God who preceded all existence is a refuge.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that God is the ultimate source and sanctuary beyond all creation.
Maimonides suggests that God is not only the origin of everything that exists but also serves as a safe haven for those seeking solace. This understanding highlights the importance of a spiritual anchor in a world filled with uncertainty and chaos, positioning God as a presence that transcends our understanding of existence.
In practice
During a spiritual retreat, one might quote Maimonides to emphasize the importance of seeking comfort in divine presence.
If men possessed wisdom, which stands in the same relation to the form of man as the sight to the eye, they would not cause any injury to themselves or to others; for the knowledge of truth removes hatred and quarrels, and prevents mutual injuries.
There are eight rungs in charity. The highest is when you help a man to help himself.
When man possesses a good, sound body that does not overpower him nor disturb the equilibrium in him, he possesses a divine gift. In short, a good constitution facilitates the rule of the soul over the body, but it is not impossible to conquer a bad constitution by training.
If the whole earth is infinitely small in comparison with the sphere of the stars, what is man compared with all these created beings!
One should see the world, and see himself as a scale with an equal balance of good and evil. When he does one good deed the scale is tipped to the good - he and the world is saved. When he does one evil deed the scale is tipped to the bad - he and the world is destroyed.
Further, there are things of which the mind understands one part, but remains ignorant of the other; and when man is able to comprehend certain things, it does not follow that he must be able to comprehend everything.
The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.
It [feminism] is mixed up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but slaves when they help their husbands.
The hero is strangely akin to those who die young.
A bad review is even less important than whether it is raining in Patagonia.
The mercy of the world is you don't know what's going to happen.
What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you'd like it to mean?
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