Jon NN IGGERES HAMUSSAR THE MUSSAR TREATISE Rav YiSRAEL SALANTER891 THE MUSSAR TREATISE IGGERES HAMUSSAR ‘Man is [ereated tobe] fre in his imagination and bound by his intel- lect! His unbridled imagination draws him mischievously in the way of his heart's desire, without fear of the cereain future — the time ‘when Hashem uill examine al of his affairs. He willbe subjected to severe judgment [for any transgressions that he committe]. There is ro one ele to take his place” He alone will bear the frit of his sins? the transgressor and the punished are one and the same. It is very 1 The imagination i not subject tothe constraints of truth, whereas the pure intellect op- erates within the realm of ruth. Ifuilized forthe good, the imagination is one of the most vital spiritual powers we have; however, if is misused its one ofthe most dangerous. Ray Yisrael reveals chat the primary strategy of the yerer haras to subvert man isthrough the power of his own imagination. Despite the fact that we know intellerually chat Hashem wil judge all ofour deeds at the time of our demise, our imagination simply over- ‘helms thie awareness. Even though intellectually we have no doubs that we face jude ment atthe end of our lives, the yetzerhara manipulate the fee imagination to fantasize that chee i no judgment. When the imagination imposes this notion, man is stricken ‘with spiritual blindnese:he falsely assumes that he can purtue his hears desires with no accountability. 2. Even whena person knowingly transgresses the Torah, he instinctally Blames others for his misdeed. Indeed, in the fist episode of sin in the Torah, Adam HaRishon blames “Hashem fr givin him Chava, who tempted him ro eat of the forbidden fut. Hence, tis necessary fora perton to realize that no one but the perpetrator —Le., he himself— wil be held responsible for his misdeed. 3 Since the entre blame is his, the entire punishment devolves upon him alone. 4 Afver one's demise, his spirit —his thoughts, feelings, and his complete personality —re- rains exactly as it was when he was ail alive. In other words, death s a bodily death, but his inner being continues to live. Hence, let him entertain no delusions that the entity ‘hat will ultimately receive the punishment inthe Next World wil be different than him392 (Our YisRacL bitter. Let no man say: This is my illness that I can bear.5 ‘The calamities ofthis world are very small compared tothe pun ishments of sin [inthe Next World). The soul of man will be ex- tremely anguished. One day will sem like a year. Woe to us for the ‘imagination, this evil enemy! Ieis within our hands, within our power, to repel him by giving an attentive ear tothe intellect, to grasp the ‘ruth and measure the reward [ie gratification] of in against ts loss Lie, punishment). Yet what can we do? The imagination is an over- {flowing river, and the intellect will drow unless we place it ona ship. [The ship is] the awakening [of fear of Hashem] in the soul and the agreat dread [of His punishments] in our spirit.© THE GENERAL AND THE PARTICULAR: Inall matters and things there is the general and the particular. Ifwe do not study the general then we cannot understand the particular. For the par- ticular must have the qualities of the general, yet there can be a general with- — the deceased — himself. Hence, “the transgresor and the punished are one and the same.” (See Letter Six) 5 Letonenot assume that he wil be able to endure the punishments like one endures the suffering of an illness in this wotld. The anguish of mostilnessesis tolerable, whereas the punishments fr transgressions inthe Next World ar intolerable. (6 The awakening of yras Shanayim is achieved through hispaius, Le, emotional arousal (Gee Letters Six and Thirty). In its natural state, the heart — which isthe emotional core —Issealed, ie, the knowledge attained by the mind does not penetrate the heats bat- rer. However, the technique ofhispaius transfers the knowledge of the mind tothe inner chambers ofthe heart, The process of hsp is initiated by consciously stimulating a particular emotion through verbal expression For instance, let's assume that a person chooses to instil the wisdom of yras ‘Shamayim within his heart. By fervently reciting Torah concepts that evoke the fear of “Heaven, a subconscious imprints created, Ifthis stimulation is regulary applied — over time — the impact ofthe subconscious imprints wil aggregate, intensify, andigniteintoa live, passionate feeling of yras Shamayin. Once the heart is awakened and electrified —it bolsters, stabilizes, and anchors the intellectual concepts (in this case yitas Shamayin) gains the flee images ofthe imagination. Hence, hspaus serves to create the boat that protects the intellect from the raging flood waters of the imagination.IcceRes HaAMUssAR 393 cout the specific qualities of the particular. Hence, the beginning of every- ‘thing is the general, and the particulars emanate from this.” Now, let us consider out obligatory service to our Creator, may He be blessed. Should we not consider what isthe general, from which the particu- lars emanate?