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יג וְהָא דְּאָמְרִינָן בְּעָלְמָא, דְּמֶחֱצָה עַל מֶחֱצָה מִקְרֵי בֵּינוֹנִי, וְרוֹב זְכֻיּוֹת מִקְרֵי צַדִּיק, הוּא שֵׁם הַמּוּשְׁאָל לְעִנְיַן שָׂכָר וְעוֹנֶשׁ, לְפִי שֶׁנִּדּוֹן אַחַר רוּבּוֹ, וּמִקְרֵי צַדִּיק בְּדִינוֹ מֵאַחַר שֶׁזּוֹכֶה בַּדִּין, אֲבָל לְעִנְיַן אֲמִיתַּת שֵׁם הַתּוֹאַר וְהַמַּעֲלָה שֶׁל מַעֲלַת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת חֲלוּקוֹת צַדִּיקִים וּבֵינוֹנִים, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״צַדִּיקִים יֵצֶר טוֹב שׁוֹפְטָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְלִבִּי חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי״ – שֶׁאֵין לוֹ יֵצֶר הָרָע, כִּי הֲרָגוֹ בְּתַעֲנִית; אֲבָל כָּל מִי שֶׁלֹּא הִגִּיעַ לְמַדְרֵגָה זוֹ, אַף שֶׁזְּכֻיוֹתָיו מְרוּבִּים עַל עֲוֹנוֹתָיו – אֵינוֹ בְּמַעֲלַת וּמַדְרֵגַת צַדִּיק כְּלָל.

13And as for the general saying²⁰ that one whose deeds and misdeeds are equally balanced is called benoni, while he whose virtues outweigh his sins is called a tzaddik, this is only the figurative use of the term in regard to reward and punishment, because he is judged according to the majority [of his acts] and he is deemed “righteous” in his verdict, since he is acquitted in law. But concerning the true definition and quality of the distinct levels and ranks, “righteous” and “intermediate,” our Sages have remarked²¹ that the righteous are motivated [solely] by their good nature, as it is written, “And my heart is a void within me,”²² that is, void of an evil nature, because he [David] had slain it through fasting.²³ But whoever has not attained this degree, even though his virtues exceed his sins, cannot at all be reckoned to have ascended to the rank of the tzaddik.

ידוְלָכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה בַּמִּדְרָשׁ: ״רָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בַּצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם מוּעָטִים – עָמַד וּשְׁתָלָן בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר וְכוּ׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם״:

14This is why our Sages have declared in the Midrash, “The Holy One, blessed is He, saw that the righteous were few, so He planted them in every generation…,”²⁴ [for,] as it is written, “The tzaddik is the foundation of the world.”²⁵

טואַךְ בֵּיאוּר הָעִנְיָן, עַל פִּי מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הָרַב חַיִּים וִיטַאל זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה בְּשַׁעַר הַקְּדוּשָּׁה [וּבְעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר נ׳ פֶּרֶק ב׳], דִּלְכָל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶחָד צַדִּיק וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע, יֵשׁ שְׁתֵּי נְשָׁמוֹת, דִכְתִיב: ״וּנְשָׁמוֹת אֲנִי עָשִׂיתִי״, שֶׁהֵן שְׁתֵּי נְפָשׁוֹת –נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִצַּד הַקְּלִיפָּה וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, וְהִיא הַמִּתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בְּדַם הָאָדָם לְהַחֲיוֹת הַגּוּף, וּכְדִכְתִיב: ״כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר בַּדָּם הִיא״, וּמִמֶּנָּה בָּאוֹת כָּל הַמִּדּוֹת רָעוֹת, מֵאַרְבַּע יְסוֹדוֹת רָעִים שֶׁבָּהּ, דְּהַיְינוּ: כַּעַס וְגַאֲוָה – מִיסוֹד הָאֵשׁ שֶׁנִּגְבָּהּ לְמַעְלָה, וְתַאֲוַת הַתַּעֲנוּגִים – מִיסוֹד הַמַּיִם, כִּי הַמַּיִם מַצְמִיחִים כָּל מִינֵי תַּעֲנוּג, וְהוֹלֵלוּת וְלֵיצָנוּת וְהִתְפָּאֲרוּת וּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים – מִיסוֹד הָרוּחַ, וְעַצְלוּת וְעַצְבוּת – מִיסוֹד הֶעָפָר.

15The explanation [of the questions raised above] is to be found in the light of what Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote in Shaar HaKedushah [and in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, ch. 2] that in every Jew, whether righteous or wicked, are two souls, as it is written,²⁶ “The neshamot (souls) which I have made,”²⁷ [alluding to] two souls. There is one soul which originates in the kelipah and sitra achara, [and] which is clothed in the blood of a human being, giving life to the body, as is written, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”²⁸ From it stem all the evil characteristics deriving from the four evil elements which are contained in it. These are: anger and pride, which emanate from the element of Fire, the nature of which is to rise upward; the appetite for pleasures—from the element of Water, for water makes to grow all kinds of enjoyment; frivolity and scoffing, boasting and idle talk from the element of Air; and sloth and melancholy—from the element of Earth.

טזוְגַם מִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁבְּטֶבַע כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתוֹלְדוֹתָם, כְּמוֹ רַחֲמָנוּת וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים – בָּאוֹת מִמֶּנָּה.

16From this soul stems also the good characteristics which are to be found in the innate nature of all Israel, such as mercy and benevolence.

יזכִּי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל נֶפֶשׁ זוֹ דִּקְלִיפָּה, הִיא מִקְּלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ גַּם כֵּן טוֹב, וְהִיא מִסּוֹד ״עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע״:

17For in the case of Israel, this soul of the kelipah is derived from kelipat nogah, which also contains good, as it originates in the esoteric “tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”²⁹

יחמַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן נַפְשׁוֹת אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, הֵן מִשְּׁאָר קְלִיפּוֹת טְמֵאוֹת, שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶן טוֹב כְּלָל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר מ״ט פֶּרֶק ג׳. וְכָל טִיבוּ דְּעָבְדִין הָאוּמּוֹת לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ עָבְדִין, וְכִדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא עַל פָּסוּק: ״וְחֶסֶד לְאוּמִּים חַטָּאת״ –שֶׁכָּל צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד שֶׁאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם עוֹשִׂין, אֵינָן אֶלָּא לְהִתְיַיהֵר כוּ׳:

18The souls of the nations of the world, however, emanate from the other, unclean kelipot which contain no good whatsoever, as is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 49, ch. 3, that all the good that the nations do is done from selfish motives. So the Gemara³⁰ comments on the verse, “The kindness of the nations is sin”³¹—that all the charity and kindness done by the nations of the world is only for their own self-glorification, and so on.

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org