PEREK YUD DALED
Animal= reacts to tayvos with no seichel
“Since I want to be the best person I can be, I’m above an animal, I won’t do what I feel like doing.” That means you’re doing it for yourself. We have to do everything for Hashem-my wanting to connect myself to Hashem will motivate me not to give into tayvos. By recognizing that I have an ahava mesuteres- what every yid has even a kal shebikalim.
But a kal shebikalim doesn’t overcome his tayvos, why is this hidden love not helping him to conquer his tayvos?
1. A ruach shtus comes into him, and he doesn’t believe that this aveira will cut him off from Hashem.
2. We forget that we have this hidden love for Hashem.
But something that has to do with the feelings of the heart, hating evil- the beinoni can’t do this, this is only by a tzaddik that has the ahava taanugim.
Ahava and sinah go hand in hand- the greater love for Hashem=greater hate for things against Hashem. The tzaddik just has pleasure in ruchnius. And sometimes the tzaddik can experience part of that in this world.
From 1st pererk: “barasa tzaddikim, barasa reshaim”
We have free choice to control our thought, speech, and action and become a beinoni, but we don’t have the choice to be a tzaddik and control our emotions.
There are tzaddikim that are created as tzaddikim.
Q1: So why does it say a double lashon by the promise “tehi tzadik v’al tehi rasha”?
A1: be a tzaddik, but at least if you can’t be a tzaddik, don’t be a rasha.
Q2: Why do we need to say don’t be a rasha if you already promised you’ll be a tzaddik?
A2: It’s not in your control, you might not be able to be a tzaddik.
We can’t be a tzaddik on our own, only with Hashem’s help He can give us a matana. Like a baby taking steps, you know it can only take a few steps but you might stand farther away, and then draw the baby close once he takes a few steps. Same, when we start, Hashem can give us the matana.
Torah is kneged kulan because he’s connected with a yichud nifla to hakadosh baruch hu.
Q3: Why are we told to promise to be a tzaddik if we might not be able to do it?
A3: We should set aside times to contemplate and try to hate evil, etc.
Example: There are all kinds of tayvos, they are vessels of garbage, only brings us to a much lower level
And to try to train himself to have pleasure & simcha in ruchnius, through contemplation on the greatness of Hashem.
Even if you don’t think you’ll reach the level, you still have to do what you needed to do.
Even though a person knows that I’m not a tzaddik and I can’t reach the level of despising the bad, because I enjoy it, a person has to be honest with himself. But I still have to try as much as I can to be mo’es bra. Same with asei tov- I still have to try as much as I can even though I know it won’t stay with me the whole day. I have to fulfill the promise “tehi tzaddik v’al tehi rasha” Hashem will do His part and do what He feels is best, the habits will become second nature. So when a person tries to make himself hate bad, then eventually he will have trained himself to hate it somewhat.
Yes a person has to promise to be a tzaddik because we can reach that level- when a person does his part to be moes b’ra and try to cleave to Hashem (eserusa dletata), Hashem assists him (iserusa deleila) and Hashem will send down a neshama on the level of ruach that will be an extra neshama that can help him be a tzaddik.
PEREK TES VOV
“Vshavtem ura’isem bein tzaddik lrasha bein oved elokeim l’asher lo avado”
seems like its just talking about 2 categories- tzaddik & rasha
gemara ask a question: why does it have to say it twice?
