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Path of the Just/Mesilat Yesharim

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1 Mesilat Yesharim / Path of the Just by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato zt'l Path of the Just with select commentaries copyright 2018 dafyomireview.com last updated: Apr 23, 2020 Abbreviations used in this translation: SR - Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna (1890–1969) (from hebrewbooks.org/41769) ER - Rabbi Avraham Erlinger (from hebrewbooks.org/52042) (with author's permission) SP - Rabbi Yosef Spinner (from hebrewbooks.org/51471) (with author's permission) CS - Rabbi Moshe Chaim Shalenger (with author's permission) MB - Mesilas Yesharim im Biruim (with author's permission) NE - Netiv Eliezer by Rabbi Eliezer Lopian (with author's permission) NH - Nefesh HaMesilah (with author's permission) OG - Oros Genuzim by Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Hoffman (with author's permission) (available at dafyomireview.com/447) LS - Leket Sichot Mussar by Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Sher (1875–1952) (Vol.2, Kuntras Mesilat Yesharim, with permission of Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva (R.Shmuel Zacks), Bnei Brak. see Hebrew original for better understanding. available free at dafyomireview.com/447) Commentary Legend: - for basic commentaries as relating to the plain meaning (Pshat). - elaborates more into the theme. - deeper in, including mystical excerpts from the Orot Genuzim commentary (Sod). - more themes in the text . Author's Introduction 2 Author's Introduction The writer says: I have composed this work not to teach people what they do not know but to remind them of what they already know and which is very familiar to them. For you will find in most of my words only things which most people already know and do not have any doubt about. CS - "in most of my words" - the intent is on the general principles which everyone accepts but on the details of these principle, their clarification, elucidation, organization, there are many, many wondrous chidushim (novel insights) here. The author, in his humility, did not refer to those in this introduction. Ohr Yahel v.3 Vayera pg.41 - we are used to thinking a great and whole man is one who has attained new wisdom which other people don't know. Therefore, when we want to attain wholeness in middot (character traits) or outlook (deot), we search for new insights in books or seek advice which contains novel or interesting ideas. All this is a total mistake.... all man's work is not to contrive new ideas (chidushim) in his soul, which he did not know previously until now. But rather.. it is to remove the dark ropes of the physical obscuring him. Then automatically, he will understand and feel what he already knows, in his nefesh, ruach, and neshama (soul, spirit and higher soul)... a man is only asked to know what he himself already knows. That is to say, to feel in his senses what his intellect knows. One does not need anything else more than this. This is everything! (see there) SR - Rabeinu called his book "the Path of the Just", not "the Path of the Pious" despite that he opens his book with the "foundation of piety" (in ch.1) and in the final section of the book says: "I did not finish in this book all the principles of piety", and then goes on to elaborate on "piety" until the end of the book. Likewise, in the introduction, he speaks at length on piety, and so too in many chapters of the book besides the chapters specifically designated to the trait of piety. It seems because piety is not the final end asked of man. It is merely a level among the levels counted in the Beraitha of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair which Rabeinu in his book expounds one by one. The final end asked of man is that he be "Yashar" (Just/Upright) (literally "straight") as G-d made him. As written "G-d has made man upright [but they have sought out many schemes]..." (Eccl. 7:29). Our sages asked (Avodah Zara 25a): "why is [Genesis] called the 'Book of the Just'? Because it is the book of the Just, namely the holy forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) which are called 'Just'". Hence, this is what is asked of man. As written in Tana d'Bei Eliyahu, "a man is obligated to ask himself 'when will my deeds reach those of my forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'". And that which Rabeinu speaks about the trait of piety, opening and sealing his book with it, this is because he wages a massive war campaign against the "Mitchasdim" (false pious) in this book which are "most people" who consider many customs and many ways as "piety" but they are only fallacious piety... and of all the traits counted by Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, there is no trait which has more misunderstanding than piety. But what G-d asks of us is that we be Yesharim (upright/just). For this includes all the traits. For a person who lacks even one of them is already not considered Yashar. Rather he is among those who "sought out many schemes". Ethics of the Fathers (ch.6) : "Rabbi Meir would say: Whoever studies Torah for it's own sake merits many things.. The Torah makes him righteous (Tzadik), pious (Chasid), just (Yashar) and faithful". Translator - as we will see throughout this book, Judaism is not about "piety" but rather about living up to the simplest truths, "which most (religious) people already know and do not have any doubt about". But it is from living these simplest considerations that one can reach the greatest heights. Author's Introduction 3 But according to their familiarity and to the extent that their truth is evident to all, so too is their neglect very prevalent and forgetfulness of them very great. Therefore, the benefit to be gleaned from this book is not from a single reading, for it is possible that the reader will learn little that he did not already know. Rather the benefit derived [from this book] comes from review and diligent study. For [then] he will be reminded of these things which, by nature, people tend to forget and he will put to heart his duties which he hides from. CS - "review and diligent study" - ["review"] to review them constantly. ["diligent"] - in close intervals of time. NE - like we see in the healing of the body, namely, that one must take the medicine repeatedly for a certain period of time and only then will he be cured, with G-d's help. So too in the healing of the soul, one must return and review the matters in order to intensify the influence of the study upon the soul.. so that it is not merely attaining knowledge. CS - "by nature one tends to forget" - human nature tends to forget them for they are not pleasing nor convenient to him. "he hides from" - and even if he does not forget his duties, he will not put them to heart nor reflect on them. SP - in these opening words, the author comes to tell us the proper way to study this book - not what its contents are. The proper way is in review and diligent study . For behold, generally speaking, the author of a book has one of two purposes. 1. Either to teach people what they do not know. 2. Or to bring arguments on the truth of some matter. Although the matter may be well known already but nevertheless people may not be so sure whether it is really true. For these two purposes it is sufficient for the reader to read the book only one time. However, the purpose of this book is not for these two normal purposes. For they are "already known" to most people, and furthermore people are not in doubt as to their truth. However, these matters are susceptible to being forgotten and neglected. Namely, even though they are well known and familiar there is a natural tendency to forget them. Likewise, even though people do not doubt them, there is a certain hiding from them, a hiding from looking at one's duties. The elixir for these two ills is only through review and diligent study in these matters. OG - the author has put forth a mystifying riddle here. But he immediately reveals to us the answer.. In measured words and concise language he teaches us: 1. by nature , a person tends to forget his duties. 2. intellectual knowledge is not enough. one must blend the intellect with [putting to] the heart so that he will be motivated to undertake to fulfill his duties.. 3. it goes far beyond mere forgetfulness. There is also a constant pull to hide from fulfilling one's duties. The Saba of Kelm already wrote on this enigma that on one hand, every rational person who contemplates his evil inclination knows that all of it's desires are vanity of vanities. If it were up to him, he would drive away the evil inclination and banish it once and for all. Yet, each person feels that he does not succeed to rule over his [base] desires. On the contrary - they constantly rule over him, day after day. Every decent person tries to drive away from his heart these desires. This struggle in a person's heart between good and evil continues on and on incessantly. "Is there no greater proof than this that the hand of G-d is involved here?!!", bellows the holy Saba. From contemplating the enormous power of the evil inclination, all of us should arrive at the conclusion that G-d granted the evil inclination these powers to entice a person away from the right path. Behold, it is clear as can be, that this power was granted to the evil inclination by G-d in order to place Author's Introduction 4 man in a situation of trial, namely, whether he will cleave to the good and defeat his evil enemy, or ch'v he will allow the evil inclination to conquer his pure soul.
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