Mesilat Yesharim/Path of the Just

~Level 1~
CS - "observation" - (histaklut) to study, recognize, and grasp the true essence of things.
"contemplation" - (hitbonen) to deepen by grasping their implications and significance.

~Level 2~
NE - "help greatly in acquiring Chasidut is great observation and much contemplation" - this is what he wrote in chapter 1: "for a man to clarify and come to realize as truth [what is his obligation in his world]". Here he explains the details of the contemplation needed to clarify and come to realize as truth what is his obligation in his world.

~Level 1~
MB - "longing to reciprocate back, as a son to his father" - this sentiment is the foundation of Chasidut as explained in chapter 18.

~Level 2~
MB - "closeness of the Just to Him" - for closeness to G-d is the only true good as explained in chapter 1..

MB - "the virtue of Torah" - see "the Way of G-d" (part 2, chapter 2).

MB - "he will choose" - in his mind.

MB - "and lust" - in his heart, an actual longing. i.e. after he chooses in his mind to cling to G-d, he must also lust for this. And the Rambam writes (Yesodei HaTorah 2:2): "he lusts a great lust to know the great Name as David said: 'my soul thirsts for the living G-d..'" see there..

MB - "when he sees" - that through all the kindness and love, he sees that this is a conduct befitting only that of a father to his son. And in Daat Tevunot (Siman 130): "for the Holy One, blessed be He, lusts, so to speak, to delight with His creations and rejoice in them as written: "G-d rejoices in His creations", and in turning to them, behold, in His love and rejoicing in them, so to speak, He thinks, and does not pause from benefiting them and multiplying them, and He renews His beneficence towards them always, hashpa (influence) after hashpa, in every way which is best for their good and well being, as a loving father turns to his son".

MB - "actual father" - as Rabeinu wrote in ch.19: "and scripture says 'is He not your Father'". Even though for an actual [human son to his] father, this love is a natural love (as explained in ch.19), nevertheless, it is necessary to observe and contemplate to feel it. This is because it is hidden and buried (dormant) in a person in order to make human free will possible. But after it comes out, it again becomes literally (mamash) a natural love.

~Level 1~
MB - "seclude" - so that no outside thing will disturb him.
"focus" - this is a second point, that one must also concentrate all his powers.
"all his knowledge and thought" - since G-d's hand is concealed in the world. Therefore, one must use all his knowledge and understanding to see the truth, for our flesh and blood eyes deceive us.

~Level 2~
NE - "seclude himself in his chambers" - seclusion (hitbodedut) which means to disconnect from the world and its distractions, is crucial (hechrechit) to progressing in the ladder of levels. It is good to fix a time for this. Even if he does this sometimes, there are important benefits for his progressing [in the ladder]. For without this, it is impossible to progress at all in the levels of fear and love. The seclusion can be done either in the chambers of one's heart, to examine and check if he is in the right direction and the proper intensity. Or in the chambers of one's home when he is disconnected from the whole world.

~Level 1~
MB - "great diligence" - for one who examines them always is much more moved than one who looks at them only once.

MB - "and in-depth study of the psalms" - not just reciting verses, but rather in-depth study of them.

MB - "to take counsel" - this is a stage before action , that one reflects on how he can also do like these deeds.
Translator: - no lack of books today on Gedolim (great torah sages) for one to become inspired.

~Level 2~
NE - "without this contemplation, he will not attain Chasidut" - on this contemplation, the Yetzer put his full weight behind. Sometimes, he will let a man learn Torah and books of mussar, but for the deciding stage, namely, the aforementioned contemplation in one's chambers, he will try to prevent this with all his strength, as Rabeinu wrote in ch.1 "the Holy One, blessed be He, has put man in a place where the factors which draw him away from the blessed G-d are numerous", where the primary drawing away is in not allowing a person the possibility to contemplate in the chambers of his heart.

ER - "not allowing him to strengthen in fear and love" - thus [even] a man who has already attained Chasidut must constantly strengthen himself in fear and love, and if he neglects this or is distracted, even unintentionally, he will lose it. Hence, there is no choice but to set aside a fixed time (seder) every day to strengthen the cheshbon (spiritual accounting) and the contemplation in fear and love of G-d, as Rabeinu exhorted us already in chapter 5.

ER - "the divine presence does not rest through sadness...[but rather through joy in a mitzva]" - hence, even a prophet who attained the level where the Shechina (divine presence) rests on him, must each time rouse himself in joy of mitzva..

~Level 1~
MB - "seduce the heart" - it does not merely prevent thinking like the first detriment (distractions), whereby at the time he is occupied in them he loses [Chasidut] but at a time where he is not occupied in them he does not lose. Rather, he who derives bodily enjoyments from this world, causes that his heart will also begin to think on matters of the pleasures. Thus automatically, "he veers away from all matters.." For through them he enters in his heart desires which are contradictory to matters of Chasidut, and will depart in a general way from Chasidut even when not involved in matters of this world.

