The best way to acquire Separation is for a man to reflect on the lowliness of the pleasures of this world, their intrinsic baseness, and the great evils that are near to result from them.
For that which inclines one's nature towards these pleasures to the extent that one needs such great strength and so many strategies to separate from them is the enticement of the eyes which tend to be seduced by the superficial appearance of things which appear good and pleasing. This seduction is what brought about the first sin as scripture testifies: "The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and that it was desirous to the eyes... and she took of its fruit, and ate" (Bereishis 3:6).
But when it becomes clear to a person that this good is completely false, imaginary and ephemeral, while its evil is truly real or truly near to result from, certainly he will become repulsed by it and not desire it in the least. Therefore, this is all of what a person needs to teach his intellect - to recognize the weakness (insignificance) of these pleasures and their falsehood, until on his own, he will be disgusted by them and have no difficulty casting them away.
The pleasure in [eating] food is the most tangible and most felt. Yet, is there anything more swiftly gone and passing than this? For its duration is as the measure of passing a person's throat. After the food passes this point and descends to the intestines, all remembrance of it disappears and is forgotten as if it had never existed. Thus he will be just as satiated if he ate fattened swans than if he had eatened coarse bread in sufficient quantity. All the more so, if he considers the many illnesses brought on through eating, and at least, the heaviness which one feels after a meal and the vapors which darken his intellect. When reflecting on all these things, certainly a person will not desire in this pleasure, since its good is not truly good while its evil is truly evil.
Likewise, for the other pleasures of this world. If he were to reflect on them, he would see that even the imaginary good in them lasts only a brief time, while the evil that may grow out of them is severe and protracted such that no intelligent person would consent to expose himself to these evil dangers for the sake of their small good. This is evident.
When one habituates himself and continuously reflects on this truth, slowly, slowly, he will free himself from this prison of foolishness which the darkness of the physical has shackled him with, and he will no longer be deceived in the least by the enticements of the false pleasures. Then, he will come to be disgusted by them and will realize that he must not take from the world anything but the essential, as I explained earlier.
But just as reflection in this matter causes one to acquire the trait of Separation, so too does ignoring it cause its detriment. Frequenting the aristocrats and the affluent who run after honor and increase vanities. For when one sees their honor and grandeur, it is impossible for lust to not be roused within him to covet them. And even if he does not allow his Evil Inclination to defeat him, nevertheless he will not escape a battle and will thus be in danger. This is as Shlomo said: "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting" (Kohelet 7:2).
More important than everything else is solitude. For when he removes worldly matters from before his eyes, so too he removes lust for them from his heart. King David, peace be unto him, praised solitude saying: "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness forever" (Tehilim 55:7-8). And we find that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would set their dwelling place in the mountains due to their practice of solitude. And the early pious sages, of blessed memory, followed in their footsteps. For they found solitude to be the best path to acquire perfection in Separation, so that the vanities of their neighbors would not lead them to also become vain like them.
That which a person must be cautious of in acquiring Separation is to not desire to skip and jump to the other extreme all at once. For this will certainly not succeed. Rather, he should move gradually in Separation, little by little, acquiring a bit today, and adding a bit more tomorrow, until he habituates so completely that it becomes like second nature to him.
בְּדַרְכֵי קְנִיַּת הַפְּרִישׁוּת
הִנֵּה הַדֶּרֶךְ הַמֻּבְחָר לִקְנוֹת אֶת הַפְּרִישׁוּת הוּא שֶׁיִּסְתַּכֵּל הָאָדָם בִּגְרִיעוּת תַּעֲנוּגוֹת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּפְחִיתוּתָם מִצַּד עַצְמָם, וְהָרָעוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת שֶׁקְּרוֹבוֹת לְהִוָּלֵד מֵהֶם.
The best way to acquire Separation is for a man to reflect on the lowliness of the pleasures of this world, their intrinsic baseness, and the great evils that are near to result from them.
