{"id":155,"date":"2013-11-18T06:00:40","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T14:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/derechhashem.wordpress.com\/?p=155"},"modified":"2013-11-18T06:00:40","modified_gmt":"2013-11-18T14:30:40","slug":"derech-hashem-131","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/2013\/11\/18\/derech-hashem-131\/","title":{"rendered":"Derech Hashem 1:3:1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Class can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To reiterate, we alone among all beings are able to draw close to G-d and to attach onto His presence [1]; and we’re indeed able to achieve the sort of moral and spiritual perfection that would allow for that (as well as the imperfection that would disallow that). But if we\u2019re to achieve that sort of perfection we\u2019d need to strive for it by our own volition and free choice [2]. Because if we were to somehow come upon perfection by happenstance, by dint of inborn characteristics, or by legacy, then we wouldn\u2019t have chosen to achieve it freely, as we must do.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why humankind was originally placed in a situation in which each person could freely choose between perfection or imperfection and could achieve either [3], and why each was born with both a yetzer harah<\/i> and a yetzer hatov <\/i>either of which he could choose to favor [4].<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

[1] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This chapter encapsulates a lot of what had been said in the previous one (especially 1:2:5), which is why we referred to this as a reiteration. These ideas are restated — better said, underscored<\/i> here — because this chapter, which is entitled \u201cHumankind\u201d, will take what had been said before about humanity and build on it. In fact, that\u2019s the basic underlying methodology of Derech<\/i> Hashem<\/i>: ideas are offered, expanded upon, and then further build upon.<\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While the idea of free will was discussed in the previous chapter, this is the first actual mention of it in Derech<\/i> Hashem<\/i>. As was pointed out in 1:1:2 we\u2019re only free on an ethical, spiritual level. That\u2019s what sets us apart from all other beings (see Da\u2019at Tevunot <\/i>158).<\/p>\n

For more on free will see 1:5:4-5, 2:1:3, 2:2:3, 2:4:2, 4:4:1, and 4:6:1 below; Adir Bamarom<\/i> p. 88; Da\u2019at Tevunot<\/i> 43-44, 48 (as well as the other places cited here); Messilat Yesharim<\/i>, intro.; \u201cDa\u2019at Tevunot<\/i> Part 2\u201d 4-6, 16, 18 (found in Ginzei Ramchal<\/i> pp, 21-23, 26, 31); etc.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s vital to note, though, that while free will allows us greatness and it defines the human experience, it\u2019s is only a \u201ctemporary\u201d phenomenon and will be eradicated in the end, when it will no longer be needed (see Da\u2019at<\/i> Tevunot<\/i> 40), since its purpose would already have been served and humanity will no longer strive toward spiritual excellence of their own volition.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another point to be made. We in the Western world consider ourselves to be quite free, quite at liberty to do and say as we please. But that’s political freedom rather than the sort of primal, transcendent, moral freedom which we’re granted and would need to bolster in order to achieve the kind of spiritual perfection we’re addressing here.<\/p>\n

For the truth be known, our real power lies not in the civic realities and other circumstances that G-d alone controls. It lies in the freedom we have to fulfill ourselves on a deeply personal, existential level. And that’s what free will is all about. It touches on your essence rather than your trappings, your soul’s place in the cosmos rather than your personal place in the world.<\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s important to point out that while we were originally<\/i> \u201cplaced in a situation in which each person could freely choose between perfection or imperfection and could achieve either\u201d, that changed after Adam and Eve\u2019s sin, as we\u2019ll see in 2:4:2 below.<\/p>\n

[4] \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yetzer harah<\/i> is usually translated as “the evil inclination”, and yetzer hatov<\/i> as “the good inclination”. Now in truth, most of us (with obvious exception) aren’t “inclined toward evil”; most can be said to be inclined toward good. But we do<\/i> do wrong because of the yetzer harah<\/i>, which is a pull downward toward the spiritually mundane, a settling for an existential B or C.\u00a0What we’re to do then, is to strive to live up to the demands of the yetzer hatov<\/i>, the inclination to be truly good (even great) on the deepest levels, and to thus attach onto G-d.<\/p>\n

For more on the yetzer harah<\/i> and yetzer hatov<\/i> see 1:4:6, 2:2:2, 2:3:1, 2:6:2, and 4:8:1 below, as well as Adir Bamarom<\/i> p. 88; Klach Pitchei Chochma<\/i> 14 (in Ramchal\u2019s own comments); Messilat Yesharim<\/i>, Ch\u2019s 2, 3, 5; etc.<\/p>\n

Notice that the rest of the chapter doesn\u2019t expand upon the yetzer harah<\/i>–yetzer hatov<\/i> dynamic, but rather on the body-soul interplay. In short, that\u2019s because the body tends to encapsulate the expressions and needs of the yetzer harah <\/i>while the soul does the same for the yetzer hatov<\/i>, but much more can be said about that.<\/p>\n

(c) 2013 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n

Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n

You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n

Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Class can be found here. To reiterate, we alone among all beings are able to draw close to G-d and to attach onto His presence [1]; and we’re indeed able to achieve the sort of moral and spiritual perfection that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,3,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jewish-thought","category-kabbalah","category-ramchal","category-torah"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7iqof-2v","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbiyaakovfeldman.aishdas.org\/derechhashem\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}