Tzaddik: even Hashem
Beinoni: oved Hashem – presently working to serve Hashem, constantly working on himself
V’asher lo avadu: another level of beinoni-
Someone that reviewed 100 times- asher lo avadu
Oved: reviews 101 times- goes beyond the regular
The difference between oved elokim & eved- oved present tense, still in the middle of the fight- to get rid of the yetzer hara from the ‘ir ketana’
So that the nefesh elokis should be able to control the limbs of the body
Tzaddik- paste tense- a title, he already reached that point –
Dovid hamelech: vlibi chalal bkirbi- he killed his yetzer hara – his neshama was the neshama of a tzaddik, but he did have a yetzer hara and he was able to get rid of it
2 levels of beinoni:
oved elokim- constantly working on himself
asher lo avadu- doesn’t work on himself but he’s still not a rasha, because he’s never committed even any small sins, and he’s keeping every single mitzvah he’s able to keep, constantly sitting & learning – but he’s not in any battle
this is how rabah was about to make this mistake and say he’s a beinoni- because he’s constantly learning and not fighting with the yetzer hara- so he’s a tzaddik but he could mistake himself for this level of beinoni
there’s not really a level of asher lo avadu- we need to bring moshiach
anything that’s difficult for is what’s most nogea to our neshama
story in the gemara- r’ yossi, r’ chanina- a time when torah learning wasn’t allowed. R’ chanina went on mesiras nefesh and learned torah brabbim and gathered people. R’yossi says what mesiras nefesh you had to gather yidden to learn torah. Chanina says to him ‘im not so sure. Will I receive olam haba? R yossi answers ‘is there any other deed in your life that you have done?’ and he says ‘I had a little money and I gave it to the poor.’ Then rabbi yossi says ‘yes you’ll have a portion in olam haba.’
What's going on here?
He wanted to know was this purely for the sake of Hashem, or is it because it’s part of my nature?
Moreh shchora & moreh levona
Schora- loves learning- has hard time giving
Levona- makes himself learn- gives very easily
Therefore if he’s doing both it must be that he’s going against his nature and he deserves olam haba.
Even asher lo avadu isn’t called a rasha because he never did an aveira and did all the mitzvos asei that he could
Since he doesn’t have tayvos he doesn’t have to contemplate Hashem and work on his ahavas Hashem.
Even someone who’s not a masmid by nature, and it becomes his second nature, it’s also not an avoda for him either. The ahava mesuteres, hidden love, is causing him to learn torah, but he’s not having any kind of milchama. In learning only if he makes himself go beyond when he usually learns is an avoda.
Mashal in the gemara- donkey- pay twice as much to go 1 extra mille- out of its nature
Rebbe- every mashal in torah- every aspect is meduyak
100 times- eser kochos hanefesh – x10 =100 – natural way
1 chad that’s not part of the calculation- echod- Hashem
an avoda that attached you to Hashem is the one that goes beyond the hundred – that’s why it’s worth double
v’hachochma m’ayin timatzei- when one breaks himself – comes from m’ayin
m’ayin gematria = 101
a chossid when things are difficult, have to work on myself
when you see your enemy’s donkey
chamor=chumrius
1. ischapcha- transforming it (avoda of a tzaddik)
2. iskafya- break it- using it to help us serve Hashem
therefore 101 time is when he breaks himself- that’s equal to the other 100 times – he’s called an oveid – he’ll be able to master his nature on his left side, perfect service- a beinoni
2 methods:
1. a wonderous avoda- way greater than any other kind- creates a love through hisbonenus
2. awakening the hava mesuteres- passed down as yerusha- he is able to go out and win a war- but this isn’t called an avoda
PEREK TES ZAYIN
What is the avoda of a beinoni?
Q: is the ahava the avoda or is it to fight over the yetzer hara?
