Sitting and engaged in discussions about Chasidut. He asked them, “Tell me, what is a chasid?” One of the chasidim answered, “A chasid is called someone who goes beyond the letter of the law.”
Rebbe Bunim responded positively and said, “That is exactly what I meant. It is written in the Torah, ‘You shall not cheat one another’—this is the measured requirement of the law. Going beyond the letter of the law requires that one should not cheat himself either.”
Do Not Be a Cheater
The exchange of the letters alef (א) and ayin (ע) is discussed in the Talmud.
According to the Torah’s inner dimension, the letter alef is the inner dimension of the letter ayin such as in the phrase, “garments of skin” (רֹועתֹנוֳּתֻכּ), which Rabbi Meir would render as “garments of light” (רֹואתֹנוֳּתֻכּ).
From here derives the interpretation of the verse offered by Rebbe Bunim that you shall not cheat or deceive yourselves. This sharp statement encapsulates the typical practice of Chasidut found in the Peshischa study hall where Rebbe Bunim taught his chasidim to strive for authentic truth without a trace of self-deception, coupled with penetrating self-criticism, a practice that reached its most powerful influence with his disciple, Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. As Rebbe Bunim said: This is precisely the definition of a chasid!
This principle is also foundational to the Tanya, as it is well-known that the entirety of the Tanya can be summarized by the dictum: “Do not be deceitful!” The core principle is one and the same, but in the Chabad approach, the main emphasis is on the rectification of the intellect and consciousness itself—the intellect in and of itself—which innately and effortlessly influences the emotions. Conversely, the Peshischa approach focuses directly on the rectification of the emotive faculties in the heart. This is known as the drawing down of intellectual energy to the emotions to rectify them through a penetrating demand for self-examination and clarification of the truth.
The Letter of the Law and the Attribute of Chasidut
In response to the question "Who is a chasid?", the student correctly stated: a chasid is careful that his actions follow not only the law but go beyond the letter of the law. This is the simple definition of a chasid in the teachings of the sages. Similarly, the sages define a chasid as one for whom the welfare of another person takes precedence over his own welfare.
Yet, Rebbe Bunim brilliantly connected this definition with the crucial principle of not deceiving oneself: not deceiving one’s friend is the law, the plain meaning of the verse, “You shall not cheat one another.” Going beyond the letter of the law extends the prohibition of deceiving others into the prohibition of deceiving ourselves. We must not cheat ourselves out of our truth. Thus, a chasid is someone who does not deceive himself.
The prohibition of exploiting or deceiving others (ona'ah, in Hebrew) is mentioned twice in parashat Behar. The first time is with regard to financial exploitation, “Do not cheat, a person his brother” (יוִחָת אֶ אׁישִ אּנוֹוּל תַא). The second time is with regard to verbal deceit or abuse, “You shall not cheat [or deceive] one another” (ֹיתוִמֲת עֶ אׁישִ אּנוֹא תוֹלְו). As Rashi explains regarding the latter, “Here the Torah cautions us against verbal abuse: a person should not provoke his friend nor give him advice that is unsuitable for him and will cause him harm or loss while benefitting the advisor.” In the case of financial exploitation, the Torah uses the term “his brother” (יוִחָא), and in the case of verbal abuse, the term “his fellow” (ֹיתוִמֲע).
The sum of the two words, “brother” (חָא) and “fellow” (יתִמָע) is 529, the value of “pleasure” (גּנוֲעַּת), or 23 squared, suggesting that treating all Jews as brothers and fellows is a source of Divine pleasure.
Service Without Ulterior Motives
The demand that one not deceive oneself also encompasses the need for purity of intent. What this means is that we should eliminate any ulterior motive in our service of God, and that the outcome of serving God should not be self-aggrandizement or pride. This is described by one of Rebbe Bunim’s disciples, Rabbi Yaakov Aharon from Zalshin-Alexander in his book Beit Yaakov:
When a person sells something to another, he is cautioned against fraud, and if a defect is found in the item, the transaction is void. Similarly, in the service of God, when a person sells himself to God [i.e., devotes himself to God], he must ensure that he is free from any defect or blemish. This commandment carries with it a moral lesson in the service of God—that one should be pure-hearted, with no other motive but for God alone. Whether in prayer or in the constant study of the Torah, one must be very careful not to fall into arrogance or self-aggrandizement, God forbid. If not, God forbid, it is considered akin to exploitation (ona’ah, as above) and the transaction is null and void.
What we learn from this is that selling oneself, as it were, to God, i.e., when dedicating oneself to God’s service, is like a transaction that is governed by the prohibition against exploitation. On the other side of the transaction, God provides the individual who serves Him with feelings of love of God and awe of God, up to and including the constant love that will be revealed in the future World to Come, known as “great pleasurable love” (הָבֲהַא יםִגּנוֲעַּתה בָּבַר). But because this is akin to a transaction, one must guard against deceit or fraud that would cast the transaction’s legitimacy in doubt. It is crucial to ensure there is no blemish of ulterior motive or pride, whether the particular service of God be the study of Torah, or prayer, or the performance of the commandments.
But just as much as we need to be careful not to serve out of ulterior motives, we need to be careful not to probe or second guess our motivations too much! For there is always room for concern that a good deed is motivated by some self-interest or a hint of pride. This possibility is inescapable as captured in the words of King Solomon, “There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin [in the very process of doing good].”
Consequently, if we take Rebbe Bunim’s teaching to the extreme, we might refrain from doing good!
For example, if someone comes to teach Torah but fears that doing so may lead him to feel pride, since he wants to see the fulfillment of the prayer, “May my friends rejoice in me,” should his conclusion be not to teach Torah!? Certainly not!
It is told of a chasid who followed the Mittler Rebbe’s request that his chasidim relate what they had learnt in Lubavitch on their way back home. This particular chasid had a gift for teaching and he complained to the Mittler Rebbe that whenever he performed the Rebbe’s request, he would be filled with a sense of pride. The Mittler Rebbe told him, “Even if you become an onion, you must continue spreading Chasidut.”
Indeed, when the chasid acts as an emissary on behalf of the Rebbe-the sender, he knows that the Rebbe takes the matter upon himself.
(from a class given on 23 Adar 5767)
Why did the Mittler Rebbe compare a person with pride to an onion? One possibility is that an onion bulb is all peels or husks, or in Hebrew kelipot, an image used to describe impurity. Others note that if you continue peeling the bulb, eventually you are left with nothing. The prideful person is the same—peel the pride and there is nothing underneath.
