In this chapter, the Rebbe Rashab develops the theme emphasized in the previous chapters, that a person’s self-concern can create friction and strife. He emphasizes that such undesirable conduct can exist even in a Torah community. Although cooperation and communication can bring about many advantages, particularly in the realms of Torah study and Divine service, yeshus often prevents these advantages from being realized.
וְהִנֵּה בְּיוֹתֵר יִמָּצֵא עֲוֹן שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם בַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ הָרַבִּים בְּעוֹבְדֵי ה'
On account of our many sins, the sin of baseless hatred is found especially1 among those who engage in Divine service.2
שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בּוֹנֶה בָּמָה לְעַצְמוֹ
Each person builds himself a pedestal
הֵן בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה עַל פִּי דַעְתּוֹ וְשִׂכְלוֹ דַוְקָא
both in the realm of Torah scholarship, where he bases himself specifically on his own knowledge and understanding,
וּכְמוֹ כֵן בְּעֵסֶק הָעֲבוֹדָה עַל פִּי חָכְמָתוֹ דַוְקָא,
and in his Divine service, which he carries out guided by his own wisdom.
וְאֵינָם מִתְאַחֲדִים וּמִתְחַבְּרִים זֶה עִם זֶה כְּלָל.
Such people neither come together nor bond with one another at all.
אֲשֶׁר בֶּאֱמֶת יְסוֹד וְעִקָּר גָּדוֹל בְּעוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה
This is undesirable, for in truth, it is of fundamental importance for those who are occupied in Torah and Divine service
שֶׁיִּתְחַבְּרוּ וִידַבְּרוּ זֶה עִם זֶה,
to bond and communicate with each other.
הֵן בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה
This applies regarding the study of Torah, to which our Sages3 applied the verse,4
הֲלֹא בַּרְזֶל בְּבַרְזֶל יָחַד וְאִישׁ יַחַד פְּנֵי רֵעֵהוּ.
“[Just as] iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another.” They explain, just as one piece of iron is honed with another, two Torah scholars can enhance each other’s knowledge. Such interaction is necessary because
כִּי לֹא יָכוֹל לוֹמַר אֲשֶׁר כְּפִי שִׂכְלוֹ הוּא הָאֱמֶת
no person can assume that his own perspective is true.
וּכְשֶׁשּׁוֹמֵעַ דַּעַת חֲבֵרוֹ וּמְפַלְפְּלִים זֶה עִם זֶה בַּאֲמִתּוּת
Only when he hears a colleague’s opinion and they engage in a sincere analytical discussion
הֲרֵי הֵם בָּאִים לַאֲמִתַּת הַדְּבָרִים.
is it possible to arrive at a true understanding of the matters at hand.
וּכְמוֹ כֵן בְּעִנְיְנֵי עֲבוֹדָה
Similarly, in avodah, Divine service,
The benefits of speaking with others that result when discussing abstract intellectual concepts are magnified many times when discussing personal issues. It is specifically in the emotional realm that the input of others has a powerful effect.
שֶׁמְּגַלִּים נִגְעֵי לְבָבָם זֶה לָזֶה וּמְדַבְּרִים בְּזֶה
when people reveal their inner faults to each other and speak about them freely,
שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה כַּמָּה פְּרָטֵי הַטּוֹב.
a number of benefits can be attained.
הָא', שֶׁיֵּשׁ כַּמָּה דְבָרִים שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹצְאָם בְּעַצְמוֹ (עֶר חַאפְּט זִיךְ נִיט אַלֵיין)
Firstly, every person has certain faults which he will not find on his own; he will never notice them,
מִצַּד אַהֲבַת עַצְמוֹ
for his own self-love dulls his sensitivity,
דְּעַל כָּל פְּשָׁעִים תְּכַסֶּה אַהֲבָה,
as it is written,5 “Love covers all faults.”
וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן עַל חֶסְרוֹנוֹת בְּמִדּוֹת וְכַדּוֹמֶה
How much more so does this apply regarding one’s shortcomings with regard to various character traits and the like.
