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by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato zt'l
Chapter 6 - The Trait of Zeal
with select commentaries
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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 6 - THE TRAIT OF ZEAL ***פרק 6 - בביאור מדת הזריזות
| After "watchfulness" comes "zeal". For "watchfulness" revolves around the negative mitzvot while "zeal" around the positive mitzvot. This is as written "turn from evil and do good" (Ps.34:15). | אחר הזהירות יבוא הזריזות, כי הזהירות סובב על ה"לא תעשה" והזריזות על ה"עשה", והיינו (תהילים לד טו): סור מרע ועשה טוב. |
CS - "after watchfulness comes zeal.." - it is proper to first reach shelemut (wholeness) in "watchfulness", namely "contemplating and watching over his deeds and ways" (ch.2) and only afterwards to attain shelemut in zeal whose matter is overcoming the natural laziness in order to fulfill the mitzvot properly as he will explain...
OG - (Kabalistic) after attaining watchfulness, on its own, the trait of zeal will come to a man. For hidden lights will shine on his soul causing him to strengthen in love of G-d, namely to run after the positive Mitzvot which G-d, blessed be He, commanded us. In chapter 2, we explained how the study of Torah rouses the Sefira of Malchus. According to the Spiritual system, after Torah study, the Sefira of Hod received shefa (flux) of lights which brought a man to the trait of Watchfulness (see there). In this way, after the lights of the Sefira of Hod intensify through a man's clinging to the trait of Watchfulness, Hod shines lights of clinging to G-d downwards, towards Yesod and Malchus. From there, they ascend upwards until the Ein Sof, blessed be He. Then immediately, the Holy One blessed be He, is mashpia (sends) great lights of Chesed below towards the Sefiros, to the Sefira of Netzach which is near the Sefira of Hod. When Netzach receives these spiritual lights, a man feels an inner urge to strengthen himself in G-d's Mitzvot and begins to acquire the trait of Zeal...
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The matter of "Zeal" is clear. It is the early engaging in mitzvot and their completion as the sages of blessed memory said: "the zealous are early to perform the mitzvot" (Pesachim 4a). For just like it requires great intelligence and much foresight to save oneself from the snares of the evil inclination, and to escape from the evil so that it does not rule over us and mix in our deeds, so too it requires great cleverness and foresight to grasp the mitzvot, to acquire them, and not to lose them. For just like the evil inclination causes and strives with its strategies to cast man into the nets of sin, so too it strives to prevent him from performing Mitzvot and to leave him devoid of them. |
וענינו של הזריזות מבואר, שהוא ההקדמה למצות ולהשלמת ענינם. וכלשון הזה אמרו ז"ל (פסחים ד): זריזים מקדימים למצות.
וזה, כי כמו שצריך פקחות גדול והשקפה רבה לינצל ממוקשי היצר ולהמלט מן הרע שלא ישלוט בנו להתערב במעשינו כן צריך פקחות גדול והשקפה לאחוז במצות ולזכות בהם ולא תאבדנה ממנו. כי כמו שמסבב ומשתדל היצר הרע בתחבולותיו להפיל את האדם במכמורות החטא, כן משתדל למנוע ממנו עשית המצות ולאבדם ממנו. |
MB - "great intelligence and much foresight" - for "early engaging in mitzvot" is not just a one time decision to do the mitzvah now and not later. Rather it is a perpetuated strong will to do the mitzvah without impediment, neither an impediment in time on his own behalf nor any other impediment. For this truly needs great strengthening, intelligence and forethought.
CS - "evil inclination" - our sages distinguished between two types of evil inclinations: (1) The spiritual evil inclination. This is a kind of angel, possessing consciousness, whose job and purpose is to place man in a situation of trial and to distance him from the service of G-d.
(2) The physical evil inclination. This is essentially man's physical/animal nature which by its very nature pulls him to prefer bodily matters and make them primary and an end in itself (see Igeres HaMussar).
It seems Rabeinu is referring to these two evil inclinations when explaining the essential need for zeal to perform the Mitzvot and not stumble in obstacles. Thus he wrote (1) "with its strategies.." corresponding to the spiritual evil inclination and (2) "to prevent him from performing Mitzvot" corresponding to the natural physical evil inclination.
