Intellect: True or False?

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

Using the intellect involves absorbing information, giving explanations, drawing distinctions, making comparisons, reaching conclusions, and so on.

Yet although this is the nature of intellect, it is not the goal of intellect, for all these intellectual processes can be carried out in a correct, true way or in a twisted, false way. The goal of intellect is to transcend selfish, emotional considerations and reach a pure, unbiased understanding of a concept.

True intellect knows that it is liable to be blinded by self-interest, and so it actively seeks to divest itself of this corrupting influence.

To explain, the Torah warns us: “Bribery blinds the eyes of the wise.”[1] No matter how refined, knowledgeable, and experienced a judge may be, when he stoops to take a bribe, he creates an inner emotional bias that makes it impossible for him to judge fairly, leading inevitably to a travesty of justice.

If at first the judge was inclined to rule against the accused, when he accepts a bribe, he does not necessarily rule leniently in order to consciously fulfill his side of the dishonorable deal he made when he took the bribe. Rather, accepting the bribe sways his judgment, inducing his mind to devise of all kinds of pretexts to acquit the accused.

Likewise, consider two parties who come to court, each one pleading his side. Even when the case is highly complex and two-sided, each litigant will present a long list of claims in his own favor—including elaborate, advanced, and even innovative arguments. This will even happen when one or both sides has done things that outsiders would consider egregiously wrong.

Each one is convinced beyond any shadow of doubt of his own righteousness, even to the extent that he is simply incapable of acknowledging any merit in his opponent’s claims. Moreover, instead of partially conceding the perspective of his opponent, he turns around his opponent’s every argument to further bolster his own case. In fact, even simple, completely uneducated people can come up with such arguments.[2]

The reason for this amazing capacity for rationalization is the tremendous personal investment that each side has in winning the case.

The challenge of the judge is to examine the case with zero personal bias and apply the law to the specifics of the case before him faithfully and correctly.

Likewise, Hashem endowed us with intellect and charged us with the task of using it to assess the world and our fellow the dilemmas that we face in life in a mature, true, and objective manner.

When emotions are strong, the person is at risk of rendering intellectual decisions that are incorrect and ethical decisions that are unjust. This danger is completely unrelated to the extent of his intellectual development. No matter how high his IQ and how vast his knowledge, if his emotions are allowed to affect his intellect, all his arguments will be false. On the contrary, the brighter he is, the greater the danger that he may persuade others to adopt his false ideas.

Generally speaking, an immature person relates to the world through his emotions, and his intellect is not true intellect, but intellect recruited—rather, hijacked—for the benefit of his emotions. In the language of Chassidus, only the intellect of his Bestial Soul is active. This is also known as mochin de’katnus, “immature intellect.”

In contrast, an intellectually mature person assesses every issue that he analyzes objectively. Not only is his judgment not colored by his feelings, but even when his personal feelings directly contradict the conclusion warranted by intellect, he reaches the conclusion correctly.

In short, his intellect is not controlled at all by his emotions, but only by the dictates of the faculty of intellect.[3] Although this may seem like a high level, it is one that we should all strive towards. 

This is not to say that this person’s emotions are nonexistent or even that that they are weak. Nor is refining his emotions a prerequisite. One can possess fiery, unrefined emotions, and still possess an intellect with the power to utterly disregard those emotions. This is maturity in intellect. In the language of Chassidus, this is a person whose Nefesh HaSichlis (Intellectual Soul) truly dominates. This is also known as mochin de’gadlus, “mature intellect.” (See here and here.)

However, it should be noted that although some people are more naturally gifted with the ability to reach this level than others,[4] one can only truly attain it when one predicates the use of one’s intellect on faith in Hashem and humble submission (“bittul”) to His will as revealed in our holy Torah.[5]

Based on the Previous Rebbe’s Sefer HaMaamarim 5691, pp. 162-163;
cf. the Rebbe Rashab’s Sefer HaMaamarim 5679, p. 181; ibid. 5671, p. 91. 

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[1] Shemos 23:8.
[2] Hayom Yom, Elul 9.
[3] Chassidus calls such a person a “chochom be’etzem ko’ach chochmoso.”
[4] See Tanya ch. 2, end, which explains that the spiritual level of a child depends upon the purity of the parents’ thoughts and behavior during conception. The Tzemach Tzedek explains (Kitzurim Ve’Ha’oros LeTanya p. 75) that this is referring to the degree of the refinement of the child’s Nefesh HaSichlis.
[5] Cf. Likkutei Sichos, vol. 3, pp. 889-890.



Dedicated by Shmuel and Sara Rochel Markel in honor of the birth of their daughter, Yehudis bas Shmuel Leib. Yegadluha leTorah, lechuppah, ulemaasim tovim mitoch harchavah!

Dedicated in the merit of a speedy release for the captives Yonasan ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard), Alan Gross (Aba Chonah ben Chava Chana), Sholom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka (Sholom Rubashkin), and Zeva Rochel bas Chaya (Wendy Weiner Runge).



