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One does not expound upon forbidden sexual relations in the presence of three, nor upon Ma’aseh Bereshith in the presence of two, nor upon the merkavah in the presence of one, unless that one were wise and understood upon his own. All who look upon four things, it was better had they not come into the world: what is above, what is below what is in front, and what is behind. All who are not protective of the honor of their master, it were better had they not come into the world.  

He said that is forbidden to expound upon the “secrets of forbidden sexual relations” unless those listening be fewer than three, the reason for this being that were one of them to engage the teacher in discussion, the other two could engage in discussion between themselves, lost their concentration on what the teacher taught and thus not know the correct law concerning the secrets of forbidden sexual relations. Given the great desire most humans have for this matter, they will not be sufficiently rigorous if a doubt should arise concerning what they heard from the teacher and they will decide the matter leniently.  

He said, “nor upon ma’asseh bereshit in the presence of two and certainly not if they be more. They said: “for ask now of the days past [which were before the, since the day that G-D created man upon the earth and from one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it (Deut 4:32)—one asks, two do not ask. We have already explained the reason for this in our introduction to this composition. IT is that it is impossible for the masses to understand those matters, and they are therefore only transmitted from one individual to another with great care, for the masses understand very little of them. When a fool hears them, his conviction becomes undermined and he things that they contradict the truth, they are [themselves) the truth.  

But one does not expound upon ma’aseh merkavah at all, even to one individual unless he is, as it was said, wise and understood upon his own –that he arouses himself to understand these matters on his own and does not need to have them explained to him. Rather he is given a hint, and he draws proper inferences on his own. This is the meaning of their statement, “they teach him chapter headings” [Hagigah 13a], by which they mean that these matters include issues which are impressed upon the souls of perfected human beings, such that when they are explained in language or expressed in parables they lose their meaning and significance. 

Listen to what has become clear to me according to my understanding on the basis of which I have studied in the words of the Sages: it is that they call ma’aseh bereshit the natural science and inquiry into the beginning of creation. By ma’aseh merkavah they mean the divine science, it being speech on the generality of existence and on the existence of the Creator, His knowledge, His attributes, that all created things must necessarily have come from Him, the angels, the soul, the intellect which links with humans and existence after death. Because of the importance of these two sciences, the natural and the divine—they were justly considered important—they warned against teaching them as the mathematical sciences are taught. It is known that each person by nature desires all the sciences, whether he be an ignoramus or a sage. It is further known that is is impossible for a person to begin the study of these sciences and direct his thought towards them, without the appropriate premises and without entering the stages of science, they there ore forbade this and warned against it. They sought to frighten one who directed his thought towards “the account of the beginning”  without appropriate premises as he said “all who look upon four things…” They also sought to restrain one who would direct his thought towards and would examine divine matters with his unaided imagination without ascending the rungs of the sciences and said with reference to such people-- “all who are not protective of the honor of their master [it were better had they not come into the word”].

It were better had they not come into the world—its meaning is that such a person is removed from the ranks of humanity, and classifying him on one of the other species of animal would be better for existence. Than his being a human because he wants to know something in an inappropriate manner and in a way that is unsuited to his nature, for only a person ignorant 9of the nature of existanec would seek to imagine what is above or what is below. When a man empty of all knowledge seeks to use his corrupt imagination in order to know what is above the heavens and below the earth, and imagines reaching them to be like ascending to the attic of a house and also to know what was before the creation of the heavens and what will be after they are no longer, he will certainly be brought to madness and desolation.

Examine this wonderful expression said with diving help, “all who are not proctective of the honor of their master,” the meaning of this being, all who are not protective of their intellects, for the intellect is the honor of G-D (kevod haSHem). Since he does not know the value of this matter which was given him, he is abandoned into the hands of his desires, and becomes like an animal. Thus they said “who is he who is not protective of the honor of his master?—he who transgresses secretly” (Hagigah 16a; Kiddushin 40a). They said elsewhere, “adulterers do not commit adultery until the spirit of madness enters them (Midrash Tanhuma, Naso 5).”  This is the truth, for while one craves any of the desires, the intellect is not perfected.

This matter is brought up here since above he said “these are the bodies of Torah,” and thus here he cited matters which are the principles of the “bodies of Torah.” The Talmud forbade teaching them publicly and expressly prohibited it and commanded that an individual teach them to himself and not pass the on to another and derived this prohibition from the parabolic statement of Solomon on this matter , “honey and milk are under they tongue.”