99.
He
Did
Not
Say
Wicked
or
Righteous
I
heard
on
Iyar
21,
Jerusalem
“Rabbi
Hanina
Bar
Papa
said,
‘That
angel,
appointed
on
conception,
its
name
is
Laila
[night].
It
takes
a
drop
and
places
it
before
the
Creator
and
says
to
Him:
‘Master
of
the
world,
this
drop,
what
shall
become
of
it,
a
hero
or
a
weakling,
a
wise
or
a
fool,
a
wealthy
or
an
indigent?’
But
he
did
not
say
‘a
wicked
or
a
righteous’”
(Nida
16b).
We
should
interpret
according
to
the
rule
that
a
fool
cannot
be
righteous,
as
our
sages
said,
“One
does
not
sin
unless
a
spirit
of
folly
has
entered
him.”
It
is
even
more
so
with
one
who
is
a
fool
his
whole
life.
Hence,
one
who
is
born
a
fool
has
no
choice
since
he
has
been
sentenced
to
be
a
fool.
Therefore,
saying,
“He
did
not
say
‘a
wicked
or
a
righteous’”
is
so
that
he
would
have
a
choice.
But
what
is
the
benefit
if
he
did
not
say
“a
righteous
or
a
fool”?
After
all,
if
he
is
sentenced
to
be
a
fool,
it
is
the
same
as
being
sentenced
to
become
a
wicked!
We
should
also
understand
the
words
of
our
sages:
“Rabbi
Yochanan
said,
‘The
Creator
saw
that
the
righteous
are
few,
He
stood
and
planted
them
in
each
generation,
as
was
said,
‘For
the
pillars
of
the
earth
are
the
Lord’s,
and
He
has
set
the
world
upon
them.’’”
RASHI
interprets
“‘He
has
set
the
world
upon
them’—He
dispersed
them
in
all
the
generations
to
be
an
infrastructure
and
sustenance
and
foundation
to
sustain
the
world”
(Yoma
38b).
“They
are
few”
means
that
they
are
growing
fewer.
Hence,
what
did
he
do
to
multiply
them?
“He
stood
and
planted
them
in
each
generation.”
We
should
ask,
“What
is
the
benefit
in
planting
them
in
each
generation,
by
which
they
multiply?”
We
must
understand
the
difference
between
all
the
righteous
being
in
a
single
generation
or
being
dispersed
through
all
the
generations,
as
RASHI
interprets.
Does
being
in
many
generations
multiply
the
righteous?
To
understand
the
above,
we
must
expand
and
interpret
our
sages’
words,
that
the
Creator
sentences
the
drop
to
be
a
wise
or
a
fool,
meaning
that
one
who
is
born
weak,
without
the
strength
to
overcome
his
inclination,
and
is
born
with
a
weak
desire
and
without
talents,
since
during
the
preparation,
when
beginning
in
the
work
of
the
Creator,
he
must
be
fit
to
receive
the
Torah
and
the
wisdom,
as
it
is
written,
“will
give
wisdom
to
the
wise,”
he
asked,
“If
they
are
already
smart,
why
do
they
still
need
wisdom?
It
should
have
been
‘will
give
wisdom
to
the
fools.’”
He
explains
that
“wise”
means
one
who
craves
wisdom
although
he
still
has
no
wisdom.
But
because
he
has
a
desire,
and
a
desire
is
called
a
Kli
[vessel],
it
follows
that
one
who
has
a
desire
and
craving
for
wisdom
is
the
Kli
in
which
wisdom
shines.
It
therefore
follows
that
a
fool
means
one
without
yearning
for
wisdom,
whose
yearning
is
only
for
his
own
needs.
In
terms
of
bestowal,
a
fool
is
completely
incapable
of
achieving
any
bestowal
whatsoever.
Therefore,
one
who
is
born
with
such
qualities,
how
can
he
achieve
the
degree
of
a
righteous?
It
follows
that
he
does
not
have
a
choice.
Therefore,
what
is
the
benefit
from
saying,
“he
did
not
say,
‘a
righteous
or
a
wicked’?”
So
he
would
have
a
choice.
After
all,
since
he
was
born
unwise
and
weak,
he
is
no
longer
capable
of
having
a
choice,
since
he
is
completely
incapable
of
any
overcoming
and
craving
for
His
wisdom.
To
understand
this,
that
even
a
fool
can
have
a
choice,
the
Creator
made
a
correction,
which
our
sages
call,
“the
Creator
saw
that
the
righteous
were
few;
He
stood
and
planted
them
in
each
generation.”
We
asked,
“What
is
the
benefit
of
this?”
Now
we
will
understand
this
matter.
It
is
known
that
as
it
is
forbidden
to
bond
with
the
wicked
even
when
one
does
not
do
as
they
do,
as
it
is
written,
“nor
sat
in
the
seat
of
the
scornful.”
This
means
that
the
sin
is
primarily
because
he
sits
among
the
scornful,
even
though
he
sits
and
learns
Torah
and
keeps
Mitzvot.
