Obstacles Towards Achieving Goodness

The “Duties of the Heart” discusses the proper method to steer people in the right direction.

Just as it is important to teach the virtues of choosing a path of kindness and Mitzva observance, it is equally necessary to acquaint students with the obstacles towards achieving this goodness.

It is told of a pious, holy man, who gave the following instruction to his disciples. “First learn what is evil, in order to avoid it, and then learn what is good, and do it.”

The path towards achieving spirituality comes by way of avoiding that which distances us from spirituality. We must be clear that evil exists in the world. We must not fool ourselves into thinking that certain people or actions are, “not that bad.”

We must not make excuses for bad behavior in individuals with whom we interact. If it is clear that they are very negative, and our association with them, has a similar negative effect on us, we must distance ourselves from them.

This is what Rabbeinu Bachye was teaching. In order to achieve that which is good and sacred, we must first have a clear understanding of what is not good and sacred. We must identify evil and stay away from it. This is the method we must apply in order to achieve our lofty goals in this world.