There is the general public, and there are the chosen few. Also, there is upbringing, and there are customs. And also, there is the fear of heaven.
The general public is regarded as “upbringing.” That is, what obligates them to observe Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] is that they were raised this way. This means that if the body asks the person why he is doing these things, he answers to himself that it is because he was brought up this way and this is the custom in the environment where I was born.
Hence, this is a strong basis for a person not to fall from his state because habit becomes nature. Therefore, all the things and actions by which a person was brought up are not difficult for the body to do because he has a strong obligator called “upbringing” or “custom.”
For this reason, if a person does not blemish the customs of Israel and his upbringing, he can continue with his habits. For example, a person does not face a temptation to drive a car on Shabbat [Sabbath] because he was brought up this way.
But if a person wants to do things for which he was not brought up, then even for the smallest action, the body asks, “Who are you doing this for?” meaning who is the obligor.
At that time, a person faces a test and a choice, since he still does not have an obligation to do this, since the environment he is in does not do such things, so he has no one to look at and say that many people do, or say, or think similar to what he wants to do now.
It follows that he has no one on whom to rely because he has no basis from his upbringing or environment. Instead, he must say that the fear of heaven obligates him to do this or that. Hence, the only one he can rely on is the Unique One.
For this reason, this person is among the “chosen few” and not one of the general public among whom he was born and from whom he received his upbringing. Therefore, at that time he needs the Creator’s help. This is the meaning of “He who comes to purify is aided” from above, since he cannot receive help from the general public and therefore needs mercy from above and must receive the Torah from above.
However, the Torah that is prevalent in the general public cannot help him because they will not give him the strength to work more than what they have.