A Student’s Obligation: Advice from the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto by Kalonymus Kalman Shapira Quotes

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If we penetrate into the child’s soul and reflect on its workings, examining it delicately and truthfully, we will find that usually a child does not turn away from God all at once. He does not violate the Shabbat, nor leave the Bet Midrash for the theaters, in one fell swoop. The Talmud, in tractate Shabbat 105, testifies: “This is the way the evil inclination practices its craft: today it says ‘do such and such’ and tomorrow it says ‘do so and so.’ ” With our superficial vision, we see the process of corruption only when it begins to be manifested in action. Our children do not start off right away committing grievous transgressions; they descend level by level, in graduated steps. But we must be aware that before a young person actually commits even the most insignificant sin, he has been experiencing a gradual inner crisis that began a year or more earlier.

Nothing that we have said is original; our Torah is eternal and will always direct us in how we are to ascend to God and how we are to comport ourselves in all our actions and in every particular of our existence. The Talmud (Shabbat 30:2), for example, relates; “Rabbah, before he began teaching the rabbis, would tell a joke. The rabbis would laugh. Then he would sit down and in a state of awe would begin the day’s lesson.” The reason for the joke was to create joy, for the presence of God can dwell only where there is joy, as the Talmud states (Shabbat 30:2). The Torah, however, “like a hammer smashing a rock,” explodes into many sparks, many reasons. The Talmud is here hinting at something about the relationship between a teacher and his students that is particularly pertinent in our generation. In order to heal the wound of alienation that has come between the student and his teacher, the teacher must make an effort to capture the student’s heart and to re-create the closeness that has been lost. Joy is one of the fundamental means through which young hearts can be captured: children and young people have no toleration for sadness. Their teacher must not appear to them to be an angry or contentious person. This is not to say that he should become frivolous or should sacrifice his dignity when appearing before his students; on the contrary, a teacher must present himself as an elevated person—but also as pleasant and good. The students should still tremble before their teacher even while he is joking with them; and likewise, even when he is trying to instill in them fear and respect, the awe should be laced with joy. “And rejoice with trembling’: not the trembling an angry or violent person might induce, but the kind of awe that a person of great spiritual achievement inspires.

And here we have to say the same thing to you, precious child. If you neglect the abilities that are locked up inside you, hidden so well that even you are unaware of them, it is not only you, yourself, that you hurt. You may be injuring the Jewish people as a whole— and the Holy One of Israel—by depriving them and Him of a great sage, a tzaddik of a high spiritual level This is the lament of the Shechinah, God’s presence, as she mourns for the lost potential of a Jewish soul: “Heavens and all your angelic beings, earth in all your fullness, cry bitterly for Me. I created the world and hoped to dwell in it. The great leaders of Israel and all My servants, the tzaddikim, draw My presence into the world and make My great Name holy in its midst. I waited so long for this soul, who was to have developed into a great and righteous man, a servant who would sanctify Me and draw Me into the world— and all this has been last. My presence on earth has been diminished, one of the legs of My throne of glory, which rests on the earth, has been smashed and broken.”

Hanging yourself is not the only way to commit suicide. A person who is lazy or halfhearted is also committing suicide. Time— precious hours, pieces of his life—he squanders and dissipates, and thus destroys. With a lazy person, it is at least possible that he will come to reconsider his ways, when he sees how many hours he has wasted and how the pieces of his life lie rotting in the mire. A person who does things half-heartedly is in a worse position because he is engaged in self-deception. He considers himself to be serving God and learning Torah, but since he is doing everything half-heartedly, he is also wasting his time and destroying pieces of his life.

