Is Virtue Absolute or Relative?

Rav Dessler and The Paradox of the Virtuous Sinner

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler teaches that we won’t be judged for where we’ve ended up (spiritually), but for how far we’ve come. Virtue, in other words, is to be measured not in absolute, but relative terms. What we’re aiming for is maximum “delta,” not a fixed target. You hear this kind of teaching in yoga class—don’t look at the person on the mat next to you…