OG - the nature of a man is to run after what is good and pleasurable to him. If so, why does he not run after the commandments of G-d? After all there is no greater pleasure than closeness to G-d. It is clear from this, that the Evil Inclination received divine powers to entice human beings and pull them with ropes of falsehood. This power granted to it from Heaven is not less than the power given to the good inclination which draws a man to closeness to G-d.
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If a man weakens and is lazy, not strengthening himself to pursue them and to hold on to them, he will certainly remain shaken out and empty of them. You can observe that man's nature weighs very heavily upon him. For the earthiness of the physical is gross. Therefore a man does not want to exert himself and labor. But he who wants to merit to the service of the Creator must strengthen himself against his own nature, mustering strength and zeal. |
ואם יתרפה ויתעצל ולא יתחזק לרדוף אחריהם ולתמוך בם, ישאר נעור וריק מהם בודאי.
ותראה כי טבע האדם כבד מאד, כי עפריות החמריות גס, על כן לא יחפוץ האדם בטורח ומלאכה. ומי שרוצה לזכות לעבודת הבורא יתברך, צריך שיתגבר נגד טבעו עצמו ויתגבר ויזדרז. |
"shaken out and empty of them" - a reference to Nechamia 5:13 - "I also shook out my garment and said, 'So shall G-d shake out any man who does not fulfill this matter, from his house and from his toil, so shall he be shaken out and empty..'"
CS - "weighs very heavily" - like a heavy object fixed to the ground which is very difficult to budge from there.
(Translator: there is a kind of gravitational pull towards laziness. Zeal is when a person breaks out of this gravitational field. It takes some time and strengthening. But once you reach the escape velocity, you're in a different world. One can feel this especially in torah study.)
CS - "against his own nature" - this requires enormous strengthening for man loves himself as he is in his present situation. Thus he does not want to go against his nature.
| If he leaves himself in the hands of his [natural] heaviness, it is a certainty that he will not succeed. This is what the Tana (Mishnaic sage) stated: "be brazen as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven" (Avot 5:20). Likewise, the Sages counted among the things which need strengthening: "Torah and good deeds" (Berachot 32b). This is explicitly stated in scripture: "be strong and very courageous [to observe and do all of the Torah..]" (Yehoshua 1:6). For great strengthening is needed for one who wants to bend his nature to its opposite. | שאם הוא מניח עצמו ביד כבדותו, ודאי הוא שלא יצליח. והוא מה שאמר התנא (אבות פרק ד): הוי עז כנמר, וקל כנשר, ורץ כצבי, וגבור כארי לעשות רצון אביך שבשמים. וכן מנו חכמים ז"ל (ברכות לב): בדברים הצריכים חיזוק, תורה ומעשים טובים. ומקרא מלא הוא (יהושע א): חזק ואמץ מאד לשמר לעשות ככל התורה אשר צוך משה עבדי, כי חיזוק גדול צריך למי שרוצה לכפות הטבע אל הפכו. |
CS - "be strong and very courageous" - these two terms correspond to the two types of [strengthening in] zeal. To strengthen oneself initially to hold strong to the Mitzvot and secondly to be "very courageous" (afterwards) not to weaken in them, as in "the connection was strong" (Shmuel 2 15:12).
SR - the avodah (work) of "Zeal" is to bind one's nature and reverse it. For the nature of a man is to be very heavy. Every person has laziness by nature. Not that some people are lazy and others are zealous. Rather, some are more lazy and some are a bit less. But every man needs to wage war against his nature. Therefore Yehoshua was also commanded with a special command to Zeal.
ER - "the things which need strengthening" - Rashi there (Berachot 32b) "that a man strengthen himself in them always and with all his might". i.e. not only for some time nor for a single time but rather "always". Likewise, one needs to put all his strength in the strengthening - then he will succeed.
Imrot Chaim 161: "turn from evil..." - the foundation of the matter is that "turn from evil" and "do good" are essentially the same, to cling to the good and distance from evil. Only that Watchfulness is with the negative commandments and Zeal is with the positive commandments. "Turn from evil" is to flee from evil to the utmost, whereas "do good" is to chase after the good with full strength. But the essence of both is "constant running" without let up. One needs to strengthen himself against his nature. "For man's nature weighs very heavily upon him", since his existence is physical, "from the earth I was created" (Bereishis Raba 17:5) and the "earthiness of the physical is gross".
