חלק ראשון; ליקוטי אמרים, פרק ט״ו
לפרק כולוא וּבָזֶה יוּבַן מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: ״וְשַׁבְתֶּם וּרְאִיתֶם בֵּין צַדִּיק לְרָשָׁע, בֵּין עוֹבֵד אֱלֹהִים לַאֲשֶׁר לֹא עֲבָדוֹ״.
בשֶׁהַהֶפְרֵשׁ בֵּין ״עוֹבֵד אֱלֹהִים״ לְ״צַדִּיק״ הוּא, שֶׁ״עוֹבֵד״ הוּא לְשׁוֹן הֹוֶה – שֶׁהוּא בְּאֶמְצַע הָעֲבוֹדָה, שֶׁהִיא הַמִּלְחָמָה עִם הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע, לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו וּלְגָרְשׁוֹ מֵהָ״עִיר קְטַנָּה״ שֶׁלֹּא יִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּאֵבְרֵי הַגּוּף, שֶׁהוּא בֶּאֱמֶת עֲבוֹדָה וְעָמָל גָּדוֹל לְהִלָּחֵם בּוֹ תָּמִיד, וְהַיְינוּ – הַבֵּינוֹנִי.
2The difference between “one who serves G–d” and a righteous man (tzaddik) is that “one who serves (oved) G–d”—in the active present—is one who is engaged in “active service,” namely, the struggle against his evil nature in an effort to gain mastery over it and to banish it from the “small city,” that it should not vest itself in the organs of the body. Verily it entails much effort and toil to wage constant war with it. This is the benoni.
גאֲבָל הַצַּדִּיק, נִקְרָא ״עֶבֶד ה׳״ – בְּשֵׁם הַתּוֹאַר, כְּמוֹ שֵׁם חָכָם אוֹ מֶלֶךְ, שֶׁכְּבָר נַעֲשָׂה חָכָם אוֹ מֶלֶךְ, כָּךְ זֶה, כְּבָר עָבַד וְגָמַר לְגַמְרֵי עֲבוֹדַת הַמִּלְחָמָה עִם הָרָע, עַד כִּי וַיְגָרְשֵׁהוּ וַיֵּלֶךְ לוֹ, וְלִבּוֹ חָלַל בְּקִרְבּוֹ.
3The tzaddik, however, is designated “servant (eved) of G–d,” which is a title already earned, as the title “sage” or “king” is bestowed on one who has already become a sage or king. So is this person who has already effected and completely accomplished his task of waging war against the evil in him, with the result that he has expelled it and it has disappeared, and his heart has become “void within him.”2
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org