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'be cleansed but in hell. Yet punishment is not ' alike to all men. For as to the righteous, who have once or twice wrought the works of the 'wicked and transgressed the law (for in truth 'there is no one upon earth so righteous as to do ' good and commit no sin) these undergo no more 'than to be washed in water, and to continue a 'little time in hell; for they quickly pass through 'it. And our cabbalists are of opinion, that most ' of the righteous who appear on earth are subject ' to this punishment, in order to their being cleansed 'from their stains.'*-According to other statements, there seems, as far as Israelites are concerned, to be very little difference made between the righteous and the wicked: Nor has the fire of 'hell any power over the sinful Israelites, so as to 'consume or destroy them; but they go down 'thither only to be put into some emotion and frightened a little; but some, indeed, are scorched 'for their offences.'+

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The liberation of Israelites from hell is said to be greatly promoted and accelerated by the prayers of their surviving sons. Menasseh Ben Israel gravely relates, that a certain man, who had been a great sinner and left his wife pregnant at his death, was detained a considerable time in punishment, for want of a son capable of performing this act of filial piety; that he appeared and made known his sufferings to rabbi Akiba; that on inquiry finding the man's wife to have been deli

* Nishmath Chajim, f. §2. c. 2. ibid. p. 44.
+ Jalkut Chadash, f. 55. c. 3. ibid. p. 50.

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vered of a son, Akiba took the lad, instructed him in the law, and taught him to pray for his father; that the lad accordingly prayed, and in the same 'hour,' says Menasseh, his father was freed from 'hell: and the father appeared in a dream to rabbi 'Akiba, and said to him, May the rest of paradise 'be thy portion, because thou hast rescued me 'from the punishment of hell.-The like power ' hath likewise the Kodesh,'—that is, a certain prayer in the daily morning service.*- When the

son prays, and says the Kodesh publicly, then releaseth he his father and his mother out of 'hell.'+

Respecting the final state of the most wicked who

The prayer which is said to possess this wonderful efficacy, is as follows:

'O may the mighty power of the Lord be now magnified, as thou 'bast declared, saying, O Lord! remember thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses, for they have been of old.-May his great ' name be exalted and sanctified throughout the world, which he hath 'created according to his will. May he establish his kingdom in your life time, and in the life time of the whole house of Israel; soon, and in a short time, and say ye, Amen.- Amen. May his great name be blessed and glorified for ever and ever.-May his hallowed 'name be praised, glorified, exalted, magnified, honoured, and most 'excellently adored: blessed is he, far exceeding all blessings, hymns, 'praises, and beatitudes, that are repeated throughout the world; and say ye, Amen.-May our prayers be accepted with mercy and 'kindness.-May the prayers and supplications of the whole house of 'Israel be accepted in the presence of their Father who is in heaven: and say ye, Amen.-Blessed be the name of the Lord, from hence'forth and for evermore.-May the fulness of peace from heaven, 'with life, be granted unto us and all Israel: and say ye, Amen.— 'My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.-May he 'who maketh peace in his high heavens, bestow peace on us and on 'all Israel and say ye, Amen.' German and Polish Jews' Prayer Book, p. 55, 56.

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+ Nishmath Chajim, f. 89. c. 2. f. 9. c. 1. ibid. p. 62—65.

are sentenced to hell, we have already seen that some of the rabbies maintain their speedy annihilation, and others, their ultimate deliverance.*We cannot compliment these writers for consistency with themselves, any more than for harmony with each other. Menasseh, who says in one place, that their torments will not be perpetual,' says in another: They remain in hell a longer or a shorter time: some twelve months; others longer; ' and some to all eternity.' I

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But whatever be the duration of infernal punishment, it is represented as having certain seasons of intermission. Menasseh says: Even the wicked, ' of whom it is said that they descend into hell, ' and ascend not from thence, enjoy rest on the 'sabbath. The sabbath is therefore called "a

delight," because thereon those above and below

are both delighted.'§-Another writer says:. 'The 'sabbath is to the wicked in hell a day of rest.'But for this they receive a double punishment on 'the sixth day. -Another says, that they have every day, at each time of prayer, morning, "evening, and night, an hour and half of rest. 'Wherefore they rest, in the whole, every day, four 'hours and half.-They likewise rest twenty four 'hours, every sabbath; which, added to the other, 'make fifty one hours of rest in the week.'¶

* Chapter vii. p. 131, 132.