For example, he may criticize another person for showing pride, without realizing that he displays that very same fault.6
הָאַהֲבָה שֶׁהָאָדָם אוֹהֵב אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּטִבְעוֹ מְכַסֶּה עַל זֶה
One’s innate self-love masks them,
וַחֲבֵרוֹ מְעוֹרְרוֹ עַל זֶה.
and another person will help him by bringing them to his attention.7
וְעוֹד זֹאת כְּשֶׁמְּגַלֶּה נִגְעֵי לְבָבוֹ בְּדִבּוּר
Furthermore, when a person reveals his inner faults in conversation with a true friend,
הִנֵּה בְּעֵת שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר בְּזֶה
as he speaks about them,
מִצְטַעֵר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ מְאֹד מִזֶּה הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר מִכְּמוֹ שֶׁהִצְטַעֵר מִקֹּדֶם.
he feels greater remorse.8 They pain him much more than they did before speaking, touching a deeper point within his soul.7
וּמִמֵּילָא מִתְחָרֵט בְּנַפְשׁוֹ עַל כָּל הָעִנְיָנִים הַלֹּא טוֹבִים
As a matter of course, this pain will lead to a strong sense of regret over all his character faults,
וְעוֹקֵר רְצוֹנוֹ מֵהֶם כוּ',
motivating him to totally uproot his desire for them,
שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִתְתַּקֵּן הַרְבֵּה כוּ'.
thereby correcting his personal qualities significantly.
שֶׁזֶּהוּ עִנְיַן וִדּוּי דְּבָרִים
This is the inner reason for vidui dvorim, a verbal confession of one’s sins.9
כַּיָּדוּעַ שֶׁהוּא תִּקּוּן גָּדוֹל לְנֶפֶשׁ הַחוֹטֵא,
As is well-known, this corrects the soul of the sinner to a great degree,
וְהַיְנוּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁכְּשֶׁבָּא בְּדִבּוּר אָז נוֹגֵעַ לוֹ הַדָּבָר (עֶס רִירְט עֶם אָן) בִּפְנִימִיּוּת נַפְשׁוֹ
for the verbalization of one’s sin strikes the innermost chords of his soul,
שֶׁמִּצְטַעֵר מְאֹד וּמִתְחָרֵט כוּ'.
causing him great pain and regret.
וְדֻגְמָא לְזֶה הוּא מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב דְּאָגָה בְלֶב אִישׁ יְשִׁיחֶנָּה
A similar concept is reflected in the verse,10 “[When there is] worry in a man’s heart, he should divert [his attention].”
וְאָמְרוּ רַזַ"ל יְשִׂיחֶנָּה לַאֲחֵרִים,
Our Sages11 explain that the Hebrew word יַשְׁחֶנָּה, yashchena, translated as “divert” suggests a similar verb יְשִׂיחֶנָּה, yesichena, that means “speak of it.” Thus, they interpret the verse to mean, “If there is worry in a man’s heart, let him tell others about it.”
וְאָנוּ רוֹאִין שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁמְּדַבֵּר בְּצַעֲרוֹ אָז יִגְדַּל צַעֲרוֹ בְּיוֹתֵר מִכְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה קֹדֶם,
In actual fact, we see that when a person talks about his troubles, his pain becomes greater than before,
אָמְנָם אַחַר כָּךְ נוֹחַ לוֹ יוֹתֵר (עֶס ווֶערְט עֶם בֶּעסֶער.)
but afterwards he feels better.
וּכְמוֹ כֵן בַּעֲבוֹדָה כְּשֶׁמְּדַבֵּר בְּעִנְיְנֵי נִגְעֵי לְבָבוֹ
Similarly, in Divine service, when a person talks about his inner faults,
בְּעֵת מַעֲשֶׂה הוּא מִצְטַעֵר יוֹתֵר,
he feels greater pain while discussing it,
וְאַחַר כָּךְ נוֹחַ לוֹ יוֹתֵר
but afterwards feels better
מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבְּזֶה מֵסִיר הַרְבֵּה מֵהַנְּגָעִים וְהָעֲווֹנוֹת כוּ'.
because the remorse he feels removes many flaws and sins.
עוֹד זֹאת כְּשֶׁמְּדַבְּרִים יַחַד
Moreover, there is another benefit that can be attained when people discuss spiritual improvement together.
מַמְצִיא כָּל א' עֵצוֹת לְזֶה אֵיךְ לְתַקֵּן
Each one proposes means of correcting the flaws
וְעוֹשִׂים הֶסְכֵּם בְּקַבָּלָה עַל לְהַבָּא לְתַקֵּן מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כָּךְ וְכָךְ כוּ'.
and they can jointly resolve to correct certain aspects of their behavior in the future, doing this and/or that.
וְהַהֶסְכֵּם אֲשֶׁר עוֹשִׂים שְׁנַיִם אוֹ רַבִּים
A resolution reached by two or more people
יֵשׁ לְזֶה חִזּוּק הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר מֵהַהֶסְכֵּם שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ כוּ',
is much more powerful and enduring than a resolution made by one person alone.12
וְנִמְצָא שֶׁהַהִתְחַבְּרוּת בְּעוֹבְדֵי ה' הוּא טוֹב מְאֹד בְּכַמָּה פְּרָטִים כוּ'.