A: The awakening or the hisbonen of the ahava are only a means to the end- the avoda that is demanded of every one of us is to rule over our yetzer hara. To rule over the nature in the left side of our heart, when he contemplates in his mind the greatness of Hashem
Through yiras Hashem (brain) & ahavas Hashem (heart)
The thing that keeps us strong and doing what we need to do is learn, learn, learn- Talmud torah kneged kulam
Even on the level of a beinoni, the ahava could still be hidden – you understand that you should love but you can’t reveal it to really FEEL it on an emotional level- a burning love
Its not because he’s lacking in his avoda- it could be from the shoresh of his neshama
someone on the level of beinoni- he knows it in seichel but can’t feel it in his heart
important principal- the avoda of a beinoni- is to cleave to Hashem- even if one’s intellect is understanding is in a way that it’s not revealed in his heart – yad sichlo –
2 explanations: yad – 1. one can stretch out their hand and its too short- understands and feels in mind, but it doesn’t reach his heart- too short
2. spreads 5 fingers- when the understanding can spread into the heart
when one has a love in his heart, its there wich chayos- nothing that will stop a tayva- seichel- every yid knows that his neshama was waiting to come down into this world to do mitzvos- can understand it, want it, but it won’t necessarily make you feel it
brings about ahava in intellect- not practical- reason is that his neshama comes from the level of ibur- pregnancy- not leida- birth
seichel gives birth to middos
mashal- poor person benefits from rich secret person- but when he meets him he can awaken a love based on seichel by knowing everything he gave him
everything we have is from Hashem, everything that happens, the more our brain will understand the more it will bring it down to middos- the more you bring to practical terms you don’t have a feeling for it
seichel is objective, middos are subjective
love:
its worth it to totally give himself over, no gashmius will bother him
were stuck within our guf, like an almana chaya- has a desire for her husband but hes on the other side of the world
can embrace Hashem through torah & mitzvos like the mashal of hugging the king- no matter how many garments
even if the love’s not revealed in his heart, he’s still accomplishing- even if its more hidden
ahava b’hisgalus libo- rerealed love- wants to back to its source to become one with Hashem - he’ll be excited about the mitzvos because the mitzvos connect him to Hashem
ahava btaalumos libo- hidden in his heart- it’s an understanding and conviction, he knows what he’s supposed to be doing and feeling, but he doesn’t feel it – this conviction of knowing what you’re supposed to doing still brings about action
the first level- when he does a mitzvah it goes straight up- love & fear are wings of mitzvos
machshava tova hakadosh baruch hu mtzarfa lmaaseh
pshat: if you intend to do a mitzvah, then you don’t get the opportunity, it’s as if you did it
chassidus: mtzarfa- connects- why this word?
In my mind I know I should have a love and fear- it’s making me do the mitzah- but it’s missing the actual feeling- ahava & yira, wings. So Hashem connects what's in your mind with the maaseh and then it has wings.
If a person wouldn’t contemplate and learn about the greatness of Hashem, he would automatically busy himself with the needs of his body. Even if someone who naturally loves to learn, even though he’s learning, he’s just doing it because of his nature- because he loves his body more.
All the limbs of my body are keilim to do mitzvos- also the heart is a keili for love & fear- it is also pnimius and gives chayus to the body.
Tvunas mocho- the knowledge of his heart
Tvuna made up of 2 words: ben & bas
The chochma, bina & daas give birth to children= ahava & yira
Zeyer anpin= 6 middos
& Malchus
Hashem will cause that the tvuna in ones mind will be connected to the action, to the mitzvah, in order to elevate the mitzvos that are brought about through his thought- brings it up to the world of briah,
action: osios hatorah v’hamitzvos
ascends to olam habriah
sometimes it skips the ahava & yira and goes straight from tvuna to action- lacking the chayus
Hashem connects to thought to the deed-also ascends to briah (if you don’t have the tevuna, it could ascend to yetzira)
Tvuna is the osios of ben & bas- ahava & yira
PEREK YUD ZAYIN
Ki karov elecha- our avoda- having ahava & yira
Moshe said it
If Hashem put me down in this gashmius world how can He expect me to love & fear him?
Says if someone has a love for the world (gashmius) that same heart can’t love Hashem- can’t happen at the same time. I can do what I need to do, say what I need to say, but not feel what I need to feel.
Fear is easier than love
By avraham it was machshava, dibbur, mayseh- by us it’s the opposite order
In the pasuk dibbur, machshava, mayseh
Bilvavcha l’asoso= they go together, enough understanding to bring to mayseh
the only thing that’s asked of you is to have fear for Hashem
is it such an easy thing to have fear of Hashem?
The gemara asked it about the generation of moshe rabbeinu, it was difficult then so much more so for now, and if yira is a difficult thing to acquire how much more so ahava
How can Moshe rabbeinu say this is all Hashem asks of us, ki karov elecha?
