bereishit 1/20

Truth in its fullest sense exists only when a person is free of desires; the truth of the world is to know that one is far from the truth. “I too knew that you did this in the integrity of your heart.” etc. (20:6) This is the aspect of what the blessed God said to Avimelech: ‘I too knew that you did this in the integrity of your heart, and I withheld,’ etc. And Rashi explained: It is true that you did not initially think to sin, but there is no cleanliness of hands here. For one cannot attain truth in its fullest sense unless one is entirely clean and pure of all desires, and principally of the all-inclusive desire. For guarding the covenant is an aspect of truth, the aspect of ‘wholly a seed of truth,’ as explained elsewhere. For falsehood arises principally through the clouding of the blood, as explained at the beginning of the above teaching: one cannot tell a lie unless one clouds his blood, etc.; see there. And all desires, particularly the all-inclusive desire, arise through the clouding of the blood. Therefore, when the adversary entices a person, misleading him onto some bad path by means of his own truth, particularly when he entices him to persist in controversy because of his own truth, he must examine himself to see whether he is pure and clean of desires, particularly of the above desire. And since he knows within himself that he is not clean, how can he insist upon his own truth, particularly to persecute a Jewish person, all the more so many people? For only the true tzaddik attains clear truth, the aspect of truth in its fullest sense: he is truly of clean hands, clean of all desires, particularly entirely free of the all-inclusive desire, so that he has no clouding of the blood whatsoever; only he attains truth in its fullest sense. And the rest of the world's essential truth is to know that they are far from attaining true understanding; rather, they must strengthen themselves in faith, as above. This is what the Holy One, blessed is He, said to Avimelech. And this is what the blessed God said to Avimelech: ‘I too knew,’ etc. For Avimelech was wholly righteous in his own eyes, as though he were a man of truth and Avraham had misled him with his lie, saying, ‘She is my sister.’ Therefore it seemed to him that he had a great complaint against the blessed God for striking him without cause. Therefore he argued and said, ‘Will You kill even a righteous nation? Did he not tell me, “She is my sister,”’ etc., ‘in the integrity of my heart and with the cleanliness of my hands I did this.’ It follows that, according to Avimelech's words, he is a man of truth, while Avraham is a liar, God forbid. The blessed God answered him: ‘I too knew that you did this in the integrity of your heart.’ For the truth is certainly with you, that you genuinely did this in the integrity of your heart, but there is no cleanliness of hands here, as Rashi explained and as above. For had you been of clean hands—that is, had you not been such a man of desire—you certainly would not have come to such a stumbling block. For from the outset the argument is refuted: what business have you asking Avraham whether she is his wife or his sister? And as Avraham indeed answered when he asked him, ‘What did you see, that you did,’ etc., he answered him, ‘For I said: There is simply no fear of God in this place.’ And as Rashi explained: when a guest comes to a town, do they question him about his wife? etc. And since you are such a man of desire and are not of clean hands, your truth caused you to stumble until you took her for yourself. And when the blows came upon you, you cry out that you are righteous and that Avraham had caused you to stumble through his lie; and you pay no attention to the fact that the clouding of your blood caused you to stumble, to stray from the path and not to attain truth in its fullest sense. Yet since, even so, your intention was not to commit a grave prohibition, therefore, ‘I too withheld you from sinning against Me,’ etc. For the blessed God has compassion upon a person when He sees that he sincerely desires [the truth], but is misleading himself. He has compassion upon him and signals to him, in His wondrous ways, that he should turn back from his error. But at any rate you must take to heart that you are not of clean hands, and for this reason you came to err like this through your own truth. And this is what is said: ‘Who shall ascend the mountain of God, and who shall stand in His holy place? One of clean hands and a pure heart, who has not borne My soul toward vanity,’ etc. Specifically, ‘clean hands and a pure heart’: for specifically when one is of clean hands, one specifically attains the aspect of a pure heart, ‘who has not borne toward vanity,’ etc.; he is saved from vanity and falsehood and attains truth in its fullest sense, and only he merits ascending the mountain of God and standing in His holy place. And therefore Avraham was compelled to conceal the truth and say that she was his sister, for a tzaddik is permitted to deal deceptively with a deceiver. For when the tzaddik sees that there is no truth in the world, he is compelled to conceal the truth in various ways in order to save his life, and specifically through this he brings truth into the world, and as Yaakov conducted himself with Lavan and Aisav, etc. (Halachos of Ribis [Interest], Halacha 5, item 34)

76. For the divine emanation of kingship is the first emanation from below, and it is the entrance for ascent to the remaining emanations; it is called an entrance and a gate. As it is written in the holy Zohar, the section Beraishis (folio 51a): One who enters to the King enters only from that holy city; he takes the way to the King, for the way is prepared from here. This is what is written (Tehillim 118:20): ‘This is the gate to the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.’ Every mission that the King desires goes forth from the house of the Matron. End of quotation. And there is much more.

77. And see also below in Parshas Kee Sisa, on the verse “and his attendant Yehoshua son of Noon, a youth,” etc.

78. In the Gemara, Berachos, folio 26b: Avraham instituted the morning prayer, as it says, “And Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood”; and standing means nothing other than prayer.

79. In the Gemara, Berachos, folio 26b: Avraham instituted the morning prayer, as it says, “And Avraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood”; and standing means nothing other than prayer.

80. And see further below, at the verse ‘And Avraham called the name of that place: God will see.’

81. And likewise the Netziv of Volozhin, of blessed memory, wrote in HaAmek Davar (at the end of Parshas Vayairuh): And through this deed Avraham merited that his children should attain greatness of soul, to give themselves up willingly for the sake of sanctification [of God], blessed be He. And God said that this multiplication would be in two manners: the first, ‘like the stars of the heavens.’ These are the great in understanding, who shine in their generation like the stars of heaven and also bring merit to the multitude through their being surrendered and killed for the sanctification of God's Name. And the second, ‘like the sand upon the shore of the sea.’ These are the masses of the people, who, when faced with the sanctification of God's Name, give themselves up with a good heart. End of quotation.