CHAPTER TWO
The Suluk Al-Khass:
The Special
Path of the Egyptian Hasidim
From the writings of the
mediaeval Maimunis and the
other leading figures of the
Cairene Jewish-Sufi movement we have
a clear record of many of
the aims and practices that Tariqa
Eliyahu HaNabi hopes to renew and develop in our own era. These practices will be discussed in
greater detail throughout the
rest of this manual, but in this
chapter we hope to offer the reader a useful introductory list and a summary outline of the system they followed.
The Kifaya of Rabbenu Abraham
gives us the framework and ethos of all the Egyptian Hasidic practices,
and that work is the
source of most of
the details that follow here.
As aspiring Sufis, we walk a Path—a
term which is a translation of the Arabic
word Tariqa. Though the term Tariqa eventually became synonymous
with the term Sufi Order, in classical usage it denoted a Path,
Road, or Way. In hebrew the
term is usually translated as "Derech". Both the Hebrew and
the Arabic terms can indicate an ethos, praxis, or a codified
system. Significantly, as practicing
Jews we observe the halacha—a term that is also related to walking on a path.
As Jewish-Sufi hasidim— we walk the Suluk al-Khass (the Special
Path). This term was coined by R. Abraham—and
the Hasid who walks that
path is called a Salik [pl. salikun]: a Seeker.
The Special
Path of the Jewish-Sufi ascetic pietist (according to Rabbenu Abraham and
his circle) is only to be followed once the aspirant has perfected the
observance of the Common Path, a term which they use to denote the fundamental observance of the mitzvot.
Here is
the passage from the Kifaya which introduces these two “paths”:
“The Torah’s Spiritual Path—which extends far
beyond the basic observance of the Law[al-Sharīʿah]— is composed of two paths: the Common(general)Path [sulūk Am] and
the Special Path [sulūk al-Khass]. We walk the Common Path when we observe the
explicit mitzvot of the Law, performing what is commanded and avoiding that
which is forbidden.... The Special Path is that followed by one who—like the
prophets and saints— is aware of the essential and implicit purpose of the
mitzvot and the hidden meanings which they contain. The one who follows the
Special Path is called “holy”[kadosh], “benevolent” [hasid]
,and “humble” [anav]...but
the best name for such a one is “hasid”
because the term is derived from hesed
(benevolence) for, due to his own benevolent desire, he goes beyond what is
demanded by the Law.
We say it is a “special” way because it is not
something which everyone who observes the Law can fully attain and we say it is “implicit” is because it is not explicitly obligatory...” *[1]
From the very start of this section in the Kifaya
it is clear that the Suluk al-Khass is an elitist path, but shortly
after stating this, and making it clear that all are invited to
undertake the journey according to their own level of understanding,
R.Abraham adds:
“The range of the Sulūk al-Khass is as broad as the range between East and
West, and those who walk its ways are on many distinct levels, even though they
all walk on the same identical road.”*[2]
He then gives us the example of the differing
ways in which practitioners might
experience Shabbat according to their own level of progress along the path:
ranging from one who reflects on the
nature of the work prohibitions, through the one who meditates on the "Work of the Creator who made the seventh day special"
, to the higher state of the hasid who becomes “so rapt in intellective
meditation that he will be lifted to a state of true kedushah”
that he “will find bliss in his Maker as His sublime lights enter him.” *[3]
According to the Kifaya, practitioners who walk the Suluk
al-Khass range from long term geo-physical and reclusive solitaries to those
who are highly active in professional and congregational activity but who nevertheless
practice khalwat al batina/khalwat dar Anjuman: namely "solitude in the crowd", or
"interior detachment and constant recollection of the Divine". It is that dual state of equanimity and absorption
in perpetual dhikr which is the
aim of all Sufic practice.