Otherwise,
the
prohibition
would
be
due
to
the
cancellation
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
But
rather,
the
sitting
itself
is
forbidden,
since
man
takes
the
thoughts
and
desires
of
those
he
likes.
And
vice
versa:
If
one
does
not
have
any
desire
or
craving
for
spirituality,
if
he
is
among
people
who
have
a
desire
and
craving
for
spirituality,
if
he
likes
these
people,
he,
too,
will
take
their
strength
to
prevail,
and
their
desires
and
aspirations,
although
by
his
own
quality,
he
does
not
have
these
desires
and
cravings
and
the
power
to
overcome.
But
according
to
the
grace
and
the
importance
he
ascribes
to
these
people,
he
will
receive
new
powers.
Now
we
can
understand
the
above
words:
“The
Creator
saw
that
the
righteous
were
few,”
meaning
that
not
any
person
can
become
a
righteous,
for
lack
of
qualities
for
it,
as
it
was
written,
that
he
is
born
a
fool
or
a
weakling;
he,
too,
has
a
choice
and
his
own
qualities
are
no
excuse.
This
is
because
the
Creator
planted
the
righteous
in
every
generation.
Hence,
a
person
has
the
choice
of
going
to
a
place
where
there
are
righteous.
One
can
accept
their
authority,
and
then
he
will
receive
all
the
powers
that
he
lacks
by
the
nature
of
his
own
qualities.
He
will
receive
it
from
the
righteous.
This
is
the
benefit
in
“planted
them
in
each
generation,”
so
that
each
generation
would
have
someone
to
turn
to,
adhere
to,
and
from
whom
to
receive
the
strength
required
to
rise
to
the
degree
of
a
righteous.
Thus,
they,
too,
subsequently
become
righteous.
It
follows
that
“he
did
not
say
‘a
wicked
or
a
righteous’”
means
that
he
does
have
a
choice:
He
can
go
and
adhere
to
the
righteous
for
guidance,
and
through
them
receive
strength,
by
which
they,
too,
can
later
become
righteous.
However,
if
all
the
righteous
were
in
the
same
generation,
the
fools
and
the
weak
would
have
no
hope
of
approaching
the
Creator.
Thus,
they
would
not
have
a
choice.
But
by
dispersing
the
righteous
in
each
generation,
each
person
has
the
power
of
choice
to
approach
and
draw
near
to
the
righteous
that
exist
in
every
generation.
Otherwise,
one’s
Torah
must
be
a
potion
of
death.
We
can
understand
this
from
a
corporeal
example.
When
two
people
stand
one
opposite
the
other,
the
right
hand
of
one
is
opposite
the
left
hand
of
the
other,
and
the
left
hand
of
one
is
opposite
one’s
friend’s
right
hand.
There
are
two
ways:
the
right—the
way
of
the
righteous,
which
is
only
to
bestow,
and
the
path
of
the
left—who
want
only
to
receive
for
themselves,
by
which
they
are
separated
from
the
Creator,
who
is
only
to
bestow.
Thus,
they
are
naturally
separated
from
the
Life
of
Lives.
This
is
why
the
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
“dead.”
It
therefore
follows
that
as
long
as
one
has
not
been
awarded
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator,
they
are
two.
Then,
when
one
learns
Torah,
which
is
called
right,
but
is
to
the
left
of
the
Creator,
meaning
he
is
learning
Torah
to
receive
for
himself,
it
separates
him
from
Him,
and
his
Torah
becomes
a
potion
of
death
to
him
since
he
remains
separated,
as
he
wants
his
Torah
to
clothe
his
body.
This
means
that
he
wants
the
Torah
to
increase
his
body,
and
by
this
his
Torah
becomes
a
potion
of
death
to
him.
However,
when
a
person
becomes
adhered
to
Him,
a
single
authority
is
made,
and
that
person
unites
in
His
uniqueness.
Then,
the
right
side
of
the
person
is
the
right
side
of
the
Creator,
and
then
the
body
becomes
a
clothing
for
one’s
soul.
The
way
to
know
if
one
is
marching
on
the
path
of
truth
is
that
when
one
engages
in
bodily
needs,
one
should
see
that
he
does
not
engage
in
them
more
than
is
necessary
for
the
needs
of
his
soul.
When
one
thinks
that
one
has
more
than
he
needs
to
clothe
the
needs
of
one’s
soul,
it
is
like
a
clothing
that
a
person
puts
over
his
body.
At
that
time,
he
is
meticulous
about
keeping
the
garment
not
too
long
or
too
wide,
but
clothing
his
body
accurately.
Similarly,
when
engaging
in
one’s
bodily
needs,
he
should
be
meticulous
not
to
have
more
than
he
needs
for
his
soul,
meaning
to
clothe
his
soul.
To
come
to
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
not
all
who
wish
to
take
the
Lord
may
come
and
take,
since
it
is
against
man’s
nature,
who
was
created
with
a
will
to
receive,
which
is
self-love.
