This esaay “The Mussar Letter” reprinted with the kind permission of Rabbi Avraham Goldstein from:
A letter from the Father of the Mussar Movement.
By HaRav HaGaon Rabbi Yisrael Salant,
Father of the Mussar (Ethical Development) Movement
Translated by Rabbi Tzvi Miller
Man is created to be free in his imagination and bound by his intellect. But, his unbridled imagination draws him mischievously in the way of his heart’s desire without fear of the certain future – the time when G-d will examine all of his affairs. He will be afflicted with severe Judgment; there is no one else to be seized in his place. He alone will bear the fruit of his sin; the transgressor and the punished are one and the same. It is very bitter. No man can say: this is my illness and I shall bear it.
The calamities of this world are sorrowful, however, the punishments of sin are far more severe. The soul of man will be extremely anguished, a day will seem as a year. Woe to the imagination, this evil enemy! It is within our hands, within our power to repel him by giving an attentive ear to the intellect, to grasp the truth and measure the reward of sin against its loss. Yet what can we do, the imagination is a flooding river and the intellect will drown unless we place it on a ship. The ship is the awakening of Fear of G-d in the soul and the great dread of His punishments in our spirit.
In all matters and things there is the general and the particular. If we do not study the general then we cannot understand the particular. For the particular must have the qualities of the general, yet, there can be a general without the specific qualities of the particular. Hence, the beginning of everything is the general; and the particulars emanate from this.
Now, let us please consider our obligatory service to our Creator, may He be blessed. Should we not consider what is the general – from which the particulars emanate?
Without knowledge or contemplation, we can recognize that we are aware of the belief that the A-mighty is the Judge, rendering to each man according to his actions. This is the beginning step in our service of G-d, may He be blessed. If a 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 gauge the quality and quantity of this 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 pleasures far beyond our ability to understand and feel.
This is mentioned in Tractate Makos 24a: Habbakuk came and unified the entire Torah into one concept – the Tzaddik (the righteous man) lives by his faith. Also in Tractate Baba Basra 78b: Therefore the rulers say, “Come let us make an accounting – the loss of a Mitzvah versus its reward, and the reward of a transgression versus its loss.”
Yet, most unfortunately, this general awareness of faith remains hidden within us, concealed in the depths of our hearts. We are devoid of conscious awareness, unless we dedicate ourselves to till the ground of our hearts through the expansive thoughts of Musar. Without making this effort, our general faith does not project its glory 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 unethical business practices, and the worst of all, the neglect of Torah study. In short, there is no soundness in any part of our body. Especially, in light of the statement of our Sages in Tractate Sukka 52:a, The greater the person, the greater the evil inclination. Thus, we perpetrate grave and consequential transgressions. Yet, because of the darkness in our hearts, we are as the blind – we do not see their enormity. Only if we view them through a viewing glass – the healthy intellect looking through the lens of the faithful Torah – only then do we perceive the great overwhelming seriousness of our transgressions.
Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, allude to this in Tractate Yuma 9b: Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because of the following three things that occurred there – idol worship, immorality, and murder. Yet in the period of the Second Temple, they were involved in Torah study, and Mitzvos and acts of Kindness – so why was it destroyed? As a result of the baseless hatred that was there. Rav Yochanan and Rav Eliezer both said, “Since concerning the First Temple, their transgressions were revealed – their 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 of the observer. Whereas, in the period of the Second Temple, these transgressions could only be detected by exacting contemplation of their immense severity, and of their ceaseless branching out into more and more transgressions in every aspect of our lives.
The passage in Tractate Yuma 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 we mentioned above: The greater the person, the greater the evil inclination. Thus, during the Second Temple period, when they were involved in Torah study, Mitzvos, and acts of Kindness – their evil inclination was enormous. It caused them to fall into potent transgressions. The awful evil of these sins is known to those who contemplate the truth.
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 A-mighty evaluates every act that the individual has done, as it was recorded in the Ledger. G-d 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 Ecclesiastes 9:4, He who remains connected to any life at all, has hope – for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For, as long as a man is alive, he has security and hope that he may direct his heart to Repentance; but, when he dies, his hope is lost.
