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midst of difficulties. He sees Hashem’s presence in the entire course soul is far from anything that partakes of even a trace of falsehood, to the commandment of Hashem your God…” (ibid.
of his life, and he binds himself to Hashem. This bond is the result dishonesty or any lack of integrity. Something that is unearned 11:27-28). And every instance of “listening” does
of his free will and effort, and it is therefore a true bond that is lacks a degree of integrity, because it is something that a person not only mean the listening of the physical ear,
associated with delight and genuine fulfillment. wanted to gain without having worked for it. Therefore, it is hateful but it means that they should have the will to act.
to the human spirit. (Orchot Tzaddikim: Sha’ar Haratzon)
That is the stature of the tzaddikim. Initially, they experienced
difficulties and struggled a great deal with the evil inclination. They Even Laban the Aramean, the unscrupulous schemer, understood The conclusion of the holy words of the Orchot Tzaddikim is
succeeded in serving God until they came to despise evil—which is that receiving something for nothing constitutes a flaw in one’s that “listening” to Hashem’s voice means that we want what He
to say, this entire world and its desires—and to choose good. They character. Therefore, he told Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, wants. Therefore, when the Torah and the prophets repeatedly
worked, toiled and strove in order to purify their bodies until their should you work for me for free?” (Genesis 29:15). Ramban explains: call upon a person to listen to the voice of Hashem, their principal
bodies were drawn after the soul and were attracted to good, as “I know that from now on you will work for me, because you are intent is that he should want what Hashem wants.
in the poem, “My heart and my flesh will sing to the living God.” a moral person who will not earn a living at the expense of others.
When they learn Torah and serve Hashem, they experience great And I too do not want the work that you do for me to be gratis, And thus, the Orchot Tzaddikim concludes, “From all of
delight. This is not considered the “bread of shame,” because they without full wages. So tell me what you request for your wages, this, we may know that the trait of will is great, and that
receive this as a reward for their holy work. “Praise the righteous and I will pay it.” Receiving something without having earned it is the entire Torah is enfolded within it.”
man, because he is good, because he will eat the fruit of his deeds” repugnant to a moral, virtuous and rectified person—and certainly
(Isaiah 3:10). to the soul, which is by its nature true and whose traits are unflawed.
Therefore, when the soul receives delight without having earned it,
Everyone can attain this goal. Everyone can live a life it suffers unceasingly.
of true delight even in this world—and precisely because
this world accommodates evil. As Elijah the prophet testifies: “I In this world, nothing is free. Anything that is free is only a trap.
bring as witness heaven and earth that it does not matter whether As the holy Ohr Hachaim states in the name of the Zohar (Terumah
one is a Jew or a non-Jew, a man or a woman, a male servant 128a), the powers of impurity are called “unearned,” and they
or a maidservant, the Godly spirit that rests upon a person is in rule over everything that comes without having been earned (Ohr
accordance with the deeds that he performs” (Tana Devei Eliyahu 9). Hachaim on Exodus 21:4). The pure soul wants to earn its true delight
with its toil and effort, and not receive it for free. Therefore, the
“We Will Sanctify Your Name in the World” soul suffers terribly from the shame it experiences when it receives
unearned delight. The suffering of that shame is the greatest suffering
Just as a person can attain perfect delight specifically because he possible, even in this world. Every person is prepared to die rather
exercises free will, so too the Creator receives complete delight and than be disgraced and shamed before others—and how much more
satisfaction only from a person who uses his free will to choose and is that the case in the world of truth. As Rabbi Nachman teaches,
desire God despite all of the evil influences that have ceaselessly “The suffering of shame is much greater than the punishment of
enticed him to choose this world and its desires. We find that the Gehennom” (Likutei Moharan I 22).
Creator Himself, as it were, receives delight and satisfaction from
His creation: “Hashem, may He be blessed, foresaw the pride and Judged in Fire and Water
delights that He would receive from [the people of] Israel…. And
because of that He created the entire world” (Likutei Moharan I 17). Everyone can understand from his own experience the bad feeling
And Rabbi Nachman also speaks about how “Hashem, may He be caused by the “bread of shame.” Consider: how would you feel if
blessed, receives delight from Israel” (ibid. 73). Hashem’s principal you were to sit down to eat at a wedding to which you hadn’t been