Gate Four

Regarding the punishments for bad character traits, and the reward for the acquisition of good character traits

Pride is the root of many sins, whether they are between man and HaShem-יהו״ה, the Ever Present One, blessed is He, or whether they are between man and his fellow. In regard to man and his fellow, this is because his arrogance will bring him to harm his fellow, in disdaining him and speak badly of him, amongst many other negative matters. Or whether between man and *HaShem-*יהו"ה, as written,³⁴⁵ “and your heart will become haughty and you will forget HaShem-יהו״ה your God.” That is, because of conceit he forgets *HaShem-*יהו"ה his God, greatly damaging his relationship with *HaShem-*יהו"ה, the Ever Present One, blessed is He. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁴⁶ “Whoever is haughty is called an abomination, as it states,³⁴⁷ ‘Every haughty person is an abomination to HaShem-יהו״ה.’” They also stated,³⁴⁸ “Whoever is arrogant should be excommunicated,” and, “it is fitting to hew him down as like an Asherah tree that has been designated for idolatry,” and, “his dust will not stir at the time of the resurrection of the dead,” and, “the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, the Shechinah, wails for him.” Moreover, they stated that a haughty person is equal to an idolater and to one who denies the fundamental principle of existence, HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. Moreover, it is as if he transgressed every kind of forbidden relationship, and as if he built a personal altar to idolatry within himself. They further stated that even if, like our forefather Avraham, he attributes the possession of the entire heavens and earth to the Holy One, blessed is He, a haughty person will not be cleansed of the judgements of purgatory (Gehinnom). In the end he will be diminished from his haughty position and will depart from the world before his time.

footnotes: ³⁴⁵ Deuteronomy 8:14 ³⁴⁶ Talmud Bavli, Sotah 5a ³⁴⁷ Proverbs 16:5 ³⁴⁸ Sotah 5a ibid.

Even about Yeravam, our Sages taught³⁴⁹ that all the Torah scholars of the generation were like the grass of the field next to him and there were no imperfections his Torah teachings. Moreover, he could expound upon Torah from one-hundred and fifty angles. Nonetheless, he was punished with excision from both this world and the coming world, only because of his arrogance. Our Sages, of blessed memory, stated³⁵⁰ that it is as if a haughty person pushes away the feet of the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, thus causing Him to withdraw from the world, as the Holy One, blessed is He, said,³⁵¹ “He and I cannot dwell together in the world.”

footnotes: ³⁴⁹ Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 101a-b ³⁵⁰ Talmud Bavli, Brachot 43b ³⁵¹ Talmud Bavli, Sotah 5a ibid.

Such a person rebels against the Kingdom of Heaven by wrapping himself in the Tallit that belongs only to the King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, as it states,³⁵² “HaShem-יהו״ה is King, He is clothed in pride.” After all, what does man have to be proud of? His very existence is from a putrid drop and he was formed in menstrual blood. His lifetime is one of filth and stench and upon his death he is covered with worms and maggots, until his body decays and becomes a pile of dust and his soul descends to hell.

footnotes: ³⁵² Psalms 93:1

In contrast, there is no greater quality than humility and a sense of lowliness. We learn this³⁵³ from our teacher Moshe, peace be upon him, the father of all the prophets in Torah, mitzvot and fear of sin. Even so, Torah only praised him for his humility, as it states,³⁵⁴ “The man Moshe was exceedingly humble.” Go and learn the quality of humility from the Holy One, blessed is He, who set aside the loftiest heavens to dwell with the despondent and the lowly of spirit, as written,³⁵⁵ “I abide with exaltedness and in holiness, but I am with the despondent and the lowly of spirit.” Similarly, it is written,³⁵⁶ “HaShem-יהו״ה is close to the broken hearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It likewise states,³⁵⁷ “Who may sojourn in Your tent? One who is lowly and contemptible in his own eyes.”

footnotes: ³⁵³ Also see Reishit Chochmah, Gate of Humility, Ch. 7 ³⁵⁴ Numbers 12:3 ³⁵⁵ Isaiah 57:15 ³⁵⁶ Psalms 34:19 ³⁵⁷ Psalms 15:1

Now, although it is true that about fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, the verse states,³⁵⁸ “The fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, that is wisdom,” and similarly,³⁵⁹ “Fear of HaShem-יהו״ה, that is His treasure,” nevertheless, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁶⁰ “What wisdom proclaimed to be the crown of its head, humility made into a heel (Eikev-עקב) for its sandal, as it states,³⁶¹ ‘The heel (Eikev-עקב) of humility is fear of HaShem-יהו״ה.’”

footnotes: ³⁵⁸ Job 28:28 ³⁵⁹ Isaiah 33:6 ³⁶⁰ Talmud Yerushalmi, Shabbat 1:3; Midrash Tanchuma BeHa’alotcha ³⁶¹ Proverbs 22:4 – This verse is usually translated, “The result of humility is fear of HaShem-יהו"ה.”

