Likkutei Amarim Chapter 30 - Part 3

00:00 We’re continuing here in chapter 30, at the top of page 48b, the second line. The Alter Rebbe is now explaining that a person needs to reflect on a teaching of our Sages in order to reach a broken heart. The teaching is, “Be humble before every person.” The Alter Rebbe explained that this means being genuinely humble before every person—even before the most lowly of people. How can you be humble even before someone like that, when we’re talking here about a beinoni? The Alter Rebbe explains this through the teaching of our Sages, “Judge your fellow until you reach his place.” We need to look at a person according to where he is, according to his place. And “place” really does mean place. Everyone has his own place. Someone who spends his time in a place of Torah is not the same as someone who spends his time in the marketplace, among those who sit on street corners, and so on. And there is also a “place” within the soul. One person may be at a level where his yetzer hara burns like a blazing fire, while another is cool by nature. So, given all that, what are you? The fact that this person is among the most lowly and you’re a beinoni doesn’t mean you’re actually better than him. It could simply be that you face fewer tests, and that’s why you appear better. The question is, if we judge him favorably because of his circumstances, why do I call him one of the most lowly? Why am I looking down on him? What am I saying—that this poor fellow is one of the most lowly, but he has a powerful yetzer hara that burns like a blazing fire, and life has put him in a position where he has to spend time in the marketplace to earn a living, with desires pursuing him, and so on? So why do you say that he is—why is he called one of the most

02:01 lowly? The Alter Rebbe now begins to explain a fundamental point about the whole matter of serving Hashem. The Alter Rebbe says, “Now, in truth, even someone who is hot-blooded by nature…” Being in that place, and at that level, does not mean he has an excuse to commit sins. There’s no such thing. In terms of what is demanded of him, Hakadosh Boruch Hu expects this person, lowly as he may be, to be a beinoni in thought, speech, and action. Hakadosh Boruch Hu asks him to overcome his yetzer hara. He has every ability, every possibility, to overcome it and be faultless in thought, speech, and action. And this is how the Alter Rebbe continues: “Now, in truth, even someone who is hot-blooded by nature and whose livelihood requires him to spend all day among those who sit on street corners…” The Alter Rebbe says that even a person like this—who, in terms of his inner makeup, has a hot-blooded yetzer hara, and who, because of his physical circumstances in this world, has to be among those who sit on street corners—has no excuse for his sins and is considered a complete rasha, because he has no fear of G-d before his eyes. He has no excuse, and that is why he is called one of the most lowly. Because having a yetzer hara and desires, and being in that kind of place, does not give you permission to sin. Every person has the possibility and the ability to overcome the yetzer hara. And if he doesn’t do so, the Alter Rebbe says he is called “a complete rasha, because he has no fear of G-d before his eyes.” “Fear of G-d before his eyes”—that is such a powerful thing. The matter of yiras Shamayim, of fearing G-d, should be so strong in a person that it gives him the strength to

03:59 overcome the yetzer hara: “For he ought to have restrained himself and ruled over the spirit of desire in his heart, out of fear of Hashem, Who sees all his deeds, as explained above: the mind is naturally dominant over the heart.” This is what the Alter Rebbe discussed earlier, in the previous chapters: the mind has a natural ability to rule over the heart. A person can do it; he has a mind. So if he were to reflect on the fact that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is here and sees all his deeds, that understanding, that awareness, should be strong enough to rule over the heart, and he would be able to overcome all his desires. That is the point the Alter Rebbe is making here. There are several wonderful details to examine. First we’ll discuss what the Rebbe says, and then what Reb Levik says. We see that every word in Tanya is precise, and there’s a wonderful lesson here in serving Hashem. First, an interesting point: some commentators claimed that the abbreviation used here does not mean “as explained above,” but “as will be explained below.” They understood the Alter Rebbe’s words, “out of fear of Hashem, Who sees all his deeds,” to refer to what he explains in chapter 41. Later on, the Alter Rebbe does discuss yiras Shamayim: a person needs to fear Hashem and be aware that Hashem stands over him, and that awareness should guard him in all matters of thought, speech, and action. But the Rebbe rejected that reading. The abbreviation plainly means “as explained above.”