And just like when one does not flee from evil, the evil immediately reaches him, so too one who does not run, chasing after the good, behold the physical drags him and prevents him from reaching it. This is man's job - to flee from the physicality and enter inside the world of the spiritual. The physical is what causes laziness in man. One must flee from it like one flees from evil which brings him to sin. The requisite guarding and Watchfulness to be saved from sin, "turn from evil", is incessant. Likewise, to be saved from the physicality of laziness and reach "do good" also needs uninterrupted guarding and chasing after the Mitzvot without letup.
Or Yechezkel 3:111 - "be brazen as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion" - these traits are needed for he who longs to attain Shelemut (wholeness/perfection) to fulfill the will of the Holy One blessed be He. Without them, he will not reach them at all. We live our lives following our habits without working and toiling and we think we will be counted among the Tzadikim (righteous). In truth, it is obvious that our primary Avodah (religious service) requires going in the exact opposite of our natural traits. The natural traits are the metziut (reality, i.e. we are by nature selfish, lazy, etc.). Therefore to change the metziut (reality) requires great toil and enormous labor. Only through these traits which the Mishna lists (be brazen as a leopard...) is there maybe a hope for man that he will attain and reach fulfilling the Torah...
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Behold, Shlomo repeatedly exhorted many times on this in seeing the evil of laziness and the greatness of the harm resulting from it. He said "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. Then shall your poverty come as a traveler.." (Mishlei 24:33). For behold, even though the lazy person is not doing evil actively, nevertheless he brings evil on himself through his very inactivity. Shlomo further said: "also he who is slack in his work is a brother to the destroyer" (Mishlei 18:9). For even though this person is not a destroyer who commits evil directly with his own hands, don't think he is far removed from being one. On the contrary, he is the destroyer's brother, and his comrade. |
והנה שלמה שנה מאד באזהרתו על זה בראותו את רוע העצלה וההפסד הגדול הנמשך ממנה ואמר (משלי ו): מעט שנות מעט תנומות מעט חבק ידים לשכב, ובא כמהלך ראשך ומחסרך כאיש מגן. כי הנה העצל אף על פי שאינו עושה רע בקום עשה, הנה הוא מביא את הרעה עליו בשב ואל תעשה שלו.
ואמר (שם יח): גם מתרפה במלאכתו, אח הוא לבעל משחית. כי אף על פי שאיננו המשחית העושה את הרעה בידיו, לא תחשוב שהוא רחוק ממנו, אלא אחיו הוא ובן גילו הוא. |
NE - "thus we see that man is truly placed in the midst of a raging battlefield" - (from ch.1) - this war (of the Yetzer) is not outside of man, nor is a man outside of it, as one watches from the side. Rather, the man is actually (mamash) inside it. Both sides wage war around him, and each and every second, they (the yetzer and his agents) try to pull him towards them. Therefore, he who is in the middle must hold up from both sides. And if he wishes to rest a bit, they will not grant it to him. For the war is "raging", with full power and speed, not granting a man to be indifferent. The Yetzer specifically waits only for this, namely, for when a man enters into indifference. For then his victory is assured, as Shlomo said: "also he who is slack in his work is a brother to the destroyer". For if a man becomes insensitive and just slacks from the pressure of the Yetzer, he is already a friend of the destroyer - the Yetzer!
Ohr Yahel 1:3 - the Rambam writes: "Free will is granted to all men... each person is fit to be righteous like Moses, our teacher, or wicked, like Yeravam" (Teshuva ch.5). Hence, a man needs be to called to justice on all the vast and enormous good that he caused his soul to lack, between his actual level until the highest level!... Is there any end to such a great accounting? And if we understand further, as it is in truth, that this calling to justice is not so light as one who merely "sat and did not do" (shev v'al taase). For the verse says: "also he who is slack in his work is a brother to the destroyer". It is awesome and terrifying, to judge the vast potential he lost and did not actualize as one who destroys with his hands!
