Group None

Everything in the world initially comes into being made up of causes and effects. [For example,] obtaining a crop from a field is an effect of many prior causes: planting, plowing, etc. A person’s property is the effect of various causes: commerce, wages, etc.1R. Salanter starts with analogies from ḥokhmat haolam. Each cause is an effect of a cause that precedes it. Sowing a field is the primary cause of the growth of the grain, yet it is the effect of the person who sows. The person’s sowing is an effect of his [causal] will – whether he desires to obtain grain or to obtain wages for planting, etc. In conclusion: There is no effect without a cause that gives birth to the effect. And there is no cause that is not born of a cause that effected it – [until we get] to the “First Cause,” a self-generated Cause, that is, the Divine.2This is classic medieval thinking undoubtedly drawn from Rambam’s writing (which drew on Aristotelian philosophy and science).

With respect to a person’s action on behalf of his bodily and earthly needs, obtaining money, obtaining honor, etc., the first cause (as seen through mortal eyes, not through the intellect, for all really proceeds from the true First Cause)3Objectively, using one’s reason, one realizes that God is the Ultimate Cause of all. However, subjectively, one’s need for earthly achievements is driven by one’s desire, which is expressed in one’s personal will. is the desire of one’s will, which proceeds from and is born of itself.4One experiences one’s will and desire as self-generated. This will generate effects that are themselves causes of [further] effects, until the object of his desire comes into being. Alternatively, [the first cause is] another person who motivates him, either by coercion or by persuasion, to awaken his own desire and will. This is the first cause (as seen through mortal eyes) for this person, which in turn [in this case] is brought into being and caused by another person – who has his own causes that brought him to this point of motivating a first cause within another.

Now let us go back and see what could be a first cause that will motivate a person to inspect his actions and to study Mussar during the month of Elul. (This matter [Mussar] applies all year round, as far as His service, blessed be His name, is concerned.) [But] there is no natural desire for this as there is in worldly matters.Our ancient Rabbis, may they rest in [the Garden of] Eden, greatly worried about this, [so they] relied on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer5Chapter 46. and instituted blowing the shofar in Elul. This was to be the primary cause that awakens a person from his slumber and from his vain occupations to inspect his actions, as the Scripture says (Amos 3:6): “Shall the shofar be blown in the city, and the people not tremble?”

However, it is known that an effect is only born of a similar cause; a weighty effect will not emerge from a light cause.

And yet, this act – shofar blowing – was a [sufficient] first cause for someone who was immersed inwardly and outwardly in His service, blessed be His name. Therefore, a minor cause stimulated him to examine himself with the most exacting standard. But what can we say and speak,6Compare Genesis 44:16. and what to do, now that we are sunk inwardly and outwardly in the vanities of worldly preoccupations, so the heart is stultified and hardened like flint rock? Will this mild stimulus make an impression on the hard rock?

However, let us not tie ourselves up with the ropes of the [evil] urge and unthinkingly invert light to darkness and say that the lightweight is weighty. It is patently clear that to go occasionally to the Mussar House in the month of Elul is a very easy thing. Despite our great preoccupation, there is still time for this, by day or night, without great effort. [Just as] the blowing of the shofar is sufficient cause, so when a person goes to the Mussar House, it is [equivalent to] a powerful and awesome cause, which can yield strong and weighty effects.

This is [the meaning of] the statement by the Sages, of blessed memory, in Kiddushin [30b]: “If this scoundrel7Scoundrel means evil urge. encounters you, draw him to the study hall.” Sometimes, there are different study halls. In one study hall, they dealt with matters connected to honest business practices; in another one they dealt with matters regarding keeping kosher, and so on. The Torah’s cure for the [evil] urge is both general and specific. Generally, “when you study Torah, it protects and saves [from sin].”8Sota 21a. Specifically – and this is primary (and practically the essential) for honest business practices – [to study] the Torah which specifically applies to [business]. [Similarly,] for speech, [we must study] the Torah that applies to it. And for every specific place where one encounters the “scoundrel,” one should go to the study hall [and study the Torah] that applies to this specific matter. For this reason, we need Mussar study, which is particularly required in Elul. It will produce two outcomes.

