BS”D
A Summary
Notes by Avraham Lubarsky. The body of the notes are the actual summary of the work, and the footnotes are just thoughts that came to mind as I learned the sefer. Comments are welcome. E-mail ALubarsky@613.org.
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in the end, write out some of the very fundamental yesodos of the sefer – I would also like to part the parts that I want to use in hisbonenus
I have always approached this sefer as chovos halevavos being connected with ratzon, as lev in the Rishonim has a connotation of ratzon (see Moreh in Maamar 1 on the definition of the word “leiv”) – I understood that Chovos included chovos haseichel in the definition of the “chovos halevavos”, but I thought that the ikkar definition was still “leiv” in the Baalei Mussar sense of it. I need to reexamine this assumption. I have to see whether the ikkar definition isn’t really the more sichli definition.
The following is from my notes on Drashos HaRan, Drush 6: “Ki ein ikar madreiga hachochma, aval havana hashleima bamaasim. Ki hamaasim tovim ein tachlisam sheyaasum haeivarim, aval kavanas haleiv” (Compare this approach to the Rambam in Sh’P and the Moreh. Also another point. I have been thinking about what is the mening of the concept “chovos halevavos” in the sefer Chovos Halevavos. I always thought that the definition was similar to what the contemporary baalei musar call leiv, which is a combination of intellect, but primarily ratzon takin. I wrote in my Ch”L notes that I am beginning to rethink that. Rav Bleich wrote that “lev” means seichel. Let’s think about what’s happening here in the Ran. Here Ran explicitly compare chochma vs. lev tov, and the two are clearly not the same thing. This needs a lot more work.)
]
Index
Hashem created the world as a sign of His achdus, and all creations to show His gevurah, and created “chadashos” to show His chochma4 5
the greatest good that Hashem gave to man was chochmo
purpose of creation is to be megaleh: achdus, gevurah, chochma, kindness6 [text doesn’t seem to prove all of them]
all chochmos are gates for man to understand “Torah veolam”
have to learn metaphysics to understand Torah, but it’s forbidden for us to learn metaphysics just for hanaah purposes
there are three gates (shaarim) to understand Torah and “das” of Hashem:
“seichel hanitzal mikol pegah”
sefer Torah [the other girsa is “mah shehu muchash”7]
mesorah from the Neviim [Lev Tov – Torah shebaal peh]
understanding chovos halevavos (ch”l) is a “chochma tzefunah” [T”L – it deals with those things that no one but the person and Hashem can see, as the Mechaber explains shortly]
chovos haeivarim are at times sichli while at times not – chovos halevavos are always sichli as will be explained later in the sefer
chovos halevavos = “bematzpun headam velo yashkif alav zulasi haBoreh”
three types of works that were written at this period of time:
Explain Torah – explain words, inyanim like Rav Saadyah or to explain the dikduk like works of Ibn Ganach
Explain halachos
Explain emunos v’deos – fight off apikorsim
no sefer that systematically deals with shorashim and perakim of chh”l8
CH”L claims that he is basically the first work to deal with chovos halevovos in an organized fashion (where the whole subject of the book is just ch”l)
chovos halevavos are “yesodei kol hamitzvos” – “ki chovos haeivarim lo tishlamna ki im birtzon halev”9
many of the ch”l are meikkar hadin and are part of the taryag like lo tisna, lo tis’aveh, ect.10
we find discussion/stress on ch”l in Mikrah, Mishna, Gemarah11
the obligation viz-a-vi ch”l is constant – every second of every day
there are many more senifim in ch”l then by chovos haeivorim (ch”e)
when a person is commanded to do work in the field and work in the house, there are many factors that may not allow the person to do the work in the field (seasons, weather), but the work of the house is always doable – so too, chovos haeivarim a person may not always be able to fulfill, but chovos halevavos the person is always able to fulfill [at least on some level]
the two reasons why people don’t fulfill chh”l is either because of ahavas olam or because they don’t understand Hashem [check this – does this mean that they on’t appreciate the gadlus of Hashem??] – brings posuk to prove these 2 factors
chh”e have limited toldos, but chh”l have limitless toldos
the masses in general tend to ignore ch”l12
the greatest level is “lachkor veladaas” and not accept as tradition – have to be able to understand it intellectually – but bedieved if can’t reach intellectually, have to accept through tradition
some things are only known from traditions while others can be derived intellectually (brings proofs from pesukim to this effect)
people learn all kinds of things that are so uncommon, and this doesn’t do any good, and not metaken any midah13
there is a chochmo that a person already has inside of himself – unless it’s discovered (davka within oneself), a person will never know it/understand it and once it’s discovered, then it can’t be ignored (see T”L)14 15
person must find wisdom within himself
relying on mere tradition is for women and children, and chasrei daas – these don’t have “yacholes leayen mipnei miut hakaraso vedochak havanaso”
if a person does not meayen, he is punished
moshol of the king who commanded his servant to count the money – if the king will find out that the servant didn’t, even if all of the money is there, he will be furious because his command has been disobeyed – so too Hashem was mechayev us not only to accept the chh”l but rather work them out with our seichel
Chh”L gives two proofs for this:
First – the posuk tells us to listen to dayanim (and accept based on emunah) davka in dinnim and other halachos, but by emunah we have a concept of “veydata hayom”16 – have to know it
Second - there are two elements of our knowledge mentioned in the posuk: “halo yodaato im lo shomaato Elokei Olam Hashem etc. – Yesh. 40:28” – two elements=knowledge (understanding) and hearing (tradition) – see that understanding comes before tradition (see other proofs of the Chovos)
the more that you can understand and less rely on tradition the better17
the kadmonim were more concerned with chovas atzmam and less with sheelos hanochriyos hemesupakos – they learned all of the practical halocho and then focused on chovos libosom - if some unusual situation came up, they would use sevoroh in order to figure it out – they wouldn’t try to figure out all unlikely possibilities before they even happened
kol shorshei hamaasim shemiskavnim bohem liShmo Yisborach, hem meyusadim al bor halev vezoch hamatzpun – maaseh isn’t mekubal without proper kavanah even if there are many maasim18
Ee yahavt li liboch veeinayich19, Ana yodah d’at dili – Yerushalmi Berochos perek 1 chelek 5
the goal of mitzvos halevovos is to make geluyeinu vetzfuneinu identical in avodas Hashem
tamim tih’ye im Hashem Elokecho – has to be tocho keboro – have to have integrity20
Hashem doesn’t accept avodah hamezuyefes – “soneh gezel beavodah”21
The greatness of mitzvah of an aveirah depends on the kavonoh22
Mechaber writes that at first he wrote down various ideas of chh”l in order not to forget them himself, and from that came the idea of writing a sefer for others23 24
Rabbeinu Bachye struggles with his own inadequacies but decides to write the seifer in hopes that it will be of help to others
has doubts, struggles between discerning between sense of one’s own shortcomings and atzlus – ki kama kesilim avdu baavur morah25 - min hazehirus shelo tarbeh lehizoher
if a person didn’t teach until he was mashlim himself like he should have, no one would teach anything after the Neviim
a person is naturally leaning toward foolishness, laziness, and fun
kol adam oyvo ben tzeloav
see page 32-33 to figure out what is said
the sources for this seifer include Neviim, Chazal, and Chasidim & chachomim from other nations “mipnei shekivisi sheyihyu halevavos not’im aleihen umavakshim es chochmosom kmo divrei philosofim umusarei haperushim umangiheihem hameshubachim” – quotes mekoros that in areas of chochmo we can learn even from goyim
[Rav Yaakov Feldman in a footnote writes that this is leshitaso and shitah of others who used chochmo outside of Torah. R’ Feldman writes that some would criticize this and say that we have plenty of Torah material to draw from and there is no need to look to others. R’ Feldman writes that in defense of the Chovos, we can say that at the time of the writing, there was little mussar related material written and therefore R”B had to rely on outside sources as well. It seemed to me that what R”B means here is something else. I think that he is saying that by quoting outside sources, this will better draw in the reader – help him relate easier. For example, by just quoting a Torah makor I may not be as effective as if I say that a certain non-Torah personality also said this. It’s a form of pedagogy. If you look at the proofs that the Chovos brings, they aren’t proofs at all that you lehatchila should use the other chochmos. I need to be meayen in the whole seifer to understand this issue better. I would love to talk this out with someone else. I thought of a moshol (to my previous idea) – we need food to survive and we have enzymes that break down this food – when a person ch”v has a problem, the enzymes don’t work properly, he has to take the enzymes from the outside to digest the food. Naturally, a person should be able to digest the words of Neviim and Chazal. When a person can’t relate to them, he needs help from the outside to help him incorporate them. This is the work of the great Jewish pedagogues (like Rav Hirsch and many others).
I have come back to this issue a few years after I wrote this note. It seems to me from the proofs from the Gemarah that a person actively should learn good things from the goyim as a lehatchilah value. Compare to Rambam in Moreh, and Rav Hirsh’s derech eretz (but criticism of the Rambam’s approach in 19 Letters for looking to define Judaism based on outside values, and not from inside itself like the Kuzari]
the purpose of the work to bring clear proofs that only anshei hachonef vehasheker can deny because shehaemmes kaved aleihem – the sefer is not addressing people who deny the ikkarim of the Torah26 27, but rather to show the wisdom that is found within our seichel and our soal
moshol of a person who found a treasure in a yard of owner but it was rusty28 – the finder polished a little and revealed some of the shine – told the owner that if he’ll do the same, he’ll have himself a treasure
the goal of the work is to bring out the possibilities of man, to show the treasure that is found within him29 – a person can apply the same thing to himself and harvest the benefits
look at the work carefully – “taamod al inyano, dan al nafshecho din emmes, vehafoch bo, veyaldeihu, vehadbek oso al libecho umatzpunecho”30 – and then if find mistakes, mix them and dan the author lekaf zechus
the T”L writes that adam karov etzel atzmo and doesn’t want to see fault in oneself but rather in others – have to judge the situation fairly and honestly
Three wisdoms that a person should extract from Torah:
chovos halevavos
chovos haeivarim
divrei hayomim and chidos Rishonim31
for all these 3, use outside sciences: chochmas hashimiush [mathematics], chochmas hamofes [logic] and chochmas hadibbur [rhetoric] – person who doesn’t possess these, he can’t see the wisdom of Hashem32
a wise person will take from all three of these branches in an appropriate manner
fools will go to fun chochmos, will focus on the 3rd chochmo, and through it will be rodef acharei hataavoh
look at the works of Rav Saadiah because they are “meirim haseichel umehadedim binah, umorim hapesi, umezarzin haatzel.”33
INTRODUCTION
the most important requirement of Judaism is yichud Hashem balev shalem – this yichud will separate between a maamin and a kofer
the Mechaber goes on to explain the first paragraph of Shema, and how it’s a development of the most important yesodos of Judaism
first comes yichud, then ahava, then chovos halevavos (vehoyu hadevorim haeileh), mitzvos eivarim, speaking and thinking about mitzvos, the last three mitzvos (tefillin yad, rosh, mezuzah) that remind to to love (leehov) and desire (lichsof) Hashem – these three represent chut hameshulash
PEREK 1
gives the outline of the shaar
PEREK 2
first group of people think that yichud is something that only have to say - lev and lashon should be in congruence in terms of yichud Hashem35
second group of people just relying on kabalah is like having one blind person grab on to another blind person and in the front there is a person who can see – they hope that he will not lead them astray – if there will be some mistake on anyone’s part, everyone will stray off the derech – if he will hear improper sevaras, there isn’t a guarantee that he will be able to discern the truth from falsehood
third group of people can bring proofs for yichud, but they don’t understand the difference between “inyan haechad haemes vehaechad haover” – this is like a person who knows where he wants to go, but there are many roads and he doesn’t know which road to take36
fourth group of people understand this difference – this is the maalah that the Navi was mazhir us in posuk “Veyadaatah hayom vehashevosa el levovecho”
PEREK 3
a person is chayav to be choker yichud derech chakira, and if (he can but) he doesn’t, it’s meguneh and he is mekatzer in his obligation
says that for the rest of the shaar will be choker 3 issues: existence of G-d, whether He is one, whether His oneness is unique
PEREK 6
teleological proof – can’t throw ink and make a writing
PEREK 10
there are two elements of Hashem that we address: atzmios and poaliyos
atzmios existed before creation and after it – they include: existence, oneness, and kadmus
we use this terms only to deny their opposites, and not that they indicate any shinui in atzmus of Hashem
there is nothing in existence like Hashem – He is above anything that our mind can grasp
we can speak about middos of Hashem – this allows us to experience Hashem’s metzius
some of these middos seem to imply tzura gashmis, like the various body parts attributed to Hashem
some of these middos imply physical actions, like Hashem smelled, Hashem regretted
The Targumim translate these verses not in literal way37 (see the Mechaber’s examples)
have to stay away from hagshama – Rav Saadya elaborated on this point in Emunos
hagshama in seforim occurs because of dechak – we have to say something, but we can describe the spiritual reality the way that it really is
Neviim explained many concepts derech hagshama so that the masses would understand
inyanim ruchaniim dakim are mentioned derech remez – this is true for sechar/onesh of Olam haBoh and chochma hatzefunah of chh”l
Mechaber brings pesukim that show that Hashem has no body38
etzem kevod Hashem has no demus utmunah bemachshevoteinu – we can only understand “shemo umetziuso”
we can understand everything through one of three ways: we can experience it through our senses, we can understand something through our intellect, we can hear it from another source
middos of Hashem that we can speak about are “simanei maasav bebriosav, vehachochma vehayacholes hanir’os bemaasav”39
have to search for Hashem not in terms of His etzem but in terms of His maasim
ki Hu karov mikol karov mitzad peulasav, verachok mikol rachok mitzad demus etzem kevodo vehimashlo
a wise man said “ana emtzaeko, ana lo emtzaeka; nistarta velo tiroeh, vehakol Mimcha maleh”
just like the seichel/ nefesh are invisible and can’t be understood as , k”v Hashem
Mechaber brings Chazals that talk about issur and danger to be doresh what is beyond a person
human senses are limited – since Hashem is beyond our senses, we can grasp Him
if we try to grasp what is beyond our seichel, that is like looking directly at the sun which causes blindness / if a person uses then sun wisely, he can gain a lot by it
all physical descriptions of Hashem are “derech haavarot umelitzot”
talks about what is mafsid yichud Hashem – one factor is when always trying to please people, another one is taavah (lo yih’eh becho el zar) – both of these are shituf of sorts40
INTRODUCTION
in the previous shaar we talked about the existence of Hashem [and the nature of that existence: yichud, atzmus vs. middos, ect.]
now we will shift toward our obligation towards Hashem – to develop this yesod, we will talk about goodness that Hashem bestows upon us
people don’t see chasdei Hashem for one of three reasons:
first: they are so involved in fulfilling their personal taavos, that they only see what they don’t have – thus they are not grateful
second: they take the goodness that they receive for granted as if they are entitled to it
moshol of a baby that receives chesed and thus takes for granted, vs. adult who knows what it means not to have
third43: people focus on the yesurim of the world instead of the kindness – they don’t understand that even yesurim are there for their benefit – they are so focused on the fact that these actions are bad, that they don’t see the chesed in them
this is similar to a blind person who is brought to a doctors office, and since he doesn’t know what he is doing, he actually hurts himself on those things that are there to help him – they think that the person who has brought them there wanted to harm them44
seforim that are written with wisdom, endure forever, and their utility never ends
PEREK 1
we have to be misbonen besimanei chochmas haBoreh, veshaaram banefesh45
the wisdom of Hashem is one, but it manifest itself in different ways
moshol for this is sunlight that is one, but when put through a prism splits into many colors / water that is one but brings forth many different types of plants46
we have an obligation to see chochma of Hashem in nature
when we see the chochma that is able to produce so many kinds of creations, this indicates to us the absolute freedom of Hashem, because an ability to do a very limited kinds of activities indicates lack of free choice
this hishtanus shows Hashem’s achdus [T”L explains that the fact that so many different elements contain with them a common chochma, and that as time goes on, this paradigm doesn’t change, shows the achdus of Hashem47].