* THE ALMIGHTY IS THE JUDGE ‘Without knowledge or contemplation, we can recognize that we are aware of the belief that the Almighty is the Judge, rendering to each man ac- cording to his actions. (Ifa man's ways are bitter and evil, he will be afflicted with severe punishments either in this world or the Next World, the eternal world —no one can estimate the quality and quantity ofthis severity. And if /his ways are pure and his conduct is straight, he will be blessed with sublime delights in this world and more in the Next World — with wondrous plea- sures far beyond our ability to understand and experience.) This [awareness of the awesome Divine judgment and the subsequent reward and punish- ‘ment! is the beginning step in our service of Hashem, may Hie be blessed. This concept is mentioned in the Talmud (Makkos 242): “Chavakuk came and unified the entire Torah into one principle: the tzaddik (the righ- ‘teous man) lives by his faith. Also Chazal state (Bava Basra 78b): “Therefore the rulers say, ‘Come let us make an accounting: the loss ofa mitavah versus its reward, and the reward of a transgression versus its loss” MUSSAR AWAKENS HEAVENLY FEAR Yer, most unfortunately, this general awareness of faith [that Hashem will judge all ofour deeds] remains hidden within us, concealed in the depths 7” For instance, in the casification of living things, che term “mammal” refers to animals that nourish their young with milk produced by mammary glands. Ifnot fortis definition {it would be impossible co identify the particular animals that are in the mammal category. However, once we know the general rule itis easy to determine which particular crear ‘ures are mammals. 8 Forifwedonot grasp the general principle of the Torah, we will haveno understanding of ‘Torah whatsoever — neither the general rule nor ts particulars. 9 Ifhe has faith that Hashem wil judge all of his deeds, he will fall the Torah and thus merit a share in the World to Come.394. (Our YisRAEL of our hearts. We are devoid of conscious awareness [of the fear of judg- ment], unless we devote ourselves to till the soil of our hearts through the ex- pansive thoughts of Mussar. Without making this effort, our general faith [in the coming judgment] does not send its tendrils over the bodily passions, to bind them with the constraint of fear. The particulars of our conduct do not ‘emanate from the general principles of faith, safeguarding us from the most obvious transgressions."° We constantly succumb to principal transgressions that reach to the Heavens — endless transgressions of speech, countless un- ethical business practices, and worst of all, the neglect of Torah study. In short, there is no soundness in any part of our body. This is especially true in light of the statement of our Sages (Subkkah 52a): “The greater the person, the greater the yetzer hara.” Thus, we perpe- ‘trate grave and consequential transgressions. Yet, because of the darkness in cour hearts, we are as the blind — we do not see their enormity. Only if we view them chrough a magnifying lens — the healthy intellect looking through the lens of the faithful Torah — only then, do we perceive the great overwhelming seriousness of our transgressions. (For instance, even though, the sizeof a star far exceeds the sizeof the earth, nevertheless it appears to us ‘asa small point of light. Yet when viewed through a telescope, the star ap- pears a bit larger than when viewed with the naked eye. However, in truth, ‘we cannot conceive the true enormity of the star, and so it is [with our ‘transgressions].) THE SINS THAT GAUSED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE Our Sages, of blessed memory, allude to this (Yoma 9b): “Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because of the following three sins that occurred there: idol worship, immorality, and murder. Yet in the period of the Second 10 Since we lack mastery ofthe general principle of the Torah — the conscious awareness of the Divine judgment — we cannot posibly fall he particulars