| He further stated a familiar, every day illustration to explain the evil that befalls the lazy person: "I passed by the field of a lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man without understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face of it, and its stone wall was broken down; Then I observed; I put my heart to it; I beheld and I received mussar (instruction); A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down; so shall your poverty come as a traveler, and your want like a man with a shield" (Mishlei 24:30-34). | ואמר עוד לבאר רעת העצל באור ציורי, מה שיקרה ויולד לעינינו יום יום (שם כד): על שדה איש עצל עברתי ועל כרם אדם חסר לב, והנה עלה כולו קמשונים כסו פניו חרלים וגו', ואחזה אנכי אשית לבי, ראיתי לקחתי מוסר, מעט שנות מעט תנומות וגו', ובא מתהלך רישך וגו'. |
CS - "your poverty come as a traveler.." - who comes suddenly without warning to lodge in a hotel.. "like a man with a shield" - an armed man who is dressed for warfare descending to the battlefield who goes without delay. (Metzudos)
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Besides the plain meaning, which is true in the literal sense, for this is indeed what happens to the field of a lazy man, the sages of blessed memory expounded it beautifully in a Midrash (Yalkut Mishlei 247:961) as follows: "it was all grown over with thorns" - refers to one who seeks the interpretation of a portion of the Torah and does not find it. "nettles had covered the face of it" - since he did not labor sufficiently in the Torah, he sits in judgment and declares the pure, unclean and the impure, clean, thus breaching the fence set up by the Torah Sages. What is his punishment? Shlomo revealed it: "one who breaches a fence will be bitten by a snake" (Koheles 10:8). |
והנה מלבד פשוטו אשר הוא אמיתי כמשמעו שהוא מה שקורה אל שדה העצל ממש, הנה דרשו בו חכמים ז"ל, מדרש נאה, זה לשונם (ילקוט):
והנה עלה כולו קמשונים, שמבקש פירוש של פרשה ואינו מוצא. כסו פניו וגו', מתוך שלא עמל בהם, הוא יושב ומטמא את הטהור ומטהר את הטמא, ופורץ גדרן של תלמידי חכמים. מה ענשו של זה? שלמה פירשו (קהלת י): ופורץ גדר ישכנו נחש. |
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That is, the evil that befalls the lazy man does not come all at once. Rather it comes little by little. Without his knowing it or sensing it, he is pulled from one evil to another until he finds himself sunk in ultimate evil. Behold, at first he is merely diminishing the labor that was proper for him. This draws him to not study the Torah adequately. Due to lack of study, when he goes afterwards to study, he will be lacking the requisite understanding. If the evil that befalls him would end there, his calamity would already be great. But it grows further, for in his desire to at least explain the section or chapter under consideration, he distorts reasons not in accordance with Halacha, destroying truth, and perverting it till he transgresses decrees and breaches the fences. |
והיינו, כי רעת העצל אינה באה בבת אחת, אלא מעט מעט, בלא שידע וירגיש בה, כי הנה הוא נמשך מרעה אל רעה עד שימצא טבוע בתכלית הרעה.
הנה בתחלה אינו אלא מחסיר הטורח אשר היה ראוי לו, ומזה נמשך שלא ילמוד בתורה ככל הצורך. ומפני חסרון הלימוד, כשיבוא אחר כך ללמוד תחסר לו ההבנה. והנה אלולי היתה גומרת רעתו בה, כבר היתה רבה. אך עוד מתרבה והולכת במה שברצותו על כל פנים לישב הפרשה והפרק ההוא, הנה יגלה בה פנים שלא כהלכה, וישחית האמת ויהפכה, ויעבור על התקנות ויפרוץ את הגדרים. |
Yirah V'Daat 2:81 - the way of the lazy person is to want everything to be in a nice and easy manner. Therefore he talks idle speech and does not want to study Torah or even try to learn because this is not easy. And even when he does sit to learn, he does not strive to immerse himself in the study and to review the matter he is learning. He learns only in a light and passing manner. All this is due to the power of laziness in him. Due to this, everything that he studies will not be in proper manner for when he learned he was lazy and did not properly clarify the Halacha, or the like.
NH - "little by little" - i.e. regarding Torah study, in the first stage, the lazy man learns Torah with a bit of laziness, namely, he does not sufficiently toil in his learning. This automatically leads to the next stage where he studies less (because since he did not toil sufficiently, he does not attain sufficient clarity. Then automatically, he enjoys it less, and on its own he learns less). This leads to the next stage where he seriously lacks understanding. For since he lacks study, he lacks understanding. Then he reaches a more severe stage, namely, when learning he wishes to attain understanding in the sugya (topic) but since he cannot attain true understanding, he explains it in a non true manner and in essence "he distorts Halacha", "breaches fences", etc.
