In formulating the Ikkar of Bechira Chofshis, so the Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuva as follows: ועיקר זה עיקר גדול הוא והוא עמוד התורה והמצווה שנאמר ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע וכתוב ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה כלומר שהרשות בידכם.
The capacity to choose what to do, to decide what to do, to assess what to do is in your domain. וכל שיחפוץ אדם לעשות ממעשה בני האדם עושה בין טוב ובין רע.
And in all Maasei bnei adam, so a person's what the person desires, what the person decides to do, is what he's going to do. Similarly earlier in Shemonah Perakim, the Rambam also states very clearly, very emphatically: דע שדבר מוסכם הוא מתורתנו ופילוסופיית יוון כפי שאימתו טענות האמת שפעולותיו של האדם כולן מסורות בידו.
Everything a person does is an expression of results from his Bechira. A little bit further in the same Perek, so the Rambam quotes the Maamar Chazal: אבל הלשון שנמצא לחכמים והוא אמרם הכל בידי שמיים חוץ מיראת שמיים הוא נכון והוא מכוון למה שהזכרנו.
Chazal are saying the exact same thing that we've been discussing, says the Rambam. ואומרם אם כן הכל אין כוונתם בזה אלא לעניינים הטבעיים שאין לאדם בחירה בהם כגון היותו ארוך או קצר או ירידת גשם או בצורת או קלקול האוויר או צחותו.
When Chazal say Hakol, they mean everything that happens in the universe throughout the Briyah is Bidei shamayim, not only in terms of the microcosm of the person, whether he's tall, whether he's short, if there's rain or if there's a drought etc. That's what the Hakol is. But in terms of Maasei bnei adam, so everything is Beyado. Now what that effectively means is that everything that a person does pertains to Yiras shamayim. Everything. If the Maamar Chazal of הכל בידי שמיים חוץ מיראת שמיים is teaching the same as this definition of Bechira Chofshis that everything a person does results from his Bechira, so that means that potentially, not just every area of life, everything a person does pertains to Yiras shamayim. The emes is the Chovos HaLevavos already underscores this point. He says initially: התורה חולקת מעשה בני האדם לשלושה חלקים ציווי ואזהרה ומותר.
There are things that we're commanded to do, things that we're prohibited from doing, and then there's lots of things where there's neither commandment. nor, nor, nor, nor, nor prohibition. Torah doesn't tell a person what ich veis, what breakfast cereal he should he should eat eat for breakfast. Some people hold that when one has hashgacha he should be makpid on Captain Crunch, but sounds like the Chovos Halvavos maybe not like that. Lav davka, lav davka. It's it's it's begeder mutar. What color shirt, what color tie a person is is wearing. There's no tzivui, there's no azhara, it's begeder it's it's it's begeder mutar. But then Chovos Halvavos tells us that in this and the that that domain of mutar is a very, very large domain. Okay, so tzivui and azhara, ich veis when when you go to the supermarket, so tzivui and azhara definitely does put a lot of the stuff off limits. And tzivui and azhara if if you buy a suit, okay, so it's gonna put if the suit is is shaatnez, it's gonna put some things off limits, but lemayseh the domain of mutar is very, very large. Maybe maybe larger than than the tzivui and azhara. The Torah doesn't, let's say a person sees that that his kochos hanefesh, his abilities, ich veis that that he should be he should either be an accountant or an actuary. So that's gonna account for a very, very significant percentage of the time of of his adult life. And it's begeder mutar. So this domain of mutar is a very, very large encompassing encompassing domain. But then the Chovos Halvavos tells us that within mutar and and again and he he illustrates the the mutar that mutar pertains to mazon ha'adam, maachal, mishteh, malbush, machseh. Torah doesn't there's no there are no specifics in the Torah about to rent apartment A or apartment B, to buy this house, to buy that house. It's all it's all begeder mutar. And then Chovos Halvavos continues and says that the emes is that within mutar there's again this sort of three ways that that a person can involve himself in the tchum of mutar: dei hasippuk. Person takes what he needs. Again, the Torah doesn't specify what breakfast cereal to eat, but still one can speak of if a person eats dei hasippuk, what he needs to function at that maximum capacity. Ribui, what's excessive, what goes beyond that, or v'hakitzur which in context means a certain middah of prishus, that the person sort of pushes himself to be able to function at the maximum capacity with with a middah of prishus. And he says that the emes is that to take either dei hasippuk or appropriate prishus is a mitzvah. And and the ribui is is the opposite. So then the Chovos Halvavos says that lemayseh the division of the tripartite division of tzivui, azhara, and mutar notwithstanding, ultimately in everything a person does is nitpas in in mitzvah. And and what distinguishes the realm of mutar from tzivui and azhara is the lack of specificity. The mitzvah or the mitzvah dimension shebo, when it comes to Leil HaSeder the Torah doesn't say to have a meal. Torah says you have to eat matzah. Torah says you have to eat matzah and Torah says and don't and don't eat chametz. Not find yourself something to eat and the the specificity in the realm of mutar, so again, so the realm of mutar the Torah doesn't tell us what breakfast cereal to eat. The Torah doesn't tell us what what what color shirt to wear. But if a person eats moderately or if a person eats according to the Chovos Halvavos in an appropriate middas haprishus, so then it's a mitzvah. If he eats gluttonously, so then that's an aveirah. So even the tchum of mutar is really governed by mitzvah and aveirah. If a person dresses modestly in a way that doesn't call attention to himself, in a way that's appropriate for tefillah, so again, there's no specificity as to what color his shirt should be, but that's a mitzvah. And if the person dresses immodestly or if the person comes to shul