Fear of sin

Pirkei Avos


by Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

Print Version





To sponsor an edition of the Pirkei Avos e-mail list, click here













Religious Neurotics





Chapter 2, Mishnas 10-11(d)



Mishna 10



"Rabban Yochanan ben (son of) Zakkai had five [primary] students. They were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, Rabbi Yossi the Priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nesanel, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach."



Mishna 11



"He used to enumerate their praises: R. Eliezer ben Hurkenos is a cemented pit which never loses a drop; R. Yehoshua ben Chananya -- fortunate is she who bore him; R. Yossi the Priest is pious; R. Shimon ben Nesanel fears sin; and R. Elazar ben Arach is as an increasing river."



This week we are up to the quality of R. Yochanan's fourth student, R. Shimon ben (son of) Nesanel. R. Shimon was said to fear sin. He refrained from wrong acts not because he felt obligated to observe G-d's commandments nor because he was afraid of Divine retribution. Rather, R. Shimon feared the sins themselves. He recognized that a sin is in itself an inherently evil act, one which runs contrary to spirituality and personal growth.



When G-d tells us not to do something -- even an act not obviously morally wrong (eating lobster, wearing clothes containing wool and linen, shaving off one's sideburns, etc.) -- the act itself must be spiritually despicable. The G-d who created both the physical and spiritual worlds knows what is beneficial and what is harmful to our souls. And that in itself was reason enough for R. Shimon to distance himself from sin. As the commentator R. Yonah explains, R. Shimon created safeguards for himself so he would not come anywhere near sin. Most of us would probably not mind partaking in a few forbidden pleasures here and there, and only at best refrain because of the "imposition" of G-d's will. R. Shimon, however, grew to appreciate that no amount of pleasure or temptation could ever equal the soul-destroying severity of the evil of sin.



As we did with the previous trait, piety, I'd like to take some time to describe what fear of sin is not. There's an easy trap to fall into here -- an empty, feel-good version of fear, perhaps even more relevant than the mock-piety we talked about previously (wailing, fasting, rolling in the snow), and which too has surfaced at times in Jewish history.



As we defined, fear of sin does not imply fear of not following orders or of punishment, but fear of the sin itself. It is a recognition that sin is inherently evil. This, however, carries within it a danger -- that the sin will assume a life of its own; the person will have become so accustomed to refraining from the act he will acquire a kind of neurotic fear of the action -- long forgetting what is actually wrong with it. An illustration will bring this out perfectly.



Rabbi Zev Leff (www.rabbileff.net), well-known scholar, lecturer and writer of Moshav Mattisyahu, Israel, describes how when he was a relatively young rabbi, one of his older congregants, a man in his seventies, had developed health problems which made fasting on Yom Kippur dangerous. The man's wife asked the rabbi to attempt to reason with her husband, who had no intention of eating on Yom Kippur. When the rabbi patiently attempted to explain the necessity of eating in life-threatening situations, the man responded something like this: "Rabbi, you're a young man." (I'm sure the congregant was twice the rabbi's age.) "It's easy for you to talk that way in an abstract sense. But I've been fasting on Yom Kippur for the past sixty years, and I have no intention of stopping this year."



I would have probably given up at that point. I have a rule in life never to argue with anyone twice my age (by now a dying breed). However, the story continues as follows, and concludes with a happier ending.



R. Leff took the following tactic, which surprisingly worked: "Well, I can't force you on the issue. But I will have to tell the synagogue gabbai (sexton) that you will no longer be able to receive any honors during synagogue services." Man: "Why not?" Rabbi: "Because you are an idolater." Man: "Huh?" Rabbi: "It's clear to me that you're not serving G-d but Yom Kippur. If you fasted on Yom Kippur when G-d said so and did not when G-d said not to, you would be serving G-d. But if you fast even when G-d says not to, it is clear that it's Yom Kippur you're worshiping and not G-d."



This unfortunately is the attachment to mitzvos (commandments) we often have. People develop an irrational fear of sin -- not because they understand that if G-d forbade it it is inherently evil, but because they've refrained from the act so long, they can no longer imagine transgressing it.



R. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, one of the directors of the Orthodox Union, once made the following observation: "There's sometimes a very thin line between meticulous observance of every detail of the mitzvos and just being a neurotic." The more religious a person is, the more obsessed he becomes with the nitty-gritty details of religious observance. And he can pay such painstaking attention to all the details he's liable to utterly forget what the Torah is all about.



The Talmud illustrates a "pious fool" ("chassid shoteh") as one who sees a woman drowning in the river and refrains from saving her because -- it's forbidden to look at a woman! (Sotah 21b). If we have the big picture, we can and should be serious about the severity of sin and the many details of religious observance. But if the sin itself is the fearful ends, we are worshiping actions rather than G-d.



(A more recent example is my beloved teacher OBM, R. Yaakov Weinberg. When he was growing up in the Holy Land, a tragedy occurred in his school (in Tiberius) in which a woman's clothes caught on fire and as a result she burned to death. Right after the tragedy R. Weinberg overheard his teacher saying to himself, "I just wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't touch a woman..." My teacher picked himself up and left the school that day -- to continue his education in Jerusalem. He was all of 8 years old, but he realized that his teacher was a "pious fool," and he refused to ever study from him again.)



There is an important corollary to this. If one has developed a fear of the action and not the Commander, it is really not so hard to break the ice. If once you slip and taste the forbidden fruit -- and lightning does not miraculously strike you -- all of a sudden the act loses its diabolical spell, and the irrational fear will quickly dissipate.



Likewise, if we tell our children to keep their tradition because that's just the way we Jews have always been doing things, then the next generation -- whose Jewish consciousness is that much less firmly rooted -- will be able to dispense with it without the nostalgic attachment. If, however, we introduce them to the G-d who created us and commanded us in the spiritually fulfilling life, then they will hopefully discover G-d on their own -- as every generation must.



This is the true message of R. Shimon. Fear of sin is not some kind of neurotic or nostalgic hang-up. It is having the proper sense of the severity of G-d's word. R. Shimon surely began with the proper fear of his Creator. And his respect for G-d made him appreciate just how despicable sinful acts are. Any act which is spiritually harmful and runs contrary to G-d's will cannot possibly be tempting or enticing. And thus his fear was not of "Sin" -- the entity incarnate -- but in truth of the One who forbade it.

love and desire in which the soul desires, loves and wishes to cleave to G‑d,

Today's Tanya Lesson


Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 18

Listen Online
MP3 Download



והשנית היא אהבה ותאוה, שהנפש מתאוה ואוהבת וחפיצה לדבקה בה׳



The second [category] is a love and desire in which the soul desires, loves and wishes to cleave to G‑d,



לצרור בצרור החיים



“to be bound up in the bond of life.”1



וקרבת אלקים טוב לה מאד, ובו תחפוץ



The proximity to G‑d is very dear to her, and that is what she desires.



ורע לה מאד להתרחק ממנו יתברך, חס ושלום



It is most grievous unto her to become, heaven forfend, distanced from Him, blessed be He,



להיות מחיצה של ברזל מהחיצונים מפסקת, חס ושלום



by having an iron partition of the chitzonim, the forces of kelipah and unholiness, separate her [from Him], heaven forfend.



Thus, inherent in the soul’s love for G‑d is its anxious fear of being alienated from Him by a partition resulting from those things that are opposite His will.



Likkutei Levi Yitzchak, authored by the father of the Rebbe, explains that the four terms used above — “desires”, “loves”, “wishes” and “cleaves” — refer respectively to the soul-levels within the Four Worlds: “desires” relates to the World of Asiyah, “loves” relates to the World of Yetzirah, and so on.



ואהבה זו היא מוסתרת בלב כלל ישראל, אפילו ברשעים



This love is latent in the heart of all Jews, even in the wicked, as explained at length in Part I, chs. 18 and 19,



וממנה באה להם החרטה



and from this [latent love] derives their remorse, as in the phrase,2 “The wicked are full of remorse.”



The Alter Rebbe now answers the following implied question: If they indeed possess this love, why then are they wicked?



