What
It
Means,
in
the
Work,
that
If
the
Good
Grows,
So
Grows
the
Bad
Article
No.
8,
1989
The
verse
says
(Genesis
25:22),
“And
the
sons
were
running
within
her,
and
she
said,
‘If
this
is
so,
why
me?’
and
she
went
to
seek
the
Lord.”
RASHI
brings
the
words
of
our
sages,
“The
word
‘running,’
when
she
was
passing
by
the
doors
of
the
Torah
of
Shem
and
Ever.
Jacob
was
running
and
pressing
to
come
out,
passing
by
the
doors
of
idol-worship,
Esau
was
pressing
to
come
out.
Another
interpretation:
Struggling
with
each
other
and
quarreling
about
the
inheritance
of
two
worlds.”
We
see
that
during
pregnancy,
one
turned
toward
Kedusha
[holiness],
and
one
turned
toward
idol-worship.
Thus,
what
is
the
novelty
that
the
Torah
tells
us
later,
that
“The
boys
grew,
and
Esau
became
a
hunter,
a
man
of
the
field,
and
Jacob
was
an
honest
man,
dwelling
in
tents”?
Presumably,
when
they
were
born,
so
they
continued
according
to
their
qualities.
RASHI
explains
this
and
says,
“‘The
boys
grew,’
as
long
as
they
were
little,
they
were
not
recognized
by
their
actions
and
a
person
is
not
meticulous
about
their
nature.
When
they
turned
thirteen
years
of
age,
one
turned
toward
seminaries,
and
one
turned
to
idol-worship.”
In
order
to
understand
this
in
the
work,
how
we
learn
Jacob
and
Esau
in
one
person,
we
must
first
understand
the
qualities
of
Jacob
and
Esau
in
the
work.
It
is
known
that
all
the
evil
that
we
learn,
which
is
against
Kedusha,
is
called
in
the
work,
“desire
to
receive
for
oneself,”
while
Kedusha
is
called
“a
desire
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator,”
as
it
is
written,
“You
will
be
holy,
for
the
Lord
am
holy.”
“Holy”
means
that
he
retires
from
receiving
for
himself,
but
only
to
bestow,
since
the
Creator
bestows
upon
the
creatures,
and
the
creatures
must
bestow
upon
the
Creator,
as
our
sages
said,
“As
He
is
merciful,
so
you
are
merciful.”
For
this
reason,
we
call
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself
by
the
name
Esau,
and
the
desire
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator
by
the
name
Jacob.
Now
we
can
understand
the
meaning
of
Esau,
as
RASHI
interprets,
“They
all
called
him
this
because
he
was
complete
[made]
and
fully
developed
with
hair,
like
one
many
years
old.”
This
implies
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself,
on
which
there
is
no
need
to
work
because
the
Creator
had
already
made
it,
in
that
the
desire
to
do
good
to
His
creations
created
the
will
to
receive.
For
this
reason,
the
evil
inclination
is
called
“a
foolish
old
king,”
as
it
is
written
in
The
Zohar.
But
the
desire
to
bestow,
which
is
called
Jacob,
requires
much
work
before
one
obtains
this
desire.
It
is
the
complete
opposite
of
Esau,
who
was
done
by
itself
by
the
Creator.
Conversely,
the
desire
to
bestow
pertains
to
man’s
work,
as
it
extends
from
the
correction
of
the
Tzimtzum
[restriction],
when
Malchut,
called
“will
to
receive,”
yearned
to
be
a
giver
like
the
Emanator.
Hence,
she
made
the
correction
of
the
Tzimtzum
to
receive
only
in
order
to
bestow,
and
by
this
she
acquires
equivalence
of
form.
This
is
called
the
quality
of
Esau,
as
RASHI
interprets
about
Esau,
“They
all
called
him
this
because
he
was
complete
[made]
and
fully
developed.”
In
other
words,
a
person
does
not
need
to
work
in
order
to
obtain
vessels
of
reception.
Rather,
as
soon
as
one
is
born,
he
already
has
the
evil
inclination,
as
The
Zohar
says,
that
as
soon
as
he
is
born
he
has
the
evil
inclination,
as
it
is
written,
“Sin
crouches
at
the
door.”
It
interprets
that
the
“door”
is
the
opening
of
the
womb.
The
evil
inclination,
called
“sin,”
promptly
comes
to
him,
as
David
said,
“My
sin
is
ever
before
me.”
Conversely,
Jacob
is
vessels
of
bestowal.
For
them
to
control
the
man
comes
by
deceit,
as
it
is
written
(Genesis
27:35),
“And
he
said,
‘Your
brother
came
deceitfully
and
took
away
your
blessing.’”