For R.Obadyah Maimuni (and even more so for R.David ben Joshua Maimuni)
it is clear that the ideal model
for the ultimate levels of ascetic and solitary practice is the solitary hermit
living in extended (though not permanent) retreat. Nevertheless they (and
R.Abraham before them) also point out that those who are called to this
particular level of the Special Way are very few and far
between.
In addition to the broad acceptance of members
at the various levels described in the Kifaya,
it is significant that, in practice, the Egyptian Hasidic
Movement accepted members at various lower levels of intensity in their
contemplative or ascetic practice and
yet still accounted them as full
participatory and integrated salikun on the Special Path.
It is also significant that, somewhat unusually
for their era, women were fully-active practitioners in the movement.[4]
The Egyptian pietists were thus elitist only in so far as they stated the highest
levels of sufic attainment as their ideal model— but were welcoming of all
levels and many kinds of participation in their shared journey towards that
goal.
oooOooo
Maqamat:
Stations on the Path
In almost all religions the spiritual
life of the contemplative and mystic is
commonly described as a journey on a
path; as the ascent of a mountain,
or the climbing of a ladder; all of
which represent a progression through various states or stages. The
Carmelite Camino de Perfección
and the Subida del Monte Carmelo, and
the Carthusian Laddere of
Foure Ronges spring to mind from my own past to illustrate this. But in the
Sufi tradition in Islam, this journey towards human perfection and union with
the Divine is achieved through a progression through States (Ahwal)
and Stations (Maqamat).
The precise difference between these two terms is hotly debated in both
Jewish and Islamic discourse and there are also accounts of spiritual
experiences that display an overlapping
of both elements. But most would
agreewith al-Ghazali who claimed that a State (Hal) is a Divinely bestowed (or witheld) blessing
whereas a Station (Maqam) may be
“worked at” or in some sense “merited” by our own efforts. The Sufi devotee always assumes that such
effort does not magically or automatically open spiritual doors by itself; that
all progress requires Divine blessing; and that any progress is dependent on
G-d’s Will and purpose—both for the individual and for all Creation. G-d knows
best.
The tachlit or goal of
all Jewish-Sufi Maqamat systems is most frequently described using
the terms wusla and wusul. Wusla is the
permanent State of enlightenment/devekut, while Wusul
is the term which describes one's
arrival at that final stage of Encounter.
In some Jewish-Sufi texts that Stage/State is described using the language
of inspiration and prophecy
and in others it is described in terms
of cleaving to the Divine in Love or
even in the kind of profound intimacy
most often called unio mystica.
These concepts of arrival and encounter bear a strong correlation to the process of Fana
(annihilation of desires and ego
consciousness) and the State of Baqa (absorption in the Divine) that are the
goal of Islamic Sufi practice.
Academic scholars argue about the extent to which Sufi authors (both Islamic and Jewish) might be describing a Union rather than an Intimacy when they use these terms, but in this manual we prefer to leave that complex and intellectual discussion to them. Our aim here is just to provide our salikun with an encouraging framework to assist them in the practice of preparing for that State and its Encounter, in whatever form G-d may grant it to the individual practitioner. We do not seek to analyse or theorise about the process, we just hope to experience it.