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Orchot Tzadikim Chapter 16 ON LAZINESS

Laziness is a very bad quality. Anyone in whom this trait is strong will find his affairs spoiled in this world and in the world to come. Concerning him, King Solomon said: “I went by the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, the face thereof was covered with nettles and the stone wall thereof was broken down” (Prov. 24:30-31). The wisdom of a lazy man is like the field of a lazy man. The field of a lazy man not only fails to produce, because he does not till it as he should, but it yields harmful products like thistles and thorns. Even if he were to busy himself with his field until the products grew, owing to his laziness he would lose the produce, because the stone fence is in ruin and he is too lazy to repair it, so that cattle and thieves enter and take everything. Solomon said, “… and the stone wall thereof was broken down.” Even though the stone was very strong, it was still ruined because of his laziness, for he did not repair it before it fell.

Comparable is the instance of one who is too lazy to study the Torah and to observe the commandments, for the indolent love rest and as a result find God’s commandments difficult for them and the study of the Torah burdensome. And so they flee from study to rest. When they do sit in the synagogue they sleep, as it is said : “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep” (Prov. 19:15). For laziness creates a desire for sleep. King Solomon warned us long ago, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep” (Prov. 6:10).

Not only does the lazy man fail to attain knowledge of the Torah, since he does not occupy himself with the Torah as he should, but due to his laziness, false notions enter his heart. For the lazy person rationalizes his laziness : “It is good for the body to rest so that it will grow stronger, and when a man is strong he can do more than a weak person.” A lazy person also listens to vain things, but he excuses himself by maintaining that he has an open mind. Laziness, then, causes a man to seek reasons for saying that when he avoids study, he is really doing a positive good. Now even though it is true that we must rest in order to grow strong and that listening to wit helps to clear the mind, this applies specifically to the man who is zealous and occupies himself with the Torah. The strength of man is not like the strength of stones and his bones are not like brass, so that he can be busy constantly; one must rest from time to time in order to replenish one’s strength. But the lazy man applies this theory to himself and embraces it so wholeheartedly that he does nothing at all. In every instance where exertion is called for, he rationalizes his laziness.

The lazy man is faint-hearted and does not make his way to a center of Torah. Of him, King Solomon said seven things. What does the lazy man say? People say to a lazy man, “There is a teacher in the metropolis — go and learn Torah from him,” and he answers, “I am afraid of the lion that is in the path.” As it is said. “The sluggard saith : ‘There is a lion in the way’ ” (Prov. 26:13). They say to him, “There is a teacher in the township — get up and go to him” and he answers, “I am afraid lest there be a lion in the streets.” As it is said, “Yea, a lion is in the streets” (ibid). Then they say to him, “But the teacher lives right near your house.” And he answers, “The lion is somewhere outside.” As it is said, “The sluggard saith : ‘There is a lion without; I shall be slain in the streets.’ ” Then they say to him, “The teacher is right in your house,” and he answers, “But if I go and find the door locked, I will only have to come back.” They say to him, “The door is open.” As it is said, “The door is turning upon its hinges and the sluggard is still upon his bed” (Prov. 26:14). Finally, when he does not know what to answer, he says to them, “Whether the door is open or locked, I want to sleep a bit more.” As it is said, “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt though arise out of thy sleep?” (Prov. 6:9). When he rises from his sleep, they place before him food to eat, but he is too lazy even to lift it to his mouth. As it is said, “The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish; It wearieth him to bring back to his mouth” (Prov. 26:15).

And what is the seventh trait? As it is said, “The sluggard will not plow, when winter setteth in” (Prov. 20:4). Rabbi Simon, the son of Yohai said, “This refers to one who did not study Torah in his youth and wants to study when he is old — he will be unable to do so. That is what is meant by, “He shall beg in harvest, and have nothing” (ibid.).

This is what Solomon had to say in denunciation of the sluggard, but Moses, our Teacher, said the greatest thing of all. For he said : “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deut. 30:14). Only bring forth a word from your mouth (Deut. Rabbah 8:6). And he who is too lazy to do even this, to utter words from his mouth, there is no greater laziness than this!