06:04 If it meant “as he will explain,” that would not be the right abbreviation. Usually, “as he will explain” is abbreviated differently. In short, that’s not what this abbreviation means; the Alter Rebbe meant “as explained above.” The Alter Rebbe is referring not to what he wrote earlier, but to what comes afterward: “as explained above: the mind is naturally dominant over the heart.” That’s what he meant—what the Alter Rebbe discussed in the previous chapters, which is really one of the foundations of Tanya. In chapters 12, 13, and 11, the Alter Rebbe explained how the mind rules over the heart. I believe the Rebbe cites chapters 12 and 17 as the places where the Alter Rebbe explains the power a person has to control his heart through his mind. So this is what the Alter Rebbe wants to say here about why the most lowly person has no excuse: because the mind is naturally dominant over the heart. If you had reflected on the fact that Hashem stands here, if you had reflected on the presence of G-dliness, that foundation—the fear of G-d before your eyes—should have protected you. Even if your yetzer hara burns like a blazing fire, and even if you are in the marketplace, you can overcome it. That is the Rebbe’s observation. And here is a wonderful observation from the Rebbe’s father. Reb Levik points out something wonderful. Look at the text of Tanya: there’s something interesting here. At first, the Alter Rebbe says “fear of G-d,” and afterward he says “fear of Hashem.” Why did he suddenly change the name? The Alter Rebbe begins, “because he has no fear of G-d before his eyes.” That is the wording of the verse in Tehillim, chapter 36. Right? Chapter 36 of Tehillim says, “There is no fear of G-d

07:58 before his eyes.” So it says “fear of Elokim.” And then the Alter Rebbe says, “out of fear of Havayah.” Why did he suddenly switch from Elokim to Havayah? In Tanya, every word is precise. So what is behind this move from the name Elokim to the name Havayah? Reb Levik[?] also asks why the Alter Rebbe uses two expressions: “For he ought to have restrained himself and ruled over…” Why say both “restrained himself” and “ruled over”? “For he ought to have restrained himself and ruled over the spirit of desire in his heart.” So listen to an insight from Reb Levik[?]. Usually Reb Levik’s[?] insights are Kabbalistic. This particular one is also a wonderful insight into serving Hashem. Reb Levik[?] says there are two things the Alter Rebbe is speaking about here. One is seeing: the eye sees. Yes. And then there is what happens in the heart. In the familiar expression, “The eye sees and the heart desires.” “The eye and the heart are the two agents of sin,” in the words of the Gemara—the eye and the heart are the two agents, the two attendants that bring about evil. The eye sees and the heart desires. And that is what the Alter Rebbe says here, right? Because his eye sees all the things he desires, and the eye sees and the heart desires, there needs to be—as our Sages said. That is what the Alter Rebbe is discussing here. Reb Levik[?] says that the eye is an external organ. It is connected with the physical: we see. The heart is an internal organ; that is where feeling arises. For a person to control the eye, he needs to reflect on the fear of Elokim. To control the heart, he needs to reflect on the fear of Havayah. Because Elokim has the same numerical value as “nature.” Elokim represents the external; Havayah represents the internal. In Igeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe says that the difference between the name Elokim and the name Havayah is the difference between the internal and the external. The name Havayah is associated with the internal. So