This being so, as long as our souls remain within us, we should quickly correct our course to the good. Yet, there is a 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 Tractate Shabbos 31b, Perhaps you will say death has been forgotten? Also, if we see with our eyes the death of people like ourselves, it does not motivate our soul to repent with our full heart to our Creator. Yet, ultimately, we will come before Him for Judgment, and he will rebuke us, for all the evil we have committed. This most common reaction is just the opposite of what it says in Ecclesiastes, 7:2, It is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting – for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to their hearts. Our numbness is due to the multitude of sins that have dulled our hearts – they have become as hard as a stone.
Thus, as it is stated in Tractate Yuma 39a: “ Do not defile yourselves with them or become defiled through them.. “ (Leviticus 11:43). Do not follow the primary meaning of defiled, rather follow the secondary meaning – dulled. Therefore our transgressions are hidden from us and we do not readily recognize them. As is stated in Tractate Kiddushln 40a: When a person transgresses and repeats the transgression – it becomes as if it were permitted to him – and these sins will surround him on the day of Judgment. Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, mention this in Tractate Avoda Zara 18a: The sins that a person casts under his heels – surround him on the day of Judgment. Alas! Have we lost our hope, G-d forbid? Is there no remedy for us, Heaven forbid?
Only one thing have we found; it is wisdom and not an art. Let us discuss it a little, and it will benefit us greatly.
Let us contemplate with our hearts the subject 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 grab food which is sweet to his palate, and he forgets that this will bring him to a deterioration of his illness. Therefore our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said in Pirkei Avos 4:1: Who is the wise man? The one who foresees the future. It also says in Sota 3a: A man does not transgress unless a spirit of foolishness enters within him. This is the sum total of all his work in his service to the Blessed One – to contemplate the fear of heaven contained within the fear of punishment. This is accomplished by means of Musar 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 in Tractate Sandhedrin 7a: “A judge should always picture a sword between his legs and Gehenom open beneath him. This visualization assists the judge to be intellectually straight; and it also applies to everyone else, to guard oneself from the evil mishap of severe transgressions. If he will do this and his heart will understand – he will repent, and it will be a healing balm to him.
How great is the evil of man upon the earth! There are none who seek righteousness and none who think about the Fear of G-d. No one sets fixed and organized times to toil in understanding the Fear of G-d, to draw up the waters of understanding from the belief that is hidden and concealed in the inner recesses of his heart. And still further, to broaden and fortify this belief, to give it strength and power, and to place the burden on his shoulder, to rule over the limbs of his body acting according to the Torah without overstepping any boundaries. This is the second category of transgressions 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. It is a wonder and it is called wondrous that a person does not apply his heart to contemplate the Fear of G-d 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 especially true about the transgressions of speech, for what benefit does the speaker derive from doing them.
We can apply these two categories of sin to find a compromise between two schools of thought, concerning the definition of the evil inclination and the good inclination. The first, more common view, asserts that the evil inclination is the force of impurity in man that induces him to transgress. Whereas, the good inclination is the force of holiness in man that guides him to do good. This view is the most prevalent view. The second view asserts that the evil inclination is the force of human desire, that looks to each sweet thing in its time. It gathers these pleasantries and clings to them and loves them. Whereas the good inclination is the straight intellect that looks beyond these things to see the result – the awe and Fear of G-d, may He be blessed, and the precise measure of His awesome judgments. This individual chooses the advantageous way, to conquer his desire, so that he will be sated with delight and with wondrous pleasure in the time to come. The glory of this pleasure is beyond description.
We see that the affairs of man constantly vary – each person clinging to different transgressions. There are those whose transgressions are more inclined towards neglect of Torah study than unfaithful business practices; and there are those who are more inclined towards unfaithful business practices than neglect of Torah study. No person is like another when it comes to transgression. Yet, if the evil inclination were only the force of impurity, and not desire, why is everybody not corrupted equally, and in the same way? However, if we assume that the evil inclination is 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, and his temperament is influenced by the circumstances of his life; therefore, each person’s transgressions vary according the unique elements of his life.
Yet, even this vast range of temperaments and desires cannot explain the phenomena of human conduct. Don’t we see with our own eyes people committing transgressions which 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 self-aggrandizement. This conflict in personality is caused by the impurity of spirit and not by desire.
We now understand that the evil inclination is both the power of desire as well as the impurity of spirit. Likewise, the good inclination is the healthy intellect that sees the results of a person’s deeds, as well as the holiness of spirit within man.
