאַף מִי שֶׁאָכַל מַאֲכַל אִסּוּר בְּלֹא הוֹדַע, לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, לַעֲבוֹד ה׳ בְּכֹחַ אֲכִילָה הַהִיא, וְגַם פָּעַל וְעָשָׂה כֵּן, וְקָרָא וְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכֹחַ אֲכִילָה הַהִיא,
There is an additional aspect with regard to prohibited foods. They are referred to by the term issur , literally, "something that is bound," because even if one unwittingly ate a prohibited food, not knowing that it was prohibited and even intending to eat it for the sake of Heaven, in order to serve
אֵין הַחַיּוּת שֶׁבָּהּ עוֹלָה וּמִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בְּתֵיבוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַתְּפִלָּה כְּמוֹ הַהֶיתֵּר, מִפְּנֵי אִיסּוּרָהּ בִּידֵי הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא מִשָּׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת.
God through the energy gained from this act of eating, and he even acted on it, for example, he studied Torah and prayed using the energy gained from that act of eating, nevertheless the life force contained within it does not ascend and become clothed in the words of Torah and prayer, as is the case with that which is permitted for consumption, since the life force is bound in the grasp of the sitra aḥara of the three impure kelippot . The author of the Tanya now presents another type of prohibited act: one done with holy intent. When one performs a permitted action without the intention that it should be for the sake of Heaven, the action falls into the realm of kelippat noga. What is the status of one who did something prohibited yet all the while intended the act to be for the sake of Heaven? Had he done this with a permitted act, it would have been as virtuous an act as can be. As explained in the previous chapter, such an act is akin to bringing a sacrifice, an offering brought on the altar in the Temple, a mundane object elevated to holiness. Yet because this was a forbidden act, such as eating non-kosher food, even if he was in error or completely blameless because he did not know that it was prohibited, it cannot ascend to the realm of holiness. Although there is no willful transgression on the person's part, the offering to God is not accepted. Certain laws govern which type of offering is fit and which is not fit to ascend from the altar, and if something that is not fit is offered, even in error, even if the one who offers it is completely blameless, God does not accept the offering. By the same token, the life force within the non-kosher food cannot ascend to holiness, since it is fettered to the sitra aḥara of the three impure kelippot. Issur and heter, that which is prohibited and that which is permitted, are not subjective concepts. They do not relate to the person, nor does the person define them by his knowledge and awareness. A person's knowledge or ignorance does not alter the basic definition of a thing as prohibited or permitted. A positive intention, such as intent for the sake of Heaven, for a holy purpose, does not prevent something prohibited from being prohibited. The prohibition is objective, relating to the composition, nature, and characteristics of the thing itself and not to what someone happens to think about it.
וַאֲפִילּוּ הוּא אִיסּוּר דְּרַבָּנָן, שֶׁחֲמוּרִים דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים יוֹתֵר מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה כו׳.
Even if it is a rabbinic prohibition, the life force does not ascend, since there is greater stringency with regard to the words of the Sages, to rabbinic law, than with regard to words of the Torah, such as prohibitions, and so on. This applies not only to items that the Torah itself prohibits, which we can more readily view as an objective definition, but also to rabbinic prohibitions, which appear to be subjective, human definitions. This is based on the assumption (which the author of the Tanya does not discuss here) that the Rabbis have the power to decree that from this point onward this or that thing is prohibited – objectively evil – so that it now belongs to the realm of the three utterly impure kelippot.
וְלָכֵן גַּם הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע וְכֹחַ הַמִּתְאַוֶּה לִדְבָרִים הָאֲסוּרִים הוּא שֵׁד מִשֵּׁדִין נוּכְרָאִין, שֶׁהוּא יֵצֶר הָרַע שֶׁל אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנַּפְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם מִשָּׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת.
