אל יקל בעיניך חטא אשר חטאת רק נגד עצמך. לא עבירה אף לא תאוה של רשות היא, רק נגד עצמך צורתך ואנכיות של קדושה אשר הולדת בך, חטאת. וכעל חטא חמור תדאג עליו תתחרט אף תשוב. וחטאתי נגדי תמיד, רק נגדי חטאתי, ומכל מקום חטא הוא לפני תמיד.
VALUE YOUR AUTHENTIC FORM OF SPIRITUAL SELFHOOD: Do not take it lightly when you commit a transgressive act that [appears to] only to damage you personally. Nor should you say to yourself, “I have not erred so egregiously, merely bask [a bit too long] in innocent [but permissible] pleasure,” because the truth is much more severe than that because you have transgressed against your authentic form of spiritual selfhood, against the sacred soul with which you were endowed from birth [and which you have subsequently attempted to cultivate throughout your life]. Instead, you should always be concerned about internal transgressions against yourself, thus rousing yourself to return for having betrayed your authentic self [rather than merely rectifying, say, an external transgression directed against another person]. And this is the meaning of King David’s words in the verse, ‘‘…for I recognize my transgressions against my truer self / and I am forever conscious of my having missed the mark” (Psalm 51:5). Even if the stain of my transgression is only self-evident, nonetheless it will always remain a deeper, internal transgression against my authentic form of spiritual selfhood.
אל יקל בעיניך חטא אשר חטאת רק נגד עצמך. לא עבירה אף לא תאוה של רשות היא, רק נגד עצמך צורתך ואנכיות של קדושה אשר הולדת בך, חטאת. וכעל חטא חמור תדאג עליו תתחרט אף תשוב. וחטאתי נגדי תמיד, רק נגדי חטאתי, ומכל מקום חטא הוא לפני תמיד.
VALUE YOUR AUTHENTIC FORM OF SPIRITUAL SELFHOOD:
Do not take it lightly when you commit a transgressive act that [appears to] only to damage you personally. Nor should you say to yourself, “I have not erred so egregiously, merely bask [a bit too long] in innocent [but permissible] pleasure,” because the truth is much more severe than that because you have transgressed against your authentic form of spiritual selfhood, against the sacred soul with which you were endowed from birth [and which you have subsequently attempted to cultivate throughout your life]. Instead, you should always be concerned about internal transgressions against yourself, thus rousing yourself to return for having betrayed your authentic self [rather than merely rectifying, say, an external transgression directed against another person]. And this is the meaning of King David’s words in the verse, ‘‘…for I recognize my transgressions against my truer self / and I am forever conscious of my having missed the mark” (Psalm 51:5). Even if the stain of my transgression is only self-evident, nonetheless it will always remain a deeper, internal transgression against my authentic form of spiritual selfhood.