What
Is,
“For
You
Are
the
Least
of
All
the
Peoples,”
in
the
Work?
Article
No.
40,
1990
It
is
written
(Deuteronomy
7:7-8),
“It
is
not
because
you
are
more
in
number
than
any
of
the
peoples
that
the
Lord
desired
you,
for
you
are
the
least
of
all
the
peoples.
Because
the
Lord
loves
you,
and
because
He
keeps
the
oath
that
He
swore
to
your
forefathers,
the
Lord
brought
you
out
with
a
mighty
hand
and
redeemed
you
from
the
house
of
slavery,
from
the
hand
of
Pharaoh
king
of
Egypt.”
Our
sages
said
(Hulin
89),
“‘It
is
not
because
you
are
more
in
number,’
said
the
Creator
to
Israel,
‘that
I
desire
you,
for
even
when
I
bestow
upon
you
greatness,
you
diminish
yourselves
before
Me.’”
We
should
understand
what
this
comes
to
teach
us,
that
our
sages
said
that
the
Creator
said
to
Israel,
“I
desire
you,
for
even
when
I
bestow
upon
you
greatness,
you
diminish
yourselves
before
Me.”
If
the
Creator
said,
“Although
I
bestow
upon
you
greatness,
you
diminish
yourselves
before
flesh
and
blood,”
I
would
understand
this.
But
our
sages
said,
“You
diminish
yourselves
before
Me,”
meaning
before
the
Creator.
What
degree
is
it,
that
if
the
Creator
gives
a
person
greatness,
he
does
not
pride
himself
before
the
Creator
because
the
Creator
gave
him
greatness?
If
the
king
gives
greatness
to
a
person
and
extols
him
before
the
ministers,
does
the
person
pride
himself
before
the
king,
as
well?
Can
this
be?
If
so,
why
is
it
important
that
they
do
not
pride
themselves
before
the
Creator
but
diminish
themselves
before
Him?
In
other
words,
before
whom
do
they
diminish
themselves?
It
stands
to
reason
that
when
a
person
understands
the
greatness
of
the
King,
he
lowers
himself
even
more
before
the
king.
In
order
to
understand
this,
we
must
remember
the
order
of
the
work,
which
is
the
correction
of
creation.
That
is,
in
order
to
achieve
Dvekut
[adhesion],
called
“equivalence
of
form,”
meaning
in
order
to
be
rewarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal,
a
correction
took
place,
which
is
called
“Tzimtzum
[restriction]
and
concealment
on
the
Kedusha
[holiness].”
That
is,
the
taste
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds],
where
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
He
wished
to
give
to
the
created
beings
became
concealed.
This
is
called
“His
desire
to
do
good
to
His
creations,”
where
everything
He
wanted
to
give
to
the
creatures
is
clothed
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
which
The
Zohar
calls
“613
Pekudin
[Aramaic:
deposits].”
It
is
as
it
is
said
in
the
Sulam
[“Ladder”
commentary
on
The
Zohar],
that
Pekudin
comes
from
the
word
Pikadon
[Hebrew:
deposit],
for
in
each
Mitzva
[singular
of
Mitzvot]
there
is
a
special
light
clothed
in
that
Mitzva.
But
because
of
the
Tzimtzum
and
the
concealment
over
them
because
of
the
correction
of
creation,
in
order
to
reach
the
light
that
is
clothed
in
them,
and
for
a
person
to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure
clothed
in
them,
he
must
first
acquire
the
suitable
Kelim
[vessels]
for
the
light,
since
there
must
be
equivalence
of
form
with
the
light—as
the
light
gives,
so
the
Kli
[vessel]
should
work
in
order
to
bestow.
However,
by
nature,
man
has
a
desire
to
receive
for
himself,
and
not
a
desire
to
bestow.
Thus,
how
can
a
person
change
his
nature,
which
the
Creator
created?
Our
sages
said
about
this,
“The
Creator
said,
‘I
have
created
the
evil
inclination;
I
have
created
the
Torah
as
a
spice.’”
In
other
words,
the
Torah
advises
a
person
how
to
emerge
from
self-love
and
acquire
the
desire
to
bestow.