Therefore, the evil inclination and impulse that lusts for things that are prohibited is also one of the foreign demons, which is the evil inclination of the nations of the world, whose souls stem from the three impure kelippot . The impulse that drives a person to do an evil act that belongs to the three impure kelippot, an act that cannot be rectified, is an alien impulse, an impulse that belongs to a non-Jewish soul, which derives from those kelippot. The animal soul of the Jew derives from kelippat noga, so its negative impulses are kelippat noga impulses – impulses for deeds that, though negative, can be rectified since they are not expressly defined by the Torah as evil and prohibited. The essence of the Jew is rectification, so everything related to a Jew is rectifiable. This is not to say that a Jew cannot sin with something that is prohibited. The reality is that he can commit such a transgression, but he is behaving as the opposite of a Jew.
מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע וְכֹחַ הַמִּתְאַוֶּה לִדְבָרִים הַמּוּּתָּרִים לְמַלּאֹת תַּאֲוָתוֹ – הוּא שֵׁד מִ׳שֵּׁדִין יְהוּדָאִין׳,
By contrast, the evil inclination and impulse that lusts for permitted things not for the sake of Heaven but rather solely to gratify its lusts is one of the Jewish demons, Some demons are "Jewish" demons, products of the Jewish experience. These demons are experts in Torah, acting entirely within the framework of halakha and claiming that those acts are kosher. Since this act is still in the realm of the permitted, it is rectifiable and can be elevated to holiness. Jewish demons, then, are demons created with the Jewish inclination and Jewish sins, which derive not from the three impure kelippot but from kelippat noga, which is never completely severed from holiness.
לְפִי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַחֲזוֹר לִקְדוּשָּׁה כְּדִלְעֵיל.
because the life force in that permitted thing can return to the realm of holiness, as explained above (chap. 7). Regardless of whether a person eats a prohibited or permitted food, if he eats it only to satisfy a physical need or desire, he is reduced to kelippa to the same degree. The difference is only that the act of eating a permissible food can be rectified. On a deeper level, a rectifiable sin is essentially different from a sin that cannot be rectified. It is said in the name of several tzaddikim that a Jew never fully sins. The Jewish demon created by his transgressions is always missing one limb or another. It can never be wholly evil, because the act that generates it is never wholehearted. A sin committed by a Jew always contains an iota of good intent, and there is at least an assumption that the matter can be put right. The author of the Tanya develops this idea later on as one of the principles of this book. A Jew cannot sin with a complete sense of abandonment of God. If he is capable of sin at all, it is only because he does not commit to it completely. In the recesses of his mind, he is aware that he is still a Jew and has a way back.
אַךְ מִכָּל מָקוֹם, קוֹדֶם שֶׁחָזַר לִקְדוּשָּׁה הוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא וּקְלִיפָּה. וְגַם אַחַר כָּךְ הָרְשִׁימוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נִשְׁאַר דָּבוּק בַּגּוּף, לִהְיוֹת כִּי מִכָּל מַאֲכָל וּמַשְׁקֶה נַעֲשֶׂה תֵּיכֶף דָּם וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרוֹ.
Nevertheless, prior to its return to the realm of holiness, it is sitra aḥara and kelippa . Even after its return, the trace of it remains attached to the body, since any food or beverage one consumes immediately becomes blood and flesh of his flesh. In order for a person's eating to be holy, there must be holy intent. Otherwise, he allows the sitra aḥara to infiltrate his being. When that happens, this impure act leaves an impression on reality. A stain is formed that can never be completely removed. If the deed was permissible, it can be rectified, but the impurity it spawned has been ingrained in the person's body as "blood and flesh of his flesh." By way of analogy, exposure to radiation beyond a certain intensity can prove fatal. But a lesser dose is also destructive in the long term. Although the person does not die immediately, a steady process of deterioration begins from the time of the exposure and onward. Or, to cite another example, some poisons, such as lead, ingested even in the smallest of quantities, can never be removed. Any immediate damage can usually be overcome, but the cumulative effect over time, as more and more of that material enters the body, can be extremely dangerous. By the same token, every nonholy act, even if later permitted, even if rectified and elevated to holiness, leaves a mark. The steady accumulation of mundane actions is liable to draw him out of the realm of holiness. In this way, a person can degenerate spiritually even by doing things that are permitted according to the Shulḥan Arukh. A decent person who never deliberately commits a sin, who merely allows himself a so-called normal life, can in the half hour or afternoon he devoted to activities devoid of holiness, leave a mark of impurity in his body that cannot be removed.
