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by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato zt'l
Chapter 15 - Acquiring Separation
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Abbreviations used in this translation:
SR - Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna (1890–1969) (from hebrewbooks.org/41769)
ER - Rabbi Avraham Erlinger (from hebrewbooks.org/52042) (with author's permission)
SP - Rabbi Yosef Spinner (from hebrewbooks.org/51471) (with author's permission)
CS - Rabbi Moshe Chaim Shalenger (with author's permission)
MB - Mesilas Yesharim im Biruim (with author's permission)
NE - Netiv Eliezer by Rabbi Eliezer Lopian (with author's permission)
NH - Nefesh HaMesilah (with author's permission)
OG - Oros Genuzim by Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Hoffman (with author's permission) download
SO - Shaarei Orah, Vaadim by Rabbi Avigdor Miller (excerpts with book author's permission)
LS - Leket Sichot Mussar by Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Sher (1875–1952) (Vol.2, Kuntras Mesilat Yesharim, with permission of Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva (R.Shmuel Zacks), Bnei Brak. download hebrew original)
- Min - (level 1) for basic commentaries as relating to the plain meaning (Pshat).
- Med - (level 2) elaborates more into the theme.
- Max - (level 3) deeper in, including mystical excerpts from the Orot Genuzim commentary (Sod).
- Max+ - (level 4) more commentaries for those familiar with the text.
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*** CHAPTER 15 - ACQUIRING SEPARATION ***פרק 15 - בדרכי קנית הפרישות
| The best way to acquire Separation is for a man to reflect on the lowliness of the pleasures of this world, their intrinsic baseness, and the great evils that are near to result from them. | הנה הדרך המובחר לקנות את הפרישות הוא שיסתכל האדם בגריעות תענוגות העולם הזה ופחיתותם מצד עצמם, והרעות הגדולות שקרובות להולד מהם. |
CS - "lowliness of the pleasures of this world" - they are neither big nor strong nor enduring, i.e. they are lacking in quantity.
"intrinsic baseness" - in their being animalistic pleasures, of low and base level, i.e. they are lacking in quality.
MB - "lowliness... intrinsic baseness" - they are lowly even from a worldly point of view, not just from a spiritual point of view. For in truth the actions are coarse and animalistic, not something to be proud of (see also Daat Tevunot beginning of Siman 78).
MB - one who contemplates will see that the way to acquire Separation is not like the way to acquire the other traits we saw until now. In those, the primary work in acquiring them was the work of habituating one's thoughts. Namely, to implant in one's thoughts the correct outlook or some important principle. Therefore, their acquisition consisted of implanting the correct understanding which he needs to habituate himself in. This is unlike Separation whose primary work to acquire it is the work of habituating one's conducts. Thus, its acquisition is through thoughts which help him to habituate himself in these conducts. For one must understand and feel the need for Separation. But this is not the actual acquisition spoken of in this chapter...
MB - this chapter speaks only of physical matters and makes no mention of the other aspects of Separation. Likewise at the end of the chapter, he states regarding the lowliness of the pleasures: "he must not take from the world anything but the essential". For this is the only topic in this chapter. Perhaps we can explain that the other aspects are not so difficult to do. Therefore, after one understands the need for them, he will already easily do them, unlike changing one's nature.
| For that which inclines one's nature towards these pleasures to the extent that one needs such great strength and so many strategies to separate from them is the enticement of the eyes which tend to be seduced by the superficial appearance of things which appear good and pleasing. This seduction is what brought about the first sin as scripture testifies: "The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and that it was desirous to the eyes.. and she took of its fruit, and ate" (Bereishis 3:6). | כי הנה מה שמטה הטבע אל התענוגות האלה עד שיצטרך כל כך כח ותחבולות להפרישו מהם הוא פיתוי העינים הנפתים במראה הדברים אשר הוא טוב וערב לכאורה, הוא הפיתוי שגרם לחטא הראשון שיעשה, כעדות הכתוב (בראשית ג:ו): ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל וכי תאוה הוא לעינים וגו' ותקח מפריו ותאכל. |
CS - "enticement of the eyes" - this type of enticement is made possible by incomplete and superficial seeing the thing being observed.