Bilvavha la’asoso
In your heart in order to do it
It’s a love that will bring me to do-which love?
Ahava bmocho- the love that he understands and learns and learns that brings him to an intellectual love
By a tzaddik his heart is in his reshus
It’s not a burning desire, Reusa dliba- the desire of one’s heart
It’s expected of us to have enough love to lead to action
someone who’s not a tzaddik does not have his heart in control
we’re not discussing machshava, dibbur & maaseh- everyone has control over that
reshaim are in the control of their heart
how do they serve Hashem bilvavcha if they don’t have control of their heart? It’s talking about enough love to make you do a mitzvah- ahava btaalumos libo.
Its close and its easy
Any person who has a brain in his scull, because his mind is in his control, and he can contemplate with anything he desires- automatically this will cause him to have an ahava for Hashem to cleave to Him through doing torah & mitzvos.
Devarim, zayin, yud alef: You should keep the mitzvos & chukim I command you today, to do them. Pshat
Rashi explains: hayom laasosam- the purpose you were created is so TODAY you do the mitzvos & lasid lavo you will receive the schar.
Even if you don’t have this great love, your purpose now is to do the mitzvos, tomorrow you’ll receive the reward- this ahava.
Levels:
Rasha: serving out of fear
Eved serving master at the highest level he can out of chayus
this is a punishent for the sins that they do- that they don’t have control over their hearts – rasha is considered meis
it’s impossible for a rasha to start serving Hashem the way he’s supposed to- has to do teshuva first- in order to break the klipos that
1) masach - curtain – easier to get rid of
2) mechitza shel barzel – iron wall that separate him from Hashem. Barzel- stands for bilha, rochel, zilpa leah- you have the pilagshos before the imahos- the servants come before the masters – first is nefesh habahamis & next is nefesh elokis. Separates us from Hashem.
This comes about through breaking one’s heart- bitterness-
Zohar explains: zivchei elokim- korbanos brought to havaya- zevach to elokim- breaking the heart – bring nefesh Habahamis as a korban
2 types of teshuva:
teshuva tetaah
teshuva ila’ah
teshuva= tashuv hey- havaya
Neshama is chelek eloka mimaal- the hey of Hashem – schina –
When a person does teshuva he brings back the hey from the hands of klipos out of golus. When we do a sin- bring the schina down into golus – schina going into golus was a result of our actions. His nefesh habahamis takes full control of the person, and he doesn’t have the help of nitzus elokis because it fell into golus. His nefesh, ruach & neshama are now help captive in the hands of klipa. When a person will break his heart & break the klipa & sitra achra, the klipos will become dispiursed, and the hey could get up our of golus and stand firm.
PEREK YUD CHES
1. What is the root of this ahava?
2. how to we come to inherit this ahava?
3. What is the nature of this ahava mesuteres?
4. How does it incorporate also a fear?
In a nefesh of malchus d’asiya (lowest of the low) chochma of Hashem is enlcothed and gets its chayus from oh rain sof. So every neshama has the highest aspect within it. A neshama is brought down by parents- based on the parents conduct, that is the type of neshama they will draw down to their children- but we find that sometimes the lowest of the low people will bring down a neshama that is so high. How is that possible? The sattan wants that this holy neshama will go down and be influenced by the family and become a rasha. But sometimes an extra special neshama can overcome the situation and become a tzaddik and break out of the bounds of his family and become higher. Avraham, Rivka, Rabbi Akiva. The chochma is mislabesh in the neshama no matter what the level of the neshama is. Chochma is something that is higher than seichel – koach mah- first flash. The ohr ain sof is elothed in chochma. A creation can never understand it’s creator. “A foolish person believes, a clever person understands.”