10:12 It says in Igeres Hateshuvah, section 4, right, that Havayah is the inner dimension. The name Havayah is the inner dimension of G-dliness, while the name Elokim is the outer dimension—G-dliness as it is clothed in the world. For us to control our eyes, one thing follows from the other. For a person to control his external faculties, his outward limbs, it is enough for him to contemplate the name Elokim. Now, to contemplate that Hakadosh Boruch Hu—what is the outer dimension? It’s self-evident: Elokim. Hakadosh Boruch Hu governs the world, is clothed in the world, and is here. So once a person understands this through contemplating the name Elokim, that is called having “the fear of Elokim before his eyes.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu is in charge; He is here, down in this world. That keeps your eyes from looking somewhere you know He does not want you to look—because by looking, you are rebelling against His kingship. It gives a person the strength to control himself, to hold back and not look. That reaches the eyes. What happens if a person fails? He fails; he looks. Then comes the second stage: he has to rule his heart, so that what he saw does not enter his heart. To keep what the eyes see from taking hold of a person’s heart requires deeper, more inward work. Yes. Because by nature, when a person sees something, it arouses a feeling in his heart, and that can lead him to desire, hatred, and so on. So this already requires deeper contemplation: contemplating the fear of Havayah, the inner dimension. Contemplating G-dliness—not just its outer dimension, Elokim, which has the same numerical value as “nature,” G-dliness as clothed in the world, but the boundlessness of G-dliness. To contemplate Havayah, to know that what is present here is not only the name Elokim; the inner dimension of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the name Havayah, is here. Havayah Elokim.

12:08 And the heart is the inner dimension of a person. So to affect the heart, too, one must specifically contemplate that not only the name Elokim is present in the world, but the name Havayah as well. That gives a person the strength, even if he failed by looking, to overcome it and not let it turn into desire in his heart. Accordingly, Reb Levi says, this is the meaning of the Alter Rebbe’s words here. The Alter Rebbe says that, in truth, even someone who is hot-blooded by nature and whose livelihood keeps him among the people who sit on street corners has no excuse for his sins; he is called utterly wicked. Reb Levi says: first of all, “utterly wicked.” What does that mean? There is “wicked,” and there is “utterly wicked.” “Wicked” refers to looking; “utterly” refers to the heart. Not only does he fail with his eyes—he then continues and brings it into his heart. That is called “utterly wicked”: bringing it from the eyes into the heart. So there are two separate transgressions. “Because the fear of Elokim is not before his eyes.” Why is he utterly wicked? Because the fear of Elokim is not before his eyes. “His eyes”—the eyes are connected with Elokim. That is why he looked; if he had feared Elokim, he would not have looked. But because he lacks fear of Elokim—specifically Elokim—he looks where he is forbidden to look. That is the precise wording of the verse. It speaks about the deed, the outer dimension, the eyes. And the Alter Rebbe continues, “For he could have held himself back.” Holding back means not looking. Then the Alter Rebbe adds, “and ruled.” Even if you failed and looked, you should have ruled over the spirit of desire in your heart “out of fear of Havayah.” Fear of Havayah already relates to the heart; regarding the eyes, he says fear of Elokim. Regarding the heart, the Alter Rebbe adds that even after