For those aspiring Sufis who are also
Jews (and according to R.David ben Joshua Maimuni) the source for
the Maqamat is the
system indicated by Pinchas ben
Yair (2nd Century) that is recorded in the Talmud Bavli.[6]
The Babylonian Talmud contains two
references to what seems to be a progression from one stage of observance and
devotion to another in an ascending fashion. The most often quoted of those two
Mishnaic texts is to be found in Tractate
Sota:
Torah study leads to care in the performance of mitzvot. Care in the performance of mitzvot leads to diligence in their observance. Diligence leads to cleanliness of the soul. Cleanliness of the soul leads to abstention from all evil. Abstention from evil leads to purity and the elimination of all base desires. Purity leads to piety. Piety leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to holiness. Holiness leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead.* [7]
This
might generate the following schema:
THE
MAQAMAT OF PINCHAS BEN YAIR
oooOooo
The Maqamat in the Kifaya
The Maqamat
of the Suluk al-Khass which
are expounded in R. Abraham's Kifaya are presented as a course of
spiritual education with distinct virtues to be
attained and practiced. The core of the system
outlined by Rabbenu Abraham is thus a route-map through the various stages of moral and religious
development that the seeker on the Special Path must attempt to traverse in
order to attain nearness/union with G-d. [8]
In his commentary introducing his translation of the Kifaya, R.Samuel Rosenblatt describes
that progress as follows:
“The SULUK or special
course which Abraham Maimonides prescribes for those who wish to reach “the
goal” corresponds as a whole almost exactly to the طريقة (ṭarīqah) the path of the Sufi, which is also sometimes called [סלוך] سلوك (sulūk)
whence the name of those who embrace these paths is in both cases سالكون (sālikūn). Another name ظالب (ṭālib) is also hinted at in the [כפאיה] كـفـايـة
(Kifāyah) and has its counterpoint
there in the term [קאצד] قاصد (qāṣid ). The [מסאלך
רפיעה]
مسالك (masālak rafīʿah) or virtues, which mark the stages of this path in
ascending order in each one of which man must perfect himself so as to be in
complete possession of them, resemble in every way the مقمات (maqamāt) of the Sufi’s طريقة (ṭarīqah) which have been defined as denoting the good qualities
which a man acquires through practice and which become to him, as a result of
that practice, a lasting moral status. These مقمات (maqamāt)
have also been called “scales of perfection” since men must make themselves
perfect in one before passing on to the next.” [9]
R. Rosenblatt
then states the Maqamat of R. Abraham ben HaRambam
in the following order of progression:
THE MAQAMAT OF R. ABRAHAM BEN HARAMBAM
R.Rosenblatt
writes:
“The special virtues that
make up the SULUK outlined by Abraham Maimonides,...are all paralelled in the
path of the Sufi in practically the same sequence and are called by pretty
nearly the same names. Both systems require as a necessary preliminary to the
assumption of the special higher courses the scrupulous fulfillment of the law ةعيرشلا (al-sharīʿah). Both make it imperative that the
novice take a guide to direct him on his journey and that this guide be an
experienced teacher, a holy man, who has himself already traversed “the way”. In both cases the end is
not reached until the stages have been passed and perfection has been attained
in each one.” *[10]
Rabbenu Abraham himself states that:
“These Paths have an
order, with some ahead of others. I do not mean in time; rather I refer to their
being above in arrangement and level. Therefore we have arranged the chapters
so that each chapter will contain one stage, with each stage more essential to
the realisation of Encounter [wusul] with the one in the previous chapter [Nonetheless, acquiring
a higher stage] would be worth little without acquiring the previous stage
first” *[11]
He also advises a gradual and measured ascent through the
maqamat when he gives the
sort of sound advice that teachers of meditation and contemplation give to
their students in almost all world religions when he writes:
“When your desire has been
aroused for this great thing and this elevated path, “the way of the pious-ones
of the Lord and his prophets”, [you should] remove your habits, weaken your
[worldly]ties little by little, by degree. Do not run and plunge in at one
stroke in such a manner that you would fail and not persevere.” *[12]
In connection with this we may note
a parallel passage from R. Moshe Hayim Luzzatto (1707-1746) giving
the same advice, significantly in a chapter describing the same prophetic goal as that of the
Egyptian Hasidim. The passage
is doubly significant for us in
this Tariqa because it also makes
reference to the Bnei Nevi'im and