Pasuk: “Ani vaer vlo eida bheima yishayisi imach” I am foolish & ignorant, I come to you like a beast & that is why I’m constantly with you
When something is on the level of seichel, its foolish to just believe- but if it’s something that’s above seichel- Hashem- we can only approach it with emunah. Someone who thinks he understands Hashem can never truly be close to Hashem. This emunah comes from the chochma he has from oh rain sof. That is why a kal shebikalim will give up his life for Hashem. A person has to think about that kal vchomer is someone so low can do this, we who do have some seichel we should be able to give up our lives for it and overcome our challenges.
PEREK CHOF VOV
When 2 people are fighting the person who is enthusiastic and energetic will win and the one who is depressed & not into it will lose. It doesn’t have to do with how strong you are- it’s your feeling.
You also have a nefesh hasichlis- it’s the deciding factor between the 2 nefashos. It can either be lazy or strong and deal properly with the nefesh elokis then it has the strength to do that.
Sadness & laziness comes from timtum halev- dullness of heart- person has to be happy, chayusdik,
“bchol eitzed yihiyeh mosar” there’s some benefit in every sadness- can there be some advantage to sadness? No in essence there is no benefit from sadness itself- take a situation that could have put you down and see what you can learn/benefit from it & grow from it-elevate the situation
the sadness itself was never good- it’s what you take from it
True sadness is when a person is sad because his neshema went so low and was so into gashmius things- but he can only have that at set times when he’s not busy supposed to be doing other things (learning, shabbos, at a farbrengen etc).
you can benefit from what happens after sadness, but there are some times we should never be sad,
if something happens to you and you get angry it’s your problem – Hashem wants you to hear that message
2 categories of sadness:
milei dalma: health, children, parnassa
simcha is the only way you can do mitzvos properly with zrizus and chayus
i can control the way I think
the advice that razal give us on how to get rid of sadness/worry whether it’s gashmiusdike matters, even with children, health & parnassa, “just like when something good happens he says the bracha ‘hatov vhameitiv’ and when something bad happens you say ‘baruch dayan haemes’ with the same joy and acceptance a person has to make the brocha on the bad- but it’s not the same bracha. Because gam zu ltova, it’s just not revealed to us because, it’s really a higher good from olam diskasya – too high for us to see.
In maariv say:
yotzer ohr - yetzira
uvorei choshech – beriah
lower level of good that we can see comes from yetzira
example: when a rav is trying to explain something to a talmid, and in his mind and its clear, but only when he brings it down to a lower level and explains it in mashalim the student can get it. The higher something is the more concealed, the lower something is the more revealed it is.
Yud kay / vov kay ( atzilus, briah, yetzira, asiya)
The vov kay is revealed to us (olam disgalya), the yud kay it choshech, what’s too high to see.
Ashrei hagever asher tiyasrenu kah – praiseworthy is a person that is happy with Hashem gives him yisurim – kah – higher level.
Hashem gave the yidden 3 things and they all came with yisurim:
1. torah
2. eretz yisroel
3. bais hamikdosh
yisurim bring out a much higher light – you appreciate something so much more after yisurim
Milei Dishmaya: When someone is sad that their avodas Hashem is lacking, doesn’t feel something at 770, doesn’t feel prepared for a special day etc.
reviewing milei dalma:
“meotzarcha hatov lanu tiftach”
minhag chabad: “meotzarcha hatov lanu / tiftach” it should be revealed to US that it’s good
everyone else: “meotzarcha hatov / lanu tiftach”
we don’t ask for yisurim – we want it in a revealed way.
* * * *
if thinking about your aveira will just make you sad when you’re supposed to be bsimcha then you’re not supposed to think about it
if it will motivate you to take action, take on an extra hachlata, etc. – then you should deal with it then – positive outcome
even a person that’s a business man (mother busy with everything she needs to do – not necessarily ruchniusdike things) that’s also not a time to be sad – a person has to realize if any sadness falls into his mind because how could sadness come to someone of he’s having true yiras Hashem and ahavas Hashem. When someone is sad, depressed etc. goes away from torah & mitzvos, gets into gashmiusdike things, etc.
How do we know if the thoughts aren’t from the yetzer hara? I should try to better myself, coming from the fact that I am so far from Hashem.
