From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
Adding Light: Doing Good, with Teshuvah First
R’ Yechiel of Alexander read Beis Hillel’s “he adds as he goes” as a path in avodah: begin with “do good,” and correct the evil only later. But the tzaddikim teach that teshuvah must come before Torah and mitzvos. How can a person serve Hashem before mending the evil within him?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Shabbos 21b
בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק שְׁמוֹנָה, מִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ פּוֹחֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ; וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק אֶחָד, מִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ.
Beis Shammai say: On the first day one lights eight; from then on he decreases as he goes. Beis Hillel say: On the first day one lights one; from then on he adds as he goes.
1“Beis Shammai say: On the first day one lights eight; from then on he decreases as he goes. Beis Hillel say: On the first day one lights one; from then on he adds as he goes.”
בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק שְׁמוֹנָה, מִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ פּוֹחֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ, וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק אֶחָד, מִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ (שבת כא, ב).
Sources here
In shortBeis Shammai begin the Chanukah lamps with eight and decrease; Beis Hillel begin with one and add.
2aThe holy sefer explains their dispute in the name of its author's father, the holy Rebbe , zt"l.1 They disagreed, he said, about the paths of avodas Hashem, the service of Hashem: which comes first, “turn from evil” or “do good”? Beis Shammai hold that “he decreases as he goes.” “Decreases” corresponds to “turn from evil”: every person must first subdue and weaken the power of evil within him. “As he goes” corresponds to “and do good”: after that he can be one who goes forward in avodas Hashem. As Dovid HaMelech said, “Turn from evil and do good”:2 first one must work on “turn from evil,” and afterward on “and do good.”
בְּסֵפֶר הַקָּדוֹשׁ יְשַׂמַּח יִשְׂרָאֵל (חנוכה אות לב) מֵבִיא בְּשֵׁם אָבִיו הרה״ק רַבִּי יְחִיאֵל מאלכסנדר זצללה״ה, לְבָאֵר פְּלוּגְתָּתָם שֶׁנֶּחְלְקוּ בְּדַרְכֵי עֲבוֹדַת ה׳, אֵיזוֹ עֲבוֹדָה יֵשׁ לְהַקְדִּים, ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳ אוֹ ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי סוֹבְרִים פּוֹחֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ, ׳פּוֹחֵת׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳, שֶׁכָּל אִישׁ מְחוּיָּב תְּחִילָּה לְהַכְנִיעַ וְלִפְחוֹת אֶת כֹּחַ הָרַע שֶׁלּוֹ, ׳וְהוֹלֵךְ׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת ׳וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳ שֶׁלְּאַחַר מִכֵּן יוּכַל לִהְיוֹת בְּחִינַת הוֹלֵךְ בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳, וּכְמַאֲמַר דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ ע״ה (תהלים לד, טו) ״סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב״, שֶׁתְּחִילָּה צָרִיךְ לַעֲבוֹד עַל ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳ וּלְאַחַר מִכֵּן עַל ׳וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳.
In shortTurning from evil first and only then going on to do good: so R’ Yechiel of Alexander reads Beis Shammai’s “he decreases as he goes,” in the order of Dovid HaMelech’s verse.
2bBeis Hillel, however, hold that “he adds as he goes.” Even at the start, while a person is still in the midst of evil, he must begin to add in holiness and busy himself with “do good.” Only afterward, once he is used to doing good, should he begin to correct his middos, his character traits, in the way of “turn from evil.” For if he waits to correct the evil first, the enemy, the yetzer hara, will rise up against him and slay him.3 The remedy is not to make reckonings now, but simply to strengthen himself in avodas Hashem and defeat the enemy who stands over him. Afterward he will set right what he made crooked. So far his words.
אָכֵן בֵּית הִלֵּל סוֹבְרִים שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ, הַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם בַּתְּחִילָּה כְּשֶׁהוּא עֲדַיִין בְּתוֹךְ הָרַע, צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל לְהוֹסִיף בִּקְדוּשָּׁה וְלַעֲסוֹק בְּעִנְיְינֵי ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, וְרַק לְאַחַר מִכֵּן כְּשֶׁיִּהְיֶה רָגִיל בַּעֲשִׂיַּית הַטּוֹב אָז יַתְחִיל לְתַקֵּן מִידּוֹתָיו בִּבְחִינַת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳, שֶׁכֵּן אִם יַמְתִּין לְתַקֵּן תְּחִילָּה אֶת הָרַע, יָקוּם עָלָיו הָאוֹיֵב וּרְצָחוֹ נֶפֶשׁ, רַק הָעֵצָה לְבַל לַחְשׁוֹב כָּעֵת חֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת, רַק יְחַזֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ לַעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ, לְנַצֵּחַ שׂוֹנְאוֹ הָעוֹמֵד עָלָיו, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יְתַקֵּן אֶת אֲשֶׁר עִיוֵּות, ע״כ.