A person whose opinion of himself is that he is lowly, is as if he has offered all the sacrificial offerings, as it states,³⁶² “The sacrifices that God desires are a broken spirit.” Moreover, his prayer is not despised or rejected, for,³⁶³ “the prayers of a person are heard only if he casts his heart like flesh, as written,³⁶⁴ ‘It shall be that at every New Moon and on every Shabbat, all flesh shall come and prostrate themselves before Me.’” It similarly is written,³⁶⁵ “It is to this that I look, to the poor and broken-spirited.”

footnotes: ³⁶² Psalms 51:19 ³⁶³ Talmud Bavli, Sotah 5a ³⁶⁴ Isaiah 66:23 ³⁶⁵ Isaiah 66:2

Whoever is humble causes the Shechinah – the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה – to dwell upon man on earth, as it states,³⁶⁶ “Moshe approached the thick cloud where God was.” What brought him to this? His humility, as it states,³⁶⁷ “The man Moshe was exceedingly humble.”³⁶⁸

footnotes: ³⁶⁶ Exodus 20:18 ³⁶⁷ Numbers 12:3 ³⁶⁸ Also see Reishit Chochmah, Gate of Humility, Ch. 3

It is taught,³⁶⁹ “Rabbi Pinchas ben Ya’ir would say: “The study of Torah study leads to caution. Caution leads to zeal. Zeal leads to cleanliness from sin. Cleanliness from sin leads to abstinence from indulgence. Abstinence from indulgence leads to purity. Purity leads to separation from worldliness. Separation from worldliness leads to humility etc.” Moreover, they concluded, “Humility is greatest of all, since it leads to the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh), as it states,³⁷⁰ ‘The spirit of My Lord HaShem/Elohi”m-אדנ״י יהו״ה is upon me, because HaShem-יהו״ה has anointed me to bring tidings to the humble.’”

footnotes: ³⁶⁹ Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah 20b ³⁷⁰ Isaiah 61:1

It is related,³⁷¹ “They sent a message from there:³⁷² Who is destined for the coming world (Olam HaBa)? One who is humble and kneels down, bowing when he enters and bowing when he exits, and reviews the words of Torah constantly without giving credit to himself.”³⁷³ About such a person it states,³⁷⁴ “In the future, the Holy One, blessed is He, will be a crown on the head of every single righteous man, as it states,³⁷⁵ ‘On that day, HaShem of Hosts-HaShem Tzva’ot-יהו״ה צבאו״ת will be a crown of delight and a diadem of glory.’ One might think this extends to everyone who is righteous. The verse therefore continues, ‘for the remnant of his people,’ meaning, for whoever sees himself as a remnant.”

footnotes: ³⁷¹ Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 88b ³⁷² From the Sanhedrin in Eretz Yisroel ³⁷³ Also see Mishnah Avot 2:8 ³⁷⁴ Talmud Bavli, Megillah 15b; Sanhedrin 101b ³⁷⁵ Isaiah 28:5

In Zohar Parshat Shelach it states,³⁷⁶ “The head of the academy began and said: Happy is he who makes himself small in this world. How great will he be in the coming world! One who is small in his own eyes is great, and one who is great in his own eyes is small!” It similarly states in Zohar Terumah,³⁷⁷ “Why is he called Yechezkel the son of Buzi (בוזי)?³⁷⁸ Because [for the sake of *HaShem-*יהו"ה] he was willing to disgrace himself (Mevazeh-מבזה) in relation to those greater than himself and on account of this, he is called, “Son of man-Ben Adam-בן אדם,” a term indicating his perfection over all others of his generation. He thus is also called “exalted-Ram-רם,” as it states [about Elihu],³⁷⁹ “The son of Barachel, the Buzi (הבוזי) from the house of Ram (רם),” indicating his greatness over everyone because of his great humility.”

footnotes: ³⁷⁶ Zohar III 168b ³⁷⁷ Zohar II 166a-b ³⁷⁸ The term “Boz-בוז” means “scorn” as in the verse (Song of Songs 8:7), “He would be scorned to the extreme-Boz Yavozu Lo-בוז יבוזו לו.” The Zohar thus negates the implication that the prophet Yechezkel was from a scornful family. ³⁷⁹ Job 32:2

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁸⁰ “Why are the words of Torah compared to water? To teach us that just as water comes from a high place and only descends to a lower place, so too, Torah only dwells upon one who is lowly of spirit.” Happy is the man who does not become agitated and whose spirit is very lowly and humble, as the verse states,³⁸¹ “The sacrifices that God desires are a broken spirit.” Happy is the man who is long-patient and bears everything for the will of his Creator, and who makes himself like a remnant, as the verse states,³⁸² “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and overlooking transgression for the remnant of His heritage,” meaning, for whoever sees himself as a remnant. Happy is the man who makes himself like the dust that is trampled by everyone, who is like the lower stoop that is stepped on by all, and like the lowest peg upon which all depend.

footnotes: ³⁸⁰ Talmud Bavli, Taanit 7a ³⁸¹ Psalms 51:19 ³⁸² Micah 7:18

Anger is a branch of pride and is equal to it. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁸³ “Whoever is angry, all kinds of punishments of purgatory (Gehinnom) rule over him.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁸⁴ “A person who rends his garments in anger, or breaks his vessels in anger, or scatters his money in his anger, should be regarded like an idolator in your eyes, as it states,³⁸⁵ ‘You shall not have an alien god within you.’”

footnotes: ³⁸³ Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 22a ³⁸⁴ Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 105b ³⁸⁵ Psalms 81:10

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁸⁶ “Whoever is angry, indicates that he has no thought of HaShem’s-יהו״ה Indwelling Presence (the Shechinah) and he forgets his Torah learning and increases in folly. Moreover, it is known that his sins are more numerous than his merits, as it states,³⁸⁷ ‘A man of wrath is full of iniquity.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, similarly stated,³⁸⁸ “Anyone who becomes angry; if he is a scholar, his wisdom departs from him, as we learn from Moshe and Elisha.” Likewise, Eliyahu who is remembered for good, told Rabbi Yehudah,³⁸⁹ “Do not get angry and you will not sin.”

footnotes: ³⁸⁶ Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 22b ³⁸⁷ Proverbs 29:22 ³⁸⁸ Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 66b ³⁸⁹ Talmud Bavli, Brachot 29b