14:02 you saw what you should not have seen, contemplating the name Havayah should enable you to “rule over the desire in his heart out of fear of Havayah.” After all, Havayah is here, not only Elokim. That gives the heart the strength to overcome desire and not succumb to it. So every word of the Alter Rebbe’s wording here is precise. “Out of fear of Havayah”—when he thinks about... when he considers all this in his heart. And further on, the Alter Rebbe again says “out of fear of Havayah,” only fear of Havayah, because from that point he is speaking only about the heart. So we see how precise these words are: there is fear of Elokim, and there is fear of Havayah. And this brings us to the overall point. The Alter Rebbe is saying something remarkable here. What does he want to tell us? That even a person with a yetzer hara, someone driven by enormous desire, who is hot-blooded and has a strong animalistic impulse, and is also out in the marketplace and all that, has no excuse. Because contemplating G-dliness, knowing that “behold, Havayah stands over him,” and the fear of Elokim must be strong enough to give a person the strength to overcome the urge and not look where he is forbidden to look. And even if he does look, he must overcome it and not let it lead him further, and so on—what we were saying. Once, the Rebbe spoke at a farbrengen during Elul. It was in the mem-samech years. I don’t remember which year—whether it was the third or the fourth, I don’t know. In any case, one Elul in those years, the Rebbe spoke forcefully, giving a fiery sicha about teshuvah. The Rebbe said that in Chassidus we find two expressions, based on two verses: “The fear of Elokim is not before his eyes,” and elsewhere it says, “Elokim is not before his eyes.” Two ideas: “The fear of Elokim is not before his eyes,” and “Elokim is not before his eyes.” In any case, I don’t know exactly where it says this; I would have to look it up. But the Rebbe addressed these two expressions. What is the difference? The Rebbe explained: “The fear of Elokim is not before his eyes” means that he is not afraid of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He is not afraid. “Elokim is not before his eyes” means not only that he is not afraid of Hakadosh Boruch Hu—Hakadosh Boruch Hu is not on his mind at all. “Elokim is not before his eyes.” With “the fear of Elokim is not before his eyes,” he knows that Hakadosh Boruch Hu exists. He is present, but the person is not afraid. “Elokim is not before his eyes” means that the Eibershter simply does not figure in his thinking; he does not think about Him at all. So the Rebbe asked: Which, seemingly, is worse? The Rebbe said that people would ordinarily say that “Elokim is not before his eyes” is worse—he has no awareness of the Eibershter at all. But the Rebbe said that from this perspective, it is the opposite. A person who has Elokim before his eyes and nevertheless has no fear—that is even worse. The Rebbe said that this is like someone who “knows his Master and deliberately intends to rebel against Him.” There is someone who does not know his Master at all. He does not know. Fine, he needs to learn; but once he knows, that will surely affect him. If he knows his Master and deliberately intends to rebel against Him, though, that is the worst thing. Similarly, someone who has no awareness of Elokim—once his eyes are opened and he sees that there is Elokim, he will also have fear of Elokim. But someone who is aware of Elokim and nevertheless is not afraid is, in a certain sense, even worse. That is how the Rebbe put it at the farbrengen. The Rebbe said that this is connected with the saying of Reb Yitzchak Mast[?] shlita; the Rebbe said

15:58 …his eyes, and there is no G-d before his eyes. At any rate, I don’t know exactly where it’s written; I need to look it up. But the Rebbe addressed these two expressions: “There is no fear of G-d before his eyes” and “There is no G-d before his eyes.” What is the difference? The Rebbe explained: “There is no fear of G-d before his eyes” means he is not afraid of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He isn’t afraid. “There is no G-d before his eyes” means not only that he isn’t afraid of Hakadosh Boruch Hu—Hakadosh Boruch Hu isn’t even in his thoughts. There is no G-d before his eyes. At the level of “There is no fear of G-d before his eyes,” he knows that Hakadosh Boruch Hu exists, but he isn’t afraid. “There is no G-d before his eyes” means the Eibershter isn’t in his thoughts at all; he doesn’t think about Him at all. So the Rebbe asked: Which is worse? On a simple level, the Rebbe said, people would say that “There is no G-d before his eyes” is worse—he has no Eibershter at all. But the Rebbe said that according to this, it’s the other way around. A person who has G-d before his eyes and nevertheless has no fear—that is even worse. The Rebbe said this is like someone who “knows his Master and deliberately rebels against Him.” As they say, there is someone who doesn’t know his Master at all. He doesn’t know. Well, he needs to find out. But once he knows, it will certainly affect him. If he knows his Master and deliberately rebels against Him, though, that is the worst thing. Similarly, a person who has no G-d before his eyes—once his eyes are opened and he sees that there is a G-d, he will also have fear of G-d. But a person who has G-d before his eyes and nevertheless isn’t afraid is, in a certain sense, even worse. That is how the Rebbe put it at a farbrengen. The Rebbe said that this is connected with the saying of Reb Yitzchak Mast[unclear] shlita; the Rebbe said

