עברית
Faith
What is the source of the phrase 'There is nothing that stands before one's will'?
Question
What is the source and meaning of this phrase (whether there is an actual source or if it is merely a popular saying)? For example, if I have a strong desire to submit my resignation to my boss and cease working, while also wanting my salary not to be affected at all and even to increase, or like a person who has been sentenced to ten years in prison but very much wants to return home immediately after the trial, and for no one to bother him regarding this. Thank you very much.
Answer
Greetings,
There is a similar saying in the holy Zohar (Parashat Terumah, page 82b): "All matters of the world depend on desire." The responsa of the Ba'er Shmuel, part four (end of section 45) cites these words of the holy Zohar as a reliable source for the aforementioned saying, which is commonly in the mouths of many. However, it is clear that the intention is not that one can achieve anything physical merely through sheer will; rather, all achievement in the world fundamentally depends first and foremost on the power of will, and without this basic condition, one will not succeed in attaining it.
However, regarding spiritual achievements, we find a statement by the holy gaon Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein zt"l of Sokotchov (deceased 1926) in his book Shem Mishmuel (Parashat Terumah, 1912, at its conclusion) stating: "Everything depends on will, and there is nothing that stands before will," and every Jew can reach the highest levels, as the Rambam wrote (Chapter 5 of the Laws of Repentance, Halacha 2): "Every person is fit to be as righteous as Moses our teacher," etc. Similarly, he wrote there (Parashat Tzav, 1915, comment on the Zohar) that it is known that there is nothing that stands before will, and if the will is strong and firm, it can break mountains and shatter rocks, etc.
With blessings,
Hillel Meirs
