What
Does
It
Mean
that
the
Righteous
Suffers
Afflictions?
Article
9,
1988
The
Zohar
(VaYeshev,
Item
11)
interprets
the
verse,
“Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
righteous”:
“‘Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
righteous,
and
the
Lord
will
deliver
him
from
them
all.’
It
is
not
written,
‘Many
are
the
afflictions
to
the
righteous,’
but
rather
‘Many
are
the
afflictions
of
the
righteous,’
indicating
that
one
who
suffers
many
afflictions
is
righteous
because
the
Creator
wants
him.
And
because
of
it,
the
Creator
wants
that
person
and
delivers
him
from
them
all.”
We
should
understand
these
words:
1)
Why
should
the
righteous
suffer
afflictions?
2)
If
afterward,
“the
Lord
delivers
him,”
then
what
is
the
point
in
afflicting
the
righteous
if
the
Creator
must
then
save
him?
It
seems
like
pointless
work.
It
is
known
that
the
order
of
the
work
for
those
who
want
to
walk
on
the
path
of
truth,
called
Lishma
[for
Her
sake],
meaning
in
order
to
bestow
and
not
for
themselves,
is
that
they
want
to
be
righteous
and
not
wicked,
called
“receiving
in
order
to
receive”
in
the
work.
That
is,
even
the
acts
of
bestowal
that
they
do
with
their
intention
to
receive
are
considered
wicked
in
the
words
of
The
Zohar,
as
it
says
about
the
verse,
“‘And
the
mercy
of
the
nations
is
a
sin,’
for
all
the
good
that
they
do,
they
do
for
themselves.”
This
means
that
all
the
good
that
they
do,
their
intention
is
their
own
benefit,
and
this
is
their
sin.
Conversely,
those
who
want
to
serve
the
Creator
must
work
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator
and
not
for
their
own
sake.
Therefore,
the
nature
of
the
creatures
is
only
for
their
own
sake,
as
it
is
known
that
the
desire
to
do
good
to
His
creations
created
a
lack
for
this
purpose,
meaning
for
the
creatures
to
yearn
to
receive
pleasures,
for
without
yearning,
a
person
cannot
enjoy
anything.
Moreover,
the
extent
of
the
pleasure
depends
on
the
measure
of
the
yearning.
For
this
reason,
when
a
person
is
told
he
must
relinquish
his
own
benefit
and
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
for
only
by
this
can
he
achieve
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator,
and
this
is
man’s
purpose
and
is
considered
repentance,
since
the
quality
of
reception
separates
a
person
from
the
Creator
due
to
disparity
of
form
because
the
Creator
is
the
giver
and
the
creatures
receive
from
Him
what
He
gives
them,
for
this
reason
when
a
person
comes
to
a
degree
where
all
he
wants
is
to
bestow,
this
is
called
“equivalence
of
form.”
This
is
regarded
as
the
creature
returning
to
its
root,
meaning
unites
with
the
Creator.
At
that
time
he
reaches
the
degree
of
“righteous,”
since
he
is
no
longer
working
for
his
own
sake,
but
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
Therefore,
when
a
person
does
not
want
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
body,
the
body
resists
his
work
and
does
not
let
him
do
anything
that
is
in
order
to
bestow.
When
a
person
forgets
the
intention
to
bestow
and
begins
to
work
in
order
to
receive,
he
can
once
again
continue
the
work.
Yet
according
to
the
rule,
from
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake]
we
come
to
Lishma
[for
Her
sake],
an
awakening
from
above
comes
to
him
that
we
must
work
in
order
to
bestow.
Then,
he
immediately
encounters
resistance
from
the
body,
which
does
not
let
him
continue
with
the
work
of
bestowal
and
he
begins
to
feel
the
troubles
that
the
body
inflicts
on
him.
He
repeatedly
overcomes
his
body
to
some
extent
but
then
descends
from
his
work
once
more
and
feels
the
bad
in
him.
It
follows
that
one
who
wants
to
be
righteous
constantly
feels
the
afflictions
that
the
body
causes
him.
That
is,
each
time
he
wants
to
do
something
to
bestow,
the
wicked
one
comes
and
asks,
“What
is
this
work
for
you?”
But
when
a
person
works
for
himself
there
is
no
place
for
the
wicked
to
ask
“What
is
this
work
for
you?”
because
he
is
working
for
the
sake
of
the
wicked,
called
“will
to
receive
for
himself.”
It
follows
that
the
wicked’s
question
comes
specifically
when
he
wants
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
Now
we
understand
why
specifically
the
righteous
suffer
many
afflictions.
It
is
because
man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day.
