Welcome to Daily Bitachon, a special Erev Yom Kippur edition.
Avot DeRabbi Natan—an expanded commentary on Pirkei Avot—quotes Rabbi Yochanan ben Dahavai in chapter 27, who tells us: do not distance yourself from a measure that has no limit, and do not distance yourself from a job that has no end. This is comparable to a man taking buckets of water from the ocean and pouring them onto dry land. The ocean is not emptied, and the dry land is not filled.
Eventually, he grows weary and frustrated. Another man approaches him and asks, "Foolish one, why are you getting upset? Every single day, you receive a gold coin from your employer." In other words, this man completely misunderstood his mission: his employer never expected him to drain the ocean. He simply wants him to show up, do the work each day, and receive his daily wage for every single effort.
This teaching expands on the famous Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (2:16), where Rabbi Tarfon teaches: it is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. If you have studied much Torah, you will receive great reward, for your Employer is trustworthy to pay you for your labor. The Bartenura explains that one should never think, "Since I can never master the entire Torah, why should I even bother trying?" God is not like a mortal employer who only pays when the entire project is completed. He pays for every single moment and every individual step.
The Chasid Yaavetz notes that Rabbi Tarfon is cautioning us against this exact trap. Spiritual work is fundamentally different from material labor: in Avodat Hashem, every single unit of effort is an end in itself. When constructing a physical building, an individual brick is merely a means to an end; on its own, it serves little purpose. With Torah and mitzvot, however, every action is an ultimate goal because the primary objective is connecting to God. Every ounce of service establishes that connection immediately.
The Chafetz Chaim expounds on this passage, applying it specifically to guarding one's speech (In the introduction to his his sefer shemirat halashon), though it holds true for every area of life. He explains that the Yetzer Hara constantly tries to discourage us from undertaking monumental spiritual projects. The evil inclination whispers: "What are you actually gaining from this? Do you honestly believe you can guard your tongue your entire life without ever stumbling? Your resolve won't last more than a day or two. And even during those two days, do you think you'll do it properly? You live in the real world, surrounded by people. Why waste your energy on a task with no end?"
Rabbi Yochanan ben Dahavai refutes this mindset entirely, addressing the Yetzer Hara's arguments head-on.
First: "It will only last a day or two." Even if the Yetzer Hara is correct, does that mean we should give up entirely? Imagine walking along the seashore and discovering diamonds washing up onto the sand. Would you refuse to bend down and gather them simply because you can only carry a few? If that holds true for physical wealth, it is infinitely truer for spiritual connection. The Vilna Gaon taught that for every single second a person restrains their speech, they merit a hidden, transcendent light that no angel or creature can fathom.
Mishlei (2:4) instructs: "If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures..." Just as one would eagerly scramble to collect even one or two loose pearls, we must treat every small spiritual achievement with the same urgency. A well-known parable illustrates this through a young girl selling vegetables in the marketplace. When a thief overturned her cart and bystanders began grabbing the scattered produce, she froze, helpless and weeping. A wise observer urged her: "Why are you just standing there crying? Start grabbing for yourself!" The same applies to our divine service: even if the Yetzer Hara robs you of focus for most of your prayer, seize whatever remains. Fight for the final words.
That leads to the second complaint: "I cannot do it perfectly anyway." Consider a person who refuses to go to work, arguing, "Why bother? I will never become a multimillionaire." The obvious reply is that failing to attain extraordinary wealth is no reason to abandon your livelihood altogether. As Shlomo HaMelech declared in Kohelet (9:10): "Whatever your hand finds to do within your power, do it." You might not finish the task, but that is no excuse to withhold your effort.
We learn this directly from Moshe Rabbeinu. In Masechet Makkot (10a), the Gemara analyzes Devarim (4:41): "Then Moshe designated three cities [of refuge] across the Jordan." Halachically, these cities could not provide sanctuary until Yehoshua later established the remaining cities in the land of Israel. Moshe was fully aware that these cities would remain non-functional during his lifetime. Why bother? The Rambam explains in his commentary on Avot (4:2) that Moshe lived by a single principle: "When a mitzvah comes my way, I will seize it." Adds the Rambam "If Moshe Rabbeinu—the greatest prophet and the pinnacle of human spiritual perfection—eagerly pursued even an incomplete mitzvah, how much more must we cherish whatever small measures we can attain?"
As the secular adage notes, "Perfect is the enemy of good." The Gemara in Menachot (110a) offers the divine perspective: "Whether one does much or one does little, what matters most is that one directs their heart toward Heaven."
The Yetzer Hara manifests in subtle, insidious ways. Beyond the cartoonish trope of an external tempter, Hashem built internal psychological tendencies into our nature that the Yetzer Hara exploits. One of the most destructive is perfectionism. At its root, perfectionism often stems from subtle arrogance (gaavah). We crave flawless performance as a psychological shield against shame, vulnerability, and the fear of inadequacy. Yet perfection belongs exclusively to Hashem; accepting our limitations is an essential act of humility. As Mishlei (24:16) teaches, "A righteous man falls seven times and rises." Righteousness is defined not by never falling, but by having the humility to rise and begin again.
Perfectionism breeds a destructive cognitive distortion: all-or-nothing thinking. It insists that anything short of complete triumph is total failure. In the Perakim section of Nefesh HaChaim, Rav Chaim of Volozhin interprets the verse, "Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Bereishit 6:5). He notes that the Yetzer Hara's primary strategy is not merely inciting wrongdoing; it is the incessant, demoralizing inner critique whispering: "You are worthless; you are inadequate."
When an endeavor must be completely flawless, it generates overwhelming anxiety and tension. Paralyzed by high stakes, a person concludes it is safer to do nothing at all. This resembles someone who refuses to host guests for a mitzvah simply because their tableware is incomplete.
This is why we declare at a siyum: "We toil and they toil; we toil and receive reward, while they toil and do not receive reward." In secular pursuits, labor is merely a vehicle; reward depends strictly on output and finished deliverables. In the Torah's economy, however, God rewards the amal—the sincere effort and toil itself. We recite this specifically upon completing a tractate to prevent arrogance or misunderstanding. The celebration is not merely that a milestone was achieved, but that sustained, honest labor was offered along the way. A perfectionist never truly celebrates; reaching a goal brings only fleeting relief before they raise the bar to an impossible, punishing height.
As we enter Yom Kippur, our task is to dismantle these two foundational lies of the Yetzer Hara:
- Lie #1: "It will only last a day or two." The truth: every single second of connection is an eternal, irreplaceable triumph.
- Lie #2: "You can't do it perfectly anyway." The truth: Hashem asks for sincere, dedicated effort, not perfection.
When we internalize these truths, we free ourselves to commit wholeheartedly to real growth—fully aware that our efforts may be fragile, and confident that they are deeply cherished by Hashem.