Beit Shammai taught something that sounds harsh at first:
It would have been better if a person had not been created. That doesn’t mean life is bad. It means being alive is risky. Because once a person exists, the Ego shows up. Wanting comfort shows up. The drive for reward, control, and validation (people pleasing) takes over.
Life easily turns into:
“What can I get from this?” instead of: “Who am I actually relating to?”
So Beit Shammai adds the kicker:
Now that we are here, a person should examine their deeds. Being alive isn’t a prize. It’s a responsibility.
Beit Hillel usually focused on the goodness of creation. But in the end, they agreed with Beit Shammai on this point:
Living requires ongoing self-reflection.
Not guilt.
Not self-hate.
But radical honesty.
This helps explain a famous statement by the Alter Rebbe:
“I want nothing at all. I don’t want Your Garden of Eden. I don’t want Your World To Come. I want nothing but You alone.”
He wasn’t rejecting reward.
Judaism believes in the World to Come (an era of revealed truth/unity).
He was pointing out the trap:
If I want G-d because of the bliss I get, it is still a transaction. I am still the main character. Gan Eden is pleasure.
World to Come is fulfillment. Messianic is about working on repair. All of that is good. But they are results.
The Alter Rebbe was pointing to a relationship that comes before results. Wanting the Giver, not the gift. This seems to be exactly what Beit Shammai was warning us about.
Being created makes it easy to replace Relationship with:
1. Comfort
2. Meaning
3. Reward
4. Being “right”
Refining your personality isn’t about becoming impressive. It’s about clearing away the items/values that block a real relationship. Beit Shammai identified the risk of being alive.
The Alter Rebbe showed us the solution.
Not dramatic.
Not extreme.
Just honest.
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