to the need for a Murshid
(as Spiritual Guide)
The
Ramchal writes:
"A prophet does not
reach the highest level all at
once, rather he ascends step by step until he
attains full prophecy. The matter requires apprenticeship like all other disciplines and crafts where one must climb up their rungs
until he has mastered them
thoroughly. This explains the concept of the "disciples of the
prophets"—they would stand
before the prophet to receive the necessary training for the
ways of prophecy." [13]
The notion of "apprenticeship" under a master is a core tenet of developed Sufic practice
and it was adopted wholeheartedly by
the Egyptian Hasidim. In the Kifaya, R. Abraham ben HaRambam
writes:
"It is essential in this
special type of spiritual striving (al-mujāhadah al-khāssah) that efforts [to
diminish] eating and sleeping and other things be made in stages and according
to the capacity of each one making the effort to endure it. And [it ought only
to be undertaken] under the direction of masters who have cultivated these
[practices] and who have striven to achieve them and have reached their
destination. When one embarks on the special type of spiritual striving in
stages and under direction and guidance (‘alā tadrīj
wa-takrīj wa tadbīr), determined and defined in its
particulars for each and every person according to his condition… then will
[the disciple] be safe in traversing the hazards of spiritual striving...Know
that this is as the bearers of tradition, peace be upon them, have said with
regard to theoretical learning (fī ta‘allum al-‘ilm): “Acquire yourself a master
and remove yourself from doubt” (M. Avot 1:16). [The same process] is equally vital
in practical learning(fī ta‘allumal-‘amal)." [14]
R. Abraham ben HaRambam is
not the only model for us to study and develop our praxis, but his rabbinic
rulings and mystical writings must
surely be given a certain preferential status in our considerations. Nevertheless,
at this juncture we really ought to consider the Maqamat as they appear in the
writings of the
other Maimunis.
The Maqamat in the Hawdiyya of R. Obadyah Maimuni
Although it is one of the most spiritually inspiring manuscripts used by the Egyptian Pietists, Al Maqala al-Hawdiyya (The Treatise of the Pool) of R. Obadyah Maimuni is focused on specific theoretical and practical aspects of the Judeo-Sufic Path—but it is comparitively unconcerned with the delineation of maqamat and the kind of exposition of one’s progress through them that we find in the other manuals of our movement’s mesorah. Its focus is on the philosophy and ethos of the Jewish-Sufi path and it presents us with a poetic and inspiring guide in practice without discussing stages of ascent in detail.
As a particularly esoteric text, it
also chooses to be sparing in revealing the details of the process of that spiritual
ascent, preferring to encourage each novice to develop their own private
intuition.[15]
For example: commenting on his method of scriptural exegesis (which bears
comparison to our own Hegyon HaLev), in a passage which might well apply
to the entire Hawdiyya, R.Obadyah tells us that:
"...the matter to which we have alluded
cannot be more overtly expounded...my goal is merely to open the gate and rely
upon the disciple’s comprehension. If he be endowed with insight and intuition
(dawq), he will then arrive at the true significance through his own
resources." [16]
Nevertheless, the Hawdiyya restates the
classic pietist practices of Equanimity, Moderated Asceticism,
and the avoidance of bad company [17]
as essential components of the path of one dedicated to the Suluk al-Khass.
Most especially, the manuscript is marked by a pronounced emphasis on the
importance of khalwa (both external and internal) [18]
and on the recommendation of late marriage/celibacy as methods of askesis
designed to produce a state of total dedication and intimacy with the Divine. [19]
Like Ibn Paquda and R. Abraham ben Ha Rambam, R.Obadyah accepts
that not everyone is called to extreme asceticism, and the Hawdiyya
also gives us further confirmation that the Tariqa welcomed people at
varied “levels” of pietist practice in the following passage:
“Reflect upon this saying of the Rabbis, may
peace be upon them, which also alludeth to the aforementioned diversity of
spiritual states among the wayfarers [salikun], “Unto Abraham, whose
power was strong, (the Angels) appeared as men, whereas unto Lot, whose power
was weak, they appeared in the likeness of Angels.” [20]
Though a formal “list” of Maqamat
does not feature in this vade mecum for Jewish-Sufi pietists, he follows
his father (and every Islamic-Sufi Murshid) by making one point
especially clear to us—namely that each stage be approached gradually
and given time to settle (as it were) before the murid/novice moves on.