Specific times that are good to contemplate: krias shema, when he’s not busy with other things,
And then he doesn’t have to be sad because he can know that Hashem forvage him and removed his sins, and this is the true simcha he has in Hashem. We said how a greater joy comes from sadness.
PEREK CHOF ZAYIN
if depressing thoughts fall into his mind when it’s not a time of avodah (davening or learning) but when he’s busy with – he should rejoice in the fact that he has hirhurim ra’im that he can push away – not be sad about them – every time a person has hihrurim ra’im he has the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of lo sasuru acharei livavchem vacharei einechem – a mitzvah chance to connect to Hashem
we have to know that our avoda is a different avoda than a tzaddik – our avoda is iskafya – theres no greater pleasure Hashem gets than from us doing iskafya
a person shouldn’t be sad because of hirhurim ra’im – if the person would recognize that he’s NOT a tzaddik that doesn’t have hirhurim ra’im – and he shouldn’t think he’s so great that he shouldn’ t have hirhurim ra’im
a person should want all his life to be a beinoni and not be a rasha for even a second
when you push hirhurim ra’im away you squash the sitra achra
when we dwell on hirhurim raim were giving chayus to klipa
when we push away the sitra achra down here – the root of the sitra achra above is also pushed away which soars like an eagle
like It says in zohar ‘ the tremendous satisfaction Hashem gets from when we suppress the sitra achra, the kudhsa brich hu will be able to rise higher and higher more than all the praises of tzaddikim and malachim
sicha: istalek – leaving, going higher. From such a high level that’s where Hashem will receive the nachas ruach, and it will come back down to us – Hashem will give us kochos & rewards
“you shouldn’t be VERY depressed” – but it has to trouble you still a little bit, just not get depressed from it
if someones feeling bad that he’ll never get better, always the same struggle – know that that could be what you were created for- that specific struggle
a person can never really get rid of the sitra achara except tzaddikim
matamim – lashon rabim because of the 2 kinds
everything was created for Hashem- gam rasha lyom ra
not created to be punished – created so reshaim can create yom – light, kedusha
every time a person shechts his yetzer hara – example – he wants to eat and he delays his seuda
everyone eats in the 4th hour – talmidei chachamim eat in the 6th hour – would push it off for 2 hours, even though after they eat they’re going back to learning
someone who restrains his mouth from sayinig
mitzvas asei – hiskadashtem bmutar lo
then Hashem makes you holy and gives you this holiness as a present
PEREK CHOF CHES
if a tayva came to a person during davening or learning he could come to the conclusion that there’s a reason that he should be upset
when a person has tayvos he cannot elevate his middos – only a tzaddik can – because he’s nogea bedavar -
he should try to daven with stronger concentration
a person has to realize that davening is a time of battle – that a person comes to fight a person when he’s doing the right things -
PEREK CHOF TES
timtum halev
beinonim have to look for ways to figure out how to deal with difficulties in his life – timtum halev – hard to daven – avoda sheb’lev – or doesn’t have strength to overcome yetzer hara in things that are mutar
when there is a piece of wood that won’t catch fire, you have to splinter it
a person also has to look at his dreams – if he cant find anything else bad, that can crush him if he’s not having good/ruchniusdik dreams. By him crushing himself, the klipa will be pushed down as well,
there’s another way for a person to crush the yetzer hara in order to serve the way he’s supposed to – to scream (in his mind) you are bad – a rasha –
Question: Why is it that when I’ll scream, how is it possible that I’ll accomplish anything? Hashem’s the one giving chayus to the nefesh habahamis! Really the sitra achra has to substance to it
when we say I we talk about our nefesh habahamis
neshama shenasata bi – put nefesh elokis into ME (guf)
Every single yid believes in Hashem and in essence want to give ourselves over to Hashem—so then why does a person feel such an ego?