אך מפני שהיא מוסתרת ונעלמה בבחינת גלות בגוף, הרי הקליפה יכולה לשלוט עליה



However, because it is latent and concealed, in a state of exile in the body, it is possible for the kelipah to dominate it;



וזהו רוח שטות המחטיא לאדם



and this is the “spirit of folly” which causes a man to sin.3



The “spirit of folly” cloaks this hidden love (ahavah mesuteret), so that one loses the sensitivity to realize that through sinning he is jeopardizing his attachment to G‑d.



ועל כן עבודת האדם לקונו היא להתחזק ולהתגבר על הקליפה, בכל מכל כל



Therefore a man’s service to his Maker consists of strengthening himself and prevailing over the kelipah in all its manifestations.



דהיינו: מתחלה, לגרשה מהגוף לגמרי



That is, first to expel it completely from the body, so that it has absolutely no dominion over him —



ממחשבה דבור ומעשה, שבמוח ולשון ורמ״ח אברים



[expelling it] from the [faculties of] thought, speech and action that are in the brain, the tongue, and the 248 organs.



Expelling the kelipah means ensuring that one’s brain will harbor no thoughts that are contrary to G‑d’s will; that one’s tongue will speak no evil words; that one’s 248 organs will commit no evil acts.



ואחר כך יוכל גם כן להוציא ממסגר אסיר, בחוזק יד



After that he will also be able to4 “bring out the captive from prison” with a strong hand.



Once one has vanquished the kelipah by steadfastly5 “turning away from evil” — not thinking, speaking or doing those things that are contrary to G‑d’s will — he is then able to uncover the love that is latent within him, so that it will permeate his positive thoughts, words and deeds. His mind will thus ponder upon G‑d’s greatness, and his heart will then actively feel a love for G‑d. In turn, this love will result in his enhanced fulfillment of the Torah and its mitzvot.



דהיינו: להיות חזק ואמיץ לבו בגבורים



That is, he will be strong,6 “and his heart courageous among the valiant,”



להיות האהבה המסותרת נגלית בגילוי רב, בכל כחות חלקי הנפש שבגוף



so that the hidden love will become abundantly revealed in all the powers of the soul’s components in his body;



דהיינו: העיקר, בשכל ובמחשבה שבמוח



i.e., mainly in the mind and in the [faculty of] thought in the brain,



The mind serves to reveal this love, which then manifests throughout the rest of the person’s organs.



שהשכל יחשב ויתבונן תמיד, כפי שכלו והשכלתו, בבורא יתברך



so that corresponding to its intellect and understanding the mind will constantly think and contemplate on the blessed Creator —



איך שהוא חיי החיים בכלל, וחיי נשמתו בפרט



how He is the Fountainhead of life in general, and of the life of his own soul in particular.



ועל כן יכסוף ויתאוה להיות דבוק בו וקרוב אליו כוסף טבעי



Consequently, he will yearn and desire to be attached to Him, and near to Him, with an innate yearning,



כבן הכוסף להיות תמיד אצל אביו, וכמו אש העולה למעלה תמיד בטבעה, למקורה



like that of a child who yearns to be constantly near his father, and like fire which by its very nature always rises upwards to its source, as explained in Part I, ch. 19.



וכל מה שיתמיד לחשוב בשכלו כוסף זה, ככה יתגבר ויתפשט כוסף זה גם בפיו ובכל אבריו



And the more he continues to set his mind on this yearning, the more will this yearning become correspondingly stronger, and will also extend to his mouth and to all his organs,



לעסוק בתורה ומצות, לדבקה בהם בה׳ ממש



so that he will occupy himself with the Torah and the commandments in order to really cleave thereby to G‑d,



דאורייתא וקודשא בריך הוא כולא חד



for7 “The Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely One.”



This love will thus affect his brain, mouth and other bodily organs, motivating them to study Torah and perform the commandments with a greater degree of love.



ועל כוסף זה, שבגילוי רב, כתיב: צמאה נפשי וגו׳



Of this greatly manifest yearning, i.e., of this love, it is written,8 “My soul thirsts [for G‑d],”



כאדם הצמא למים, ואין לו תענוג עדיין כלל



like a person who thirsts for water and does not yet have any pleasure [from it].



