Letter
54
15
Tevet,
Tav-Reish-Peh-Het,
January
8,
1928
To
my
soul
mate
…
may
his
candle
burn:
Today
I
received
your
letter
with
all
the
adventures
that
had
happened
to
you,
and
what
you
wrote
from
the
night
of
fourth
of
[the
Torah
portion]
VaYechi
[Jacob
Lived]:
“If
the
light
had
surrounded
your
entire
body,
you
would
have
been
saved
from
all
your
troubles.”
It
seems
that
you
have
not
fully
grasped
what
I
said
to
you
before
your
journey:
“There
is
no
other
salvation
but
the
attainment
of
the
Torah.”
The
whole
Merkava
[chariot/structure]
of
the
Sitra
Achra
[other
side]
is
only
to
fool
people
in
other
matters
in
order
to
deny
them
this
truth.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
exile
in
Egypt
in
mortar
and
bricks,
and
the
boasting
of
their
king,
“My
Nile
is
mine
and
I
have
made
it.”
See
what
is
written
in
that
portion:
“This
shall
be
the
sign
to
you
that
I
have
sent
you:
When
you
have
brought
the
people
out
of
Egypt,
you
shall
serve
God
on
this
mountain.”
That
is,
when
the
Creator
wished
to
verify
for
him
the
sacred
situation
with
which
he
has
been
rewarded
then
(as
explained
in
the
writings),
He
verified
it
with
that
sign,
that
he
will
undoubtedly
be
once
again
rewarded
with
the
reception
of
the
Torah
in
that
place.
Understand
that
thoroughly:
Even
though
the
face
of
the
Creator
appeared
to
Moses
in
complete
clarity,
so
much
so
that
he
was
afraid
to
look
at
the
Creator,
he
still
needed
the
guarantee
of
the
Torah,
for
otherwise
the
Creator
would
certainly
not
make
him
look.
It
is
written,
“Seek
the
Lord
while
He
is
found,
call
upon
Him
while
He
is
near.”
“Seek
the
Lord
while
He
is
found”
means
where
He
is
present,
and
you
will
not
fail
with
the
Sitra
Achra,
who
always
deflects
a
person
to
seek
Him
where
He
is
not
present.
Thus,
one
scatters
one’s
labor
in
vain.
Hence
the
prophet
warns,
“Seek
the
Lord
where
He
is
found,”
meaning
in
a
place
of
Torah,
and
not
in
a
place
where
there
is
no
Torah,
for
He
is
not
present
there
at
all.
He
also
says,
“Call
upon
Him
while
He
is
near.”
When
the
Creator
shows
you
a
bright
face,
it
is
the
time
to
call
Him—to
contemplate
and
reflect
on
the
secrets
and
the
reasons
[also
flavors]
of
Torah,
which
is
the
reading—perhaps
the
Creator
will
open
man’s
heart
to
be
rewarded
with
the
blessing
of
the
Torah.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“The
Creator,
the
Torah,
and
Israel
are
one.”
By
this
you
can
also
observe
the
need
that
the
Creator
had
at
the
event
of
the
first
prophecy
to
Moses
to
pledge
to
him
with
this
sign
of
acceptance
of
the
Torah.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“Who
will
ascend
into
the
mountain
of
the
Lord,
and
who
will
stand
in
His
holy
place?
He
who
has
clean
hands
and
a
pure
heart,
who
has
not
lifted
up
his
soul
to
falsehood
and
has
not
sworn
deceitfully.”
It
is
said
that
prior
to
a
person’s
exit
from
the
mother’s
womb,
he
is
sworn:
“Even
if
the
whole
world
tells
you
that
you
are
righteous,
be
as
a
wicked
one
in
your
eyes.”
This
matter
requires
explanation:
Our
sages
have
already
said,
“Do
not
be
wicked
in
your
own
eyes,”
much
less
when
the
whole
world
testifies
that
he
is
righteous,
should
he
regard
himself
as
wicked?
I
wonder.
We
should
also
understand
the
words,
“Be
as
a
wicked
one
in
your
eyes,”
which
implies
that
in
his
own
heart
he
can
know
the
truth—that
he
is
righteous.
The
thing
is
that
there
are
two
works:
one
is
in
the
heart,
and
one
is
in
the
mind.
That
is,
to
turn
the
vessels
of
reception
in
both
of
them
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
At
the
time
and
moment
when
a
person
purifies
the
vessels
of
reception
of
the
heart,
he
immediately
becomes
worthy
of
His
light,
which
pours
out
incessantly.
