There is a difference between “pishpush” and “mishmush”. The first Hebrew word refers to the idea of examination. The second refers to feeling.
A person must examine all his deeds to see that what he is doing is good. However, even when he does good, he also needs to do the latter “mishmush” whereby he feels the quality of what he is doing, to determine if there are any flaws in it.
A person must be like a store owner who checks the stock he has available and who checks that everything weighs out as he should. A store owner is vigilant to check on his stock to make sure he will make a profit. He cannot afford to lose out on profit because of not checking what is going on in his business.
So too must a person take stock every day of his deeds and check that all is as it should be.
Above this, one must realise that most often, one cannot see one’s own faults. Sometimes one needs to consult with a person who can see into one’s own life because of things that they have gone through themselves in order to correct themselves. When another has overcome the challenges, that person can also see the faults of others and assist them out of their own challenges and battles.
Let us see what the Ramchal has to share with us as we go deeper into this subject.