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. Not only are the bodily aspects apparent to the physical eye, but even the aspects of the soul are known only from the functioning of the body. The physical strategies and designs to maintain the soul within the body are exclusively performed by the body. This is accomplished through a wholesome diet and protection from danger. For it is not natural for the soul to yearn to remain within the confines of the body.
Likewise, in the service of the Eternal, may His name be blessed, the primary spiritual device to empower the good inclination with both the force holiness and the clarity of intellect, and to repel the evil inclination with 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 the fear of G-d and the Musar which emanates from the pure Torah.
This concept is taught by our Rabbis, of blessed memory, in Tractate Baba Basra 16a: Job 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 the Garden of Eden and you created Gehenom. You created righteous people and you created evil people. Who can overcome your power” ? Job’s friends answered him, “You have denied fear of the Eternal and you have diminished the power of prayer”. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, created the evil inclination and also its remedy – 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 – viscerally perceptible. Thus the healing remedy for all the ills of the soul, is the focusing of man’s heart and soul on the fear of punishments 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 transgression. For instance, for arrogance, 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, its appropriate Torah teachings.
The stronghold and prime element in the utilization of the healing powers of the Torah to cure the disease of the evil inclination, is the intense, concentrated, and deep study of the laws of the particular transgression. Man naturally refrains from many transgressions, and he will not submit to them even under pressure or duress. On the other hand, there are more stringent transgressions, that 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.
We see from this example, that it is essential in guarding 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 Musar, to dedicate himself with all his feelings and thoughts to refrain from speaking slander – even so, he is likely to fail. As long as he has not transformed his nature and his habits of conduct to the extent that he has no natural tendency to speak slanderously, he will still succumb more easily to slander than to eating without washing of the hands. This is the pattern in all types of transgression, each one in accordance with the individual, his time and place. Each place varies according to its situation. Every district has certain transgressions which the community easily refrains from and naturally avoids.
We know that the transformation of nature is generated by study and consistency of habit. Therefore, the main principle and the strong pillar to prepare oneself to guard against transgression and to perform Mitzvos is the study of the law germane to that transgression or Mitzvah. This study must be pursued in great depth and detail. This method of study affects a strong acquisition within the soul; his character will gradually change so that the transgression is naturally distant from him.
For an illustration, in our district, praise to the A-mighty, the injunction to abstain from non-kosher meat is naturally implanted within the souls of Israel. So strong is this proclivity, that no one has to force his nature and desire to abstain from non-kosher meat – it is foreign to him. There is no kosher butcher who would not consult a competent, Halachic authority concerning the status of any questionable meat. Even if his inquiry would cause him a significant loss, the Fear of G-d is within him – in his nature and his ways. This generates the attitude: “G-d forbid, that I should do evil, and deceive my fellow Jews.”
However, in the multitude of our sinful business dealings, we find just the opposite. Most people do not seek advice concerning a suspicion of stealing from their fellow. Often times they oppress victims, even before legal claims are fairly evaluated. Some people, even after legal decisions are made – execute deceptive or strong-armed tactics. Doesn’t the Torah view all these things equally – all of them are classified as transgressions, according to the Torah and its’ judgments. Thus, whether in a case of non-kosher meat, or “you shall not steal”, or “you shall not oppress your fellow”, all of these are equally transgressions of the Torah.
It is naturally ingrained in the soul of Israel – all non-kosher meat is forbidden to him; and whatever meat is declared non-kosher by a Halachic authority – he will distance himself from it and conduct himself only according to the Torah. So too in money matters – whatever the Torah classifies as belonging to his fellow, if someone else besides the owner has it – this is stealing, and he transgresses “you shall not steal”. We see, in the multitude of our transgressions – even the scholars and also, almost all the G-d Fearing people are not cautious to refrain from this sin. And yet, so serious is this transgression, that Yom Kippur and even death, do not grant Atonement.
Yet, if a man will direct his heart and soul to learn in depth the Laws germane to business matters from the Talmud and the Halachic Authorities, each person according to his ability – a character transformation will take place. If the focus of his study is to internalize the knowledge of the forbidden and the permitted, then his study will be particularly effective to guard him from stealing. Even if at first he is unable to desist from all infringements of stealing, he should not despair – for this is due to the strong desire to steal, as well as, the prevalent practices of society. He should know with certainty how great is the power of Musar, that slowly a vast acquisition of knowledge and new habits will take root in his Soul. Eventually, questions concerning Kashrus and questions concerning stealing will be equally important in his eyes.
