30. Bereshit — Abarbanel on the Torah, Section 30

Ruach as Intellect: The Power that Sets All Things in Motion

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The second category is intellectual: that is, ruach is used for immaterial realities—whether for the separate intellect that bestows influence, or for the human intellect that receives it, or for the influx itself that passes from the agent to the recipient in prophecy. Each of these is called a “spiritual ruach,” as is clear from the verses. Thus, “the spirit of the Lord spoke through me” refers to the intellect that bestows; “when the spirit rested upon them” refers to the influx itself; and “the spirit shall return to God who gave it” refers to the intellect that receives that influx¹.

From this you may understand that ruach does not mean “will” or “intention,” as the author of the Guide and other grammarians have claimed. Rather, it refers to a person’s thought and understanding. Thus: “a fool lets out all his spirit” means that his entire inner world is expressed in his thoughts and opinions. Likewise: “He has given rest to My spirit in the north country” refers to the determination of My wisdom and the conclusion of My judgment².

And so in all similar cases.

Explanation of the word merachefet (“hovering”)

This word merachefet³ was explained by Levi ben Gershon⁴ as deriving from the idea of rest. He was led to this interpretation because he understood “the spirit of God” as referring to the element of air, following the approach of Maimonides. And since the air, in his view, was resting upon the surface of the waters without moving in its natural place, he was compelled to interpret merachefet as an expression of stillness⁵.

But this is not correct.

Rather, the word is derived from the expression “ my bones shake”⁶ (Jeremiah 23:9), where it denotes agitation and irregular motion. Likewise, “hovering over its fledglings”(Deuteronomy 32:11) conveys movement and trembling, as explained by the grammarians. The context of the verse itself confirms this, for it states: “As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions” (Deuteronomy 32:11). All of these are actions of motion, not of rest.

The general meaning, therefore, is that merachefet signifies movement—or more precisely, the causing of movement, an awakening into motion. This is the sense of “As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings”: when the eagle comes upon them, it beats its wings in such a way that it rouses and awakens them from their sleep, so that it may take them and carry them upon its wings.

So too, when it is said that “the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the water” (Genesis 1:2), the meaning is that it was setting the waters in motion and stirring them. This is the type of action attributed to the separate intellects—that is, not motion itself, but the imparting of motion, for they are not corporeal beings.

This interpretation is supported by the words of our Sages in Bereishit Rabbah (and likewise in Talmud Bavli Chagigah 15a), where Shimon ben Zoma expounded: “It does not say ‘blowing,’ but rather ‘hovering’—like a bird that flutters its wings, touching and yet not touching.” As will be explained further.

The conclusion that emerges from all this is that, if we interpret “the spirit of God” as referring to the separate intellects, then the word merachefet indicates the awakening and the imparting of motion that it produces in the waters—which are here a metaphor for that which is acted upon.

Explanation of the word mayim (“water”)

The term mayim should be understood as being used both in a general sense and in a more specific one, under the broader designation of “earth.” For in the account of Creation, the word “water” is mentioned at times with reference to every kind of luminous substance—whether the higher ones, such as the celestial bodies, as in the verse “the water that was above the firmament”⁷ (Genesis 1:7), as will be explained in the section on the second day; or whether the lower luminous waters. Concerning the upper waters, the Psalmist likewise says: “and the water that is above the heavens”⁸ (Psalms 148:4).

In the words of our Sages as well, these are called the “upper waters.” For, due to the limitation of our understanding in grasping the nature of the celestial bodies, Scripture designates them by the names of physical substances familiar to us.

And just as it refers to the separate intellects by the terms “fire” and “spirit,” as I have already mentioned, so too it designates those exalted bodies by the name mayim (“waters”). This may be for several reasons: either because, in the order of existence, they stand below the separate intellects, just as water stands below air; or because they are set in motion by the separate intellects, just as water is moved by the surrounding air; or again, because of their luminous and refined nature, resembling water in relation to the earth.

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