The
Zohar
says
that
in
that
state,
the
613
Mitzvot
are
called
“613
Eitin
[Aramaic:
counsels],”
meaning
613
counsels
by
which
to
acquire
the
desire
to
bestow,
for
only
in
the
desire
to
bestow
can
the
light,
which
is
called
“good
and
does
good,”
clothe.
Our
sages
said
about
this,
“One
should
always
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
even
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake],
since
from
Lo
Lishma,
he
will
come
to
Lishma
[for
Her
sake].”
Because
the
light
in
it
reforms
him,
by
this
he
will
achieve
the
degree
of
Lishma.
Concerning
Lo
Lishma,
there
are
many
discernments:
1)
Learning
in
order
to
provoke.
This
manner
is
the
worst.
Our
sages
said
about
this
(Berachot
17),
“Anyone
who
engages
in
Torah
Lo
Lishma
would
be
better
off
not
being
born.”
2)
Learning
in
order
to
be
called
“Rabbi.”
In
those
two
discernments,
he
wants
reward
from
people,
and
does
not
want
the
Creator
to
reward
him
for
his
work.
3)
Learning
in
order
for
the
Creator
to
reward
him
in
this
world—to
have
life,
provision,
health,
etc.
4)
Learning
so
the
Creator
will
reward
him
in
the
next
world.
5)
He
engages
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
because
he
feels
that
he
is
serving
a
great
King.
Therefore,
he
derives
pleasure
from
engaging
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
That
is,
because
of
this
joy
that
he
feels,
that
he
is
serving
a
great
King,
it
is
worthwhile
for
him
to
work.
It
follows
that
one
who
works
because
he
is
serving
a
great
King
also
cannot
be
regarded
as
pure
Lishma,
although
he
is
working
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
meaning
that
he
does
not
want
any
reward
for
his
work.
Yet,
he
does
yearn
to
feel
a
good
taste
in
this
work
because
he
is
feeling
a
great
King.
So,
we
must
know
that
this
is
still
not
considered
pure
Lishma,
since
in
the
end,
he
yearns
for
the
pleasure
he
will
feel
during
the
work.
The
pleasure
he
feels
during
the
work
is
the
reason
he
wants
to
be
a
servant
of
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
the
pleasure
that
the
desire
feels
during
the
work
is
the
only
thing
that
makes
him
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
Hence,
this,
too,
is
considered
Lo
Lishma.
However,
this
Lo
Lishma
brings
him
to
Lishma,
since
the
light
in
it
reforms
him.
This
is
as
it
is
written
in
the
“Introduction
to
The
Book
of
Zohar”
(Items
30-31),
“The
second
division
is
from
thirteen
years
and
on.
At
that
point,
the
point
in
his
heart—which
is
the
Achoraim
[posterior]
of
Nefesh
of
Kedusha
[holiness]
dressed
in
his
will
to
receive—is
given
strength.
At
that
time
one
begins
to
enter
the
system
of
the
worlds
of
Kedusha,
to
the
extent
that
one
observes
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
The
primary
aim
is
to
obtain
and
intensify
the
spiritual
will
to
receive.
Yet,
it
is
a
much
more
important
degree
than
the
first;
this
is
the
degree
that
brings
one
to
Lishma,
as
our
sages
said,
‘One
should
always
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
Lo
Lishma,
as
from
Lo
Lishma,
one
comes
to
Lishma.’
“This
is
considered
the
maidservant
of
Kedusha
who
serves
her
mistress,
which
is
the
Holy
Shechina
[Divinity].
The
maidservant
brings
one
to
Lishma,
and
he
is
rewarded
with
the
instilling
of
the
Shechina.
Yet,
one
should
take
every
measure
suited
to
bring
one
to
Lishma.
And
the
final
degree
in
this
division
is
to
become
infatuated
with
the
Creator
just
as
one
becomes
infatuated
in
corporeal
love,
until
the
object
of
infatuation
remains
before
one’s
eyes
all
day
and
all
night,
as
the
poet
said,
‘When
I
remember
Him,
He
does
not
let
me
sleep.’”
After
all
this,
begins
the
order
of
Lishma,
called
“desire
to
bestow.”
