Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear (yira) of Heaven” (Berakhot 33b, Megilla 25a), for it hinges on consciousness, and a human being is free to acquire it. As it is said in Scripture: “Now, Israel, [what does the Lord your God request of you,] except to revere (leyira) [the Lord your God]” (Deut. 10:12). Yira1Yira, translated sometimes as fear and sometimes as reverence (of God), has a double meaning: awe at God’s majesty, and fear of divine punishment. has the power to rein in desire, that it not breach [the Torah’s limits] and [consequently cause] sin and guilt. How awesome is this obligation on every mortal! For God will bring [each person] to judgment [for] everything done. At “the end of the matter, when all is said and done…all the works of man,”2Based on Ecclesiastes 12:13–14. nothing is overlooked [on which] to give judgment and accounting, and what one has done will be returned to him in bad and bitter punishments. How good it is when the heart of man is warmed – when he is still in the spring of life – to remember his end….3It is noteworthy that in Letters 6–8, R. Salanter places a rather modern emphasis on each individual’s uniqueness, including the difference in weight and type of punishment for each action taken, which is dependent on individual psychology such as ease or difficulty of resisting or personal situation and frame of mind as well as different cultural circumstances. Nevertheless, R. Salanter continues to believe that the medieval mindset and fear of punishment in the World to Come remains the most powerful motivator of good behavior among his contemporaries.
Now, what is yira and how can it be acquired? One way is to expound well-known things: the fear of punishment that affects body and soul more than any possible suffering in this world. However, knowledge of this alone will not restrain a person. As the Rabbis, of blessed memory, state in Shabbat (31b): “Wicked men know their way leads to death…,”4The wicked know that their path leads to eternal death, but they block their emotions. This prevents that realization from entering their hearts. and if you think they have forgotten this [end], we are told: “Their end they approve with their mouth, sela” (Ps. 49:14).5Lest you say that it is simply forgotten from them, the verse states: “Their end they approve with their mouth, sela” (Ps. 49:14). They are aware of their fate and speak of it, but it does not affect them. See further there. Only by expanding on this emotional Mussar learning will the soul be restrained. [One needs] to expand the conceptual understanding through concrete imagery, to arouse the psyche with the agitation of the limbs,6Mussar techniques include walking back and forth, or clapping or waving hands, all while one chants the words of the text. to internalize known things: the punishments of the body and the soul, which will not happen to a stranger but to the person who does the sin himself.7The anokhi, the self, will pay the penalty for all sins committed. He himself will be punished with bitter punishment, without any comforter.8Compare Ecclesiastes 4:1.
Thus, let us be grateful to our Rabbis, the eyes of the community, who expounded words of Mussar, digging furrows even in the heart of stone. And what can we add? To learn, to meditate on them, to increase instruction and understanding, using vivid images specific to each person, in a special house,9I.e., the Beit HaMussar (Mussar Shtiebel or Mussar House). without distraction or interference, to set in motion the agitation of the limbs needed for this great study.
אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁהִיא תְּלוּיָה בְּדַעַת וּרְשׁוּת הָאָדָם לִקְנוֹתָהּ, כְּמַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל כוּ' כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה — הַיִּרְאָה עֹז לָהּ בְּכֹחָהּ לֶאֱסֹר עֲבוֹתוֹת הַתַּאֲוָה, בַּל יִפְרְצוּ פֶּרֶץ לַחֲטֹא וְאָשַׁם, מַה נּוֹרָא חִיּוּבָהּ עַל בֶּן תְּמוּתָה, כִּי ד' יָבִיא בְּמִשְׁפָּט אֶת כָּל הַמִּפְעָל, וְסוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה הָאָדָם, אֵין דָּבָר נִפְקָד לָתֵת דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, וְכִגְמוּל יָדָיו יֵעָשֶׂה לוֹ בָּעֳנָשִׁים רָעִים וּמָרִים, מַה טּוֹב כִּי יִתְחַמֵּם לֵב הָאָדָם בְּעוֹדוֹ בְּאִבּוֹ בַּחַיִּים חַיּוּתוֹ לִזְכֹּר אַחֲרִיתוֹ —:
Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear (yira) of Heaven” (Berakhot 33b, Megilla 25a), for it hinges on consciousness, and a human being is free to acquire it. As it is said in Scripture: “Now, Israel, [what does the Lord your God request of you,] except to revere (leyira) [the Lord your God]” (Deut. 10:12). Yira1Yira, translated sometimes as fear and sometimes as reverence (of God), has a double meaning: awe at God’s majesty, and fear of divine punishment. has the power to rein in desire, that it not breach [the Torah’s limits] and [consequently cause] sin and guilt.