וְלָכֵן צָרִיךְ הַגּוּף לְחִיבּוּט הַקֶּבֶר, לְנַקּוֹתוֹ וּלְטַהֲרוֹ מִטּוּּמְאָתוֹ שֶׁקִּיבֵּל בַּהֲנָאַת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְתַעֲנוּגָיו מִטּוּּמְאַת קְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ וְשֵׁדִין יְהוּדָאִין,
Therefore, the body requires the torments of the grave to cleanse and purify it of the impurity it received from the enjoyment and pleasures of this world, which stem from the impurity of the kelippa of noga and Jewish demons, The "torments of the grave" is the suffering that the body endures in death through its deterioration and decomposition in the grave, which is a punishment and atonement for the body. It can also refer to the angels' beating of one's body after its burial.
אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן מִי שֶׁלֹּא נֶהֱנָה מֵעוֹלָם הַזֶּה כָּל יָמָיו כְּרַבֵּינוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ.
unless one never derived pleasure from this world his entire life, like the saintly Rabbeinu, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, compiler of the Mishna, was an extremely wealthy man who lived his entire life surrounded by luxury and opulence. Yet before his passing, he was able to proclaim, "Master of the universe, it is revealed and known before You that I toiled with my ten fingers in the Torah, and I have never derived any benefit [from the material world] even with my small finger" (Ketubot 104a). This was not only about asceticism and self-denial, but the ability to refrain from partaking of anything in this world for one's own sake, to be surrounded by all the pleasure of this world and not enjoy it just to satisfy one's own desires and fulfill one's own wishes. A person who lives such a life is holy. His body too is holy and does not require the cleansing or purification that the torments of the grave provide. The body is not impure in itself. It has become impure because it is contaminated, because it accumulates the residue of all the profane things that were done with it and that passed through it. These are not necessarily things that are prohibited by halakha but even things that can be – and have been – rectified. But because at some point the act belonged to kelippa, a stain of impurity remains, a remnant of filth, even when this point has passed and the act has been elevated. Sewage can be purified to make it drinkable, but a foul smell adheres to the machinery and vessels employed in the purification process. In this sense, the body, through which so much spiritual "sewage" passes in the course of a lifetime due to the animalistic, material existence it leads, is like a sewage-treatment plant and must be scoured to remove the stench that adheres to it. On the other hand, the body of one who leads a wholly sacred life has no reason to be impure. This is why the bodies of the righteous do not contaminate. Their bodies no longer contain life, but there is none of the impurity normally associated with a dead body.
וְעַל ‘דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים׳ בְּהֶיתֵּר, כְּגוֹן עַם הָאָרֶץ שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִלְמוֹד,
With regard to permissible idle chatter and thoughts, such as in the case of an ignoramus who is incapable of studying Torah, The Jew is commanded to devote every available moment to Torah study, and failing to do so is a grave sin. It would therefore follow that engaging in idle chatter, in talk that serves no purpose, will always constitute a transgression. Here, however, the author of the Tanya wants to cite an example of talk that is kelippat noga, mundane but permissible. He cites the example of a Jew who is unable to study Torah, perhaps due to a lack of literacy or intellectual ability. His idle chatter is not a sin, because it does not take the place of Torah study, but neither is it directed toward a holy purpose.
צָרִיךְ לְטַהֵר נַפְשׁוֹ מִטּוּּמְאָה זוֹ דִּקְלִיפָּה זוֹ עַל יְדֵי גִּלְגּוּלָהּ בְּכַף הַקֶּלַע, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת בְּשַׁלַּח דַּף נ"ט.
he must have his soul purified from the impurity of this kelippa , through its being rolled around in kaf hakela, literally, "the hollow of a sling," as the Zohar states in Parashat Beshalaḥ 59 a. Just as the body requires the torments of the grave to cleanse and purify it because it served, even temporarily, as a channel for impurity, so must the soul be purified of the impurity that clings to it as a result of its misuse of permitted things. This purification is effected through kaf hakela. This is a concept taken from Avigayil's remarks to David: "May the soul of my lord be bound in the bond of life with the Lord your God, and the souls of your enemies may he cast away as from the hollow of a sling" (I Sam. 25:29). The Talmud explains that the souls of the wicked are "continuously tied up, and one angel stands at one end of the world and another angel at the other end of the world, and they sling the souls [of the wicked back and forth] to one another" (Shabbat 152b). Elsewhere, the author of the Tanya explains that kaf hakela is the experience of the soul that is repeatedly confronted with its failings in the course of its lifetime in this world.
