Chapter Thirty-One

[In chapter 29 the Alter Rebbe began to deal with the problem of timtum halev, insensitivity of the heart. He quoted the statement of the Zohar that a body impervious to the light of the soul needs to be crushed. By crushing one's spirit, one crushes the sitra achra of his animal soul, whose arrogance is the cause of timtum halev.

In chapters 29-30, the Alter Rebbe described various means of arriving at a feeling of contrition (lit., brokenheartedness); e.g., reflecting on one's spiritual failings in not waging an adequately strenuous battle against his evil impulse, and realizing that one's failure in this area places him on a level lower than that of the lowliest of his fellow Jews (as explained at length in chapter 30).

But while these methods may effectively dispel timtum halev, they would seem to have an undesirable side-effect (namely) - depression. Chapter 31 deals with this problem].

Even if dwelling long and deeply into the above-mentioned matters for an hour or two, to be lowly of spirit and contrite of heart, leads one to profound depression, let him not be perturbed.

True, atzvut [depression] derives from the realm of kelipat nogah, not of holiness.

For concerning the realm of holiness it is written: [1] "Strength and gladness are in His place;" and likewise, [2] "The Divine Presence abides... only in [man's],... and the same [joy is required] for the study of the Halachah."

[Any depression, then, comes from the realm of kelipat nogah], except that if the depression is due to spiritual matters [arising from one's realization of his spiritual failings], it stems from the good contained in kelipat nogah; [for, as mentioned in chapter 1, kelipat nogah contains both good and evil - the evil in nogah is the source of ordinary depression, and the positive element in nogah gives rise to spiritually motivated depression. Yet, even the element of good contained in nogah is, after all, kelipah].

( [3] For this reason the AriZal writes that even worry over one's sins is appropriate only during confession, but not during prayer and Torah study. These must be conducted with a joy deriving exclusively from the realm of holiness, [as opposed to frivolity and the like.)

Why then should one strive to crush the spirit of sitra achra with methods that lead to depression, which itself stems from the sitra achra of nogah]?

Yet, this is precisely the method of humbling the sitra achra - through something of its own species and kind; [i.e., the sitra achra is most effectively attacked by utilizing the good contained within it as a weapon against itself].

As our Sages expressed it: [4] "From the forest itself comes [the handle for] the ax [which fells the forest]"; and [in a similar vein], [5] "He encountered one of his own kind."

Of this [sadness resulting from contemplation of one's spiritual state] it is written, [6] "In every sadness there will be profit." The profit lies in the joy which follows the sadness, as will be explained later - [i.e., in what way the sadness itself leads to joy].

In truth, however, the state of being contrite of heart and bitter of soul [i.e., remorseful] over one's remoteness from G-d, and over the fact that one's soul is clothed in the sitra achra, - this state can by no means be described in the Holy Tongue [Hebrew] by the term "atzvut."

[The word atzvut, meaning "melancholy," stems from a root which means "constricted." In this context, it refers to a numbing depression that constricts one's heart, blocking out all feeling, as the Alter Rebbe continues]:

For "atzvut" means that one's heart is as dull as a stone, and that there is no vitality - [arousal of feeling] - in his heart.

But "bitterness" (merirut) and contrition are just the opposite, since the very fact that one is moved to be embittered is itself a sign of life, except that this vitality derives from the holy attributes of severity (gevurot) [and it therefore expresses itself as bitterness], whereas joy derives from the holy attributes of kindness (chasadim), for the heart contains both of these attributes - [kindness and severity.

At any rate, we see that the dejection accompanying one's disappointment with his spiritual situation stems from the realm of holiness, unlike atzvut, which derives from kelipat nogah]. [7]

***[Note! For clarity on this please read/study note 7 below].***

At times one must arouse the holy attributes of severity (gevurot) in order to temper [lit., "sweeten"] stern judgements, which [in this context] denote the animal soul and the evil inclination, whenever it [the evil inclination] dominates a man, G-d forbid, for stern judgements [i.e., restraints on one's spiritual wellbeing] can only be "sweetened" by means of their source.

[All evil is simply a degenerate form of the attribute of severity (gevurot) that derives from the realm of holiness. Myriad "contractions" (tzimtzumim) and descents of this attribute transform it to evil, the evil of kelipah.

Naturally, this includes also the sitra achra of one's animal soul and his evil impulse. In order to elevate or "sweeten" evil, to return evil to the realm of holiness, it is necessary to bring its source to bear on it.

In terms of one's divine service, this means crushing one's evil impulse by merirut, bitter remorse, which derives its vitality from the holy attribute of severity - the source of the evil impulse].

For this reason our Sages said: [8] "One should *always* incite the good inclination to anger [against the evil inclination."

