The Path of the Just Mesillat Yesharim 18

English · Yosef Sebag

The trait of piety truly requires a great explanation. For there are many practices and ways which circulate among many people as piety but which are nothing but the shells of piety, lacking in shape, form and correction.

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English · Yosef Sebag

This stems from a lack of true in-depth study and thought on the part of these practitioners [of the shells of piety]. For they did not toil and strain themselves to attain a clear and correct knowledge of the way of G-d. But instead, they went and adopted whatever practices struck them as being pious according to first thought, without delving deeply into the matters and weighing them on the scales of wisdom.

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English · Yosef Sebag

These people have given Piety a repulsive odor in the eyes of most people, including the intelligent among them, leading them to think Piety consists of foolish things and is counter to intelligence and sound knowledge. The masses came to believe Piety consists of nothing but reciting numerous supplications and lengthy confessions, great wailings and prostrations, strange afflictions through which a man kills himself such as immersing in ice [water] and snow, and the like

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English · Yosef Sebag

They do not realize that even while a bit of these things may be needed for sinners engaged in repentance and some for those who practice Separation (Perushim), but piety is not founded on these matters at all. Only the good of these practices are fit to accompany Piety.

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English · Yosef Sebag

But actual Piety itself requires great depth to understand it correctly. It is based on foundations of great wisdom and utmost rectification of one's deeds, which befits every wise hearted man to pursue. For only the wise can truly attain it, as our sages stated: "an unlearned man cannot be pious" (Avot 2:5).

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English · Yosef Sebag

We will now explain this matter in proper order.

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English · Yosef Sebag

The root of piety is what our sages, of blessed memory, stated: "Fortunate is the man whose toil is in the Torah and gives gratification to his Maker" (Berachot 17a).

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English · Yosef Sebag

The [explanation of the] matter is as follows. It is known which mitzvot are binding on every Jew and the extent their obligation reaches.

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English · Yosef Sebag

But he who truly loves the Creator, blessed be He, will not strive and intend to discharge himself with the known obligations binding on every Jew. Rather, what will happen to him is the same as that of a son who loves his father. Even if his father reveals a slight indication of something he desires, already the son will strive greatly, to the best of his ability, to fulfill this thing or service. Even though the father merely mentioned it once and only halfway, this will be enough for such a son to understand the direction of his father's intent and to do for him even what he did not say explicitly. For he can deduce on his own that this thing will bring pleasure to his father, and he will not wait until his father commands him more explicitly or tells him another time.

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English · Yosef Sebag

With our own eyes we can observe this matter occurring at all times and in all places between all friends and lovers, between man and wife, between father and son.

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English · Yosef Sebag

The general principle: wherever the love between two is true and strong, one will not say to the other: "No more was requested of me. It's enough for me to do what I was told explicitly". Rather through what one requested, the other will infer the requester's intent and will strive to do what he deems will be pleasing to the other.

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English · Yosef Sebag

Similar to this will occur to he who loves his Creator with a faithful love. For G-d is also a class of those who are loved. Thus, the mitzvot which are clear and familiar will be to him only as a revelation of intent, to indicate to him that the will and desire of G-d inclines in the direction of that principle. Then, he will not say to himself "it is enough for me what was stated explicitly", or "I will discharge my duty with what is nonetheless incumbent upon me". Rather, on the contrary, he will say "since I discovered and saw that G-d's desire inclines to this, this will be a guide for me to increase in this matter and to expand it in all directions which I can infer that His will desires. Such a person is called: "one who gives gratification to his Maker".

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English · Yosef Sebag

Hence, the general matter of Piety is to expand the fulfillment of all the mitzvot in all sides and conditions which are proper and possible.

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English · Yosef Sebag

You can see that Piety is related to Separation. Only that Separation is in the negative commandments while Piety is in the positive commandments. But both are of the same matter, namely, to add on to what was explicitly stated in the mitzvot what we can deem will be pleasing before G-d, blessed be He. This is the definition of true Piety.

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English · Yosef Sebag

We will now explain its primary divisions.

Mesillat Yesharim 18

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