PEREK 2
the obligation to see Hashem’s wisdom in nature is obvious from logic, pesukim48, and Chazal49
from logic: man’s uniqueness from animal is his seichel – if he uses it, he is greater than beheima, but if he doesn’t, he is even lower than a beheima50
[How is this a proof that man must use his seichel to see chochmas Hashem? It seems to me that the following is the pshat. We said in 10th perek of Shaar haYichud that we can’t understand Hashem in Essence, but we can understand Hashem’s middos, namely the way that Hashem reveals Himself in this world. Our best kli to gather and assess information is our seichel. If we have an obligation to understand Hashem logically (as we have proved from Shaar haYichud) the most effective way to achieve this is through the medium where Hashem is most obvious (i.e. hisgalus chochmas Elokis batevah) and through the tool that is best for this study, our seichel. I need to examine this further]
PEREK 3
a person must understand the physical and the spiritual elements of this world
all of this physical world is a fusion of the physical and the spiritual like the body and the soul51
some types of understanding are clear, but some can only be appreaciated only after further study (like the utility of death52)
the greater understand of gadlus of Hashem the closer a person will become to avodas Hashem
after getting this hakarah, then live one’s life choosing gashmiyus only based on need and not extras that pull a person away from avodas Hashem – take from this world only those things that you can take with you53
moshol of the two brothers, where one worked other people’s land, spent the money, and barely worked on his land, while the other brother invested all the energy possible into his own land – when the winter came, the latter brother was set up while the former barely had anything
PEREK 4
see the wisdom of Hashem in makeup of man who is an olam hakatan54 - nimshal alav (to the world) beshorshav ubeyisodasav)
the wisdom of Hashem is seen on both large and small creatures
be amazed by the wisdom of the Torah that leads to hanaos of OH”Z and gmul of OH”B
the power of nature is like a servant listening to the orders of the master – nature has no power of its own and only follows the orders of Hashem55
PEREK 556
the closest thing to us shows best the Chochma of Hashem is the wisdom that is seen in man, who is the “sibah kerovah” why this world exists57
by understanding man we can understand the mysteries of this world because it is similar to man – “umibesari echeze Elokah – Iyov 19:26”
Hashem brought together very different elements to create man: ruchnius and gashmius
great chesed of the fact that a person has no understanding at birth and childhood because would become frustrated with one’s lack of ability as compared to other people
chesed of machalos coming to a person so that he will learn about the world and not be nimshach after taavah58 (T”L – so that person will not be boteach on the world, which would cause the taavos to rule over him59)
“kol atzmosai tomarna, Hashem mi kamocha” Tehillim 35:10
the great chesed of forgetting is that without it a person would always be depressed [even if always was happy, ones emotions would build up and totally overwhelm us]
great chesed of boshes which often is the only think that keeps us in line and has us good things – often in order to do evil, you have to shed boshes
lashon kolmos halev ushaliach hamatzpun
geder of person and his hashlama depends on speech because this is the main way that he differes from animals60
by seeing the great creations of Hashem, we should appreciate His amazing koach to create
everything in the world is positive for man – even darkness is positive
without darkness (namely day-night cycle) a person couldn’t rest, there would be no concept of time, thus no Shabatos and moadim, and we wouldn’t be able to gain knowledge that is dependent on time (process)61
sod hatenuah, amitasa veruchniyosa – a philosopher said that most of nature depends on motion – it can’t be perceived directly but can see how it manifests itself in nature
all motion is connected to ratzon Hashem, except for those elements that are created by sechar veonesh [I think what this means is that ratzon Hashem controls the laws of motion which determines all rules for nature – but we still have an element of bechira that on a certain level, allows to overcome purely deterministic laws – T”L writes that everything depends on ratzon Hashem except the area of mitzvos/aveiros]
when deciding whether something is positive or negative, don’t look at the manifestation itself, rather what’s the end – moshol of a person who got dirtied by an animal, got up to clean himself, and avoided the collapsing wall that almost killed him62
a chacham is meshubach when he can take the lowest of sibbos and create great products – Hashem has this ability
miracle of Jews surviving in golus – we actually have more hatzlacha than the goyim around us
amazing phenomenon for people to form social contracts
PEREK 6
things that take away from bechina
gaavah – a person thinks that things should be coming to him
a person must:
understand the goodness that Hashem bestows upon him
based on this goodness, accept avodas Hashem [see this nekudah developed later in the seifer, especially in chapter of Avodas Elokim]
a person should see a new siman of Hashem’s chochmo every single day63
moshol of a naar in a (prison) cave to which a shaliach of the king comes and provides the naar with everything that the naar needs – the naar was meshabeach the king for the chesed that the melech does in the pit and the shaliach told the naar that this chesed and this hashgocho doesn’t even compare to the tremendous chesed and hashgocho of the king outside of the cave – the cave is just a tiny little piece of the kingdom – from this information, the naar respected, loved, and was in awe of the king even more
INTRODUCTION
- important yisod – anyone who does goodness for us, we are obligated to thank him [this is why this shaar is placed aftare shaar habechina]64
- Chovos discusses a number of relationships of people who are maitiv (father, master, baal tezedokoh) – points out that in the end of the day, there is an underlining intention for one’s own benefit (a rich man wants to remove from himself the guilt) – “ki kavanas kol meitiv lezulaso mibnei odom hi letoeles atzmo techila”
- Hashem on the other hand, only does for our own good although He doesn’t need us – therefore k”v we need to be greatful to Him
- the difficulties/weaknesses that a person has which make him struggle is a chesed from Hashem “kdie sheyakir es atzmo, vayivchon bekol inyanav, vayidbak beavodas haKel al kol panim [concept of chesed of having an opportunity to earn sechar]
PEREK 1
- the fact that a person is obligated in avodas Hashem can be figured out through logic (sechel vehakarah)
- but until a person strengthens his seichel enough, he must rely on emunah and tradition
- therefore there are two elements that lead us to avodas Hashem:
hearah hasichlis (h”s) - logic – takuah baseichel
hearah hatoriayah (h”t) - depending on tradition – Torah – teaches us
how to do avodas Hashem
PEREK 2
- there are three advantages of h”t over h”s and in these cases we need h”t to help us out65:
we start out with experiences that are gashmi (first years of life) – the seichel is years behind taavos – taava is stronger than other middos – he doesn’t have enough tools internally to deal with the taavah – he needs something external to deal with the yetzer
this world is primarily gashmi – few things will help out the seichel – mitzvos tackle a lot of issues that have to do with taavos in order to bring them into check [eating, mishgal, etc.]
we use taavah often in this world and seichel not – by learning Torah, a person’s seichel will become more zach, and a person will be able push off the foolishness that rules him
a person must use the mitzvos shemiyos and sichliyos of the Torah in order to arrive to the true goal of mankind, namely to engage in avodah “miderech hareiyah hasichlis”
PEREK 3
require keniah to the One who is meitiv us – one keniah is a results of sechar veonesh and the other is a result of “mitzad hahearah hatekuah baseichel vehanotzeres betevah haadam behikasher nafsho im gufo”66
the advantages of h”s over h”t are sevenfold:
h”t may be motivated leshem Shomayim or for praise while h”s is always motivated lsh”sh [if h”s means just logic, hard to understand this point]
h”t is based on sechar veonesh while with h”s a person is acting out of nedivus and internal motivateion (he wants to do it) [chosid – mischased im Hashem]
h”t is seen only on the eivarim more than tzafun baleiv, while the opposite is true by h”s [from here see that chiluk can’t be only emunah peshutah vs. logic – sounds like the chiluk is simply doing because told vs. incorporating it into one’s schemas]
h”t is the preparation (avodas haadamah) for h”t and the seayatah deshemaya is like rain – both are there to cultivate h”s
mitzvos hatorah have a limited number but mitzvos haseichel there is an infinite number – every day be mechadesh a new obligation based on a higher understanding
h”s can only happen with tremendous sy”d while h”t can be accomplished within normal parameters (eina nimnaas mimvaksha)
h”t can still be nichshal but not in h”s because he’s broken the taavah (nefesh ina nifsheches eleha)
- advantages of h”t
extreme gashmius or extreme prishus are bad – Torah teaches you how to balance the two67
a person through his seichel can’t figure out the punishment for actions ot the gvulim of action (do chesed but when/where/how etc.)
Torah allows everyone, even not wise people to do the right thing
sometimes Hashem chooses a nation and gives it more and in turn that nation is obligated in extra avodah – this avodah can’t be figured out only by the seichel
h”t is the introduction to h”s – through it reach level of h”s and then reach “madreigas haneviim uvchirei Elyon Chasidim” – the reward of such a person is even in olh”z that he’ll have metikus in avodas Hashem and his reward on oh”b is that “lehagiah el Ohr Haelyon asher lo nuchal lesapro velo ledamoso”
the seichel can’t figure out shemiyos and “veklalim mishorshei hasichliyos” – the generation that got the Torah weakened because of “taavos habahemiyos” and thefore their seichel was weakened – thus they were instructed on both shemiyos and sichliyos
h”t is basic and can easily be understood by everyone – h”s is a tosefes – the more Hashem does for the person, the greater that person’s avodah must be – a person, as he gets more from Hashem, must add on to his avodas Hashem other elements of avodas Hashem68 – a person not fulfilling his individual obligation (based on individual chesed that Hashem gave him) will eventually not do even basic obligations)
PEREK 4
Torah devides human actions into 3 parts: tzvui, azhara, mutar
tzivui contains two components: ch”l and ch”e + ch”l69
azhara includes ch”l, and ch”e70
mutar includes dei sipuk, ribui, and kitzur
dei sipuk – basic human needs
ribui – beyond basic needs – it’s meguneh to engage in this because there is a possibility that a person will be nichshal in them – by engaging in them, a person will eventually come to do issurim as well71
miut – if for chasidus is good, if for OH”Z reasons, like being stingy, this is bad because he is chomes the body72
all action is devided in tzivui, azhara, and mutar – in reality, everything is tzivui and azhara because by taking what a person needs he is doing a mitzvah, and by taking too much, he is commiting an aveira (because it brings a person to doing issurim)
all actions have to be measure with this mishkal
Mechaber lists various different levels of understanding Torah (see there)
ideas that people have concerning the Torah:
1st – it’s like other mihagim of other nations73 - only people who are overcome by taavah and want hefker can think like this74
2nd – Torah doesn’t contain absolute truth – M”R gave it for utilitarian reasons for welfare of individuals and society (see the answer that Mechaber gives)
3rd – don’t believe on gmul of OH”B – Rav Saadya has already dealt with this issue75 – Mechaber brings pesukim that are meramez that there is OH”B
5th – were mekabel avodas Hashem but they also want to benefit from it from other people – this is shituf nistar
10th – a person understands the gmul of both worlds, realizes the obligations that he has in terms of being grateful to Hashem, but then his motivation is “lishmo, legadel uleromem bekosef ubalevav shalem”76 – this is the level of Chasidim and Neviim (Mechaber lists a few other qualities)
Mechaber says that he couldn’t have possibly listed all the levels – a person has to see between which two levels he is, and thus know what he has to work toward77
PEREK 5
hearah sichlis = hazkaras78 es haadam beamtzaus sichlo ladaas oso ulehakir simanei kevodo
this can be achieved by a person who:
uses Torah as his guide
desires lehagiah leratzon haKel velelaalos bemaalas Chasidim (namely, desire to fulfill ratzon Hashem)79
and remove from himself all the worries of the world
here the Mechaber brings the dialogue between the seichel and nefesh80
seichel stresses the importance of being honest with oneself whether truly want to change – without this desire, no change can take place
there are many bad middos, but the shoresh of them all are two: love of physical pleasures and desire for honor
nefesh says that it knows that it should get rid of bad middos, but it can’t because it is murgal in them – seichel answers that sometimes have to give up limb to save body – don’t focus on what is lost but what is gained
one physical benefit of avodas Hashem is shalva and freedom from gloominess of the world
all of actions have to be directed towards avodas Hashem
PEREK 6
the level of obligation of avodas Hashem is proportional to the amount of goodness that Hashem has bestowed on that person (or that group) – Mechaber gives various examples of this
when Chasidim harishonim would get a tovah from Hashem, they would be afraid that either they would not fulfill the obligations that goodness would require of them, or that this tovah is at the expense of tovah in OH”B
whatever is roui for the person to get, he will inevitably get
PEREK 7
Mechaber lists the very minimal avodah that a person must do when receives tovos from Hashem: can’t use it against Hashem, not forget that it came from Hashem, ect.