Since anger stems from the attribute of severity, it is capable of "sweetening" the evil inclination.

The word "always" ("one should always incite...") is, however, to be understood in a qualified sense.

Joy, not severity, is usually the proper setting for divine service. Thus, when our Sages state that one should *always* incite the good inclination], this means - whenever he finds it necessary for himself; [as, for example, when one sees that the arrogance of his animal soul does not permit the light of his divine soul to penetrate his heart, causing timtum halev].

However, the appropriate time for this ["anger" of the divine soul at the animal soul, meaning], the time which is opportune and fitting for most people, is when one is in any case depressed over mundane matters, or just so, without any [discernible] cause. [9]

***[Note! For clarity on this please read/study note 9 below].***

This is an opportune time for redirecting the depression [toward spiritual matters], to be among the "masters of accounts" mentioned above, [i.e., to engage in soul-searching and spiritual stocktaking], and to fulfill [the previously mentioned] teaching of our Sages, that one should always incite [his good inclination against his evil inclination, since both of these paths harness the attribute of severity].

He will thus also be rid of the depression brought on by mundane matters.

[I.e., redirecting his depression into soul-searching, and into anger at his evil inclination, will dispel the mundane depression].

He will then arrive at a true joy, as follows: In order to comfort his heart in double measure, let him - in the wake of the above words of truth [concerning his lowly spiritual stature] - tell himself the following.

Let him say to his heart: "Indeed, without a doubt, I am far removed, utterly remote from G-d, and am despicable, contemptible, and so on. But all this is true only of me - that is, my body and the animating soul within it.

Yet within me there is a veritable `part' of G-d, which is present even in the most worthless of my fellows, [so that even if I am no better than he, I still have this `part' of G-d within me], namely, the divine soul and the spark of G-dliness itself clothed in it, animating it.

It is only that [when the body and animating soul are in such a lowly state], the divine soul is in exile [within them].

"If so, then, on the contrary, the further I am removed from G-d, and the more despicable and contemptible, the deeper in exile is my divine soul, and all the more is it to be pitied.

"Therefore, I will make it my entire aim and desire to extricate it from this exile, and to `return her to her father's house [i.e., to restore it to its source and its original state] as in her youth," i.e., as it was before being clothed in my body, when it was completely absorbed in G-d's light and united with Him.

[The comfort (attained by this) is dual: not only is his depression eliminated, but he will also attain a joy which he would never experience were it not for his earlier depression].

"Now too, will it [the divine soul] likewise be absorbed and united with Him once again, when I concentrate all my aspirations on the Torah and the mitzvot, [in an effort] to clothe therein all [of the soul's] ten faculties; [i.e., by applying my mental faculties to Torah study, and my emotive faculties to the performance of the mitzvot with the vitality lent them by the love and fear of G-d, as explained above in chapter 4. Thus will my divine soul be reunited with G-d].

"Especially in [fulfilling] the mitzvah of prayer [will I try to release my divine soul], by crying out to G-d because of the distress of its exile in my loathsome body, so that He release it from captivity and bind it to Himself."

This [service of G-d, in which one seeks to restore the soul to its source], is referred to as [10] "teshuvah *with* good deeds."

[This is an oft-used Talmudic expression denoting the mitzvot (as in the statement, "One hour of teshuvah with good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come").

At first glance, the juxtaposition of the two seems incongruous; teshuvah deals with atoning for one's past imperfections, while "good deeds" are performed in the present and would seem to bear no relation to one's past.

According to the Alter Rebbe's statement, however, that one's performance of the mitzvot should be motivated by a desire to return his soul to its source within G-d, the connection between the two is clear: the "good deeds" themselves actually constitute teshuvah, which means "return." As the Alter Rebbe continues]:

This denotes the "good deeds" which one does with the intention of returning the soul which is part of G-d, to the [Divine] source and root of all the worlds.

This, then, should be one's lifelong [aim in the] service of G-d with great joy - the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body, and returning, during one's study of the Torah and service of G-d [through prayer], to "her father's house as in her youth," [i.e., to the unity with G-d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body].

This corresponds to the statement of our Sages [11] that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.

[If the word teshuvah is understood only in the sense of repentance for sin, why the need for further repentance once one has already repented? However, teshuvah as explained here, returning the soul to its source, is something in which one may well engage throughout his life - whenever he studies Torah or performs a mitzvah].

Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive, [and was subjected to the hard labor of] turning the millstone in prison, [12] while covered with filth, and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.

[Such a prince, descended from the Supreme King, is the soul - and by means of the Torah and the mitzvot it is redeemed from the captivity and degradation imposed on it by the body].

True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called [13]"a serpent's skin," since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good, so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.