Concerning
this
deceit,
Baal
HaSulam
said
that
since
the
beginning
of
engagement
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds]
is
in
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake],
as
for
this
the
will
to
receive
can
agree,
but
later,
by
this,
we
are
rewarded
with
Lishma
[for
Her
sake].
Then
Esau
yells,
“You
deceived
me!”
as
it
is
written,
“And
he
said,
‘Is
he
not
rightly
named
Jacob,
for
he
has
supplanted
me
twice!’”
We
should
interpret
that
“twice”
means
in
mind
and
in
heart.
We
begin
in
Lo
Lishma,
hence
the
body
does
not
object
so
much,
since
he
makes
it
believe
him
that
he
is
working
only
for
the
sake
of
the
body,
which
is
called
“self-love.”
However,
to
later
emerge
from
this
governance
of
self-love
and
be
rewarded
with
the
love
of
the
Creator,
here
begins
the
real
work,
and
here
begins
the
order
of
the
work,
regarded
as
a
person
wanting
to
step
on
the
track
that
leads
to
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator.
The
work
begins
with
Ibur
[conception/impregnation],
when
we
want
to
shift
from
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself
and
come
into
the
desire
to
bestow.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“And
the
boys
were
running
within
her.”
RASHI
interpreted
the
word
“running,”
that
when
she
passed
over
the
doors
of
Torah
of
Shem
and
Ever,
Jacob
was
running
and
pressing
to
come
out,
and
when
she
was
passing
by
the
doors
of
idol-worship,
Esau
was
pressing
to
come
out.
Baal
HaSulam
interpreted
that
when
a
person
begins
the
work,
this
is
the
time
when
contradicting
thoughts
come
to
him.
That
is,
before
he
begins
the
work
of
bestowal,
he
cannot
really
notice
the
subtle
discernments
in
the
order
of
the
work,
but
when
he
wants
to
begin
the
work
of
bestowal,
he
can
feel
every
state
that
he
is
in.
He
said
that
when
a
person
passes
by
the
doors
of
Torah,
he
awakens
and
thoughts
that
he
should
enter
a
place
of
Torah—which
is
regarded
as
“for
they
are
our
life
and
the
length
of
our
days”—come
to
him.
This
is
regarded
as
the
awakening
of
the
quality
of
Jacob.
At
that
time,
he
thinks
he
will
remain
in
such
thoughts
forever,
since
he
feels
that
this
is
life’s
purpose,
and
it
is
not
worthwhile
to
pay
attention
to
corporeality,
as
this
is
not
what
matters
in
life
and
not
what
one
should
live
for.
But
later,
when
he
passes
by
the
doors
of
idol-worship,
meaning
when
he
goes
out
to
the
street
and
sees
that
all
the
people
are
immersed
in
self-love
and
are
not
interested
in
bestowal
whatsoever,
he
immediately
gets
thoughts
that
he
should
follow
their
path,
and
forgets
all
the
work
he
has
done
in
the
matter
of
Lishma,
that
this
is
what
matters
in
life.
Now,
he
thinks
completely
differently.
This
is
called
“idol-worship,”
when
he
serves
himself
and
not
the
Creator.
In
the
work,
this
is
called
“idol-worship,”
which
means
that
a
person
sees
that
the
Esau
in
him
is
pressing
to
come
out
and
partake
with
them.
However,
we
see
this
only
during
the
Ibur,
when
a
person
wants
to
shift
from
self-love
to
love
of
the
Creator,
which
is
in
order
to
bestow.
But
when
he
is
still
working
like
the
general
public,
he
cannot
notice
all
these
sensations
although
they
are
in
him.
The
reason
for
this
is
simple.
It
is
as
our
sages
said,
“A
matter
of
no
interest
about
a
person
I
do
not
know.”
It
means
that
something
that
is
of
little
interest
to
a
person,
he
does
not
think
about
it.
For
this
reason,
specifically
those
who
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
individuals,
called
“in
order
to
bestow,”
because
they
want
to
know
if
they
are
advancing
in
the
work,
their
sense
of
criticism
is
developed
so
as
to
notice
every
little
thing.
They
see
every
little
thing
to
know
if
they
are
fine
or
not.
Hence,
the
above-mentioned
running
between
Jacob
and
Esau
begins
in
the
Ibur.
It
is
written,
“And
the
sons
were
running
within
her,
and
she
said,
‘If
this
is
so,
why
me?’”
That
is,
when
a
person
begins
to
see
that
once
he
yearns
for
love
of
the
Creator,
and
once
he
yearns
for
self-love,
and
then
he
says,
“If
this
is
so,
why
me?”
meaning
why
do
I
need
all
this
work,
if
I
see
that
my
ups
and
downs
are
endless,
and
I
feel
that
since
I
have
begun
to
work
on
the
path
of
bestowal,
I
have
been
left
empty
handed
from
here
and
from
here?
