אות - יד

I envy a sincerely religious Jew, such as we call an ehrlikher Yid . 18 Literally, “an honorable Jew” in Yiddish. He may appear to have guts and limbs like everyone else, but he is really something more. A sincerely religious man is very precious indeed.

The main thing is desire and longing. Of course, this alone is not enough, for it should be realized in action ( Likutey Moharan I, 66:4) . We are taught that one who is under duress is exempted by God ( Bava Kama 28b) – but this is only true when one actually desires not to be exempted. You may be under duress, but you should not be satisfied with the fact that you are exempt. You must long continuously to bring this good desire to fruition.

When you are not willing to be satisfied with the fact that you may be exempted, the desire to complete the task is in itself very beneficial. Then, even if you find the task impossible, you have a worthy accomplishment in the desire alone. 19 See “ His Wisdom ” #260; Alim LeTerufah #73, #202.