ofthe Torah, ke. thefn- dividual mitevos. Every mitzvah requires conduct that transcends human nature, and ‘without the fear of judgment, itis impossible fr a person to perform the mitzvos. For in- stance, we know that athon haraiea moet tertile sn. Yet our natural penchant to speak lashon hara urges us to speak lashonhara with a drive that can only be extinguished with sjras ShamaIcceRes HaAMUssAR 895 ‘Temple, they were involved in Torah study, mitzvos, and acts of kindness — so why was it destroyed? As a result of the baseless hatred that was there. Rebbi Yochanan and Rebbi Eliezer both said, ‘Since concerning the First ‘Temple, their transgressions were revealed — thei time of redemption was revealed. In the Second Temple, where their sins were not revealed — their time of redemption was not revealed.’ ” (The concept that the sins of the First Temple period were revealed ‘means that the transgressions were severe and apparent to the eye ofthe ob- server. Whereas in the period of the Second Temple, these transgressions could only be detected by an exacting contemplation of their immense sever- ity, and of their ceaseless branching out into more and more transgressions [in every aspect of their lives]). THE GREATER THE MAN, THE GREATER THE EvIL ‘The passage (Yoma 9b) continues: “The Rabbis asked which was better, the First or Second Temple period? They answered: Look with your own eyes — the First Temple was restored after seventy years, whereas the Second. ‘Temple has not yet been rebuilt.” This is an application of the principle that wwe mentioned above: the greater the person, the greater the yeteer hava. ‘Thus, during the Second Temple period, when [the Jewish people] were in- volved in Torah study, mitzvos, and acts of kindness, their yetzer hara was ‘enormous. It caused them to fall into potent transgressions. Those who con- ‘template the truth know the awful evil of these sins [the root of which was baseless hatred]. THE ALMIGHTY EVALUATES EVERY ACT THAT THE INDIVIDUAL HAS DONE, [Now in every situation in which a man finds himself, what is he to do?! ‘The day of death is hidden from everybody. It comes suddenly, and the Al- 1 Whether engaged in Torah and mites, or immersed in tranopressions, man i opraly blind ifhe does not learn Musser. Without Musa, he doesnot recognize is traneges- sions. fs, how can he prepare himself or he eventual, inescapable judgment396 (Our YisRacL righty evaluates every act that the individual has done, as it was recorded in the ledger. Hashem evaluates the days of one's life; not one day is missing. More bitter than death will be his end, with no refuge and no escape. As it says in Koheles 9:4, “For he who is attached to all the living has hope, a live dog being better than a dead lion.” For as long as a man is alive, he has secu- rity and hope that he may direct his heart to repentance, but when he dies, his hope is lost [for he can no longer repent]. A GREAT OBSTACLE BLOCKS THE PATH TO. TESHUVAH This being so, as long as our souls remain within us, we should quickly correct our course to the good. Yet, there isa great obstacle which blocks our path: we do not fear the day of death, even if we mention it with our own, ‘mouths. This is stated in Chazal (Shabbos 316): “Perhaps you will say death. has been forgotten!” Also, if we see with our eyes the death of people like ourselves, it does not move our souls to repent with our full hearts to our Cre- ator. Yet, ultimately, we will come before Him for judgment, and he will re- buke us forall the evil we have committed. This most common reaction [i.e indifference and apathy to what will take place after our demise] is just the ‘opposite of what it says in Koheles 7:2: “It is better to go to the house of ‘mourning than to go to a house of feasting — for that is the end of all men, and the living will take it to heart.” Our numbness [to the fear of judgment ‘and the necessity to repent before our demise] is due to the multitude of sins that have dulled our hearts — they have become as hard as a stone. Thus, its stated in the Talmud (Yona 39a): *‘Do not defile yourselves with them ot become defiled through them’ (Vayikra 11:43). [The Talmud extrapolates:] Do not follow the primary meaning of defiled, rather follow the secondary meaning — dulled.” Therefore, our transgressions are also hidden from us, and we do not readily recognize them. As Chazal state (Kiddushin 40a): “When a person transgresses and repeats the transgression, it becomes as if it were permitted to him” — these sins will surround him on. 12 Notonly are we undaunted by the ulate judgment awaiting us, but we are alsoblindto ‘our multitude of transgressions.IcceRes HaAMUssAR 397 the Day of Judgment. Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, mention this (Avodah Zarah 182): “The sins that a person casts under his heels surround him on the Day of Judgment.” Alas! Have we lost our hope, God forbid? Is there no rem- cedy for us, Heaven forbid? THE SOLUTION Only one thing have we found; itis wisdom and not an art. Let us dis- cuss it little, and it will benefit us greatly. THE TWO TYPES OF TRANSGRESSIONS Let us contemplate with our hearts the nature of transgressions. We will see that there are two categories. One stems from unbridled desire, to love the momentary pleasure without considering the result, even though it will ultimately be bitter. We find an example of this in worldly affairs. The foolish ‘man, and particularly the sick person whose intellect is weakened, loves to gulp down food which is sweet to his palate, and he forgets that this wll bring ‘him to a greater deterioration of his health. Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed ‘memory, said in the Talmud (Tamid 322), “Who is the wise man? The one who foresees the future.” Ttalso says in the Talmud (Sotah 3a): “A man does not transgress unless ‘spirit of foolishness enters within him.” Thisis the sum total of all his work in his service to the Blessed One — to contemplate the fear of Heaven con- tained within the fear of punishment. This is accomplished by means of Mussar books and the Aggadic literature of our wise teachers, of blessed ‘memory. These teachings should be internalized to the extent that a person will hear with his ears and almost see before his eyes the great punishments, both quantitative and qualitative. As our Rabbis, of blessed memory, state (Sanhedrin 7a): “A judge should always picture a sword between his thighs and Gehinnom open beneath him.” (This visualization assists the judge to be intellectually straight; it also applies to everyone else, to guard oneself from the evil mishap of severe transgressions.) [fhe will do this and his heart will understand — he will repent, and it will heal him.398 (Our YisRAEL THE SPIRIT OF IMPURITY How great is the evil of man upon the earth! There are none who seek righteousness and none who contemplate the fear of Hashem. No one sets fixed and organized times to toil in understanding the fear of Hashem; to draw up the waters of understanding from the belief [that Hashem will judge all of our deeds] that is hidden and concealed in the inner recesses of his heart; [and still further] to broaden and fortify this belie, to give it strength, ‘and power; and to place the burden on his shoulder to rule over the limbs of his body [i.e, his external conduct] by acting according to the Torah, with- ‘out overstepping any forbidden boundaries. This isthe second category of transgression, and there is no example found amongst worldly affairs. On the contrary, in worldly affairs there is no ‘one whose troubles hover over him who does not take the time to consider how to save himself. Desire is not the cause of this type of transgression. For {the cause of] this transgression is a wonder, as it is wondrous that a person does not apply his heart to contemplate the fear of Hashem and the teachings about His punishments. These types of transgressions cannot be from the first category, because desire is not strong enough to cause them. Rather, they are generated from the spirit of impurity that induces man to sin. This is espe- cially true about the transgressions of speech, for what benefit does the speaker derive from doing them?" THE DEFINITION OF THE YETZER TOV AND THE YETZER HARA. ‘We can apply these two categories of sin in order to find a compromise between two schools of thought, concerning the definition ofthe yetzer hara and the yetzer tv. The first, more common view asserts thatthe yetzer hara is 13 lence theft category of transgression stems fom pursuing unbridled dese, without con- ‘dering the biter consequence of one's deeds. The second category of transgression stems fom the spit ofimpurty (as wil soon be explained), which causes man to avoid active can- templation of yrs Shama and prevents him from engaging in dally Mussar study 14 While the transgressions that rtem from desire have a “rational” motivation, ic, self gratification, the transgressions that stem from the epirtof impurity indluence us to ‘engage in conduct and character tats that violate our own values.IoceRes HaAMUsSAR 399 the force of