Attaining Good Traits Whatever good thing you see, whatever spiritual attainment or positive personality trait that you hear about or you read about in some holy volume that some holy person possessed, do not despair and say, “This is beyond my capacity.” To the contrary, desire it and say, “Wasn’t this person just a human being like me? If he had wasted his time the way I do, he also wouldn’t have attained it. So why shouldn’t I myself be able to reach that level?”
Even when you hear some explanation of a verse or of a passage in the Talmud that pleases you, feel a twinge of pain and say, “Why didn’t I come up with that? Isn’t that person a human being like me?”
Whatever will happen, this desire is good. If you do attain what you are yearning for, then your Father in heaven will rejoice and your soul will delight within you. But even if not, this desire was still not wasted. Be aware of this principle: every idea and desire—whether good or bad (heaven forbid)—that a person has does not return empty. They join together one by one and lodge within his soul one by one, until an entire structure is assembled.
Sometimes a person experiences a bad trait (may the Compassionate One protect us) much worse than he is, and he is astonished at himself: “From where did such a lowly thing ever come to me?” What happened was that even his slightest ideas and desires gathered together inside him. They were so fine that he never even noticed or sensed them. But once inside him, they grew ever thicker, until they appeared and manifested themselves in him in the form of a contemptible trait, an ugly clump (may the Compassionate One protect us).
And the opposite can also occur: every good thought and desire that rises up within you, even if you do not attain it, will thicken and grow, until it appears within you as a holy trait and thought.
כָּל דָּבָר טוֹב, מַדְרֵגָה וּמִדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁתִּשְׁמַע אוֹ תִּרְאֶה בְּאֵיזֶה סֵפֶר, שֶׁהָיָה בְּאִישׁ צַדִּיק, אַל תִּתְיָאֵשׁ לֵאמֹר אֵין זֶה לְפִי עֶרְכִּי, רַק אַדְּרַבָּא, תַּחְמֹד אֵלָיו וְתֹאמַר, הֲלֹא גַּם הוּא הָיָה יְלוּד אִשָּׁה כָּמוֹנִי, וְאִם הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ בָּטֵל כָּמוֹנִי גַּם כֵּן לֹא הָיָה מַגִּיעַ אֵלָיו, וּלְמָה זֶה לֹא אַגִּיעַ גַּם אֲנִי לוֹ.
Attaining Good Traits
Whatever good thing you see, whatever spiritual attainment or positive personality trait that you hear about or you read about in some holy volume that some holy person possessed, do not despair and say, “This is beyond my capacity.” To the contrary, desire it and say, “Wasn’t this person just a human being like me? If he had wasted his time the way I do, he also wouldn’t have attained it. So why shouldn’t I myself be able to reach that level?”
וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם תִּשְׁמַע פְּשַׁט עַל אֵיזֶה פָּסוּק אוֹ גְּמָרָא וְהַדָּבָר יָפֶה בְּעֵינֶיךָ, תִּצְטַעֵר, וְלָמָּה לֹא אָמַרְתִּי גַּם אֲנִי כְּמוֹתוֹ, הֲלֹא גַּם הוּא הָיָה יְלוּד אִשָּׁה כָּמוֹנוּ כַּנַ"ל.
Even when you hear some explanation of a verse or of a passage in the Talmud that pleases you, feel a twinge of pain and say, “Why didn’t I come up with that? Isn’t that person a human being like me?”
וממה נפשך טוֹבָה הַחֶמְדָּה זוֹ, כִּי אִם תִּזְכֶּה לָבֹא אֵלֶיה יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵל נִשְׁמָתְךָ בְּקִרְבְּךָ, וְאִם לָאו, גַּם כֵּן לֹא עָבְרָה הַחֶמְדָּה לְבַטָּלָה, וְהַכְּלָל הַזֶּה תֵּדַע, שֶׁכָּל רַעְיוֹן וְרָצוֹן בֵּין טוֹבִים וּבֵין רָעִים ח"ו שֶׁעוֹבְרִים בְּאִישׁ אֵינָם חוֹזְרִים רֵיקָנִים, אֶחָד לְאֶחָד נִתְקַבֵּץ וְאַחַת לְאַחַת נִקְבַּע בַּנֶּפֶשׁ, וּבִנְיָן מֵהֶם נִבְנָה.
Whatever will happen, this desire is good. If you do attain what you are yearning for, then your Father in heaven will rejoice and your soul will delight within you. But even if not, this desire was still not wasted. Be aware of this principle: every idea and desire—whether good or bad (heaven forbid)—that a person has does not return empty. They join together one by one and lodge within his soul one by one, until an entire structure is assembled.
יֵשׁ לִפְעָמִים שֶׁעוֹלה בְּאִישׁ מִדָּה רָעָה רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְּלָן רָעָה הַרְבֵּה מֵעֶרְכּוֹ, וְהוּא מִשְׁתָּאֵה בְּעַצְמוֹ, מֵאַיִן בָּא אֵלַי כָּל כָּךְ נְמִיכֻיּוֹת, אֲבָל כַּנַ"ל רַעֲיוֹנוֹת וּרְצוֹנוֹת דַּקּוֹת כִּשְׂעָרוֹת נִקְלְטוּ בּוֹ, לֹא יְדָעָם וְלֹא הִרְגִּישָׁם מִגֹּדֶל דַּקּוּתָם, וּבְקִרְבּוֹ נִתְעַבּוּ וְנִתְגַּדְּלוּ, וְאָז מִתְרָאִים וּמִתְגַּלִּים בּוֹ בְּצוּרַת מִדָּה מְגֻנָּה וְגוּשׁ עָכוּר רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְּלָן.
Sometimes a person experiences a bad trait (may the Compassionate One protect us) much worse than he is, and he is astonished at himself: “From where did such a lowly thing ever come to me?” What happened was that even his slightest ideas and desires gathered together inside him. They were so fine that he never even noticed or sensed them. But once inside him, they grew ever thicker, until they appeared and manifested themselves in him in the form of a contemptible trait, an ugly clump (may the Compassionate One protect us).
וְכֵן לְהֵפֶךְ כָּל מַחֲשָׁבָה וְרָצוֹן טוֹב שֶׁתַּעֲלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ אֲפִלּוּ אִם לֹא תַּגִּיעַ אֲלֵיהֶם, יִתְעַבּוּ וְיִתְגַּדְּלוּ וְיִתְרָאוּ בְּךָ בְּמִדָּה וּמַחֲשָׁבָה קְדושָׁה.
And the opposite can also occur: every good thought and desire that rises up within you, even if you do not attain it, will thicken and grow, until it appears within you as a holy trait and thought.