כִּי הִנֵּה מָה שֶׁמַּטֶּה הַטֶּבַע אֶל הַתַּעֲנוּגוֹת הָאֵלֶּה עַד שֶׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ כָּל כָּךְ כֹּחַ וְתַחְבּוּלוֹת לְהַפְרִישׁוֹ מֵהֶם הוּא פִּתּוּי הָעֵינַיִם הַנִּפְתִּים בְּמַרְאֶה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר הוּא טוֹב וְעָרֵב לִכְאוֹרָה, הוּא הַפִּתּוּי שֶׁגָּרַם לַחֵטְא הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה, כְּעֵדוּת הַכָּתוּב (בראשית ג:ו): וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִי תַאֲוָה הוּא לָעֵינַיִם וְגוֹ' וַתִּקַּח מִפִּרְיוֹ וַתֹּאכַל.
For that which inclines one's nature towards these pleasures to the extent that one needs such great strength and so many strategies to separate from them is the enticement of the eyes which tend to be seduced by the superficial appearance of things which appear good and pleasing. This seduction is what brought about the first sin as scripture testifies: "The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and that it was desirous to the eyes... and she took of its fruit, and ate" (Bereishis 3:6).
אֲבָל כְּשֶׁיִּתְבָּרֵר אֶל הָאָדָם הֱיוֹת הַטּוֹב הַהוּא כּוֹזֵב לְגַמְרֵי מְדֻמֶּה וּבְלִי שׁוּם הַתְמָדָה נְכוֹנָה, וְהָרָע בּוֹ אֲמִתִּי אוֹ קָרוֹב לְהִוָּלֵד מִמֶּנּוּ בֶּאֱמֶת, וַדַּאי שֶׁיִּמְאַס בּוֹ וְלֹא יִרְצֵהוּ כְּלָל, עַל כֵּן זֶהוּ כָּל הַלִּמּוּד שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שֶׁיְּלַמֵּד הָאָדָם אֶת שִׂכְלוֹ לְהַכִּיר בְּחֻלְשַׁת הַתַּעֲנוּגִים הָאֵלֶּה וְשִׁקְרָם עַד שֶׁמֵּאֵלָיו יִמְאַס בָּם וְלֹא יִקְשֶׁה בְּעֵינָיו לְשַׁלְּחָם מֵאִתּוֹ.
But when it becomes clear to a person that this good is completely false, imaginary and ephemeral, while its evil is truly real or truly near to result from, certainly he will become repulsed by it and not desire it in the least. Therefore, this is all of what a person needs to teach his intellect - to recognize the weakness (insignificance) of these pleasures and their falsehood, until on his own, he will be disgusted by them and have no difficulty casting them away.
הִנֵּה תַּעֲנוּג הַמַּאֲכָל הוּא הַיּוֹתֵר מוּחָשׁ וּמֻרְגָּשׁ, הֲיֵשׁ דָּבָר אָבֵד וְנִפְסָד יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנּוּ? שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין שִׁעוּרוֹ אֶלָּא כְּשִׁעוּר בֵּית הַבְּלִיעָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנָּה וְיָרַד בִּבְנֵי הַמֵּעַיִם אָבַד זִכְרוֹ וְנִשְׁכַּח כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הָיָה, וְכָךְ יִהְיֶה שָׂבֵעַ אִם אָכַל בַּרְבּוּרִים אֲבוּסִים כְּמוֹ אִם אָכַל לֶחֶם קִבָּר אִם אָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ כְּדֵי שְׂבִיעָה, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִם יָשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ הֶחֳלָאִים הָרַבִּים שֶׁיְּכוֹלִים לָבוֹא עָלָיו מֵחֲמַת אֲכִילָתוֹ, וּלְפָחוֹת הַכֹּבֶד שֶׁמַּגִּיעֵהוּ אַחַר הָאֲכִילָה וְהָעֲשָׁנִים הַמַּהְבִּילִים אֶת שִׂכְלוֹ. הִנֵּה עַל כָּל אֵלֶּה וַדַּאי שֶׁלֹּא יַחְפֹּץ אָדָם בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁטּוֹבָתוֹ אֵינָהּ טוֹבָה וְרָעָתוֹ רָעָה.