+ De Creat. apud Hoornbeek contra Jud. L. viii. c. 7. p. 572. Nishmath Chajim, f. 37. c. 2. cit. in Stehelin, vol. ii. p. 59, 60. § Nishmath Chajim, f. 39. c. 1, ibid. p. 56. Jalkut Chadash, f. 163. c. 4. ibid. p. 59. 1 Jalkut Reubeni, f. 167. c. 4. ibid. p. 54.

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CHAPTER XI.

Traditions concerning Human Souls.-Souls described as triple-as quintuple. Every Jew inspired with a supernumerary Soul on the Sabbath.-Different Origin of the Souls of Jews and Gentiles.-All Souls created on the first Day :-consulted about the formation of Bodies:-sent into Embryos respectively prepared for them.-Information and Instruction previous to the Birth.-Number of Israelitish Souls.—Souls originally created in Pairs.-Reception of a disembodied Soul entering into Paradise.-Transmigration of Souls:Whether the whole Soul, or only a Part, transmigrates; -and how many times.- Souls migrating into Human Bodies, Male and Female :—Into Brutes, Quadrupeds, Insects, Reptiles, Fishes:-Into Vegetables,-and other inanimate Things.—Another Kind of Transmigration, called Ibbur.

CONCERNING human souls, there are many traditions which could not properly be introduced at all in any former chapter; and of some that have been incidentally mentioned, it is necessary to give a more particular statement.

According to many of the rabbies, the body of man is animated by a triple soul, which they designate by the terms, nephesh, ruach, and neshama.* Rabbi Meir says: In man there is a

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* Two of these words, nephesh and neshama, are used in the account of the creation of man, Gen. ii. 7. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils" (w, in statu constructo pro neshama: Vid. Robertson. Clav. Pent. p. 24.) "the breath of life; and man became" (5) nephesh) a living soul." The other word (1) ruach, when applied to the rational part of man, is generally translated spirit.

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'nephesh, and a ruach; and according to his 'works he is made worthy of a higher glory, in 'what is called the neshama.-All is bound toge'ther; the nephesh to the ruach; the ruach to the 'neshama; and the neshama to the holy and blessed God.'* Another authority says: 'God 'created three worlds; the upper world, the 'middle world, and the lower world.-Farther, it ' is said in Zohar, that God created three souls, ' answering to the three worlds; namely, the nephesh, that is, the soul; and the ruach, that is, 'the spirit; and the neshama, that is, the precious 'soul. The nephesh is created with a view to the 'middle world; but the neshama, with a regard to 'the upper world. Wherefore by means of these 'three souls a man is qualified to inhabit the three 'worlds; and sometimes he abides in the lower, 'sometimes in the middle, and sometimes in the

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upper world; all which happens according to 'his qualification, and the qualifications of these 'souls.'-Distinct periods are assigned for the entrance of these souls into the body: The mystery of the conjoining of souls, which is called 'ibbur, consists in the following particulars. First, 'the nephesh enters at the birth of a man: at the age of thirteen years and one day, if his deeds ' are right, he becomes possessed of the ruach: if 'his deeds continue to be right, in the twentieth

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year enters the neshama. But if, on the contrary, 'his deeds are not right, the nephesh and ruach

* Avodath Hakkodesh, f. 4. c. 2. cit. in Stehelin, vol. i. p. 244, 245. + Tseror Hammaor, f. 3. c. 1. ibid. p. 245, 246.

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