- The phrase echoes Devarim 22:26. ↩
In shortAdding holiness at once, even amid evil, and mending one’s middos only later: Beis Hillel’s way, lest the yetzer hara overcome a person while he waits to correct himself first.
3But how can a person serve Hashem, as these holy words say, before he has corrected the evil within him? We have a tradition from the tzaddikim that one must do teshuvah before doing mitzvos and learning Torah,4 so as not to fall, Heaven forbid, under the verse “But to the wicked God said: What have you to do with recounting My statutes?”5 The answer lies in the words of , zt"l, which we have cited elsewhere: before beginning to engage in Torah and mitzvos, one must always do teshuvah first.6 So a person does in fact begin with “do good,” but before each act of avodah he does teshuvah. He does not actually occupy himself with the work of “turn from evil” itself.
וּצְרִיכִים לְהָבִין דְּבָרָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים, אֵיךְ יָכוֹל הָאָדָם לַעֲבוֹד אֶת ה׳ בְּעוֹד שֶׁלֹּא תִּיקֵּן אֶת הָרַע שֶׁבּוֹ, הֲלֹא מְקוּבָּל בְּיָדֵינוּ מֵהַצַּדִּיקִים (שער הליקוטים לאריז״ל תהלים נ, טז, ראשית חכמה שער התשובה סוף פ״ב, ועיין אור החיים דברים כ, י), שֶׁצְּרִיכִים לְהַקְדִּים עֲשִׂיַּית תְּשׁוּבָה לִפְנֵי עֲשִׂיַּית מִצְוֹות וְלִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא לִהְיוֹת ח״ו בִּבְחִינַת ״וְלָרָשָׁע אָמַר אֱלוֹקִים מַה לְּךָ לְסַפֵּר חוּקָּי״ (תהלים נ, טז). אֶלָּא בֶּאֱמֶת כְּבָר הֵבֵאנוּ אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַחוֹזֶה מלובלין זצללה״ה, שֶׁלְּעוֹלָם קוֹדֶם שֶׁמַּתְחִילִים לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹות צְרִיכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה תְּחִילָּה. נִמְצָא שֶׁיַּתְחִיל בֶּאֱמֶת בְּ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, אָכֵן יַקְדִּים לְכָל עֲבוֹדָה וַעֲבוֹדָה עֲשִׂיַּית תְּשׁוּבָה, אֲבָל לֹא שֶׁיַּעֲסוֹק מַמָּשׁ בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳.
- Shaar HaLikutim of the Arizal, Tehillim 50:16; Reishis Chochmah, Shaar HaTeshuvah, end of ch. 2; see Ohr HaChaim on Devarim 20:10. ↩
- Tehillim 50:16. ↩
- See Lehavas David, Vayeishev. ↩
In shortTeshuvah before each act, as the Chozeh taught, lets one begin with “do good” without first taking on the work of “turn from evil.”
4In light of this, we may say that Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel do not disagree on this point. Even Beis Shammai hold that “do good” comes first. When they say that “turn from evil” comes first, they mean what we have just seen in the Chozeh's words. Every time a person does something good, he should put “turn from evil” before it: he should first do teshuvah, which is a kind of “turn from evil.” In this way, whenever anyone engages in Torah and mitzvos, he stands as an upright person and a ba'al teshuvah, one who has returned to Hashem.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר, שֶׁלֹּא נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל בְּעִנְיָן זֶה, דַּאֲפִילּוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי סוֹבְרִים שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַקְדִּים הַ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, וּמַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ שֶׁיַּקְדִּים ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳ הַכַּוָּונָה כַּנִּזְכָּר, שֶׁבְּכָל פַּעַם שֶׁהָאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה דְּבַר טוֹב יַקְדִּים לוֹ בְּחִינַת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳, דְּהַיְינוּ לְהַקְדִּים עֲשִׂיַּית תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נִמְצָא, שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּעֵת שֶׁעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְוֹות, הוּא בִּבְחִינַת אָדָם כָּשֵׁר וּבַעַל תְּשׁוּבָה.
In shortEven Beis Shammai begin with “do good”: their “turn from evil” means teshuvah before each deed, so every mitzvah is done as a ba'al teshuvah.