How awesome is this obligation on every mortal! For God will bring [each person] to judgment [for] everything done. At “the end of the matter, when all is said and done…all the works of man,”2Based on Ecclesiastes 12:13–14. nothing is overlooked [on which] to give judgment and accounting, and what one has done will be returned to him in bad and bitter punishments. How good it is when the heart of man is warmed – when he is still in the spring of life – to remember his end….3It is noteworthy that in Letters 6–8, R. Salanter places a rather modern emphasis on each individual’s uniqueness, including the difference in weight and type of punishment for each action taken, which is dependent on individual psychology such as ease or difficulty of resisting or personal situation and frame of mind as well as different cultural circumstances. Nevertheless, R. Salanter continues to believe that the medieval mindset and fear of punishment in the World to Come remains the most powerful motivator of good behavior among his contemporaries.
עַתָּה מַה הִיא הַיִּרְאָה וּמַה קְּנִיָּתָהּ — אַחַת הִיא, הַרְחָבַת הַדְּבָרִים הַנּוֹדָעִים לַכֹּל, יִרְאַת הָעֹנֶשׁ הַנּוֹגֵעַ לַגְּוִיָּה וְנֶפֶשׁ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמַעְלָה מִכָּל יִסּוּרֵי תֵּבֵל — אָכֵן לֹא בִּידִיעָתָם יִוָּסֵר הָאָדָם, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל בְּשַׁבָּת (דַּף ל"א) יוֹדְעִין רְשָׁעִים שֶׁדַּרְכָּם לְמִיתָה כוּ' שֶׁמָּא תֹּאמַר שְׁכוּחָה הִיא מֵהֶן תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם בְּפִיהֶם יִרְצוּ סֶלָה עַיֵּן שָׁם, וְרַק בְּהַרְחָבָה בְּהִתְפַּעֲלוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ תִּוָּסֵר, לְהַרְחִיב הָרַעְיוֹן בְּצִיּוּרֵי חוּשִׁי, לְעוֹרֵר הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּרִגְשַׁת הָאֵבָרִים, לִמְשֹׁךְ בְּקִרְבָּהּ דְּבָרִים הַנּוֹדָעִים, עָנְשֵׁי הַגְּוִיָּה וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא לַזָּר יָקוּמוּ, כִּי אִם לְהָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ הָעוֹשֶׂה הָעֲבֵרָה, הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵעָנֵשׁ בְּעֹנֶשׁ מַר בְּאֵין מְנַחֵם:
Now, what is yira and how can it be acquired? One way is to expound well-known things: the fear of punishment that affects body and soul more than any possible suffering in this world. However, knowledge of this alone will not restrain a person. As the Rabbis, of blessed memory, state in Shabbat (31b): “Wicked men know their way leads to death…,”4The wicked know that their path leads to eternal death, but they block their emotions. This prevents that realization from entering their hearts. and if you think they have forgotten this [end], we are told: “Their end they approve with their mouth, sela” (Ps. 49:14).5Lest you say that it is simply forgotten from them, the verse states: “Their end they approve with their mouth, sela” (Ps. 49:14). They are aware of their fate and speak of it, but it does not affect them. See further there.
Only by expanding on this emotional Mussar learning will the soul be restrained. [One needs] to expand the conceptual understanding through concrete imagery, to arouse the psyche with the agitation of the limbs,6Mussar techniques include walking back and forth, or clapping or waving hands, all while one chants the words of the text. to internalize known things: the punishments of the body and the soul, which will not happen to a stranger but to the person who does the sin himself.7The anokhi, the self, will pay the penalty for all sins committed. He himself will be punished with bitter punishment, without any comforter.8Compare Ecclesiastes 4:1.
בְּזֹאת — נַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ עֵינֵי הָעֵדָה, אֲשֶׁר הִרְחִיבוּ דִּבְרֵיהֶם בְּדִבְרֵי הַמּוּסָר, לְפַתֵּחַ שַׁדְמַת לֵבַב הָאֶבֶן, וַאֲנַן מַה נַּעֲנֵי אַבַּתְרַיְהֶן, לִלְמֹד וְלֶהֱגוֹת בָּהֶן, לְהוֹסִיף לֶקַח וּתְבוּנָה, בְּצִיּוּרֵי הַפְּרָטִי אֲשֶׁר לְכָל אֶחָד בְּבַיִת מְיֻחָד, בְּאֵין שָׂטָן וְאֵין פֶּגַע, לִתְנוּעַת רִגְשַׁת הָאֵבָרִים הַנִּצְרָכִים לָעִיּוּן הַגָּדוֹל הַלָּזֶה:
Thus, let us be grateful to our Rabbis, the eyes of the community, who expounded words of Mussar, digging furrows even in the heart of stone. And what can we add? To learn, to meditate on them, to increase instruction and understanding, using vivid images specific to each person, in a special house,9I.e., the Beit HaMussar (Mussar Shtiebel or Mussar House). without distraction or interference, to set in motion the agitation of the limbs needed for this great study.