He writes:
“It behoveth the wise man not to ascend to a
state which is too elevated for him to be aware of the extent of his soul’s
(capacity) and advance gradually, as is the wont of nature, which assimilateth
things progressively. The Sage said in this respect, “Only he who hath eaten
his fill of bread and meat is fit to stroll in the orchard.”[Yesod haTorah IV:
13].” [21]
oooOooo
The Maqamat in the
Murshid of R. David ben
Joshua
In the Murshid (al-Murshid
ila al-tafarud va-al-murfid ila al-tagarud —The Guide to Solitary Retreat and
Detachment) of Rabbenu David ben Joshua Maimuni we
have a remarkable Judeo-Sufic manual that is more focussed on the “States/Ahwal”
and on progression through the “Stations/Maqamat
” than any previously composed Pietist text. Rabbenu David expresses the core
importance of his Maqamat schema in al-Murshid as follows:
“Actually, the central
theme of this book concerns the stations and states of the
soul in its journey on the Divine Path, the ascent towards God and the
arrival (wusul) at the final goal, which is passionate love of the One
who is Truth itself.” [22]
Like all his Maimuni forebears, he is
clearly presenting a system which has the aim of producing a congregation and a movemental
pathway that is geared to the ethical and mystical education of a Tariqa
of aspiring prophets, but like Rabbenu Abraham, his true goal is the
individual’s arrival at the State of
intense and intimate mutual love of the soul and G-d.
Here, then, is a
very brief summary of the Maqamat of Rabbenu David ben Joshua as he presents them in chapters 5 to 20 of al-Murshid. From this alone one can see that al-Murshid
is undoubtedly the most comprehensive
and clearly delineated example of the Jewish-Sufi Maqamat that is available to us. [23]
THE
MAQAMAT OF R. DAVID BEN JOSHUA
1 ZEHIRUT
Illumination
Rabbenu David presents this
term as having two meanings (i)ascetic renunciation of inessentials and (ii)
enlightenment. One who reaches this station is called a “Zahir”
(Enlightened One).
2 ZERIZUT
Zeal
He presents two meanings of
this term: (i) alacrity and zeal in study, and (ii)concentrated effort and
tenacity in maintaining perseverance on the Path. One who reaches this stage is called a “Zariz”,
(One who has bound himself intentionally to religious service, possibly by a
vow.)
3 PERISHUT
Reclusion/Retreat
R.David describes this stage
as being one of al-‘uzla (signifying seclusion and withdrawal). One who
reaches this station is called a "Parush" (One who has
withdrawn and separated the self from
all but G-d.) It is crystal clear from the six reasons that follow in
his text that he is not talking here about "seclusion within the
crowd" but that he is describing the experience of a solitary recluse in geophysical
seclusion that involves actual withdrawal from society.
4 NEQIYUT
Integrity
This refers to the personal
authenticity that comes from being
cleansed from faults and self-deception; from reliance on emotion,sensation,
and luxury—all this being attained from love
and from a desire to be intimate with the Divine. It is
a state of being “tam” in thought and in deed. One who has reached this station is called “Naqi”
(clean).
5 TAHORA
Purity
R.David does not expound on
this station in detail. We can
see,however, that he relates the purity of the
seeker to the absolute simplicity and the unique holiness of the Divine.
6 QEDUSHA
Holiness
R.David insists that the
seeker must be “holy” in order to receive spiritual illumination.
He states that fasting and vigils are the specific practices of
one who has arrived at this station and that the one who reaches this station
will have negated and transcended
sensible imaginings.
7 ANAWA
Humility
This is defined as a station
of meekness, modesty, and being humble. R.David tells us that the one who has perfected humility attracts
the attention of the Divine. Once again
he chooses to say nothing more on this.
8 YIRA
Fear/Awe
R.David tells us that fear
of sin and punishment are secondary and of lower estate than the awe which is
born of pure devotion. This station
refers to the latter and he uses the term to describe the
spiritual seeker’s relationship of “love and intimacy” with God.