This level of love for G‑d is likened to a state of thirst. At this stage the individual seeking to cleave to G‑d does not experience any delight, for he has yet to cleave to Him: all he feels is the pangs of thirst. In the previously-described level of love, ahavah betaanugim, the individual has already quenched his thirst, so to speak: his love for G‑d has been realized and he is now actively cleaving to Him.



וגם על כוסף זה ואהבה זו המוסתרת בנו, אנו מעתירים לה׳ להיות בעזרנו, להוציאה ממסגר



Also9 concerning this yearning and this love concealed within us we pray to G‑d, to help us bring it out from imprisonment,



It is indeed true that this lesser degree of love is attainable by man and need not be granted as a gift from Above; it is already possessed by every Jew and he need but reveal it through his spiritual service. Nevertheless we beseech G‑d that He help us reveal this love and liberate it from its concealment.



ושיהיה הלב מלא ממנה לבדה



so that the heart be filled with it alone,



ולא תכנס צרתה בביתה, שהיא תאות עולם הזה



so that its “rival-wife,” i.e., mundane desires, will not enter its house, i.e., our hearts.



רק שתהיה היא עקרת הבית, למשול בצרתה ולגרשה החוצה, ממחשבה דיבור ומעשה, על כל פנים



Rather, this [yearning and love] should be the sole mistress of the house, to rule over her “rival-wife” and to expel her at least from one’s thought, speech and action.



הגם שלא יוכל לשלחה לגמרי מלבו



Though one cannot expel her altogether from one’s heart, so that it should harbor no foreign desires at all,



For we are speaking here of the love possessed by the Beinoni, an individual who is unable to banish foreign desires from his heart; he is only able to ensure that they find no expression in his thought, his speech or his actions, as explained in Tanya, Part I, ch. 12.



על כל פנים תהיה היא מוסתרת, בבחינת גלות ועבדות לעקרת הבית, גברתה



she should at least be hidden, in a state of exile and servitude to the mistress of the house, i.e., to the love for G‑d,



להשתמש בה לדברים הכרחים לה, לבד, כאכילה ושתיה



who will make use of her for her own essentials only, such as eating and drinking,



If the G‑dly soul is to remain within the body and thereby be able to fulfill the requirements of the Torah and its mitzvot, the individual must eat and drink. He should therefore use the animal soul’s natural desire for physical things expressly for the spiritual purposes of the G‑dly soul. Thus, for example, his food and drink are intended to provide him with strength so that he will be able to study the Torah, engage in divine service, and the like.



כדכתיב: בכל דרכיך דעהו



as it is written,10 “Know Him in all your ways.”



“Your ways” clearly speaks of man’s corporeal activities. Yet even in these we are commanded to “know Him” — to bind oneself to G‑d through these physical actions, by utilizing them for the purposes designated by Him, in order thereby to “know Him.”11



FOOTNOTES

1. I Shmuel 25:29.

2. Shevet Mussar, sec. 25.

3. Sotah 3a.

4. Yeshayahu 42:7.

5. Cf. Tehillim 34:15.

6. Amos 2:16.

7. See Zohar I, 24a; II, 60a.

8. Tehillim 42:3.

9. Note of the Rebbe: “This [passage on the need for prayer in arousing the second level of love] had to be added here, [to the above passage on the role of meditation], in view of the statement in Epistle 4 that this [level of love] is revealed not by meditation but [only] by prayer and tzedakah. [The fact that both prayer and metitation are mentioned here makes it clear that the two epistles are not divergent but complementary.] In addition, it is thus apparent that tzedakah also plays a role in this manner of service.”

10. Mishlei 3:6. Note of the Rebbe: “Cf. the ruling in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, sec. 231, at length.”

11. Note of the Rebbe: “It still remains to be understood what, exactly, is the connection [of the foregoing] with the opening verse, ‘How beautiful and how pleasant....’ This could be clarified in the light of the discussion in Torat Chayim, which explains why there is wonderment at [this kind of] beauty and pleasantness. (This wonderment is expressed in the exclamation, ‘How beautiful and how pleasant...!’) Accordingly it is understood that ahavah betaanugim is as defined in the above letter. (The same is true of the latent love, for which reason its beauty and pleasantness do not arouse wonderment.)”