This
is
why
we
need
the
righteous
of
the
generation.
When
a
person
adheres
to
a
real
rav,
whose
only
wish
is
to
do
good
deeds,
but
one
feels
that
he
cannot
do
good
deeds,
that
the
aim
will
be
to
bestow
contentment
upon
the
Creator,
by
adhering
to
a
real
rav
and
wanting
the
rav’s
fondness,
he
does
things
that
his
rav
likes,
and
hates
the
things
his
rav
hates.
Then
he
can
have
Dvekut
with
his
rav
and
receive
his
rav’s
powers,
even
that
which
he
does
not
have
from
birth.
This
is
the
meaning
of
planting
the
righteous
in
each
generation.
However,
according
to
this,
it
is
hard
to
see
why
plant
the
righteous
in
each
generation.
We
said
that
it
was
for
the
fools
and
the
weak.
But
he
could
have
solved
it
otherwise:
not
to
create
fools!
Who
made
him
say
that
this
drop
will
be
a
weakling
or
a
fool?
He
could
have
created
everyone
wise.
The
answer
is
that
the
fools
are
also
needed
since
they
are
the
carriers
of
the
will
to
receive.
They
see
that
they
have
no
counsel
of
their
own
by
which
to
draw
near
to
the
Creator,
so
they
are
as
those
about
whom
it
is
written,
“And
they
shall
go
forth
and
look
upon
the
carcasses
of
the
men…
for
their
worm
shall
not
die,
neither
shall
their
fire
be
quenched;
and
they
shall
be
an
abhorring
unto
all
flesh.”
They
have
become
ashes
under
the
feet
of
the
righteous,
by
which
the
righteous
can
acknowledge
the
good
that
the
Creator
did
for
them
by
creating
them
wise
and
strong,
by
which
He
has
brought
them
closer
to
Him.
Hence,
now
they
can
give
thanks
and
praise
the
Creator
since
they
see
the
lowly
state
they
are
in.
This
is
called
“ashes
under
the
feet
of
the
righteous,”
meaning
that
the
righteous
walk
by
it
and
thus
thank
the
Creator.
But
we
must
know
that
the
lower
degrees
are
also
needed.
The
Katnut
[smallness/infancy]
of
a
degree
is
not
considered
superfluous,
saying
that
it
would
be
better
if
the
degrees
of
Katnut
were
born
immediately
with
the
Gadlut
[greatness/adulthood].
It
is
like
a
physical
body.
There
are
certainly
important
organs,
such
as
the
brain
and
the
eyes
and
so
forth,
and
there
are
organs
that
are
not
as
important,
such
as
the
stomach,
intestines,
fingers,
and
toes.
But
we
cannot
say
that
an
organ
that
performs
a
not-so-important
task
is
redundant.
Rather,
everything
is
important.
It
is
the
same
in
spirituality:
We
also
need
the
fools
and
the
weak.
Now
we
can
understand
what
is
written,
that
the
Creator
said,
“Return
unto
Me,
and
I
will
return
unto
you.”
It
means
that
the
Creator
says,
“Return,”
and
Israel
say
the
opposite:
“Bring
us
back,
Lord,
and
then
we
shall
return.”
The
meaning
is
that
during
the
decline
from
the
work,
the
Creator
says
“Return”
first.
This
brings
a
person
an
ascent
in
the
work
of
the
Creator,
and
one
begins
to
cry,
“Bring
us
back.”
But
during
the
decline,
one
does
not
cry,
“Bring
us
back.”
On
the
contrary,
he
escapes
the
work.
Hence,
one
should
know
that
when
he
cries,
“Bring
us
back,”
it
stems
from
an
awakening
from
above,
since
the
Creator
previously
said
“Return,”
by
which
one
has
an
ascent
and
he
can
say
“Bring
us
back.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
“And
it
came
to
pass
when
the
ark
journeyed,
that
Moses
said:
‘Rise
up,
O
Lord,
and
let
Your
enemies
be
scattered.’”
“Journeying”
means
when
advancing
in
servitude
of
the
Creator,
which
is
an
ascent.
Then
Moses
said
“Rise.”
And
when
they
rested,
he
said
“Return,
Lord.”
And
during
the
rest
from
the
work
of
the
Creator,
we
need
the
Creator
to
say,
“Return,”
meaning
“Return
unto
Me,”
meaning
that
the
Creator
gives
the
awakening.
Hence,
one
should
know
when
to
say
“Rise”
or
“Return.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written
in
Parashat
Akev,
“And
you
shall
remember
all
the
way…
to
know
what
was
in
your
heart,
whether
you
would
keep
His
commandments,
or
not.”
“Would
keep
His
commandments”
is
discerned
as
“Return.”
“Or
not”
is
discerned
as
“rise,”
and
we
need
both.
And
the
rav
knows
when
to
“rise”
and
when
to
“return,”
since
the
forty-two
journeys
are
ascents
and
descents
that
unfold
in
the
work
of
the
Creator.