PEREK 881
the neshama is bothered greatly by the problem of gzeira (everything is decided by Hashem) vs. the concept of bechira82 - obviously sechar veonesh requires bechira
seichel writes that we see that sometimes we are control of our actions and sometimes we are not, and the latter reminds us about the power of Hashem
there are three approaches to this issue
1st approach – a person has absolute free choice when it comes to his actions83
2nd approach – we have no free choice, but somehow sechar veonesh is still fair (although we don’t understand how)
3rd approach (the most correct) – some of our actions are within our control but some are not84
this last position is dangerous because a person may come to do aveiros and excuse himself with the argument that he had no free choice – therefore a person’s working assumption should be that when it comes to his actions, he has free choice
we don’t understand how the 3rd approach works
Mechaber has a short discussion that the fact that Hashem was not megaleh something to us, therefore there is no toeless for us in knowing it85
moshol of the sun – the benefit lies davka when there is a mask, because by looking at the sun directly is dangerous – the more sensitive the eyes, the thicker the mask
PEREK 9
moshol of a city that makes a person king for a year and then kicks him out without reward – the wisdom is not to hoard within the country, but to invest in another country – a person must invest in ruchnius because gashmius is fleeting86
the world was created to help the person
a person’s makeup is similar to the world “beshorshav, vetoldosav, utechunaso”87
gashmius is there only to be used as a means to an end (“k’shilya min havelad vekeklipas habeitza min haefroach”)88
always consult the seichel before doing something – seichel is like a rofeh who is able to use even poisonous elements for medicine – seichel knows how to use bad middos to achieve good
PEREK 10
seichel gives examples how even bad middos (like pride and hatred) can be used for the best89
INTRODUCTION
bitachon benefits both spiritual and physical life of person
benefit for spiritual life include:
if a person doesn’t place his bitachon in Hashem he will put it in someone else, Hashem’s removes his hashgocho from himself and puts it in hands of whom the person is boteach in91
if a person relies on his own strength and wisdom, he will toil without success and will lose koach
bitachon determines how a person relates to other people – he will not be machnif them, not place hope in them92
Chovos discusses the advantages of a boteach over an alchemist (I will list just a few here – the basic point is that a boteach baHashem is truly provided for, but an alchemist lives with many uncertainties):
his needs are there for him and are coming regardless the situation that he is in93
protected from everything bad - even when bad things come they are there to provide kaparah or an ability to gain greater sechar
he doesn’t have to travel around the world – he can find everything that he needs where he is94 – in whatever situation he can do avodas Hashem – if he is rich he’ll give tzadakah and if he is poor, he’ll take advantage of the fact that he isn’t burdened by obligations and will do avodas Hashem
- a boteach will see his money only as a pikadon given to him to be used only for a particular reason – if he has money, he must used it for av”H and if he loses it, he should accept this
- benefit of bitachon in terms of the physical life is “menuchas haleiv min hadaagos haolamiyos, vahashlva menidnud hanefesh vetzaara lechisron taavoseha hagufiyos, vehu behashket ubebitcha uveshlva beolam hazeh”
regardless what difficulties a boteach will face, he will trust that Hashem knows what he needs, and loves him like a mother to provide for him
PEREK 1
“mahus habitachon hi menuchas hanefesh haboteach”95
7 criteria for someone to have that we should be boteach in them:
1st – have rachamim and ahava
2nd – must have careful hashgacha
3rd – hace strength
4th – know what’s beneficial for us
5th – seen one from the beginning to truly understand the need
6th – have ability to help this individual
7th – do chesed regardless on actions of the recipient
only Hashem possesses all of these qualities
when “yisborer zeh leadam vatischazek hakaroso”, then: will trust Hashem, not challenge His din, and not get upset for what Hashem has brought upon a person96
PEREK 3
Mechaber go through the above traits of what’s necessary to trust in someone and shows why they are davka shayach only to Hashem
2nd – Hashem knows what’s best for man – the maker of the system knows it better than anyone else
humans can change tzura mikris, but they can’t change tzura atzmis
5th – no one can help or hurt himself without the desire of Hashem
no one can help or hurt another person without Hashem wanting it to be so97
7th – here the mechaber develops a yesod in hashgacha – everything is predetermined except those elements that are dependent on free choice that have to do with avodas Hashem – concept of Hashem bringing about various causes and effects in order to guide the creation where He wants it to go [see T”L for an example of this concept]
nature by itself doesn’t have the koach within it to do everything by itself – has to be driven by Hashem – a grain by itself shouldn’t be able to produce many other grains [I need to explain this issue further]
Mechaber says that the previous points (namely, that Hashem possesses all the reasons for us to put our trust in Him) serves as the first introduction to avodas Hashem – now the Mechaber lists other hakdamos
2nd hakdamah – Hashem knows our hearts, and there is no purpose of saying that we trust in Hashem when we really don’t98
3rd hakdama – should trust no one with Hashem – criticism of Basa for trusting doctors99
4th hakdama – have to fulfill Hashem’s will, because without that it doesn’t make sense to trust in Hashem
5th hakdama – everything comes from Hashe, either as direct or indirect cause – every step of a process that is needed to secure human necessities is controlled by Hashem
why does Hashem put man into situation that he has to work so hard? – firstly Hashem wants to test man whether in difficult situations he will keep the Torah, and secondly in order to keep him busy so that he won’t turn to aveiros
thirdly, hard work makes a person too busy to contemplate such things as how Hashem created the world or how the world will come to an end (ideas that a person should not be contemplating)
if a person will use his gashmius only to serve Hashem, the two reasons given above that necessitate hard work are no longer relevant, and a person can get easy parnasa
Mechaber now lists reasons why sometime tzaddikim suffer and reshoim prosper
Chovos says that we find Neviim raise this question, but they don’t answer it because reasons for this phenomenon vary
the reasons may include: tikun for a previous sin, provide reward in OH”B, not zealous enough in tochacha of others (like Eli haNavi), sometimes material goods have to be given to others, at times the gashmius is actually bad for the person, sometimes things happen to us because of other people, test people whether they will see success of reshoim and turn towards them
a person should find an accupations that physically and emotionally suits him – have to follow one’s netiyos
choose a profession and take the good and the bad that it entails, and trust that it’s Hashem who is providing one’s sustenance
a person has a mitzvah to “lit’asek basibos haolam, keavodas haadam vecharishata uzriata, kno shekatuv “Vayikach…es hadam vehanicheihu leGan Eden leovda uleshamra” – Mechaber gives other example of the mitzvah to build up the world (ubinyan hamedinos) and other constructive activities in the world
should try to be successful in this endeavor, and if he isn’t, trust in Hashem
don’t think that his sustenance comes from other source than Hashem
PEREK 4
bitachon includes bitachon in the area of olam hazeh and oh”b
nothing can happen in this world without ratzon Hashem wanting it – no creation can do anything without Hashem’s rshus and gzeira
although everything is up to Hashem, a person must still put in his effort (lehisgalgel lesibbos) and not just rely on Hashem
a person who puts himself in danger while trusting Hashem may die – granted his death is because Hashem was gozer on it to happen, but the person is responsible for his bechira100
lo tirtzach includes killing oneself
see that Shmuel was afraid of danger even though it was on a mission on which Hashem sent him – we don’t see him criticized
a person must put in his effort but he must remember that ki hasibos ein moilos oso bazeh klum ela bigzeiras Hashem
the comparison is working the land, but without rain of course there will be nothing
baalei melocho are metzuvim to make a living
one chasid says that he is amazed that a person gets everything from Hashem and then insists that other are grateful to him when he gives them something / amazed that people are nichna to those who give them something
a person has to put in effort to heal himself through natural means
a person should work to earn basics – if Hashem gives him extra this is ok, but shouldn’t put too much effort into earning extras – if Hashem doesn’t want person to get something, it’s impossible for a person to get it
when person doesn’t get food on time have to believe that in the right time, Hashem will provide the person with what he needs
benefits of being without family and friends vs. benefits of having them – have to be thankful whatever situation the person is in
whatever the person has will come to him one way or the other – still have to be thankful to people who do you a tovah (although it’s nigzar that you will get it) because Hashem is megalgel zchus al yadei zakai
if someone tries to hurt you, sovel cherpasam, and believe that ultimately only Hashem decides who will get hurt101
maaseh mitzvah and aveira contain 3 elements: bechira (calculation), deciding to do it, carrying it out
the first two are completely up to the person, but the 3rd is controlled by Hashem – even if a person isn’t able to accomplish an action, he gets sechar habechira – but sechar is the greatest when the action is accomplished
although when it comes to knowing what to do in ways of the world we don’t always know the right path, when it comes to avodas Hashem, the Torah gives us explicit guidance
a person must have bitachon that Hashem will help him fulfill the mitzvah
Mechaber lists limud chochmo and zehirus min harah as chovos haeivarim
when a person does a chesed to someone, he must hide it as much as possible because that way schar is greatest – if he can’t hide it, he shouldn’t focus on the kavod – have to remember that true schar/hefsed come from Hashem
sechar of OH”B isn’t mentioned in the Torah explicitly for a number of reasons
1st, it’s a spiritual world, and most people can’t relate to it and thus it’s not a motivating force – as a person matures, he begins to understand the benefit of ruchnius, and gashmius becomes less important, then OH”B becomes a motivation
gmul of OH”B can’t be reached just with good actions – a person must have taught people to do good
2nd reason why Torah doesn’t explicitly talk about OH”B – Mechaber develops a yesod that chovos haeivorim are rewarded in OH”Z and ch”l are rewarde in OH”Z and OH”B – since hamon am are focused basically on ch”e, this is the focus of sechar of the Torah
all reward that a person gets is based on chesed, but all punishment is based on din
simanei anshei maalah = hasevel b’es hanisayon vehatzara
PEREK 5
a person who is boteach is happy with the din of Hashem (regardless what it is)102
a boteach is calm because he knows that Hashem is guiding him in this and the next world
a boteach doesn’t put trust in sibbos
a boteach doesn’t view money as his own – whatever is left after his basic needs are met, he uses for avodas Hashem
a boteach uses all of the physical world to prepare “tzeida leachriso” – anything from the sibbos that contradict this, he doesn’t engage in
a boteach isn’t worried about the future – Mas’ Sanhedrin 100B quotes Ben Sira who says “nimtza mitztaer al olam sheeino shelo”
PEREK 6
answers to a person who wants to first establish himself in gashmius and only then engage in avodas Hashem – see this perek
PEREK 7
mafsidei bitachon
a person doesn’t understand chesed of Hashem and His hashgacha103
a person doesn’t understand the mitzvah of bitachon104
a person putting too muchstock in the power of sibbot105
a person has to understand that sometimes davka the closest sibbot to the person are the least able to help him – a king commands someone to be whipped – the command is given to minister, to officer, to the punisher, to the actual kli – the kli is the most direct sibba, but it is the least able to help the person – the king, who is the furthest sibba is the most able to help the person106
at birth, a person has bitachon in breast of mother – slowly his bitachon matures
SHAAR 5 – YICHUD HAMAASEH
INTRODUCTION
this shaar is brought after bitachon because it guides to “zakus hamatzpunim ubor halevavos…hatzala meminei yifui hamevi el hachonef”107
PEREK 1
definition – benir’eh ubenistar to do only to do lishmo, (namely) to fulfill His ratzon and not desire of other people
PEREK 2
10 elements required to reach yichud maaseh – they include yichud, bechina, acceptance of avodas Elokim, and bitachon108
PEREK 3
ch”e may have chonef, but ch”l don’t have chonef (because no one can see them)109
PEREK 4
mafsidei yichud maaseh
one is not knowing Hashem – if don’t know Hashem then serve others whom think that control one’s destiny
yetzer attacks a person in two ways: makes him doubt that which is true, and tries to convince him that doing maaseh Elokim is not obligatory and the person should instead engage in this world110
the greatest enemy is the yetzer – he lives within the person and is privy to all of the most pnimi elements of the person
he will attempt to confuse that which is clear to the person – seichel must be used to find the yetzer113
the war with yetzer is continous – won the small war now fight the big war
the ikkar goal of yetzer is leames es hasheker
Koheles on ir ketana – person is nimshal to a city because he is an olam katan
meat min haemmes yenatzach harbeh min hasheker, kaasher ham’at min haohr doche harbeh min hachoshech114
yetzer can’t defeat a clear seichel
argument: there is nothing but OH”Z thus be involved davka in it [“one life to live” philosophy] – we’ve addressed this earlier (a”e)
argument: the world is eternal, thus there is no creator, thus there is no chiyuv avodah – a”e
**115 - Shabbos is given to us to fight this deah
argument: Hashem doesn’t need our avodah, thus do avodah for personal needs [I am not sure how we have answered this question – Mechaber sends us back to Shaar haBechina, but there we simply developed the yesod that we are obligated to repay a kindness done for us, but we seemingly didn’t address the question how exactly we are repaying Hashem when He doesn’t need anything116 – tzi”g]
argument: challenge nevuah and divine nature of mitzvos117 - (a”e)
argument: challenge tshb”p and accept only what is bichtav and what is logical – answer that see that without tshb”p can’t figure out parameters (time, amount, ect.) of the mitzvos
argument: there is no justice in the world – (a”e)
argument: no OH”B – (a”e and Mechaber brings a few more mekoros)
argument: do what is pleasurable in this world (whether sensual pleasure or kavod) – engage only in those chochmos that bring a person kavod
** study nichush – Mechaber explains that the danger of nichush is that a person loses bitachon in Hashem (because he thinks that someone else holds some of the reigns)
Gidon was allowed to be menachesh because his emunah was weak and Hashem let him, thus (since there was permission of Hashem), this is not considered nichush
Yonatan ben Shaul was also not menachesh but rather he prayed for hatzlacha for himself and the Jewish people
chishuv tekufos and mazelos is not kishuf because you are not trying to find out the future, but rather to understand the working of the star to prove that Hashem exists because of the great order of the cosmos, but not to gain some information and act based on it118 **
make sure to answer the arguments of the yetzer (al tishtok shelo techoshev evil uksil119) – those populat chochmos require a lot of work and their benefit is limited
if the yetzer beats the person, it will rule over a person and will control the person’s thinking – will control what the person sees as sheker and emmes
Torah is compared to fire because it provides the light for the person’s eyes (teaches the person to see clearly)
don’t leave the path of the forefathers for one’s own intellect – whatever you thought, they have already thought already – you may think that something is a great idea, but they have already thought of it and had rejected it120
a person can take upon himself tosefes avodah that the previous generations didn’t take upon themselves – but a tosefes can come about only when the chova has already been paid121
have to know the false derachim in order not to be nichshal in them (have to know the false arguments of the yetzer so that can counter them)122
have to first leave rah and onlyh then engage in tov – otherwise the rah will be mekalkel the tov123
by studying the darkei hayetzer, there may be a danger that a person may stumble (because he will now know taanos hayetzer), but for this we say ki yesharim darchei Hashem, vetzadikim yelchu bam vereshoim…124
argument: do avodah to please people because they can help and hurt you and because of the value of kol sheruach brioyos – the answer is that people can’t really help or hurt me without Hashem / secondly, have to be noach beeinei habriyos davka when doing ratzon Hashem – doing ratzon Hashem is what makes people love the person [This seems difficult in the wording of Chazal. It sounds like that there is some special inyan of to be noach beeinei habrios that a person has to put effort into doing. Why not answer that a person has to be noach in the eyes of the brios davka when that doesn’t contradict the ben adam leMakom?]
if people like the person it’s a siman that Hashem likes this person, because Hashem doesn’t do this to those whom he hates [I don’t understand this at all. Later, the Mechaber will talk about that physical plenty (does that include kavod?) depends only on ratzon Hashem, and he gives it out to whom He wishes, and sometimes even to evil people.]
but a chasid shouldn’t be toreach to get kavod from people
argument: show off one’s actions so people can learn from them – answer is how great are my action anyway, and it may be that when people will see me, they will see the chonef in my avodah
Mechaber criticizes chazanus shelo lishmo
fear that kavod that will get in this world will detract from OH”B – story of chasid who overheard that someone wanted to give him a discount because of his Torah – chasid responded “lo baati liknos ki im bemamoni velo beTorosi”, and went elsewhere to buy an object
chasidim’s actions are only leShem Hashem
“Hu meitiv lemi sheyirtze meanshei avodaso vezulasam maaminim vekofrim kefi mechayeves chochmaso Yisborach”
kavod is useless because most of it (if any) will not last for a long time
a chasid asked his friend whether shevach and gnus is the same in his eyes – the friend answered no – the chasid responded that the friend has not reached the proper madreiga125
this lishmo madreiga is the highest madreiga
tactic of yetzer: tries to be mebalbel the person during times of avodah either with thoughts of worldly persuits, logical games, or other areas of avodah (that not engaged in currently) – even in the latter case, come out not doing anything well – this destroys davening because davening becomes mindless126
the answer to this tactic is to realize that Hashem is watching my thoughts, and how can I ask Hashem for something, and at the same time think about something else
argument: hide all your tzidkus and knowledge – teach no one – pretend to be like others by joining them in their endeavors – answer that jump from a little fire into a big one – one must do the proper actions and not care whether someone notices
have to examine one’s actions: if would have done the maaseh and would have done in this way, then do it – if see that would have done differently was there no kavod, then don’t engage in maaseh127
argument: need good gashmius in order to have simcha and thus do avodah properly128 – answer is that if a person begins to love gashmius, he will be involved in shituf of worshiping Hashem and another persuit – may come to a situation that his avodah will be based davka on tovos, and he will not do avodah without them
argument: a person doesn’t have free choice to accomplish this / but when it comes to working for gashmius, then yetzer will say that should be marbeh in hishtadlus because person can accomplish a lot through hishtadlus129 - the answer is to recognize this stirah in words of the yetzer – develop attitude of histadlus in avodah and bitachon in gashmius
argument: don’t rush to do avodah and do gashmius first – the answer is that a person never knows when he will die130
argument: you are so great therefore you have to put down people who have chisronos – answer131 is that a person doesn’t really know the pnimius of a person – even if there is a pgam, maybe he has an excuse but I don’t, because everyone is judged based on their chochma [their ability to do better] – the pnimi pegam is worse than the chitzoni pgam132
by focusing on chisronos of others, a person won’t see his own chisronos
[p. 302 – see my heoros on the paragraph]
argument: show the detriment of doing avodah (like getting up early and fasting) – see that this detriment is exaggerated133
the yetzer will be mechavev the aveira and make a person forget the onesh of it – have to see that the pleasure of issur and heter equally will pass without trace134, but cherpas meguneh of aveira will stay
yetzer will try to make a person jealous of other’s learning and maasim, and the person will attack them in all ways possible
PEREK 6
have to be careful to examine one’s machshovos, raayonos, sarapei libecho [Chovos explain what these elements mean. I am assuming that “machshovos” mean individual thoughts, “raayonos” means ideas (collection of thoughts on a subject), and “sarapei libecho” means ratzon (seemingly the definition of “lev” in the Rishonim135)]
goal is to be “menukeh min haziyuf vezach min habilbul”
it’s better to have a little zach than a lot that is not – the latter has no toeles
INTRODUCTION
bring this here because gaavah is the cause that is most detrimental for yichud hamaaseh
kniah is the midah that allows the person to leave gaavah137
PEREK 1
kniah is: shiflus hanefesh, shachusa, miut erka etzla [the latter is clear – “shachusa” T”L explains as “kfifus” – unclear what is shachus – see L”T]
kniah is a middas hanefesh and it expresses itself in actions138
PEREK 2
3 parts of kniah
1st - bad kniah - its definition is a lowly feeling caused by an ability to remove the nezek and not doing so – kniah must start with “romemus hanefesh vehisnas’ah mehishtatef im beheimos bemidosan hamegunos”139
2nd – be nichna to a person either imposed or self imposed – not shayach to all people in all times (depends if an eved, if a talmid)
3rd – kniah to Hashem – applicable to all people at all times – this is the kniah that we will talk about in this perek
“umi shealsa beyado, ein rechoka mimenu derech kirvas Elokim velaamod lefnav”140
PEREK 3
Mechaber brings 10 different reasons how a person comes to either kniah to people or Hashem – some involve personal suffering, and some more lofty than this – see there
PEREK 4
7 areas in which a person should practice his anavah
3rd – when people praise you, have to take that in the context of the many aveiros that did – Hashem hid those aveiros and has been patient with the person in order to allow that person to do tshuvah141 – remember that Hashem knows the truth even if people have been fooled
4th – if people are megaleh some of his aveiros, be grateful to Hashem that Hashem was megaleh only a little, and even that is done in order to bring person back to Hashem [awaken him to do teshuvah]
money is given to a person in three contexts: to help a person do avodah, to test a person, to push a person even deeper into aveiros [see the simanim that the Mechaber gives to identify each context]
6th – when read Torah and Neviim, see one’ chisronos142
7th – focus not on what you did, but what you were chayav to do143
PEREK 5
constantly focusing on 7 ideas and this will lead a person to anavah144
2nd – a person is ultimately absolutely helpless in this world – he is vulnerable to many dangers
4th – remember what he owes Hashem for all the tovos that he has received
have to make anavah “tevah davek”
anavah protects person from chet and michshol145
PEREK 6
what minhagim a baal kniah should engage in146
3rd – simcha beyesurim147
4th – bein dan people lekaf zchus148 - the story about the chacham praising the white teeth of a neveila
5th – something amazing is being said but I didn’t understand what it is – gal einai
6th – always strive for more in ruchnius149
7th – always downplay one’s accomplishments, and daven to Hashem for help in one’s avodah150
give all the kavod to Hashem, and leave all gedulah when doing for Hashem
kohen had to take out the deshen to teach him kniah
8th – be satisfied with whatever gashmius that I have
9th – be nokem to those who attack Torah or Neviim – don’t be nichna to those who appress others, rather save the oppressed from them151
10th – Mechaber lists a number of actions that are require from nichna152
PEREK 7
simanim through which kniah is recognized153
1st – when someone is mevazeh him, he doesn’t get angry154
3rd – when praise, say that don’t know the aveiros that have155
concept that when a person is mevazeh another, the mevazeh gives some of his zechuyos the the mevuzeh, and the mevuzeh gives some of his aveiros to the mevazeh156
4th – despite wisdom, wealth, power and other factors that often lead people to gaavah, the person remains humble
PEREK 8
question whether kniah is semucha to other middos or vice versa[T”L explains “semucha” as “tfeila” while L”T explains it as what should come first chronologically157]
avodas Elokim requires shedding the middah of adnus
the terms adon and eved are terms that depend one on another – can’t have one without the other – avodas Elokim comes about only when a person accepts avodas heaved, and this requires shedding of gaavah158
“hagedulah maateh (garment) haBoreh, umi sherotze lehikanes alav bemaateihu yehdofenu”
kniah is a “rosh vetchila” to all middos tovos159
PEREK 9
can kniah and gaavah coexist ?