Has to look at his dreams, whether they are kedusha or not –
Why will yelling at our nefesh habahamis get rid of klipa? Just like darkness – has no real existence – when we bring light it automatically leaves
It might seem like klipa has so much chayus – but all the chayus that the nefesh habahamis has doesn’t come from itself – comes from kedusha
Our nefesh elokis has power of our nefesh habahamis – my nefesh habahamis can control my nefesh elokis, but can’t control someone else’s nefesh elokis
so if klipa has no existance then why is it so hard to take control over my nefesh habahamis? Hashem has given klipa extra koach, but when there’s isarusa delatata Hashem takes away that koach and makes it easier for the nefesh elokis to rule over.
We see this by the meraglim: they said ‘ki chazak hu memenu’ – the’re stronger than Hashem – they didn’t believe in Hashem’s power
They went back on their words – we’re ready – we’ll do whatever Hashem wants. Where did this emunah come from? Once they were reprimanded they were crushed and then it crushed the klipa and revealed their emuna
A person has to know that all doubts are from the sitra achra
Like the mashal of the king who hired a zona to tempt his son – but the zonah knows that he wants the son to resis
PEREK LAMED
How can we accomplish feeling lower than everyone, even kal shebikalim? He sees these temptations all day, and his yetzer hara burns like a fire
Then there are people that are mostly at home and they’re not constantly encountering these things. Or someone who is in that situation, who is in the marketplace all day, but he still doesn’t have such a stron tayva. And someone who is in the marketplace all day, and does have a strong tayva,
When a person realizes that he probably doesn’t have the same kind of fight the other person’s having, doesn’t have the same desires, doesn’t have as strong a yetzer hara, etc. – am I having a milchama in the things that are difficult for ME? So then I’m really no better than him.
Why should one use sadness (klipas noga) to break klipa? Like the ax handle has to be made from wood to chop down the tree- you can only crush the klipa through klipa itself
There is a gain from every sadness – the happiness that comes out of it – uses the time of sadness to come closer to Hashem and take stock of himself
Here we’re talking about merirus – not atzvus – you’re supposed to take action
SUMMARY OF PEREK CHOF ZAYIN
If a person has depressing thoughts while he’s doing mundane things, he shouldn’t be sad CH”V, but it’s a reason to be happy because he has the chance to fulfill the mitzvah ‘lo sasuru acharei livavchem vacharei livavchem”. When he pushes away this thought he should know he’s actually fulfilling a mitzvas asei! If he’s depressed that he’s not on the level of a tzaddik, this is from his gayva, because he doesn’t know his place and he thinks he’s on the level of a tzaddik. He should realize his place and know that the avoda of a beinoni is iskafya, and this iskafya gives great nachas to Hashem. This is why it says ‘barasa reshaim, barasa tzaddikim’ means that Hashem created us so that we can battle with our yetzer. There are two types of pleasures Hashem gets from us: Ishapcha – transforming darkness to light – and iskafya – pushing away the sitra achra. Just like there are two good flavors of food – one sweet and one that’s more of a spicy taste that has a sharpness to it. The avoda of tzaddikim has no connection to sitra achra and is totally sweet, but the avoda of a beinoni brings great pleasure to Hashem also. Iskafya also includes holding yourself back from your tayvas for permissible things as well. Like it say, “mikadesh atzmecha bmutar lo’ that through having iskafya with permissible things.
Lessons:
1. We should always be b’simcha except for specific times.
2. Realize that hirhurim raim really give you a great opportunity.
3. Have iskafya, even with things that are permissible.
SUMMARY OF PEREK CHOF CHES
If hirhurim raim come to someone during learning or davening one should push them away. He shouldn’t think he can elevate them through thinking about them, because that’s the avoda of tzaddikim. He should know that these thoughts come from klipa to make him sad, but he has to be serving Hashem with simcha! He should be happy that he has these hirhurim raim, because it means that since he’s having good kavana, his yetzer hara has to also counter back with something stronger. So these thoughts are really a sign that he’s davening with a lot of kavana! So he should push the thoughts away and continue davening with stronger kavana.
Lessons:
1. Push away bad thoughts during davening.
2. We have to be b’simcha when we daven,
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