We conclude Chapter 4 in our lesson today. The Ramchal takes us to our final destination in the trait of Watchfulness.
The Ramchal has told us that there is an attribute of Judgment in the world. We must be aware that we can be liable if we are not responsible in fulfilling our roles in life – and the purpose for which we are here for.
Nevertheless, judgment does not happen immediately. There is always a delay before anything actually happens due to our having done something wrong. When we have this time, we should use it correctly by involving ourselves in Teshuvah (repentance). By turning back to God at times like these, we soften the attribute of Judgment and allow for God’s mercy to take over preventing the judgment from taking out its full toll against us.
Nevertheless, somebody who does not take this opportunity and assumes that God will simply overlook anything we do in life just because we want to do it, will do nothing to help the attribute of mercy. As a result, that judgment will still exist. It will not just go away by itself.
In a sense, the pain that we go through as we regret the negative things we have done, compensates somewhat for the action that was done – that should not have been done. That pain is itself a type of punishment for ourselves, and therefore brings mercy upon us and the world in general.
Our next chapter will continue discussing factors that hold us back from achieving the goal of being able to be careful and watchful of the things we should be aware of.
