Transcript

The Ramchal begins יסוד החסידות ושורש העבודה התמימה hu sheyisbareir v'yisames

אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו ולמה שישים מבטו ומגמתו בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו.

The foundation and the root of serving Hashem in a perfect fashion is that a person should know with clarity and beyond any shadow of a doubt, with certitude, with clarity and certitude, what his obligation is and what he's supposed to be focused on, what his goal is. What's the answer?

והנה מה שהורונו חז"ל הוא שהאדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה' ולהנות מזיו שכינתו שזהו התענוג האמיתי והעידון הגדול מכל העידונים שיכולים להמצא.

The answer Ramchal says that Chazal teach us is that a person was created to relish, to enjoy his relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu and to bask in the radiance of His Shechinah. But lichora, the Ramchal's answer is difficult to understand. Isn't the person created ultimately that he should be oved Hashem me'ahava, not with just for its own sake, not for Olam Haba, not for any oved Hashem, Antignos Ish Socho? So lichora, the answer to the question is: Mesillat Yesharim Ramchal wrote as a manual, a manual for life, a manual for Avodas Hashem, a manual that can and does guide a person throughout his journey in life, which hopefully is a journey of Avodas Hashem. So Ramchal begins at the beginning of the journey. He begins as it were on the ground floor. On the ground floor, so a person's not holding by avoda me'ahava.

לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ומצוות אפילו שלא לשמה שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה.

So he begins with this motivation, this incentive. It's a true statement in the sense that HaKadosh Baruch Hu as it were within the world, why HaKadosh Baruch Hu created the world we don't know, but within the world, HaKadosh Baruch Hu designed the world taka that we should achieve Olam Haba. That's His perspective. Ein hachi nami, our perspective is to be oved me'ahava. HaKadosh Baruch Hu's perspective is

ויצונו ה' לעשות את כל החוקים האלה לטוב לנו כל הימים לחיותנו כיום הזה.

Meforshim explain לטוב לנו כל הימים לחיותנו כיום הזה, the two phrases refer to chayei Olam Hazeh, chayei Olam Haba. The Gemara has a machlokes Amoraim whether mitzvot leihanos nitnu or מצוות לאו ליהנות ניתנו. Rashi explains that the opinion of מצוות לאו ליהנות ניתנו is לעול על צואריהם ניתנו. But how does that view, and that's the view which prevails l'halacha, how does that view fit with a pasuk of vayitzavenu Hashem?

לעשות את כל החוקים האלה לטוב לנו לחיותנו כהיום הזה.

It certainly was given for our, for our benefit. So there are other answers, but the pshat is that both perspectives, mitzvos lehanois nitnu, מצוות לאו ליהנות ניתנו, both perspectives are correct. From Hakadosh Baruch Hu's perspective, His goal, kavyachol, again within the world, in terms of what we see within the world, not why Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world, Hakadosh Baruch Hu's goal, kavyachol, is mitzvos lehanois nitnu. רצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לזכות את ישראל, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is mezake es Yisrael, לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצוות, mitzvos lehanois nitnu. Our perspective is supposed to be to be oved me'ahava,

על מנת שלא לקבל פרס, שלא על מנת לקבל פרס, מצוות לאו ליהנות ניתנו.

The machlokes Amora'im is which of those perspectives should determine the halacha. But they're both true. So Ramchal in telling us that

הורונו חז"ל שהאדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה' ולהינות מזיו שכינתו,

the pshat is that Ramchal answers his question, his own question from Hakadosh Baruch Hu's perspective. And the reason he answers from that perspective rather than from our perspective is because, again, he's beginning on the ground floor. It's a manual, it's a guide, so he's beginning from step one. Step one, you have to talk to people about rosh hashom. In perek aleph of Mesilas Yesharim, so he's addressing us at the beginning of our journey. But the emes is, upon reflection, there's an omek here, as is always the case to the words of Ramchal, and he means something else as well. The Rambam writes in perek yud of Hilchos Teshuva,

אל יאמר אדם הריני עושה מצוות התורה ועוסק בחכמתה כדי שאקבל הברכות הכתובות בתורה או כדי שאזכה לחיי העולם הבא, ואפרוש מן העבירות שהזהירה תורה מהן כדי שאנצל מן הקללות הכתובות בתורה או כדי שלא אכרת מחיי העולם הבא, אין ראוי לעבוד את ה' על דרך זו שהעובד על דרך זו הוא עובד מיראה, ואינה מעלת הנביאים ולא מעלת החכמים.