Alei Shur (beginning) - the heart is drawn by that which gives it pleasure and turns away from that which gives it pain (Translator: thus by enjoying physical pleasures, his heart is drawn after them to desire them and want them, creating a vicious cycle).

"all matters of Separation" - which is the beginning of Chasidut and part of it.

~Level 1~
MB - "protect a person and save..." - he does not say to not engage at all in worldly matters for that is not possible. Rather, how to engage in them such that one will be protected from their detriment.
"save" - this [trust] will help even he who has already been caught in this to rescue him.

MB - "trust in G-d" - he returns to the [solution to] occupations and worries, but not on the indulgences. For to those there is no other advice than to abstain completely from them for they are contradictory to Chasidut in their very essence.

MB - "casts his burden on G-d completely" - completely, that the casting off oneself be complete, so that he does not think nor worry on this at all.

~Level 1~
CS - "not the efforts that help" - they are not the cause which brings the results.

CS - "efforts are necessary" - it is a necessary condition for the blessing of G-d to rest due to the fine, as before. But they are not the cause for this, therefore, since they are a condition, their minimum is enough. But if the efforts were the cause of one's livelihood, then there would be room to increase the cause, in order to attain a greater result.

~Level 2~
MB - "knowing that it is certainly impossible for a man to lack what was designated for him" - the casting one's burden on G-d is a consequence of this knowledge.

MB - "certainly impossible" - this matter includes two points.
1. there is an amount designated (allotted) to him.
2. it is impossible for him to lose this amount.
In truth, this latter point corresponds to two possible worries in the first point:
1. that others will cause him a loss.
2. he must cause that the amount designated for him will come to him.
He continues with proofs on these points...

MB - "no man can touch" - perhaps you will say: "correct, G-d designates for him, but afterwards, this depends on people's actions how it will turn out". Therefore, he says: "no man can touch what was prepared for his fellow even to the extent of a hair's breadth", i.e. it is unchangeable.

However, this knowledge only helps for the worry that others will cause him loss. But it still does not remove from him the need to go out and acquire what has been prepared for him, therefore he continues with the next point - "A person could have sat idle..."

"A person could have sat idle..." - this is a stronger point which in truth is the foundation of the whole matter. A man should not think "I earn my livelihood through my efforts". Rather, the truth is that he does not do this at all. Thus evidently, everything depends on G-d's will - not on his own nor other people's actions.

MB - "fine" - Rabeinu holds Hishtadlut (efforts) is an obligation from the perspective of punishment, not a permission for those of weak bitachon (trust).

~Level 2~
LS - it seems that it is not enough to say that through a little effort (Hishtadlut) we have already discharged our obligation, and we do not need to squander our days in efforts (Hishtadlut). But rather there is to say even more than this - since Hishtadlut at its foundation and essence is contradictory to faith and trust, if so, we should fear greatly from the ways of Hishtadlut, and minimize it as much as possible!!
(see original Hebrew here for better understanding)

~Level 3~
Michtav M'Eliyahu 1:195 - since a man's sustenance is already designated for him from Heaven, and his livelihood is [miraculous] like the splitting of the sea, if so, why did G-d burden on a man the yoke of exertion in obtaining his livelihood?

On this Rabbi Simcha Zissel wrote (in his letters, part 2 "derech emuna", and in part 1,118 and 119 and other places) that G-d placed the burden of exertion on man as a trial. For G-d placed man in a world where His providence is concealed and to his eye it appears as if he himself rules over all the matters of his livelihood and other affairs according to his wish, and he can err and tell himself "my strength and the might of my hands have produced this wealth for me" (Devarim 8:17).

But from within this concealment, it is incumbent upon him to awaken and recognize in his heart and demonstrate in his deeds that nature has no dominion whatsoever. Rather, everything is only and solely from the hand of G-d, and there is nothing great or small done without His decree, blessed be He, as the verse says: "who has commanded and it came to pass, unless G-d ordained it?" (Eicha 3:37). And also when he engages in acts of exertion (hishtadlut) according to the natural order, he must know in his heart that there is nothing in his deeds. It is only through the will of G-d. Through this, he will reveal G-d's providence from within the concealment of his efforts (derech eretz). That is, he will sanctify G-d by recognizing His glory in a place where He is concealed.

The root of this is written in the Torah: "because you listened to your wife...by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread, etc." (Gen.3:19) It is known that the punishments of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not in a manner of revenge, G-d forbid. Rather it is in a manner of teaching, to rectify the sin.

The sin of Adam was that he desired to also know evil, and through this he took himself out of the level of Gan Eden, in which only the pure spiritual has reality. He lowered himself to this world, the world of the physical, to see the actuality (mamashut) of nature and the physical.

Thus perforce the divine wisdom saw fit that his rectification is that in being in this concealment, inside the exertion and toil of his hands through the natural order, he will ascend to discern in his heart the annulment of this imagination of nature and [discern] the truth of G-d's providence, blessed be He.