| But when it becomes clear to a person that this good is completely false, imaginary and ephemeral, while its evil is truly real or truly near to result from, certainly he will become repulsed by it and not desire it in the least. Therefore, this is all of what a person needs to teach his intellect - to recognize the weakness (insignificance) of these pleasures and their falsehood, until on his own, he will be disgusted by them and have no difficulty casting them away. | אבל כשיתברר אל האדם היות הטוב ההוא כוזב לגמרי מדומה ובלי שום התמדה נכונה, והרע בו אמיתי או קרוב להולד ממנו באמת, ודאי שימאס בו ולא ירצהו כלל, על כן זהו כל הלימוד שצריך שילמד האדם את שכלו להכיר בחולשת התענוגים האלה ושקרם עד שמאליו ימאס בם ולא יקשה בעיניו לשלחם מאתו. |
CS - "teach his intellect" - to train one's intellect to constantly reflect on this. Through this he will acquire the [ability to] correctly assess good and evil in this.
SP - "he will become repulsed by it" - the acquisition of Separation means that on his own, he despises the worldly pleasures and does not need to battle against them.
ER - "completely false, imaginary.." - i.e. the matter of the enticement of the eyes. That this is the beginning of the arousal, drawing a person to lust - certainly this is imaginary. Rather, one should relate to his needs only according to the Intellect. He should regard food as if it is ground up and disgusting like a [bitter] medicinal pill, and then to decide whether, even so, it is worthwhile to eat it. All the more so, for other lusts which the eyes draw towards the vanity (Hevel).
MB - "that which inclines one's nature... is the enticement of the eyes" - that which causes the inclining towards worldly matters is not really a natural push but an enticement of the eyes. Therefore the work is to break this enticement...
MB - "such great strength and so many strategies" - strength alone is not enough. Rather one must specifically use strategies. Likewise for the opposite: strategies without strength is not enough.
MB - "this seduction is what brought about the first sin" - it seems this point is not coming merely to tell stories. Perhaps he is showing us that this is a primordial power which existed even in Chava before the sin. This teaches that the work of Separation is a very fundamental battle with the Yetzer Hara. See also in Daat Tevunot siman 40 that when he describes man's service, he also brings this point and likewise in Siman 78 when he speaks on the root of body and soul.
MB - but when it becomes clear to a person that this good is completely false, imaginary and ephemeral:
this good - i.e. the good which appears to the appearance of his eyes.
false - it appears to him as if there is actually something there but there isn't.
imaginary - it is all in his imagination. there is nothing really there.
ephemeral - i.e. even this imaginary good does not endure more than a short time, namely, the enjoyment which appeared to him like a great and important matter is only ephemeral.
MB - "but when it becomes clear..." - one might think that changing lust requires afflicting oneself and habituating oneself to minimize physical pleasures. On this he explains that it is not so. For the whole matter of lust is not in essence. Rather, it is an enticement of the eyes. Therefore, "when it will be clear... certainly he will become repulsed by it..."
| The pleasure in [eating] food is the most tangible and most felt. Yet, is there anything more swiftly gone and passing than this? For its duration is as the measure of passing a person's throat. After the food passes this point and descends to the innards, all remembrance of it disappears and is forgotten as if it had never existed. Thus he will be just as satiated if he ate fattened swans than if he had eatened coarse bread in sufficient quantity. All the more so, if he considers the many illnesses brought on through eating, and at least, the heaviness which one feels after a meal and the vapors which darken his intellect. When reflecting on all these things, certainly a person will not desire in this pleasure, since its good is not truly good while its evil is truly evil. | הנה תענוג המאכל הוא היותר מוחש ומורגש, היש דבר אבד ונפסד יותר ממנו? שהרי אין שיעורו אלא כשיעור בית הבליעה, כיון שיצא ממנה וירד בבני המעים אבד זכרו ונשכח כאילו לא היה, וכך יהיה שבע אם אכל ברבורים אבוסים כמו אם אכל לחם קיבר אם אכל ממנו כדי שביעה, כל שכן אם ישים אל לבו החלאים הרבים שיכולים לבוא עליו מחמת אכילתו, ולפחות הכובד שמגיעהו אחר האכילה והעשנים המהבילים את שכלו. הנה על כל אלה ודאי שלא יחפוץ אדם בדבר הזה, כיון שטובתו אינה טובה ורעתו רעה. |
CS - "[eating] food is the most tangible and most felt" - in that it depends on the substances absorbed in the taste organs, and a person feels in his soul this absorption strongly and he is greatly moved.
