The power and importance of hisbodidus according to the Ramchal

HH

The Way of the Tree of Life

Rabbi Nachman, at least in his early years, told some of his followers to study and follow the guidelines of the Miseelas Yeshurim (Path of the Just) of the Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto).[1] Elsewhere I have elaborated on many concepts and themes that the Ramchal was a forerunner for Rabbainu. In the beginning of the Miseelas Yeshurim the importance of hisbodidus is made clear, however in a different article – Derech Aitz Chaim – The Way of the Tree of Life, which is printed together with the Miseelas Yeshurim in many publications, there the Ramchal makes it even more abundantly clear, in his inimitable decisive, pristine, and systematical explanatory style. Therefore, as an added bonus, the pertinent excerpt will be presented here BH.

“Being that the Holy One Blessed He desired that man should be the possessor of yetzer (-inclination), that he could equally be won or victorious , there [He] put in them (the) knowledge, just (that it is) sealed like a coal, and so that it can spread out like a flame, and the becheeruh (-choice) is in the hands of the man. And our Sages o.b.m. said (Bava Basra 78b): “‘Therefore the rulers say come (plural) to Cheshboan (name of a city)/accounting (Numbers 21:27),’ ‘The rulers’, these are the rulers over their yetzer (-inclination), ‘Come to Cheshboan/accounting’ come and let us reckon the reckoning of the world!”[2] Because someone who does not rule over his yetzer (-inclination), will never set himself to this, however, those who rule over their yetzer, they will do this matter, and they will teach it to others to do it. Behold, a man is destined to reckon the accounting of his business, the business of temporal life, so why would he not put his heart, even for one hour, also for this, to reckon a reckoning of substance: What is he? And why did he come to the world? Or, what does the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One Blessed He, ask of him? And what will be the end of all his matters? This is the greatest and strongest antidote that one can issue against the yetzer (-inclination), and it is easy, and its enterprise is great, and its fruit (-effects) abundant, that a man should hold up every day for at least one hour, free of all other thoughts, to contemplate just upon this matter which I said/ And he should ask in his heart, “What did the early ones, the forefathers of the world, do, that Hashem so desired them?[3] What did Moshe Rabbainu (-Moses) r.i.p. do? What did David the Messiah/anointed/chosen of Hashem do? And all the greats who were before us? And one should raise (the idea) in his mind, how good it would be for a man to do so all the days of his life as well, and it will be good for him!

“Then he should channel his thoughts to know, in what condition he is to be found and standing, in accordance to the coveted way which these men of historical repute traversed, or not? Or if the power of the yetzer (-inclination) is too much for him, and he can’t contend with one stronger than him?

It is for this the holy Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai was solicitous and screamed like a crane, in his Tikunim (-rectifications – Tikunay Zohar), the tenth Tikun, and this is a quotation: “Veye <woe> upon the people whom the Hole One Blessed He is incarcerated with them in exile, ‘And he (Moses) turned this way and that, and he saw that there was no man (Exodus 2:2)’, just (each) person turned to his way, in their occupation, in their ways.”

“The general matter is, a man who does not think of this will have very great difficulty to achieve completion/perfection, and the man who does contemplate this, is very close to it. And the wise are always engaged[4] in contemplation – they do not divert their minds from this, and therefore they are/will be successful in all their conduct[5]. However, one who does the minimal, should not suffice with less than having a set time to put this to heart, a little or a lot, because then he will be successful in his way, and then he will be smart.

After you know this, that it is your responsibility to ponder and to attentive to this, now I will enlighten and illuminate for you what are the matters upon which you should dwell upon to ponder and to determine.”

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman!

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[1] Koachvay Ohr, Avunehuh Barzel, Additions Relevant to the Legendary Tales, article 10. Rabbainu instructed some of the men of our persuasion that drew close to him in Medvedivka, at the beginning of their drawing close, for the time being, to study the book Miseelas Yeshurim.

[2] From here comes the term:

Muruh (master) DiCheshbinuh (of accounting).

In The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman, article 586 we learn:

I (Rabbi Nussun) heard how one of the youngsters was lying in the room of Rabbainu o.b.m.. One time he approached Rabbainu o.b.m. and began to cry before him on account of his desire to be a kosher (-proper) person. And Rabbainu o.b.m. was already lying on his bed, and Rabbainu o.b.m. got up, and sat on his bed, and began to speak with him, and he showed him the way to this, and he also instructed him certain studies to learn, and he also instructed him that he should be from the “muruh dichushbinuh”, that is, that every night before he lies on his bed, he should think  how the day transpired over him; if he learned and prayed properly on this day, he should give thanks to Hashem Yisburach, and should say to Him: “Praise and Thanks to Your great and holy Name for meriting me to study and to pray on the day that passed, somewhat to Your liking, and I entreat before You, Hashem my G-d, that You help me in the coming day tomorrow to increase in Your devotion, with more copious Torah (study) and prayer, and with more kavana (intention/concentration).” And if Gd forbid he did not learn and pray properly in the day that passed, he should confess and entreat before Him blessed He, and he should say: “Master of the World, I know that I was negligent on this day, and I didn’t serve You properly, not in Torah (study) and not in prayer etc., and now I implore and entreat before You etc. that You pardon me, and You forgive me on the past, that I didn’t serve You properly, and that You help me tomorrow, on the coming day, to serve Your devotions in Torah (study) and prayer with proper kavana and completeness to Your liking.

[3] The Sefer Chasidim writes (article 165): And why does the Holy One blessed He love the forefathers, because the entire day and the entire night, their hearts didn’t veer from contemplating the desires/objectives of Heaven, as it says (Proverbs 23), “just with the fear of Hashem the entire day,” etc. because the entire twenty four hours [in one order] they were not distracted from the desires/objectives of Heaven, even in a dream etc., see there.

The Ramban also writes something similar in his Iggeress Hakodesh, how their minds were bound to the supernal light without even a moment of interruption, see there.

[4] Here the Ramchal uses a play on words, spinning the phrase, “huloach vishuv” – back and forth, to “huloach vichushuv” – going and thinking.

[5] An allusion to this can be found in Rashi (Deuteronomy 20:1) who explains the juxtaposition of the Torah portions pertaining to properly conducting justice and to going out to wage war, that by virtue of the former there is guarantee the latter will be victorious, and he cites a verse from Psalms (119:121) to support this idea. Rabbi Nachman said that all of the Psalms should be interpreted into one’s own personal battles, trial, and tribulations, thus this would very much proport the words of the Ramchal here, that one who properly reviews his conduct judiciously, he will be victorious in his battles over the evil inclination.