there are two types of gaavah: in divrei olam and in maalos ruchanios
the gaavah in divrei olam can’t coexist with kniah because when a person becomes this kind of baal gaavah, he wants to deny who (Who) is the shoresh of the tovah160
Gaavah in maalos haruchniod can be bad and good
bad gaavah is when a person thinks that he is shalem and doesn’t have to grow anymore
good gaavah is when it leads a person to want more growth161
“ekev anava yir’as Hashem” (Mishlei 22:4)162
PEREK 10163
toels of kniah in OH”Z and OH”B
1st – someach bechelko whatever happens while a person who doesn’t have kniah suffers because he always wants more and more and never has enough
2nd – when bad things happens, he is not overwhelmed – the opposite is true when don’t have the trait164
3rd – people like a baal kniah more – story of a chacham who became the adon of the whole dor how he achieved his prominence – he said that he found in every person a trait in which the person was (or could have been) greater than he (the chacham) was165 - the chacham was mechabed everyone
see inside the sefersome heoros that I made about mitzvah of Torah, tfilin est.
4th – a person who has kniah is karov to acquire chochma because he will go to chachomim – if don’t have kniah won’t go tochachamim166
5th – rush to do every mitzvah, and not mezalzel in anything
see p. 337 what I underlined there
a person must daven to Hshem for success in his avodah – see this in tefilah “Elokai netzor sfasai merah”167
a person must rush to get the trufah of kniah – moshol of person who is turning blind not taking the medicine because he claim that he is willing to share the fate of the other blind people
INTRODUCTION
kniah is the root of teshuvah and its beginning168 (see Shaar HaKniah which preceeds this shaar)
teshuvah is necessary because a person is bound to get off the derech hayashara at some point – many things change in a person’s life – his mood, expectations, middos
also, there is rah within the person, and that rah is likely to succeed in pushing the person off the derech
we need teshuvah because there are (almost) no person that can avoid all aveiros – there are two types of tzadikim: those who did aveiros and then did teshuvah, and those who didn’t do aveiros – the latter are very rare
“mahus hateshuvah” is:
takanas hoodom leavodas Hashem achar yetzioso mimenah vechet’o bo (get back on proper path)
hashovas ma sheovad mimeno (fix the damage)169
reasons for doing aveiros include:
foolishness/lack of understanding in avodas Hashem (what to do)
not realizing what one’s chiyuvim are to Hashem (the fact that have to do it)
bad company
a person must work hard to stop doing aveiros and do the opposite – like in medicine, if lacking a certain vitamin, have to compinsate by taking more vitamins and if have too much of something, have to take less then usual – all this until return to normal – afterward, can consume normal amounts170
three types of baalei teshuvah:
feels bad but when the aveirah comes he is nichshal – hasn’t truly changed himself – not his inner self (libo)171
feels bad, sometimes does the right thing and sometimes the wrong thing – his yetzer constantly wants to push him off the derech – he always has to struggle
completed all of the stepsteps for teshuvah – his sechel has overcome his taavoh – constant cheshbon – has been meishiv al libo greatness/consequence of aveiros – always being mischaret for the aveiros that he did – this is the greatest level172
motivations for teshuvoh:
to know clearly what you did/didn’t do that was wrong173
to clearly understand how bad these actions were
to know the punishment that one deserves
all actions are recorded
understand that teshuvoh is the only way out – not to ever give up hope of possibility of teshuvoh (see later)
understanding that we have repaid evil to Hashem’s goodness / what did we gain by it?174
clear decision to change one’s actions and inner self175
4 parts of teshuvoh:
charoto
azivas hacheit
vidui/bakashas mechilo
kabolo leosid – not just in action but in one’s heart not to go back to these things
charoto shows that you understand the wickedness of one’s actions
to expand the above four elements and break them down to their parts:
A. Charoto
fear of punishment
shviras libo concerning the consequences of the aveiro
change one’s actions and clothing
crying/mourning
“yochiach nafsho v’yachlimeno bematzpunoh”
B. Azivo:
leave evil
leave those things that aren’t prohibited but lead to those things that are prohibited176
fear of punishment
boshes before Hashem
remove all desire for the aveirah177
C. Bakashas mechilo
vidui with the understanding of your lowliness and Hashem’s greatness
remember the aveiros always
taanis and tefiloh
always ask for mechilo
be mekarev others to avodas Hashem
D. Kabbolo
calculate gains and losses of mitzvos
fear death because of not yet completing one’s task
ingratitude for chasdei Hashem – although we may say that we are grateful, with our actions we display our ingratitude – it’s as if we say that we don’t care
do teshuvah for whatever you can – fix whatever you can – return the stolen objects ect.
appreciate gadlus haBoreh
factors that cause a person to awaken with teshuvoh
when a person contemplates all of the goodness that Hashem has done with us, this leads to asking of mechilo
paying attention to rebuke, whether it’s via a human rebuker or through seeing other people suffer or suffering yourself
in every generation and every place there is such a rebuker – just have to find him – quotes Kedushin 72B that shows that as one leadership goes down, the other one comes up
the real matzliach is the person who does teshuvoh when things are still good and he does so because he realizes gadlus Hashem
this perek discusses what prevents teshuvoh
commitment to doing an aveiro, which means doing it consistently and not quickly leaving it
this hasmodoh in doing the aveiro indicates a bizayon in dvar Hashem
even a small hasmodoh in aveiros eventually becomes a big hasmodoh
don’t look at the “smallness” of the aveiro but rather at the greatness of whom you are rebelling against
another mafsid is returning to doing the aveiro after doing teshuvoh178
another mafsid is when a person puts of teshuvoh for another day – party now but plans to do teshuvoh later
can’t plan for tomorrow – tomorrow may not happen179
a person must do a teshuvoh shleimoh – teshuvoh for all aveiros and not just for some of them – not just pieces – overall teshuvoh180
comparison between tzaddik and baal teshuvoh
If a person isn’t mekayem mitzvas aseh, if he does teshuvoh, then he can stand on the same level as a tzaddik
If a person transgresses a lav that doesn’t have kares/misas beis din, if he does teshuvoh, then he has an advantage over the tzaddik because he has aveiros to remind him of his shiflus – if he ever become proud, he can think about these aveiros
- some aveiros are better than mitzvos if the former lead to shiflus and the latter lead to gaavoh
If a person transgresses an aveiro for which he is chayav kares/misas beis din, now he has a disadvantage in comparison to the tzaddik because he has to go through yisurin and misa to get kaparah – thus a tzadik that never had committed this aveira has an advantage over a tzadik that has181
teshuvoh has to be concentrated in the area of transgression: if in chovos halevovos, then focus is there. If in action, focus on action – all this has to be done with the combination but also work that the change is done leshem shomayim182
it’s difficult to break habit and do teshuvoh because a person becomes davek to these actions – Mechaber gives a number of examples / especially difficult to do teshuvoh when it comes to ben adam lechavero (power of habit)
one of the greatest aveiros is pushing people away from Yiddishkeit
a branch of that is not being mochiach people183
[the tenth perek is a great chizuk perek which is worthwhile to read to get chizuk to do teshuvoh]
if a person does whatever he can in the tanaim of teshuvoh, despite the fact that teshuvoh is so difficult, Hashem will do His part to help out the person –He’ll arrange the circumstances for the tikkun to take place (set up that those that were hurt are repaid, ect.)184
the only reason why a person doesn’t come to teshuvah is because “roah matzpuno vetarmis libo” - but if a person truly wants to do teshuvoh, then the gates won’t be closed before him185
teshuvoh isn’t just lip-service but rather our actions – have to rush and do and not put off for later – “pri hakitzur – charata”186 – the Mechaber stresses the idea that it’s important not to put off teshuvah
importance of using one’s seichel in the process187
if a person wants to achive ratzon haBoreh, he should enter the narrow enterance (“pesach hatzar”188) that the other Chassidim used – the very difficult road
if a person angered even the official of the king, and certainly the king, he would run to make amends – certainly should do the same with Melech Malchei Hamelochim
we see death around us – life isn’t guaranteed – it can happen at any moment – we shouldn’t be confident in our future
a person shouldn’t push off (doche) his seichel and daas
how can we rebel against Hashem Who has given us guidance not to live in darkness, ignorance, and foolishness – He has given all the hadrocho that we need – we need to just follow through
moshol of a person trying to stop the river (so he could cross) by throwing all of his money into the river but that didn’t work – he then paid one coin to the boatman and got transported across – teshuvoh is a very wise investment – other possibilities are a waste of time and energy and don’t really bring you to your desired destination a person should be “nichna leemes v’al tivrach mimena”189
INTRODUCTION
this shaar appears here because one of the most important conditions for teshuvah is introspection
PEREK 1
definition of cheshbon hanefesh: “hishtadlus haadam beinyanei Toraso veolamo, beino uben sichlo, kdei sheyedah bazeh mah sheyesh lo uma sheyesh lo min hachovos”
[T”L – cheshbon how to navigate obligations of Torah and obligations that the world makes on the person, and see what obligations the person has already fulfilled, and what obligations that a person has yet to fulfill191.]
PEREK 2
the greater the hakarah of a person, the more profound the cheshbon has to be
a person should try to fulfill their obligations, “umah shelo yachol lehasigo bemaaseh, yasigeihu beyediah veyis’avehu…chayav letzafos leitos asher tasig yado”192
shouldn’t be mezalzel in cheshbon, lest be embarrassed when cheshbon hagadol comes
PEREK 3
4th point – gratitude for Torah that gives us hatzlacha in both worlds
5th – read the letter as carefully as he would read a letter from a king
6th – nothing in nature rebels against Hashem, so how can he193
9th – give one’s very best (seichel, other kochos, actions) to Hashem
3 parts of avodah: just chovos halevavos, ch”l + chovos eivarim, just ch”e “ein lalev bahem shum hachnasa, ela kavana leElokim betchilas hamaaseh”194
when engage in ch”l, must clear head from everything
when engage in a mitzvah that is both ch”l and ch”e, need to stop engaging in everything else related to both OH”Z and OH”B195
words of tefilah vs. pnimius tefilah – relationship of shell to fruit, and body and ruach196 - without pnimius, the tefilah is just a shell without fruit / dead body
if a person is davening and thinking about other matters, how could he pronounce the words “yihyu leratzon hegyon libi”?!?
p. 383 – crucial ideas about tefilah
“kavanaso batfilah eina ki im kalus hanefesh el Elokim, ukniasa lefanav im romemusa leBor’a…”
since machshava is so fleeting, and thus it’s hard to organize words for tefilah on one own [on the spot] Chazal made a set text for tefilah “mipnei shmachsheves hanefesh holeches achar hamaamar venimsheches el hadibbur”197
a person has to be mashveh the dibbur of tfilah and his pnimius
in mitza that is just ch”e, need to be makdim kavanas halev “kdei sheyehei shoresh maasehu lishmoa mitzvas haBoreh” to praise Him, and to fulfill the mitzvah properly
10th – know that Hashem sees the nistar as well – have to fix the nistar – when master this, Hashem will be in matzpun of the person always – “vayihyeh bamadreiga haelyona mimadreigos hachasidim, veyireh meein ayin, veyishma bli ozen, veyidaber bli lashon, veyargish bilti chushim, vayishaer bahem mibaladei hakasha [understand without using human logic]”
chose nothing but what Hashem loves
12th – the more kinyanim, the more taavah there is, like more logs increase the fire – “ki kol tikvaso shyagiah el tachlis, vein tachlis lo”198
should be happy with what one has199
13th – use all one’s kochos for Hashem – moshol of king who gives a servant land to work, if the servant works on part of the land and the other part uses for his own needs, then the king will extract from this servant the money for all the seeds that the land could have produced and didn’t200
don’t wait to pay your chovos, lest it becomes too difficult later
14th – [within the point the Mechaber says] “haketz, achi, min hasheina hazos; gol meal libecha es mesech yitzrecha asher nosach alecha, ad shehivdil bincha uben ohr sichlecha”
at first the yetzer is weak, but once it clings to you, it’s very difficult to shake it off201
16th – short time that the person is in this world
“mi shekadam maves lefanav – tiken es atzmo”
17th – bad company
benefits of hisbodedus – one of them is that now potur from mitzvah of tochecha
most aveiros are accomplished by a company of two people
“ki amud bor levav – ahavas habedidus ubechiras hayechidus”
benefit of company of chachomim
18th – what to think when feel on top of the world (because of one’s hatzlacha)
tefilah of a person – listing one needs in tefilah is not because a person thinks that Hashem doesn’t know, but rather it’s an indication the person’s awareness of his chisronos and his bitachon in Hashem
if I ask for something that is detrimental for me, please don’t grant that request – You know better than I do what I need
21st – to be zariz in avodah so that it becomes one’s nature
constantly try to add to one’s avodah – ask Hashem to help us do even more than is in our matzpun202 – ask Hashem to strengthen our minds and bodies to serve Him better
Mechaber develops an idea that when start any melacha or chochma, it’s hard, and have to master it step by step – afterwards, get Divine help, and then able to do things that can’t do naturally – special Divine inspiration – gives example of this inspiration in Geometry203 [see the wording here] – this is the idea behind chacham adif menavi204
the ikkar part of maaseh mitzvah is to be meir on mitzvos hamatzfun because avoda is based on them and they are shoresh of the Torah205
davka if do avodah, Hashem will give person an ability to reach what is normally beyond his ability206 [look at the proof texts]
22nd – the source of much of human troubles is the fact that people are selfish, want extras for themselves, and don’t help / actively hurt others.