Similarly, Zohar states in Parshat Tetzaveh,³⁹⁰ “An angry person uproots his holy soul and replaces it with the opposite of holiness (Sitra Achara). Such a person rebels against his Maker and it is forbidden to come close and attach oneself to him. About him the verse states,³⁹¹ ‘You who rips your soul apart in your anger,’ and he causes an alien god to dwell within him. Such a person is considered as if he built a personal altar to idolatry within himself, and therefore, whoever adheres to him, it is considered as if he has attached himself to actual idolatry, since idolatry dwells within this person. It is forbidden to look at the face of a person who is angry and about this the verse states,³⁹² ‘Do not turn to gods that are nothingness,’ and,³⁹³ ‘You shall not make molten gods for yourselves.’”

footnotes: ³⁹⁰ Zohar II 182a-b ³⁹¹ Job 18:4 ³⁹² Leviticus 19:4 ³⁹³ Exodus 34:17

This sin is worse than all others, for all other sins and contaminations, except for this, are refinable and reparable. It is the worst because through it, he contaminates his body, both from within and without, and his soul becomes entirely contaminated. Even when such a person completely repents and uproots this alien contamination from himself forever, and then comes to purify himself and become holy, may it only be that he should merit to draw forth his holy soul in himself and become holy again. For, no matter how much he toils in good deeds, he can never return his soul to its original perfection and holiness.³⁹⁴

footnotes: ³⁹⁴ Zohar II 182b – That is, he cannot fully undo the damage that he wrought in his state of anger. Nevertheless, as will be stated at the end of Section 2, Shaar 8, he still can and must repent in full Teshuvah while he is still in this world and able to do so.

Pedantryis a branch of arrogance and anger. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁹⁵ “Whoever is intolerant, they are intolerant with him.” Such a person is not forgiven for his sins, as they taught,³⁹⁶ “It is written,³⁹⁷ ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’ For whom does He pardon iniquity and overlook transgression? For a person who overlooks his reckonings with others, for the slights and injustices that they perpetrated against him.”

footnotes: ³⁹⁵ Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 110b ³⁹⁶ Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 17a (also see Rashi) ³⁹⁷ Micah 7:18

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁹⁸ “One should plead for mercy every day, and that he should have no enemies.” It is written,³⁹⁹ “Let him put his mouth to the dust… Let him offer his cheek to he who smites him, let him be filled with disgrace.” Happy is he who hears his disgrace and does not respond.⁴⁰⁰ Isaiah the Prophet thus stated,⁴⁰¹ “I submitted my body to those who smite and my cheeks to those who pluck; I did not hide my face from humiliation and spit.”

footnotes: ³⁹⁸ Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 44b ³⁹⁹ Lamentations 3:29-30 ⁴⁰⁰ Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Prohibitive Commandment 12 ⁴⁰¹ Isaiah 50:6

Our sages, of blessed memory, thus stated,⁴⁰² “Whoever overlooks his reckonings with others for slights and injustices that were perpetrated against him, is himself forgiven for all his sins, as written,⁴⁰³ ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’”

footnotes: ⁴⁰² Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 17a ⁴⁰³ Micah 7:18

In Chupat Eliyahu⁴⁰⁴ it states, “There are three that the Holy One, blessed is He, loves: One who does not get angry; one who does not get drunk; and one who is forgiving.” Rabbi Akiva asked Rabbi Nechunya the Great,⁴⁰⁵ “In the merit of what virtue were you blessed with longevity?” He replied, “In all my days I never accepted gifts, nor was I inflexible and intolerant by exacting retribution against those who wronged me.”

footnotes: ⁴⁰⁴ Chupat Eliyahu, Shaar 3 (end of Reishit Chochmah) citing Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 113b ⁴⁰⁵ Talmud Bavli, Megillah 28a

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁰⁶ “Rav Huna, the son of Rav Yehoshua, became sick etc. Upon his recovery they asked him, ‘What did you see when you were hovering between life and death?’ He replied, ‘I was indeed close to death, but the Holy One, blessed is He, said: Since he does not insist on his rights, do not be exacting with him, as written,⁴⁰⁷ ‘He pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression.’’” Our sages, of blessed memory, related⁴⁰⁸ that there were diggers who were digging on Rav Nachman’s land and came upon the grave of Rav Achai bar Yoshiya, who was fully preserved, and he rebuked them. When Rav Nachman came and asked him how it was that he was preserved, he answered that it was because in all his days he did not stand on his rights against those who trespassed against him, and he never was begrudging or envious of his fellows, as the verse states,⁴⁰⁹ “Envy causes the rotting of bones.”

footnotes: ⁴⁰⁶ Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 17a ibid. ⁴⁰⁷ Micah 7:18 ⁴⁰⁸ Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 152a ⁴⁰⁹ Proverbs 14:30

Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, related,⁴¹⁰ “There was an incident in which Rabbi Eliezer descended before the ark to serve as the prayer leader, but he was not answered. Rabbi Akiva descended before the ark after him, and was answered. The sages whispered amongst themselves about this, and a Supernal voice (Bat Kol) emerged and said, ‘It is not because this one is greater than that one, but because this one is tolerant and forgiving and that one is intolerant and unforgiving.’”

footnotes: ⁴¹⁰ Talmud Bavli, Taanit 25b

The sages, of blessed memory, also said,⁴¹¹ “The world is only sustained in the merit of those who muzzle (Bolem-בולם) their mouths in a time of quarrel, as written,⁴¹² ‘He hangs the earth upon nothingness (Blimah-בלימה).’ Rabbi Avahu said, this refers to a person who makes himself as if he is nothingness.” The Rabbis taught,⁴¹³ “Regarding those who are insulted but do not insult, who hear themselves shamed but do not respond, the verse states,⁴¹⁴ ‘Those who love Him are like the sun as it goes forth in its might.’”

