Question
How is one to reconcile "אין חבוש מתיר עצמו מבית האסורים" - "A person can not break himself out of prison" on the one hand and (the dramatic ending line of the story of אלעזר בן דורדיא - Elazar ben Dordia) אין הדבר תלוי אלא בי - "The matter of repentance depends only on me."
(Perhaps at a later time I'll provide more of the context of these two concepts. Hopefully for now the basic meaning of each statement and the apparent contradiction between the two thoughts is clear enough for you, dear reader, to consider the question and come up with a thoughtful response). (It is possible that more information is needed).
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 11:59 PM
8 Comments:
I would suggest the following. As long as a person sees himself as Chavush, there is no way he can get himself out. If a person realizes the truth, then it is in his ands. I would suggest that this is similar to what the Piczesner (sp?) Rebbe says that as long as the guy who used to be rich still thinks of himself that way, he can go back to being rich. Once he accepts being poor as part of his self-definition, he will never go back. As you know, there is much that is autobiographical in my words.
Pesach
I’m captivated
walled inside my averot
escape seems hopeless
till I find the key inside
and the walls melt with teshuva
I had heard the basic story of Elazar ben Dordia but was fascinated to learn that when he was begging to be forgiven, and beseeched various elements to plead for mercy on his behalf, that he was actually blaming his “environment” for his misdeeds – an example of one of the earliest cases of trying to avoid personal responsibility.
P.S. I like Pesach's explanation.
In short, it's not in your hands, but you need to try. Do hishtadlus. Then you'll be helped.
There was a much, much earlier case of avoiding personal responsibility: i.e. Cain.
I didn't mean it literally, as the earliest. And as for Cain, I think he denied moral responsibility - he didn't view himself as his "brother's keeper" -he didn't deny doing it. Or are you thinking of personal responsibility for the quality of his offerings and realizing that that was the reason his brother's were preferred?
No, I mean that Cain pretended he knew nothing of what happened to Abel. When God asks, he responds: "I don't know."
I see what you mean Kishke - I was thinking more in terms of blaming external forces for one's actions - like Eve blaming the snake and Adam blaming Eve. Have a good Shabbos.
Re. the question posed, let me add that the idea of hishtadlus being responded to by God's aid is found in Chazal: פתחו לי פתח כחודו של מחט ואני אפתח לך פתח כשער של אולם, Open for me (God) an opening (in your heart) like the point of a needle, and I will open for you an opening like the gateway of a hall.
The opposite is implied in our traditional petition to God for repentance: השיבנו ... ונשובה, Bring us back, God, & we will return. The question is still answered, though: He provides the initial impetus to "break us out of prison," but we must then do the rest.
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