Q:
If it’s true what you said tonight that a person becomes better in this world by breaking taavos and through yessurim and that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives more yesurim to those who He loves more, so what is the explanation of what the Mesillas Yesharim says האדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה׳ – that man was created only to find joy in Hashem? Didn’t you explain that it means להתענג in this world?
A:
Question: If yessurim is such an important element in the perfection of mankind, so how can we understand the statement in the beginning of the Mesillas Yesharim, האדם לא נברא אלא להתענג על ה׳ – man was created only for the purpose of having pleasure on Hashem?
Now as I once said, one of my great teachers when he said that, he stopped at the word l’hisaneg: אדם לא נברא אלא להתענג – A man was created only for pleasure.
Now that’s astonishing. Some people say, “Pleasure? Is that a purpose?”
And the answer is, no matter what you’re going to say, you see it’s so! Look at how many years you’ve been eating. You mean to say you didn’t enjoy eating? Look how many years you’ve been sleeping. You didn’t enjoy sleeping? And other things. So you can’t get away from it. There are 3,000 enzymes, different kinds of enzymes, in the body. Every one is beneficial. You’re not enjoying them? Certainly you are. You’re functioning. You’re breathing. You’re sitting. You’re hearing. You’re thinking. Life is a pleasure. Everything is happiness in this world. Certainly man was created for happiness.
Only that sometimes Hakodosh Boruch Hu has pity on you, He wants to give you some perfection, so He sends some yessurim. Usually it’s at the end of life. In most cases, He gives it to you as a parting gift. Because to many people yessurim in the middle of life would be a hindrance; it would prevent them from continuing to function properly. Not like Reb Elazar b’Rebi Shimon who could invite yessurim upon himself every night, terrible yessurim, and then he got up in the morning fresh and strong to serve Hashem. We can’t do that.
So Hashem—for most of us—waits until our last days when we don’t have to do anything anymore; just to get yessurim and to leave this world with perfection. That’s why there’s a parting gift of yessurim.
So an old man lying in the hospital and he knows his days are numbered, he should think, “I won’t waste this opportunity. I’m going to say to Hashem, ‘I accept Hashem this gift you’re giving me.’” אשרי הגבר אשר תיסרנו ק-ה. Instead of lying there on the respirator and groaning and moaning, saying “Why should I have to lie here?” he accepts the gift of yessurim.
Hashem says, “Look, you’re already 95 years in this world. The last days, you’re on a respirator; you’re complaining? I’m giving you a gift! You’re going to leave this world better than before.”
So now that he heard this, so he’s going to accept it and say, “I accept it, Hashem. I’m willing to take it from You. I know it’s for my benefit and now I’m becoming more and more kadosh as I’m lying here.” And therefore he passes out of this world with an especial extra gift of kedushah. That’s the way to pass out of the world.
Keep that in mind, by the way, so a hundred years from now you’ll practice it.
January 1990
