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Chapter Two: | 31

on his own. Basically, he is like a puppet on strings that is being
manipulated from heaven. What is it, then, that the person does
himself? He applies his will! Then he is led in the way that he wishes
In all matters relating to this book, please contact: to go, and to that end he is given the ability to act.

Chut Shel Chessed Institutions However, even if he is unable to act, heaven considers it exactly
as though he did act. As the Gemara states, “If a person intended
POB 50226, Jerusalem, Israel to perform a mitzvah but he was thwarted, Scripture considers it as

972-2-5812210 though he did it” (Berachot 6b).
Thus, what is principally wanted from you is your will. If there are
matters in serving Hashem that you cannot accomplish, you must
first of all want to accomplish them. As a result, you will attain

Distribution: two things. First, your wanting will be considered like action, as the
Gemara states. And second, with your will, you will eventually be
Tel: 972-52-2240696 able to accomplish everything that you want to, because you will be
led in the way that you wish to go. That is the case even if you do
www.myemuna.com not presently see how that is possible. When heaven wishes to guide
you, it will have no problem doing so. Hashem is all-powerful, and
He can lead you to attain everything that you truly want.

The Main Thing Is the Will

Thus, in and of itself, a person’s actions are not up to him.
Rather, the entirety of his free choice from beginning to end exists
in the realm of his will. Although I have briefly cited sources to this
effect, this concept requires a more explicit and extensive source.
Therefore, I will quote a marvelous passage from Rabbi Tzadok of
Lublin (Divrei Sofrim 21), a Torah genius and brilliant scholar who
©
COPYRIGHT 2018 by Chut Shel Chessed Institutions described this concept and summarized it with tremendous clarity
based on traditional sources. Since Rabbi Tzadok’s language is
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in somewhat difficult, I will divide this passage into short sections with
any form without written permission of the author. an explanatory commentary after each one in order to make his
words accessible to all, because they contain essential principles and
No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, stored proof-texts for everything that has been discussed in this chapter:
in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means
without prior permission of the author, except by a reviewer who The principal merit of a person’s efforts in this
wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written world inheres solely in his intention to do the will of
for inclusion in magazines or newspapers. [God], may He be blessed. As for the actualization