One is physical. A person and dependent family members are in great danger at the time of the great judgment, the time of shofar blowing on Rosh HaShana, when a person is remembered and judged on his actions. At that time, he is like the High Priest when entering the Holy of Holies.9I.e., his life is at stake and any false move leads to death. As the Sages, of blessed memory, say (Rosh HaShana 26a): Since the shofar on Rosh HaShana is blown so that we are remembered, it is like being in the innermost part of the Temple. See further there.

How the heart of a person who loves himself and his dependent family members should tremble (even though mortal eyes see that there are people who turn to righteousness without the preparations and awakenings of Mussar and reverence) [and how he should want] to improve his way, or at least be contrite of spirit with broken heart. For this is the first principle: to be protected against the great danger, which hovers.10I.e., death. As the Sages, of blessed memory, say in Rosh HaShana (16b): “Each year which starts in poverty [ends in wealth]….” [“Poverty”] refers to the contrition of the heart. As they, of blessed memory, say there (26b): On Rosh HaShana, “the more a person bows his spirit, the better [the year] is.” See further there.

“Everything has its time” (Eccl. 3:1–2) and “a man does not know his time…[including] the bad time which will suddenly come upon him” (ibid. 9:12). [Do not be caught] without the necessary preparation, to prepare a shield and buckler, to be guarded from the snare, that is, the terrible Day of Judgment. [This is] particularly so, since even mortal eyes see that almost every Rosh HaShana, may the Merciful One save us, even young men are condemned to death, God forbid, although the rest of the people of their age survive. This is the crux of the matter: the Holy One, blessed be His name, is patient until the allotted time before Him – and for each person there is a unique time.

Since the power of evoking imagery helps Mussar, let a person imagine to himself: if he were the High Priest and had to enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, he would be very frightened for his life, that no evil befall him, God forbid. So let him strengthen his trust in the Rabbis, our teachers, the Sages of the Talmud, of blessed memory, who decreed and stopped the use of the horn of a cow,11A reference to the Golden Calf, the ultimate act of idolatry in the desert. A cow’s horn, which recalls that great sin, may not be used as a shofar to protect the Jewish people by awakening them to repentance. Instead, a ram’s horn is used. because of the principle that “a prosecutor cannot serve as defense attorney.”12Rosh HaShana 26a. Although some enter the holy synagogue wearing articles of clothing made of gold13Which also recalls the Golden Calf. – still, since the shofar’s purpose is to arouse remembrance, and the person is remembered and judged for his actions, then he is like the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies. It is as if it were actually so. A person’s heart will tremble mightily if he delves into this awesome matter.

The second [outcome produced by studying Mussar] is spiritual. A person should know that “the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient, but eventually He collects His debts.”14See Genesis Rabba 67:4. And the person, himself, who does something against the Torah’s view – against His will, blessed be His name – will surely be punished. For the human body is only the garment. The human faculty that feels pleasure and pain is what lives on after the garment is taken off, and it is specifically designed for feeling pleasure and pain. So, by keeping the Torah and commandments, the person who himself keeps it will receive great pleasure, so great as to astonish. By committing sin or neglecting the Torah and commandments, the person who himself violates it will receive great and awful pain. He will regret it later, but there will be no escape – unless he prepares a way out for himself while he still wears the garment, i.e., while the soul is still tied to the body.

Yom Kippur is a wonderful thing: a day of forgiveness and atonement. There were never any better days for Israel than Yom Kippur (end of Taanit [26a]). We have nothing better than it – if we would make the proper preparation to improve our way, for Yom Kippur atones [only] with repentance, i.e., abandoning the sin. However, even a little [repentance] is very good. Nothing compares to it in worldly matters. See to it: on Yom Kippur, at least make some resolution for the future.