ER - laziness is primarily in the study of Torah. see Rashi parsha Bechukotai:
"But if you do not listen to Me and do not perform all these commandments; and if you despise My statutes and reject My ordinances, not to perform any of My commandments, thereby breaking My covenant" (Vayikra 26:14). Rashi [brings the Midrash Kohanim]:
"But if you do not listen to Me" - to toil in Torah. One might think this refers to fulfilling the commandments but Scripture already says, "and you do not perform all these commandments". Hence, the fulfillment of commandments is [already] stated. So what is the meaning of "if you do not listen to Me"? [Answer:] To toil in Torah... If you do not learn [the Torah], you will not perform the commandment. The torah hereby enumerates two transgressions..
"and if you despise My statutes" - This refers to one who despises others who perform the commandments.
"and reject My ordinances" - this refers to one who hates the Torah Sages.
"not to perform any of My commandments" - he then prevents others from fulfilling [the commandments].
"any of My commandments" - he then denies that I commanded them.
"thereby breaking My covenant" - denies G-d.
Hence, a total of seven sins, the first leads to the second, and so on successively till the seventh. They are "not learning", "not doing", "hates others who do", "prevents others from doing", "denies G-d commanded them", "denies G-d".
Kovetz Maamarim 69 - we must seek out and find the root cause of this situation. For how could it be that the Jewish people who were always "believers sons of believers", and now a great portion of them have lost their faith?
The answer to this is also found in the Torah, which reveals to us all hidden things. This is the verse: "and you turn astray and worship [other gods]" (Shema, Devarim 11:15), once a person veers from the Torah, he immediately goes and clings to idolatry (Rashi there). For "man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen.8:21), and "the wicked (yetzer) spies upon the righteous and seeks to slay him" (Psalms 37:33), i.e. an eternal death, and there is no medication to save oneself from him besides the study of Torah, as G-d testifies: "I have created the evil inclination, and I have created the Torah as its antidote". Once a person veers from the Torah, his faith goes and dwindles in him until in the end he becomes a complete atheist.
This is likewise stated in parsha Bechukotai, see Rashi there. For one who veers away from the study of Torah, descends seven levels, one after the next, until the lowest level: denies G-d. see there.
And that which our sages said: "he clings to idolatry", this was for the days of old, until the men of the great assembly annulled the evil inclination to idol worship. But now an evil inclination worse than this has arisen - the evil inclination to deny completely (any form of deity, i.e. atheism).
The holy Chafetz Chaim would say: "if the Torah study has stopped then perforce the faith will also stop. And without faith the world cannot endure". This is explained in the verse "only there is no fear of G-d in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife" (Gen.20:11). The intent of "only", is that there is nothing in the world which has the power to hold back the animal in man besides the fear of G-d. In our times (world war II) where denial of G-d has spread throughout the world, human beings have become snakes biting each other, and the proper (ethical) countries among the nations are those which believe in the holy writings (Tanach).
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His end is destruction like all those who breach fences. Shlomo continues: "then I observed; I put my heart to it" - I reflected on this matter and realized the great evil in it, for it is like a poison which creeps and spreads little by little. Its effect is not noticed until death comes. This is the meaning of: "a little sleep... so shall your destitution come swiftly as a traveler, etc." We can observe with our own eyes how so often a person comes to know his duty in this world and grasps the truth of what is required to save his soul and what is his duty towards his Creator, but despite this, he disregards it. This disregard is not due to insufficient clarity of this duty, nor any other cause but the heaviness of laziness which overcomes him. |
וסופו כליה כמשפט כל פורץ גדר. אמר שלמה: "ואחזה אנכי אשית לבי", התבוננתי על הדבר הזה וראיתי גודל הרע שבו שהוא כארס ההולך ומתפשט מעט מעט, ואין פעולתו ניכרת עד המיתה. וזהו, "מעט שנות וגו' ובא כמהלך רישך ומחסרך כאיש מגן".
והנה אנחנו רואים בעינינו כמה וכמה פעמים שכבר לבו של האדם יודע חובתו ונתאמת אצלו מה שראוי לו להצלת נפשו ומה שחובה עליו מצד בוראו, ואף על פי כן יניחהו, לא מחסרון הכרת החובה ההיא ולא לשום טעם אחר, אלא מפני שכבדות העצלה מתגברת עליו. |
MB - "comes to know his duty" - he knows exactly what is his obligation.
"to save his soul" - he recognizes it is good for him.
"what is his duty towards his Creator" - he also recognizes that he is obligated in this to the Holy One, blessed be He.
but despite this - despite this complete realization...