Even if the man has fallen to transgressions that are not generally committed, like adultery – appropriate study will change him. If the evil inclination has so overcome him, that he considered the sin permitted, may G-d have Mercy – the essential remedy is the same deep study of the relevant laws, with intention to fulfill them. This will slowly bear fruits to empower his Soul to be on guard from descending to Gehenom; or at least, he will not brazenly commit the sin. He will have strength and resolve manifested through much study of the relevant Laws, associated with the accustomed transgression. Eventually this will help him acquire a different nature and the notion to transgress will not arise in his heart; even if the situation is difficult.
Amongst the Torah’s remedies for the evil inclination, is there also a spiritual aspect of healing. As it says in Tractate Sota 21a: All the time that a person studies Torah, the Torah saves him. It makes no difference which subject he is learning. If he is studying the Laws of property damage – it will save him from speaking slander. Even if the Torah topic he is perusing does not pertain to the transgression – the spirituality of the Torah will guard him.
If we look with a penetrating eye, we see that the central strategy for the cure of the evil inclination lies within the physical aspect – the contemplation of the Fear of G-d, and the study of the appropriate laws. Whereas, the other remedy, the spiritual aspect, comes in only subsequently; and therefore is classified as a secondary cure. The Mitzvah to study Torah is separate and independent of our current discussion and the parameters of obligation in this Mitzvah are delineated in the Laws of Torah Study. The degree to which the evil inclination is overwhelming, does not change how much Torah a person is obligated to learn. Rather, one needs to fulfill his obligation of Torah study, regardless of the condition of the evil inclination. Furthermore, it may not be within his power to learn more than his requirement. Hence, when he properly fulfills his Mitzvah of Torah study, at least the spiritual remedy for the evil inclination will accordingly be extended to him.
However, the physical aspect – the contemplation of the Fear of G-d and the study of the relevant laws, is a primary remedy. A person needs to conduct himself with regard to this primary remedy in the same manner as he does with the healing of bodily disease. That is to say, the degree of the illness is proportionate to the degree of the remedy – in quality and quantity. Also, in disease of the Soul, the cure is based on the degree of the illness. As long as this evil inclination is attacking him, to that extent is there a demand to increase contemplation of the Fear of G-d and the study of the appropriate Laws. If man does not use this physical remedy, then also the spiritual remedy – the study of Torah will not render much influence over the illness of the evil inclination. This is comparable to the health of man, in that the spiritual function – the Soul – is sustained by the corporal functions.
The enemy that ambushes man is the evil inclination. It works on him to turn his heart to stone. Man is rendered so blind that he does not sense his awful transgressions, nor his shortcomings. Hence, he does not endeavor to save himself. He does not contemplate on the Fear of G-d, to seek an effective remedy – the physical aspect of healing.
In order to heal himself, then, a man should direct his heart to bring merit to the public by arousing them to contemplate the Fear of G-d and Musar. It is human nature to observe other people’s shortcomings, and recognize that they need much Musar. Thus, he should strengthen himself with all of his power to inspire the public study of Musar. When many people will be helped and the Fear of G-d will be increased, then the merit of many will be dependent on him. Consequently, ever so slowly, the study of Musar will guide him on the path of Righteousness. Thus, his public teaching of Musar will be a physical, as well as, a spiritual healing to him. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said in Tractate Yoma 87a: “Everyone who brings merit to the public – no sin will come to his hand.
How exceedingly great should this Mitzvah be in the eyes of man! He should put his heart and Soul to guide people to study Musar – to save their Souls from Gehenom. It says in Tractate Shabbos 151b: All who have mercy on the creations, Heaven will have mercy on them. There is no greater mercy than to remind and inspire people to study the Fear of G-d. Then, with their eyes they will see and their ears will hear, and their heart will understand the great stumbling block before them. They will sigh about the time of Judgment. Then they will return to G-d, may He be Blessed, so that they will depart from evil and do good. The man that is so inspired to do this, will share a goodly portion in everything that is generated from his efforts. He will delight in the Eternal delights – that no physical eye has ever seen. It is beyond human understanding to fathom and perceive the quantity and quality of the reward of this Mitzvah. The effort is relatively small and the reward is great – beyond all our ability to value and measure. Every man should put his eye and the power of his intellect to this great thing – and he will be a Master of his Soul!
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