This year's lectures are dedicated to the memory of Dr. Yacov Tabak z"l.
Thus far the Alter Rebbe has discussed a higher-level rasha — the “rashawho knows good” — one in whom the animal soul rarely prevails, and then only in one of the three soul-garments of thought, speech and action.
ויש מי שהרע גובר בו יותר
There is, however, another [type of “rasha who knows good”], in whom the evil prevails more strongly.
ומתלבשים בו כל שלשה לבושים של הרע, ומחטיאו בעבירות חמורות יותר, ובעתים קרובים יותר
All three garments of evil clothe themselves in him — he transgresses in thought, in speech, as well as in action; also, the evil causes him to commit more heinous sins, and [to sin] more frequently.
אך בינתיים מתחרט, ובאים לו הרהורי תשובה מבחינת הטוב שבנפשו, שמתגבר קצת בינתיים
Yet he, too, is nevertheless described as a “rasha who knows good,” for intermittentlybetween one sin and the next he experiences remorse, and thoughts of repentance enter his mind, arising from the aspect of good that is still in his soul, that gathers a degree of strength in the interim.
אלא שאין לו התגברות כל כך לנצח את הרע
However, the good within him does not strengthen itself sufficiently to vanquish the evil
לפרוש מחטאיו לגמרי, להיות מודה ועוזב
so that he can rid himself entirely of his sins, and be as one who confesses his sins and abandons them once and for all.
ועל זה אמרו רז״ל: רשעים מלאים חרטות
Concerning such a person, the Rabbis of blessed memory have said,8 “The wicked are full of remorse,” i.e., between sins. It is also possible that even while sinning they regret their actions, but feel themselves unable to master their desires.
שהם רוב הרשעים, שיש בחינת טוב בנפשם עדיין
These represent the majority of the wicked, in whose soul there still lingers some good — and it is this good which causes these feelings of vexation and remorse in their mind and heart.
We thus see that there are many levels within the rank of the “rasha who knows good,” ranging from one who sins only rarely, only in minor matters, and with the involvement of only one soul-garment, to him who sins often, grievously, and with all three soul-garments. Yet they all come under the same heading of the “rasha who knows good,” the difference between them being to what degree the good within them is dominated by the evil — in direct contrast to the rank of the “tzaddik who knows evil,” where there are various degrees of dominance of the evil by the good.
Having defined the “rasha who knows good,” the Alter Rebbe now turns to consider the “rasha who knows (only) evil”:
אבל מי שאינו מתחרט לעולם, ואין באים לו הרהורי תשובה כלל, נקרא רשע ורע לו
But he who never feels contrition, and in whose mind no thoughts of repentance at all ever enter, is called a “rasha who knows (only) evil.”
שהרע שבנפשו הוא לבדו נשאר בקרבו, כי גבר כל כך על הטוב עד שנסתלק מקרבו
For only the evil in his soul has remained in him, having so prevailed over the good that the latter has departed from within him,
ועומד בבחינת מקיף עליו מלמעלה
and the good now stands in a manner of makkif over him, i.e., the good hovers over him, so to speak, in an aloof and external manner, so that he has no conscious awareness of it.
Yet, since he still possesses good, albeit as a makkif, for after all, he possesses a divine soul —
ולכן אמרו רז״ל: אכל בי עשרה שכינתא שריא
Therefore have the Sages said,9 “Over every gathering of any ten Jews rests theShechinah (the Divine Presence).”
That is to say, even if they are all in the category of the “rasha who knows (only) evil,” the Shechinah still hovers over them; for they too possess good in a manner of makkif. Since at such a gathering the Shechinah is present only in the externally encompassing way of makkif, not entering the consciousness of those assembled, therefore their correspondingly makkif level of good is sufficient to enable them to receive this revelation.
With regard to the subject of the Jew whose animal soul prevails over his divine soul, the following story bears mention.
A certain freethinker once asked of the Tzemach Tzedek: The wordYehudim (“Jews”) is normally spelled in the Book of Esther with one letter yudbefore the final letter. Why is it that when the word is used there in connection with the harsh decree against the Jews, it is spelled with two letters yud?
The Tzemach Tzedek answered: Yud is numerically equivalent to ten; it represents the ten soul-powers possessed by both the divine and animal souls. There are Jews who conduct their lives solely according to the dictates of the divine soul’s ten powers, while in other Jews the animal soul prevails, and their conduct is dictated also by the animal soul’s ten powers. Haman planned to exterminate all the Jews, even those who were of two yuds, i.e., those ruled by the ten evil soul-powers as well.
But the man persisted: Why then is the word spelled several times with twoyuds even after the decree was repealed? To which the Tzemach Tzedek responded: After suffering under Haman’s evil decree and ultimately witnessing G‑d’s salvation, even those Jews repented and became equals of their brethren whose lives were led by the dictates of the divine soul and good inclination. Thus, concluded the Tzemach Tzedek, the two yuds (yud, or yid, is also Yiddish for “Jew”) became equal.
FOOTNOTES
8. Nedarim 9b. (So cited in early sources, though not to be found in current editions of the Talmud).
9. Sanhedrin 39a.