Hitting the High Note

In EmunahSpeak: From Weak Want to Strong Need we said that the avodah of acquiring true ratzon (desire/will) to get close to Hashem is the root of everything.  And consequently, the beginning of a person’s avodah is to inspire his ratzon more and more.  It’s to change a weak want into a strong need.

And we concluded that only a need that has a laser like penetration of a soul on fire can shift one into gear sufficient to bring him closer to Hashem.

This is moving toward the Deveikus that the Ramchal, right at the very beginning of chapter one of the Mesillas Yesharim, tells us (in the name of Chazal) is the sole purpose for our creation.  

The Ramchal, tracking the teaching of the Tanna, Pinchas ben Yair, outlines a path for us to follow so as to bring our purpose here to fruition with the first stop along the way being that of Watchfulness.  He continues to move us along in an upward trajectory to Holiness which is the culmination of Pinchas ben Yair’s teaching:

Holiness leads to Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) and Ruach HaKodesh leads to the Revival of the Dead.

The Mesillas Yesharim explains that the road to this level of Holiness is paved with much solitude and separation, which, by eliminating the claims upon a person, allows his soul to grow in strength and unite itself with the Creator.

Nice work if you can get it, but what about the rest of us?

It could well be that the most amazing thing about this most amazing of seforim (Mesillas Yesharim) is that the Ramchal (in theory at least) is speaking about the rest of us.

Rabbi Itamar Schwartz tells us in Bilevavi Mishkan Evneh that we shouldn’t be intimidated by the Mesillas Yesharim’s references to solitude, separation and the like.  He explains that sometimes….a person believes and entertains the thought that to cleave to Hashem, one must be as separate from the world as was Moshe Rabbeinu and be completely detached from all matters of this world.

He lets us know that such a thought is a tip off that the Yetzer Hora has us laser locked in its sights and has given us advice for the purpose of distancing us from the Creator.  It seeks to portray closeness to Hashem as something elitist for only the chosen few and way above the pay grade of everyone else.

The aforementioned reference to the methodology of Holiness notwithstanding, the Mesillas Yesharim let’s us know black on white that as regards this exalted level, Hashem is in actuality an Equal Opportunity Employer:

Each person has a path of saintliness suited to him according to his situation.  One who, due to necessity, performs only lowly work, can be a complete saint--just like one whose mouth does not pause from learning.

Rabbi Schwartz explains that it is evident from the words of the Ramchal that one whose deeds are truly for the sake of Heaven, who learns Torah as much as his time and ability will allow, and who works only as needed and only for the sake of Heaven can be a saint who cleaves to his Creator to the extent that he will achieve Ruach HaKodesh and the ability to revive the dead, regardless of his occupation, be it Torah or labor.

Nice work if you can get it, and the Mesillas Yesharim tells us that we can.