629. One Who Despises a Wise Disciple

“Anyone who despises a wise disciple, there is no cure to his illness” (Shabbat [Sabbath] 119b). This means that only one who has an illness cannot receive the cure. But one who does not have an illness has nothing to fear.

We should say that “his illness” means that every person who has still not repented is an afflicted person, and the healing for his affliction means that he will repent. Since every person consists of “uneducated people” and the quality of “wise disciple,” called the “point in the heart,” if he despises the wise disciple within him, he will never be able to repent and will remain in his lowly state, and there is no greater affliction than this.

Rather, only when he respects the wise disciple within him, meaning he is concerned with benefitting him, and each day he searches how he can benefit him, what nourishes the wise disciple, meaning Torah and prayer, then he can hope that there will be healing to his affliction, meaning that he will repent.

I heard that Baal HaSulam said that one who despises a wise disciple, meaning his teacher, if he cannot respect his teacher properly, he cannot be cured because to the extent of the greatness of his teacher that the student assumes in his heart, to that extent his teacher can benefit him and bring him closer under the wings of the Shechina [Divinity].