אֲבָל לְדִיבּוּרִים אֲסוּרִים כְּמוֹ לֵיצָנוּת וְלָשׁוֹן הָרַע וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם, שֶׁהֵן מִשָּׁלֹשׁ קְלִיפּוֹת הַטְּמֵאוֹת לְגַמְרֵי,
But for forbidden speech, such as scoffing, malicious speech, and the like, which stem from the three completely impure kelippot , When a person scoffs at things that it is forbidden to scoff at, such as insulting others, this is not just idle chatter but a sin in itself. It is unequivocally prohibited and cannot be rectified by holy intent.
אֵין כַּף הַקֶּלַע [לְבַדּוֹ] מוֹעִיל לְטַהֵר וּלְהַעֲבִיר טוּמְאָתוֹ מֵהַנֶּפֶשׁ, רַק צְרִיכָה לֵירֵד לַגֵּיהִנֹּם.
the punishment of kaf hakela alone is not effective for purifying and removing its impurity from the soul. Rather, it must subsequently descend to Gehenna. The soul of one who transgressed a veritable prohibition must descend to Gehenna, a far harsher fate than that of kaf hakela. This fate does not apply to someone who merely lacked the proper intent when performing a permitted action, such as in the example of idle chatter presented here. The distinction lies in the degree of cleansing required for each respective act. Kaf hakela constitutes the reenactment of the experience wherein the idle chatter occurred, the purpose of which is to rectify that speech by incorporating proper intentions. By contrast, Gehenna is where the soul experiences actual punishment and suffering, measure for measure, for its sins. As the author of the Tanya explains in Iggeret HaTeshuva, just as the suffering one undergoes in this world atones for his sins, so the pain experienced by the soul in Gehenna effects atonement. But whereas the suffering of this world is transient and bestowed with benevolence, the suffering of Gehenna is unmitigated and meted out in the strictest sense through the attribute of harsh judgment. Having said this, one must always bear in mind that this severe suffering in Gehenna can be avoided or mitigated if one performs proper repentance in this world.
וְכֵן מִי שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וְעוֹסֵק בִּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, אֵין כַּף הַקֶּלַע לְבַדּוֹ מוֹעִיל לְנַפְשׁוֹ לְמָרְקָהּ וּלְזַכְּכָהּ,
Similarly, kaf hakela alone cannot effectively scour and refine the soul of one who is capable of studying Torah yet engages in idle chatter, For a person who is capable of Torah study, idle chatter is not a permissible mundane act but a prohibition. On this subject, the Talmud expresses itself quite vehemently, interpreting the verse "Those who forsake the Lord will perish" (Isa. 1:28) as referring to those who abandon their books of Torah and leave the study hall.
רַק עוֹנָשִׁים חֲמוּרִים שֶׁמַּעֲנִישִׁים עַל בִּיטּוּל תּוֹרָה בִּפְרָטוּת, מִלְּבַד עוֹנֶשׁ הַכְּלָלִי לְכָל בִּטּוּל מִצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה מֵחֲמַת עַצְלוּת בְּגֵיהִנֹּם שֶׁל שֶׁלֶג, כַּמְבוֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (ליקוטי תורה להאר״י ז״ל תחילת פרשת שמות, ובזהר חלק א סב, ב, רלז, ב, וחלק ב קנ, א).
only severe punishments that are administered specifically on account of neglecting Torah study, apart from the general punishment for neglecting a positive commandment out of indolence, which is Gehenna of snow, as explained elsewhere (Arizal, Likkutei Torah, Parashat Shemot; Zohar 1:62b, 1:237b, 2:150a). On the spectrum of mitzvot, Torah study is unique in a number of aspects.