footnotes: ⁴¹¹ Talmud Bavli, Chullin 89a (See Rashi) ⁴¹² Job 26:7 ⁴¹³ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 23a ⁴¹⁴ Judges 5:31

Father Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, said,⁴¹⁵ “The knowledge of Torah is revealed only to one who is not intolerant, and I too will not be revealed except to one who is not intolerant.”

footnotes: ⁴¹⁵ Tractate Kallah Rabbati Ch. 5

Depression obstructs one’s service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and the fulfillment of His mitzvot. It obstructs one’s involvement in Torah study and having proper devotional intent in prayer and negates his good and positive thoughts to serve HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. It is the gateway through which the evil inclination entices and turns a person away from serving HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, even if he is a righteous Tzaddik, by making it appear to him, that because of his suffering, his service of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, is ineffectual.

Moreover, the evil inclination will even come under the guise of piety and tell him, “How can it even enter your mind that you, who are nothing but dust, worms and maggots, can come close and be sanctified in the holiness of the King of the world! Does not the verse state,⁴¹⁶ ‘For a fool wisdom is unattainable?’” Moreover, the evil inclination says, “Even if you attain righteousness, does it not say,⁴¹⁷ ‘If you are righteous, what have you given Him?’” In addition, depression causes the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) to depart from him.

footnotes: ⁴¹⁶ Proverbs 24:7 ⁴¹⁷ Job 35:7

The opposite is true when one serves HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with joy, as it states,⁴¹⁸ “Serve HaShem-יהו״ה with joy.” For joy increases one’s desire and love of adhering to HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as written,⁴¹⁹ “Because you did not serve HaShem-יהו״ה your God with joy and gladness of heart etc.” For, a person who serves HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, with melancholy, is likened to a servant who serves his master with a sullen and annoyed face.

footnotes: ⁴¹⁸ Psalms 100:2 ⁴¹⁹ Deuteronomy 28:47

It is likewise written,⁴²⁰ “The blessing of HaShem-יהו״ה is what enriches, and sadness (Etzev-עצב) does not increase it.” For, sadness is drawn from the contamination of Sama’el⁴²¹ and the snake, who infected Adam and Chavah with it, as it states about Adam,⁴²² “With sadness (Eetzavon-עצבון) you shall eat of it all the days of your life,” and about Chava it states,⁴²³ “I will greatly increase your sadness (Eetzavon-עצבון)… with sadness (b’Etzev-ב**עצב) you shall bear children.”⁴²⁴

footnotes: ⁴²⁰ Proverbs 10:22 – The root Etzev-עצב of this verse is explained to mean “suffering” or “burdensome toil” (see Rashi), however, the simple meaning of the root Etzev-עצב is “sadness” or “melancholy,” as in the verse (Isaiah 54:6), “For like a wife who is forlorn and melancholy (Atzoovah-עצובה), HaShem-יהו״ה has called you. Can one cast off the wife of his Youth? Said your God.” (See Radak to Isaiah 54:6 ibid.) ⁴²¹  This is the angelic name of Satan-the Accuser. ⁴²² Genesis 3:17 ⁴²³ Genesis 3:16 ⁴²⁴ As explained in the prior note, the root Etzev-עצב can mean “suffering” or “sadness.” In context to the subject being explained here, it means “sadness.”

On account of this, the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Indwelling Presence, the Shechinah, withdraw from him. Proof of this is our forefather Yaakov, the choicest of the forefathers,⁴²⁵ from whom the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) departed for a period of twenty-two years when Yosef was separated from him and he assumed that he had been devoured by a wild animal. However, when he rejoiced over the tidings that Yosef was alive, the verse states,⁴²⁶ “The spirit of Yaakov was revived,” that is, the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) returned and rested upon him.⁴²⁷

footnotes: ⁴²⁵ Midrash Rabba 76:1 and elsewhere. ⁴²⁶ Genesis 45:27 ⁴²⁷ Avot d’Rabbi Natan 30:4; Midrash Tanchuma, Veyeishev 2:7; Rashi to Genesis 45:7 ibid., and elsewhere.

Similarly, our sages,⁴²⁸ of blessed memory, taught that the Indwelling Presence of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, (the Shechinah) and the spirit of Prophecy, do not dwell in a place of sadness. We thus find that it says about Elisha and the students of the prophets,⁴²⁹ “As the musician played, the spirit of HaShem-יהו״ה came upon him,” and it states,⁴³⁰ “When you arrive at the city, you will encounter a group of prophets coming down from the high place, and leading them will be players of lyre, drum, flute and harp, and they will be prophesying.”

footnotes: ⁴²⁸ Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 117a; Zohar I 217b ⁴²⁹ Kings II 3:15 ⁴³⁰ Samuel I 10:5

Even when serving HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, in the performance of any mitzvah or in prayer, one must be in an ultimate state of joy. This can be seen from Abaye,⁴³¹ who was sitting before his teacher Rabbah and was excessively joyful, and when questioned about his joy, he said, “I now am donned in Tefillin.” It is similarly related⁴³² that, “Rav Bruna was a great man who rejoiced in the mitzvot. Once, through juxtaposing the blessing of redemption (Ge’ulah) to the Amidah prayer, a smile did not depart from his mouth for that entire day.”