17:54 Reb Yitzchak Mast[?] shlita once said a chassidic vort. As is known, the Rebbe related this in the early years: Reb Yitzchak Mast[?] shlita once said that a chossid can be described as “one who knows his Master and deliberately rebels against Him.” The story goes that, at a farbrengen with the Frierdiker Rebbe, Reb Yitzchak Mast[?] shlita said to him that a chossid is “one who knows his Master and deliberately rebels against Him.” Why? Because someone who does not learn Chassidus does not really know his Master at all. He knows nothing about the Eibershter, so what can you say about him? But a chossid learns Chassidus, so he does know his Master, and nevertheless he behaves that way. That is “one who knows his Master and deliberately rebels against Him.” The Rebbe also said that the Frierdiker Rebbe did not like it. That is how the Rebbe put it: the Frierdiker Rebbe did not like this vort. Nevertheless, the Rebbe did give it some place, which is very interesting. The Rebbe acknowledges here that there is something to it, that this phenomenon exists. Even though the Frierdiker Rebbe said—he did not say that... Because the Rebbe explained why he said it; there is a point here too: “There is no fear of G-d before his eyes.” You learn Chassidus, you know there is a G-d, and yet it does not affect you. It does not touch you or make an impression on you; there is no fear of G-d. That is a kind of “knowing his Master and deliberately rebelling against Him.” So the Alter Rebbe is coming to explain here why even the most lowly person has every possibility and every ability, through having the fear of G-d before his eyes, to overcome and control his yetzer—both his eyes and his heart. The Alter Rebbe continues, and here he wants to clarify: what is it here, what is it here—

19:38 —to be humble of spirit? How do I come to be humble of spirit in comparison with the most lowly person? So the Alter Rebbe concludes: “And in truth, it is a great and formidable battle to break the yetzer that burns like a blazing fire out of fear of Hashem, and it is truly like a test.” The Alter Rebbe is saying: I do not think this is easy. This avodah is demanded even of the most lowly person—that his fear of Hashem be so strong that through it he overcomes his desire. That is not simple. It is very great avodah, “a great and formidable battle.” To break the yetzer that burns like a blazing fire through fear of Hashem takes a formidable battle. His yetzer burns like a blazing fire, and the fear of Hashem is supposed to give him the strength to overcome that blaze? It is not simple at all. But look at what he adds: “and it is truly like a test.” What exactly is “truly like a test”? On a simple level, the Alter Rebbe means to say that this is a kind of test. We know a test is something very difficult. Tests, trials—after all, “G-d tested Avraham.” A test is something very difficult. As Chassidus explains about the matter of tests, there is such a severe concealment that it seems as though you cannot overcome it. So the Alter Rebbe says that the battle with the yetzer—when a person has a yetzer burning like a blazing fire and nevertheless has to overcome it, because of what? Because of yiras Shamayim—is truly like a test. It is a kind of test. Chassidim always had difficulty understanding this vort. What does the Alter Rebbe want to add with the words “truly like a test”? What? What does that add? So there was a vort passed down among chassidim from generation to generation, even recorded in books by elder chassidim of earlier generations, that the meaning of “truly like a test” is: the Alter Rebbe means a test of tzaddikim. After all—

21:46 —we see in the Torah that tzaddikim face tests: Avraham Avinu, King David. We see tests among the great tzaddikim. And it is written in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: what defines a test for a tzaddik? How can there be a test? The tzaddik wants to fulfill the Divine Will. Why is it called a test? Did Avraham Avinu have any doubt? Of course he wanted to fulfill it. What is the meaning of a tzaddik’s test? It is written in the name of the Baal Shem Tov—the wording cited in books in his name—that a test for a tzaddik means that when Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings him to a test, He takes away all his spiritual levels. He is no longer at the level of a tzaddik at that moment. If he were at the level of a tzaddik, then of course there would be no test. Hakadosh Boruch Hu takes away his level, the holiness, the G-dliness, the... At the time of the test, it is as though... And on the other hand, Hakadosh Boruch Hu puts desire into him. “Desire upon desire is added to him”—that is the wording; that is what it says. All his spiritual levels are taken away, and desire upon desire is added to him. So that is a tzaddik’s test. You understand? Right now he has no spiritual level, and on the other hand he has an overwhelming desire, yet he must overcome it. That is what defined the test Adam Harishon faced with the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. That was the test Avraham Avinu faced, and so on. Adam Harishon did not overcome it; Avraham Avinu did. Yosef Hatzaddik with Potiphar. In all the stories about tzaddikim in Tanach, that is what defines the test. So how did chassidim explain the Alter Rebbe’s words along these lines? This is what he means by “truly like a test.” After all, what defines—

