The Rebbe said, “To me, men and women are alike.” He did not have a single wayward thought when looking at a woman. To him, it was no different than looking at a man.
He once said, “I am afraid of neither woman nor angel.” This requires explanation. A person may cleanse himself totally of evil thoughts. However, as long as he has the slightest fear of such thoughts, he is not absolutely cleansed. This slight fear indicates that he has not yet attained absolute purity. Therefore, he must fear an angel.
Our Sages allude to this concept to some degree, as the saintly Rav Amram said to an angel, “I am flesh and you are fire, and I am better than you” (Kiddushin 81a). The Rebbe explains this excerpt in Likutey Moharan. Read his words carefully and you will understand.24Likutey Moharan II, 1:2. It is explained there that man's dominion over the angels results from his attachment to the root of all Jewish souls. This is accomplished only by total subjugation of the sexual impulse. This is the meaning of, "I am flesh … ." The Aramaic word for flesh, BiSRA, is composed of the initial letters of the Midrashic statement, "Shishim Rivoa Bekeres Achat – Sixty myriads in one womb" (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:2). This alludes to the source of souls from which the 600,000 Jewish souls emanate. The very flesh (bisra) of the tzaddik is so purified that is connected to the root of souls.
וְאָמַר: שֶׁאֶצְלוֹ אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה שָׁוִין, הַיְנוּ שֶׁאֵין מַגִּיעַ לוֹ שׁוּם צַד מַחֲשָׁבָה כְּשֶׁרוֹאֶה אִשָּׁה. רַק הַכֹּל שָׁוֶה אֶצְלוֹ בְּעֵינָיו כְּאִלּוּ רוֹאֶה אִישׁ.
The Rebbe said, “To me, men and women are alike.” He did not have a single wayward thought when looking at a woman. To him, it was no different than looking at a man.
וְאָמַר פַּעַם אַחַת: שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְיָרֵא לֹא מֵאִשָּׁה וְלֹא מִמַּלְאָךְ. וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה לְבָאֵר. כִּי מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ עֲדַיִן אֵיזֶה צַד פַּחַד כָּל שֶׁהוּא מֵהִרְהוּרֵי אִשָּׁה אֲפִלּוּ אִם הוּא נָקִי בָּזֶה רַק שֶׁאֵינוֹ נָקִי בְּתַכְלִית הַזִּכּוּךְ, וַעֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לוֹ אֵיזֶה פַּחַד כָּל שֶׁהוּא מִזֶּה, הוּא צָרִיךְ לִפְחֹד מִמַּלְאָךְ.
He once said, “I am afraid of neither woman nor angel.” This requires explanation. A person may cleanse himself totally of evil thoughts. However, as long as he has the slightest fear of such thoughts, he is not absolutely cleansed. This slight fear indicates that he has not yet attained absolute purity. Therefore, he must fear an angel.
אֲבָל הוּא הִתְפָּאֵר שֶׁאֵין לוֹ שׁוּם פַּחַד מִזֶּה, עַל־כֵּן אֵין לוֹ פַּחַד מִמַּלְאָךְ.
This was the Rebbe’s meaning. He had no reason to fear his thoughts, and therefore he did not fear any angel.
וְזֶה מְרֻמָּז קְצָת בְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל (קִדּוּשִׁין פא.): "אֲנָא בִּשְׂרָא וְאַנְתְּ אֵשׁ וַאֲנָא עֲדִיפְנָא מִנָּךְ" שֶׁאָמַר רַב עַמְרָם חֲסִידָא אֶל הַמַּלְאָךְ (וּמוּבָא בִּדְבָרָיו ז"ל, בְּהַתּוֹרָה "תִּקְעוּ מֶמְשָׁלָה" סִימָן א' בְּלִקּוּטֵי תִנְיָנָא עַיֵּן שָׁם הֵיטֵב וְהָבֵן).
Our Sages allude to this concept to some degree, as the saintly Rav Amram said to an angel, “I am flesh and you are fire, and I am better than you” (Kiddushin 81a). The Rebbe explains this excerpt in Likutey Moharan. Read his words carefully and you will understand.24Likutey Moharan II, 1:2. It is explained there that man's dominion over the angels results from his attachment to the root of all Jewish souls. This is accomplished only by total subjugation of the sexual impulse. This is the meaning of, "I am flesh … ." The Aramaic word for flesh, BiSRA, is composed of the initial letters of the Midrashic statement, "Shishim Rivoa Bekeres Achat – Sixty myriads in one womb" (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:2). This alludes to the source of souls from which the 600,000 Jewish souls emanate. The very flesh (bisra) of the tzaddik is so purified that is connected to the root of souls.