וְכֵן הָעוֹסֵק בְּחָכְמוֹת אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם – בִּכְלַל דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים יֵחָשֵׁב לְעִנְיַן עֲוֹן בִּיטּוּל תּוֹרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ׳הִלְכוֹת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה׳ (פרק ג סעיף ז).
Likewise, one who studies the wisdom of the nations of the world is considered in the category of one who engages in idle chatter and constitutes the sin of neglecting Torah study, as stated in Hilkhot Talmud Torah (3:7). The sin of neglecting Torah study is so severe that what a person does instead, whether nonsense or profound intellectual study, does not make any difference. There is no real difference between discussing the price of shoes and delving into philosophy if it is in place of the pursuit of Torah. The author of the Tanya is not referring to prohibited subjects, those that are heretical or idolatrous. He refers to subjects that are inherently benign yet are nonetheless regarded as sinful because they occupy a person's time and soul instead of Torah study.
וְעוֹד זֹאת יְתֵרָה טוּמְאָתָהּ שֶׁל חָכְמַת הָאוּמּוֹת עַל טוּמְאַת דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַלְבִּישׁ וּמְטַמֵּא רַק הַמִּדּוֹת מִיסוֹד הָרוּחַ הַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ הָאֱלֹהִית בְּטוּמְאַת קְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ שֶׁבִּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, הַבָּאִים מִיסוֹד הָרוּחַ הָרַע שֶׁבִּקְלִיפָּה זוֹ בְּנַפְשׁוֹ הַבַּהֲמִית כְּדִלְעֵיל.
In addition, there is a greater degree of impurity in the wisdom of the nations of the world than the impurity of idle chatter, which clothes and renders impure only the emotive attributes that stem from the holy element of air that is within one's divine soul. These attributes are defiled with the impurity of kelippat noga contained in idle chatter, which stems from the evil element of air that is within this kelippa in one's animal soul, as discussed above (chap. 1). Idle chatter is profane only because it is not uttered for the sake of Heaven, and anything that does not serve a holy purpose is kelippa. Just as a person can be either alive or dead, and cannot be in some intermediate state between the two, so too whatever is not for the sake of Heaven is impure, because the very definition of kelippa is that which is not holy. Idle chatter, devoid of all meaning and content, thus belongs to the realm of the impure, of kelippa. However, since it is not prohibited in and of itself, it belongs to the kelippa of noga and not the utterly impure kelippot.
וְלֹא בְּחִינוֹת חָכְמָה בִּינָה דַּעַת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ, מֵאַחַר שֶׁהֵם דִּבְרֵישְׁטוּת וּבוּרוּת שֶׁגַּם הַשּׁוֹטִים וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ יְכוֹלִים לְדַבֵּר כֵּן.
The impurity of idle chatter, however, does not clotheunderstanding, and knowledge in one's soul, since they are foolish and ignorant words such that even fools and the ignorant can speak that way. the faculties of wisdom, Idle chatter involves only the base, instinctive faculties of the soul, not its intellect. When a person occupies himself with idle chatter, he contaminates only the emotive attributes of his divine soul, while its cognitive faculties – wisdom, understanding, and knowledge – are not involved, compromised, or contaminated.
מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בְּחָכְמַת הָאוּמּוֹת הוּא מַלְבִּישׁ וּמְטַמֵּא בְּחִינוֹת חָכְמָה בִּינָה דַּעַת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ הָאֱלֹהִית
This is not the case with regard to wisdom of the nations, with which one clothes and renders impure the faculties of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that are in his divine soul When a person studies philosophy, science, or any other secular pursuit that uses the intellectual powers of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, his spiritual investment is far deeper. This is not just external involvement, as when someone speaks about superficial things, but involves all the faculties of the soul, including its cognitive attributes, to the extent that the soul itself is identified and unified with the unholy subject matter.