impurity in man that induces him to transgress. Whereas the ‘g00d inclination is the force of holiness in man that inspires him to perform ‘good deeds. The second school of thought asserts that the yetzer hara is the force of desire that looks to [get pleasure from] every sweet thing in its time. ‘The power of that passion “brings him within her house and he clings to her in love.” Whereas, the yetzer tov is the straight intellect that looks and gazes towards the [inevitable] consequence of our deeds — namely, the trepida- tion of the fear of Hashem and His exceedingly terrible judgments. And he chooses the advantageous way, to conquer his desire, so that he will be sated with delight and with wondrous pleasure in the World to Come. The glory of this pleasure is beyond description. EACH PERSON CLINGS TO DIFFERENT TRANSGRESSIONS: We see that the affairs of man constantly vary, each person clinging to different transgressions. There are those whose transgressions are more in- clined towards neglect of Torah study than unfaithful business practices and not giving charity, and there are those who are more inclined towards un- {faithful business practices and not giving charity than neglect of Torah study. No person is like another when it comes to transgression. Yer, ifthe yetzerhara were only the force of impurity and not desire, why is everybody not corrupted equally and in the same way,'* if we do not take {nto account their supernal roots!"” However, if we assume that the yetzer 15 Rav Vac Hkensa person who mocambs tothe temptation of Body gratification tone tho is drawn into the house of a harlot and is unable to remove himself fom her 16 If the yetzer hara is the spirit of impurity, it will affect everybody with the same spiritual ailment, just aba dea afer each person with the same disorders and symptoms. 17 Rav Yisrael here brings proofs that support both schools of thought concerning what is the eter hard Le, the pnt ofimpur othe power of dese. it, he propre that since each person is drawn afer diferent sn the eer hare mute the power of ds. ‘This profit based onthe following proces of elimination: These of impurity is manic festhe same within each person. Therefor, the fact that each prions dawn aferadi fereesinindicates thatthe yererhraiathe powerf deste and not the spr of mpary. However, this i ony tue if we donot conser the efecto he mipeal rots — the innate personality drive. In other words eventhough the epiitof impurity on its400 (Our YisRacL haras also the power of desire, then we can explain the vast range of human, behavior. Since the desires of man are dependent upon his temperament (his birthplace, constitution, time, and affairs), each person’s transgressions vary according the unique elements of his life. Yereven this vast range of temperaments and desires cannot explain the phenomena of human conduct. Don't we see with our own eyes people com- ‘itting transgressions that actually oppose their natural desire? For example, everybody acknowledges that self-aggrandizement is repulsive, yet a person, will abuse his own value system in the pursuit of seléaggrandizement. This conflict in personality is caused by the impurity of spirit [and not by desire]. ‘We now understand that the yetzer hara is both the power of desire as ‘well as the impurity of spirit. Likewise, the good inclination is the healthy in- tellect that sees the results ofa person's deeds, as well as the holiness of spirit THE PRESERVATION OF THE SOUL WITHIN THE BODY Behold! The two aspects of man, the physical and the spiritual, are in accordance with the two components of man’s creation — his body and soul. ‘The bodily aspects are apparent to the physical eye, whereas the aspects of the soul are known only from the functioning of the body,'® The strategies and designs to maintain the soul within the body are focused exclusively on the body. This is accomplished through a wholesome diet and protection ‘own is manifest in consistent, universal symptoms — the combination of the spirit of im- purity plus the supemal roots could engender variations inthe effets ofthe epi of in- purity. However, Rav Yisrael is isolating the two definitions ofthe eter hara and is not considering the effects of the supernal roots. ‘Subsequently, Rav Yisrael brings a diferent proof that the spirit of impurity does af- fect human conduct, for people often behave in ways that violate their own value sys- tems. Such behavior i an indication ofthe influence ofthe eps of impurity. Therefore, Ray Yisrael concludes thatthe yeteerharais both the pit of impurity, aswell asthe pow- centof desire. 