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Reaching a Higher Level of Consciousness

Reaching a Higher Level 

of Consciousness

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

There are two general perspectives or mental states that one can experience. In the terminology of Kabbalah and Chassidus: mochin de’gadlus, “higher consciousness,” and mochin de’katnus, “small-mindedness.”

When you are in a state of mochin de’gadlus, you see the big picture, the vast plan, and the underlying purpose of everything around you. Hashem’s absolute reality is real, unquestionable, even tangible, and so you view all worldly things as trivial and fleeting. This awareness naturally brings to vibrant passion and zeal in your divine service (see here).

Likewise, your deep connectedness with higher, spiritual truths makes you ready to have self-sacrifice for a noble cause. You do not care to give up personal preferences and do things that are difficult and demanding, because you believe so deeply in the worthiness of your mission, to which you have been summoned by a higher calling.

However, in a state of mochin de’katnus, you fail to see the vast plan and the deeper meaning behind the world around you. You miss the forest for the trees, and so you get bogged down with material and even trivial concerns. Although you still believe in Hashem and perform the mitzvos, there is a sense of distance and detachment from the truth of His reality, and this is also reflected in a diminished sense of excitement and inspiration in your divine service. You dwell on superficial, material realities, and lack patience and true joy. You think that material pleasures will bring you true fulfillment, while the thought of efforts at growing spiritually is anything but pleasurable. You are preoccupied with satisfying your immediate conveniences, desires, and needs, and serving Hashem is the last thing on your mind. 

Another way of putting it is the distinction between maturity and immaturity. There is a fundamental difference between a mature mentality and a childish one. As the Alter Rebbe writes: “The emotions are commensurate with the intellect, for a child desires and likes petty things of meager value, for his mind is small and too narrow to appreciate more precious things. Likewise, he is angered and enraged by trivialities, and the same goes for [the child’s] boasting and other emotions” (Tanya ch. 6). So the direction of the emotions is dictated by one’s intellect. Thus, the child’s undeveloped mental capacities result in emotional immaturity. This is why a child becomes very excited over sweets and toys, and angered when deprived of them. Conversely, he does not grasp the meaning of wealth and power, and thus he does not truly desire them (cf. Kuntres HaTefillah, p. 16).

Similarly, someone who is physically an adult can be in a state of mochin de’katnus spiritually. They may have little or no interest in tefillah (prayer), Torah study, or anything more than the most basic observance of mitzvos. Their life revolves around superficial things—amassing wealth, prestige, or satisfying material desires. They do their religious duties mechanically, out of rote, waiting impatiently for the moment they will be “free.” They view anyone inspired about spiritual things with disdain, and dismiss them as “religious fanatics.” Ultimately, one who goes down such a path is at risk of renouncing observance of Yiddishkeit altogether, may G–d save us.

A variation on this theme is someone who is apparently very strong in his or her Torah observance, but approaches it in a way of mochin de’katnus, small-mindedness. This could manifest itself in various ways. One example is a person who follows Halachah meticulously and beyond the letter of the law, which is of course very positive, but falls into severe depression, or gets angry and irritated, whenever he fails even to a minute degree. Or he is obsessively critical of every minute fault in others, and certainly of major ones, but somehow forgets to notice even the minor ones in himself. And so on.

In these cases and many others, the person is not truly thinking about Hashem. He may be keeping Torah and mitzvos in the technical sense, but he is not truly serving Hashem because he does not think about Hashem; instead, he thinks incessantly about technical rules, do’s and don’ts, all the while missing the main thing—that these rules exist in order to bring us to fulfill our inner potential for goodness and holiness, to refine our inner selves and unite us with Hashem and with all around us—which is the mochin de’gadlus perspective.

In any case, keeping Torah and mitzvos, and especially living according to the teachings of Chassidus, means following a program which, if followed correctly, with the right guidance, is designed to lift up our perspective from mochin de’katnus to mochin de’gadlus.

So, how indeed does one alter one’s mental state from mochin de’katnus to mochin de’gadlus, or help someone else to achieve this goal? Well, it should be noted that even before we embark on the journey, we have to fix our eyes on the goal. The first step to change is simply recognizing the urgency of the need and cultivating the desire to fill it. But even once one has the desire to grow and change and rise more and more often to a higher state of consciousness, he should realize that it is a gradual process, and although rising ever higher is attainable, it will be a lifelong struggle, that will involve ups and downs. 

How exactly do we attain it? I will leave that for another post...

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This post has been dedicated by Yehoshua Solomon l'ilui nishmas Avraham Eitan ben Getzel Yosef, in honor of the Yahrzeit on 2 Tammuz, and by Menachem Kovacs in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father, Eliezer ben Shalom ע"ה, on 17 Sivan.

Like what you read? The articles I write take a lot of time and effort. Please contact me to sponsor an article for $36 in honor of the birthday, wedding anniversary, or yarhtzeit of a loved one, or for a refuah shleimah or the like. Also, see here concerning the tremendous merit of supporting the dissemination of Chassidus, and the blessings that one receives for doing so.