What
Is,
“Calamity
that
Comes
upon
the
Wicked
Begins
with
the
Righteous,”
in
the
Work?
Article
No.
9,
1989
Our
sages
said
(Baba
Kama
60),
“No
calamity
comes
to
the
world
unless
when
there
are
wicked
in
the
world,
but
it
begins
with
the
righteous.”
We
should
understand
why
the
righteous
deserve
calamity
if
the
calamity
should
come
to
the
wicked.
Why
is
it
the
fault
of
the
righteous?
In
the
work,
we
must
first
interpret
what
is
calamity,
what
are
“wicked”
in
the
work,
and
what
are
“righteous”
in
the
work.
To
understand
all
this,
we
must
know
what
is
“work.”
Also,
we
should
understand
why
we
need
to
work
in
the
first
place,
meaning
what
do
we
gain
by
having
to
work?
After
all,
who
created
all
the
things
that
exist
in
the
world?
It
was
all
done
by
the
Creator.
Thus,
for
what
purpose
did
He
create
this
world,
where
we
must
work
for
everything
we
want
to
acquire,
whether
corporeal
needs
or
spiritual
needs?
To
understand
all
this,
we
first
need
to
understand
the
meaning
of
the
whole
of
creation,
meaning
for
what
purpose
the
Creator
created
the
world.
The
answer
to
this
is
as
our
sages
said,
“to
do
good
to
His
creations.”
For
this
reason,
He
created
creatures
and
imprinted
in
them
a
desire
and
yearning
to
receive
delight
and
pleasure.
This
is
called
the
“purpose
of
creation.”
Since
this
is
not
in
equivalence
of
form
with
the
Creator,
the
creatures
will
feel
shame
in
the
delight
and
pleasure.
Hence,
a
correction
was
made,
called
“Tzimtzum
[restriction]
and
concealment,”
so
as
to
receive
only
with
the
aim
to
bestow.
Since
the
lower
one
must
make
this
Kli
[vessel],
and
this
is
against
nature,
since
the
Creator
created
the
creatures
with
a
desire
to
receive
delight
and
pleasure,
for
this
reason,
everything
that
is
not
natural
is
hard
for
one
to
do.
This
is
called
“labor.”
It
therefore
follows
that
labor
does
not
mean
that
a
person
must
exert
himself.
Rather,
it
is
a
result.
Since
it
is
against
nature,
it
is
hard
to
do
this
act,
and
this
is
the
labor.
This
is
so
between
man
and
the
Creator,
but
there
is
the
same
correction
between
man
and
man,
in
order
not
to
have
shame,
for
man
is
afraid
to
eat
the
bread
of
shame.
For
this
reason,
we
were
given
the
matter
of
negotiation,
where
the
employee
gives
the
landlord
the
work,
and
for
the
work,
he
gives
him
money.
Naturally,
there
is
no
shame
here.
Also,
between
man
and
man,
the
landlord’s
wish
is
not
that
we
would
labor
for
him,
but
that
we
would
work
for
him.
This
pertains
to
the
product,
which
is
the
matter
of
swapping—the
employee
gives
the
host
the
produce,
and
in
return,
the
host
gives
him
money.
With
a
buyer
and
seller
it
is
to
the
contrary.
The
seller
gives
the
buyer
the
product,
and
the
buyer
gives
the
seller
money.
One
way
or
the
other,
both
must
give.
Otherwise,
if
one
gives
and
the
other
only
receives
and
gives
nothing
back,
then
there
is
disparity
of
form
here,
and
the
receiver
feels
shame.
It
follows
that
the
purpose
of
the
labor
is
not
the
labor,
but
rather
that
in
order
to
prevent
shame,
both
must
give.
Since
by
nature,
man
is
created
only
to
receive,
this
is
the
labor.
Thus,
the
labor
is
only
a
result
and
not
the
aim,
meaning
the
purpose.
It
follows
that
it
is
not
the
labor
that
we
need,
but
the
equivalence
of
form.
The
labor
comes
because
we
do
not
have
this
by
nature.
Now
we
can
understand
what
are
“wicked”
and
what
are
“righteous,”
and
why
“No
calamity
comes
to
the
world
unless
when
there
are
wicked
in
the
world.”