And
here,
a
person
cannot
bring
himself
to
work
entirely
in
order
to
bestow,
meaning
to
want
only
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator
“because
He
is
great
and
ruling.”
Man
has
no
idea
how
to
achieve
this.
This
is
regarded
as
the
desire
to
bestow
being
in
exile
in
Egypt.
A
person
can
understand
this
desire
only
above
reason,
since
within
reason,
there
is
no
grip
on
understanding
this.
In
other
words,
a
person
cannot
understand
how
it
is
possible
to
do
something
from
which
one
does
not
enjoy.
It
follows
that
even
if
a
person
does
not
require
any
reward
for
his
work,
what
compels
him
to
work
is
that
the
Creator
will
enjoy.
From
this
he
derives
his
pleasure.
Hence,
there
is
already
a
matter
of
pleasure
here,
meaning
that
he
enjoys
serving
the
King;
this
is
his
pleasure.
But
how
can
it
be
otherwise,
that
he
will
work
without
pleasure?
Therefore,
when
it
is
said
that
man
must
work
in
order
to
bestow,
this
is
called
“above
reason.”
Anything
that
is
above
reason,
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself
is
absent
there.
In
other
words,
a
person
is
told
that
he
must
work
only
so
the
Creator
will
enjoy
this
work.
At
that
time,
it
is
said
that
the
person
should
be
happy
that
he
is
serving
a
great
King.
However,
if
the
great
King
were
to
reveal
His
greatness
and
importance,
the
pleasure
would
be
within
reason.
That
is,
the
mind
understands
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
serve
a
great
King.
But
when
a
person
must
have
faith
in
the
greatness
and
importance
of
the
King,
he
feels
that
he
is
serving
a
small
king.
Therefore,
when
he
says
above
reason
that
He
is
a
great
King,
there
is
no
room
for
the
will
to
receive
to
agree
to
this
work,
since
all
the
pleasure
is
built
on
above
reason.
Thus,
it
is
clear
why
the
body
does
not
want
to
work
when
it
does
not
see
the
importance
of
the
King.
Rather,
it
is
told,
although
the
mind
necessitates,
if
the
greatness
of
the
King
is
not
revealed,
there
is
no
more
room
there
for
the
will
to
receive
for
himself.
Thus,
how
can
one
work
“because
He
is
great
and
ruling”?
This
would
be
good
if
it
were
revealed,
but
Pharaoh
king
of
Egypt,
who
said,
“Who
is
the
Lord,
that
I
should
obey
His
voice,”
governs
this
discernment
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator.
Hence,
the
work
is
mainly
in
this
place,
meaning
that
here
begins
the
matter
of
Lishma,
meaning
that
he
wants
to
work
so
the
Creator
will
enjoy
his
work,
and
it
does
not
matter
to
him
what
taste
he
feels.
In
other
words,
the
work
he
does
is
to
him
as
though
he
felt
that
the
King
is
great,
while
in
fact,
he
feels
that
the
“Shechina
[Divinity]
is
in
the
dust.”
That
is,
he
does
not
feel
any
importance,
but
tastes
the
taste
of
dust.
And
yet,
he
overcomes
and
says,
“It
is
as
important
to
me,
as
though
I
felt
that
I
was
serving
a
great
King.”
At
that
time,
the
will
to
receive
certainly
enjoys,
as
well,
since
he
does
not
need
to
believe
in
the
greatness
and
importance
of
the
King.
However,
how
can
one
muster
the
strength
to
overcome
the
body
when
he
feels
that
the
Shechina
is
in
the
dust?
What
joy
can
he
receive
from
this
work?
Even
more
perplexing,
how
can
one
need
and
want
to
work
when
he
feels
no
taste
in
it?
This
would
be
understandable
if
he
had
no
choice;
we
can
understand
when
a
person
is
forced
to
work.
But
how
is
it
possible
to
want
such
a
work,
which
feels
tasteless?
And
since
he
does
not
have
the
strength
to
overcome
and
feel
joy
in
such
a
work,
how
can
he
serve
the
King
in
such
a
lowly
state,
when
he
feels
the
taste
of
dust
while
serving
the
King?
Hence,
in
this
regard,
he
does
not
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
revelation
of
His
greatness,
so
he
will
feel
a
good
taste
in
it.