23rd – [see the whole thing – it’s powerful] – be amazed with the world as if you have never seen it in your life – be amazed by its wonderments
24th – probe deeper in Torah, chochma, and tefilah, and don’t rely on what you learned in your youth
25th – like fire and water, love for this and next world can’t coexist207 – they are 2 tzaros
still have to provide enough for the body, because when body becomes weak, so does the soul208
al titchekem yoter – any chochma that leads us to avodas Hashem, keep mitzvos, see wisdom and yacholes of Hashem, it’s a mitzvah to study it – all other chochmos is ossur to study
sichlus and holelus leads to loss of many maalos tovos
27th – when something unpleasant happens, accept it besimcha – any suffering that happens to a person against his will (and he doesn’t accept) he doesn’t get any schar for
28th – when something unpleasant happens, remember that you have given yourself and everything you have to Hashem, and when a matana is given, the mekabel can do whatever he wants with it209
29th – once the nefesh becomes sick, it’s much harder to cure it than a desease of the body
30th – a person must live in this world like a ger210
Mechaber says to be misbonen on these 30 points – there is much more to be said about them, and this is only the beginning – the person should expand on them himself
PEREK 4
“yechadesh lecho koach elyon nochri…veaz takir hainyanim hagdolim…velo tipared mesimcha matmedes beolamecha ubeacharisecha”
Mechaber brings a powerful moshol – if there is an object positioned in a way that you can’t directly see it, and the only way that you can, is through a metal plate – but to see it well, you need to polish the plate well – the plate represents nefesh enoshis, and polishing represents engaging in chochma and musariim and sichliim Toriim
PEREK 5
have to engage in the cheshbon constantly so that never detach from fearing Hashem
don’t be mezalzel in any little action that is done lishmo – a little action for you may mean a lot to Him211 – just like a small movement of light on earth is indicative of a massive move of the planets
explain what are chiyuvim of prishus on anshei Torah, how it leads to menucha in both worlds
prishus is common phrase but it’s tochen is unknown
the basic definition is bridling of taavos that a person has an ability to engage in
he may do so out of one of two motivations: to improve his long-run gashmiyus and for more elevated reasons listed on next line
Hashem placed us into this world to test us, purify us through all of the yisurim which will be mezakech us
He gave us taavos that are necessary for gashmius that we need (food, mishgal ect.) but then the taavah may get out of control demanding accesses213, and this is when the avodah of prishus begins
The world needs a group of prushim from whom everyone looks to and learns from, but it’s bad for the world for everyone to be poresh because lo letohu ect. – similarly, it would be bad if everyone did the same profession – different professions are needed – Koheles “es hakol asa yafeh beito”
different definitions of prishus:
azivas ma sh’tored a person away from Hashem
hating the world and its taavos
gaining inner calm and “suppressing fantasies by achieving stoic satisfaction with the minimum” [Rav Yaakov Feldman]
taking only minimal food and clothing from the world and hating the rest
leaving ahavas beruim and loving bdidus
being modeh and accepting nisayon
menias hanefesh mikol menucha vetaanug, ela hateva asher lo tuchal laamod bil’adav, veyotzi zulaso min hanefesh214
Chovos says that this last definition is the most consistent with the prishus of Torah215
We practice prishus because the goal of Torah is to put seichel over taavos – taavos over seichel is the beginning of all chet and gnus
Chovos goes on to describe a person shakuah betaava all the time, ignoring ruchnius completely – sometimes too busy being rodef that don’t even enjoy that wealth
Their values will become completely distorted and corrupt – all of society corrupts216 – these values are passed down from fathers to sons – even intellectuals are prodding society on in this directions
Anyone who takes minimal from the world is called lazy, while a person that spends all his time in gashmius is called man of action
“osim bitneihem eloheihem vetorosam malbusheihem” [Tov Levanon and Rav Feldman explain the latter part that their torah, namely their study and persuit, is their clothing – from these words can also explain that their Torah is their chitzonius while their gashmius is their pnimius]
once this yetzer hits most followers of Torah, we have to engage in prishus until we can restore the world to its normal way217
special group among anshei Torah who will engage in a special prishus
get copy from p. 436 about the role of these tzadikkim – it’s very inspiring
as we mentioned earlier, the two major motivations for prishus is Torah [ruchnius] and olam [practical in order to gain greater success in the world]
there are three types of prushim “mechamas haTorah shehem anshei haprishus haamitiim”
1st – leaves all of society and lives in the wilderness and survives on what he has – this group is furthest of all of the groups in terms of being off geder hashava haToriyah because they leave the world, and ein bedin Torah to do this because of lo letohu
2nd – they hate all mosros but don’t go to the mountains – still live in solitude in their homes away from others - this is closer to derech hashava vehaToriyah from the above group
3rd – this group hates mosros in their matzpun but don’t separate themselves from others, and participate with them in all aspects of life (charisha…)
they are “metzapim el hamaves vehem nizharim mimenu” [T”L – they fear that they’ll leave the world with not enough mitzvos]
they take the minimal from the world – only what is necessary
this is the group closest to derech hayashara haToriyah
we mentioned that some are poresh for practical reasons – there are 3 such groups
1st - to make others thinks that they are prushim to manipulate them and get something from them – this is the worst of all groups
2nd – see how fleeting the world is and how many bad things are there – think that it’s healthier not to engage in persuit of them – in the end, their prishus stems from love of the world [dieting may be part of this]
3rd – they don’t have and they don’t want to embarrass themselves by asking others
אבל תנאי הפרישות המיוחדת כאשר אמר קצת החסידים, הפרוש:
צהלתו בפניו ואבלו בלבו
לבו רחב מאד ונפשו שפלה מאד218
איננו נוטר ולא חומד ולא מספר בגנות ולא מדבר מאדם
מואס בגדולה ושונא השררה
מיושב, זכרן, מודה, רב בשת, מעט נזק
אם ישחק לא ירבה ואם יכעס לא יתקצף
שחקו ריוח שפתים, ושאלתו ללמוד
חכמתו רבה וענותו גדול
הסכמתו חזקה
לא ימהר ולא יסכל
מחלוקתו נאה ותשובתו נכבדת
צדיק אם יכעוס
חומל אם יבוקש
ידידותו זכה ואסורו חזק ובריתו נאמנה
רוצה בדין הבורא
מושל ביצרו
לא ידבר עתק על מי שיזיקהו
ולא יתעסק במה שלא יועילהו
לא יתקנם לאיד ולא יזכור לאדם רעה
משאו קל ועזרתו רבה
הודאתו רבה בעת הרעה וסבלו ארוך בעת הנזק
אם ישאלו ממנו יתן ואם יחמסו אותו ימחול
ואם ימנעו ממנו יתנדב ואם ירחיקוהו יקרב
רך מחמאה ומתוק מדבש. מצווה על האמת
דובר צדק
עוזב מאויו
מצפה ליומו
אומר ועושה
חכם, זריז, נפשו יקרה, ובריתו נאה, גבור (ס"א גדר) בארץ, נצול מכל גנות
עזרה לדל ותשועה לעשוק
לא יחשוף מסתור ולא יגלה סוד
צרותיו רבות ותלונתו מעוטה, כשיראה טוב יזכרנו ואם יראה רע יכסנו רצוי וזך, חברתו שמחה הרחקתו אנחה
זקקתהו החכמה, ויפתהו הענוה, מכיר למשכיל, מלמד לסכל, כל מעשה אצלו זך ממעשהו וכל נפש בעיניו יותר ברה מנפשו, יודע את מומו, זוכר את עונו
אוהב האלהים, רודף רצונו
לא ינקם לנפשו ולא יתמיד בקצפו, חבר למזיכירים, יושב עם העניים, ואהב לאנשי הצדק, נאמן לאנשי האמת
עוזר לרש, אב ליתום, בעל לאלמנה, מכבד הדלים
ומתנאיה עוד קבלת כל חובות הלבבות אשר זכרנו ממה שקדם בספר הזה ואינני צריך לשנותם שלא יארכו לנו הדברים בשער הזה, ואתה דע לך:
I need to write perushim to some of these points
Torah prishus exists on three levels: in our interactions with others (interpersonal), chovos haeivarim, chovos halevovos
Interpersonal – be humble, helpful, help them in ruchniyus and gashmiyus, not hurt them, sometimes take abuse from them, not involve oneself in gatherings that will compromise values
Chovos haevarim – there are things that are ossur and things that are technically mutar
Isurim are three categories:
things that a person has taavah for
things that a person is ambivalent toward (shaatnez)
things that repulse him (achilas dam)
a person has to work on himself that all three of these categories are equally disgusting in his eyes219 – this person is nitzol from all aveiros
Devarim mutarim are in three categories: things that are basic necessities, things that are basic necessities but a person is mis’aneg in them without taking extra (a person needs food and he takes that amount, but that food is very tasty), a person who takes extra from the world
A person shuld be poresh from all extras until these extras are in his eyes like isurim220
Shelomo haMelech was choteh because of his wives, despite his great chochma
Prishus shouldn’t stop a person from earning his living, but whenever he can, he should leave it and be misasek in avodas Hashem
It’s proper to be osser one’s chushim utenuos eivorim until extra hanaos are burdensome to the person221
Danger of extra speech – speech is very kal and hard to control – a person should only talk when he has to
Try to write down everything that you said during the day
Instead of speaking a person should think more
Ki machshava ner shetachniseha el libecho – vehacheshbon shemesh – this cheshbon will show a person what’s hidden of good and evil
Lashon – shaar hamatzpun – if don’t guard the shaar, lose all the treasures
Then be poresh from looking at things that don’t have to look at, which cause machshovos that are mafria with one’s avodas Hashem
Use one’s sight to look at yetziros of Hashem to understand their gadlus
Close your ears to those things that don’t have to hear to lying, rechilus, and lashon harah
Then should be osser chush hataam – practice going without liptan and then when don’t have, it will be easier to deal with
A person should do anything that will reduce the value of food in his eyes – should look at the food derech refuah222
Drink wine to be maavir daagah – lists some dangers of wine
Then mentions prishus in dinei mamonos and tzedakah
It’s important that one’s prishus should not be a burden on others – yagia kapecha ki tochel223
First step in prishus is planning how a person will earn a living
Don’t put yourself into a group of reshoim who are rodef mosros
All steps of prishus are connected to each other224 – like pearls on a string, if remove one, all will fall
The ikkar of prishus is beleiv and machshava
Prishus means:
that a person leaves all kinyanei haolma except what he needs for parnasa [kinyanim]
not be misaneg betaanugei haguf [hanaah]
don’t want menuchot [menucha]
don’t want serarot [power]
not want to be mispaer behon haolam hakaleh meheira [kavod]
Should do prishus for Hashem and not to be koneh shem
When engaging in prishus, can’t do aveiros like fasting on Shabbos and pirya verivya225
Minimize the pleasures as if leaving the world today
Do cheshbon hanefesh that was mentioned in the previous shaar
All of the previous chovos halevavos are amud to prishus – chakor aleihen226, vehadbikan el libecho [hashava al haleiv]
examples of prishus from Sifrei Kodesh and Chazal [I am listing just a few examples – see here for more]
“venosan li lechem leechol vebeged lilbosh”
Elisha leaving his family – Bnei Neviim in general leaving their places to “shetisyached nafsham umachshevosam leElokim”
See that part of teshuvah is fast and lack of taanugim
Mechaber defines as part of prishus helping others (as we saw above)227
Chazal said a lot on prishus – most found in Avos, maseches taanis discusses this
Be choker this point and will find that it’s based on sechel and kabala
PEREK 7
difference between us and earlier generations – their yetzer was weaker and didn’t need to leave haderech hashava haToriya
the taavah of the Jews became strengthened in Egypt
Jews needed something that would curb those taavos – Hashem gave them mitzvos shemios [how does this curb taavah??]
When Jews entered the land and engaged prosperity, their taavah once again was misgaber on their seichel – this is a problem in our time – need different types of prishus to overcome this problem
Ch”H has found a letter about prishus from a father to his son that he decided to put into the sefer where he list the foolishness/destructive behavior of those who are rodef achar hataavah and loftiness who only want to serve Hashem
[I need to copy this into her, organize it, and annotate it]
INTRO
purpose of prishus was to achieve ahavas Hashem – it is the highest level of anshei avodah – everything that preceded so far in the sefer is ultimately to build up to the this last level – no madreiga above and after it
in order to achieve ahava need yirah – need to speak about prishus first, because as long as there is love for the world, love for Hashem isn’t complete [see end of Perek 2 where Chovos says if love something else besides Hashem, this means that can’t love Hashem fully]
PEREK 1
ahava is longng of the soul to Hashem, because the soul is spiritual as well, and thus it draws towards the spiritual, and draws away from the physical
Hashem placed a desire inside the soul to take care of the body so that the soul can continue to live through it in this world – when senses a physical need, the soul will take care of it, and when senses a spiritual need, will address it
physical desires can take over, and person will be torud to always fulfill them without addressing the spiritual needs
Chovos talks about the process of recognizing that this has happened, and how a person goes back to focus on ruchnius [This process of realization is very important.228]
PEREK 2
three types of love: because someone does good for you, because he forgives you, because he has romemus over you – we must love Hashem for all of these three reasons
bechol levavcha ubechol nafshecha – Chovos gives a number of pshatim on this – one of them is that have to love Hashem both beseter ubegolui
another pshat is that have to love only Hashem – if love something else, then don’t love Hashem completely – have to love everything as seif to ahavas Hashem
PEREK 3
Can’t reach ahava directly – have to reach it through going through the means mentioned above
person must first fix what he can, then he’ll come to understand gadlus of Hashem, then understand his own katnus, then reach ahavas Hashem
person’s yir’ah should be there whether he is in front of people or all alone
PEREK 4
there are three ways a person can demonstrate his love to Hashem: with his money, with his body, and with his life
the first two most people can do, but the latter only yachidim can do with the help of Hashem229
PEREK 5
mafsidei ahava
if lacking the preparations mentioned above
if hate whom Hashem loves and love whom Hashem hates
PEREK 6
signs of ahava – leaving all mosros that are matrid him from avodas Hashem
yir’as onesh vs. yir’as haromemus
importance of bringing people close to Hashem – much more significant than individual avodas Hashem – moshol of the sochrim – a person’s zchuyos become greater with the zchuyos that he has caused other people to have230 231 - Moshe zacha vezika harrabbim, zchus rabbim tolui bo
benefit of tfilas Maariv – quiet and no one is interrupting232
PEREK 7 (very beautiful piece – should be read frequently)
if can’t accomplish something, do it when can achieve it
praise Hashem for choosing me for His avoda, even if Hashem doesn’t allow me to fulfill the mitzvah
body is on earth but the soull is in heaven233
taavos are replaced with desire for avodas Hashem
ohavei Hashem “moasu derech shchitus”
ohavei Hashem don’t just look at the small number of chovos haeivarim that they have – the try to fulfill all the chovos halevavos that they can
should fulfill needs of the person who is drinking a bitter medicine
don’t move too fast in growth, because in too much oil makes the candle go out234
have be mis’asek in this sefer both through iyun and kriah [learn beiyun and bekius]
the only way that a person can become sober is if wine leaves him – the only way person can be cured from taavos is if he abandons them
bdidus gashmi is for the purpose of bdidus ruchani235
1 An important point on all the footnotes. They have been written by me, Avraham Lubarsky, as thoughts as I learned the sefer. These are not final thoughts, just thoughts at the moment based on my very limited understanding of this monumental work. The heoros are attempting to understand the sefer onto itself, understand it in context of other seforim, and understand how it could be used for avodah lemaaseh. These categories should not be mixed up because each one has its own rules. These comments are meant only for my own learning, and if the reader didn’t get my permission, please do so if you can. If you can’t and you think that you may find these notes useful, please keep in mind that these in no way are meant to be the final product. They have to be examined carefully, some thrown out, some need tziruf, and others kept as are.
