אַאַזְמוּ"ר אָמַר — בְּיַחַס לְהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת בְּהַעֲמָקַת הַדַּעַת בְּעִנְיַן קְשֵׁה הַהֲשָׂגָה: אִם הָעִנְיָן נוֹגֵעַ אֲזַי מְבִינִים וּמַשִּׂיגִים בְּכִי טוֹב, וּרְאָיָה מִן הַתּוֹרָה בְּדִינֵי נָשִׁים וכו' וְטַעֲנוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁיְּכוֹלוֹת לִטְעוֹן. וּמְדַבְּרִים בָּזֶה תַּנָּאִים וְאָמוֹרָאִים וְהַגְּאוֹנִים שֶׁכּוּלָּם הֵם בַּעֲלֵי הַשְׂכָּלָה מוּפְלָגָה, וְהַתּוֹרָה הִיא תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת, וַהֲלֹא הָאִשָּׁה אֵינָהּ בְּעֶרֶךְ לִטְעוֹן טְעָנוֹת אֵלּוּ. אֲבָל הָאֱמֶת הוּא, דְּכַאֲשֶׁר הָעִנְיָן נוֹגֵעַ הִנֵּה גַּם חֲלוּשֵׁי הַדַּעַת מַמְצִיאִים שִׂכְלִיִּים עֲמוּקִים.

My grandfather, [the Rebbe Maharash, discussed the expectation that a chassid devote time to] profound meditation on a difficult concept, saying: “If the matter at hand genuinely affects a person, then he will understand and grasp it very well.

“Proof of this can be found in the Torah, in the laws concerning women and the legal arguments that they could put forth1 — arguments that are debated by the Tannaim, the Amoraim, and the Geonim,2 whowere all prodigious intellectuals! Now, the Torah is a Torah of truth, yet women [at large] are not capable of advancing such [intricate] arguments. But the truth is that when a matter genuinely affects a person, even a limited mind can propose deep arguments.”3

Probing Beneath the Surface

One of the classic chassidic analogies used to illustrate a related concept is that of the accountant who reports to his boss that the business has gone bankrupt. The owner responds with disbelief, as the accountant gradually explains it to him. The owner continues to ask questions and the accountant answers them, until finally, the owner gets the point and faints.

Why does he faint, not the accountant? After all, the accountant understands the severity of the matter much more thoroughly than the owner.

The answer is obvious. The accountant is not the master of the account: he is an outsider who has been hired for his services. As to the owner, the bottom line means so much more to him, because it is his account.

This analogy lends insight to the phrase used by the Zohar when it advises a penitent to relate to his personal stocktaking earnestly. He is urged to be “ a master of accounts.”4