However, this trial is among the most difficult. For it is among the things which "the physical is the opposite of the form", i.e. the external physical action contradicts the spiritual intention in the heart of the doer. Likewise in this that his deeds of obtaining a livelihood appears on the outside as deeds of effort according to the natural order. And even if in his heart he recognizes G-d's providence during this exertion. Nevertheless the danger is very near that the outward appearance will incline his good intent and he will remain physical and corporeal, unless he strengthens himself against this with all his strength through contemplating bitachon and emuna (trust and faith in G-d), as we will explain.

How can one stand up to this trial? By making his Torah, ie his spirituality, primary, and his work, i.e. his natural effort, secondary. That is, that he diminishes as much as possible his bodily needs and efforts for them. And also in the efforts he makes, his worry will not be that maybe he will not succeed in them. For behold, success is from G-d. Rather, his worry will always be that perhaps it will distract him in his Torah and service of G-d.

So too one of the great commentators, the holy Seforno comments on the verse: "remember the Sabbath to sanctify it" (Shemot 20:8-9):
"Always remember the Sabbath in your occupations during the days of action... 'to sanctify it' - so that you will be able to sanctify it. The verse exhorts that one should order his dealings during the days of the week so that he will be able to remove his thoughts from them on the Sabbath (i.e. during the week, teach yourself to do the minimal and with hesech daat (not focused) in it, and that all of one's affairs be built on this foundation so that on the Sabbath, he can fulfill 'as if all your work is complete').

'six days shall you work' - in the work of temporary life (chayei shaah), which are undoubtedly slavework, for most of their matters is that one pains himself on a world which is not his (i.e. worldly possessions are not his always. For they don't become a part of his eternal essence as that only applies on spiritual acquisitions which are truly his). 'you shall do all your work' - the essential for subsistence". end quote.

Thus the trial of hishtadlut (exertion for livelihood) must be minimized as much as possible, whether in quality or quantity. And if he does not minimize it, this is a sign that he did not at all stand up to the trial.

~Level 4~
Ohr Yechezkel 2:64 - before the sin, Adam was in a situation that G-d prepared his sustenance and he did not at all need to worry about his livelihood. But after the sin, the Holy One, blessed be He, fined him "by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread" (Gen.3:19). Thus, it was made difficult on us through this work to exert and toil for our livelihood. But we must also know and understand that it is all falsehood. The act does not give anything, the work of our hands do not add anything for everything was fixed from Rosh Hashana. The sweat does not provide bread, rather it is only the word (decree) of G-d. This was the decree - to make it difficult on man and deceive him that he have room to think that the work of his hands brings his livelihood. But it is incumbent on him to know that it is all just a fine. And since it is a fine, a man is obligated to work for his livelihood solely to discharge his obligation. As we see in the world, that when a man must pay taxes and fines certainly he pays only the minimum necessary and he strives by all means in his power to diminish the fine. In truth, this is G-d's will. Correct, G-d fined man, but man can diminish the fine, and when the fine disrupts Torah and fear of Heaven, he is completely exempt from the fine. Therefore the Torah exempted the righteous from the fine...

~Level 1~
CS - "a little work" - Rabeinu's intent is not that a person do a tiny effort and then rely on a miracle. Rather, it makes sense that the amount of effort is what one needs according to the ways of nature to attain his [basic] needs. He comes only to exclude that "he does not need to consume his days in exertion and labor"...

ER - "there is room for the blessing of Heaven to rest upon him" - it appears from here a lesson on the amount of proper Hishtadlut, namely, such that according to the natural order, there is room for the blessing to rest.

~Level 2~
NE - "it is not the efforts that help" - not only should a person not think that the efforts (hishtadlut) help, but rather, one should consider that most of the time, the hishtadlut actually damages or causes damage to what one was endeavoring to do. And only at those times that one makes efforts due to being forced, he feels that with less effort than he anticipated, he already received the divine help for that matter.

~Level 3~
MB - in chapter 5, regarding the detriments of Watchfulness, Rabeinu spoke of the "involvement and preoccupation in worldly affairs". But here, he speaks of "distractions and worries". He who examines the whole matter will notice a fine but important distinction between the two:
In Watchfulness, the power of the detriment is in not leaving him time to think. Namely, being actually preoccupied with worldly affairs or distracted by them such that they don't allow him time to think at all.

Therefore the advice there was to diminish the business dealings so that he has some time for his thoughts.

But in Chasidut where the power of the detriment is in not allowing him to contemplate properly, even if he has time to think because his head is occupied with the distractions and worries of this world. Therefore, the advice is to trust in G-d and not be distracted and worried in his affairs.

True, the detriment in Chasidut is weaker since it does not completely prevent thinking, but rather merely prevents him from contemplating properly. Nevertheless since Chasidut requires deep contemplations, he already loses it when he does not contemplate properly. Unlike Watchfulness where the thoughts are simpler and are not lost as long as he has some time to think.