That
is,
when
the
evil
inclination
sees
that
a
person
has
some
light,
called
“day,”
that
he
is
on
the
right
path,
it
immediately
overcomes
him
and
wants
to
fail
him
with
its
complaints,
telling
him,
“What
will
you
get
from
wanting
to
work
to
bestow?”
And
that
same
order
happens
each
and
every
day.
This
is
as
our
sages
said
(Kidushin
40),
“One
should
always
see
himself
as
if
he
is
half
guilty,
half
innocent.
If
he
performs
one
Mitzva
[commandment/good
deed],
happy
is
he,
for
he
has
sentenced
himself
to
the
side
of
merit.”
Yet,
if
“One
should
always
see
himself
as
half
guilty,
half
innocent.
If
he
performs
one
Mitzva,
happy
is
he,
for
he
has
sentenced
himself
to
the
side
of
merit,”
then
how
can
he
say
again,
“half,”
since
he
was
already
sentenced
to
the
side
of
merit,
so
why
do
they
say
“always”?
As
was
said,
“Man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day.”
The
minute
the
evil
inclination
sees
that
now
it
is
“day”
for
him,
it
immediately
overcomes
him.
It
follows
that
according
to
the
measure
of
good
that
he
did,
the
evil
promptly
overcomes
him,
and
then
he
is
once
more
“half
guilty,
half
innocent.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
“overcomes
him
every
day.”
That
is,
each
day
there
is
new
overcoming.
We
should
interpret
that
“man’s
inclination
overcomes
him
every
day”
means
that
the
bad
in
him
is
increasing,
as
in,
“a
growing
stream
of
adding
evil.”
For
this
reason,
it
is
“One
opposite
the
other.”
As
soon
as
a
person
overcomes
and
does
a
good
deed,
the
evil
inclination
overcomes
him.
It
follows
that
the
righteous
suffers
many
afflictions.
That
is,
each
day,
the
bad
in
him
grows
and
according
to
his
good
deeds,
so
the
evil
becomes
revealed
in
him.
It
is
as
our
sages
said,
“Anyone
who
is
greater
than
his
friend,
his
inclination
is
greater
than
him.”
We
should
understand
what
the
words
“than
him”
imply
to
us.
According
to
what
we
explained,
“than
him,”
meaning
the
fact
that
his
inclination
has
grown,
comes
as
a
result
of
man’s
growing,
since
he
tried
to
be
a
man
and
not
a
beast.
From
this,
the
inclination
grew,
as
well,
as
it
is
written,
“One
should
always
be
half
guilty,
half
innocent,”
so
as
to
be
able
to
defeat
the
evil.
It
is
impossible
to
defeat
the
evil
at
once.
Hence,
the
evil
appears
to
a
person
slowly.
Each
time
a
person
does
something
good,
there
is
a
place
to
reveal
some
more
evil.
This
repeats
itself
until
a
person
corrects
all
the
evil
within
him.
It
follows
that
this
is
why
the
righteous
suffers
many
afflictions.
We
could
ask,
Why
does
all
the
evil
not
appear
in
a
person
at
once?
The
answer
is
that
a
person
would
not
be
able
to
overcome
all
the
evil
within
him.
Only
when
the
bad
in
him
is
not
more
than
the
good
and
the
two
are
equal,
a
person
can
overcome
through
the
power
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds].
For
this
reason,
the
bad
emerges
in
a
person
gradually,
meaning
to
the
extent
that
he
has
obtained
the
good,
some
bad
is
revealed
to
him
from
above,
until
over
time,
all
the
bad
in
a
person
will
be
corrected.
This
extends
from
the
order
of
scrutinies,
as
it
is
written,
that
it
is
permitted
to
sort
only
the
288
sparks,
which
are
the
upper
nine
that
exist
in
each
path
of
the
32
paths,
but
Malchut
in
each
path
is
forbidden
to
scrutinize.
This
is
called
the
“stony
heart,”
as
in,
“And
I
will
remove
the
stony
heart
from
your
flesh,”
since
it
is
impossible
to
correct
this
evil
during
the
six
thousand
years.
After
the
six
thousand
years,
when
the
288
sparks
have
been
sorted,
all
the
evil
will
be
sorted,
as
it
is
written
in
The
Zohar,
“The
angel
of
death
will
become
a
holy
angel,”
and
this
is
called
“Death
will
be
swallowed
up
forever.”
In
this
manner,
when
a
person
corrects
the
evil
in
him,
meaning
the
vessels
of
reception,
so
they
work
in
order
to
bestow,
it
is
impossible
to
correct
it
at
once.
