Wisdom & Wit

Wisdom and Wit - Parashat Sho-f'tim

R’ Yosef of Tomashov was violently opposed to the Chassidim of Kotzk, who often delayed their prayer time beyond the time specified by halacha. So opposed was he that when he heard that the son-in-law of the innkeeper where he was staying had become a Chassid of the Kotzker, he moved out of that inn and into another inn.
Later, when R’ Yosef met the son-in-law, the son-in-law asked him why he was so opposed to Kotzk. “It’s because they do not adhere to the prayer times,” he replied.
“Yes, but you embarrassed me publicly by leaving the inn,” said the son-in-law, “and in that you violated a Torah law, while the fixed times for prayer were only ordained rabbinically.”
“You are right,” said R’ Yosef, “and I am hereby doing T’shuva for my actions.”
“But how can one possibly do T’shuva in an instant like that?” asked the young man.
“This matter is addressed in the Talmud,” said R’ Yosef, “for we are told that if a man wishes to betroth a woman ‘on the condition that he is a perfect tzaddik’, this is considered as a possible betrothal which would need a get to release the woman, - as he might - at the time he made the declaration - have done T’shuva. “Thus we see that T’shuva can even come in an instant.”
Later, the young man told this episode to the Kotzker, who told him: “The argument of R’ Yosef is a weak one. The halacha is that when a person marries, all his sins are forgiven. Thus, even thinking about T’shuva is enough to make him a full tzadik. That, though, is not true in any other case, and in other cases there is no such thing as ‘instant T’shuva.’”

The Maggid of Mezeritch remarked, “When a person is entrusted to guard another person’s possessions, there are two ways he can protect them: either he can guard them carefully, or he can actively go out to catch any burglars before they have even had a chance to enter the home he is guarding. While the first may be a good guard, the second is by far superior. And the same is true with the Yetzer Hara - our Evil Inclination. A person may take all types of measures to prevent the yetzer hara from influencing him, but to really conquer the yetzer hara one must go out on the attack, before it even has a chance to gain even a toehold. This is what is meant in the Mishna in Avot 4:1, ‘Who is mighty? One who conquers his Evil Inclination’ before it has a chance to begin to take root.”

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