So the Rambam clearly, clearly says that to be oved Hashem with this intention, with this ultimate goal, is not the highest form of avoda, it's avoda me'yirah. It's not the ma'ala of chachamim, not the ma'ala of nevi'im. The very previous halacha, the final halacha in perek tes, the Rambam writes

מפני זה התאוו כל ישראל נביאיהם וחכמיהם ימות המשיח, כדי שינוחו ממלכות הרשעה שאינה מנחת להם לישראל לעסוק בתורה ובמצוות כהוגן, וימצאו להן מרגוע וירבו בחכמה.

Because in yemose hamashiach there will be a utopia on earth. It's olam hazeh, but a utopian olam hazeh. No, no war, no strife, no persecution, no sickness, a utopian olam hazeh, nothing to disrupt, to deter, to interfere with a person's pursuit of chochma. And why is it that the chachamim and the nevi'im are longing for this? כדי שיזכה לחיי העולם הבא. Because that's the bridge to chayei olam haba. The same chachamim and nevi'im who the Rambam tells us in perek yud, that's not their mode of avoda, their mode of avoda is lishma. So here in Perek Tes, he tells us, no, you know why that they're metzappeh lishuah, you know why they have such a teshukah for yemot hamashiach? Because they want those utopian conditions להרבות בחכמה כדי שיזכו לחיי העולם הבא. So clearly, the answer is that a person can desire chayei olam haba for either of two very different reasons. A person can desire chayei olam haba because perhaps the most basic instinct that we all have is a survival instinct. A person wants to live, no one wants to die, everyone has a desire for immortality. Lema'aseh, that desire can't be realized in olam hazeh, so mimmela, a person yearns for olam haba. That's one way to frame, to experience the desire for olam haba. But there's another context, there's another way to experience the desire for chayei olam haba. Rambam earlier in Perek Chet, ומהו זה שאמרו ונהנין מזיו השכינה, what does it mean? What did Chazal mean by the metaphor when they describe tzaddikim in olam haba enjoying, basking in the radiance of the shechinah? What's the, what is that metaphorically expressing?

שיודעים ומשיגים מאמיתת הקדוש ברוך הוא מה שאינם יודעים והם בגוף האפל השפל.

It means that there's a yedi'as Hashem which is impossible in olam hazeh because of our physical existence, which is possible in olam haba. So a person can desire olam haba because he wants personal immortality. A person can desire olam haba because he wants kirvas Elokim. And clearly, that's the kashya hashlishis of the two Rambams. In Perek Yud, when the Rambam says it's not ma'alas chachamim and nevi'im, it's a bechinah of oved miyirah, the Rambam's taki talking about the desire for olam haba as a desire for personal immortality. In Perek Tes, when he says that chachamim and nevi'im, first and foremost amongst kol Yisrael,

התאוו ימות מלך המשיח כדי שירבו בחכמה כדי שיזכו לחיי העולם הבא,

he's talking about again that kirvas Elokim, which can be had on a level and in a way in olam haba that it can't be had and it can't be attained in olam hazeh. That's not only entirely consistent with being oved me'ahavah, it's an expression of avodah me'ahavah. The desire for kirvas Elokim, genuine desire, sometimes we can delude ourselves into, the same way someone can give you a ten dollar bill, it can be real, it can be counterfeit. So desires can be real and they can be counterfeit. So sometimes we have counterfeit desires. To the same way you need that yellow pen to check the bill and see whether it's genuine or counterfeit, so desires also need to be checked. But the genuine desire for kirvas Elokim, when it's a genuine desire for kirvas Elokim, there's nothing egocentric about that. משל למה הדבר דומה, if a person's running, he's running to help someone, altruistically, there's nothing egocentric about that impulse, there's nothing egocentric about that pursuit. The genuine desire for kirvas Elokim, there's... Nothing, there's no, not even a shemetz of egocentricity to it. Adaraba, it's an expression of ahavas Hashem. And this idea is not, it's not only the Rambam, it's all over, wherever you turn. Ma'or Einayim has in the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha:

ויאמר ה' אל אברם לך לך פירש רש"י להנאתך ולטובתך וקשה הכתיב אברהם אהבי שעבדת ה' מאהבה מאהבתו עשה ולא משום פנייה ויש לומר דכתיב אברהם אברהם יעקב יעקב משה משה היינו כי חלק ה' עמו והצדיק כמו שהוא כאן בעולם השפל כן הוא שורשו למעלה ולזה נברא בכדי שאף שהוא נתלבש בגוף עכור אף על פי כן בטוב בחירתו עובדת ה' ולא מכחש פומבי דמלכא היינו חותם המלך והוא בזה העולם צדיק כמו שהוא צדיק בשורשו של מעלה וזהו אברהם אברהם שהוא אברהם פה צדיק כמו שהוא צדיק בשורשו של מעלה וכן ביסר צדיקים ששמם פה כמו שהם למעלה צדיקים וידוע כי הנשמות נהנים למעלה מזיו השכינה רק שהוא

nahama d'kisufa. Before the neshama comes down to Olam Hazeh, so the neshama is, enjoys the radiance of the Shechina, but it's nahama d'kisufa, it's lechem shel busha. Skipping a few words:

ולזה הוריד הקב"ה הנשמה למטה בכדי שבטוב בחירתה שתעבוד ה' ישולם לה שכר פעולתה ולא יהיה לה נהמא דכיסופא וזהו לך לך להנאתך ולטובתך שבשכר פעולתך יותן לך הנאה וטובה ולא נהמא דכיסופא.

