Uprooting Evil At Its Root

ברש"י אבד תאבדון מכאן לעוקר ע"ז שצריך לשרש אחרי'

Rashi explains on the verse "abaid te'abdun" ("you shall surely destroy") that from here we learn that one who uproots avodah zarah must root out everything that comes after it.

When the Torah uses a doubled expression for destroying avodah zarah, Rashi derives that it is not enough to destroy the idol itself; one must also eliminate everything connected to it.

והוא כלל לכל עקרית מדה ותאוה רעה

And this is a general principle for uprooting every bad trait and evil desire.

The Sfas Emes broadens Rashi's point into a klal: the same applies to uprooting any bad character trait or improper craving within a person.

לבד הביטול במעשה

Beyond nullifying it in actual deed,

It is not sufficient merely to stop the bad behavior in practice.

צריכין לעקור כל רשימה רעה בלב

we must uproot every evil impression left in the heart.

One must go further and tear out the residual mark that the evil trait has left within the heart.

והאמת כי לזה צריכין סייעתא דשמיא

And the truth is that for this we require siyata diShmaya (Heavenly assistance).

Uprooting that inner impression is beyond human power alone, and therefore a person needs help from Shamayim to accomplish it.

ואפשר לכך נאמר מקודם אבד לשון ציווי ואח"כ תאבדון

And perhaps it is for this reason that the verse first says "abaid" in the form of a command, and afterward "te'abdun."

This explains why the verse splits into two words: the first, "abaid," is a command directed to the person, while the second, "te'abdun," points to something further.

שע"י הביטול במעשה ומבקשין לעקור השורש

For through the nullification in deed, together with our seeking to uproot the very root,

When a person both removes the evil in his actions and genuinely strives to dig out its deepest root,

זוכין לסיוע הקב"ה

we merit the assistance of the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Hashem responds by granting him the siyata diShmaya he needs.

והיא הבטחה שאח"כ תאבדון

And this "te'abdun" ("you shall surely destroy") is a promise of what will come afterward.

The second word is thus not a repeated command but an assurance: once you do your part, the complete destruction will follow with Heavenly help.

ועיקר הפירוש שצריכין לשרש אחרי' הוא כי תכלית הכוונה בכל דבר צריך להיות לענין הנוגע בשורש למעלה

And the essence of the explanation that one must "root out everything that comes after it" is that the ultimate intention in every matter must be directed toward what touches its root Above.

Rashi's phrase "root out everything that comes after it" teaches that one's true aim in any avodah should reach all the way to the spiritual root of the matter Above.

כי אין הכוונה כדי לתקן עצמו לעלות למדרגה

For the intention is not in order to repair oneself so as to ascend to a higher level,

The goal is not merely self-improvement, climbing to a personal madreigah.

רק כדי לבער שורש הרע ולתקן שורש הטוב כמאמר שצדיקים מקיימין העולם כו'

but rather in order to eradicate the root of evil and to repair the root of good, as in the teaching that the tzaddikim sustain the world, and so forth.

The real purpose is to wipe out the root of evil and strengthen the root of good in the world, in keeping with the idea that tzaddikim are what sustain creation.

וז"ש שצריך לשרש אחרי'

And this is what is meant by "that one must root out everything that comes after it."

This deeper purpose is precisely what Rashi's words "root out everything that comes after it" are hinting at.

והוא בעזר הבורא ב"ה וב"ש כמ"ש מחה תמחה אתם מלמטה ואני למעלה כו' וז"ש אבד תאבדון כנ"ל:

And this is accomplished with the help of the Creator, Blessed is He and Blessed is His Name, as it is written, "You shall surely blot out" (Devarim 25:19) — meaning you blot out from below, and I from Above, and so forth; and this is the meaning of "abaid te'abdun" as explained above.

Such uprooting at the root can only be achieved with Hashem's help, as the Gemara teaches on "You shall surely blot out Amalek": man does his part below and Hashem completes it Above — and this is the meaning of the doubled "abaid te'abdun."

Summary: The Sfas Emes builds on Rashi's teaching that destroying avodah zarah requires rooting out everything connected to it, and turns it into a general principle for conquering every bad trait and craving. It is not enough to stop the wrong behavior in practice; one must also uproot the evil impression it leaves in the heart, a task that lies beyond human strength and demands siyata diShmaya. He reads the doubled verse "abaid te'abdun" accordingly: "abaid" is the command for a person to do his part, while "te'abdun" is Hashem's promise that, once a man nullifies the evil in deed and strives to dig out its root, the Ribono shel Olam will complete the destruction from Above. The deeper aim, he stresses, is not personal self-elevation but the eradication of the root of evil and the strengthening of the root of good Above, the very avodah through which tzaddikim sustain the world. Just as Chazal teach on blotting out Amalek that man works below and Hashem completes it Above, so too the surety of "te'abdun" rests on the partnership of a person's effort and Hashem's help.