"fattened geese" - an example of tasty food brought on the table of King Shlomo (Melachim 5:3).
NE - "the many illnesses brought on by eating" - one should not fight against the evil inclination face to face. Rather, to save oneself from the traps of the Yetzer, he should find physical reasons which are more convincing and easier to escape with.
ER - "the many illnesses brought on by eating" - see Rambam Deot 4:15 - "Overeating is like deadly poison to the body. It is the main source of all illnesses. Most illnesses which afflict a person are caused by harmful foods or by his filling his belly and overeating, even of healthy foods..."
MB - "thus he will be just as satiated" - i.e. the true and only benefit there is in food is to fulfill his need. Thus he explains that this benefit does not at all depend on the pleasure of eating. For even eating without pleasure satiates him.
NE - "its evil is truly evil" - (earlier in chapter 1 on the words: "for this is the true delight") - in these few words are a strong rebuke to those who chase after various pleasures. "If you are seeking 'pleasure', why do you strain and toil in order to buy in the end a counterfeit and ephemeral pleasure when you can instead reach and delight in something "true" and permanent? This is like a man who wishes to buy wine for his health and along the way encounters bad wine, namely, water mixed with fake taste additives, of course, for the very cheapest of the cheap price. If he does not strengthen over his Yetzer (inclination) and he grabs and drinks it immediately, not only will he not attain the pleasure and benefit he wanted, but further, he will suffer due to the bad drink he ingested. So too, one who grabs those pleasures which are common, cheap, and easily found here in this world, the world of falsehood - behold he hurts himself many times over. For not only is the pleasure not whole, since it is a pleasure of this finite world, but furthermore, he will need to give a judgment and be bitterly punished for this pleasure which was not for the honor of the Creator, blessed be He.
Translator - as the Vilna Gaon writes (Even Shelema ch.2): "every pleasure that a person has from this world which is not a mitzva will turn to bitterness in the grave. Each organ is judged and burned like the venom of a snake."
| Likewise, for the other pleasures of this world. If he were to reflect on them, he would see that even the imaginary good in them lasts only a brief time, while the evil that may grow out of them is severe and protracted such that no intelligent person would consent to expose himself to these evil dangers for the sake of their small good. This is evident. | ושאר כל ההנאות שבעולם כמו כן, אילו יתבונן בהם יראה שאפילו הטוב המדומה שבהם איננו אלא לזמן מועט והרע שיכול להולד מהם קשה וארוך עד שלא יאות לשום בעל שכל לשום עצמו בסכנות הרעות על רוח הטוב המועט ההוא. וזה פשוט. |
| When one habituates himself and continuously reflects on this truth, slowly, slowly, he will free himself from this prison of foolishness which the darkness of the physical has shackled him with, and he will no longer be deceived in the least by the enticements of the false pleasures. Then, he will come to be disgusted by them and will realize that he must not take from the world anything but the essential, as I explained earlier. | וכשירגיל את עצמו ויתמיד בעיונו על האמת הזאת, הנה מעט מעט יצא חפשי ממאסר הסכלות אשר החומר אוסר אותו בו ולא יתפתה מפתויי ההנאות הכוזבות כלל, אז ימאס בהן וידע שאין לו לקחת מן העולם אלא ההכרחי, וכמו שכתבתי. |
MB - "continuously reflects on this truth" - i.e. it is not enough to grasp the truth only once. Rather one must always strengthen the matter. For his imagination works at all periods and times to conceal this truth.