בְּטוּמְאַת קְלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ שֶׁבְּחָכְמוֹת אֵלּוּ,
with the impurity of kelippat noga that is within these disciplines of wisdom, As in the case of idle chatter, the author of the Tanya is speaking of secular disciplines that do not, in and of themselves, contain any prohibited element but are neutral, involving no transgression but also no holy purpose. As long as they are not used for the sake of the Divine, they belong to kelippat noga. For something to belong to kelippat noga, it need not be evil. It suffices that it contains no intrinsic holiness. Whenever a person involves himself in something that lacks holiness, even if it is intellectually lofty and profound, he contaminates his soul. More than that, the more lofty and profound the subject of study is, the more interesting and stimulating to the mind, the more a person invests his soul in it, and the more he contaminates the soul – involving not only his emotive attributes but his intellectual faculties as well.
שֶׁנָּפְלוּ שָׁמָּה בִּשְׁבִירַת הַכֵּלִים, מִבְּחִינַת אֲחוֹרַיִים שֶׁל חָכְמָה דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, כַּיָּדוּעַ לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן.
which fell into kelippat noga through the shattering of the vessels from the back side of the wisdom of holiness, as known to those initiated in the esoteric wisdom of Kabbala. The source and nature of nonholy wisdom is a complex and somewhat problematic kabbalistic concept, which we cannot thoroughly deal with here. Generally speaking, according to the wisdom of Kabbala, the shattering of the vessels, which generated kelippa, occurred only in the realm of the seven emotive attributes but not that of the three cognitive attributes, the intellectual faculties of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. According to this, the existence of impure wisdom seems impossible. This is why the author of the Tanya emphasizes that the sciences of the nations fell from the "back side" of supernal wisdom, not from its inner aspect, regarding which there is no death or fall to impurity, as implied by the verse "They die without wisdom" (Job 4:21).
אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן עוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָן קַרְדּוֹם לַחְתּוֹךְ בָּהֶן, דְּהַיְינוּ כְּדֵי לְהִתְפַּרְנֵס מֵהֶן בְּרֶיוַח לַעֲבוֹד ה׳,
The wisdom of the nations renders impure the divine soul's cognitive faculties unless one uses them as an ax with which to chop wood, meaning in order to earn a comfortable livelihood with which to serve God, A person may pursue a secular science as a profession by which to earn his livelihood, just as another takes up shoemaking as his livelihood. The subject itself is not prohibited, but since it has no inherent holiness, it belongs to the realm of kelippa as long as it serves no holy purpose and represents an achievement in and of itself. Yet just as eating can be rectified and elevated by using it for holy purposes, in order to give one the strength and energy to serve God, so too a secular science can be rectified and elevated when a person uses it to support a life devoted to the service of God. Furthermore, even if such a profession demands a spiritual involvement on the part of the person that is deeper than, say, a life of shoemaking, it is justified by the fact that it will earn him a more comfortable living. This is implied by the Tanya's seemingly superfluous expression berevaḥ, implying a comfortable livelihood that would allow a person more time and energy to devote to his holy pursuits.
אוֹ שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן לַעֲבוֹדַת ה׳ אוֹ לְתוֹרָתוֹ. וְזֶהוּ טַעֲמוֹ שֶׁל הָרַמְבַּ"ם וְרַמְבַּ"ן ז"ל וְסִיעָתָן שֶׁעָסְקוּ בָּהֶן.
or one knows how to employ these subject matters for the service of God or for understanding His Torah. This is the reason that Rambam and Ramban, of blessed memory, and their colleagues, studied such subjects. Secular sciences can assist in the service of God not only indirectly, through providing a livelihood, but also directly if the knowledge itself is applied to the service of God. If a person studies philosophy to clarify for himself the ways of serving God, or astronomy to see how "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:2), or other sciences in order to devise ways of better fulfilling the mitzvot, his pursuit of these studies constitutes a part of his service of God. The chapters on astronomy that Rambam included at the beginning of Sefer HaMadda are not a professional study of astronomy but part of his halakhic work, Mishneh Torah. Rambam's astronomy made him think not of Ptolemy but of God. His assumption was that the more one knows about creation, the more one knows about the Creator.