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DEUTERONOMY — 10:12 request

DEUT416 Know well that fearing Hashem is the basis of all mitzvos, as the pasuk says [this verse], "And now, Yisrael, what does Hashem, your God, request of you? Only to fear Hashem, your God." Through this, Hashem favors His creatures, as the pasuk says (Tehillim 147:11), "Hashem favors those who fear Him." (Continued at [[LEV268]] Leviticus 18:30 restrictions GATES 167)

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:16 cut away

DEUT437 Know and understand--Divine chastisement is for man's good. For if one sins and commits evil before Hashem, His chastisement has a dual purpose. The first--it atones for his sins and removes his transgression, as the pasuk says (Tehillim 25:18), "Look upon my privation and suffering, forgive all my sins." Through the sicknesses of the body, Divinely incurred, the malaise of the soul becomes healed--for transgression is the malaise of the soul, as the pesukim say (ibid., 41:5), "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You," and (Yeshayahu 33:24), "No inhabitant will say, 'I am sick'; the people that dwell there will be forgiven [their] transgression." The second [purpose]--to remind him [to repent] in order to bring him back from his evil ways as the pasuk says (Tzefanyah 3:7), "Just fear me, accept chastisement." But if he does not accept chastisement, does not become submissive through reproof, and does not remove the layer [over] his heart [this verse]--woe and to him and woe unto his soul! For he has endured suffering and borne his sin without its being forgiven, and [in its place] his punishment has increased twofold, as we have explained.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:16 cut away

DEUT438 Know, there are six ways by which man can arouse himself to return from his evil behavior. For each of these we will teach the knowledge [Yeshayahu 40:14] required for one's ability to classify them analytically and for understanding what each requires of him. We will bring them to his attention [Yeshayahu 50:4; Merely reading these words is insufficient; one must pay attention to them and take them to heart (Zeh Hasha'ar)]. Yet, beyond this, my son, take care to repent daily and to purify your soul. Even if you don't experience [one of these] ways to arouse yourself and daily events disrupt your thoughts, remember your Creator. Recalling His presence will bring your soul back from the pathways that emerged through a clod of earth. [I.e., Man's earthly body, which draws him to the corporeal world.]. Similarly, you must expose the power of your intellect [Chavakuk 3:9], to straighten any crookedness within your nature. Through your fear of Hashem, your love for Him, and your shame when standing before Him, you will continually elevate yourself. Persevere in keeping your hands untainted, remove unruly thoughts from your mind, and purify the carriers of the instruments of your soul [Yeshayahu 52:11; By cleansing your deeds and your thoughts, even your body will assist in helping perfect you (Zeh Hasha'ar).] When the soul recalls its Creator, it will adorn and add beauty to itself, as the pasuk says (Yeshayahu 45:25): "Through Hashem, all the seed of Yisrael will become righteous and glorified." Intensify your efforts to arouse your spirit through the six ways that will be clarified. One who has not yet attained this level [I.e., of returning to Hashem by recalling His presence] will be able to [at least] subdue his uncircumcised heart [I.e., A heart that is "covered overall" with coarseness, making it untamed and stubborn; see Ibn Ezra on [this verse]] through one of these [six] ways, and by seeing many [other motivating insights]. As the need for any one of these ways to arouse one's heart to repentance is lessened and to the extent that one is inclined toward the path of one's inner resolve to teshuvah, his repentance will be recognized and discerned as [emerging from] the preeminence of the soul.

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:17 bribe

DEUT440 The seventeenth principle [of repentance] is to pursue acts of kindness and truth, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 16:6), "Through kindness and truth transgression is atoned for, and through fear of Hashem [to] turn from evil." Contemplate the hidden meaning of this pasuk. In truth, if the sinner does not return to Hashem, his transgression will not be atoned for by an act of kindness, as the pasuk says [this verse], "Who shows no favoritism and accepts no bribes." Our sages, z"l, interpreted this as follows (see Sifrei 33:6; Yalkut Mishlei 947): "He will not accept being bribed by a mitzvah, to pardon and overlook sins." They further said (Bava Kama 50a), "Whoever says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu overlooks things will have his life overlooked." It is just that Hashem is slow to anger; but if they do not heed His word, their actions will be repaid in kind [Yeshayahu 65:7]. Thus, when Shlomo [HaMelech], a"h, said, "Through kindness and truth transgression is atoned for"--he was referring to one who [first] does teshuvah. There are sins for which repentance and Yom Kippur suspend [atonement], and suffering purges [and completes the atonement], as we will explain in the Fourth Gate. Yet, an act of kindness shields the sinner and safeguards him from [the need for] suffering, just as it also rescues one from death, as the pasuk states (Mishlei 10:2), "Charity delivers [one] from death." [Rabbi Yonah has just explained how kindness helps achieve atonement -- by taking the place of suffering. ...]

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:20 fear

DEUT478 … our Sages, z"l, said (Kiddushin 39b), "One who sat and did not commit a sin is rewarded like one who performed a mitzvah, as for example, one who had the opportunity to sin and saved [himself] from doing so." They further said (see Midrash Tehillim 1), "'[A book of remembrance was written before Him" for those who fear Hashem and those who contemplate His Name' (Malachi 3:16) -- this is one who had the opportunity to sin and saved [himself] from doing so." The reward, here too, essentially and fundamentally stems from a positive commandment, for he has prevailed over his yetzer by fearing God, as the pasuk says [this verse], "You shall fear Hashem, your God."

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:20 fear

DEUT480 Among the more weighty of the positive commandments are those that the Jewish populous are not heedful in their performance, such as mentioning Hashem's Name in vain, for the pasuk says [this verse], "You shall fear Hashem, your God," and our Sages, z"l, said (Temurah 4a), "We have been admonished by this not to mention Hashem's Name in vain."

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DEUTERONOMY — 10:21 deeds

DEUT485 "So that he will not feel superior to his brethren." [Devarim 17:20]. We have been admonished herein to remove from within ourselves the trait of haughtiness, and one who is of greater stature should not take pride over one who is beneath him. Even a king must not feel superior to his brethren; although he must conduct himself in the manner of nobility [Bemidbar 16:13], yet he must humble his spirit [See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 2:6]. Arrogance is one of the more severe transgressions, leading to the loss and destruction of one's soul, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 16:5), "Every prideful heart is the abomination of Hashem." Of what assistance are one's monetary acquisitions, affluence, and lofty treasures [presumably this refers to spiritual accomplishments (Zeh Hasha'ar)] if now that he is loathsome and detested [Iyov 15:16; I.e. before Hashem] the lofty heights of his greatness lie deeper than She'ol? A wise person should praise himself only for serving Hashem, fearing Him, trusting in Him, loving Him, and for his deveikus [attachment -- AJL] to Him, as the pasuk says [this verse], "He is your praise, and He is your God." In addition, the pasuk says (Yirmeyahu 9:22-23), "Let not the wise man praise himself for his wisdom… Rather, he who praises himself may praise himself for this: [for] contemplating and knowing Me."

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