Rebbe Chaim of Sanz: Examining the Urge to Be Righteous

The urge to be righteous is an urge like all other urges. But in order to fulfill it, you must first get rid of all urges.

Attribution printed on the image: Rebbe Chaim of Sanz

A reflection on the teaching

Even a desire to become righteous can become tangled with pride, competition or the need to be admired. The striking wording printed here asks us to examine that desire. A practical reading is to loosen our attachment to appearing righteous so that we can attend to the right action itself. We should not treat the saying as a demand to eliminate all human feeling. Before doing something impressive, ask whether we would still do it if nobody knew. That question can help bring sincerity into an otherwise worthwhile effort.

Source note: The attribution above is transcribed from the image. The exact source and English wording have not been independently verified.