That
light
is
called
Nefesh
[soul],
after
the
disclosure
of
the
Nefisha
[rest]
in
all
the
organs.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“Who
will
ascend
into
the
mountain
of
the
Lord,
and
who
will
stand
...?”
meaning
gain
an
eternal
level
and
will
not
fall
again.
It
is
precisely
“He
...
who
has
not
lifted
up
his
soul
in
vain.”
In
other
words,
once
the
Creator
has
turned
to
him
and
brought
him
a
little
closer,
he
needs
to
strengthen
himself
immensely
and
take
that
light
for
scrutiny
of
the
Torah,
to
find
its
secrets
and
increase
his
knowledge
of
the
Creator.
This
is
the
meaning
of
raising
the
eyes
of
the
Shechina
[Divinity],
as
it
is
written,
“A
bride
whose
eyes
are
beautiful,
the
rest
of
her
body
does
not
require
examination.”
If
a
person
does
not
pay
attention
to
raising
the
eyes,
then
he
carries
the
light
of
Nefesh
futilely.
Even
worse,
he
swears
deceitfully,
for
at
the
time
of
birth
he
was
sworn,
“Even
if
the
whole
world
tells
you
that
you
are
righteous.”
That
is,
even
if
he
is
rewarded
with
the
light
of
Nefesh,
where
all
the
organs
and
tendons
of
his
small
world
feel
that
he
is
a
complete
righteous,
placed
in
the
Garden
of
Eden,
he
must
still
not
believe
it
whatsoever
until
he
raises
up
the
eyes
of
Kedusha
[holiness].
This
is
the
meaning
of
“Who
will
ascend”
and
“Who
will
stand”—precisely
“He
who
has
clean
hands,”
who
has
been
rewarded
with
cleaning
both
his
forms
of
reception—of
mind
and
of
heart.
“And
a
pure
heart”
means
that
he
has
already
been
rewarded
with
attaining
the
flavors
[also
“reasons”]
of
Torah
and
all
its
secrets,
as
it
is
written,
“And
you
will
know
this
day
and
reply
to
your
heart
that
the
Lord,
He
is
the
God
...
there
is
none
else.”
“Who
has
not
lifted
up
his
soul
to
falsehood”
means
that
he
understood
how
to
work
and
use
the
light
of
Nefesh
that
the
Creator
illuminated
for
him,
“And
has
not
sworn
deceitfully,”
but
raised
the
eyes,
as
said
above.
Delve
deeply
into
all
that
is
said
here
for
it
is
a
true
and
sincere
counsel
to
avoid
being
trapped
by
the
counsel
of
the
Sitra
Achra,
who
always
fools
into
seeking
the
Creator
where
He
is
not
found.
Hence,
each
day
one
should
remind
oneself
of
this.
But
what
can
I
do
for
you
if
you
do
not
appreciate
my
words
properly,
and
therefore
scatter
your
energy
futilely?
I
wish
you
would
hear
me
from
now
on
because
my
words
are
always
in
“neither
add
nor
take
away,”
and
are
therefore
still
standing
and
waiting
for
a
listening
heart.
My
words
are
being
said
in
due
time
because
the
above-mentioned
precise
work
is
very
capable
in
these
days,
which
are
called
in
the
books,
“Tikkun
Shovavim
TaT
[correction
of
the
naughty,
Tav-Tav
(acronym)].”
Let
me
disclose
to
you
that
the
books
offer
only
intimations
that
are
completely
abstruse
to
the
masses.
Indeed,
its
mark
is
Shovavim
TaT
as
an
acronym
for
Talmud
Torah
[Torah
study],
and
there
is
no
other
correction
but
TaT,
and
“One
who
does
not
know
the
commandment
of
the
upper
one,”
etc.
The
thing
is
that
the
upper
light
that
approaches
a
person
to
direct
him
toward
revival
is
called
Nefesh,
due
to
the
reception
of
Nefisha
[rest]
in
the
organs,
each
according
to
its
measure
in
its
time.
However,
it
cannot
exist
without
Ruach
[spirit],
meaning
attainment
of
the
Torah.
This
is
why
that
person
is
called
“naughty,”
like
a
little
boy
who
places
both
hands
in
a
bag
full
of
money,
jumping
and
dancing
about,
not
knowing
what
to
do
with
the
money
because
he
does
not
know
the
shape
of
the
money
or
how
to
trade.
It
turns
out
that
one
who
gives
a
gift
of
a
bag
of
money
to
a
little
boy
does
not
do
him
any
good
by
this.