MB - "this prison of foolishness which the darkness of the physical has shackled him with" - this error is not due to lack of intelligence, for these points are evident to anyone who thinks honestly on them. Rather, the error stems from the physical shackling him and not allowing him to think clearly.
| But just as reflection in this matter causes one to acquire the trait of Separation, so too does ignoring it cause its detriment. Frequenting the aristocrats and the affluent who run after honor and increase vanities. For when one sees their honor and grandeur, it is impossible for lust to not be roused within him to covet them. And even if he does not allow his Evil Inclination to defeat him, nevertheless he will not escape a battle and will thus be in danger. This is as Shlomo said: "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting" (Kohelet 7:2). | והנה כמו שההתבונן על זה הדבר גורם קנית הפרישות, כך סכלותו מפסיד אותו וההתמדה בין השרים ואנשי הגדולות הרודפים אחר הכבוד ומרבים ההבל, כי בראותו את היקר ההוא והגדולה ההיא, אי אפשר שלא תתעורר תאותו בו לחמוד אותם, ואפילו לא יניח את יצרו שינצח אותו, על כל פנים מידי מלחמה לא ימלט, והנה הוא בסכנה. וכענין זה אמר שלמה (קהלת ז:ב): טוב ללכת אל בית אבל מלכת אל בית משתה. |
ER - "when one sees..." - Rabeinu rouses us to an important advice to distance from desiring things of this world such as lust, honor, and its accessories, namely, to not see nor know at all of what happens. To not look at them (the aristocrats, etc.) and their conduct. Rather, to distance even from knowledge of their matters. For G-d has implanted in our nature that our hearts are enticed by what our eyes see. This is so for what our physical eyes see and even so for the eyes of the mind, namely, by knowing or reading these things or hearing about them. Whatever one gains knowledge about other people enjoying this world through one of its traps, he will also be drawn to this... Therefore, one should also not read newspapers nor hear about the honor of these people and all the descriptions of their physical pleasures of eating, drinking, strolling, etc. Let all aspect of importance of this world be far from you. Through this, a person sanctifies himself and his mind thinks properly.
MB - "who run after honor and increase vanities..." - this needs explanation. what does the matter of honor have to do here? It doesn't seem that the answer is because honor is also a form of pleasure as explained end of chapter 11. Rather it seems there is a deep matter here: the detriment here is not just from seeing a person involved in the vanities of this world. It is in seeing their "honor and grandeur". Namely, one who pursues honor will generally pride himself in worldly matters. This will enhance the pleasure with a lightning bolt of "honor and grandeur" and this is even more difficult to conquer.
MB - "lust will be roused" - this will be an additional cause to arouse lust, besides the natural lust which exists in every person. Experience can testify to this.
MB - "even if he does not allow his Evil Inclination to defeat him" - he emphasizes here a powerful point: a man should not think that if he merely allows the matter to occupy his mind but does not allow his nature to defeat him, then, he need not worry and does not need to change his outlook completely. It is not so. For a state of rectifying his nature is more benefical than a state of war.
MB - "he will thus be in danger - for it is difficult to defeat the Yetzer Hara every time.
MB - "a house of mourning" - for there a person is roused to the correct outlook on life of this world - it is merely temporary and ends in death.