There is no enterprise as profitable as preparing with Mussar study, to be mindful and to improve one’s ways, until one arrives at some resolution for the future on Yom Kippur. And in every aspect – even the smallest of the small – wherein a person prepares himself to improve his introspection on Yom Kippur, there is no comparison and no sufficient description15A play on Isaiah 40:16. of his soul’s success in being saved from many and extraordinary sorrows. And there is no greater profit than this.

Therefore, let a person put his heart and soul to fusing and combining these two matters16The two matters are: a) the physical awareness that one is on trial for his life during the Ten Days of Repentance, and b) the spiritual awareness of the immeasurable spiritual reward and punishment in the next world for every successful repentance or failure to repent at this very moment. while the body and soul are together. First let him break his heart out of the fear of the physical judgment, for it is awesome, and his life and the lives of his family and their needs all depend on this. From this [awareness], he will come to correct his ways, and this will help for Yom Kippur. Therefore, this scoundrel – the [evil] urge, who hates and lies in wait for a person to stultify his heart – if he encounters you, take him to the study hall that pertains to this area, i.e., the Mussar House. Even if it is made of stone, through Mussar study (which is the Torah for a hardened heart), it will melt, as said above.

All year long, the primary cause is the fear planted in the heart of a person who believes and knows in general that his end will be bad and bitter if he abandons the Torah and commandments of God, blessed be His name. Indeed, when desire overcomes him, a person should habituate himself to study codes (but not cancel his regular studies – for “a person should not knock down an established synagogue [until he builds a new one]” [Bava Batra 3b]). When he reaches a law that applies to him, let him study it from its [primary] source. Let him delve deeply into it, in accordance with the powers of his understanding. This [action] will make his soul take possession of and observe [the law] – almost more than the study of yira17“Yira” – lit. “fear or awe (of God).” These are texts which communicate the awesomeness of God and the awfulness of divine punishments in the next world. itself. However, let him not stop studying yira either! If there is no Torah, there will be no [true] fear [of God], and if there is no [true] fear [of God], there is no Torah (Avot [3:17]).

As for the sickness of despair, when one sees that desire looms large before him18Despair arises because, despite his feelings of awe and awareness of punishment, desire threatens to overwhelm his self-control. – and there is no sickness so great as despair – one should know that each sin can be divided in accordance with different aspects, some of which are difficult for him to safeguard against, and some of which, with regard to that very same sin, are easy for him [to handle] at various times, or in various situations. Like neglect of Torah study [for example]: Its aspect changes from Shabbat to weekday, from a time of preoccupation to free time, from a burdened state of mind to a clear state of mind, and so on. With all the particulars of sins, each sin divides into different aspects according to the state of a person and his disposition. Not all times are the same, and not all dispositions are the same. The easier it is for a person to refrain from some aspect of the sin, the more his punishment [for doing it] will grow and grow.19Note this major distinctive theme in R. Salanter’s teaching. Each person’s nature and inner makeup is unique, and its elements are impacted (or stressed by temptation) very differently at different times, situations, and frames of mind. The net result is that similar or identical external acts of observance or violations of mitzvot will be judged very differently by Hashem and will have widely varying consequences. Thus, Mussar analysis shows the utter inadequacy of judging people simply by their external behaviors. Therefore, Mussar drives us to assess states of mind and individual character traits. We have to examine our personal motives and causes of behavior as well. In the end, this insight requires us to analyze and pass judgment even on technically proper behavior. These acts may, in fact, be “tainted” or the outcomes of conformity (meaning, spiritual laziness and lack of effort). By this standard, righteous and learned people, conforming to communal norms, may be judged as spiritually lacking or even as moral failures. This type of analysis made Mussar study a demanding discipline that took great effort to live up to. The critique of external correct behavior may also explain some of the backlash against Mussar in the yeshiva world of the 1890s. See Katz, Pulmus HaMussar. As our Sages, of blessed memory, say in Menaḥot 43b: “Greater is the punishment for [not wearing] the white [tzizit] string than the punishment for [not wearing] the sky-blue [string].”20The punishment for failure to attach the white tzitzit (fringes), which are widely available and would take little effort to obtain and attach, is greater than the punishment for failure to attach the blue fringe, since it is not available and takes much effort and expense to obtain and attach.Note how R. Salanter has focused Torah observance on the inner dimension. The same external action carries very different rewards and punishments, commensurate with the inner quality of the observance or the difference as to difficulty or ease in observance due to difference of human nature and/or in the life situation in which the action is done. R. Salanter is also close to “modern” emphasis on the uniqueness of the individual. This leads God to judge similar behaviors by different people in very different ways.