Sichot Mussar 2:28 - "I put my heart to it" - we already spoke at length many times that recognition will not help a person, not even great recognition, as long as he doesn't put the matter to heart. For a man's intellect does not obligate him to act. Rather the feeling of the heart (techushat lev) is what operates on a man and directs his actions.
Chovat HaTalmidim 73 - "its effect is not noticed until death comes" - not only one who actually strangles himself commits suicide, G-d forbid, but also the lazy person (who does nothing) and the lax person (who does but lazily) are just like him.
The lazy person (who does nothing) wastes and squanders idly hours and times of his life. By him, it is possible that he will feel bitter in seeing the times he wasted when he looks at the parts of his life which are lying in the mud and rotting away.
Worse than him still is the lax person (who does but lazily) because he fools himself saying: "I am working and toiling in the Torah". But everything he does is with laxness. He also wastes the hours and times of his life.
Only when he reaches old age will he wake up and pull out his hair lamenting "oy where are all my years? so many countless weeks, days and hours. Where are they? With what did I squander them? I have no Torah and no service, no holiness and no knowledge of G-d. I had everything but wasted it.."
Therefore rise up while there is still time. Cast away your laziness and even your laxness. Serve G-d with joy and strengthening. Purchase what is possible for you to purchase with the price of your years, and it will be good for you in this world and the next.
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He thus says: "I will eat a bit", or "I will sleep a little", or "it is difficult for me to leave my house". "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on again?". "It is very hot outside". "It is very cold" or "it is raining" and all the other sorts of excuses and rationalizations that the mouths of lazy people are full of. Either way, in the meantime the Torah is abandoned, the service of G-d is idle, and man abandons his Creator. This is what Shlomo said: "by laziness the ceiling decays; and through lowering of the hands the house leaks" (Kohelet 10:18). If you ask the lazy person [to explain his behavior], he will confront you with numerous quotations of the sages, verses from scripture, and logical arguments all of which instruct him, according to his distorted mind, to be lenient with himself, and to leave himself in the tranquility of his laziness. |
והרי הוא אומר, אוכל קמעא, או אישן קמעא, או קשה עלי לצאת מביתי, פשטתי את כתנתי, איככה אלבשנה, חמה עזה בעולם, הקרה רבה או הגשמים, וכל שאר האמתלאות והתואנות אשר פי העצלים מלא מהם. ובין כך ובין כך, התורה מונחת, והעבודה מבוטלת, והאדם עוזב את בוראו. והא מה ששלמה אומר (קהלת י): בעצלתים ימך המקרה ובשפלות ידים ידלוף הבית.
ואולם אם תשאל את פי העצל, יבוא לך במאמרים רבים ממאמרי החכמים, והמקראות מן הכתובים, והטענות מן השכל, אשר כולם יורו לו, לפי דעתו המשובשת, להקל עליו ולהניחו במנוחת עצלותו. |
MB - either way, in the meantime - even though he starts only with lacking in certain deeds, nevertheless, in the end, the laziness drags him until he abandons his Creator.
ER - "he will invoke.." - this appears to be unique for laziness which encompasses all of a man's service. Many outlooks are rooted and founded on laziness. It is all in order to lighten the burden of the yoke on oneself.
| But he fails to see that all these arguments and reasons do not stem from balanced reasoning but rather spring from the wellspring of laziness, which, as it strengthens over him, inclines his views and intellect to those arguments. Hence he fails to heed the voice of the wise and men of sound judgment. This is what Shlomo screams out: "The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that answer sensibly" (Mishlei 26:16). | והוא איננו רואה שאין הטענות ההם והטעמים ההם נולדים לו מפני שיקול דעתו, אלא ממקור עצלותו הם נובעים, אשר בהיותה היא גוברת בו, מטה דעתו ושכלו אל הטענות האלה, אשר לא ישמע לקול החכמים ואנשי הדעה הנכונה. הוא מה ששלמה צווח ואומר (משלי כו): חכם עצל בעיניו משבעה משיבי טעם. |
MB - "spring from the wellspring of laziness" - the source of these arguments is from his laziness not his intellect.
MB - "strengthens over him, inclines his views and intellect" - this is the second effect of laziness. Besides that it is the source of these arguments to exempt himself, behold, it also inclines his mind so that these arguments incline his judgment.