18 Since the soul is composed ofa spiritual element, it cannot be seen by the physical eye. However, evidence ofthe soul can be perceived by the functions ofthe body, ue, the ‘movement ofthe limbs, the perception of the senses the cognitive ability ofthe mind, the ‘emotions ofthe heart, the countenance ofthe face et.IcceRes HaAMUssAR 401 from danger. In this way [through addressing the needs of the body] the soul is preserved within the body. On the other hand, the preservation of the soul within the body is not naturally accomplished by procedures that nurture the soul; for the soul is neither seen nor experienced independently ofthe body. (However, on the spiritual plane, in truth, the essential preservation of the soul within the body is dependent exclusively on the soul —according to the level of one’s Divine service.) THE PRIMARY SPIRITUAL DEVICE Likewise, in the service of the Eternal, may His name be blessed, the pri- ‘mary spiritual device — to empower the yetzer ov with both the force of hol- ness and the clarity of intellect, and to repel the yetzer hara and diminish its forces of impurity and desire — is dependent upon the corporeal aspects. ‘That is to say, this is also accomplished by nourishing the body with “good foods”: the contemplation of fear of Hashem and Mussar, which emanate from the pure Torah. TYOV This concept is taught by our Rabbis, of blessed memory (Bava Basra 16a): “Tyov endeavored to exempt all of mankind from judgment. He spoke before the Eternal: ‘Master of the Universe! You created the ox with cloven hoof, and You created the donkey with uncloven hoof. You created Gan Eden, and You created Gehinnom. You created righteous people, and You created evil people. Who can overcome Your power!" Iyov'sfriends answered hhim, ‘You have denied fear of the Eternal One and you have diminished the power of prayer’ ” HaKadosh Banuch Hu created the yetzer hara as well as its remedy, the Torah. THE PHYSIGAL REMEDY OF THE TORAH Based on this encounter, our Sages, of blessed memory, taught us that the remedy of the Torah is the fear that emanates from it. This is derived from the words, “You have denied fear of the Eternal...” This refers to the physical aspect of fear, which is viscerally perceptible. Thus, the healing rem-402 (Our YisRacL ‘edy for all the ills of the soul is for man to focus his heart and soul on the fear of punishment that is taught in the Torah. Whether in general: to know and ‘understand from the Torah that corresponding to each transgression there is ‘a devastating and awesome punishment, and corresponding to each mitzvah there is a reward of unimaginable elevation. Or in particular — and this is the prime factor —to study the laws of Torah that pertain to each transgres- sion. For instance, for arrogance [one should study] the sections of the Torah ‘germane to arrogance; for unethical business practices, the sections of the Torah that treat the ethics of business affairs; and so, too, for each mitzvah and each transgression, [one should study] its appropriate Torah teachings. THE HEALING POWER OF HALACHAH STUDY The handle and prime element in the utilization of the healing powers of the Torah to cure the disease of the yetzer hara is the intense, concen- ‘rated, and deep study ofthe laws ofthe particular transgression.” Man nat- urally refrains from many transgressions, and he will not submit to them even under pressure or duress. On the other hand, there are more stringent trans- gressions which one will easily commit. For instance, a great portion of our brethren, the Children of Israel, will not eat bread without washing their hands even at a time of great hunger and distress. However, concerning the ‘more serious sin of slander, they will easily transgress — even without the strong drive of desire normally associated with transgression, THE PREREQUISITE TO TRANSFORM ONE'S NATURE ‘We see [from the above example] that itis essential, in order to guard ‘oneself from transgression, to persist in good conduct until this good conduct becomes second nature. Therefore, even if one sincerely strives to walk on the paths of Mussar, to dedicate himself with all his feelings and thoughts to 1 Although in general the study of yas Shamayin and Massari the cae for spiiual ness, Rav Yisrael reveals here that the primary transformative technique is centered on focused seady ofthe particular asbute a hand Therefore, change i human nave is rendered by the deep and concentrated study ofthe tri that needs to be comected or strengthened.