2 Few points of introduction to the sefer:
In order to truly understand what the sefer is saying, it is not enough to just understand it intellectually. A person must be meishev what is being said al halev. I believe that this is what the Mechaber meant in the end of the hakdamah to the sefer, that in order to understand the sefer, the reader must “vehadbek oso al libecho umatzpunecho”. Only then, says the Mechaber, can a person truly understand the sefer (and be able to find mistakes in it, if there were to be any)
Chovos uses the power of a moshol in an amazing way. He makes reference to this agenda (p. 33) quoting a gemarah and Mishlei about mosholim being an important part of chochmo (look up the Chazal)
Examine the proofs that the Chovos brings from pesukim and Gemarah – see how he understood these statements. Rav Feldman’s footnote deals with Ch”L analysis of the pesukim
Notice the effort to present the information in an organized and clear manner. Mechaber likes to make a number of clear examples, often likes to show 10 elements of something
3 Introduction is called a “hakdama” which stems from the fact that it comes before the sefer. But its purpose is very significant. In modern Hebrew it’s called a “mavoh” – it opens up the sefer for the reader, and brings the reader into the sefer. From the few introductions that I have read in sifrei kodesh, the introduction serves as an important key not only for the beginning of the sefer, but to understand the sefer as a whole. In Chovos this is certainly true. The general introduction to this sefer provides important yesodos for the whole sefer. A hakdama should be read before the sefer, but also after learning the sefer in order to gain the overview of what the person has learned. Rav Walbe in beginning of Alei Shor talks about the importance of learning his introduction before learning the sefer, but only fully understanding it after finishing the sefer. The Mechaber also chooses to have an introduction to every shaar, and the utility of that hakdama is largely for that specific shaar (although the sefer builds on the yesodos that it develops).
4 There is a development here: Hashem’s ultimate achdus, kadmus, hatavah, created the world to show His achdus/gevurah/chochma (sounds like this is a chesed)
5 It seems that this means that Hashem created processes that create constant change and development. This state of development and flux show tremendous chochma.
6 Mechaber here tells us the purpose of creation. In Shaar haBechina says that man is the “sibah kerova” to the creation of the world. Pashtus because davka he can appreciate “achdus, gevurah…”. See other Rishonim and Achronim who discuss the purpose of creation as a whole.
7 I read an article by Rav Aviner who quoted Eim haBannim Smeicha that the metzius that we see in front of us is also a proof
8 Rav Klopt in his hakdama to the Alei Shur says that one of definitions of chochmo is that it provides clear definitions. See intro to Derech Hashem. Need to know shoroshim (the pnimius / essence) of the issue, and perakim (its details / how it plays itself out in different situation ). In Derech Hashem Ramchal quotes a Chazal that says that Divrei Torah should be kelalim and not peratim. I searched for a few minutes but didn’t find this Chazal. In the Mesilos El Derech Hashem the book puts in parenthesis that should look at Sifri Haazinu 32:2. There, R’ Yehuda says that should be machnis Torah in kelalim and be motzi it as peratim. It seems to me that what this means is that a person should learn the Torah in kelalim, but have the ability to bring out peratim from it. Reishis Chochmo (Ohr Olam) quotes this Chazal and gives a moshol of a person who has to travel, certainly he will not carry perutos rather a selah which he can change into perutos when he needs. This is seemingly what we said here. See Reishis Chochma for more. Chovos on p. 31 writes that he will not write everything that he knows about chh”l because that will make the sefer too long, but rather he will write just the shoroshim
9 See that foundation even of ch”e is chovos halevavos. See Shaar Cheshbon haNefesh Perek 3 #21 makes this point as well. See my footnote there.
10 Before Ch”L listed chovos halevovos, he listed a few chovos haeivarim, in which he included tefilah and tzom. These two mitzvos are interesting because they are very much connected to chovos halevavos (more then let’s say tefillin). Think about Rav Soloveitchik’s concept of maaseh with a kiyum shebelev.
11 Ch”L here is trying to prove that chh”l are a chiyuv. Let’s examine Ch”L list here. Some elements here are clearly mitzvos/chiyuvim, like the mitzvos that are listed. The notion that there is chiluk between shogeg and meizid is also significant halachically. Pirkei Avos seemingly isn’t a proof because it seemingly contains milei dechasidusa [B”K – whoever wants to be a chasid should learn P”A – but there the Gemarah also says to learn nezikin and berochos, which are meikkar hadin – tz”i]. This really gets into discussion whether chasidus and lifnei meshuras hadin is a chiyuv or not (see Rav Leo Levi’s book Torah Study and Rav Lichtenstein’s article on ethic outside of halacha). Rachmana liba boi is a statement that explains why a certain generation got their tefilos answered although they were not as knowledgeable in Torah than another generation, but doesn’t prove that there is a chiyuv (definitely proves that Hashem likes you more).
12 see hakdama of Mesilas Yishorim
13 see Tov Levanon (T”L) that although Chazal also dealt with all kinds of strange cases, they already had reached shleimus hamiddos, and they conjured up these cases because practical cases could be derived from them. I remember that there is a Gemarah somewhere that a certain talmid was kicked out of the Beis Medrash because he would ask crazy questions
14 This is a reoccurring theme in the hakdama – see in the end of the hakdama moshol of treasure that has to be polished off to be appreciated
15 I wonder if this gets into the issue of tabula rasa or not. Rambam in Shmoneh Perakim writes that
16 I heard someone medayek from this that in area of hashkafa there is no concept of psak. We see that we don’t ask dayanim about chovos halevavos
17 compare to Sefer Kuzari
18 Obviously mitzvos tzrichos kavanah may be an issue.
19 Malbim on the fact that the lev comes first because it determines with way the heart goes. Lev is the ratzon (what have now) while eyes are the gates that are the source that brings in the most sensual information that has the ability to change the ratzon. Blind people don’t taste food the same way. Yisa einav.
20 Ch”L understands that the mitzvah isn’t only not to go to the yad’uni, but rather to have proper emunah in Hashem (against a”z). I scanned the Meforshim on the posuk. Some stress the maaseh of not going to the astrologers to find out the future. Others (Ramban and maybe the Targumin) talked about the maaseh and emunah balev, believing in strength of Hashem, his yichud ect. I think that the Chovos learned the posuk in this way.
21 many of the proofs here involve a phenomenon of corrupt action within a religious ritual (and the performer justifies gross offences based on the fact that he thinks that he is fulfilling a religious duty)
22 I remember seeing in the name of Rav Yitzele Petersburger, I think in Alei Shor in Teshuvah, that if a person sins with tears, they turn down the heat of gehinnom for him. Nefesh heChayim Shaar 1 brings a Zohar that says that the fire of Gehinnom depends on the existence of the yetzer harah
23 in mussar, first have to incorporate yourself and then write for others. The cup has to be filled and then overflow to others. Rav Kook in Chadarav on how can a person say something to others without saying it to himself first. My idea of us being misdameh to Hashem through ana nafshai kotavtiv yahevtiv.
24 Importance of writing down one’s mussar ideas. Sefer Cheshbon Hanefesh has this idea. Tzav Veziruz 1.
25 see Rav Kook Ikvei haTzon (Pachad)
26 Some people question the proofs of Mesilas Yesharim about the ikkar of the nefesh created for Olam haBoh. We have to understand what assumptions is making in his proofs, and who he is talking to.
27 It’s interesting that Shaar haYichud actually deals with proofs for ikkarim, like the very existence of Hashem, and His achdus
28 Compare this to the moshol later in Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh concerning a tas through which can see something that is in a hidden place. Have to polish it in order to gain a clearer vision.
29 the goal of working on oneself (as Chovos has said many times already) is to be megaleh that which already exists, and is simply covered up
30 It seems to me that there is a development here. Taamod al inyano may mean to understand it first intellectually. Next thing make sure to remember it. Then check yourself where you stand in terms of this limud. Be misamek in the limud and where you stand. Develop both the limud and your relationship to it. Then be davek to the limud. It seems to me that this idea comes up a number of times in the sefer. I will try to highlight it as we go along.
31 Seems to imply that part of t”t is study of Biblical history. I don’t know what the chiddos are. Maybe this refers to aggados of Chazal
32 see beginning of Moreh who also talks about introductory chochmos for the study of metaphysics. I would like to understand better the need for these chochmos to understand Chochmo Elokis. See Shmoneh Perakim 5, where Rambam explains that the other chochmos sharpen the mind so that person can understand chochmas Elokis. Seemingly there is nothing essentially important in this chochma beyond sharpening mind. This needs to be further explored.
33 The Mechaber speak very highly of Rav Sadya. The Mechaber quotes Rav Sadya a number of times in the sefer. See, for example, discussion in Shaar haYichud perek 10 concerning the nature of Hashem’s incomprehensibility.
34 See the introduction of Lev Tov to this Shaar about the study of Jewish philosophy (chakirah) and philosophy in general. Also see Encyclopedia Talmudis and Torah Study (by Prof. Leo Levi). I did not invest very much time into the study of this shaar. Some of the discussion in this shaar is based on assumptions of Greek and Arabac philosophy that is not prevalent today. Also, our view of the world from a scientific point of view is different. There is value to go through the shaar to see the shitah that the Mechaber uses, and apply that shitah to the knowledge of today. This is if a person holds of the shitah of chakirah altogether. I did the first 4 perakim that discussed the shitah of chakira and its chiyuv. I was also looking for the way that the Mechaber defines yichud Hashem, obviously a very important point in hashkafas haYahadus. In the middle, I looked at the famous teleological proof that the Mechaber mentions. The tenth chapter of the shaar is very important and very relevant. There, the Mechaber discusses the difference between Hashem’s etzem and Hashem’s middos. It’s also a hadracha away from improper hagshama.
35 Rambam writes this in first maamar of Moreh, that emunah is not in the words but in what one comprehends
36 Question is what is the moshol and what is the nimshal. T”L explains that just like a person who attempts to travel without a map will get lost and not reach the desired destination, so too a person who doesn’t understand true definition of yichud Hashem will not reach the proper understanding.
37 Rambam has already pointed this out in the Moreh
38 some of these pesukim, notably “ki lo raitem kol temunah” are brought by the Rambam
39 This is a very powerful and important idea that resonates in hashkafa generations later. The moshol that I always liked was that a wave can’t be seen onto itself, only on the medium through which it traveks
40 Concept of “yichud” in Judaism is crucial, as the Mechaber wrote above, and has to be mugdar carefully. Pashtus of pesukim seem to indicate that this concept means that there is no other god-entity except for Hashem. Chovos haLevavos seems to add two additional elements. Hashem is not made of parts but rather represents an ultimate unity. Also, Hashem is all-powerful, and it is therefore appropriate to serve Him alone, and give no service to anyone else.
41 Rav Feldman translates “bechina” as “reflection”. This shaar represents a major yesod in toras hamussar. Granted there has to be a hisbonenus to see the truth, but one must constantly contemplate it, to refresh its hashpaah on oneself, and to see greater amkus of the idea. It’s nmot enough to study idea, not even to understand it, not even to understand it beamkus. It has to be reflected upon, and hushav al halev. The following is what I wrote in my Tzav Veziruz notes: “The latter parts of Tzav Veziruz are some personal reflections. They are not meaty with ideas like some of the earlier parts of the sefer. There is a tendency to downplay its importance. Its importance doesn’t lie in ideas that come out, rather watching a person who has incorporated these ideas, how they play out in his life. The limud is this section is limud of hisbonenus. The person should translate it into his language, whatever makes the person connect to it. The same is true for parts of Shaar Habchina in Chovos Halevavos.”
42 tz”i what’s the difference between bechina and cheshbon hanefesh – maybe the difference is seeing chochma through tevah vs. philosophical truths – tz”i
43 see T”L and L”T on this whole point
44 I understood that the Mechaber is making the following point: Hashem creates the world that’s there to develop us (both in gashmius and ruchnius – see the rest of the shaar). But we don’t know how to use the world properly, and this causes us to abuse the world and thus be hurt by it. This is not Hashem’s fault but our own. This begins to get at the point for the reason of yesurim. According to hashkafas hayahadus, the primary reason for yesurim is that they are a result of chet. For a further discussion of yesurim, see Shaar haBitachon. We must notice, though, that the moshol has shifted away from the discussion immediately above it. Above, Mechaber told us that yesurim are really for the best. We just have to open our eyes and see that. Now Mechaber tells us that yesurim are really a result of our own actions.
45 again this notion of first understanding, and then hashava el halev
46 It seems that each moshol reflects a certain element of the nimshal. The first moshol addresses the chochma itself, although it seems monolithic, it contains with it many possibilities. The second moshol seems to address the effects of the chochma, that it can help generate many different results.
47 I don’t know whether the following is the pashat in what the Mechaber is saying, but it’s interesting to think about Ein Ayah Shabbos 1, concerning middah of “Shalom” of Hashem, an ability to take seemingly different and even cacophonous elements, and bring them all together for a common goal – tz”i
48 some of the pesukim that the Mechaber brings seem clearer proofs than others
49 The two proofs from Chazal that the Mechaber brings are chishuv tekufos and learning middos from animals. How is a proof that a person should seek chochmas Hashem in nature. It seems that the answer is that once discover chochmos in the world (astronomical order and natural morality) then will come to conclusion that a creation that seems to function through chochma was created by a Chacham. This may go back to the teleological proof mentioned earlier by the Mechaber
50 see Rashi on “vayirdu”
51 see Daas Tevunos
52 although the Mechaber himself doesn’t tell us what exactly is the utility of death, see T”L who gives two benefits.
53 see Chovos later moshol about a person who is appointed to be king for a year / my moshol with an island of diamonds
54 Medrash Tanchuma draws parallel between the world, Mishkan, and human body. See p. 108 where T”L quotes Moreh chelek 1 perek 72 who discusses this point. See Nefesh heChayim Chelek 1 who discusses this idea in length.
55 This has to be compared to othere Rishonim. This issue seems to be a machlokes between Rambam and the Ramban. As I studied the Ramban closer, this issue became much more complex.
56 Compare this perek to beginning of Emunah Ubitachon – the power of this perek isn’t per say the info but rather a reminder – in many ways this perek still instills great awe – a person can also look at seforim with modern scientific knowledge and I think be mispael even more!!
57 See my footnote in the very beginning of the introduction to the sefer concerning the question in Judaism about the purpose of the creation of the world.
58 Again, addressing reason behind yesurim. Remember beginning of Shaar Bechina, where the Mechaber made the point that people don’t appreaciate tovos of Hashem because there are yesurim. There, the Mechaber said that it’s the people’s own fault that the yesurim came upon them. Now, we are introduced to a different idea. The yesurim are good for us, to develop us.
59 When a person realizes that life’s pleasures are fleeting – today I can enjoy them but tomorrow they are gone. There is no kinyan on them. A person then looks to nitzchiyus.
60 granted that animals can communicate, but human speech goes beyond basic needs. It allows people to communicate ideas.
61 Famous statement of the Gra that kilkul depends on time while tikun depends on the person. Similar idea in Maharal in terms of why the Jews had to leave bechipazon. Here, the Mechaber presents us with a different idea, the positive side of the process element of the world. See Daas Tevunos and Derech Hashem who makes a similar point, but from a different angle. Process allows us to understand how Hashem creates and maintains the world
62 Chazal on us ultimately blessing hatov vehameitiv on rah.
63 See Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh a beautiful piece on not being misragel to the world – keep appreciating it.
64 Rav Margolin pointed out the idea that the fact that Hashem gave me something, that means I have to be ready to give it to Him. He gave me life, so I have to give it to Him. Rav Margolin asked why this should be so. If someone gave me something, that means that I have to give him the same thing? Granted that I have to be grateful, but why should I have to give back that very same thing.
I think that there are two answers here. When a person gives me something, what does it means that he gives it to me. He has been given the koach and means from Hashem to give it to me. When Hashem gives me something, He is the true baal of the object. Secondly, if someone lends me something, then certainly I have to give it back. The world isn’t ours. It was lent to us by Hashem to use it the way that He wants it to be used. When He wants it back, then we have to give it back.
65 I saw a similar idea in Kli Yakar
66 I thought that if we were to understand this as mere logic, it’s difficult to read the hemshech of the perek, as I will point out. In the English translation, I saw hearah hasichlis translated as “self-induced”. What I think this means is that a person understands it and was meishiv al haleiv and it become his modus operendi (his Olam Haasiyah). The Mechaber defines h”t again in beginning of Perek 5 (see there).
67 This is a prominent theme in the Kuzari
68 [Rav Dessler’s concept of keilim]
69 But as the Mechaber pointed out in the beginning of the sefer, there is no such thing as just ch”e [as I was looking through my notes in a cursory way, I didn’t find where the Mechaber says this. I have to find it. It may be that this is the first time the Mechaber mentions the idea. See Shaar Cheshbon haNefesh Perek 3 point 9 (p. 380 and 384-385) where there are some pertinent issues to this diyun whether there is such a thing as just chovos haeivarim. See my summary and footnote there.
