החלק הראשון בביאור מדת הזהירות. יסוד החסידות ושורש העבודה התמימה הוא שיתברר ויתאמת אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו ולמה צריך שישים מבטו ומגמתו בכל אשר הוא עמל כל ימי חייו.
So there's a paradox embedded here in in these opening words, almost seeming to verge on a contradiction. The Ramchal is coming to explain to us, to identify for us what the foundation for Chassidus is. Chassidus means, and it means this for Ramchal as it does, as it has this connotation for others as well, Midat Chassidus means something which is lifnim meshurat hadin, something which goes above and beyond what's required. The etymologically the Ibn Ezra and then the Rambam as well explain that what the word Chesed means is really something which is, try to process this without either positive or negative connotations, something which is excessive, something which is extra. The Ibn Ezra says that's the pshat when when the Torah in in Sefer Vayikra describes the erva of ach vaachot as chesed hu. So he says, what does it mean chesed hu? It means tosafos nus, it represents an excess. In that context, it's it's in a negative context. And when we speak of a midas chassidus so then etymologically it's the same, it's the same connotation of something which is extra, something which is excess, but in the positive direction. So Ramchal is looking to tell us what the foundation for Chassidus is and what does he tell us the foundation is? That שיתברר ויתאמת אצל האדם מה חובתו בעולמו. The yesod hachassidus is to know what your obligation is. But Chassidus by definition means the midas chassidus means to go beyond the chovaso beolamo. And again it's clear it's not that Ramchal has is not that Ramchal has an idiosyncratic understanding and use of the word Chassidus when you get to perek yud gimmel so after he's discussed zehirus and zrizus and nekius and he begins talking about midas haprishus, הפרישות התחלת החסידות ותראה שכל מה שביארנו עד עתה הוא מה שצריך לאדם כדי שיהיה צדיק.
And a tzaddik means someone who does what he's supposed to do, he does mitzvos and doesn't do aveiros. Not the way we use it. We use tzaddik as the he's a tzaddik you know that the tzaddik is what every one of us is is supposed to be. Tzaddik means someone he does the mitzvos he's supposed to do and he abstains from the aveiros that he's not supposed to do. So so a tzaddik is a term that should apply to the that that should rightfully apply to to all of us. ומכאן והלאה הוא שיהיה חסיד. So now I'm beginning to tell you. So Ramchal's understanding and use of the word chassid is the same as everyone else's, again, the way the way it's used in the context of the term midas chassidus. So what does he mean, what what's pshat in this paradox that the yesod hachassidus is that a person has clarity on ma chovaso beolamo? והנה מה שהורונו חז"ל הוא שהאדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה' ולהנות מזיו שכינתו שזהו התענוג האמיתי והעידן הגדול מכל העידנים שיכולים להמצא. ומקום העידן הזה באמת הוא העולם הבא.
So Ramchal is telling us and he he says this subsequently as well, telling us something profound that if a if we correctly understood and appreciated. would realize that the only natural way to go about fulfilling that obligation is beyond what's necessary, but in in the fullest and and maximal way possible. In in the mundane world, so an obligation can be an obligation. There's an obligation to honestly pay every penny of taxes that that you owe. It's an obligation. Whatever deductions you're eligible for, there's no midos chasidus not to unless you're holding by Rav Moshe Feinstein's—Rav Moshe was afraid that that if you would take a charitable deduction and and then maybe chas v'shalom it would turn out that that institution, that organization wasn't really qualified for that and then the IRS would disallow it, there'd be a chillul Hashem. So unless you're holding by Rav Moshe's by by that level of zehirus, it's an obligation, and you have to honestly satisfy that obligation, but it's an obligation. There's no there's no inyan to to go above and beyond. But if a person if יתבאר ויתאמת אצל האדם חובתו בעולמו that a person's obligation is is an opportunity, that a person's obligation is a bracha, if a person would recognize that Torah and mitzvos are not just obligation, they are obligation, and and they should be a person is supposed to have a sense of being a metzuveh. But if a person would recognize that that his obligation is simultaneously opportunity, so then chovaso naturally segues into into chasidus. The only way we're content with, well tell me what tell me what tell me what I'm mechuyav to do, tell me tell me tell me what what I'm mechuyav to do to to be yotzei, and and that's all I want to hear, is if a person doesn't understand what chovaso b'olamo represents. But if a person correctly understands and therefore appreciates what chovaso b'olamo represents, so then the understanding of what his chova is then serves as the yesod hachasidus. A chiyuv a person looks to discharge, an obligation you look to satisfy, an opportunity you look to make the most of. Says Ramchal, it begins with that, it begins with יתבאר ויתאמת אצל האדם that in Torah, obligation and opportunity are haynu hach. And if that's the case, the only natural logical approach to chova is not how much do I have to do, but how much can I possibly do. Sometimes it's all too easy to to lose that perspective on on chova. It's a pasuk in Chumash that the Ramchal stam points out that ויצוונו ה׳ לטוב לנו כל הימים לחיותנו כיום הזה. The chiyuv is a bracha. The mitzvah is a bracha. On the one hand, and this is a perennial challenge in life, a person is supposed to develop a routine that integrates everything he should be doing. A person should have a routine. He gets up, he davens b'tzibbur, he learns. There should be a kvias, there should be the staples of his existence. But there's always a danger when a person develops a routine to lose perspective on the different components of that routine, and that in one's mind they spin off and they just become, okay, so these are things that I need to do. I need to check this off. If davening were an obligation that was recognized as an opportunity, so I don't think we would approach it as, you know, I have 40 minutes for davening and memaila that dictates the pace at which the minyan has to go and at which I daven, because davening has to be compressed into that because that's the slot I have for davening. So if davening is an obligation, so then that mindset makes sense. But if davening is an obligation which is an opportunity, if davening is a mitzvah which is a bracha, so how long does it take to daven properly? How long does it take to say each word meaningfully and to say all the words that one is supposed to say? And that's how much time I need for davening in my schedule. If Shabbos is a mitzvah which not only like every mitzvah is a bracha, but a mitzvah which is a mekor habracha, and so do I really have to know what's the first possible minute to make havdalah and do melacha and transition back to sheishes yemei hamaaseh? Maybe I should find out what the maximum of tosefes Shabbos is instead of finding out what the minimum of tosefes Shabbos is. Maybe the Shabbos should be: what's the maximum of Tosefos Shabbos? Until what point is Tosefos Shabbos meaningful? It has implications and applications for for everything. For everything. Avada a person is not supposed to relate to Torah and Mitzvos only as opportunity, only as Bracha. Tosafos in Shabbos famously asks the Kasha, what need was there for כפה עליהם הר כגיגית if they had already said Naaseh V'nishma? So the Midrash Tanchuma has its answer, Tosafos gives their answer. But yitachen the pshat is that the כפה עליהם הר כגיגית is necessary because the correct relationship that a person is supposed to have with Hakadosh Baruch Hu is he's supposed to feel that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the Metzaveh and that he's a Metzuvah. It's not supposed to be only it's an opportunity that I welcome, it's only a Bracha. It's also an obligation, the Ribbono Shel Olam is the Adon and I'm the Eved. So just a voluntary Kabbalah, no, there has to be a כפה עליהם הר כגיגית Kabbalah also. But both, but not only that. It's not only obligation, it's not only opportunity. It's supposed to be both. The Ramchal is emphasizing in this context what he needs to emphasize to propel us to the Chasidus is that the Chova is also opportunity and the Mitzvah is also Bracha.