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level of comfort is the measure of their enjoyment — some merely have rest, others additionally eat and drink, others are sheltered and protected, others wear fine garments, and others attain illustrious ranks.
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So too in the World to Come: of some it is said concerning their happiness אַף בְּשָׂרִי יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח ["my flesh too dwells in safety"], and of others בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ יֶחֱסָיוּן ["they take shelter in the shadow of Your wings"],
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and others יִרְוְיֻן מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ ["they are sated with the richness of Your house"], and others וְהַלְבֵּשׁ אֹתְךָ מַחֲלָצוֹת ["I will clothe you in fine garments"], and others וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ מַהְלְכִים בֵּין הָעֹמְדִים הָאֵלֶּה ["I will give you access among these standing ones"] — the last referring to the angels of whom it is said שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ ["seraphim standing above Him"].
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Likewise one who committed one sin, or ten, or a hundred, or a thousand — his state in punishment will be proportional to what he did, except that it is eternal,
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just as we observe in this world that people's level of punishment varies: some are merely imprisoned, others are additionally dragged with ropes, others are chained, others are rolled, and others are beaten with what causes them pain.
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So too in the World to Come: of some it is said concerning their punishment: וְאֻסְּפוּ אֲסֵפָה אַסִּיר עַל בּוֹר וְסֻגְּרוּ עַל מַסְגֵּר ["They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit and shut in confinement"],
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and of others: עֲוֹנֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנּוּ אֶת הָרָשָׁע וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵךְ ["The wicked is trapped by his own iniquities, and held fast by the ropes of his sin"], and of others: וְאִם אֲסוּרִים בַּזִּקִּים יִלָּכְדוּן בְּחַבְלֵי עֹנִי ["If they are bound in chains, caught in the cords of affliction"],
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and of yet others: סַעַר מִתְגּוֹרֵר עַל רֹאשׁ רְשָׁעִים יָחוּל ["A whirling storm descends on the head of the wicked"].
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As for the eighth question — whether there are degrees among the righteous, and likewise among the wicked — the principle of its answer was included in what has just been said. But I wish to derive from the principle of gradation seven branches,
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and say: evidence that the righteous have varying degrees of reward comes first from what reason requires, then from what we find in Scripture — which mentions seven distinct graduated levels.
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First, some receive a light like the shining of the sun's rising — of them it says: וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה ["the sun of righteousness will rise for you who fear My Name"]; and some additionally have pleasure in its rays — of them it says: וּמַרְפֵּא בִכְנָפֶיהָ ["with healing in its wings"].
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Others have the light established within them like something planted, as it says: אוֹר זָרוּעַ לַצַּדִּיק ["light is sown for the righteous"]; and others have their light increasing, as it says: אוֹר צַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמָח ["the light of the righteous rejoices"].
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Others have light like the clarity of the celestial sphere, as it says of them: וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יַזְהִרוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ ["The wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens"].
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Others have light like the light of the stars (other than the sun), as it says: וּמַצְדִּיקֵי הָרַבִּים כַּכּוֹכָבִים לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד ["Those who lead the many to righteousness will be like the stars for ever and ever"].
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And others have light like the light of the sun's orb itself, as it says: וְאֹהֲבָיו כְּצֵאת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּגְבֻרָתוֹ ["may those who love Him be like the sun rising in full strength"].
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As we know from the face of Moses our Teacher (peace be upon him), which was filled with light, versus the face of Joshua which was less than his — as it says: וְנָתַתָּה מֵהוֹדְךָ עָלָיו ["Give him some of your majesty upon him"] — not אֶת הוֹדְךָ ["your majesty"] and not כָּל הוֹדְךָ ["all your majesty"].
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And the face of the seventy elders was less than both of theirs — for it says: וַיָּאצֶל מִן הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו וַיִּתֵּן עַל שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ הַזְּקֵנִים ["He took from the spirit that was on him and placed it on the seventy elders"]; and since the reason for the instruction was לְמַעַן יִשְׁמְעוּ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ["so that all the assembly of Israel might hear"], the seventy elders were counted among the general people.
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Evidence that the punished likewise have varying degrees is that we find in Scripture seven stations in the scorching of fire for them:
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Some are scorched in the face by fire and redden — of them it says: פְּנֵי לֶהָבָה פְּנֵיהֶם ["their faces are flame-faces"].
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Others have their face blackened like the bottom of a pot — of them it says: כָּל פָּנִים קִבְּצוּ פָּארוּר ["all faces gather paleness/soot"].
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Others are affected by fire the way something is roasted and cooked through — of them it says: כִּי הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם בָּא בֹּעֵר כַּתַּנּוּר ["For behold the day comes burning like a furnace"].
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Others are affected the way fire completely consumes — of them it says: תֹּאכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּח ["fire not blown by man will consume him"].
Others are affected the way fire consumes wood — of them it says: מְדֻרָתָהּ
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אֵשׁ וְעֵצִים הַרְבֵּה ["fire and much wood"]. Others are affected the way fire consumes earth and stone — of them it says: תֹּאכַל אֶרֶץ וִיבֻלָהּ וּתְלַהֵט מוֹסְדֵי הָרִים ["consuming the earth and its produce and setting the mountains' foundations ablaze"].
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And others are affected the way fire consumes down to the depth of the earth, and as lightning strikes — of them it says: כִּי אֵשׁ הִיא עַד אֲבַדּוֹן תֹּאכֵל ["For it is a fire that devours all the way to Abaddon"],
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just as we know that the plagues of Egypt were general, yet each transgressor received from them in proportion to what he deserved — as it says: יְפַלֵּס נָתִיב לְאַפּוֹ ["He leveled a path for His anger"],
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and the interpretation of יְפַלֵּס is: He weighed that out precisely — as it says: פֶּלֶס וּמֹאזְנֵי מִשְׁפָּט לַה' ["A just balance and scales belong to the Lord"].
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Chapter 9. As for the ninth answer — who deserves this punishment — I say: the disbelievers, the polytheists, and those who committed capital sins without repenting.
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The disbelievers and polytheists are those specified by the verse: וְיָצְאוּ וְרָאוּ בְּפִגְרֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים הַפֹּשְׁעִים בִּי כִּי תוֹלַעְתָּם לֹא תָמוּת וְגוֹ ["They will go forth and look at the corpses of the people who rebelled against Me, for their worm will not die..."].
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As for capital sinners — these are the sins for which karet or death by the court is prescribed. Death cuts one off from this world and removes one from the company of the righteous in the World to Come as well, since one did not repent.
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If he was not cut off but was given full life as a stay of execution and still did not repent — his punishment is more severe and his exclusion from the righteous more certain, since he was given respite and did not repent.
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If nothing of what we described applies, then what remains is minor sins — and those are forgiven.
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If someone asks: by what means are they forgiven without repentance? — I say: have we not established that these people have only minor sins? This itself shows that they were guarded from grave ones — and such guarding only comes from performing their opposites. So they did not disbelieve but believed,