In
the
work,
“calamity”
means
that
the
delight
and
pleasure
are
not
revealed,
meaning
that
it
cannot
be
revealed
to
the
created
beings
that
His
desire
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations
due
to
the
disparity
of
form.
As
long
as
man
has
no
vessels
of
bestowal,
which
is
called
“equivalence
of
form,”
this
is
the
reason
that
detains
the
abundance
from
descending
to
the
creatures.
It
follows
that
“wicked”
is
one
who
is
remote
from
the
Creator.
Thus,
in
the
work,
“wicked”
is
one
who
is
in
disparity
of
form
from
the
Creator,
who
is
not
in
the
form
of
“As
He
is
merciful,
so
you
are
merciful.”
It
follows
that
the
upper
abundance
cannot
descend
to
the
lower
ones
because
of
the
quality
of
“wicked”
in
a
person,
since
in
the
work,
it
is
considered
that
the
person
himself
consists
of
the
wicked,
which
are
the
sparks
of
reception.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“No
calamity
comes
to
the
world
unless
when
there
are
wicked
in
the
world.”
This
means
that
the
fact
that
the
abundance
is
not
coming
to
the
world,
this
is
considered
a
calamity
that
comes
to
the
world
due
to
the
will
to
receive
in
man,
which
detains
the
delight
and
pleasure.
By
this
we
can
interpret
the
whole
matter
of
the
wicked
who
do
not
obey
the
Creator.
He
commanded
us
through
Moses
that
we
must
obey
the
Creator,
or
He
will
punish
us.
We
should
ask
about
this,
We
can
understand
that
a
flesh
and
blood
king,
who
demands
respect,
would
punish
anyone
who
did
not
obey
him,
but
why
does
the
Creator
punish
for
disobeying
Him?
Does
He
need
honors
and
to
receive
respect
from
the
created
beings?
And
if
He
is
not
respected,
is
He
offended?
It
is
like
a
person
walking
into
a
henhouse
and
giving
them
orders,
and
they
do
not
obey
him.
Can
it
be
said
that
the
person
is
offended
by
them?
It
is
much
more
so
with
regard
to
the
creatures
and
the
Creator.
How
can
it
be
said
that
the
Creator
is
offended
by
the
creatures
when
they
do
not
obey
Him,
and
that
for
this
reason,
He
sends
them
calamities?
However,
we
should
believe
that
the
whole
matter
of
the
Creator’s
vengeance
is
not
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
but
for
the
sake
of
the
creatures.
That
is,
the
punishments
they
suffer
bring
them
to
be
rewarded
with
the
delight
and
pleasure,
which
is
the
will
of
the
Creator
that
the
creatures
will
receive
from
Him.
This
means
that
the
suffering
brings
the
creatures
to
take
upon
themselves
the
matter
of
bestowal,
for
only
they
are
the
real
Kelim
[vessels]
that
can
receive
the
upper
abundance
that
the
Creator
wants
to
give
them.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written,
“No
calamity
comes
to
the
world
unless
when
there
are
wicked
in
the
world.”
For
this
reason,
they
suffer.
That
is,
everything
they
do
in
the
work
gives
them
a
bitter
taste,
since
they
have
no
vessels
of
bestowal,
for
only
in
them
do
the
delight
and
pleasure
shine.
It
follows
that
the
wicked,
who
are
the
reception
within
man,
prevent
the
reception
of
the
good.
It
is
as
Nahmanides
said
(presented
in
The
Study
of
the
Ten
Sefirot,
Part
1,
Item
1),
“There
is
a
difference
between
‘One,’
‘Unique,’
and
‘Unified.’
Interpretation:
‘Uniting
to
act
with
One
Force,’
when
He
works
to
bestow,
as
is
fitting
of
His
Oneness.
When
He
divides
to
do
His
work,
and
His
operations
are
different
from
one
another,
and
He
seems
to
be
doing
good
and
bad,
then
He
is
called
‘Unique,’
since
all
His
different
operations
have
a
single
outcome:
to
do
good.
It
follows
that
He
is
unique
in
every
single
act.”
It
is
as
we
interpreted,
that
the
matter
of
“calamity
that
comes”
is
not
a
matter
of
vengeance
by
the
Creator
for
not
obeying
Him.
