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LAMECH'S DOUBTS ON THE NATURE OF DESIRE AND TEMPTATION. KISEHEL EXPLAINS MAN'S FREEDOM OF WILL BY WAY OF AN EXAMPLE. (9th December 1842)
[1] After that everyone was again bright and cheerful; only Lamech could not quite collect himself and seemed to be full of thought.
[2] Kisehel, well noticing this, approached Lamech and asked him: "Brother Lamech, what are you still pondering about? Tell me frankly what is still bothering you so much. Do not be shy; for now we are all brothers and must be of one mind. So tell me quite openly if you will what is stirring your soul so much. Amen."
[3] And Lamech, pondering for a short time and collecting his thoughts, said finally: "Mighty friend and brother! Behold, you are not wrong in asking me as you did; for strong doubts are assailing my soul and I earnestly do not know what to make of them.
[4] "You will surely be best able to enlighten me on them.
[5] "Since you have asked me about it, I will at once inform you of my main worry, — and so hear it; for these are my thoughts:
[6] "Look, I cannot make sense of all the constant temptations and I think: Throughout my life I have committed many crimes; why did I do them?
[7] "Because I could not act differently; my heart, my whole nature were such that I had to act as I did.
[8] "For every action was prompted by an ardent desire which I could resist as little as a most violent storm of the elements.
[9] 'Who created in me such evil desire, who the unrestrained thought in my heart? Did I do this? Or could I do this? For I do not even know in the least what sort of thing this desire is and where it comes from.
[10] "I perform all my deeds in keeping with such desire; yet is it my fault that I committed them? Was I not urged on violently by this my desire? But in this desire lies surely all the temptation!
[11] "If man is tempted by such an invincible power in himself and unable in his weakness to resist a temptation, – tell me who is the real culprit if man succumbs to the mighty temptation.
[12] "And seeing that man cannot possibly have the strength to resist the temptation, what is temptation for? What is its final purpose?
[13] "Behold, mighty friend and brother, these are my thoughts. Just give me a little light on this and throughout my whole life I will not waste another thought on this doubt."
[14] And Kisehel gave the following answer to Lamech: "Brother Lamech, nothing could be easier for the spirit to comprehend – than exactly this.
[15] "Look, presuming you, too, were capable of creating a man endowed with a free will. If you willed it, he would already be there; having endowed him with all sorts of talents and capabilities, you would then say to him:
[16] "Well, you man created through my power, I tell you, you are free and can do what you want!' – Will this man created by you in all earnest be free? .. – Oh no; for he does not yet know what freedom is.
[17] "Neither will he begin to act in accordance with his talents and capabilities, but will stand there like a vessel filled with water, full — albeit of the very purest water. What will you have to do to make him act freely? – You will have to instill him with a desire to act.
[18] "Once he possesses it, he will tackle everything according to the pull of the desire; however, will such an action be free and within God's order? You say: 'By no means!'
[19] "Well and good; but in order for his action to be free and within God's order, should he not be shown by means of laws what to do or not to do?
[20] "However, if you will lay very strict laws into him, he will be acting like an animal.
[21] "If you will lay them down too lax, that is, without sanction, they will not challenge him.
[22] "Thus you will have to sanction them, and the man will only then begin to discern right from wrong, or what is within God's order from what is not.
[23] "In order for him to become active and a free spirit, you will have to provide him with opportunities testing his initiative; and behold, these opportunities are nothing else but the temptations so harshly criticized by you.
[24] "Thus God must also send us such temptations, otherwise we would be like stones, or trees, or animals.
[25] "But God wants us to be free men; hence he must always provide us with opportunities through which we can become truly free.
[26] "The temptations arising from the world and our desires are such opportunities! So set your mind at rest and be no longer sad; but only in your spirit will you find this riddle completely solved.
[27] "And so be cheerful with us all. Amen."