Nevertheless, he is not deemed a tzaddik at all.

For this dominance that the light of the divine soul has over the darkness and folly of the kelipah of the animal soul, which is automatically dispelled, is limited to the divine soul's aforementioned three garments - [ONLY in thought, speech and action does the divine soul of the Beinoni dominate his animal soul], but the essence and core of the divine soul does not dominate the essence and core of the [animal soul deriving from the] kelipah.

For in the Beinoni, the essence and core of the animal soul originating in kelipah, which is lodged in the left part of the heart, remains undisturbed [not displaced by the divine soul] after prayer, when the burning love of G-d is no longer in a revealed state in the right part of his heart, [as it was during prayer when the love glowed openly and was palpably felt there];

rather, [the love (after prayer) is only on the inside] - his heart is inlaid with hidden love, meaning that love which is natural to the divine soul, [not the revealed love born of meditation that the Beinoni experiences during the prayer, but a natural, hidden love of G-d], as will be discussed further [in chapter 18 - that in the heart of every Jew lies hidden a natural love of G-d].

Then [after prayer, when the love of G-d is no longer revealed in the heart of the Beinoni], it is possible for the folly of the "wicked fool" [i.e., the animal soul] to reveal itself in the left part of the heart, craving all physical matters of this world, whether permitted [except that they should be desired and used as means of serving G-d, whereas at this time the Beinoni craves them for their own sake, for the pleasure they provide] or whether prohibited, G-d forbid, as though he had never prayed.

[His craving is limited] only [in that] in the case of [a craving for] a prohibited matter, it does not enter his mind to transgress in actual practice, G-d forbid. But thoughts of sin, which are [in certain respects - as explained in the previous chapter] "more heinous than actual sin," can manage to rise to his mind, and to distract him from Torah and divine service, as our Sages say, [8] "There are three sins so difficult to avoid that no man is safe from [transgressing], daily: thoughts of sin, [lack of] concentration in prayer... [and slanderous gossip]"; [thus the Beinoni is included in the generalization that "no man" avoids thoughts of sin].

   

Notes:

8. (Back to text) Bava Batra 164b.