Don’t Fight Evil

לד. קטעים משיחות ש”פ ואתחנן, שבת נחמו, ט”ז מנחם-אב ה’תנש”א (5)

34. 16 Menachem-Av, 5751 − July 27, 1991 (5)

On the Shabbos of this farbrengen, the third chapter of Pirkei Avos was being studied. The opening teaching of the chapter focuses on the number three, stating, “Reflect upon three things and you will not come close to sin.”

“The imperative term ‘look,’ that the Mishnah uses,” the Rebbe explains, “implies deeply reflecting and contemplating matters concerning the third Redemption and Beis HaMikdash (‘three things’) … This reflection brings a person to serve Hashem in an unlimited, unbounded way (b’li gevul) — a hallmark of the service of Hashem at the time of the Redemption, in all three pillars of the service of Hashem.”

In a footnote to the sicha, the Rebbe adds the effect of this contemplation on the preventative aspect of serving Hashem, “Sur me’ra” ­— Turning away from evil:

In a similar vein, contemplating the Redemption aids with regard to “turn away from evil”  — preventing a person from sin as a matter of course, without a need to actively engage in negating evil.	וְעַל-דֶּרֶךְ-זֶה בְּנוֹגֵעַ לְ”סוּר מֵרַע”
As the continuation of the Mishna states: “Reflect upon three things and you will not come close to sin.”	– כְּהֶמְשֵׁךְ הַמִּשְׁנָה “וְאֵין אַתָּה בָּא לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה” –
The expression “and you will not come,” implies that the prevention of wrongdoing will happen as matter of course, with no need to engage in it.	“וְאֵין אַתָּה בָּא” דַּיְיקָא, בְּדֶרֶךְ מִמֵּילָא, לְלֹא צֹרֶךְ לְהִתְעַסֵּק בִּשְׁלִילַת הָרַע,
The usage of the term לידי עבירה, literally translating as “to the hands of sin,” implies further, that even matters that are not inherently sinful, but could lead to sin (such as satisfying Ta’avos Heter – permissible desires), become automatically dismissed	וַאֲפִלּוּ לֹא “לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה”, שֶׁגַּם דְּבָרִים שֶׁיְּכוֹלִים לְהָבִיא לִידֵי עֲבֵרָה (כְּמוֹ תַּאֲוַת הֵיתֶּר) נַעֲשִׂים מוּשְׁלָלִים בְּדֶרֶךְ מִמֵּילָא,
­— The term “hand” here is to be understood as a “handle” that allows to grasp onto something else it is attached to; see Mishna tractate Oktzin which uses the term יד in regard to ritual impurity being transfered to an object through its handle —
because of the person’s reflection on the matters of Redemption	מִצַּד הַהִסְתַּכְּלוּת בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַגְאוּלָה,
which will bring him to be in a state of mind analogous to the way things will be in the Messianic Era,	מֵעֵין וְדֻגְמַת הַמַּעֲמָד וּמַצָּב דִּימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ,
in which, as the Rambam rules (in the finale of his work “Mishneh Torah”) that “in that time … all delights will be as accessible as dust.”	כִּפְסַק-דִּין הָרַמְבַּ”ם (בְּסִיוּם וְחוֹתָם סִפְרוֹ “מִשְׁנֶה תּוֹרָה”) שֶׁ”בְּאוֹתוֹ הַזְּמַן . . כָּל הַמַּעֲדַנִּים מְצוּיִּן כְּעָפָר”,
The choice of the word “dust” to describe the abundance of the time of the future implies also that these delights ­— permissible desires — will have no significance to us, inasmuch as “all of the preoccupation of the world will be exclusively to know G-d.”	“כְּעָפָר” דַּיְיקָא, שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם חֲשִׁיבוּת, כֵּיוָן שֶׁ”לֹּא יִהְיֶה עֵסֶק כָּל הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא לָדַעַת אֶת ה’ בִּלְבַד”.
Living out of such awareness, puts a person, even now on higher plane and spares him from even having to fight off material desires that may lead to sin, let alone outrightly sinful desires. Instead, his entire focus is on attaining greater G-dly awareness and knowledge.

Yes, It’s Possible to Be A Tzaddik!

Reading such words about serving Hashem with no limits whatsoever, and not even having a desire for Ta’avos Heter bring to mind the image of the “Tzaddik Gamur” of the Tanya — a perfect person who has no desire at all for evil.

Anyone who has studied Tanya, knows that this level of a Tzaddik is something unattainable to all. How then is the Rebbe expecting this from us?

The answer lies in understanding the uniqueness of our time. We are living in a time of Geulah, and while the physical aspects are yet to come, the spiritual powers are already present and available for us to utilize and even … be Tzaddikim according to the Tanya!

The Rebbe spoke about this in the most unequivocal of terms in the sicha of Parshas Emor 5751:

“It must be accompanied by the additional G-dly service of each particular Jew, by keeping away from evil and, furthermore, doing the utmost to fulfill the oath administered to his soul before birth, ‘You shall be a Tzaddik.’ 

“One might object and point out that in Tanya itself it is written that not every individual can necessarily become a Tzaddik, and that one doesn’t have complete free choice in this area. However, since the Jew has the essence of G-d within him, ultimately even this is within his reach.

“Furthermore, after all the purification of the Jewish people over the course of time, now every Jew is able to reach the level of Tzaddik — similar to the way things will be in the Messianic Age.” ■