inappropriately attired, so again, there's no specificity of what the shirt should be, what the pants should be, but then that's an aveirah. So the tchum of mutar is also governed by mitzvah and aveirah. And therefore, what emerges is the same thing that the Rambam later tells us in the maimar Chazal הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים, that everything a person does is potentially reflects yiras shamayim or an inadequacy rachmana litzlan thereof. There are at least sort of two points to ponder in light of this. Number one, that a person can and should, a person should recognize that be'tchum hamutar, sometimes we're prone to making a mistake that the tchum of mutar, ich veis, a person is supposed to make hishtadlus for parnassah. Okay, so again, the Torah didn't, if the person finds his abilities and his temperament he should either be an accountant or an actuary, so the Torah takeh doesn't... so we think, okay, that sort of time that's siphoned off, that's diverted from avodas Hashem, but it's supposed to be diverted from avodas Hashem and it's again, it's just in the realm of neutral. And what the Chovos Halevavos, what the Rambam are telling us, there's no such thing. Everything a person does is potentially an expression and a kiyum and reflects his yiras shamayim. That a person can and should be oved Hashem every waking moment, every waking moment. If a person chooses his profession based on Torahdikke criteria, so then that again, it there's not going to be that same specificity as there is by eat matzah, don't eat chametz, but there are the general criteria. A person chooses his profession by Torahdikke criteria, so then he's being osek be yiras shamayim when he's on the job. And if a person doesn't choose it by Torahdikke criteria... So avodas Hashem isn't restricted to the beis medrash, it's not restricted to shul, it's not restricted to holding a lulav, to eating a kezayis matzah. It's something which is all-encompassing. That's point one to ponder. Point two to ponder, maybe we'll approach it as follows. The Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuvah מדרכי התשובה להיות השב צועק תמיד לפני השם בבכי ובתחנונים ועושה צדקה כפי כוחו ומתרחק הרבה מן הדבר שחטא בו ומשנה שמו כלומר שאני אחר ואיני אותו האיש שעשה אותן המעשים ומשנה מעשיו כולן לטובה ולדרך ישרה.
So as the Kesef Mishneh calls out already, the Rambam is clearly here paraphrasing and presenting the maimar Chazal of ארבעה דברים מקרעין גזר דינו של אדם, and one of them is shinui maaseh. The Rambam says that what shinui maaseh means is that not only does the person obviously cease and desist from the aveirah, that's not something which sort of goes beyond the etzem maaseh of teshuvah, that's... So did the Rambam tell us what that means or is this sort of, well you know it's obvious what that means? I'm almost a little bit maybe of a משל למה הדבר דומה in terms of the question is, so let's say, let's say parents tell the child you know be good. So that's good advice, that's a good thing to exhort the child to do, but l'maiseh what does it mean? So is the Rambam just telling us be good? משנה מעשיו כולם לטובה, be good, be better. Not be good, but משנה מעשיו כולם לטובה. So be better and okay everyone knows what it means, look in the mirror the Rambam says and to each of us and you'll know what it means. Is that, what's, what did the Rambam sort of tell us what the key is, what the secret is to a complete overhaul, a complete upgrade, spiritual religious upgrade of one's life. So what did the Rambam say? The Rambam said משנה מעשיו כולם לטובה ולדרך ישרה. הדרך הישרה והרגל הדעות
the Rambam writes. הדרך הישרה היא מדה בינונית שבכל דעה ודעה מכל דעה שיש לאדם. והיא הדעה שהיא רחוקה משני הקצוות ריחוק שוה ואינה קרובה לא לזו ולא לזו.
A little further on in the perek, ומצווים אנו ללכת בדרכים אלו הבינוניים והם הדרכים הטובים והישרים
she'emar v'halachta bidrachav. So l'chora it's clear that what the Rambam means here, he's not just telling us be good or be better. The Rambam is telling us that the yesod, one yesod that has the potential to transform a person's life is the mitzvah v'halachta bidrachav. The mitzvah v'halachta bidrachav tells a person, again, we sort of as much as saying that v'halachta bidrachav tells us middos as much as that does encompass but it sure changes what what the mitzvah, the mitzvah basically does, it tells us how the yiras shamayim should be expressed and manifested and reflected in all in that whole t'chum of mutar. The whole t'chum of mutar of a person's professional life, what profession he's in, how much time he spends working, how much money he earns, what a person does every day when he eats and drinks, everything, all of that is governed by the drachim hatovim v'hayesharim. And the way a person is, again so point number one of הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים is that everything a person does reflects yiras shamayim. Not only fulfillment of mitzvas asei and abstention from mitzvas lo taasei, but no even more b'tchum hamutar, everything is an expression of yiras shamayim and b, the yesod to that is and be'emes it's the same thing Chovos Halvavos says, the yesod to that is the calibrating what a person does again a, al pi what's needed and b to do that l'sheim shamayim, so that's how a person is when Chazal say overhaul your life, upgrade your entire life, so that's a tall order. It is a tall order, but l'maiseh it's something that that in the tradition of Hillel, so the Rambam al regel achas tells us how it's done when he says that משנה מעשיו כולם לטובה ולדרך ישרה. It changes, changes everything. It changes my approach to money, it changes my... approach to food, to drink, to all physical areas of life, משנה מעשיו כולם לטובה, it modulates and moderates all my middos, all my interactions with people in terms of yes anger, no anger, in terms of how expansively a person talks or doesn't. Everything is based on the v'halachta bidrachav. Again, it encompasses the entire tchum of muttar and is m'kadesh a person's life.