|
More important than everything else is solitude. For when he removes worldly matters from before his eyes, so too he removes lust for them from his heart. King David, peace be unto him, praised solitude saying: "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness forever" (Tehilim 55:7-8). And we find that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would set their dwelling place in the mountains due to their practice of solitude. And the early pious sages, of blessed memory, followed in their footsteps. For they found solitude to be the best path to acquire perfection in Separation, so that the vanities of their neighbors would not lead them to also become vain like them. That which a person must be cautious of in acquiring Separation is to not desire to skip and jump to the other extreme all at once. For this will certainly not succeed. Rather, he should move gradually in Separation, little by little, acquiring a bit today, and adding a bit more tomorrow, until he habituates so completely that it becomes like second nature to him. |
ויקר מן הכל הוא ההתבודדות, כי כמו שמסיר מעיניו עניני העולם כן מעביר חמדתם מלבו, וכבר הזכיר דוד המלך עליו השלום בשבח ההתבודדות ואמר (תהלים נה:ז): מי יתן לי אבר כיונה וגו' הנה ארחיק נדוד אלין במדבר סלה. והנביאים, אליהו ואלישע, מצאנו היותם מיחדים מקומם אל ההרים מפני התבודדותם. והחכמים החסידים הראשונים ז"ל הלכו בעקבותיהם, כי מצאו להם זה האמצעי היותר מוכן לקנות שלימות הפרישות, למען אשר לא יביאום הבלי חביריהם לההביל גם הם כמותם.
וממה שצריך ליזהר בקניית הפרישות הוא, שלא ירצה האדם לדלג ולקפוץ אל הקצה האחרון שבו רגע אחד, כי זה ודאי לא יעלה בידו, אלא יהיה פורש והולך מעט מעט, היום יקנה קצת ממנו ומחר יוסיף עליו מעט יותר, עד שיתרגל בו לגמרי, כי ישוב לו כמו טבע ממש. |
SR - "to not desire to skip and jump to the other extreme all at once" - even though, this is true for all the traits, nevertheless Rabeinu saw fit to give a special warning and a specific command in the trait of Separation because in Separation, it is extremely dangerous "to skip and jump to the other extreme", for in this leap lies a hidden danger of a great fall which may be extremely difficult to get up from, G-d forbid.
Michtav M'Eliyahu (Vol.5 pg.374) - ...this was the cause of Acher's downfall. He reached lofty secret revelations. But due to the contradictions in his heart, he was unable to see those matters in unity and consistency with himself... this is the danger of looking above one's level. If you ask: 'but one always grasps things above the level he is currently holding. This is how it is and this is how one grows. One always has claims on himself which are on a level he has not yet acquired, and one sees a bit of this higher level and strives to acquire it.'
This is good and beneficial. But only when at least at the time of one's inspiration (gadlut), he can reach up to the place where he can see it clearly and with unity. Thus he already has a connection (shaychut) to that level. But if he contemplates above this, namely, what is impossible for him to attain now. On the contrary, this is damaging. It causes hopelessness. This was like the conclusion of Acher who told himself: "since I want to be holding at that level but it is impossible for me and without this everything is worthless to me, therefore, I can never become a Tzadik and it is useless to strive for this..."
One should know that there is mercy in this that we don't see what is above our level with a "clear glass" (aspaklia hemeira), namely, seeing matters in their clear and true reality. Rather we look only with the eyes of our intellect. For if we would see with full clarity the claims regarding matters that are impossible for us to reach, we would fall into total hopelessness.
Thus, the true path to grow is specifically not in contemplating lofty matters far from our level. But rather on matters very close to us, so that if we merely contemplate them and put them to heart, it is already in our ability to do them. Through our effort to actualize those matters we have already a connection with, we will merit that our eyes will illuminate to see things which are beyond us.
OG - "until he habituates completely so that it becomes like second nature to him" - it is proper to ask: here the Ramchal describes a scenario which appears easy to achieve. The servant of G-d is asked to ascend slowly when he begins to add prohibitions on himself in order to safeguard from stumbling in the main prohibitions. If he does thus, he will slowly, slowly become habituated in the trait of Separation till the running away from worldly pleasures will become as second nature to him.
On the other hand, in the beginning of the chapter he writes: "For that which inclines one's nature towards these pleasures to the extent that one needs such great strength and so many strategies to separate from them". Thus, he writes explicitly that life experience teaches each one of us just how difficult it is to separate from the pleasures of this world. Even to distance oneself from one particular physical habit requires many strategies and enormous willpower. If so, how can we believe that through habit, the trait of Separation will transform to second nature?