CS - "the wise... men of sound judgment" - corresponding to people who possess the two types wisdom needed for a man: 1. perceiving the true reality of a situation (true premises). 2. sound judgment in comparing similarities or differences between things in order to draw correct inferences.
SR - laziness causes a man to be empty of understanding and to forget all of his Torah as the sages compared this to the field of a lazy man. But to maintain his laziness, he is full of sharp logic, and wide breadth of knowledge, justifying himself with statements of the sages, verses from scripture, and logical arguments, like a brilliant genius. He is so proud of his knowledge until he sees himself as wiser than seven men that answer sensibly.
| For laziness does not allow him to be even concerned for the words of those who rebuke him. Rather he will consider them all to be mistaken or foolish, while he alone is the wise one. | כי העצלה איננה מנחת לו שיהיה אפלו חש לדברי המוכיחים אותו, אלא יחשוב הכל לתועים ושוטים והוא לבדו חכם. |
CS - "mistaken" in their incorrect inferences, i.e. not drawing correct conclusions and "foolish", in lacking correct perception of the reality (premises).
NH - the power of laziness is so enormous to the extent that it deceives a man with logic which seems true on why he should refrain from doing something. But the true underlying reason for abstaining is laziness. It causes him to look for reasons to justify his laziness and prove that one should abstain. This is to such an extent that even if great sages will try to show him his error, he will not at all heed their words for the laziness causes him to be so sure that he is right and justified.
| Know that this is a fundamental principle, well tested by experience, in the art of Separation (from evil - CS): every leniency must be carefully investigated. For even though, it is possible that it is justified and correct, nevertheless it is more likely to be the advice of the evil inclination and its deceit. Therefore, one must investigate it with much analysis and examination. If after all this it still stands meritorious, then certainly it is good. | והנה תדע כי זה כלל גדול מנוסה במלאכת הפרישות, שכל קולא צריכה בדיקה. כי אף על פי שיכולה להיות ישרה ונכוחה, אמנם, קרוב הדבר שתהיה מעצות היצר ומרמותיו, על כן צריך לבדוק אחריה בחקירות ודרישות רבות. אם אחר כל אלה תצדק, ודאי שהיא טובה. |
CS - "advice and deceit of the evil inclination" - it stems from the evil inclination who "advises" a man to be lenient [to lighten his burden] in the service of G-d. He even uses deceitfulness to bring forth spurious arguments to convince him that his evil advice is good.
MB - "advice" - we find in many places in this that the natural evil powers (ex.laziness) are attributed to the Yetzer. this is one of them.
"and its deceit" - that the Yetzer comes disguised as the intellect and brings proofs even from the words of our sages.
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The summary of the matter: a man must greatly strengthen himself and fortify himself with zeal in doing the Mitzvot by casting off himself the weight of laziness which impedes him. The angels were praised for possessing this good trait as written: "[Bless the L-rd, His angels,] those mighty in strength, who perform His word, hearkening to the voice of His word" (Tehilim 103:20); and "the Chayot dash to and fro like the appearance of a flash of lightning" (Yechezkel 1:14). Behold, a man is a man and not an angel, hence it is impossible for him to attain the might of an angel, but he should certainly strive to do all he can to come as close to that level as possible. King David would praise (G-d) for his portion saying: "I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments" (Tehilim 119:60). |
כללו של דבר, חיזוק גדול צריך האדם להתחזק ולהתגבר בזריזות לעשות המצות, בהשליכו מעליו כובד העצלה המעכבת על ידו.
ותראה שהמלאכים נשתבחו במדה הטובה הזאת, שנאמר בהם (תהלים קג): גבורי כח עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו. ואומר (יחזקאל א): והחיות רצוא ושוב כמראה הבזק. והנה אדם הוא אדם ולא מלאך, על כן אי אפשר לו שיגיע לגבורתו של המלאך. אך ודאי, שכל מה שיוכל להתקרב במדרגתו אליו, ראוי שיתקרב. ודוד המלך היה משבח על חלקו ואומר (תהלים קיט): חשתי ולא התמהמהתי לשמר מצותיך. |
CS - "angels.." - scripture describes the angels as doing their tasks and missions with zeal in order to teach human beings that this is the way of shelemus elyona (perfection). Hence, the trait of zeal entails not only preventing things which impede the performance of the Mitzvot (laziness). But it itself is in essence a level of doing the Mitzvot in the proper way. Next chapters will show zeal is the external manifestation of doing the Mitzvot with love and great enthusiasm...