5With this we can also explain the Midrash: “‘The mandrakes give off fragrance’: this is Reuven, who saved Yosef. ‘And at our doorways are all choice fruits’: these are the Chanukah lamps.”7 The holy sefarim ask: what does Reuven have to do with the Chanukah lamps?8 But we have explained elsewhere that Reuven always occupied himself with teshuvah before he went to do mitzvos, which are a kind of “good fragrance.”9 The Chanukah lamps teach the same lesson, as we saw in the dispute of Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel. Even according to Beis Shammai, who hold that one must first engage in “turn from evil,” this means doing teshuvah before every mitzvah and every act of Torah study. So we already stand in “turn from evil,” and we can go on to “do good” in the way of “he adds as he goes,” as with the Chanukah lamps. Now we can see the connection between Reuven and the Chanukah lamps.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר גַּם מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (מדרש פליאה לא) ״הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ״ (שיר השירים ז, יד) זֶה רְאוּבֵן שֶׁהִצִּיל אֶת יוֹסֵף, ״וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים״ זֶה נֵרוֹת חֲנוּכָּה. וְהִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (תורת משה, בת עין, עטרת ישועה) מַה שַׁיָּיכוּת עִנְיַן רְאוּבֵן עִם נֵרוֹת חֲנוּכָּה. אֶלָּא דִּלְפִי מַה שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר שֶׁרְאוּבֵן הָיָה עוֹסֵק תָּמִיד בִּתְשׁוּבָה לִפְנֵי שֶׁהָלַךְ לַעֲסוֹק בַּמִּצְוֹות שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת רֵיחַ טוֹב, וְדָבָר זֶה לוֹמְדִים גַּם מִנֵּרוֹת חֲנוּכָּה כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, דַּאֲפִילּוּ לְבֵית שַׁמַּאי הַסּוֹבְרִים שֶׁצָּרִיךְ קוֹדֶם לַעֲסוֹק בְּסוּר מֵרָע, הַיְינוּ מַה שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה לִפְנֵי כָּל מִצְוָוה וְתוֹרָה, וּמִמֵּילָא אָנוּ כְּבָר בִּבְחִינָה שֶׁל סוּר מֵרָע, וְשׁוּב אֶפְשָׁר כְּבָר לַעֲסוֹק בַּעֲשֵׂה טוֹב בִּבְחִינַת מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ, כְּמוֹ בְּנֵרוֹת חֲנוּכָּה. וּמוּבָן שַׁיָּיכוּת עִנְיַן רְאוּבֵן עִם נֵרוֹת חֲנוּכָּה.
- Midrash Pli'ah §31; Shir HaShirim 7:14. Reuven was the one who found the mandrakes, duda'im, in the field (Bereishis 30:14), and the Chanukah lamps are placed at the doorway. ↩
- Toras Moshe; Bas Ayin; Ateres Yeshuah. ↩
- See Lehavas David, Vayeishev; Rashi on Bereishis 37:29. ↩
In shortReuven did teshuvah before going to do mitzvos, the “good fragrance”; the Chanukah lamps teach the same, so with teshuvah first we keep adding good.
6May it be His will that we be privileged to return to Hashem in teshuvah, through “turn from evil and do good.” Amen.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לִתְשׁוּבָה בְּסוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב אָמֵן.
In shortThe Rebbe prays that we be privileged to return in teshuvah by turning from evil and doing good.
The Rebbe opens with the Yismach Yisrael’s report in the name of its author’s father, R’ Yechiel of Alexander: Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel differ over which comes first in avodah, “turn from evil” or “do good,” and Beis Hillel hold that a person must begin adding good at once, lest the yetzer hara overcome him while he waits to mend himself. The Rebbe asks how this fits the tradition that teshuvah must come before Torah and mitzvos. He answers with the Chozeh of Lublin: one begins with “do good,” but does teshuvah before each act. Read this way, even Beis Shammai agree; their “turn from evil first” is that teshuvah before every deed, so each mitzvah is done as a ba’al teshuvah. This also explains the Midrash that pairs Reuven, who did teshuvah before going to do mitzvos, with the Chanukah lamps.
Takeaway
We need not wait until every flaw is mended before we begin to grow in Torah and mitzvos; if we wait, the yetzer hara may win first. Like the Chanukah lamps, we can add good each day, pausing before every act of service for a moment of teshuvah. Then each mitzvah is done as a ba'al teshuvah, and turning from evil and doing good go hand in hand.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.