Thus, a person should habituate himself to fulfill the verse in Proverbs (2:4): “If you seek it like silver…,” to reflect on the ways of attaining the bodily needs and to use it as an example and analogy for [attaining the needs of] his soul. When it comes to bodily needs, an unfortunate person will work very hard to obtain anything for his bodily needs, as painful as it may be. It is not too burdensome for him to make every effort, when he is crushed by suffering – may the Merciful One save us – to seek and make sure to alleviate his sickness. So why should we not do the same for our souls – to see to it that at least we keep the mitzvot that are easy for us to keep and refrain from sins easy [to resist]? This will save us from hard and bitter suffering, may the Merciful One save us. In this matter, there is no room for a person to despair. If he would only apply his heart and soul to observe the practices of taking care of bodily needs and use them to take care of spiritual needs.21Note this important theme, which becomes a staple of R. Salanter’s thought. 1) One should learn from ḥokhmat haolam, the life wisdom one derives from dealing in business and work how to anticipate and solve difficulties and how to find ways to succeed. One should apply this wisdom and accept spiritual difficulties and solve them. 2) One should employ equivalent energy, wisdom, and strategies to prevent sins and accomplish religious goals as one does in business and other worldly matters. Indeed, [he should never let go of] the yearning and search to keep the commandments in their totality, including study of Torah and the like; and from trying to refrain from sins entirely, he should never let up.22Compare Exodus 17:11 and Ecclesiastes 7:18.

So too in Elul, even though time is short, see to it that one studies a short book such as Rabbenu Yona’s Shaarei Teshuva23R. Jonah ben Abraham of Girona, Catalonia (d. 1264) was an influential rabbi best known for his commentary on Pirkei Avot and his moralist tract Shaarei Teshuva (The Gates of Repentance), which he composed as part of his own penitence for initially opposing the philosophical works of Rambam. He also composed commentaries on several tractates of the Talmud. and the like, which deal with almost all types of mitzvot and sins. When one reaches something that is more applicable to him, he should make sure to study it more deeply, in accordance with his powers of understanding and considering the limited time. He should make sure to divide [the sin] into different aspects, as said above. From this comes the hope to become a true penitent in some aspect of this sin on Yom Kippur, i.e., to resolve to abandon the sin – [at least] in the aspect easiest to him – with true resolve. The benefit of this to him is of immeasurable value, in this world and the next.

For we see instinctively: That which is almost natural for an individual to observe, he will find “easy” to uphold even if it is very burdensome. In this matter, locations differ. In our country, it is easy for a person to observe Shabbat, and he will withstand almost [all] temptations. In Germany, to achieve Shabbat observance is more difficult than almost anything else in the service of God, blessed be His name.To this end, studying analytically and in depth makes a major impression on the human psyche, to the extent that it becomes imprinted on one’s soul. At that point, he will observe it with barely any Mussar study and will withstand temptation. Thus, analytical, in-depth Torah study, of the laws that this person needs is the foundation of its observance.