SP - An angel does not need "to strengthen himself to cast off the heaviness of laziness" as this does not apply to him, since he has no "gross earthiness of the physical".
LS - "the might of an angel" - which strengthens itself with all its might to do the word of G-d.
OG - it is proper to ask: if the power which prevents a man from fulfilling the Mitzvot (the evil inclination) is the same power that entices him to commit sins, why then did Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair divide them into two traits (Watchfulness and Zeal)?
The Holy One blessed be He created the Satan and the evil inclination and gave them power to confound men for a certain period of time so that they will have free will in the struggle between good and evil. The evil inclination both entices to sin and also brings on a man laziness to prevent him from fulfilling the Mitzvot. Nevertheless, Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair had an important reason to divide the traits "Watchfulness" and "Zeal".
As we explained earlier, "Watchfulness" comes from the power of the Sefira of "Hod" in the "Left" line of Sefiros - the lights of Din (judgment). But Zeal comes from the Sefira of Netzach - the "Right" line, i.e. the lights of Chesed (kindness). Hence, one must first toil in "turn from evil" for in the order of ascent up the ladder of level from below to above, the line of the lights of Din precede the Sefirot in the line of the lights of Chesed. Namely:
Hod precedes Netzach - hence Watchfulness precedes Zeal.
Gevurah precedes Chesed - hence Separation precedes Piety.
Bina precedes Chachma - hence "Fear of Sin" precedes Holiness.
From this principle we come to understand differences between Watchfulness and Zeal. For example Watchfulness which stems from Din is aquired by putting to heart how G-d is makpid (meticulous) on exacting the Din (justice) which a man incurs on sins. On the other hand, in chapter 8, the Ramchal explains the way to acquire Zeal, namely, to put to heart the good that G-d bestows on him, and the gratitude he must feel for this.
Hence, the reason for the dividing is very clear according to this. For Watchfulness draws its power from the lights of the Sefira of Hod which is from the side of Din. Hence, all its matter is that a man fear G-d, and not transgress His commands, and if he transgresses he will be punished. Therefore, if a man contemplates the hakpada (strict meticulousness) even on the smallest of the smallest sins, certainly he will be afraid of punishment and will literally fear G-d. But Zeal draws it's power from the Sefira of Netzach which is from the lights of Kindness. Therefore, the way to strengthen oneself in Zeal is to work on feeling gratitude for the tremendous kindliness of the Holy One blessed be He on us. By reflecting on the many benefits G-d bestows on us we will certainly come to fulfill the Mitzva of "You shall love the L-ord your G-d...".
Short Essay - Escaping the Yetzer
Pri Tevunot 78 - It is proper to contemplate: who prevents us from fulfilling our obligations to our Creator? Who is it which blocks us from purifying our thoughts from all our natural impurities? It is the Nefesh (lower soul) which prevents the Sechel HaYashar (straight intellect) from contemplating our obligation.
The root [of the matter] is that the Nefesh is bribed from the pleasures of this world, and all its inclination is only for the temporary pleasures. For if it were to lack its temporary pleasures, from where will it receive its pleasure and life (chiyut)? (i.e. the soul is afraid of losing the chiyut (feeling of life) it obtains from the pleasures of this world. Therefore, it blocks out arguments and understandings which it deems threatening to this.)
Therefore, the bribe of the pleasures of this world blinds the eyes of the Sechel (intellect) to not see the future consequences (roeh hanolad). And even for the clear knowledge of the [future] punishments of sin, and the great reward for the mitzvot, this bribe blinds the eyes of the intellect to not contemplate.
But then the Ruach connects to the Neshama through the holy words of Torah, Tefila (prayer), and Yirat Shamayim (fear of heaven), through this a man draws to himself power of vitality (koach shel chiyut) from the side of holiness, and he sees the enormous difference between worldly pleasures and true pleasures.
Then it will be clear to him that he loses nothing in not being pulled to the lusts of his heart. Rather, on the contrary, he gains through this, emerging from darkness to the light of G-d, which is the purpose of Creation. And further, he will merit that even the Nefesh will transform to holiness and will be drawn to love of G-d... (i.e. when he starts to get chiyut (life) from the side of holiness, he will begin to break out of the gravitational pull of the yetzer)