When we see a freight train transporting goods to urban
areas, we can't help noticing the different types of cars and
compartments, be they open or sealed. There are the grain
cars in which vital food is being brought for daily
sustenance. Then there are cars with cartons of clothing, a
less necessary commodity. What probably takes up the least
space are the white cartons of medicines for the sick, since
only a small segment of the population requires them;
important as they are, they are not a universal need.
If we do notice anywhere a train load full of medicines,
bandages, ampoules, salves and so on, we will immediately
understand that an epidemic or war is under way. Many people
have been injured, wounded, are dying -- and they depend on
these medicines for their very lives.
This example is presented by HaRav Leib Chasman zt'l
in his work, Ohr Yahel, III, p. 163. Its lesson, he
says, is very crucial. "And thus is it, my brothers -- why it
is so necessary to study mussar, which is the only
medicine that can heal those who are afflicted with [bad]
traits. Every tzaddik in his generation, every sage
amongst his own flock, has never ceased to cry out and rebuke
the hearts of his followers, verbally and in his written
works and letters. From Shlomo Hamelech in Mishlei and
Koheles down to the latter sages in our own generation
-- all have reproved and chastised, and spout mussar
and more mussar.
"From here we can see how great is the battle, how critical
the war against the evil inclination which holds sway in the
world. How many are the victims who have fallen, the injured
who gasp for their last breaths. Without mussar, they
are doomed. Without the remedy of reproof, they cannot hope
to survive. How terrible is the sight! How the heart aches to
see the vast numbers of people lying in the dust heaps, in
the markets and the city streets, plague-stricken,
contaminated from head to foot, scurvied and mangy, writhing
in their suffering, groaning in pain -- with no one to offer
balm and succor. They reject mussar and this is the
consequence. Bitter and awesome!"
In the same spirit, but with a different metaphor, HaRav
Aharon Yosef Bakst Hy'd, ravad of Lomza, depicts the
extreme darkness that envelops man and the great need to
illuminate it. In Lev Aharon p. 55, he writes under
the title, "The Soul of Man is the Lamp of Hashem," the
following poignant message: "Hashem sought to illuminate the
soul of man, but found no way save through his soul. My
father zt'l explained it with a parable: If we were to
dig a tunnel under all the streets of Lomza, we would have to
illuminate it. Five hundred candles would not suffice to
dispel the darkness. Perhaps ten thousand candles might
avail. If, however, we were to dig a tunnel under all of
Poland, ten thousand candles would not dispel any of the
darkness.
"Man's soul is the lamp of Hashem. Hashem knows and
understands the nature of man, through and through. He knows
that nothing can vanquish the darkness of his body, save for
the soul. From the intensity of the light, you can infer the
extent of the darkness. And thus can we realize the intensity
of the battle that rages inside him, between the bodily
forces and his soul, throughout his life."
HaRav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt'l dwells on this theme in
his Mussar Talks, 5732, p. 22, and says as follows:
"It is written that man's soul is the lamp of Hashem. The
wisest of all men called the soul the lamp of Hashem, since
it truly is a divine part of Hashem. Its incandescence is
powerful. The gemora in Pesochim talks about
the brilliance of light and quotes the verse stating that the
moon will be abashed and the sun, ashamed. It is also written
that the light of the moon will be as intense as the light of
sun, while the light of the sun will be sevenfold the light
of the seven days of Creation.
"There is no contradiction, for one is referring to the World
to Come, where only the light of the Shechina will
prevail, while the other is referring to the times of
Moshiach. Rashi notes that in the times of Moshiach, the
light of the sun will be 343 times more intense than it is
now. It will put the sun of now to shame since it will be a
direct reflection of the light of the Shechina.
"We are not worthy of this light in this world; nevertheless,
there is a remnant of it -- man's very soul, which is a
portion of the Divine Being. The light within man is
immeasurably potent. Conversely, we can infer that since
Hashem saw to put such an intense light into man, it
necessarily follows that the extreme darkness of his body
requires this light as counterbalance. Only the lamp of
Hashem is mighty enough to banish this darkness!"
