must again elevate an imperfect world to His own perfection. Thus is
engendered in man that yearning for love with which he endeavors to
emulate the divine perfection."(373) Both Crescas and Leo Hebraeus thus
gave the keynote for Spinoza's "Intellectual love" as the cosmic
principle,(374) and this has been echoed even in such works as Schiller's
dithyrambs on "Love and Friendship" in his "Philosophic Letters."(375)
Still this neo-Platonic view has nothing in common with the theological
conception of love. In Judaism God is conceived as a loving Father, who
purposes to lead man to happiness and salvation. In other words, the
divine love is an essentially moral attribute of God, and not a
metaphysical one.

9. If we wish to speak of a power that permeates the cosmos and turns the
wheel of life, it is far more correct to speak of God's creative
goodness.(376) According to Scripture, each day's creation bears the
divine approval: "It is good."(377) Even the evil which man experiences
serves a higher purpose, and that purpose makes for the good. Misfortune
and death, sorrow and sin, in the great economy of life are all turned
into final good. Accordingly, Judaism recognizes this divine goodness not
only in every enjoyment of nature's gifts and the favors of fortune, but
also in sad and trying experiences, and for all of these it provides
special formulas of benediction.(378) The same divine goodness sends joy
and grief, even though shortsighted man fails to see the majestic Sun of
life which shines in unabated splendor above the clouds. Judaism was
optimistic through all its experiences just because of this implicit faith
in God's goodness. Such faith transforms each woe into a higher welfare,
each curse into actual blessing; it leads men and nations from oppression
to ever greater freedom, from darkness to ever brighter light, and from
error to ever higher truth and righteousness. Divine love may have pity
upon human weakness, but it is divine goodness that inspires and quickens
human energy. After all, love cannot be the dominant principle of life.
Man cannot love all the time, nor can he love all the world; his sense of
justice demands that he hate wickedness and falsehood. We must apply the
same criterion to God. But, on the other hand, man can and should _do
good_ and _be good_ continually and to all men, even to the most unworthy.
Therefore God becomes the pattern and ideal of an all-encompassing
goodness, which is nev