Rather,
he
asks
the
Creator
to
give
him
strength
to
be
able
to
overcome
the
body
and
work
gladly
because
now
he
can
work
only
for
the
Creator,
since
the
will
to
receive
does
not
enjoy
work
that
tastes
like
dust.
Therefore,
why
is
he
working?
Certainly,
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
There
is
no
room
for
such
work
within
reason,
and
in
this
work,
a
person
sees
that
it
is
inherently
impossible
that
he
will
want
to
work
in
such
a
manner.
In
this
work,
in
such
a
state,
a
person
sees
that
there
is
no
way
that
he
will
be
able
to
work
with
the
desire
to
bestow
and
not
for
his
own
sake.
Such
a
thing
can
happen
only
through
a
miracle
from
above.
And
indeed,
this
is
called
“the
exodus
from
Egypt,”
meaning
to
emerge
from
the
mind
he
has
by
nature,
where
it
is
possible
to
move
unless
he
enjoys
it.
Conversely,
here
he
is
asking
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
strength
to
work
where
he
has
no
feeling
or
flavor,
but
to
believe
that
the
Creator
enjoys
this
work,
since
it
is
all
in
order
to
bestow.
For
this
reason,
this
prayer
is
an
honest
prayer,
since
a
person
sees
that
he
cannot
hope
to
ever
be
able
to
do
anything
in
order
to
bestow.
It
follows
that
a
person
feels
that
he
is
lost.
At
that
time
he
has
close
contact
with
the
Creator,
and
this
is
something
that
a
person
should
appreciate—that
he
is
asking
the
Creator
to
help
him
and
there
is
no
one
in
the
world
who
can
save
him.
Yet,
here
comes
the
most
difficult
question:
Who
told
the
person
that
the
Creator
derives
contentment
from
this
work,
which
tastes
like
dust,
and
that
this
is
the
work
that
one
should
ask
of
the
Creator
because
he
wants
to
do
everything
only
so
that
the
Creator
will
enjoy?
The
answer
to
this
is
“faith
in
the
sages.”
We
must
believe
their
words.
It
follows
that
this
prayer
that
a
person
prays
that
the
Creator
will
help
him
so
he
can
work
in
a
state
of
lowliness,
and
the
taste
is
only
the
taste
of
dust,
this
can
be
only
on
the
basis
of
faith
in
the
sages,
to
believe
them
that
only
in
this
way
can
we
achieve
a
state
of
Lishma,
and
not
for
our
own
benefit.
In
other
words,
only
they
know
what
is
Lishma
and
how
to
achieve
it.
According
to
the
above,
we
can
interpret
what
we
asked
about
what
our
sages
said
about
the
verse,
“It
is
not
because
you
are
more
in
number.”
“The
Creator
said
to
Israel,
‘I
desire
you,
for
even
when
I
bestow
upon
you
greatness,
you
diminish
yourselves
before
Me.’”
We
asked,
Is
it
customary
that
one
whom
the
king
extols
prides
himself
before
the
king?
Thus,
why
do
they
tell
us
that
Israel
diminish
themselves
before
the
Creator?
We
explained
above
that
there
are
two
discernments
in
the
work:
1)
When
the
Creator
shines
for
him
while
he
engages
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
and
feels
a
good
taste
in
the
work,
and
feels
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
that
he
is
serving
a
great
King
and
has
already
achieved
the
degree
of
“When
I
remember
Him,
it
does
not
let
me
sleep.”
2)
The
work
Lishma,
meaning
to
bestow
and
not
in
order
to
receive
reward.
At
that
time,
a
person’s
body
resists
because
he
does
not
feel
any
flavor
in
the
work.
However,
he
does
not
want
any
feeling
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
because
then
this
feeling
gives
him
a
reason
that
because
of
this
feeling
that
he
feels
when
engaging
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
it
compels
him
to
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
It
follows
that
it
is
no
longer
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
but
his
own
pleasure
is
included
in
it,
too.