That
is,
while
I
was
working
like
the
general
public,
I
knew
that
each
day
I
was
advancing
in
the
work
of
the
Creator,
since
each
day
I
could
introspect
and
see
how
long
I
prayed,
how
much
I
learned,
and
I
had
what
to
look
at.
I
was
happy
and
high
spirited,
since
I
was
looking
only
at
the
actions,
and
saw
that
thank
God,
I
was
successful
in
the
work.
But
now
that
I
have
begun
to
work
on
the
aim
to
bestow,
and
I
was
told
that
the
acts
I
do
with
the
aim
that
it
is
because
the
Creator
commanded
us
to
do
and
to
observe
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot
are
not
enough,
and
I
must
also
aim
to
bestow,
meaning
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
Yet,
I
see
that
as
much
as
I
exert,
I
cannot
prevail.
Even
though
I
think
I
did
all
that
I
could,
I
am
not
moving
one
step
forward.
So
what
is
the
purpose?
If
this
is
so,
why
me?
Why
did
I
leave
the
work
in
the
manner
of
the
general
public?
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“and
she
went
to
seek
the
Lord.”
That
is,
he
saw
that
now
there
was
no
choice,
since
he
could
no
longer
return
to
the
general
public
because
once
he
saw
that
there
was
a
path
of
truth,
he
could
no
longer
work
only
in
practice.
Therefore,
he
had
no
choice
but
to
seek
the
Lord,
that
He
will
help
him,
as
our
sages
said,
“He
who
comes
to
purify
is
aided.”
He
says,
“Now
I
see
what
our
sages
said,
‘Man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day.
And
were
it
not
for
the
help
of
the
Creator,
he
would
not
overcome
it.’”
He
does
not
need
to
believe
that
he
cannot
overcome
it,
since
he
sees
it
within
reason.
But
those
who
work
within
reason
must
believe
that
the
Creator
helps
them
since
within
reason
they
see
that
they
are
engaging
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
and
see
that
when
the
body
wants
to
be
a
little
lazy,
they
immediately
overcome
the
body’s
idleness
and
do
not
see
that
there
is
a
flaw
in
their
work.
Although
they
see
that
there
are
greater
people
than
they,
in
quantity
and
quality,
it
is
known
that
there
is
no
end
to
greatness,
and
thank
God,
he
sees
that
he
is
considered
among
the
important
people,
and
he
never
gets
bad
thoughts,
to
think
that
there
is
bad
in
him.
Rather,
he
is
almost
fine,
since
“There
is
not
a
righteous
man
on
earth
who
does
good
and
does
not
sin.”
Hence,
he
believes
above
reason
that
he
has
faults,
but
it
is
only
because
he
is
looking
for
lowliness,
though
in
truth,
his
state
in
spirituality
is
not
so
bad.
Conversely,
those
who
want
to
shift
to
working
in
bestowal,
it
is
within
reason
that
they
have
no
progress
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
so
as
to
be
able
to
aim
in
order
to
bestow.
Therefore,
they
see
that
they
have
no
other
choice
but
to
demand
of
the
Creator
to
help
them.
Also,
it
is
difficult
for
them
to
pray
for
the
help
of
the
Creator
because
they
fall
into
doubt
that
the
Creator
will
hear
their
prayer.
This
comes
to
them
because
they
have
already
prevailed
many
times
and
asked
the
Creator
to
help
them
be
able
to
engage
in
the
work
of
bestowal,
but
they
received
no
progress
in
the
work
of
bestowal.
Thus,
they
need
great
strengthening
in
order
to
be
able
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
help
them.
That
is,
they
must
believe
above
reason
that
the
Creator
will
help
them,
while
within
reason
they
see
that
they
are
bare
and
destitute
with
respect
to
the
work
of
bestowal.
This
is
the
complete
opposite
of
how
they
were
while
they
worked
like
the
general
public.
Now
we
will
explain
what
we
asked,
Why
is
it
written,
“The
boys
grew,
and
Esau
became
a
hunter,
a
man
of
the
field,
and
Jacob
was
an
honest
man,
dwelling
in
tents”?
We
asked,
What
is
the
novelty?
Certainly,
as
they
were
during
the
Ibur,
so
they
would
be
when
they
grow
up.
RASHI
explains
this
and
says,
“As
long
as
they
were
little,
they
were
not
recognized
by
their
actions
and
a
person
is
not
meticulous
about
their
nature.
