Hello Everyone, Today we continued with the discussion of “perishut.” We completed the 13th chapter and began the 14th chapter of Mesillat Yesharim. I think we saw two important ideas: (a) Ramchal says at the end of chapter 13 that it is impossible for him to provide a “How to” guide for Perishut. Ramchal says what we all know; life is infinitely variable and every person’s life is different from everyone else’s.So what does Ramchal advise? He says that we can and must rely upon our common sense (“sechel”) in deciding what course of behavior to follow. (b) In chapter 14, Ramchal discusses a brief story from the Talmud. The sage Mar Ukva says that in comparison to his father he (Mar Ukva) is like “vinnegar compared to wine” because Mar Ukva’s father would wait 24 after eating meat before he would eat cheese, while Mar Ukva himself would eat cheese at the next meal following eating meat. The significance of this story is great. Ramchal emphasizes that piety is not mere mimicry of the behavior of saintly individuals. The voluntary stringincies which an individual adopts in his or her ascent to piety need to be weighed for their appropriateness. Mar Ukva realized that a behavior which aided his father would not have aided him (yet) so Mar Ukva did not blindly adopt it. I think that the importance of these two points cannot be overstated. Ramchal does not see piety as an example of “herd behavior.” We should all strive for greater spiritual growth but that does not mean that we should follow without thought the examples of those are greater than us. What is appropriate for them may not be appropriate for us.