70 But when it comes to issur, can have an issur of just ch”e without ch”l. There is a maaseh issur, regardless of what a person’s kavanah was.
71 I remember in Ohr Yisroel it says that if a person can’t control his taavah, even in the realm of heter, there is no guarantee that he won’t engage in all kinds of issurim as well.
72 The Mechaber here is mechalek two categories of kitzur based on motivation why a person is mekatzer. Then Mechaber says that if are mekatzek because of greed, he says that the person is chomes guf. Seemingly, this is no longer a question of motivation but physical reality that the person is denying the body its due. But why in case of motivation for chasidus purpose do we not say that there is chamas haguf. We could suggest that motivation gufa is what decides whether the person is chomes the body or not – tz”i.
73 Rambam Iggeres haTeiman writes that some people make this comparison. Says that other religions compared to Judaism are like statues compared to human body – although there is some resemblance, but it is only on a chitzoni level.
74 Have the notion that ratzon and seichel are connected.
75 In Shaar Bitachon Perek 4, the Mechaber will explain why the Torah didn’t explicitly talk about the reward of OH”B
76 The ultimate motivation seems to be not for reward, and not even out of gratitude, but rather because of gadlus Hashem veromemuso. Interesting to trace this idea in the sefer, because often the Mechaber stresses the sechar element. For example, in Shaar Bitachon (in the end) the reason given by the Mechaber for staying away from sibbos that hurt avodah is because this hurts his OH”B. This is also the moshol of the brothers in the beginning of the sefer, and the moshol of king in Avodas Elokim Perek 9, where the question is what’s the wisest investment.
77 No sefer is a perfect fit for the person. A person must understand where he fits in the maareches of the sefer.
78 T”L explains that this means that there is hashgacha that makes sure that we are placed into circumstances in which we can develop our h”t and thus understand Hashem. See L”T.
79 See connection between ratzon and hasagah sichlis
80 R”F translates this as a diolgue between “You” and “Reason”
81 It’s interesting that the issue of Hashem’s knowledge vs. bechira is not raised her (hakol tzafui veharshus netuna). Rather, a seemingly lesser problem of gzeira vs. bechira.
82 It’s interesting that this issue is not just intellectually difficult for the nefesh, but it’s something that is preventing it in engaging in proper avodah. See introduction to the Moreh about the confused student.
83 True that it’s not up to him whether his action will be mutzlachas, but to choose what he wants and try to execute it, this is up to the person. Even this approach seems to have some limitations on bchira. Firstly, the person is limited by set rules (like laws of physics). Secondly, the person is limited by situational limitations (like another person’s bchira).
84 I wonder if this is a similar position to Rav Dessler’s nekudas habechira. I need to explore this further
85 the Mechaber doesn’t discuss the next step, namely the information that is not avaluable to the world at one point, and then become available, and Hashem’s hashgacha over such a process. Rav Kook (Ein Aya and Igeres) and the Leshem discuss this point (what some call continuous revelation). Rav Stav spoke about this.
86 Compare to the moshol of the two brothers in Shaar Bechina Perek 3.
87 See Tanchuma concerning the comparison between the makeup of person, Mishkan, and the world
88 I wonder if there is room to be medayek in the two elements of this moshol. Shilya creates an enviroment in which a person can grow. A shel does this as well, but it also serves a protection for the chic.
89 It seems to me that there is a difference of presentation of this idea here and in Orchos Tzadikkim. In O”T, there are simply two elements to the midah, a proper way to use the midah, and an improper way. This is true for the “positive” middos and for the “negative” middos. Ch”L seems to present it slightly differently. There are “good” middos, and then you enter the very dangerous area of “bad” middos, that requires a very special hadracha of the seichel.
90 Obviously a major yesod that is connected to bitachon is the question of hashgacha (and hanhaga – the Mechaber here doesn’t explicitly use these two words, but he does discuss the omniscience of Hashem, and His ability and active engagement in the world. The world hashgacha used generically includes hanhaga in it. We can also, if we need to be more precise, be mechalek hashgacha as knowledge of Hashem, and hanhaga as Hashem’s action [based on that knowledge] ). Davka in this perek the Mechaber deals with many elements of hashgacha, because a rational bitachon stems from knowledge that what a person is boteach in can actually halep him. This is the notion of emunah and bitachon of the Ch”I, namely emunah is the knowledge/belief in the maareches of hashgacha, while bitacho is the individual’s ability to say that since such a system exists, my modus operendi will be this system. In the beginning of the 7th perek (in this shaar) the Mechaber points out that a mafsid of bitachon is “sichlus beinyan haBoreh ubemidosav hatovos…vehanhagoso aleihem vehashgochoso umoshlo bohem
91 This is a very important statement in the realm of hashgacha. It is interesting that the Mechaber placed this in the category of spiritual benefit and not physical benefit. This gets us into the parsha of difference between the berocho of Yaakov and Eisav, that the physical welfare of Yaakov depends on Hashem’s hashgacha (and Yaakov’s actions).
92 Rav Hirch on nedivim in Tehillim – even if they want to help they can’t
93 This is a major yesod in avodas Hashem. Regardless where the person is, there is some avodah to be done. Not only some avodah, but the avodah that I need to be doing right now
94 Mechaber provides a story about a boteach who leaves his city to make a living, and is rebuked by a a”z priest that he should not have done so. It seems that the Mechaber is making a very extreme statement that regardless what happens, a person should stay where he is and believe thatHashem will provide for him. This greatly undermines the concept of hishtadlus. We see that the Avos would move from place to place when there was hunger (granted that some Meforshim criticize A”A for going down to Egypt during the period of hunger).
95 See the definition of “bitachon” (as opposed to “emunah”) in sefer Emunah uBitachon of the Chazon Ish
96 See T”L who is medayek in the two pesukim that Mechaber brought that what the Mechaber is saying is the following: A person sometimes rebels from Hashem out of wealth and sometimes from poverty [I never understood the Mishna in Avos that if a person is mekayem the Torah meoni he will be mekayem it meosher – what about vayishman Yeshurun?]. A boteach won’t make either mistake because he understands that everything comes from Hashem, and everything is through careful hashgacha, and nothing is guaranteed.
97 This is the shitah of many Rishonim. There is a famous dissenting view of the Ohr haChayim (see Chemda Gnuzah on this issue)
98 Rambam writes that people think that emunah is something that you say. In reality is something that you know inside yourself.
99 This has to be explained further (how it fits with hishtadlus). The Mechaber speaks about hishtadlus in Shaar haBitachon beginning of Perek 4. There the Mechaber explicitly mentions the chiyuv to turn to medicine. I think the chiluk is what the Mechaber stresses there, that although a person puts in hishtadlus, he must remember that all of the sibbos are controlled completely by Hashem. Basa saw medicine as an independent savior of sorts.
100 Theoretically, we could understand this in one of two ways. By him dying, huvrar hadavar lemafreah that he was supposed to die all along, but now he is punished for his bechira to put himself into danger. Alternatively, he was not supposed to die necessarily, but his bechira has now put him into a system in which the gzeira may have decided that he will die. If he would not have put himself into this system, he would have lived. R”F seems to indicate the former. In T”L, the beginning sounds like the latter answer, but the end sounds like the former answer. I need to think about this more.
101 the Mechaber mentions nothing of doing hishtadlus to protect oneself.
102 The Mechaber doesn’t explain the reason for this. It seems that a boteach believes that everything that Hashem does is for the best, thus he knows that this too is for the best.
103 see what I wrote in footnote at the very beginning of this shaar
104 A person doesn’t understand that it’s not just some “fluffy hashkafa” but it’s a chiyuv gamur like tefillin and tzitzis. It has to be learned like a sugyah.
105 see Daas Tevunos concerning the mistake in yichud of attributing power to nature
106 Fascinating moshol. Although here it has a different meaning, this moshol applies in an interesting way in a kabalah understanding of how shefah comes down to the world.
107 But why is this important davka after bitachon?
108 We see that the sefer is building onitself. Have to first understand that there is One Being Who has absolute control. Then be misbonen on all the goodness that He does. This obligates acceptance of His avodah and placing full trust in Him. With all these yesodos we are now ready to shape a person’s hashkafas and actions, all being directed to serve Hashem.
109 Seemingly they can’t have chonef, but they can be lo lishmo. The example is that a person gains personal satisfaction from having middos tovos – tz”i.
110 I understood these two tachbulos as the first one being mebalbel the emunha part (what is true), while the latter being mebalbel the km”l part, namely it claims that everything that one believes is true, but it tries to short circuit the actions that follow the emunah.
111 This perek is filled by many attacks by the yetzer on the person. Why are these attacks davka brought here, in a shaar of doing everything lishmo. One of the Gerer Rebbes said that the yetzer doesn’t care if people do mitzvos as long that there is no nekudah hapnimis (namely, the lishmo element). This is why the yetzer attacks with all of its power davka when a person attempts to be meyached maasav.
112 At this point you begin to appreciate the Mechaber’s thesis about importance of understanding issues with seichel. The yetzer attacks with all kinds of arguments in order to be “meames es hasheker”. A person has to be on the ball in order to naswer it properly.
113 The thrust of the whole perek seems to assume that aveiros are ultimately caused by by shibush in the seichel. In the end of this shaar, the Mechaber tells us that the aveiros are found in the leiv as well, which I will assume means in the element of the person which is involved with desire. We could say that ultimately emotional pegamim / passions are all results of an unclear view of the world. Humans want only good things for themselves, and when they do something that is detrimental to them, it’s because they think that it’s really good for them.
114 I did a little research, and it seems that this is the first place where this expression appears. I seem to remember that Rav Kahn quoted it (in his Chanukah speech) in the name of Chazal
115 At times certain statements appear in parenthesis. This text doesn’t seem to appear in other versions of Chovos that I saw. I don’t know where they are from. I will mark these sections with 2 stars.
116 The question of the paradox of shleimus and ratzon Hashem is discussed in the Kuzari.
117 Have to see the hashlachos of the argument and not just the argument itself. Denying nevuah is not just denial of an ikkar, it’s a denial of all mitzvos.
118 Unclear what is the definition of chishuv tekufos. I thought that it just meant making calculations concerning the new moon. Here it seems to mean something else entirely. It’s some kind of study of the order of the cosmos. I am not sure whether we are talking about astronomy or astrology. If it’s the former, so why have a h”a that it is kishuf. It’s interesting to think about the Chazal in light of the pshat brought here. The Gemarah says that anyone who can be mechashev must do so. If chishuv tekufos means calculating a new month, only Beis Din have to do it. Why would an individual have to make this calculation? Sounds like something else is going on here. See Meforshim on Ein Yaakov and see Ein Ayah. They explain that this cheshbon is not talking about the cheshbon of the b”d.
119 Have to make sure to answer the kashyas of one’s yetzer, because otherwise one’s position looks stupid, and this is dangerous for the person’s avodah
120 Rambam Hakdama leMishna on why rejected opinions are nevertheless recorded
121 Maspik Leeved writes that a tosefes can’t contradict the basic chov. Can’t practice prishus at the expense of kibud av v’eim
122 Cheshbon Hanefesh writes that right ways are limited while wrong ways are many times greater. The great chochma is to understand the wrong ways in order to knw how to guide people from them. I always thought that the chochmo of the people that stand above gan mevucha in M”Y is not that they only know the right way(s), but rather they know all the ways, and see the consequence of each. M”Y writes that they can be mavchin between right and wrong ways, which means understanding the wrong ways. I also thought that this koach allowed them to guide people who already have gone very far down a wrong way.
123 A little clump of dirt will ruin all of the oil. You can pour gallons and gallons of pure oil, but in the end will get only dirty oil. First have to clean the barrel and only then pour the oil.
124 Malbim writes that middas hataavah should not be studied directly because that itself is megareh the yetzer. Have to know when the defence itself becomes detrimental.
125 From Rav Kaplan’s article I thought that this was a Chazal. My search with DBS shows the Chovos to be the earliest mekor. Shlah also quotes this story in the name of Chovos.
126 This point should be reviewd by everyone at least once a week.
127 I thought that it’s simple that when it comes to chiyuvim, then it doesn’t matter how pure the kavanos are – a person must do it. It could be that even in the case of tosefes a person needs to do something in which hanaas hakavod is involved because that’s what’s needed for his avodah or the situation demands it. This is a very complicated calculation.
128 Rav Kook on importance of good gashmius to have good ruchnius. Netziv on “lachatzeinu zu dechak”
129 Rav Dessler has a variance of this idea in Kuntres haBechira 2
130 Another point here is that every moment carries with it its own opportunities and chiyuvim. Even if do something later, but you will miss this moment. In addition, maybe will get so sunk in gashmius, may never come back to ruchnius. Even if come back, the damage to one’s personal may be irreparable.
131 This section is a crucial limud in order to achieve being dan everyone lekaf zchus.
132 Chazal talk about the pig that sticks out its hooves to show that it is kosher. I seem to remember a makor that says that because of this it is a greater tumah than the other three animals. Rav Walbe on the chiluk between aveiros Bayis Rishon vs. Sheini: nodah…
133 It’s true that a person has to be careful with his health, and good health will greatly influence avodas Hashem (as the Rambam wrote in in Deos). But the cheshbon has to be made not under the influence of the yetzer but rather through a cheshbon zach.
134 T”L explains that heter and issur are equal, so might as well turn to heter (the yetzer is tricking you to think that this hanaah is only by the issur). This is similar to a quote from Rav Moshe Feinstein that I heard once, based on the Gemarah in Chulin that there is a mitzvah to find elements that are mutar who have similar hanaah as issurim.
135 See Rambam on Avos 2:9 where he identifies “lev” with what he calls “mis’orer” which from Shmoneh Perakim seem to be koach haratzon.
136 We have to be careful how we translate the world “kniah”. At first blush it means “anavah”, and this is what the Mechaber seems to be saying in the end of the 2nd perek. But in another place it seems that it has another connotation. In the beginning of the 2nd perek, the Mechaber talks about the bad kniah. Its definition is a lowly feeling caused by an ability to remove the nezek and not doing so. Hard to fit this into “anavah”. Rav Feldman translates it as “submission” which makes sense in the above example. I am (currently) work with the definition of “submission” but also assume that anavah is part of the definition as well. As I thought about it more, it seems that kniah and anava are different, albeit connected traits. It seems that the hashkafa of anava (understanding the gadlus over the other and the katnus of oneself) leads to kniah (be mevatel yourself – learn from the other, serve the other). One of the major issues that I want to understand in the shaar how kniah is used as” submission” and how it is used as “humility, and how these two definitions relate to each other.
137 In general we think that in order to get rid of gaavah, we have to destroy the hashkafos that make us think too highly about ourselves. This is a mistake. There is also an aseh tov. Can’t destroy something without building something in its place. The hashkafah of gaavah can’t be destroyed, but rather it has to be replaced with the trait of kniah
138 It starts inside and works out into actions. See Mesilas Yeshorim about actions of anava without pnimius of anava. There is a concept of starting out and working in (maasim effect our pnimius).
139 Rav Walbe explained this section as saying that in order to reach anavah, first have to understand the tremendous gadlus that you have. ani hadal understood this as saying that in order to even begin with kniah, you have to first get elevate yourself and get rid of this bad kniah, namely choosing not to help oneself when can.
140 Mechaber doesn’t explain why this is. T”L explains that without this trait it is absolutely impossible to reach kirvas Elokim. Rambam in Shmoneh Perakim writes that a person can become a navi even if he has some chisronos in middos. I don’t remember what Rambam says about gaavah (I think Rambam says that
141 Could argue that the words “so that the person could do teshuvah” is going back on why Hashem was maarich not to punish the person (see M”Y on the fact that rachamim holds of punishment in order to give a person a chance to do teshuvah). I wonder if there is another point here, that Hashem hides a person’s aveira so that he can do teshuvah. When a person’s aveiros are revealed, people begin to bemezalzel him, and his kevod atzmi is dropped. This lack of kevod atzmi is a major meakev to teshuvah.
142 Many people learn, but a person has to have sensitivity to Toras Hashem. He has to hear the voice in the Torah the calls to him. Kol yom yotze bas kol mehar Sinai. This bas kol also comes from the Torah that we learn, but we are deaf to it. This is the elbona shel Torah.