Rather,
it
is
that
He
wants
us
to
obey
Him
and
observe
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot
for
the
sake
of
the
creatures,
and
not
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
since
He
has
no
deficiency
whatsoever
for
which
He
needs
something
for
Himself.
All
He
wants
from
the
lower
ones
is
that
they
will
receive
delight
and
pleasure
without
any
unpleasantness,
but
that
the
pleasure
will
be
utterly
complete.
If
there
were
shame
while
receiving
the
pleasure,
there
would
be
no
wholeness
in
the
pleasure.
It
follows
that
the
calamity
that
the
wicked
feel
is
for
their
own
good,
as
this
will
induce
the
correction
of
their
actions.
However,
we
must
know
the
meaning
of
correcting
the
actions
in
the
work.
It
is
that
on
each
and
every
act
we
do
we
must
place
an
intention.
The
intention
is
that
with
this
act,
we
want
to
bring
contentment
to
our
Maker.
By
this
we
will
achieve
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator.
When
doing
the
act,
it
must
not
have
an
aim
to
benefit
himself,
but
all
of
his
concerns
should
be
how
to
please
the
Creator.
These
people,
who
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
bestowal,
are
called
“righteous.”
That
is,
although
they
still
have
not
achieved
the
degree
where
their
whole
intention
is
to
bestow,
they
want
to
achieve
it.
They
are
regarded
as
“walking
on
the
path
of
the
righteous,”
meaning
to
achieve
the
degree
of
“righteous.”
They
are
named
after
its
end.
But
those
who
work
like
the
general
public,
who
are
not
concerned
with
the
intention,
to
achieve
the
degree
of
“righteous,”
we
do
not
speak
of
them
in
the
work
on
the
path
of
truth.
Rather,
they
belong
to
the
work
on
actions.
Their
intention
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
is
as
Maimonides
wrote,
that
“they
are
taught
in
order
to
receive
reward.”
Only
those
who
have
already
understood
that
we
must
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator
are
regarded
in
the
work
as
walking
toward
achieving
the
path
of
truth.
Although
they
have
not
reached
it,
Maimonides
says
to
them,
“They
are
shown
that
secret
bit
by
bit.”
And
what
is
the
secret
that
is
forbidden
to
reveal
“to
little
ones,
women,
and
uneducated
people”?
The
secret
that
the
act
alone
is
not
enough,
but
there
must
also
be
an
intention
to
bestow
and
not
receive
reward.
Rather,
his
whole
pleasure
is
in
his
ability
to
serve
the
Creator.
This
is
his
reward,
and
to
him,
it
is
worth
a
fortune.
This
is
why
they
do
not
need
anything
else
in
return
for
their
work,
but
the
fact
that
they
are
serving
the
King
is
their
entire
pleasure,
and
this
is
what
they
expect.
Now
we
can
interpret
what
we
asked,
If
the
calamity
comes
to
the
world
because
of
the
wicked,
why
does
it
begin
with
the
righteous?
The
answer
is
that
the
righteous
in
the
work
are
those
who
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
truth.
Although
they
have
not
reached
it,
they
are
walking
on
that
line.
Hence,
we
must
know
that
this
calamity
is
that
they
feel
the
taste
of
dust
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
Where
they
should
have
felt
that
“They
are
our
lives
and
the
length
of
our
days,”
they
feel
a
bitter
taste.
They
ask
themselves,
But
the
purpose
of
the
creation
of
the
world
was
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
so
where
is
it?
We
see
the
opposite!
We
should
feel
sweetness
in
the
work
when
we
are
serving
the
King
without
asking
for
any
return,
but
we
see
that
the
body
objects
to
it.
This
causes
them
to
understand
that
this
entire
lack
is
because
the
King
is
a
lowly
king,
and
has
no
importance.
Otherwise,
they
should
have
felt
the
importance
of
the
King
and
would
have
annulled
before
Him,
since
we
see
that
inherently,
it
is
a
great
privilege
for
the
small
one
to
serve
the
great,
and
we
have
no
work
annulling
before
the
great.
Why,
then,
do
we
not
see
this
with
regard
to
the
Creator?
We
must
say
about
this
that
the
Creator,
who
is
the
King
of
the
world,
we
do
not
believe
in
His
greatness.
On
the
contrary!
In
The
Zohar,
this
is
called
“Shechina
[Divinity]
in
exile”
or
“Shechina
in
the
dust.”
