Hazazh Atzmit Self-Motivation: Positive Gaze
Blessing, Goodness and Life: The Power of the Eyes
There is a very important expression in Chassidut called hazazh atzmit (self-motivation). Every return to God, every change of essence begins with being shocked or moved. This movement is called self-motivation. It is the beginning of change.
In his blessing to Israel at the end of his life, Moses says, “Betach badad ein Yaakov” (“Secure, alone, the eye of Jacob”)[1] . The word betach is an acronym for Bracha (blessing), Tov (goodness) and Chaim (life). When we look at something, we should choose to see the Betach – its blessing, good and life. The eye of Jacob should be focused only on these positive attributes.
If we just look at something naturally, we see a mixture of components, positive and otherwise. But when we choose what we see and focus upon it, we actively imprint our sight on that given reality. Seeing only the good in someone or something is a masculine form of sight imprint. It actively goes out of the eye and embeds itself in the attribute that we choose to see – and not in anything else.[2]
The choice to look only at the good effects a tremendous power of clarification, “They were all clarified with wisdom[3]. The clarification that we effect with our positive power of sight – activating our good eye, judges other people and situations favorably. We see only the blessing and not the curse, only life and not death, only goodness and not evil. This is how the active sight imprint of the tzaddik (“and Your nation are all tzaddikim”[4] so this applies to us all) works. It is the power of “Betach badad ein Yaakov” to effect goodness in reality. Thus, the very last verse in the Torah says, “that Moses did in front of the eyes of all Israel”. Moses worked to rectify the nation of Israel’s eyes so that they would have the power of holiness to radiate and embed only those things that the eye is supposed to see: blessing, goodness and life. This is how the tzaddik judges others favorably and elevates them.
The Secret of the Positive Points
On the verse “and just a bit more and there will be no evil person, and you will look at his place and he is not there”[5] Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains that when we see a person as evil, we are perceiving him with our animal soul. It is upon us to find the “just a bit more” in him, the point at which he is not an evil person and see him in a favorable light.
When a tzaddik looks at a sinner, he judges him favorably by activating his good eye. He looks, contemplates and chooses to highlight the “just a bit” – the place where the object of his gaze is not evil.
If we strongly focus on someone’s back, he will suddenly and inexplicably feel it and turn around. This phenomenon exemplifies the fact that energy radiates from the eyes and influences reality.
The sages say, “Do not judge your friend until you reach his place.”[6] If the power of our eyes is so strong that we reach a point of “just a bit more” in which we no longer perceive a person as evil, that active sight imprint has helped to move him a bit. There is a rule that two things cannot be in the same place at the same time. Thus, if we have reached into his place “Don’t judge your friend until you reach his place” – if we truly succeeded in reaching his positive point with our gaze so that the light of our eyes sees where he truly is – then we have actually moved him.
HAZAZEH ATZMIT
There is a very important expression in Chassidut[7] called hazazh atzmit (self-motivation). Every return to God, every change of essence begins with being shocked or moved. This movement is called self-motivation. It is the beginning of change.
Because we are all responsible for each other – “All the people of Israel are responsible for each other,”[8] we can move someone with our gaze. But this can only happen if the light that emanates from our eyes reaches his place, his point of “just a bit more,” where we do not perceive him as evil. We have to connect to him and highlight his good points. Our good eye, along with our active sight imprint, reaches his good point and moves him – “and you will look at his place and he is not there” because he has moved. If he began to move, he will continue to move, ascending from one level of holiness to the next.
It all depends on our positive gaze.
[1] Deuteronomy 33:28.
[2] The intention in this description is to see only the good in others, which is different than general eye imprint, in which we identify a person or object in general and not in particular. This is how we can explain the opinion of the Yam Shel Shlomo, who says that general sight imprint is based on a general impression from returning light, without conscious choice. Active sight imprint from direct light, by contrast, is unique in that it is capable of focusing on one component as per the intention of the heart.
[3] Tanya, Igeret Hakodesh 21 in the name of the Zohar (see Ta’amie Hamitzvot of Rabbi Haim Vital, parashat Ekev).
[4] Isaiah 60:21.
[5] Psalms 37:10.
[6] Pirkei Avot 2:4
[7] Torat Menachem part 4 (Parashat Mishpatim 5714) p.330.
[8] Shavuot 39a.