The Letter Chet: The Right Balance in Life's Pleasures

On one hand, a person must be cautious not to be drawn to material desires and worldly temptations, thereby missing the purpose of their creation. However, one who despairs from life's challenges and consequently withdraws from worldly affairs is also considered a sinner. The Sages tell us in the Talmud that the high priest, Shimon the Righteous, never ate from the offering of a Nazarite who completed their period of abstaining from wine but became impure, except once when he was certain that the vow was made with proper consideration, to prevent sin, and not out of frustration and despair. Here is the account as it appears in the Talmud: "Shimon the Righteous said: In my lifetime, I never ate the guilt offering of a defiled Nazarite, except once. Once, a man came, a Nazarite from the south, and I saw he was beautiful and fair to look upon, with neatly arranged curls. I asked him, 'My son, what did you see to destroy this beautiful hair?' He replied, 'I was a shepherd for my father in my city. I went to draw water from the spring, and I looked at my reflection. My evil inclination rose against me, seeking to destroy me. I said to it, 'Wicked one! Why do you take pride in the world that is not yours, about one who is destined to become dust and worms? By the service, I will shave it for heaven.' Immediately, I stood up and kissed his head. I said to him, 'May there be more Nazarites like you in Israel; regarding you it says, 'When a man makes a vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to consecrate himself to Hashem.'"

Here is Maimonides' guidance on conducting proper balance:

"One might say, since desire and honor, and similar paths, are bad ways that remove a person from the world, I will abstain excessively and go to the opposite extreme: not eat meat, not drink wine, not marry, not dwell in a beautiful home, not wear nice clothes, but rather sackcloth and coarse wool similar to the red priests. This, too, is an evil path, and it is forbidden to follow it. One who walks this path is called a sinner. As it says about the Nazarite: 'And he shall atone for having sinned regarding the soul.' The Sages said: if a Nazarite, who abstains only from wine, requires atonement, then anyone who refrains from all things, how much more so."

Maimonides' words are based on the Sages in the Talmudic Tractate Ta'anit. It is wondrous that the Sages used the phrase 'called a sinner.' Sinner from the letter Chet, the letter of the living confrontation. Because one of the challenges a person faces is not to go to extremes out of bitterness and frustration, and to flee from worldly matters to the extent of mental desolation, lethargy, and apathy – as is found in many who have despaired of confronting life's questions and challenges in the world, immersing themselves in escape and withdrawal from all normal affairs of life. For even someone who goes to this extreme misses the purpose of their coming into the world. Rather, one must be balanced, using everything created by the Creator for them, being careful to follow the Creator's instructions on when and how to do things or refrain from them. And as Maimonides continues: "Therefore, the Sages commanded that a person should only refrain from things that the Torah prohibited, and not impose additional prohibitions on themselves through vows and oaths regarding permissible matters. As the Sages said, isn't it sufficient what the Torah has forbidden, that you should forbid other things upon yourself? In this, those who fast constantly are not on a good path and the Sages forbade a person to self-afflict through fasting. And in all these matters and the like, Solomon commanded and said, 'Do not be overly righteous and do not be too wise, why should you destroy yourself.'"

In other words, through extreme withdrawal from worldly matters akin to certain sects and religions, one reaches mental desolation, depression, atrophy of bodily systems, and loss of vitality in life. This, which is certainly contrary to the Creator's will, causes such a person to miss the goal. Therefore, it is upon a person to recognize and know the proper balance in the pleasures of the world according to the guidance of their Creator in the Torah. One who lives according to these instructions, which could be termed 'manufacturer’s instructions,' and is careful not to forbid the permitted and does not permit the forbidden, is the righteous person desired by their Creator. One should not engage in excessive acts of piety unless they are truly suitable, neither being harmed by them but only benefitting, or needing to restrain oneself through them to avoid stumbling in sin.

This is the power of choice represented by the letter Chet, a force in which a person resembles their Creator, capable of reaching purification by using it positively. A person who chooses good, a charm is upon his face, and he moves to a higher level, the letter Tet, representing the cyclical benefaction returning good to the good person. And if, heaven forbid, one chooses the opposite of good and leaves the world in their sin without rectifying their distortions, they miss the purpose for which they were created, moving once more to the letter Tet representing cyclical benefaction, which now acts through cycles and punitive purification to cleanse and purify him.

The Letter Chet in a Person’s Name

Therefore, when the letter Chet, symbolizing the soul of life, grace, and power of choice, appears in a person's name, especially if it is at the start of their name, they receive through its channels a special charm upon their face and attributes characterizing life operating powerfully within them, such as warmth and love, diligence, kindness, wisdom, and even acumen (even if they do not outwardly appear so), and a strong sense of familial connection to their household. Possessing a powerful choice between good and evil, they delight in offering counsel and support to others, and their instincts (intuition) often prove correct. Conversely, they may feel weakness, fatigue, and illness highly tied to their mood and their peace with themselves.

Within them, this person is often naturally in extreme internal struggles, and sometimes even emotional storms regarding the choice between good and bad. They may feel an overwhelming urge toward extreme spirituality to the point of revulsion from the material and worldly desires, and suddenly shifting to the opposite extreme – a bent toward materialism and possession. There are times when they speak a lot – even unnecessary talk – and at other times they are captured suddenly by silence.

Their remedy is to invest much in studying Mishnah, Talmud, and Halacha, where they will engage in the depth of wisdom and beauty of the Torah, and reach the right balance through intellectual understanding. Besides the illumination in Torah itself enlightening their soul's inner essence merely by studying. Thus, they can achieve mental calm, true serenity, and feel complete with the good deeds they perform and their choice of the right path. The more they deepen in the study of Torah, the more their face will shine, and the charm upon them will increase.

Therefore, they must be exceedingly careful, in every spiritual challenge and struggle, not to succumb to the evil inclination trying to lead them to sin and remove them from the world without repentance. As it is written about the evil inclination: "The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him." And as explained earlier with the letter Hei representing this-world, as long as a person lives and contends in the world, even if they have sinned and fallen to the depths at the bottom of the letter Hei, they can rise and enter through the open window on the side of the letter. However, if they left their body and died in their sin without repenting, in the letter Chet, symbolizing the soul in itself (as a state of a person after departure from the world) and from its negative side – also sin, the window is closed.

Through the power of choice given to a person, they can use the illumination of the letter for good or bad. Therefore, they are instructed to strengthen themselves, as stated, with study sessions in Mishnah, Talmud, and Halachah by deep analysis, and in learning ethics, faith, and Torah perspective, which help them in correcting their traits and give them strength and understanding to be complete with the absolute truth of the Torah way, and strengthen in the observance of the Torah's commandments. This path leads them to be happy, full of the joy of life, and successful in all their affairs.

For every spiritual root has the capacity to produce positive actions or negative actions. The power of choice is in the hands of a person, allowing them to operate within the foundational attributes received, either for good or ill. 

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