footnotes: ⁴³¹ Talmud Bavli, Brachot 30b ⁴³² Talmud Bavli, Brachot 9b

Hatred brings a person to sin against his fellow man, by inflicting all types of evil upon him. Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴³³ “Hating the creatures removes a person from the world,” for by doing so, it is as if he harbors hatred of their Creator, the Holy One, blessed is He, who created him, for are we not all children to HaShem-יהו״ה our God?⁴³⁴ Moreover, by hating another Jew, it is as if he also hates Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, from whom this person came forth. All souls are bound to the Name HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, and each has an extremely lofty purpose, namely that through them HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, will be glorified.⁴³⁵ This being so, how can anyone hate his fellow?

footnotes: ⁴³³ Mishnah Avot 2:11 ⁴³⁴ Deuteronomy 14:1 ⁴³⁵ Isaiah 49:3

Our sages, of blessed memory, related⁴³⁶ that during the period of the second Holy Temple, there were many righteous Tzaddikim and Torah Scholars. Nonetheless, the Holy Temple was destroyed only because of the sin of baseless hatred. They likewise said that the exile was lengthened and its end was concealed solely due to baseless hatred. Furthermore, in regard to all other sins, a person is only in a state of transgression when he actively violates them, whereas baseless hatred is a constant transgression that one carries in his heart. Therefore, he is in violation of the negative mitzvah,⁴³⁷ “You shall not hate your brother in your heart” and negates the positive mitzvah of,⁴³⁸ “You shall love your fellow as yourself,” at every moment.

footnotes: ⁴³⁶ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 9b ⁴³⁷ Leviticus 19:17 ⁴³⁸ Leviticus 19:18

Furthermore, about the mitzvah of loving one’s fellow Jew, they stated,⁴³⁹ “This is a great principle that includes the entire Torah in it,” for everything depends on it. Our teacher Moshe only merited attaining all of his wondrous and exalted levels because of his great love of Israel and because he was pained by their suffering, as our sages, of blessed memory,⁴⁴⁰ said about the verse,⁴⁴¹ “He saw their burdens,” and about the verse,⁴⁴² “Now, if You would but forgive their sin – but if not, erase me now from Your book that You have written.” On account of this, he was equated to the entire Jewish people, as written,⁴⁴³ “They remembered the days of old, of Moshe, His people.”

footnotes: ⁴³⁹ Rashi to Leviticus 19:18, citing Sifra; Torat Kohanim, and elsewhere. ⁴⁴⁰ See Rashi to Exodus 2:11, citing Midrash Shemot Rabba 1:27 ⁴⁴¹ Exodus 2:11 ⁴⁴² Exodus 32:32 ⁴⁴³ Isaiah 63:11; Also see Rashi to Exodus 18:1 citing Mechilta.

Envy brings a person to hatred and is actually even worse than hatred, since by being envious, he rebels against the Holy One, blessed is He, by saying to himself, “Why has the Holy One, blessed is He, bestowed more goodness to my fellow than to me?” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁴⁴ “Envy, lust, and [the desire for] honor, remove a person from the world.”

footnotes: ⁴⁴⁴ Mishnah Avot 4:21

Study and you will see that all the ancients were punished solely on account of their envy. Cain, who spoke with HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, mouth to mouth, was excised from the world along with his descendants, because he was envious of his brother Abel’s twin sister.⁴⁴⁵ As a result of his jealousy he came to transgress all his sins. Similarly, the ten tribes of Israel were exiled to Egypt because Joseph’s brothers envied him.⁴⁴⁶ Ultimately, they were further punished with the incident the ten martyrs.⁴⁴⁷ Yeravam, before whom all the Torah scholars of the generation were like grass of the field,⁴⁴⁸ was excised from the world solely because he envied the kingdom of the House of David.

footnotes: ⁴⁴⁵ Midrash Bereishit Rabba 22:1; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, Ch. 21 ⁴⁴⁶ Genesis 37:11; Also see Tanchuma Veyeishev 18 and elsewhere. ⁴⁴⁷ Midrash Eileh Ezkera and elsewhere. ⁴⁴⁸ Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 101a-b

Even Shaul, the chosen one of HaShem-יהו״ה, who as taught by our sages, of blessed memory, was as pure as a one-year-old child who has never tasted sin⁴⁴⁹ and whose ancestry and kingship were free of flaw,⁴⁵⁰ was excised from his kingship and killed along with his three sons, for having caused the people of Nov, the city of the Priests, to be killed, for having caused the exile of the Jewish people amongst the Philistines, and for having caused the destruction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) at Shiloh, all of which were brought about because he envied David regarding the matter of Goliath.⁴⁵¹ This caused the Holy Spirit (Ru’ach HaKodesh) to withdraw from him, which was replaced by a spirit of distortion (Ru’ach Eeveem)⁴⁵² that rested upon him.

footnotes: ⁴⁴⁹ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 22b ⁴⁵⁰ See Yoma 22b ibid. ⁴⁵¹ Samuel I 18:7 and on. ⁴⁵² Samuel I 18:12; 16:14-15 and elsewhere; Isaiah 19:14

Moshiach, the son of David, will not come until the spirit of envy is removed, as written,⁴⁵³ “The jealousy of Ephraim shall cease and the oppressors of Yehudah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Yehudah and Yehudah will not harass Ephraim.” Moreover, even the Supernal angels fell from their holiness as the result of envy, as written in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer,⁴⁵⁴ that the angel Sama’el was greater than all the Seraphim angels, in that they only had six wings, whereas he had twelve wings. He nonetheless was uprooted from the side of holiness because he was envious of man. The same is said of the Nefillim angels, Aza and Aza’el, who were excised from the world because they were jealous of man.⁴⁵⁵

footnotes: ⁴⁵³ Isaiah 11:13 ⁴⁵⁴ Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, Ch. 13-14 ⁴⁵⁵ Pesikta Rabbati 34:1; Yoma 67b and Rashi there; Zohar I 37a.

