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Assorted Notes
Atzilut is Private Providence The Striking of Thoughts upon Man The Meaning of Sins Becoming as Merits This Is the Path of Torah – 1 A Hedge for Wisdom – Silence - 1 For He Whom the Lord Loves He Admonishes - 1 The Fear of You and the Dread of You Shall Be upon All the Animals of the Earth - 1 The Garments of the Soul - 1 Beginning to Speak from the Connection with the Creator Sanctification of the Month Behold, I Am Setting Before You The Main Thing We Need Who Will Not Lift Up the Face Three Lines – 1 Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 1 TANTA [Taamim, Nekudot, Tagin, Otiot] Find Favor and a Good Mind Who Hears a Prayer Fish Means Worries Raising the Hands The Discernments of “Woman” and “Sons” in the Torah Ruin by Elders—Construction; Construction by Youths—Ruin Our Faith in Books and Authors God Made It so that He Would Be Feared Questions in the Work Ani [I] and Ein [nothing/null] You Stand Here Today – 1 Turn Away from Evil and Do Good – 2 The Order of the Work The Difference between Kedusha [holiness] and Sitra Achra [other side] The Meaning of Exile Greeks Have Gathered Around Me The War of the Inclination What Is Handsome In the Work? Against Your Will You Live; Against Your Will You Die A Horse to Ride On Joy and Fear All Bitter Herb [Maror] Old and New The Torah Must Be Received with Both Hands Good Deeds Are Called Sons The Ruin of Kedusha [Holiness] Man Determines Nothing New Under the Sun The Meaning of “Torah Lishma [for Her sake]” From Lo Lishma to Lishma Joy that Comes from Dancing Definitions – 1 Exalt the Lord Our God Knowledge and Faith The Testimony of the Creator Upper and Lower It Is All Corrections Passion for Knowledge Faith Is Called “Action” The Desire to Bestow – 1 The Need and Importance of Teaching Faith Awakening – 1 Love of Others Colors in the Work What to Ask of the Creator—to Be His Servant Faith Within Reason How Good Are Your Tents, Jacob – 1 Man and the Torah Faith Is Regarded as Above Nature The Greatness of the Creator Is His Humbleness Foundations The Association of the Quality of Judgment with Mercy Devotion Concerning Suffering – 1 Concerning Fear The Torah Is Acquired through Suffering Two Kinds of Repentance For Your Crimes, Your Mother Was Sent Away Man’s Actions Run My Beloved Entry into the Work The Reason for the Faith Moses Is the Quality of Faith Am I In the Place of God? The Whole Earth Is Full of His Glory Mind and Heart As He is merciful, So You Are Merciful Repentance Inner Keys and Outer Keys One Does Not Toil Over a Meal and Misses It Anyone Who Associates the Aim for the Creator with Another Thing Specifically through a Man and a Woman I Wish They Left Me and Kept My Law Why Israel Are Compared to an Olive Tree I Have a Minor Mitzva [commandment], Whose Name Is Sukkah A Person Builds a Building Man and His Role One Who Restrains Himself in Strife The General Public and the Chosen Few The Meaning of Evil Man’s Work Happy Is the Man Anyone with Whom the Spirit of the Creator Is Pleased Mind and Heart Abraham Begot Isaac And Judah Approached Him – 1 And Behold, the Lord Stood Over Him Joy While Learning Torah Jacob Sent Anyone Who Sanctifies the Seventh – 2 The Lord Hears the Poor When Pharaoh Sent the People This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made Hear, O Israel Save Your Servant, You, My God This Day, the Lord Your God Commands You The Ascent of Malchut to Bina Concerning the surrounding lights He Who Comes to Defile “Right” Means Wholeness What Is, He Swallowed Maror [bitter herb], He Will Not Come Out, in the work? Three Lines – 3 Movement Due to Shame You Shall Tithe a Tenth Nourishment Laboring and Finding The Power of Thought The Exile of the Shechina [Divinity] Desire for Spirituality Cast Their Seed Among the Nations General Attainment and Personal Attainment Two Labors Concerning the Goal The Act Is What Decides Righteous and Wicked The Face of the Lord Is in Evildoers The Upper One Scrutinizes for the Purpose of the Lower One Why He Waited until the War Against Amalek And Jethro Heard Those of Little Faith Remember that You Were a Slave Peace at Home Overcoming The Mitzva of Sukkah Inheritance of the Land Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue By Your Actions, We Know You The Generations of Jacob Joseph Who Despises the Day of Smallness Branch and Root The Quality of Moses Miketz [After] There Has Never Risen a Prophet Like Moses One Who Walks along the Way Action and Thought Tzimtzum The Measure of Overcoming Two Discernments in the Kelim Inverse Relation between Lights and Vessels Merging of the Body The Difference between the Soul and the Body Pleasure Cancels the Mind The Birth of the Moon Bo [Come] Internality and Externality The Godliness Made the Concealment The Need for Gentiles Dead Fish Turn Away from Evil and Do Good - 4 Adam HaRishon Was a Heretic Three Prayers - 2 Good Writing and Signing Rosh Hashanah The Rosh Hashanah Prayer With a Shofar You Will Renew An Article for Sukkot What Is Hanukah What Is the Miracle of Hanukah The Meaning of Amalek When He Let His Hand Down, Amalek Prevailed Blotting Out Amalek Revealing the Concealment Until He Does Not Know The Meal of a Wicked One His Law He Contemplates Two Opposites I and Not a Messenger Concerning the Environment The Torah Spoke Regarding Four Sons The Need for an Act from Below The More One Speaks of the Exodus from Egypt And he said, “When You Deliver the Hebrew Women” And God Spoke to Moses And I Will Take You as My People Come unto Pharaoh Behold, a People Has Come Out of Egypt The Passover Offering Concerning the Beginning of the Month Peh-Sah [speaking mouth] The First Innovation Concerning the Exodus from Egypt The Duty to Tell the Story of the Exodus from Egypt Concerning the Matza [unleavened bread] The Time of Redemption Concerning the Omer [Count] The Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah

Ramchal

Agra

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Rabash / One Who Restrains Himself in Strife

292. One Who Restrains Himself in Strife

January 1972

“Rabbi Ila'a said, ‘The world exists only on account of him who restrains himself in strife, as it is said, ‘The earth hangs on nothing’’” (Hulin 89a).

Understanding that the existence of the world depends on this—that if two people who are quarreling with one another, the world cannot exist. Only if one keeps silent, meaning avoids answering, then the world can exist.

We should understand this in ethics. It is known that man has the evil inclination as soon as he is born. When one wants to engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], the evil inclination asks him, “What will you get out of it?”

There are four answers to this:

1) He replies to the evil inclination that he intends to avenge, meaning to make the other party feel bad. Our sages call this answer Lo Lishma [not for Her sake], “and it would be best if he had died at birth” (Berachot 17a).

2) In order to be called “Rabbi” [title of honor]. That is, he answers to the evil inclination that he is learning so that people will reward him. If he is unmarried, he will find a good wife. And if he is married, people will respect him for his Torah and work. This, too, is called Lo Lishma, but from Lo Lishma we come to Lishma [for Her sake].

3) He replies that he is learning Lishma in concealment, so no one will see his work in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments], so that people will not respect him for his Torah and Mitzvot.

This is regarded as Lishma because Lishma means that he engages in Torah and Mitzvot so the Creator will pay his reward. This is similar to one who works for a certain company. He will certainly not ask for his salary from another company.

Also, one whose aim is that people will respect him for the Torah and Mitzvot is regarded as working not for the sake of the Creator, but for the sake of the created beings, that people will reward him.

But one who works in concealment intends for the Creator to pay his reward. This is regarded as working for the sake of the Creator, that his aim is that only the Creator will pay his reward.

4) Not in order to receive reward, meaning he serves the Creator but without any reward. At that time, the evil inclination asks, “What is this work that you are doing without any reward?” Then there is nothing to reply to the evil inclination, as it is written in the Passover Haggadah [narrative], “Blunt its teeth,” and then he can accept the work only above rhyme and reason.

By this, one is rewarded with complete faith, for through the faith he is rewarded with the real wholeness, as for this, man was created. Therefore, at that time, the verse, “If he is rewarded, he sentences himself and the entire world to the side of merit” comes true.

This is the meaning of restraining himself in strife with his evil inclination, meaning that when the fight is over the work in the manner of not in order to bestow, at that time he has nothing to answer. This is called “hangs the earth on nothing,” meaning he has no basis, which is called “nothing,” but only above rhyme and reason.