And
since
this
work
is
entirely
above
reason,
since
there
is
no
intellect
in
the
world
that
can
understand
such
a
thing,
and
this
discernment
is
called
“Shechina
in
the
dust,”
and
a
person
must
believe
that
specifically
from
this
work
the
Creator
derives
contentment,
this
is
called
work
in
the
manner
of
“You
diminish
yourselves
before
Me.”
That
is,
when
the
Creator
let
them
feel
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
they
do
not
say,
“Now
we
do
not
need
to
work
above
reason,
since
the
body,
too,
when
it
feels
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
annuls
“as
a
candle
before
a
torch.”
Instead,
they
say,
“We
want
to
work
in
the
manner
for,
‘for
you
are
the
least
of
all
the
peoples,’”
meaning
that
all
the
peoples
in
a
person
say
that
this
work
is
contemptible,
inferior,
and
lowly,
meaning
that
it
is
“Shechina
in
the
dust.”
As
our
sages
said,
“‘It
is
not
because
you
are
more
in
number,’
said
the
Creator
to
Israel,
‘that
I
desire
you,
for
even
when
I
bestow
upon
you
greatness,
you
diminish
yourselves
before
Me.’”
“I
gave
greatness
to
Abraham.”
Certainly,
at
that
time,
he
should
be
happy
because
he
already
feels
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
and
he
will
no
longer
have
resistance
from
the
body.
Yet,
he
diminishes
himself
and
says,
“And
I
am
dust
and
ashes.”
In
other
words,
he
said
to
the
Creator,
“I
yearn
for
the
state
of
the
work
that
was
in
a
manner
of,
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God,”
in
the
manner
of
dust
and
ashes,
meaning
to
the
time
when
the
work
was
to
him
“Shechina
in
the
dust.”
At
that
time,
he
was
certain
that
his
work
was
entirely
to
bestow,
that
the
will
to
receive
has
no
part
in
this.
It
follows
that
this
does
not
mean
that
he
diminishes
himself
before
the
Creator,
meaning
that
he
does
not
pride
himself
before
the
Creator.
Rather,
it
means
that
he
is
diminishing
himself
in
order
to
work
in
a
state
of
lowliness,
although
the
Creator
is
giving
him
greatness.
Likewise,
the
Creator
gave
greatness
to
Moses
and
to
Aaron,
and
they
said,
“What
about
us?”
In
other
words,
they
yearned
for
work,
for
a
time
when
to
them
the
Shechina
was
in
the
dust.
At
that
time,
when
they
feel
no
flavor
in
the
work,
the
wicked
comes
and
asks
the
“What”
question,
meaning
“What
is
this
work
for
you?”
that
you
want
to
work
specifically
in
this
contemptible
work?
The
wicked
asks,
“What
is
this
work
for
you?”
because
then
they
were
certain
that
their
work
was
completely
to
bestow,
and
the
will
to
receive
had
no
part
in
it.
It
is
the
same
with
David.
The
Creator
gave
him
greatness,
and
he
said,
“And
I,”
meaning
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God.”
This
work
was
to
him—when
he
wanted
to
take
upon
himself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
called
“I
am
the
Lord
your
God”—to
his
body,
it
was
in
the
manner
of
“And
I
am
a
worm
and
not
a
man.”
The
Even
Ezra
asks
about
the
words,
“And
I
am
a
worm
and
not
a
man.”
He
says,
“It
is
unlikely
that
one
will
say
about
himself
that
he
is
not
a
man.
He
only
speaks
against
the
enemies,
that
they
despise
him
and
he
is
not
regarded
as
anything
in
their
eyes.”
Here,
too,
the
meaning
is
that
when
the
Creator
gave
him
greatness,
he
did
not
say,
“Now
I
no
longer
need
to
wage
war
against
the
body,
since
the
body
will
annul
before
the
Creator
as
a
candle
before
a
torch.”
Instead,
he
said,
“I
yearn
for
a
state
of
lowliness,
so
that
my
enemies,
meaning
the
nations
of
the
world
within
my
body,
will
despise
my
work,
since
they
said,
“to
work
only
in
order
to
bestow,”
and
he
would
have
no
feeling
in
the
work.
This
is
a
sign
that
he
is
not
a
man
at
all—when
they
despise
the
order
of
his
work.
This
is
regarded
as
“Israel
diminishing
yourselves
before
Me.”