Rather,
the
vessel
of
reception
in
him,
which
is
the
source
of
evil
that
separates
us
from
the
Creator,
divides
into
many
parts.
This
is
a
correction
from
above.
By
dividing
into
many
parts,
each
time
we
correct
a
part
into
Kedusha
[holiness/sanctity],
another
part
immediately
comes—a
bigger
piece
than
what
we
needed
to
correct
before.
Because
a
person
becomes
accustomed
to
the
work,
he
is
given
a
bigger
piece
of
the
evil
in
him
to
correct
each
time.
It
is
like
a
person
practicing
weight-lifting.
Each
day
he
is
given
a
heavier
weight
to
lift.
Likewise,
in
the
work,
each
day
we
are
given
a
bigger
piece
of
evil
to
raise.
This
causes
us
to
see
as
if
we
are
not
advancing
in
the
work,
but
are
regressing.
That
is,
each
day
we
see
that
the
work
is
growing
harder
to
overcome.
But
the
reason
is
that
each
day
we
are
given
a
bigger
piece
to
correct.
“The
Lord
will
deliver
him
from
them
all.”
We
asked,
If
the
Lord
should
deliver
us
from
the
bad,
why
does
He
give
us
the
bad,
to
suffer
for
no
reason?
That
is,
if
man
could
overcome
by
himself,
we
could
understand
that
it
is
given
to
man
to
correct.
But
if
the
Creator
saves
him,
then
what
is
the
point
of
giving
him
many
afflictions?
We
already
asked,
Why
can’t
a
person
overcome
by
himself
and
only
the
Creator
must
save?
And
if
we
are
given
the
choice
to
overcome,
why
are
we
not
given
the
strength
to
be
able
to
overcome?
According
to
what
Baal
HaSulam
said,
this
is
so
deliberately,
so
that
a
person
will
ask
the
Creator
for
help,
and
the
help
He
gives
is
that
He
gives
him
a
higher
soul,
in
order
for
a
person
to
need
to
receive
a
higher
degree.
Since
man
must
attain
the
NRNHY
of
his
soul,
and
without
a
need,
meaning
without
a
Kli
[vessel],
it
is
impossible
to
receive
filling,
it
was
deliberately
made
so
that
man
should
begin
the
work.
When
he
sees
that
he
cannot
overcome,
he
must
not
despair
but
rather
pray
to
the
Creator,
as
The
Zohar
says,
“He
who
comes
to
purify
is
aided.
And
with
what?
With
a
holy
soul.”
Accordingly,
there
are
two
things
here:
1)
A
person
must
begin
to
work
in
bestowal
so
as
to
have
a
need
for
the
Creator
to
help
him,
since
if
he
could
overcome
by
himself,
he
would
not
need
the
Creator’s
help.
This
is
considered
that
he
does
not
have
a
Kli
[vessel],
and
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli.
2)
Man
was
not
given
the
ability
to
overcome
by
himself.
It
follows
that
this
is
why
he
must
begin
but
cannot
finish.
By
this
we
understand
what
we
asked,
Why
the
righteous
deserve
to
suffer
many
afflictions?
It
is
because
the
suffering
that
the
righteous
suffer
from
the
afflictions
obstructs
him
from
achieving
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
and
this
causes
him
to
have
a
Kli.
And
the
reason
why
there
are
so
many
afflictions
until
he
cannot
overcome
them,
but
the
Creator
“delivers
him
from
them
all”
and
a
person
cannot
defeat
them
by
himself,
is
on
purpose,
since
the
Creator
cannot
give
a
person
a
higher
degree
if
he
has
no
need
for
it.
For
this
reason,
the
Creator
gives
him
the
parts
of
his
soul
as
deliverance,
as
it
is
written,
“And
the
Lord
delivers
him
from
them
all.”
For
this
reason,
two
things
are
required:
1)
The
righteous
must
have
many
afflictions,
which
are
the
Kli.
2)
Then,
He
gives
him
the
parts
of
the
soul
as
deliverance.
However,
normally,
when
people
ask,
they
begin
to
ask
the
Creator
to
help
them
out
of
the
evil
and
give
them
a
soul
over
a
piece
that
has
already
been
recognized
as
evil.
But
why
does
the
Creator
want
a
person
to
reveal
a
certain
measure
of
evil
and
then
the
Creator
will
help
him?
This
is
how
it
seems
to
man.
However,
we
should
make
two
discernments
here:
1)
Indeed,
the
Creator
helps
a
person
by
revealing
to
him
the
bad
in
him,
so
he
will
know
the
truth.
2)
This
is
revealed
only
to
those
who
are
capable
of
walking
on
the
path
of
bestowal.