[For, as explained above, the Beinoni may indeed elevate the "garments" of the animal soul - the thought, speech and action through which it expresses itself - by performing the mitzvot by means of his thought, speech and action; but the essential character of the animal soul - its intellectual and emotional faculties - remains subject to the realm of kelipat nogah.

How, then, can one be expected to rejoice, knowing that his body and animal soul are still in such an undesirable state]?

Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body, so that he rejoices in the soul's joy [at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body], without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.

This form of divine service - [in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body, while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state] - is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that [14] "the people escaped."

[The Jews told Pharaoh that they would leave Egypt for only three days, but upon being released from his land they escaped].

At first glance it seems strange: Why should it have been so, [in a manner of flight]? Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, [having been stricken by the Plagues?

The explanation, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say, lies in the spiritual aspect of the Exodus, and this was reflected in its physical counterpart just as every event in Jewish history reflects a parallel spiritual process.

The corporeal enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt reflected the enslavement of their souls by the kelipah of Egyptian impurity.

Their Exodus from Egypt likewise represented a spiritual liberation from this kelipah. Since the spiritual Exodus was an act of escape - i.e., their soul broke away and "escaped" from the impurity of Egypt, while the body and animal soul were still in exile within the kelipah - therefore the physical Exodus likewise assumed the manner of an escape.

In the Alter Rebbe's words]:

But [escape was necessary] because the evil in the "animal" souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, [the seat of the animal soul], for their impurity [the impurity of kelipah] did not cease until the Giving of the Torah.

Yet their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achra - the impurity of Egypt, and that it cleave to G-d. [15]

So it is written [16] - [that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul's "escape" from the impurity of the body and animal soul]: "G-d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction" [17] "[He is] my high tower and my refuge" and [18] "He is my escape..." [And the Exodus from Egypt exemplified this idea of "escape]."

Hence it is written of [the Redemption which will take place in] the time to come, when G-d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth [and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape]: [19] "You will not go out in haste, nor go in flight, for G-d will go before you."

[The Exodus from Egypt, however, took place in a manner of flight, for the evil was still strong in the people's animal soul.

Similarly, whenever one disregards the lowliness of his body and animal soul and engages in the Torah and the mitzvot in order to free the divine soul from its corporeal exile, he effects the spiritual equivalent of the Exodus from Egypt].

One may lend this teshuvah - [the restoration of his soul to its source] - additional strength from the depths of his heart, and likewise add a greater measure of light and joy to the joy of his soul [brought on by the teshuvah], by comforting his heart from its distress and sorrow, through reflecting [lit., "speaking to his heart]" with knowledge and understanding, as follows:

"Certainly it is true, [as said above, that I am utterly remote from G-d, etc.]; but it was not I who created myself [in a manner that permits the divine soul to be exiled within the impurity of the body and animal soul. It was G-d Who created me thus].

"Why then has G-d done such a thing - to cause [the divine soul] a part of His light which fills and encompasses all worlds and before which all is as naught, to descend into [the body], and be clothed in a `serpent's skin' and a `fetid drop'?

"Surely this descent must be for the sake of a subsequent ascent.

"That is, to elevate to G-d the entire animating, animal soul, which derives from kelipat nogah, and also its `garments' of thought, speech and action, by means of clothing them in the action, speech and thought of the Torah.

[For by performing the mitzvot, and by speaking and thinking words of Torah, the animal soul and its `garments' are elevated toward G-dliness].

([3] The subject of this ascent will be discussed further on at length; [20] it will be shown how this is the purpose for which the world was created.)

"If this be so, there is one thing for me to do, and this shall be my sole aim throughout my life:

To immerse therein - in the thought, speech and action of the Torah and the mitzvot - the life of my spirit and soul, as it is written, [21] "To You, G-d, I raise my soul."

"[In practical terms], this means: To bind my thought and speech with G-d's thought and speech - which are, in fact, the very laws which have been set out before us.

[For the laws of the Torah are G-d's "thought" and " speech," and by studying them one binds his own faculties of thought and speech with their Divine counterparts].

Similarly with action: [I will bind my faculty of action with G-d's faculty of action], through performing the commandments.

For this reason, the Torah is described as [22] "that which restores the soul," [i.e., it restores the soul] to its source and root.

[Moreover], concerning this [occupation in the Torah and the mitzvot which brings joy to the soul by restoring it to its source, and which banishes the sadness of its exile in the body and animal soul], it is written: [23] "G-d's commandments are just; they gladden the heart."

[When one considers that one's study of the Torah and observance of the mitzvot elevate not only his divine soul, but also his animal soul, his teshuvah will gain in depth, and the joy of his soul will gain in inte\nsity.