The bones of whoever possesses envy shall rot.⁴⁵⁶ It therefore is appropriate for a person to be happy with his lot,⁴⁵⁷ even if it is small. For, he is certainly no better than Hillel the Elder, Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ila’i, Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat, and others like them.⁴⁵⁸

footnotes: ⁴⁵⁶ Proverbs 14:30; Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 152b ⁴⁵⁷ Mishnah Avot 4:1 ⁴⁵⁸ All of whom were materially poor. (See Yoma 35b; Brachot 17b; Nedarim 49b; Taanit 25a, and elsewhere.)

Greedis the father of all impurity. It brings to hatred and envy, as well as theft, false oaths and even murder. This prohibition is the last of the Ten Commandments and is equal to them all, since⁴⁵⁹ “his eye is never sated with wealth,” like the eye of the snake, about whom it states,⁴⁶⁰ “The food of the snake shall be dust.” Similarly, it is written,⁴⁶¹ “One who is overeager for wealth has an evil eye, he does not know that want may befall him.”

footnotes: ⁴⁵⁹ Ecclesiastes 4:8 ⁴⁶⁰ Isaiah 65:25 ⁴⁶¹ Proverbs 28:22

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁶² “Lust removes a person from the world,” since it causes his mind to be preoccupied and distracted, thus uprooting him from studying *HaShem’s-*יהו"ה Torah and fulfilling His mitzvot. Moreover, he denies HaShem’s-יהו״ה Divine Providence, in that he does not believe that everything comes about according to HaShem’s-יהו״ה Supernal will and supervision, blessed is He. As our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁶³ “Whoever has bread in his basket and says to himself, ‘What will I eat tomorrow,’ has little faith. About such a person the verse states,⁴⁶⁴ ‘For who wastes the day? Small things.’ That is, what is it that causes the reward of the righteous to be wasted from the coming future? It is their small-mindedness and their smallness of faith in the Holy One, blessed is He.”

footnotes: ⁴⁶² Mishnah Avot 4:21 ⁴⁶³ Talmud Bavli, Sotah 48b ⁴⁶⁴ Zachariah 4:10

In contrast, there is no greater quality than trust in HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as written,⁴⁶⁵ “Happy are all who trust in Him.” A person who has this quality is faithful that there is a God in the world, who is all-capable and supervises over everything. It thus is written,⁴⁶⁶ “Blessed is the man who trusts in HaShem-יהו״ה, HaShem-יהו״ה will be his security.” Such a person is certain that he will not lack sustenance, as written,⁴⁶⁷ “Cast your burden upon HaShem-יהו״ה and He will sustain you.” However, this applies on condition that his trust in HaShem-יהו״ה is truly sincere, with all his heart and without doubt. This is evident by the fact that if he truly trusts in HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, he will occupy himself in studying His Torah and fulfilling His mitzvot with all his heart and without any misgivings.

footnotes: ⁴⁶⁵ Psalms 2:12 ⁴⁶⁶ Jeremiah 17:7 ⁴⁶⁷ Psalms 55:23

Lust for pleasure is worse than all the negative traits mentioned above. For, if a person is gluttonous, he will come to fall to greed, theft, false oaths, hatred of the creatures and envy. Such a person is like Esav, who said,⁴⁶⁸ “Please pour some of that red red stuff into me.” About such a person it states,⁴⁶⁹ “If you care for your soul, it would be better for you to put a knife to your throat.” For out of gluttony he will eventually come to eat the meat of an animal that died without being slaughtered (Neveilah) or that has been slaughtered improperly (Treifah) and all other kinds of forbidden foods. Similarly, it is written,⁴⁷⁰ “All man’s toil is for his mouth,” and it states,⁴⁷¹ “The stomach of the wicked will always be lacking.”

footnotes: ⁴⁶⁸ Genesis 25:30 ⁴⁶⁹ Proverbs 23:2 (See Rashi) ⁴⁷⁰ Ecclesiastes 6:7 ⁴⁷¹ Proverbs 13:25

It likewise is written,⁴⁷² “Yeshurun became fat and kicked. You became fat, you became thick, you became corpulent. He deserted God, his Maker and scorned the Rock of his salvation.” That is, this negative trait brings a person to deny HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, as the verse states,⁴⁷³ “Lest I become sated and deny, saying, ‘Who is HaShem-יהו״ה?’”

footnotes: ⁴⁷² Deuteronomy 32:15 ⁴⁷³ Proverbs 30:9

Furthermore, in regard to all other sins, a minor is not punished, however, in the case of the rebellious son, if he steals and eats a tartimer of meat and a half log of wine, he is stoned to death.⁴⁷⁴ Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁷⁵ “The wicked are accustomed to eat meat and drink wine, saying,⁴⁷⁶ ‘Come, I will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like today etc.’” However, about this it is written,⁴⁷⁷ “Until the day of your death you will not be atoned of this sin.” Eliyahu, who is remembered for good, said to Rabbi Yehudah,⁴⁷⁸ “Do not get drunk and you will not sin.”

footnotes: ⁴⁷⁴ Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 70a; Rashi to Deuteronomy 21:18 ⁴⁷⁵ Talmud Bavli, Taanit 11a ⁴⁷⁶ Isaiah 56:12 ⁴⁷⁷ Isaiah 22:14 – The prior verse states, “Yet behold! There is joy and gladness, slaying of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating meat and drinking wine, [saying,] ‘Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’ ⁴⁷⁸ Talmud Bavli, Brachot 29b