This
is
why
they
are
shown
the
evil,
so
they
will
have
the
ability
to
correct
it.
But
to
people
who
have
no
connection
to
the
work
of
bestowal,
the
evil
is
revealed
only
in
general.
This
is
similar
to
what
we
do
in
this
world.
When
a
person
suffers
from
an
incurable
disease,
he
is
not
told
what
is
his
illness.
Instead,
he
is
told
that
he
has
other
illnesses,
but
the
truth,
that
he
has
a
terminal
illness,
is
not
shared
with
him.
The
reason
for
this
is
simple:
What
will
happen
if
he
is
told
of
the
bad
in
him
if
he
cannot
correct
it?
For
this
reason,
in
spirituality,
a
person
is
shown
the
evil
very
slowly,
to
the
extent
of
his
ability
to
work.
Accordingly,
if
a
person
does
not
have
the
revelation
of
evil
to
an
extent
that
he
has
a
Kli
and
a
need
that
is
fit
to
contain
a
soul,
it
is
impossible
to
place
a
soul
in
half
a
Kli.
It
is
like
an
embryo
in
its
mother’s
womb,
as
our
sages
said,
“There
are
three
partners
in
a
person:
The
Creator,
his
father,
and
his
mother.
The
father
gives
the
white;
the
mother
gives
the
red,
and
the
Creator
gives
the
soul.”
Clearly,
everyone
knows
that
if
the
father
and
the
mother
do
their
part,
a
half
fetus
might
still
be
born.
That
is,
if
they
do
their
part,
the
embryo
might
be
born
without
a
head,
but
only
a
body,
or
vice
versa,
it
might
be
born
with
a
head
but
no
body.
Do
we
want
to
ask
the
Creator
to
do
His
part,
meaning
to
give
a
soul
to
half
an
embryo
and
this
is
how
it
will
be
born?
Of
course,
no
one
is
so
foolish.
It
is
likewise
in
the
work
of
the
Creator.
When
a
person
begins
the
work,
he
first
begins
with
the
white.
His
father
and
mother
are
called
the
“parents.”
They
are
the
reason
that
a
person
will
be
born.
The
father
is
called
“male,”
meaning
“wholeness,”
and
this
is
called
“white,”
where
there
are
no
lacks.
That
is,
he
is
content
with
his
lot
and
thanks
the
Creator
for
any
contact
he
may
have
with
the
work
of
the
Creator,
for
rewarding
him
and
giving
him
a
thought
and
desire
to
have
some
contact
with
the
work
of
the
Creator.
It
is
as
our
sages
said,
“Walks
but
does
not
do,
the
reward
for
walking
is
in
his
hand.”
Afterward,
he
shifts
to
the
left
line,
called
“the
mother’s
red.”
The
mother
is
regarded
as
a
female,
a
lack,
criticizing
his
good
deeds
to
see
if
they
have
the
aim
to
bestow.
At
that
time
he
sees
the
truth,
that
he
is
far
from
it.
This
gives
him
the
need
to
pray
that
the
Creator
will
bring
him
closer
so
he
will
be
rewarded
with
Dvekut
with
the
Creator.
Then,
a
person
expects,
since
he
already
has
two
lines
and
he
already
feels
that
he
has
a
need
and
a
Kli,
so
what
else
does
he
need?
Only
that
the
Creator
will
do
His
part,
meaning
give
the
soul.
However,
if
the
father’s
white
and
the
mother’s
red
are
still
not
worthy,
since
they
have
not
been
completed,
and
for
example,
they
might
produce
only
half
a
baby,
the
Creator
certainly
cannot
do
His
part,
which
is
to
give
the
soul.
For
this
reason,
the
Creator
waits
for
the
right
and
left
lines
to
be
completed,
so
it
will
be
possible
to
create
a
complete
thing.
Then,
the
Creator
gives
the
soul.
For
this
reason,
a
person
cannot
say
that
the
Creator
does
not
want
to
help.
On
the
contrary,
the
Creator
assembles
each
and
every
action
until
there
is
a
complete
measure,
sufficient
for
the
soul
to
shine
in.
It
is
written
about
it
in
the
book
A
Sage’s
Fruit
(Vol.
1,
p
196):
“It
is
written,
‘Take
no
rest,
and
give
Him
no
rest
until
He
establishes,
and
He
makes
Jerusalem
a
praise
in
the
earth.’
So
we
rush
our
pleas
above,
knock
by
knock,
tirelessly,
ceaselessly,
and
do
not
weaken
at
all
when
He
does
not
answer
us.