In a gathering on the yahrtzeit of the Alter of
Slobodke, his son-in-law and disciple, HaRav Yitzchok Isaac
Sher zt'l -- of whom the Alter said that his words
were like those of one from the period of the Rishonim --
explained the Alter's approach in mussar. "Man
inquires into the secrets of the upper and lower worlds; he
is eager to understand whatever he is able to grasp. But he
is powerless to understand his own self. His mind is dormant
and fails to see or fathom what goes on inside him. Rabbenu
used to rouse us continually to examine ourselves, to
contemplate in isolation and seek to reveal the workings of
our own minds.
"He used to say: If someone were to promise us that were we
to mortify ourselves for a year's time, we would merit the
revelation of Eliyohu Hanovi, would we not accept this
challenge eagerly and do so with eager self sacrifice? Well,
through the study of mussar and self-introspection, we
can achieve this! Without doubt! We can reveal our inner
mind, our soul, which is loftier and more elevated than any
angel, higher than the hosts of heaven. Hashem testified
before the angels that the `wisdom [of the soul] is far
greater than yours.' By deep contemplation and intense
introspection, a person is capable of melting down, fusing,
his heart of stone and transforming it into soul, just as it
was at the inception of his own creation. A small period of
self examination, a moment of deep introspection into his
soul, a flash of insight, of mind searching, and he is
capable of soaring to the heavens, of flying nobly up to the
very heavenly Throne, to bask in the proximity of Hashem."
On the subject of the study of mussar, it is
noteworthy to quote the words of HaRav Yisroel Salanter
zy'o in his Letters, Letter #7, which dwells on
what Chazal say in Kiddushin 30: "If this abominable
one [the yetzer hora] accosted you -- drag him along
to the beis hamedrash." There are various `houses of
study,' he notes. There is the `house of study' which deals
with honest, reliable business practices. Another `house of
study' deals with matters of kashrus etc. In other words, the
antidote of Torah is both general and specific. General:
"Torah, while one is preoccupied with it, protects and
saves." Specific: "And it is the first, and almost the
exclusive, in true and fair business dealings." Torah implies
correct speech and touches upon every single facet of a
person's behavior, so that if a person is suddenly
`accosted,' waylaid, by the evil inclination, let him seek
the particular facet of Torah, the particular `house of
study' which deals with that matter [in which he is being
tested], so that he will know how to deal with it. For this,
it is necessary to study mussar."
HaRav Moshe Midner zt'l, rosh yeshivas Torah
Chessed in Baranowitz, explains this teaching of Chazal in a
similar manner. In Toras Ovos he writes as follows:
"`If this abominable one [the yetzer hora] accosted
you -- drag him along to the beis hamedrash.' Drag him
to the place where he is being dealt with and discussed,
where his wiles and ways are examined so they can be
counteracted." He similarly discusses the words of R'
Yitzchok in this very topic: "`A man's evil drive is renewed
every single day.' Consequentially, man must wage the battle
afresh every single day, for if he doesn't do so, he is in
grave danger."
It is related in Gedolei Hadoros by HaRav Stern
shlita that R' Midner spent a certain period in his
life in Brisk where he occasionally met with HaRav Chaim
Brisker who regarded him highly. Eye witnesses testify that
R' Chaim once said over a chiddush, and when he noted
that R' Moshe seemed to reject it, he turned to his disciple-
secretary and told him to remove this innovation from his
writings. R' Moshe was taken aback and tried to mollify him
but R' Chaim said, "If this Jew does not accept this
innovation, it is a sign that something here is amiss."
Who is the man who seeks life? One who revels in revealing
the hidden light from within the darkness in himself, who
seeks to illuminate the obscure, as we pray in Tefillas
Tal. Such a person is advised to systematically study the
various works of mussar, to pore over them intensely
and penetratingly, whereby he will merit heavenly assist,
illumination, to march in their way and to establish the
continuation of his life along this very path, for his
benefit in this world and the next.