When
they
turned
thirteen
years
of
age,
one
turned
toward
seminaries,
and
one
turned
to
idol-worship.”
We
should
interpret
this
in
the
manner
that
our
sages
said
(Kidushin
40),
“Our
sages
said,
‘One
should
always
see
oneself
as
half
guilty,
half
innocent.
If
he
performs
one
Mitzva,
happy
is
he,
for
he
has
sentenced
himself
to
the
side
of
merit.”
The
question
is,
After
he
has
performed
one
Mitzva
and
has
sentenced
himself
to
the
side
of
merit,
how
can
he
still
say
that
he
should
see
himself
as
half
guilty,
half
innocent?
After
all,
he
has
already
sentenced
himself
to
the
side
of
merit.
We
should
explain
as
our
sages
said
(Sukkah
52),
“That
old
man
taught
him:
‘Anyone
who
is
greater
than
his
friend,
his
inclination
is
greater
than
him.’”
We
should
also
understand
this:
Why
if
he
becomes
great,
his
evil
inclination
grows
in
him,
as
well?
As
was
said
above,
it
is
because
they
must
be
half
and
half,
or
it
will
be
impossible
to
choose,
to
make
a
decision.
Once
he
has
performed
one
Mitzva,
he
has
already
sentenced
to
the
side
of
merit,
or
vice
versa.
Hence,
when
evil
is
added
to
him,
when
he
becomes
great,
after
he
has
performed
one
Mitzva,
it
follows
that
each
time
he
grows,
evil
is
added
to
him.
This
is
why
he
is
always
in
a
state
of
half
good
and
half
bad.
This
is
why
it
says,
“One
should
always
see
oneself
as
half
guilty,
half
innocent.”
By
this
we
can
interpret
what
RASHI
explains,
“And
the
boys
grew.”
“As
long
as
they
were
little,
they
were
not
recognized
by
their
actions,
and
a
person
is
not
meticulous
about
their
nature.”
That
is,
when
one
is
small,
he
does
not
have
much
good.
Naturally,
he
also
does
not
have
much
bad,
so
that
the
bad
in
him
becomes
apparent.
This
is
why
RASHI
interprets,
“They
were
not
recognized
by
their
actions
and
a
person
is
not
meticulous
about
their
nature.”
But
when
they
grow,
both
grow,
and
then
there
is
a
distinction
between
the
good
inclination
and
the
evil
inclination.
This
comes
to
teach
us
that
in
the
beginning
of
the
work,
during
the
Ibur,
meaning
when
a
person
begins
to
shift
from
the
work
of
the
general
public
to
the
work
of
individuals,
the
bad
immediately
begins
to
appear
in
him.
However,
it
is
not
so
apparent.
Yet,
when
he
begins
to
ascend
in
the
work
and
begins
to
grow,
as
it
is
written,
“The
boys
grew,”
to
the
extent
and
order
of
the
growth,
so
grows
the
evil.
According
to
the
measure
of
the
good
that
he
does,
so
grows
the
measure
of
the
evil
in
him,
as
was
said,
so
he
will
be
half
guilty,
half
innocent.
Now
we
can
understand
what
RASHI
explained,
“Another
interpretation:
Struggling
with
each
other
and
quarreling
about
the
inheritance
of
two
worlds.”
We
should
understand
for
what
purpose
there
needs
to
be
a
quarrel
between
them.
It
is
as
our
sages
said
(Berachot
5),
“Rabbi
Levi
said,
‘One
should
always
vex
the
good
inclination
over
the
evil
inclination.’”
RASHI
explains
that
he
should
wage
war
against
the
evil
inclination.
We
need
to
understand
what
is
the
purpose
of
this
war.
Would
it
not
be
better
if
a
person
saw
that
the
bad
in
him
did
not
awaken?
Why
does
he
need
to
awaken
it
and
fight
it?
It
would
be
better
if
he
did
not
risk
himself,
for
he
might
not
be
able
to
defeat
it,
as
our
sages
said,
“One
must
not
put
oneself
in
danger.”
In
the
work,
when
we
want
to
achieve
bestowal,
we
must
say
when
we
perform
Mitzvot
or
engage
in
Torah,
that
we
want
to
do
everything
with
the
aim
to
bestow.
This
is
called
vexing
the
good
inclination
over
the
evil
inclination,
since
when
a
person
says
to
his
body,
“We
must
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator
and
not
for
our
own
sake,”
the
body
immediately
becomes
angry
and
resists
with
all
its
might.
It
tells
him,
“You
can
do
anything,
but
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator
and
not
for
our
own
sake?
This
is
out
of
the
question.”
It
follows
that
if
he
does
not
vex
it,
he
will
never
be
able
to
achieve
the
truth.