תּוֹרָה אוֹר, דִּבּוּר הַמַתְחִיל מִי שָׂם פֶּה, סְעִיף הַמַּתְחִיל וְהַנִּמְשָׁל יוּבָן: "כִּי יֵשׁ בְּחִינַת מַעֲלָה" צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת "וְכֵן יֵשׁ מַעֲלָה".

[In the above note, the Rebbe makes emendations to the Hebrew text of Torah Or that have since been incorporated in all of its editions.]

בַּאֲנָחוֹת לְבָד לֹא נִוָּשֵׁעַ. הָאֲנָחָה הִיא רַק כַּפַּת הַמַּנְעוּל לִפְתּוֹחַ אֶת הַלֵּב וְלִפְקוֹחַ אֶת הָעֵינַיִם שֶׁלֹּא לָשֶׁבֶת בְּחִבּוּק יָדַיִם, רַק לְסַדֵּר עֲבוֹדָה וּפוֹעַל, אִישׁ אִישׁ בַּאֲשֶׁר יוּכַל לִפְעוֹל וְלַעֲשׂוֹת בְּתַעֲמוּלָה לְחִזּוּק הַתּוֹרָה הַרְבָּצַת הַתּוֹרָה וּשְׁמִירַת הַמִּצְוֹת, זֶה בִּכְתָבוֹ וְזֶה בִּנְאוּמוֹ וְזֶה בְּכַסְפּוֹ.

Sighing alone will not bring us salvation. Sighing is only a doorknob that unlocks the heart and opens the eyes so that one will not sit idly with folded arms. Instead, one should plan one’s efforts and take action, every individual according to his abilities, toward the goal of buttressing and disseminating the study of Torah and the observance of its mitzvos: one person through writing, another one through public speaking, and another with his financial resources.1

Probing Beneath the Surface

Chassidim like to say: The time spent crying over one sin could be used to do two mitzvos.

Instead of bemoaning the darkness, we should generate light. As the Rebbe Rayatz writes in the letter from which the above teaching is taken: “We are accustomed… to lament the [low] level of our present ethical standards with deep sighs coming from the heart…. At that time, however, we forget the adage,2 ‘One action is better than a thousand sighs.’ “

Nevertheless, the above teaching tells us that at times, sighing can motivate constructive activity.3