143 This is a major theme in the chovos: measure not what you accomplished, but what you had the potential to accomplish
144 The previous chapter seems to address the areas of life in which a person must exercize kniah. Now we are addressing the actual process how to acquire anavah. I wonder why not place this perek before the last one
145 Chet is a technical aveira, while michshol is a mistake in avodah, although not a technical aveira.
146 the difference between this perek and perek 4 seems to be that perek 4 deals with areas of life / life situations, while here we are dealing with specific actions. I need to make sure that this is true.
147 simcha beyesurim and kniah – simcha beyesurim requires acceptance of the situation, and realization that it is just and positive for the person – thus a person minds meaning (and thus simcha) beyesurim
148 In the beginning of the shaar the Mechaber said that he is focusing only on kniah towards Hashem. If so, why place this here? We can suggest that kniah to people leads to kniah to Hashem by shifting focus away from your own traits. We could also suggest (although doesn’t seem to be true in context of this sefer) that by seeing the pnimius of every person, the person will develop a sense of pnimius that will allow him to reach kniah to Hashem.
149 See T”L who explains that a person should value and be machshiv his ruchnius, and not say that it’s not shach for him to try to reach darchei tzadikim. Rav Kook writes in a number of places concerning keeping true to one’s penimi desire to reach high madreigos, although it seems that practically it’s not possible.
150 A person must daven for accomplishments in ruchnius. The Mechaber makes this point again later in the shaar. See Rav Pincus’s Shearim baTefilah
151 Part of kniah to a party is to fight against those who try to hurt them. Part of kniah to Hashem is to fight for Him.
152 One of them is not to sit among people who engage in foolishness, but to do so not because of gaavah. How is this part of kniah? I thought that the person is not saying that he is greater than them and thus he doesn’t want anything to do with them. Rather he is nichna to Hashem, and he determines good or bad only based on what Hashem wants, and it is detrimental for the person’s avodah to engage in these activities.
153 To the person himself so that he should know where he is holding, and to others who need to know what kind of person is he (like for the purpose of knowing whether they should learn from him)
154 Adam nikar bekaaso. We get angry when we feel passionate about something, want it go go a certain way, and it doesn’t. When someone is mevazeh a person, and the person doesn’t respond, this means that he has so identified with values of Hashem, that the bizui isn’t effecting him – he is not effected by it, he doesn’t feel passionate about kavod.
155 Rav Stav quoted Gemarah from haChovel that if someone calls you an ox, put on a yoke. Sometimes denying something makes it worse. I think that what the Chovos says should be done in one’s mind. Denying often increases the praise.
156 What is the mekor for this idea? Also, why is this fair (the mevuzeh doesn’t seem to have the right to these zechuyos – lemaaseh he didn’t do anything, he just suffered). Also, why should the mevazeh get any aveiros beyond the aveira of being mevazeh someone.
157 The nekudas hamachlokes is whether it’s just a question of what should come first in development of middos (see in later footnote that I modified what I thought was the pashat in L”T), or a more fundamental issue of what’s ikkar and what is tafel in middos. The thrust of this (short) perek seems to be that avodah can’t coexist with gaavah, thus a person must aquire the trait of kniah. This seems to sound more like L”T.
158 Granted that there are avodim that have gaavah, but that is a certain pgam in their avdus. True that on some level a person can be an eved Hashem with some gaavah, but he isn’t a oure eved. It isn’t pure avdus (in a conceptual sense of avdus)
159 This doesn’t sound so much as an issue of neither chronology of ikkar/tafel, but rather issue of what is the shoresh and what is an anaf. Upon a more careful examination of L”T, I think that this is gufa what he is saying.
160 Because as long as he can attribute what he has to someone, he can’t be misgaeh. See beginning of Derashos haRan Drash 10 on kochi veotzem yadi.
161 Rav Dessler chelek 2 end of Purim section. A person must be mis’gaeh, so the highest madreiga is to make source of your gaavah your ability to understand ratzon Hashem and do His will. Define your self-worth davka as growth in avodas Hashem.
162 This posuk may be a smach to the girsa of the Ramchal of the Baraysa of Rav Pinchas ben Yair. In Ramchal’s girsa it says “anava meviah lidei yir’as chet”.
163 the mashmaus here of “kniah” seems to be “acceptance” more than “humility”
164 It’s a question of expectations. See Peleh Yoetz (I think) under yesurim where the Mechaber says that a person must prepare for yesurim by understanding that it’s something that is roui to happen – see the powerful lashon there.
165 Don’t have to know for sure that the other person is greater. Just have to find that possibility. Dov Stark once quoted a Mabit who made this point about being kol adam lekaf zchus. Dov (I am not sure from Mabit or not) quoted the Gemarah that we see this point from the Gemarah about the worker who worked all year long and then the master told him that he had nothing to pay him – the worker assumed the best, and although his reasoning was wrong, he was right about the honesty of the one who hired him
166 The Mechaber doesn’t seem to mention the notion that beetzem a baal gaavah can’t acquire chochma – tz”i whether the Mechaber mentions this notion anywhere else
167 We see this in tfilah of hashiveinu avinu leTorosecho – see that besides our effort, we need seyata diShmaya to succeed. Rav Pincus makes this point in Shaarim beTfilah from Gemarah in Nidah about davening to become a t”ch.
168 In perek 8, Mechaber wrote that kniah is the shoresh for all middos tovos.
169 I am unclear what the Chovos means, but some ideas concerning this are important concerning teshuvah. Aveiros cause massive damage to the person, and make a person lose sensitivity to kedusha and sense of right and wrong, like concept of hutra lo.
170 Compare to Rambam in Shemoneh Perakim. In a chaburah we were discussing this idea and came out with the following concerning what is this mechanism of doing something to extreme, and then doing less: Rav Dessler has an idea that hishazkus even for a short period of time is powerful – that’s why we accept upon ourselves chumros during aseres yomei teshuvoh.
Another answer, which I think answers up the piece better is that the Mechaber isn’t talking about mitzvos/aveiros per se but rather about gashmiyus – altimately aveiros come from an incorrect relationship to gashmiyus – you have to create the right balance – like the Rambam brought above. I need to work on this more.
171 Tanya Likitei Maamarim 11 quotes Chazal that reshoim mleim charatos, which the Tanya explains means that they have enough tov in them to feel bad for doing aveiros, but they are not strong enough to change.
172 Tanya talks about two types of person that Hashem wants lehatchila: one who struggles with his yetzer and one who doesn’t.
173 Rav Yisroel says that the yetzer loves sfeikos, because then can’t pin anything down. Everything has to be clear.
174 Similar to lamentation of Yermiyahu – we left Hashem but for what!?! What did we gain?
175 The basic mehalech here seems to be to first recognize the aveira, then gain a deeper insight to the damage that he has done, and finally commit to change.
176 Mechaber talked about earlier about the problem of mosros as leading to actual aveiros. Rav Kook in Mussar Avicho talked about the fact that anything close to aveira is in itself rah.
177 Yosef Kalinski brought in the Rambam in S”P who says that there are two kinds of tzadikim: chosid and moshel berucho – the difference between them is whether they struggle with themselves or not. The Rambam says that by mitzvos sichliyos the ideal is being a chosid but by chukiyos, better to be a moshel berucho. Rambam brings a Medrash about saying that I can eat the pig but I don’t. I thought that Chovos isn’t making this chiluk. Sounds like across the board should be a chosid. I later saw that Chovos in Prishus Perek 5 says that all aveiros, even the non-sichli ones, should be disgusting in a person’s eyes.
I also thought to give a different pshat in the Medrash. Don’t says just simply give some natural explinations for mitzvos (can’t eat pig because of trichinosis) but rather say that the reason I do them is because Hashem said so. The pashat of the words sound more like the Rambam.
178 We were dan on what this means – Tov HaLevanon says that this means that if you do teshuvoh for a number of aveiros (complete teshuvoh that Ch”H talks about) and then transgress only one of those aveiros, a person is punished for everything – tz”i how this works. I suggested that what this means is that every time you do teshuvoh and then mess up, you take away the chashivus of the teshuvoh (Rav Dessler mentions this notion in his discussion on zacha sam hachayim). Make it more ok to mess up, fix it, and mess up again. (The flipside of this is when a person is sunk in aveiros, he can’t jump out in one second. Has to try to fix, fail, and try again.)
179 There is a duality here that on one hand we have to worry about tomorrow not coming, on the other hand can’t be overwhelmed by worrying about what will happen in the future. See Rav Pliskin on cerenity, especially the poem by Rav Dessler.
180 Sifsei Chayim Elul Hachana Leyom Hadin…takes this idea a step further. Quotes a Meiri that says that when do teshuvah, have to rehaul all of one’s actions, even in areas that did not do the aveira. S”Ch there is also medayek this idea from the Rambam
181 What the Mechaber seems to be saying is that since full kaparah can’t happen until death, he will never be completely metukan until after he dies. We should point out that the girsa in our Gemarah is that for aveiros that chayav kares and misa, yesurim are able to be memarek, and only chilul Hashem is the aveira that can’t be miskaperes only by death.
182 For some of us, change can become an a”z onto itself. The reason why we work on ourselves isn’t just for some philosophical idea of good middos. It isn’t just because we like to control everything around us (including our habits). It’s avodas Hashem. We need to approach it as such.
183 See Yad Hil Teshuvah
184 Rav Kook talks about the danger of yeush when teshuvah seems impossible. A person should fix whatever he can, and trust that Hashem will help him do the rest.
185 Rav Hirsh on “karov Hashem…lechol asher yikrouhu beemmes”. The sun always shines, the question is whether the person has placed himself into position to be mekabel it.
186 Rav Kahn’ story about the man who promised money for mikva, but as he walked, the amount that he decided to give lessened.
187 T”L explains that a person has to use his mind to break down life and see the stupidity of taavoh and all of the tricks that a person uses to trick himself / L” T explains that a person must be able to make a cheshbon without the interference of taavoh that colors all of our decisions. I wonder if you can read it as saying that a person should use his sechel to see what he (not someone else) in his situation must act
188 T”L says that Chachomim compare this world to a narrow corridor of a palace that eventually leads to a spacious room. Ramak on why teshuvah is “tashuv lahei”.
189 This is also a beautiful moshol for the idea of Rav Walbe that when do avodah, have to get to the shoresh hadavar, because this is where true change takes place. If deal with the symptoms, then wasting a lot of energy with minimal success.
190 Just a few comment about learning this shaar. This shaar is very lengthy. There is a lot of repetition from previous shaarim, but there is a reformulation of these yesodos in a form that a person can easily be misbonen on them. There are new aspects and mosholoim for the yesodos that have already appeared. There are some chidushimn as well. Derech avodah, it’s appropriate to do the whole shaar. But if a person wants to pull out yesodos, then the shaar should be learned selectively. I am going to be focusing on the chidushim of the shaar.
Also, notice how the term “cheshbon hanefesh” is used. In contemporary seforim, it means to examine what a person is doing right and wrong. This seems to also be part of the definition in this sefer. But the major thrust of the term the way that it is used here is to contemplate certain truths, and the chovos that they create.
191 Two basic points: work out the obligations of Torah and demands of world / see what your chovos are. Why isn’t the latter included in the former? Maybe the former is the theoretical obligation, while the latter is seeing what you have already fulfilled and what haven’t yet fulfilled.
192 Rav Kook stresses this point in a number of places.
193 Rav Kook on aveira putting the person out of harmony with the rest of creation.
194 Mechaber implied in Avodas Elokim Perek 4 (beginning) that there is no such thing as just chovos haeivarim. At first glance, he seems to say differently here. In reality, I don’t think so. Mechaber tells us that the chovos halevavos element of a purely ch”e mitzvah is different than a ch”l mitzvah. When it comes to ch”e, the ch”l part comes davka in the beginning, before the maaseh begins, but doesn’t have to last throughout. A mitzvah that is a ch”l mitzvah must have a ch”l element throughout its fulfillment. Later in this point (p. 184-185) Mechaber spells us what that kavanah before the maaseh should be.
195 Why is this not true even for ch”l mitzvos (without ch”e element)?
196 Namely, words of tefilah have to be an expression of the tefilah penimis
197 This seems to be the same idea as machshovos nimsheches achar hapeulos
198 see Ramban on “lispos es haravah im hatzmeah”
199 Mechaber has mentioned this point a number of times before. Compare this with Shaar haPrishus. The chiluk may be sameach bechelko (passive) vs. actively be poresh from the world.
200 This is the shitah of the Mechaber that there is no such concept as reshus.
201 see Sefer Cheshbon haNefesh Middas Prishus concerning the 4 stages of development of a maaseh influenced by the yetzer
202 tefilah for better avodah
203 See T”L d”h Kim’at
204 This is a fascinating statement. The explanations that I know of this maamar is that granted there is a special divine inspiration that neviim have, but chachomim have a certain advantage davka because they are working through seichel enoshi. The Mechaber implies that even alts the divine inspiration the chacham is greater. I need to examine this point again.
205 This point is made by the Mechaber in the Hakdama. Rav Walbe quotes in the introduction Even Ezra who talks about the fact that the reason why M”R was at Har Sinai so long is because the pnimius element of Torah is vast. See Rav Walbe’s words there. There is an Even Ezra Devarim 30:14 that the ikkar of maaseh mitzvos is davka the effect on the pnim. I seem to remember a Sfas Emmes on why learning about karbonos is the same as bringing them, say the same thing
206 Rambam on the fact that nevuah is based on personal work and seyata deshmaya
207 Torah provides us guidance how to live this life successfully, but there can’t be absolute love for both. Absolute love means you love this and share your love with no one else. Once share the love, it’s not absolute nor complete.
208 See Rambam Hilchos Deos. Rav Kook on this point.
209 Melochim 1:20 – Achav is told by Ben Hadad that the latter was coming to take all of the machamad libecho. From the pesukim it’s unclear what is it that Achav is willing to do and what he isn’t. Some of the Meforshim point out that he is willing to be theoretically be meshuabad to Ben Hadad, but not that Ben Hadad should actually be able to come and take something from Achav. This is often the attitude that we have towards what we have. We are willing to symbolically be meshuabad to Hashem, as long as He never actually calls on us to give something that we would like to keep.
210 story of the Chofetz Chayim having little furniture – he saw himself as a traveler
211 a reoccurring theme in Rav Kook
212 the Mechaber defines prishus broadly – in perek 6, Mechaber includes helping others in prishus (see there)
213 Taavos have to be dealt with not as diseases, but rather as positive forces that have simply gone out of control. Like the immune system that is causing pneumonia.
214 It seems like b,c,d, are very similar – g seems to be different in that it takes into account what a person needs
215 although we’ll see elements of the rest in the rest of the shaar
216 Rav Dessler on the fact that when a person corrupts himself, he corrupts the rest of the world himself. Rav Kook points this out as well (se beginning of Yerech Eitanim Yomim Noroim on teshuvah)
217 this prishus sounds like it is derech tikun
218 Kotzker on the soul of fine silk, even if body is broken. Idea of libo lemaalah veeino lematah.
219 Rambam in Shemoneh Perakim seems to disagree with this. See Rav Yisroel Salanter in Ohr Yisroel on this Rambam
220 Sounds like ok to enjoy what have without taking extra (category 2)
221 I have to be medayek in seder haprishus (starting with lashon, going to reiyah, etc.)
222 see Rav Kook’s idea on rachtza
223 see Rav Kook in Ein Ayah chelek 1 on this
224 see beginning of Maspik who discusses the interconnection between middos
225 see Maspik – he mentions that can’t leave parents when they need your help
226 Rav Yisroel on learning beiyun
227 very broad definition
228 See Orot Hatshuva 3
229 Tanya writes that every Jew has the potential to die al kiddush Hashem. Maybe there is no machlokes here. Tanya is talking about pnimius of a Jew, while Chovos is talking about lemaaseh.
230 See Rav Kook on Ein Aya Brochos Perek 1 discussing that schar of one’s avodah depends on success, while schar for working with another depends on hishtadlus.
231 Similar to _________ way of doing business.
232 Rav Kook Alos Reiya Intro makes a similar point (also found in Ein Aya)
233 Kotzker – a Jew is whose body is of broken clay but his soul is of fine silk – his eyes look down to the earth, but his heart is looking to heaven
234 The other girsa says that too much oil reduces the hod of the candle. Al pi mussar we can explain that there are two dangers of taking too much on ourselves: shviras keilim or damaged keilim
235 Maspik leEved Hashem in Hisbodedus makes this point as well.