The "incomplete tzaddik" is he who does not hate the sitra achra - [the spiritual kelipot] - with an absolute hatred; therefore he also does not find evil - [physical desires and pleasures] - absolutely repugnant.

As long as his hatred and abhorrence of evil are not absolute, perforce he must have retained some vestige of love and pleasure towards it.

The "filthy garments" [in which the animal soul had been clothed, meaning (as explained above) the evil inclination and the lusting after worldly pleasures], have [obviously] not been completely shed [from it].

Therefore, too, [the evil of the animal soul] has not actually been converted to good, since it still has some hold on the "filthy garments," [i.e., the desires for pleasure in which the animal soul had previously "clothed" and expressed itself], except that [this vestige of evil is imperceptible and cannot express itself in evil desires, etc., because the evil] is nullified [in the good] by reason of its minuteness, and is accounted as nothing, [i.e., the overwhelming preponderance of good prevents the evil from being sensed and from finding expression].

Indeed, he is therefore called Tzadik vera lo, [which means (not only "tzaddik who knows (retains) evil," but also)] "a tzaddik whose evil is [his"; i.e.], subjugated and surrendered to him," [to the good within him.

Such a tzaddik is identified with the good, since he is overwhelmingly good].

Perforce, then, [the fact that he retains some evil indicates that] his love of G-d is also not complete, [for a complete love of G-d would have converted all the evil within him to good].

He is therefore called an "incomplete tzaddik."

[For, as explained above, the terms "complete" and "incomplete" denote the tzaddik's level of love for G-d, and the terms "who knows only good" and "who knows evil" denote the degree of his eradication and transformation of evil].

Now, this level - [that of the "incomplete tzaddik" who "knows evil]"- is subdivided into myriads of levels, consisting of [varying degrees in] the quality of the minute remaining evil [deriving] from [any] one of the four "evil elements" [of which the animal soul is composed (see chapter 1).

In one tzaddik the remaining evil may consist of the element of Water, in another the evil may consist of a spark of the element of Fire, and so on. This subdivision of levels is qualitative, based on the type of remaining evil.

The Alter Rebbe will now describe (as it were) a quantitative subdivision, depending on the degree to which the evil loses its identity within the good.

In one tzaddik the vestigial evil may be such that the proportion of good to evil could be described as 60:1; the evil in another tzaddik may be more minute, so that it is overwhelmed by a proportion of good that is 1000:1; and so on.

Yet, to borrow a term from the law concerning non-kosher foodstuffs, where in certain cases of error the rule is that even a preponderance of 60 parts (kosher) to 1 (non-kosher) is sufficient to render the entire mixture kosher (since the non-kosher food is no longer capable of tainting the mixture with its flavor), we may likewise say in our case that a preponderance of good over evil to the degree of 60:1 is also capable of preventing the expression and perception of the remaining evil.

In the Alter Rebbe's words]:

[The subdivision] also takes into account the degree to which [the remaining evil] is nullified [in the good] because of its minuteness, whether in sixty [times as much good], for example, or in a thousand, or ten thousand, and so on.

These [various sublevels in the ranks of "incomplete tzaddikim]" are the levels of the numerous tzaddikim found in all generations, [all of whom belong to the category of the "incomplete tzaddik,"] as we find in the Gemara, [5] "Eighteen thousand tzaddikim stand before the Holy One, blessed be He."

[Thus, though many attain the level of tzaddik, they are in fact "incomplete tzaddikim]."

But concerning the rank of the "complete tzaddik," Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's statement [6] applies: "I have seen `superior men' (bnei aliyah) and they are but few."

The reason that [the complete tzaddikim] are called bnei aliyah [literally: "men of ascent"] is that they convert evil and make it ascend to holiness.

It is similarly written in the intoduction to the Zohar, [7] that when Rabbi Chiyya wished to ascend to the heichal [heavenly shrine] of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, he heard a voice come out and say:

"Whichever of you, before coming here, have converted the darkness [of the world] to light [holiness], and [have transformed] the bitter taste [of their animal soul and evil inclination] to sweetness [holiness] ..... [only these may enter]."

   

Notes:

5. (Back to text) Paraphrase of Sukkah 45b and Sanhedrin 97b.

6. (Back to text) Ibid.

7. (Back to text) Zohar I, 4a.