Greatest of all it is that all men are set before him as silver before the refiner, to know which is alloyed silver, which is pure silver. And, moreover, he beholdeth in families: How many in a family be children of forbidden unions, How many in a family be children of their mother’s impurity, How many in a family be wounded in the stones, How many in a family be cut off of their privy members, How many in a family be children of slaves, How many in a family be children of the uncircumcised, How many in a family be unfit for the priesthood.

Greatest of all it is that any man who harden his face against him to gainsay him is darkened from the light of the balls of his eyes. Greatest of all it is that if any man treat him despitefully he leaves neither root nor branch nor yet inheritor. Greatest of all it is that any man who spread evil report against him is consumed, his judgment is determined and no mercy is had upon him.

Greatest of all it is that in the heavenly court of justice, three times each day three times each day they blow the trumpets thrice and excommunicate with the lesser excommunication and again excommunicate with the greater excommunication, saying: “Let him be excommunicated to Tazsh the Lord God of Israel, to him and to the throne of His glory and to the crown upon His head, to the heavenly court of justice and to the earthly court of justice and to all the host of heaven and to all its servants, he who standeth before one beholding the Merkabha and who abandoneth him.”

Said Rabbi Ishmael: Thus ran the teaching as to the vision of the Merkabha: He who beholdeth the Merkabha hath no right to stand up [out of courtesy to a superior], except before three authorities only: before a king and before a high priest and before a Sanhedrin. And should he stand up he would be guilty of death because he had stood up before it, and he would lessen his days and cut short his years.

Said Rabbi Ishmael: What be the words of the songs which a man doth recite when he descendeth to the Merkabha? Let him begin and recite the principal songs: The beginning of praise and the commencement of song The beginning of jubilation and the commencement of exultation Do the princes sing who serve each day The Lord God of Israel and the throne of His glory; They bear up the wheel of the throne of His glory: ―Sing, sing for joy, supernal dwelling!―Shout, shout for joy, precious vessel! ―Made marvelously and a marvel. ―Surely thou shalt gladden the King who sitteth upon thee, ―as the joy of the bridegroom in his bridechamber. When I came to take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings In the joy of my heart which rejoiced in thee.