23:39 —a test? On one hand, holiness is taken away from a person, and on the other, desire is added. And that is indeed the battle with the yetzer. What happens in that battle? On one hand, this person does not have all the [unclear] that a tzaddik has; he is an ordinary person. On the other hand, he has a yetzer that burns like a blazing fire. So it is a battle. That is what the Alter Rebbe says: it is “a great and formidable battle” to break the yetzer, “truly like a test.” It is the same kind of thing as a tzaddik’s test. That is how it was once understood, but the Rebbe rejected this entirely. They wrote it in Lessons in Tanya; when Rabbi Weinberg gave the lessons, he included this explanation, and the Rebbe deleted it. The Rebbe rejected it completely and said that this is not the meaning of a test for tzaddikim, or for the Avos. The Rebbe also rejected that idea itself—or rather, did not accept it exactly as stated. Interestingly, the Rebbe did provide a reference for “desire upon desire is added to him”; it is written regarding [unclear]. The Rebbe noted in the references where those passages came from, but said that this is not what a tzaddik’s test means. A tzaddik’s test is as it says in Tanya, as cited in Derech Mitzvosecha in the name of, uh, Reb Mendel of Horodok: Avraham Avinu’s test was not to entertain a doubt, [unclear]. That is not the meaning. That is the test of tzaddikim on the one hand. On the other hand, that is also the meaning in Tanya. Look, the Rebbe does not say “tzaddikim”; that is not what he is discussing here. [unclear] The Rebbe wants to explain the matter simply, in terms of spiritual levels. Look, he wants to say “truly like a test.” We know there are tests in life, and a test is something very, very difficult, something a person feels he cannot overcome. That is the meaning of “truly like a test.” But

25:31 The Rebbe says that the battle with the yetzer hara is a test. Sometimes we think a test means something extraordinary happens—some non-Jew comes and wants to kill me, and I have to sanctify Hashem’s name. That’s what we call a test. But this is just as real a test: the whole battle with the yetzer hara, when it burns like a blazing fire, and one’s fear of Heaven has to be strong enough to overcome it. It’s just like an actual test, without... The Rebbe adds other points that I don’t remember right now, but in any case, that’s the point here in the plain meaning of Tanya. Divine providence. We’re learning the plain meaning now. There’s also a sicha of the Rebbe on Parshas Ki Seitzei 5746, with an extensive discussion of this point. It’s a wonderful sicha in which the Rebbe spoke about how difficult it is to overcome the yetzer hara. He spoke about it very forcefully. Ki Seitzei: “When you go out to war against your enemies.” What is the novelty here? In Chassidus we always say that you need to know you’re “above your enemies”—that you have the strength; you’re above the yetzer hara. But the Rebbe explained at length that the opposing force really does have tremendous power. That opposing force is the yetzer hara. As we learned in the previous chapter, Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives it the strength, permission, and ability to interfere with a person. So the power of kelipah is not just any power; it is power that Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave it. That makes it tremendous. The Rebbe explained that this comes from Hashem’s power to make even the impossible possible. The fact that Hakadosh Boruch Hu can give such power to an opposing force comes from the deepest place. So the power of kelipah in this battle is very strong. But a Jew also has the strength to overcome it. That’s the point. The Rebbe explained this at length. In any case, now is the time.

27:29 Now is the time to do this work: to battle the yetzer hara and awaken our fear of Heaven. As Chassidus explains, that is the main thing. The work of the month of Elul is to awaken our fear of Heaven and overcome these things, each of us in our own areas. We have to take a firm hold of ourselves, stop looking for excuses, and serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu—as the Alter Rebbe says here—with an intense struggle in our service of Hashem.