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“I Have Sent Forth Your Prisoners from the Pit” will—and a person’s will is always in his hands. “So why didn’t you and you would have attained goals that you could not otherwise
want?” have dreamed of attaining, because heaven possesses all of the
A prisoner in jail, even if he is in a dungeon or tied down in resources that can help you attain everything you want. But even if
chains, can keep the entire Torah, because his will is always entirely When Rabbi Natan was later asked if he had really said this, he you didn’t actually achieve your goals, if you were strong in your
free, and with his thought he can yearn and want to keep the replied, “I said it, and I didn’t say it.” He meant that everyone will will, it would be written down in heaven that you succeeded, and
entire Torah, and in this way choose goodness. That is considered have to give a reckoning of his life. But then he will see that had no complaints would remain against you—because your will is the
as though he is keeping the Torah and performing the mitzvot he recited these prayers, his reckoning would be less. Why would essence of what is wanted of you.”
perfectly, commensurate with his situation. Even in this difficult it be less? That is because a person is judged in accordance with his
circumstance, in which he is prevented from fulfilling Hashem’s will. If he had prayed and expressed his will to attain holy matters, Why Didn’t You Want?
will, his will remains entirely free. You must know where your free he would have succeeded in attaining some of them through the
will truly lies and not be discouraged if you cannot keep the will of power of his prayer, because “in the way that a person wishes to With Hashem’s help, I found another proof for this concept in
Hashem in actuality. Your job is to do what you can and to want. go, he is led.” And even regarding those matters that he would not an important halachic work, Hilchot Talmud Torah, by Rabbi
attain, if he had wanted and prayed for them, he will be judged Shneur Zalman of Liadi, author of the Tanya, which in discussing
That is so regarding every difficulty in life, because practically in accordance with what he wanted, and he will receive reward as this matter makes an incisive and striking statement that we could
speaking every person is a prisoner. Everyone is incarcerated in the though he did attain them. never have said on our own. I will quote the passage and then put
prison of his cravings and habits. In the Ramchal’s words (Mesillat the material in the context of our generation. Rabbi Shneur Zalman
Yesharim, Chapter 3), he is “incarcerated in the prison of his [evil] “You Test Him at Every Moment” of Liadi writes (Shulchan Aruch Harav: Yoreh Deah: Hilchot Talmud Torah
inclination.” One person is a prisoner of overeating, another is a 3):
prisoner of anger, another is a prisoner of laziness, and so forth— Essentially, we must know that the statement that heaven’s
and how much more those who are addicted to every sort of judgment concerns a person’s will is not only speaking about what The sages said (Yoma 35b): Hillel obligates the poor to
Gehennom such as cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling and the will happen to him after he passes away, because heaven judges a be judged by heaven, because [he mastered the Torah
internet—they are certainly imperiled prisoners in the dungeons of person in this world every year on Rosh Hashanah. In addition, as despite his poverty, and so other poor people are
their terrible cravings. And there are people whose jail cell is the the mishnah states (Rosh Hashanah 16a), the entire world is judged a
pressure of their lives, of their family and work obligations. Within few other times of the year as well. Furthermore, a baraita teaches compared to him]. They do not fulfill the mitzvah of
the parameters of every sort of limitation, what is wanted from you (ibid.): “Rabbi Yossi says that a person is judged every day. As the learning Torah since they must work to earn a living the
is your will—and that is always available to you. verse states, ‘You visit him every morning’ (Job 7:18). Rabbi Natan entire day or most of the day. But they are not acting
says that a person is judged every moment. As the [same] verse as Hillel did. He would cut wood every day to earn half
When a person does not know that the principal factor is the states, ‘You test him at every moment.’” a dinar. He would give half of this to the guardian of
exercise of his will and that his will is always free, he suffers the the study hall, which in those days was located in the
essence of exile and imprisonment. As a result, he is far from The holy books teach there are 24 heavenly courts, and at every field, [to gain admittance]. From the other half [of his
investing effort in wanting and yearning. Then his will itself is hour of the day and night one of these courts judges a person for salary], he would support himself and his family—i.e.,
imprisoned. As the Ramchal eloquently states (ibid. 9): “A person his deeds. If he is judged favorably, he experiences joy, blessing the amount of three pundayonot (an ancient currency).
who is habituated to these behaviors is not master over himself to and well-being. But if he is judged negatively, he feels depressed In those days, for a pundyon, one could buy a loaf of
do their opposite whenever he wants, because his will has been and heavy, experiences suffering, and faces obstacles. Although a
incarcerated in the prison of habit, which has become second person’s principal judgment occurs on Rosh Hashanah, that is only bread that had the volume of six eggs (a little more than
nature.” Thus, the imprisonment of will is the sole imprisonment in regard to the core of the judgment: whether he will live or die, 300 grams). And he would also use that [money] for
that exists in this world, because when a person’s will is imprisoned, how he will earn a living, how much he will earn, and other such other household expenses, as well as for Sabbaths and
he is imprisoned in all sorts of ways, and he cannot free himself. But general matters. But regarding how each day and hour will pass, holidays. And although not every person can do this
when his will is free, he is entirely free, because with his will he can whether for the good or not, depends upon heavenly judgment literally as did Hillel, nevertheless [heaven] judges