The pleasure in [eating] food is the most tangible and most felt. Yet, is there anything more swiftly gone and passing than this? For its duration is as the measure of passing a person's throat. After the food passes this point and descends to the intestines, all remembrance of it disappears and is forgotten as if it had never existed. Thus he will be just as satiated if he ate fattened swans than if he had eatened coarse bread in sufficient quantity. All the more so, if he considers the many illnesses brought on through eating, and at least, the heaviness which one feels after a meal and the vapors which darken his intellect. When reflecting on all these things, certainly a person will not desire in this pleasure, since its good is not truly good while its evil is truly evil.
וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַהֲנָאוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם כְּמוֹ כֵן, אִלּוּ יִתְבּוֹנֵן בָּהֶם יִרְאֶה שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הַטּוֹב הַמְדֻמֶּה שֶׁבָּהֶם אֵינֶנּוּ אֶלָּא לִזְמַן מוּעָט, וְהָרַע שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְהִוָּלֵד מֵהֶם קָשֶׁה וְאָרֹךְ עַד שֶׁלֹּא יֵאוֹת לְשׁוּם בַּעַל שֵׂכֶל לָשׂוּם עַצְמוֹ בַּסַּכָּנוֹת הָרָעוֹת עַל רֶוַח הַטּוֹב הַמּוּעָט הַהוּא. וְזֶה פָּשׁוּט.
Likewise, for the other pleasures of this world. If he were to reflect on them, he would see that even the imaginary good in them lasts only a brief time, while the evil that may grow out of them is severe and protracted such that no intelligent person would consent to expose himself to these evil dangers for the sake of their small good. This is evident.
וּכְשֶׁיַּרְגִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְיַתְמִיד בְּעִיּוּנוֹ עַל הָאֱמֶת הַזֹּאת, הִנֵּה מְעַט מְעַט יֵצֵא חָפְשִׁי מִמַּאֲסַר הַסִּכְלוּת אֲשֶׁר הַחֹמֶר אוֹסֵר אוֹתוֹ בּוֹ וְלֹא יִתְפַּתֶּה מִפִּתּוּיֵי הַהֲנָאוֹת הַכּוֹזְבוֹת כְּלָל, אָז יִמְאַס בָּהֶן וְיֵדַע שֶׁאֵין לוֹ לָקַחַת מִן הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא הַהֶכְרֵחִי, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי.
When one habituates himself and continuously reflects on this truth, slowly, slowly, he will free himself from this prison of foolishness which the darkness of the physical has shackled him with, and he will no longer be deceived in the least by the enticements of the false pleasures. Then, he will come to be disgusted by them and will realize that he must not take from the world anything but the essential, as I explained earlier.
וְהִנֵּה כְּמוֹ שֶׁהַהִתְבּוֹנֵן עַל זֶה הַדָּבָר גּוֹרֵם קְנִיַּת הַפְּרִישׁוּת, כָּךְ סִכְלוּתוֹ מַפְסִיד אוֹתוֹ וְהַהַתְמָדָה בֵּין הַשָּׂרִים וְאַנְשֵׁי הַגְּדֻלּוֹת הָרוֹדְפִים אַחַר הַכָּבוֹד וּמַרְבִּים הַהֶבֶל, כִּי בִּרְאוֹתוֹ אֶת הַיְּקָר הַהוּא וְהַגְּדוּלָּה הַהִיא, אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלֹּא תִּתְעוֹרֵר תַּאֲוָתוֹ בּוֹ לַחֲמֹד אוֹתָם, וַאֲפִלּוּ לֹא יַנִּיחַ אֶת יִצְרוֹ שֶׁיְּנַצַּח אוֹתוֹ, עַל כָּל פָּנִים מִידֵי מִלְחָמָה לֹא יִמָּלֵט, וְהִנֵּה הוּא בְּסַכָּנָה. וּכְעִנְיָן זֶה אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה (קהלת ז:ב): טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל בֵּית אֵבֶל מִלֶּכֶת אֶל בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה.