For although the soul's "escape" from exile within the body and animal soul (spoken of earlier) would in itself be sufficient cause for great joy, yet this is a joy tempered by sadness over the lowly state in which one's body and animal soul remain.

When one realizes, however, that Torah and the mitzvot elevate the body and animal soul as well, his joy will be untarnished].

   

Notes:

1. (Back to text) Divrei HaYamim 16:27.

2. (Back to text) Shabbat 30b.

3. (Back to text) Parentheses are in the original text.

4. (Back to text) Cf. Sanhedrin 39b.

5. (Back to text) Shabbat 121b.

6. (Back to text) Mishlei 14:23.

7. (Back to text) Now that the Alter Rebbe has established that sadness arising from one's spiritual stocktaking is not atzvut (depression) but merirut (bitterness), several difficulties arise:

   1. Earlier, the Alter Rebbe stated that one ought not be perturbed by such sadness, even though it is in fact atzvut (which stems from the sitra achra), because "this is precisely the method for humbling the sitra achra - through something of its own kind..." Why the need to justify atzvut if this sadness is not atzvut at all, but merirut."

   2. Several lines further, the Alter Rebbe states that the opportune time for dwelling on one's failings is when one is in any case depressed over some material concern; the depression that such contemplation arouses will rid him of his materially-inspired depression. But the Alter Rebbe has just pointed out that this is not depression at all; how, then, does this dispel any other depression?

   A possible explanation:

   When one dwells on his spiritual failings, and concludes that he is indeed worse than the kal shebekalim, his first reaction will be despondency; he will feel utterly worthless and disgraced in his own eyes. In this state, there is no stirring of feeling, no vitality; it is, indeed, classic atzvut. But if this stocktaking was undertaken in its proper spirit, the despondency will last only momentarily. Immediately after sinking into depression the individual will feel the stirrings of bitterness, of anger at his having allowed himself to fall so low; he will begin to seek means of extricating himself from this sorry state. It is with regard to the momentary atzvut that the Alter Rebbe advises one not to be perturbed, since his atzvut is an effective weapon against the sitra achra. Regarding the bitterness and anger that follow it, the Alter Rebbe states that they are not atzvut at all, inasmuch as they are alive and active.

   Likewise, when the Alter Rebbe states that depression over one's spiritual failings is effective in ridding one of depression due to other causes, he again refers to the aforementioned temporary depression which immediately follows one's spiritual stocktaking.

   (- From a comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)

8. (Back to text) Berachot 5a.

9. (Back to text) From a superficial reading, it would appear that the Alter Rebbe advocates spiritual accounting at such a time when one is in any case depressed simply so that the depression resulting from this accounting will not hinder one from joyful service of G-d. However, the expression, "the time which is opportune and fitting for spiritual stocktaking..." clearly indicates that one's depressed state actually aids him in some way in this self-evaluation. For when one is in a joyful frame of mind on account of his physical well-being, it is difficult for him to shift to a reflective, introspective one, and to feel truly saddened by his spiritual failures; being in a state of depression simplifies the process.

   We find a similar correlation between one's physical circumstances and his spiritual objectives in the following statement of the Sages: "When the Temple stood, the joy `of the festivals' consisted of eating `the sacrificial' meat; now that the Temple is no longer, the joy lies in drinking wine." (Pesachim 109a) Although the festivals were given for our souls to rejoice in holiness ("...And Your people Israel will rejoice in You"), yet meat and wine are prescribed, so as to harmonize the moods of body and soul.

10. (Back to text) Avot 4:17.

11. (Back to text) Cf. Shabbat 153a.

12. (Back to text) Cf. Shoftim 16:21; Rashbam on Shemot 11:5.

13. (Back to text) The term "serpent" refers to the three utterly impure kelipot. The body of a Jew, which derives its vitality from kelipat nogah, is thus the "skin" - the "outer shell," so to speak, of the "serpent." The subject is explained at length by R. Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (author of Tzemach Tzedek) in his Sefer HaChakirah, p. 136.

14. (Back to text) Shemot 14:5.

15. (Back to text) This explains why "when the hour of Redemption arrived" G-d did not detain them in Egypt even for a moment - lest the evil within them drag them back to the impurity of Egypt.
    (- Based on a comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)

16. (Back to text) Yirmeyahu 16:19.

17. (Back to text) II Shmuel 22:3.

18. (Back to text) From the hymn that begins "Adon Olam."

19. (Back to text) Yeshayahu 52:12.

20. (Back to text) Chapters 35, 36, and 37.

21. (Back to text) Tehillim 25:1.

22. (Back to text) Ibid., 19:8.

23. (Back to text) Ibid., 19:9.