According to our way in the "Orot Genuzim", the answer to this contradiction is in the power of the Shefa (spiritual flow) of the Sefirot which drives a man's progress in the service of G-d. In chapter 13, we explained that the Sefira of Gevura is what brings the servant of G-d to ascend from Cleanliness to Separation. Up and until the end stage of Cleanliness, the servant of G-d toiled to guard from all prohibitions and to be meticulous in observing every commandment and likewise to guard from any stumbling in all of the Rabbinical prohibitions which our sages instituted on every Jew to safeguard from stumbling in the Torah prohibitions. After reaching this, the Sefira of Gevura leads him to enter the "Gate of Piety" (which begins with Separation). The Sefira of Gevura illuminates his heart and soul, pushing him to strengthen himself in fear of G-d.
Due to this, he begins to prohibit on himself specific prohibitions in order to distance himself from sin. Every man knows his own particular weaknesses. If he was habituated in certain physical pleasures which are very cherished by him, in these he begins to work on. He begins to distance from these permitted things. In this beginning stage, certainly it is very difficult for a man to forego the pleasures of life he is used to, especially since they are not prohibited by the Shulchan Aruch (code of Jewish law). Likewise, his evil inclination entices him incessantly to not be stringent on himself to strive to become a Parush and Chasid, telling him from early morning till late night: "why do you need Separation and Piety? Is it not enough for you to be a Tzadik, clean of all Torah and Rabbinical prohibitions?!" From here, at the start of the Gate of Piety lies the great difficulty in separating from the pleasures of this world.
But after a person realizes the dangers concealed in all the worldly pleasures, he clearly understands that if he pursues the superfluous pleasures further, the Evil Inclination will incite him to stumble even in the primary prohibitions. He will increasingly see the truth in this, till his heart also consents to it, and he will habituate himself more and more to minimize, in gradual steps, all physical matters which his natures draws him to. If he conducts himself thus, the Sefira of Gevura will help him to change and transform into a new man. He will receive enormous spiritual powers from above, and will gird Gevura to vanquish the physical tendencies. And when he habituates himself in these practices regularly, he will merit that the trait of Separation will be by him as second nature. When he stands on this level, he will wonder in great amazement on other people. How could they not possibly banish from themselves the vanities of this world, whose every pleasure lasts but mere moments and which are but imaginary falsehood?
Solitude - The Greatest Wealth
Sefer Zikaron Beis Kelm pg.265 - Rabbi Simcha Zissel of Kelm writes: "A great principle in joy of the heart and health of the body, and more for the service of G-d is to seek closeness to G-d and not closeness to human beings. Besides being a big headache in many ways, there's no greater burden on a person than seeking closeness from other human beings. And what is a man that you want to search for closeness to him? He seems like a friend when it is to his benefit, or when he wants to, but 'they don't stand by a person in his time of difficulty' (Pirkei Avot 2:3) But closeness to G-d, although He's not visible, nevertheless, there is no time that He doesn't want.
Know my precious son, that the main wealth of a person is that which is in his hand and no one else can touch. All the more so, it should not depend on other people's whims. And for one who seeks closeness to human beings, behold, he is in need of gifts from flesh and blood. There's no difference between seeking physical gifts from others and seeking closeness (emotional gifts) from them. It's all the same. And therefore, there is no greater poor man than one who seeks closeness and love from others, and there is no greater wealth than he who has removed from himself the desire to be loved by other human beings.
Translator - it is important to realize that Separation from worldly pleasures is not to become stoic and without pleasure. For without pleasures, a person becomes lifeless and miserable. The thing to keep in mind is not that one is separating from and relinquishing all pleasures, but rather, that one is preparing himself for higher pleasures, spiritual pleasures, which are much greater in breadth and depth than physical pleasures. In order to connect to these, he must separate his heart from love of worldly pleasures, as the Chovot Halevavot writes (Gate 8, ch.3 #25) "just like fire and water cannot coexist together in one container, so too the love of this world and the love of the future world cannot coexist together in the heart of the believer". See there, essential reading.