So how did he answer his question? He said le-hana'aska u-le-tovaska isn't, not that you're going to get rich, and not that you're going to have physical enjoyment of Olam Hazeh, but it means that you'll return to Olam HaNeshamos, you'll return to Olam HaBa, and you'll be nehene miziv ha-shechina, but this time you'll be nehene miziv ha-shechina based on, as the just deserts for your avoda in Olam Hazeh. So clearly the same idea, right? That to motivate Avraham Avinu, lech lecha, and with that you'll attain kirvas Elokim. So again, not only is that compatible with avoda me-ahava, it's an expression of avoda me-ahava. There's nothing egocentric, there's nothing selfish about a genuine, genuine desire for kirvas Elokim. I know that ma'amar in that Ma'or Einayim from my father, zichrono livracha. He also used to quote a Maharal in Gur Aryeh. Rashi said on ki yedaitiv in Parshas Vayera:

כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחרי ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט למען הביא ה' על אברהם את אשר דבר עליו.

So Rashi says that Avraham Avinu tells the bnei beiso: shmuru derech Hashem, so that Hakadosh Baruch Hu—this is Avraham Avinu motivating them—so that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will be mekayem למען הביא ה' על אברהם את אשר דבר עליו. Ve-ein le-hakshos, says the Gur Aryeh:

ואברהם עובד מאהבה היה ואיך יאמר למען הביא ה' ואין זה קשיא כי כל אשר הבטיח אותו על הארץ הקדושה וכן שיהיה לגוי גדול הכל אין לאברהם טובה גופנית בזה רק שיתן לו הארץ אשר שם כמה קדושות ומצוות וכן ישראל אשר יקבלו המצוות והכל הוא קירוב אל השם יתברך.

The same. The genuine desire for kirvas Elokim is an expression of avoda me-ahava. The place where that kirvas Elokim happens in the fullest sense is not Olam Hazeh, but is Olam HaBa. And the emes is... says when you make your way to the end of Perek Aleph, so Ramchal writes, ואמנם ראוי לו שתהיה כל פנייתו רק לבורא יתברך. It's fitting that a person's angle on whatever he does is for Hakadosh Baruch Hu,

ושלא יהיה לו שום תכלית אחר בכל מעשה שיעשה אם קטן ואם גדול אלא להתקרב אליו יתברך.

So the emes is when Ramchal says יסוד החסידות ושורש העבודה that a person should

ישים מבטו ומגמתו בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו שהאדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על השם וליהנות מזיו שכינתו.

That's a perspective that should accompany a person throughout his lifetime. Whether he's on day one of the journey on the ground floor, or whether he's already emerged as a Ben Aliyah. What that desire for Olam Haba is will evolve. It will evolve from the כדי שאזכה לחיי עולם הבא, Perek Yud of Hilchos Teshuva, and it will develop, it will be elevated into the

נתאוו חכמים ונביאים לימות המשיח להרבות בחכמה כדי שיזכו לחיי עולם הבא,

but that perspective that a person should look בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו at every step and every stage of a person's journey, so he can always, always, this is his guide, that's the lodestar, this is the guide. What I'm about to do, is it going to bring me to Olam Haba or not? What will a person mean by that? What will he experience by that? That, be'ezras Hashem, is going to change. That's going to develop. But it will always be that same perspective. So Ramchal isn't just giving us the perspective for day one, for page one of the manual. No, this perspective is one that can and should, Ramchal is telling us, accompany a person again at every step and at every stage. A person can always, should always measure everything whenever he's at a crossroads. Whenever he has to make a decision, even whenever he doesn't have to make a decision, it's clear what he's doing, but he should contextualize and frame. It's clear that in the morning I should get up and I should daven and I should put on tefillin. Even when there isn't the decision, but how a person will do it will be affected if he always has this perspective: is this action going to bring me to Olam Haba? And when the answer to that is yes, so what's the best way to maximize the potential in this action to bring to Olam Haba? It's a question that can guide a person literally at every step. The question will mean something different at a certain point. It will gradually change from maybe being purely the desire for personal immortality. Then it becomes a mixture and the proportions will constantly, hopefully be'ezras Hashem be changing, but it's the guide question that a person can and should employ throughout his life.