Chapter 30

In this chapter the Alter Rebbe gives another piece of advice to fight against the “Evil Inclination”: to lower one's arrogance.

(The advice the Alter Rebbe has mentioned so far is aimed at combating a different "disease" of the soul. The "evil inclination" is adept at its work and will try to ensnare us in various ways, making us dwell on the "bad" things that happen to us (chapter 26), making us think about inappropriate things at any time (chapters 27 and 28), or saddening us (chapter 29). This time, it will try to make us feel proud and superior to others.).

Our wise men¹ They say we should always be humble in front of everyone. Even so, the "inclination to evil" can make us think that, after all, we are much better than other people: we study Torah, we fulfilled Mitzvot, and we even studied Tania. This feeling is called arrogance and it is a very negative feeling because it prevents us from truly advancing in our service to Hashem.

The way to escape that feeling is with another phrase from our wise men.², which the Alter Rebbe explains very well in this chapter: “Do not judge your neighbor until you reach his place.” Because “his place” causes him to transgress the Torah. So, if we're not in that same place, why do we judge others harshly? Who said we wouldn't act the same way if we were in that place?

It's like leaving a child in a house full of candy… At some point, they won't be able to resist the temptation and will eat the candy. It's the environment that makes the child misbehave.

But there's more: it's possible that the child in our example has such a strong passion for candy that he can't bear not eating it. We all have passions, but each passion with a different intensity. Some people don't care about candy at all, others like it quite a lot, but some people are desperate for it.

So, the way of seeing another Jew who, God forbid, transgresses the Torah, It's not thinking "I am better," but thinking that the place where he is and the terrible war he has inside against his "inclination to evil" make him act against Hashem.

(Actually, it's not an excuse, because it could be controlled and not transgressed, as the Alter Rebbe already explained, through thinking about love and fear of Hashem, But that's that person's problem. Hashem, (not a reason to feel better than him).

The key is to realize that there is a terrible war against the "inclination to evil" within each person, and, it may be, that the other person has a war just as strong, much stronger than ours, and is not succeeding, for now, in their fight.

The question we should be analyzing is: Am I fighting such a tough battle against my "inclination to evil"? Or is things going relatively smoothly, with the occasional setback? Because if I'm not fighting that hard, what right do I have to feel superior to others?

In other words, when we pray, are we concentrating and fighting against our animal instincts that prevent us from praying with fervor and enthusiasm? When we say blessings over meals, do we say them with the proper thoughts, pronouncing each word correctly? When we study TorahDo we study much more than we are used to? When we give some of our money to another (tzedakahDo we give more than we feel comfortable giving? If we are speaking ill of someone, do we stop when we realize what we are doing is wrong, or do we continue? Are we subjugating our Animal Soul even in things permitted by the law? TorahAre we careful with the decrees of our wise men?

All these examples are cases in which a terrible war needs to be waged against the “inclination to evil” in order to progress in service to Hashem. It's very easy to see someone else transgressing and think, "I'm better, I don't behave like that," but... at the level we're at, are we really growing or just doing what's comfortable? So why do we judge others?

The Alter Rebbe ends the chapter with a warning to the students of the TorahThe more that is known about Torah, It is all the more serious not to fight this war against the “inclination to evil” because, after all, the other person being judged does not have the same tools (the knowledge of Torah) to fight against his “inclination to evil”, but, from a student of Torah, Hashem He hopes that he will wage that war with all his might.