See how removed the lazy man is from good qualities, how worthless as a messenger. He is like vinegar, which is bad for the teeth, as it is said, “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Prov. 10:26). And it is said, “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour” (Prov. 21:25). And it is said, “The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that give wise answer” (Prov. 26:16). The meaning of this verse is as follows : There was a king who had many runners and messagers, and they all did his bidding, and they would report to the king when they returned from their errands. But one of the servants of the king was a lazy man, and he cunningly said, “I am ill!” And he rested and ate from the king’s table. When he saw his companions, weary from the exertions of the journey, he considered himself wiser than all of them. But this is folly, for it is written, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings” (Prov. 22:29). Here, too, the king rewards those who did his bidding.

The principle is that the sluggard is not fit either for this world or for the world to come, for he refuses to make the slightest effort. The wise man said “The laziest of men is he who is too lazy to acquire friends who are wise and revere the Lord. But there is one that is lazier still, and that is he who had such friends but lost them.”

The Holy One, Blessed be He, created a very weak creature, which gathers its food and exerts itself greatly in order to make the lazy man wise. As it is written, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise” (Prov 6:6). The lazy man ought to feel shame when he sees the ant, up and about in pursuit of its affairs. He ought to learn from the ant the quality of zeal so that he may save his soul from the pit, his soul which is endangered by his idleness.

However, there is also a good type of laziness. For example, one who is too lazy to do bad things or to run after pleasure. They said this concerning a man whom the king wished to send to a dangerous place, and he did not want to go, whereupon the king abused him. Then said this man to the king, “Better that you revile me and I remain alive than that you pray for me and I die.”

Concerning this matter our Sages said : “There is an alert person who receives a reward and there is an alert person who loses by his alertness. There is a lazy man who receives a reward, and there is a lazy one who loses by his laziness. The alert person who receives a reward is one who does his work all week long but does not do any work on the eve of the Sabbath. The alert person who loses by his alertness is one who does work all week long, and also works on the eve of the Sabbath. A lazy person who receives a reward is one who loes not do work all week long and does not do work on the eve of the Sabbath either. A lazy person who loses thereby is one who does not do any work all week, but does work on the eve of the Sabbath” (Pesahim 50b). Observe how the sages came up with the idea that there is an alertness that is good and an alertness that is bad. It is the same with laziness.

Therefore, you ought to think of doing good with all of your limbs and with all your thoughts and you should demand of every limb sometimes to be easy and sometimes hard, but all should be intended for the sake of Heaven. It should be easy for you to sit with companions joined together for the study of Torah and the commandments, and it should be hard for you to sit with scoffers and evil-doers. It should be easy for you to see law, justice and the commandments executed, and it should be hard for you to see frivolous deeds and to look upon idol-worship and immorality. It should be easy for you to hear words of rebuke and chastisement and the law of the Torah, and it should be hard for you to hear obscene and idle talk. It should be easy for you to be angry with the wicked, and it should be hard for you to be angry with the righteous. It should be hard for your mouth and your tongue to indulge in quarrels, falsehoods, scoffing and gossip, and it should be easy for your mouth to speak the words of the Torah and to censure when necessary and to tell people to follow the good.

It should be hard for you to lift a hand against your friend, and it should be easy for you to give alms and to do your work faithfully. It should be hard for your feet to walk in the paths of the wicked, to go to drinking parties and to stroll about aimlessly, and it should be easy for your feet to run to the synagogues and the houses of study, to visit the sick, to escort the dead, and to perform all the commandments of the Torah. It should be hard for you to think wicked thoughts in your mind, and it should be hard for you to indulge in envy or hatred, but it should be easy for you to think thoughts of the Torah, and to attain lofty heights of love of the Lord, Blessed be He, and a pure reverence for God. In this manner, you will be quick and alert in your heart to cleave to the light sublime.

Orchot Tzaddikim, trans. Seymour J. Cohen, Ktav Pub House, 1982

Source: worldcat.org

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