9 HASIDUT
Piety
R. David sees this as the
station in which the person has arrived at gama‘: the very first of the
stages of true union with G-d. From this
point on the Maqamat of al-Murshid enters the realm of experience which we assume was also the content of the (now lost) final section of the Kifaya.
10 RUAH HAKODESH Inspiration
R.David chooses to hint at
the nature of this station using intimate texts from The Song of Songs.
For him the Station is clearly one of the profoundest intimacy with God. He speaks of a “mystical conjunction” and an
“arrival” in a manner which is much closer to Islamic-Sufi concepts of unio
mystica than the texts of previous Maimuni teachers. This correspondence is
even more explicit in his chapter On
True Love.
11 NEVUAH
Prophecy
The suluk of
R. David ben Joshua holds that the animal, instinctive and physical attributes
of each seeker must be purified and purged if this state is to be reached. He
insists that what he calls the “angelic”
and “luminous” aspects of the intellect and the soul must overcome and
actually obliterate the base aspects. He is
clearly referring to the “nafs” of classic Sufism in this.
12 AHAVAH LOVE
In describing this station
R.David commences the most inspired and inspiring section of the Murshid.
It is a beautiful paen of love written by one
who is writing from enraptured personal experience. It glows and it
radiates the author’s enlightened perception so much that it truly is beyond the
scope of this little commentary. Suffice it to say that he is resolute
in claiming that mutual intimacy
between the human and the Divine is possible despite the doubting criticisms of
his detractors.
In
chapter 22 of Al-Murshid, R.
David writes:
“Love is the supreme goal of the Stations and
the final degree of all the Stages. There is no Station beyond Love that is not
one of its fruits or one of its effects such as desire (shawq), intimacy
(‘uns) and satisfaction (rida’). Conversely, there is no Station prior to the [Station of] Love
that is not one of its preliminaries.” [24]
For Rabbenu David— and for both Islamic and Jewish Sufis —the goal of the Maqamat on the Suluk Al Khass is clear. [25]
Our Teacher writes:
“... during the final Station,the soul sinks so
deeply into love that it is no longer aware either of itself or of its love. Indeed,
when the lover reaches the stage where he declares:"I am my beloved and
my beloved is I", he loses awareness of his own self due to the
contemplation of the object of his love,which occupies him to such an extent
that he perceives nothing except [that which he perceives] through his
Beloved.” [26]
oooOooo
This then was the outline route-map
presented in the Kifaya and in the later seforim of the Maimuni dynasty authors.
In practice it provided inspiration and guidance to the precursors of our own Judeo-Sufic
community and we know— from this and other related texts— that the path
involved a clearly explained set of practices. Some
of those practices are presented
in full, while others are only briefly
hinted at or mentioned in passing. Consequently they are now a matter of conjecture and call for a
creative and imaginative renewal on our
part, Nevertheless, we are fortunate that many of them are listed and described in the various
sections of the Kifaya
that we still have, as well as in fragmentary texts form R.Abraham and
his circle and their later descendents. A brief listing of R.Abraham’s own recommended
practice in the Kifaya might therefore
provide us with a useful outline of some primary components that we might adopt and develop in Tariqa Eliyahu.
Such an outline list of the principal
Jewish-Sufi practices might be presented as follows:
(i) Major
Contemplative Practices
Khalwa —-(secluded or interior
contemplation)
Dhikr ——(Recollection of the Divine)
(ii) Liturgical
Practices
Prostration and kneeling
Facing the Ark in rows
Frequent ablution of hands
and feet
Spreading the hands in prayer
(ii) Devotional Practices
Inspirational Music
Vigils
Fasting,
Weeping
The
Contemplative "Elijah Posture"
Maintaining
a prayer room/area at home,
Incubation
Initiation/Khirqa
The
spiritual guide/murshid
Celibacy
(temporary abstention)
Jewish-Sufi
Convents (khanqa) and resident batlanim.