We
believe
He
hears
our
prayer
but
waits
for
us,
for
a
time
when
we
have
the
Kelim
[vessels]
to
receive
the
faithful
bounty,
and
then
we
will
receive
a
reply
for
each
and
every
prayer
at
once,
since
‘the
hand
of
the
Lord
will
not
be
short.’”
It
follows
that
one
should
not
say
that
he
is
praying
every
day
but
he
is
not
receiving
help
from
the
Creator.
Instead,
he
should
believe
that
the
Creator
takes
each
prayer
a
person
prays
and
adds
it
to
the
rest
of
the
prayers
that
the
person
has
prayed
so
far,
and
waits
until
the
measure
is
full
so
it
is
fit
to
receive
the
soul
from
the
Creator.
Also,
we
should
make
two
discernments
concerning
the
prayer
in
request
for
the
Creator
to
help
and
give
strength
from
above
to
overcome
the
evil:
1)
A
person
asks
the
Creator
to
be
able
to
admit
the
vessels
of
bestowal
into
Kedusha,
meaning
to
have
the
ability
to
use
them
with
the
intention
to
bestow.
2)
He
asks
that
the
Creator
will
give
him
the
power
to
overcome
the
vessels
of
reception,
too.
This
is
considered
that
he
can
aim
with
the
vessels
of
reception
in
order
to
bestow.
By
this
we
should
interpret
what
our
sages
said
(presented
in
RASHI,
VaYeshev),
“We
should
also
explain
about
it,
‘and
[Jacob]
sat,’
Jacob
wanted
to
sit
in
peace;
Joseph’s
anger
jumped
on
him.
The
righteous
wish
to
sit
in
peace.
The
Creator
said,
‘It
is
not
enough
for
the
righteous
that
they
have
what
is
set
up
for
them
in
the
next
world;
they
also
wish
to
sit
in
peace
in
this
world.”
It
is
seemingly
difficult
to
understand
what
they
said,
“The
Creator
said,
‘It
is
not
enough
for
the
righteous
that
they
have
what
is
set
up
for
them
in
the
next
world;
they
also
wish
to
sit
in
peace
in
this
world.’”
There
is
an
explicit
Mishnah
(Avot,
Chapter
6:4):
“Such
is
the
way
of
Torah:
Toil
in
the
Torah.
If
you
do
so,
happy
are
you
in
this
world
and
happy
are
you
in
the
next
world.”
This
means
that
there
should
be
peace
in
this
world,
too.
We
should
interpret
this
in
the
work.
It
is
known
that
Bina
is
called
the
“next
world,”
meaning
a
vessel
of
bestowal,
since
everything
consists
of
two
discernments:
1)
what
she
receives,
2)
what
she
gives.
These
are
called
“the
quality
of
Malchut”
and
“the
quality
of
Bina,”
which
are
giving
and
receiving.
When
a
person
begins
the
order
of
the
work,
he
begins
to
sort
out
the
best
first.
We
begin
to
sort
out
and
elicit
the
Kelim
that
are
placed
inside
the
vessels
of
reception,
meaning
that
all
the
vessels—both
of
reception
and
of
bestowal—fell
during
the
breaking
of
the
vessels
into
the
Klipot
[shells/peels],
which
are
receivers,
and
in
the
terminology
of
Kabbalah,
they
are
called
Kelim
de
Panim
[anterior
vessels/vessels
of
the
face]
and
Kelim
de
Achoraim
[posterior
vessels/vessels
of
the
back].
For
this
reason,
once
the
righteous
have
corrected
for
themselves
the
vessels
of
bestowal
so
as
to
have
the
intention
to
bestow,
which
is
called
“learning
Torah
Lishma
[for
Her
sake],”
this
is
regarded
as
“set
up
for
them
for
the
next
world.”
The
righteous
do
not
settle
for
this,
but
want
to
“sit
in
peace
in
this
world,”
namely
that
the
vessels
of
reception,
too,
which
are
Kelim
de
Achoraim,
called
“Kelim
of
Malchut,”
for
Malchut
is
called
“this
world,”
will
also
enter
Kedusha,
meaning
that
they
will
work
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
he
says,
“Jacob
wanted
to
sit
in
peace;
Joseph’s
anger
jumped
on
him.”
Joseph
is
called
NHY,
which
are
Kelim
de
Achoraim,
the
place
of
disclosure
of
Hochma,
which
are
vessels
of
reception,
regarded
as
“this
world.”
That
is,
the
anger
is
that
he
still
did
not
correct
them
so
they
will
enter
Kedusha.
This
is
why
he
says,
“It
is
not
enough
for
the
righteous,”
etc.