Thus, when individuals engaged in Divine service come together and combine their efforts, it proves very beneficial in many ways.
וְכָל זֶה הוּא כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ בִּטּוּל
All of this is only possible if one possesses the quality of bittul,
וְיָכוֹל לְהִתְאַחֵד וּלְהִתְקָרֵב עִם זוּלָתוֹ,
and is capable of becoming one with another person and coming close to him.
אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוּא בִּמְצִיאוּת יֵשׁ
If, however, one is dominated by yeshus,
מִמֵּילָא אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְגַלּוֹת כְּלָל נִגְעֵי לְבָבוֹ לְזוּלָתוֹ כוּ'.
he cannot at all reveal his inner faults to someone else.
His self-concern causes him to employ defense mechanisms that prevent him from opening himself to the degree necessary to bring about genuine change.7
אוֹ שֶׁחוֹשֵׁב אֶת זוּלָתוֹ נָמוּךְ מְאֹד
Another way such a person’s yeshus manifests itself is that he seeks to magnify his self-image by lowering his opinion of others. This prevents him from speaking openly to them because he will say to himself,
וְאִם כֵּן אֵיךְ יְגַלֶּה לְפָנָיו אֶת עִנְיָנָיו וּמַה יּוֹעִיל לוֹ,
“How can I reveal my affairs to that person? What purpose will it serve me?
דְּהַיְנוּ אֵיזֶה תּוֹעֶלֶת יָבוֹא לוֹ מִזּוּלָתוֹ.
How will that person benefit me?”
וְהָעִקָּר הוּא שֶׁבְּעֶצֶם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהִתְאַחֵד עִם זוּלָתוֹ
The fundamental point is that such a person has an essential flaw: he lacks the ability to unite with someone else.
הֵן בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁמַּעֲמִיד עַל דַּעְתּוֹ וּכְפִי דַעְתּוֹ וְשִׂכְלוֹ יַחְשׁוֹב שֶׁכֵּן הוּא הָאֱמֶת,
Accordingly, in Torah study, he will stubbornly defend his opinion and follow his understanding and conception, thinking that his opinion is the truth.
וּסְבָרַת זוּלָתוֹ אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל כְּלָל לִשְׁמוֹעַ וְלָדוּן בְּזֶה בַּאֲמִתִּית בְּלִי נְטִיָּה צְדָדִית כוּ'.
He dismisses anyone else’s opinion and is unwilling to listen to and consider it accurately without prejudice.
וְאָז אַדְּרַבָּה
In such a situation, instead of an interaction between two people fostering unity,
כְּשֶׁמְּדַבֵּר יַחַד בְּעִנְיָן שִׂכְלִי הֵם מִתְפָּרְדִים יוֹתֵר וְנַעֲשִׂים מְנַגְּדִים זֶה לְזֶה יוֹתֵר
when such a person discusses an abstract idea together with someone else, they draw further apart and oppose each other to a greater degree.
Often, people argue without consciously intending to create division. It is simply that they feel they are correct and want to make that point. However, what is important is the next step. Does their discussion lead to a fruitful exchange of ideas where each person grows from listening to and understanding the other? Or does it lead to each one rigidly defending his own position and feeling hostility toward the other for not accepting it?
Where the conversation leads reflects the persons’ motivation in entering into it. Is he genuinely seeking to understand the point under discussion, or is he looking for an opportunity to express his own yeshus?
(וְזֶה נַעֲשֶׂה אֶצְלוֹ טְעָנָה אַחַר כָּךְ שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהִתְעָרֵב וּלְהִתְאַחֵד אִתּוֹ
(Afterwards, the person uses this disagreement as a reason not to cooperate and join with the other in the future.
שֶׁהֲרֵי אָמַר כָּךְ וְכָךְ כוּ'.)
Their disagreement creates obstacles that prevent them from working together, for “he said such-and-such,” etc.)
קִצּוּר.
Summary:
שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם בְּעוֹבְדֵי הוי'.
Baseless hatred among those who engage in Divine service.
תּוֹעֲלִיּוֹת דִּבּוּק חֲבֵרִים וְהַדִּבּוּר בְּלִמּוּד וּבְעִנְיְנֵי עֲבוֹדָה.
The benefits of friends’ joining and discussing both their study of Torah and their avodah.
Among the benefits produced by communication with others are:
a) others help a person recognize faults that he himself would not see;
b) when one’s faults are discussed with others, the feelings of remorse are more poignant;
c) the others can provide advice and encouragement in correcting those faults.
סִבַּת הַפֵּרוּד בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה.
Yeshusas the reason for divisiveness in Torah study.