Later
in this manual we will take each of
these in turn and examine the ways in which
we might develop them in our own
Tariqa's praxis--but first
we ought to expound the fundamental ethos
of our own Jewish Sufi Order for, in
fact, we have our own Suluk: The Derech
Ha Temimut. In Chapter Three we
hope to make that statement clear and explicit.
©Nachman
Davies
Safed
February 2 2026
[1] Rosenblatt S: The High Ways to Perfection of Abraham Maimonides vol.1p.134
[2] Rosenblatt vol.1 p.140
[3] Notice the almost quietist Sufi inflection in the receptive way
Rabbenu Abraham describes that illuminative process.
[4] See Russ-Fishbane’s exposition and footnote referencing Rabbenu Abraham’s Perushim:- 491 (Ex. 38:8), and cf. Perush, 233 (Ex. 4:24), 277 (Ex. 15:20), and 301 (Ex. 18:22) in E.Russ-Fishbane, Judaism,Sufism,and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt, p.62, O.U.P,Oxford, 2015
[5] Rosenblatt vol. 2 p. 382-383
[6] One wonders if there might have been some cross-fertilisation
between this Talmudic description of the spiritual pathway and the later
Islamic-Sufi theory and practice of the maqamat. Perhaps they share a common origin from the
“lost” curriculum of the biblical
Schools of the Prophets that the
Pietists believe to have
reclaimed from Islamic Sufi.
[7]Mishnah Sota 9 (conclusion), Koren/Steinsaltz translation from Sefaria
[8] See APPENDIX A [ HERE ] for an account of the development of the Maqamat system in Jewish and Muslim mysticism in the years before the emergence of the Egyptian Hasidic movement. This appendix features the maqamat of Islamic Sufis: Al Balkhi, Al Sarraj,Al Qushayri; and the Jewish-Sufi: Bahya Ibn Paquda.
[9] Rosenblatt
vol. 1 p50-52
[10] Rosenblatt vol 1 p51
[11] Wincelberg.Y, The Guide to Serving G-d, Feldheim, Jerusalem,2008 p 533
[12] Rosenblatt vol. 2, p252
[13] Naiman.A.Z. trans:"The Elucidated Derech Hashem" of R. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, p.421, Feldheim, Jerusalem, 2012
[14] Rosenblatt II p 322, in the annotated translation of R. Russ Fishbane, in E.Russ-Fishbane, Judaism,Sufism,and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt, p.95. O.U.P,Oxford, 2015
[15] See Fenton, P. The Treatise of the Pool: Al-Maqala al-Hawdiyya, chapter XII page 96,Octagon Press, London, 1981).
[16] ibid, (Treatise of the Pool, chapter IV) ,page 80
[17] ibid, Chapter XIV exhortation, p102 and p107
[18] ibid, Chapter XVIII, pp 110&foll.
[19] ibid, Chapter XI,pp94 &foll.
[20] ibid, Chapter IX p. 91
[21] ibid, Chapter III p. 80
[22] Fenton, P. (al-Murshid, chapter 20), in Deux traités de mystique juive (Lagrasse: Éditions Verdier, 1987). p273(As we are eagerly awaiting the publication of his English translation,we have translated al-Murshid quotations from Professor Fenton’s French in Deux traités.)
[23] Whereas the new salikun of our Order can easily study the English translation of the maqamat of the Kifaya because they are translated into English by Rosenblatt and Wincelberg--English translations and commentaries on the Murshid have yet to become readily available. Consequently we have included a brief commentary on each of R. David's Maqamat based on the French published research of Professor Fenton in Deux traités.
[24] Fenton: (Murshid ch. 22) in Deux traités, p. 277
[25] It is clear from this concluding section of Al-Murshid that R.David ben Joshua would have understood and shared the unitive experience of Al-Hallaj (858-922).
[26] Fenton:
(Murshid ch.24) in Deux traités, pp. 288-289