On
the
contrary,
he
makes
him
naughty
and
drives
him
crazy.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“He
will
make
my
soul
naughty.”
In
other
words,
if
the
Creator
does
not
give
the
Ruach,
but
only
the
Nefesh,
He
makes
a
person
naughty
and
crazy.
However,
from
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake]
one
comes
to
Lishma
[for
Her
sake],
meaning
as
he
ends,
“for
His
name,”
meaning
that
through
this
he
will
be
rewarded
with
Lishma.
This
is
why
he
said,
“Return,
oh
naughty
boys,”
meaning
those
who
have
not
yet
been
granted
with
Ruach.
This
is
the
meaning
of
attainment
of
the
Torah.
Also,
as
I
spoke
to
you
prior
to
your
journey,
this
is
the
meaning
of
the
Klipa
[shell]
of
Pharaoh,
king
of
Egypt,
which
was
such
a
hard
Klipa
that
no
slave
could
escape
from
Egypt
because
of
the
lights
that
they
had
to
give
to
all
those
who
fell
into
their
hands,
until
they
could
not
retire
from
them.
It
is
as
is
written,
“My
Nile
is
mine
and
I
have
made
it,”
as
I
interpreted
for
you
while
you
were
still
here
...
This
is
why
the
enslavement
in
the
[Torah]
portion
Shemot
[Exodus]
begins
with
the
exile
in
Egypt,
and
does
not
end
before
the
portion
Yitro
[Jethro],
at
the
time
of
the
reception
of
the
Torah,
as
in
“This
shall
be
the
sign
to
you
that
I
have
sent
you:
When
you
brought
the
people
out
of
Egypt,
you
shall
worship
God
on
this
mountain,”
as
I
have
explained
above.
Therefore,
it
is
very
possible
for
any
person
who
wishes
to
complete
what
is
desired
of
him,
for
in
these
sequences—Shovavim,
Teruma
[donation/contribution],
Tetzaveh
[command
(verb,
imperative
form)]—he
will
examine
his
works
and
correct
his
ways
for
the
reception
of
Torah.
...
He
will
gather
all
the
sparks
of
light
of
his
soul
that
were
captured
by
the
Klipa
of
Egypt
into
a
place
of
Torah
with
great
longing
and
yearning.
Through
studying
with
the
external
mind,
as
in
“Whatever
you
find
that
your
hand
can
do
by
your
strength,
that
do,”
we
will
be
rewarded
with
our
hearts’
opening
in
His
law
and
the
depths
of
His
secrets,
and
we
will
be
granted
the
reception
of
Torah
as
explained
in
the
portion,
Yitro.
The
rest
of
the
sequences,
Mishpatim
[ordinances],
Teruma
[donation/contribution],
Tetzaveh
[command]
are
the
teaching
from
the
making
of
the
calf
and
the
breaking
of
the
tablets.
The
Tikkun
Shovavim
is
implied
in
the
books
in
relation
to
ejaculation
in
vain,
called
“nocturnal
ejaculation.”
However,
they
are
the
same
issue,
as
I
have
explained
that
one
who
did
not
purify
the
vessels
of
reception
of
the
heart,
the
vessels
of
reception
of
the
mind
are
necessarily
filthy,
too,
and
his
faith
is
flawed
because
he
cannot
believe
what
his
eyes
do
not
see.
Just
so,
one
whose
vessels
of
reception
of
the
heart
are
flawed
necessarily
contemplates
once
a
day
or
so
and
will
come
to
nocturnal
ejaculation.
At
the
same
time,
it
is
necessary
that
he
will
come
by
a
thought
of
heresy,
called
“a
bag
of
ejaculation,”
since
the
vessels
of
reception
of
the
heart
and
the
vessels
of
reception
of
the
mind
go
hand
in
hand,
and
then
“The
righteousness
of
the
righteous
will
not
save
him
on
the
day
of
his
transgression.”
It
follows
that
all
the
lights
he
had
received
fall
into
the
hands
of
the
Sitra
Achra,
and
delve
in
it,
for
I
have
been
brief.
All
this
continues
until
one
is
rewarded
with
extending
Ruach
along
with
the
Nefesh,
meaning
reception
of
the
Torah.
I
cannot
continue
with
this
any
longer,
and
it
is
time
you
took
my
words
to
heart,
perhaps
the
Creator
will
resolve
to
pour
upon
us
spirit
from
on
high
until
the
will
of
the
Creator
succeeds
by
you...
Yehuda
Leib