But just as reflection in this matter causes one to acquire the trait of Separation, so too does ignoring it cause its detriment. Frequenting the aristocrats and the affluent who run after honor and increase vanities. For when one sees their honor and grandeur, it is impossible for lust to not be roused within him to covet them. And even if he does not allow his Evil Inclination to defeat him, nevertheless he will not escape a battle and will thus be in danger. This is as Shlomo said: "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting" (Kohelet 7:2).
וְיָקָר מִן הַכֹּל הוּא הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, כִּי כְּמוֹ שֶׁמֵּסִיר מֵעֵינָיו עִנְיְנֵי הָעוֹלָם כֵּן מַעֲבִיר חֶמְדָּתָם מִלִּבּוֹ, וּכְבָר הִזְכִּיר דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם בִּשְׁבָח הַהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת וְאָמַר (תהלים נה:ז): מִי יִתֶּן לִּי אֵבֶר כַּיּוֹנָה וְגוֹ' הִנֵּה אַרְחִיק נְדֹד אָלִין בַּמִּדְבָּר סֶלָה. וְהַנְּבִיאִים, אֵלִיָּהוּ וֶאֱלִישָׁע, מָצָאנוּ הֱיוֹתָם מְיַחֲדִים מְקוֹמָם אֶל הֶהָרִים מִפְּנֵי הִתְבּוֹדְדוּתָם. וְהַחֲכָמִים הַחֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים זַ"ל הָלְכוּ בְּעִקְבוֹתֵיהֶם, כִּי מָצְאוּ לָהֶם זֶה הָאֶמְצָעִי הַיּוֹתֵר מוּכָן לִקְנוֹת שְׁלֵמוֹת הַפְּרִישׁוּת, לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְבִיאוּם הַבְלֵי חֲבֵירֵיהֶם לְהַהְבִּיל גַּם הֵם כְּמוֹתָם.
More important than everything else is solitude. For when he removes worldly matters from before his eyes, so too he removes lust for them from his heart. King David, peace be unto him, praised solitude saying: "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness forever" (Tehilim 55:7-8). And we find that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would set their dwelling place in the mountains due to their practice of solitude. And the early pious sages, of blessed memory, followed in their footsteps. For they found solitude to be the best path to acquire perfection in Separation, so that the vanities of their neighbors would not lead them to also become vain like them.
וּמִמָּה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִזָּהֵר בִּקְנִיַּת הַפְּרִישׁוּת הוּא, שֶׁלֹּא יִרְצֶה הָאָדָם לְדַלֵּג וְלִקְפֹּץ אֶל הַקָּצֶה הָאַחֲרוֹן שֶׁבּוֹ רֶגַע אֶחָד, כִּי זֶה וַדַּאי לֹא יַעֲלֶה בְּיָדוֹ, אֶלָּא יִהְיֶה פּוֹרֵשׁ וְהוֹלֵךְ מְעַט מְעַט, הַיּוֹם יִקְנֶה קְצָת מִמֶּנּוּ וּמָחָר יוֹסִיף עָלָיו מְעַט יוֹתֵר, עַד שֶׁיִּתְרַגֵּל בּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי, כִּי יָשׁוּב לוֹ כְּמוֹ טֶבַע מַמָּשׁ.
That which a person must be cautious of in acquiring Separation is to not desire to skip and jump to the other extreme all at once. For this will certainly not succeed. Rather, he should move gradually in Separation, little by little, acquiring a bit today, and adding a bit more tomorrow, until he habituates so completely that it becomes like second nature to him.