Thus,
all
we
need
is
faith
that
the
Creator
is
a
great
and
important
King.
It
follows
that
specifically
among
those
people
who
are
called
“righteous,”
who
want
to
be
righteous
and
serve
the
Creator
without
any
return,
they
see
and
feel
the
bad
in
them.
That
is,
they
feel
the
calamity
that
they
are
unable
to
receive
delight
and
pleasure
because
of
the
wicked
within
them.
It
is
simply
that
they
feel
that
they
are
wicked,
that
they
are
lacking
faith
that
the
Creator
is
a
great
and
important
King,
and
you
have
no
greater
wicked
than
this.
They
simply
see
that
they
are
lacking
faith
in
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
when
are
the
wicked
in
a
person
revealed?
Precisely
when
one
wants
to
be
righteous.
By
this
we
should
interpret
what
is
written,
“but
it
begins
with
the
righteous.”
“Begins
with
the
righteous”
means
that
the
calamity
begins
to
be
apparent
and
felt
from
the
beginning,
meaning
as
soon
as
one
begins
to
shift
from
the
work
of
the
general
public
to
the
work
of
individuals,
for
the
work
of
individuals
is
called
“the
path
of
the
righteous.”
For
this
reason,
our
sages
imply
that
immediately,
as
soon
as
one
wants
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
the
calamity
appears
in
a
person—that
he
feels
that
he
is
far
from
faith
in
the
Creator,
and
therefore
far
from
receiving
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
wishes
to
impart
upon
His
creations.
In
such
states,
a
person
sees
in
himself
descents
and
ascents.
Thus,
the
meaning
of
“but
it
begins
with
the
righteous,”
is
that
“begins”
means
when
he
begins
to
enter
the
path
of
the
righteous.
But
those
who
work
like
the
general
public
do
not
feel
that
they
are
placed
under
the
control
of
the
evil.
They
do
not
see
that
they
are
lacking
faith
in
the
Creator.
On
the
contrary,
they
know
that
they
have
so
much
faith
that
they
could
give
to
others.
They
even
preach
to
others
why
they
are
not
walking
on
the
upright
path,
so
they
would
understand
that
what
matters
is
spirituality
and
not
corporeality.
When
these
people
hear
their
words,
they
think
that
the
admonition
they
are
giving
them,
that
we
must
do
everything
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
they
must
know
what
“for
the
sake
of
the
Creator”
means,
for
otherwise
they
would
not
preach.
But
in
truth,
they
do
not
even
know
what
is
to
bestow,
for
bestowal
is
against
nature,
and
when
a
person
sees
how
difficult
it
is
to
prevail
and
engage
in
the
work
of
bestowal,
how
can
he
rebuke
another?
He
sees
that
he
is
lacking
faith,
to
believe
that
the
Creator
is
a
great
King,
since
by
nature,
the
small
can
serve
the
great
without
any
reward.
But
when
people
from
the
general
public
say
that
we
must
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
they
do
not
even
know
the
meaning
of
the
words,
except
what
they
heard
when
they
were
taught.
They
did
not
understand
what
they
had
heard,
but
they
continue
this
slogan
because
in
them,
the
evil
is
only
as
a
hairsbreadth,
as
our
sages
said,
“To
the
wicked,
it
seems
like
a
hairsbreadth,
and
to
the
righteous,
like
a
high
mountain.”
This
is
so
because
there
is
a
correction
that
a
person
will
not
see
more
bad
than
he
can
correct.
For
this
reason,
“wicked”
in
the
work
are
those
who
have
no
need
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
but
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
for
their
own
sake.
Therefore,
the
bad
in
them,
which
is
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself,
is
apparent
in
them
as
bad.
This
is
regarded
as
the
evil
inclination
being
as
a
hairsbreadth.
But
the
righteous—who
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
bestowal
and
begin
to
correct
the
will
to
receive—see
each
time
that
the
bad
in
them
appears
to
a
greater
extent
until
it
becomes
in
them
like
“a
high
mountain.”
Therefore,
they
cannot
lecture
others
because
they
are
busy
asking
for
faith
in
the
Creator
for
themselves.
This
explains
what
our
sages
said,
“No
calamity
comes
to
the
world
unless
when
there
are
wicked
in
the
world,
but
it
begins
with
the
righteous.”