In contrast, a person who suffices with what is necessary for him is called a righteous Tzaddik, as scripture states,⁴⁷⁹ “A righteous person eats to satisfy his soul.” Similarly, King David said,⁴⁸⁰ “It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes.” We likewise find that our forefather Yaakov only requested the following,⁴⁸¹ “Give me bread to eat and clothes to wear.” It is likewise written,⁴⁸² “Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey… he bent his shoulder to bear.”

footnotes: ⁴⁷⁹ Proverbs 13:25 ⁴⁸⁰ Psalms 119:71 ⁴⁸¹ Genesis 28:20 ⁴⁸² Genesis 49:14

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁸³ “Such is the way of [the life] of Torah: You shall eat bread with salt and drink rationed water; you shall sleep on the ground and your life will be one of privation, and you shall labor in Torah. If you do this,⁴⁸⁴ ‘You shall be happy and it shall be good for you.’ That is, ‘You shall be happy’ in this world, ‘and it shall be good for you’ in the coming world.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁸⁵ “The words of Torah are only sustained in one who kills himself over them.” They also said,⁴⁸⁶ “Whoever increases his flesh, increases his maggots.”

footnotes: ⁴⁸³ Mishnah Avot 6:4 ⁴⁸⁴ Psalms 128:2 ⁴⁸⁵ Talmud Bavli, Brachot 63a ⁴⁸⁶ Mishnah Avot 2:

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁴⁸⁷ “A person should always consider himself as if holiness dwells in his bowels, as written,⁴⁸⁸ ‘Holiness is in your innards.’” Our teacher, Moshe, peace be upon him, only merited receiving the Torah after having fasted for forty days and forty nights.⁴⁸⁹ Similarly, Eliyahu the Prophet, who is remembered for good, only merited ascending the heights after he fasted for forty days and forty nights.⁴⁹⁰ Likewise, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Yishmael only merited all the wondrous wisdom and prophecy they attained when they ascended to the Pardes, after having fasted for many days and through all kinds of self-flagellation and abstention.⁴⁹¹ Similarly, King Solomon, about whom it states that,⁴⁹² “He was wiser than all men,” only merited to such wisdom after fasting for forty days and forty nights, as our Sages explained about the large letter Mem-מ⁴⁹³ of the opening word of Proverbs-Mishlei-משלי.⁴⁹⁴

footnotes: ⁴⁸⁷ Talmud Bavli, Taanit 11a-b ⁴⁸⁸ Hosea 11:9 ⁴⁸⁹ Exodus 34:28 ⁴⁹⁰ Kings I 19:8 ⁴⁹¹ Heichalot Rabbati and Heichalot Zutrati ⁴⁹² Kings I 5:11 ⁴⁹³ The numerical value of the letter mem-מ is forty. ⁴⁹⁴ Yalkut Shimoni Mishlei, Remez 929

It states in Zohar⁴⁹⁵ that when Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai came out of the cave, Rabbi Pinchas ben Ya’ir saw that his body was completely covered with blisters. He cried and said, “Woe is me, that I have seen you in such agony!” Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai answered him, “Great is your merit that you have seen me in such agony, for had you not seen me like this, I would not have merited to all that I merited.”

footnotes: ⁴⁹⁵ Zohar I 11a-b (See Ramak and the other commentaries.)

In Zohar Terumah it states,⁴⁹⁶ “The spirit of impurity has no dominion over the bodies of the righteous Tzaddikim who, in this world, were not drawn after the pleasures and lusts of that extraneous husk (Kelipah). For, they have not pleasured themselves in this world at all, except for fulfilling the mitzvah of pleasure on Shabbat and Biblical Festivals. The spirit of impurity thus has no dominion or hold on them at all, since they have not derived any pleasure whatsoever from that which is the opposite Holiness (Sitra Achara). However, about a person who did derive pleasure from the opposite the Holiness (Sitra Achara) during the mundane days of the week, the verse states,⁴⁹⁷ ‘I will smear dung upon your faces, the dung of your festive offerings, and you shall be carried out to its heap.’”

footnotes: ⁴⁹⁶ Zohar II 141a ⁴⁹⁷ Malachi 2:3

It was taught in the School of Eliyahu,⁴⁹⁸ “If a person has not yet merited to plead for mercy from HaShem-יהו״ה that Torah should be in his innards, he should at least plead for mercy that excess food and drink should not enter his innards.”

footnotes: ⁴⁹⁸ Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu Rabba, Ch. 26; Also see Ketubot 104a, Tosefot entitled “Lo Neheneiti – I did not derive any pleasure from even my pinky.”

Power and honor are extremely problematic, as they bring a person to haughtiness, which is worse than all the above-mentioned negative qualities. As a result of it, he becomes a leader who casts excessive fear on the community, in a manner that is not for the sake of the Name of HaShem-יהו״ה. As our sages, of blessed memory said, in the end he will be uprooted from the world and his children will be completely unsuccessful after him.⁴⁹⁹

footnotes: ⁴⁹⁹ See Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShanah 17a

We find this about the great sage, Yeravam, that because he sought power, both he and his descendants were uprooted from this world, nor does he have a portion in the coming world. Similarly, when Shaul, the chosen one of HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He, began his reign, he was as pure as a one-year-old child who has never tasted sin.⁵⁰⁰ Moreover, as the verse attests, when they sought to crown him as king,⁵⁰¹ “He hid amongst the baggage,” in that he fled from power. Nevertheless, he was ultimately caught in its net and pursued it, as he said to the Prophet Shmuel,⁵⁰² “Please honor me in the presence of the elders of my people.” In the end he lost the kingdom and he was killed along with three of his sons, as mentioned before in the section on envy.

