Chapter One: Righteous, Wicked, and the Intermediate

This episode delves into the profound spiritual journey of the soul, beginning with a heavenly promise administered before birth: “Be righteous and be not wicked; and even if the whole world judging you by your actions tells you that you are righteous, regard yourself as wicked.”. This powerful statement raises significant questions, including the apparent contradiction with the instruction not to consider oneself wicked, and the challenge of serving the Divine joyfully while feeling wicked. The source clarifies the true meanings of the righteous, wicked, and intermediate individual, explaining that the common understanding based solely on the majority of deeds is merely a "borrowed name" used primarily for the purpose of discussing reward and punishment. A truly intermediate person, or beinoni, is one who is "judged" or motivated by both the good and evil natures within them. You will discover how this deepens our understanding, especially concerning a sage who considered himself intermediate, and learn that every person possesses two souls or life-forces – one connected to holiness and another stemming from a source of concealment which contains both good and evil, influencing one's spiritual struggle and character traits like anger, pride, pleasure, and even compassion. Chapters (00:00:00) - Are People Realistically Good or Bad?(00:01:04) - The Law of the Heavenly Oath(00:05:26) - The Righteous and the Wrongeous(00:10:23) - The Problem with the Common Definition of Wicked(00:16:22) - The Torah's Meaning of "A righteous man who suffers"(00:17:22) - The Real Standard for True Righteousness(00:20:23) - The First Soul of the Jews(00:27:07) - The Meaning of An Intermediate Person