footnotes: ⁵⁰⁰ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 22b ⁵⁰¹ Samuel I 10:22 ⁵⁰² Samuel I 15:30

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵⁰³ “Envy, lust, and [the desire for] honor, remove a person from the world.” Similarly, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵⁰⁴ “Authority shortens the life of those who possess it and buries them.” This is because it causes one’s heart to be haughty with his Maker, as the verse states,⁵⁰⁵ “So that his heart should not become exalted above his brethren and so that he will not depart from the commandment, neither to the right nor to the left, so that his years will be prolonged over his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.”

footnotes: ⁵⁰³ Mishnah Avot 4:21 ⁵⁰⁴ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 86b; Pesachim 87b; Avot d’Rabbi Natan Ch. 39 ⁵⁰⁵ Deuteronomy 17:20

Our sages, of blessed memory, said,⁵⁰⁶ “When Rava would go out to judge, he would say, ‘I willingly go out to die etc.’” Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵⁰⁷ “The verse states,⁵⁰⁸ ‘My son, if you have been a guarantor for your fellow etc.’ Rav Huna explained that this refers to a person who was appointed to a position of authority over the masses. However, the next verse continues,⁵⁰⁹ ‘You have been trapped by the words of your mouth, snared by the words of your mouth. Do this, therefore, my child, and be rescued; for you have come into your fellow’s hand. Go humble yourself etc.’” However, if he does not, about him the verse states,⁵¹⁰ “One who commits adultery with a married woman lacks an understanding heart, he who destroys his own soul will do this,” and they have no mercy upon him in purgatory (Gehinnom).

footnotes: ⁵⁰⁶ Talmud Bavli, Yoma 86b ibid.; Sanhedrin 7b ⁵⁰⁷ See Midrash Shemot Rabba 27:9, and elsewhere ⁵⁰⁸ Proverbs 6:1 ⁵⁰⁹ Proverbs 6:2 ⁵¹⁰ Proverbs 6:32

The Holy One, blessed is He, said,⁵¹¹ “I am holy, I am pious, I am upright etc. If you possess all these qualities, you can accept a position of power and authority, but if not, do not accept it.” King David, peace be upon him, said,⁵¹² “HaShem-יהו״ה, my heart was not proud and my eyes were not haughty, nor did I pursue matters too great and too wondrous for me. I swear that I stilled and silenced my soul, like a suckling child at his mother’s side, my soul is like a suckling child.”

footnotes: ⁵¹¹ See Midrash Bamidbar Rabba 22:1; Tanchuma Matot 1:1 ⁵¹² Psalms 131:1

Therefore, flee from power and authority to the opposite extreme, as I explained at length when discussing the quality of pride. For, Zohar states,⁵¹³ “One who makes himself small in this world is meritorious.” Is there anyone greater than Moshe, the teacher of all Israel, who for seven days refused the authority placed upon him by the Holy One, blessed is He, and did not desire it, saying,⁵¹⁴ “Please, my Lord, send through whomever You will send!” About him the verse attests,⁵¹⁵ “The wrath of HaShem-יהו״ה burned against Moshe,” to the point that he was adversely affected by it, as our sages, of blessed memory, explained.⁵¹⁶ He subsequently assumed the responsibility, but in the end was punished because of the Jewish people at the waters of strife,⁵¹⁷ and all of his merits did not suffice to help him.

footnotes: ⁵¹³ Zohar III 168a ⁵¹⁴ Exodus 4:13 ⁵¹⁵ Exodus 4:14 ⁵¹⁶ Talmud Bavli, Zevachim 102a; Also see Rashi to Exodus 4:14 ibid. ⁵¹⁷ Deuteronomy 3:26 (see Rashi); Psalms 106:32

For, whoever exerts power and authority over the congregation, even if it is for the sake of Heaven, like Moshe, will ultimately be punished. For, he is responsible for all their deeds, as our sages, of blessed memory, stated⁵¹⁸ in explanation of the verse,⁵¹⁹ “I will place them upon your heads.” How much more so does this certainly apply to orphans such as ourselves, for whom there would be no hope of salvation, God forbid.

footnotes: ⁵¹⁸ Midrash Dvarim Rabba 1:10 ⁵¹⁹ Deuteronomy 1:13

Boastfulnessis a quality about which our sages, of blessed memory, related about the woman who was punished in purgatory (Gehinnom) because she told her friend, “Today I fasted etc.” That is, when a person boasts of his righteousness, not only does he not receive reward, but on the contrary, he is judged with the punishments of purgatory (Gehinnom). For, by boasting, he reveals his true intentions and that his actions are not at all for the sake of Heaven. He is counted amongst the seven categories of the pseudo-righteous (Parushim) who erode the world, such as those who practice self-flagellation and blood-letting etc.⁵²⁰

footnotes: ⁵²⁰ See Talmud Bavli, Sotah 22b

Our sages, of blessed memory, stated,⁵²¹ “A person should always be in a state of fear of Heaven, even in private, and all his ways should be for the sake of Heaven.” If a person is able, he should conduct himself in all his deeds and ways for the sake of Heaven, without revealing any of it to the creatures. His reward will be doubled and quadrupled, as the verse states,⁵²² “It is the honor of God to conceal a matter.”

footnotes: ⁵²¹ Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu Rabba, Ch. 21; Also see Mishnah Avot 2:12 ⁵²² Proverbs 25:2