Letter No. 18

May 11, 1956, Manchester

To the friends, may they live long:

I have received the letters of… and the rest of the friends are idle in their writing, since they think that there can’t be any profits from correspondence, because they doubt that there can be any profits from correspondence. This brings up the question, “What can bring profits?” Some think that they already have answers to all their questions. In that case, what need is there for questions, because the answers are already placed in a box for them, and all they need is to do what they already know.

Or one who implies that he still needs to correct his bad qualities, so what does he mean by that? Does he think to notify me that he regrets this day and night, meaning that for him it is as in, “And my sin is ever before me,” meaning that he is always worried and concerned about this, and other concerns do not occupy him? If this was his intention, I would enjoy it very much.

Still, it is written, “A concern in one’s heart let him speak of it with others.” And since the festival of Shavuot is approaching, and we need much preparation to be rewarded with the giving of the Torah, I will bring here some words in the name of my father.

This matter is brought in the article, “The Arvut” (“Mutual Guarantee”), and these are its words, “Now if you obey My voice indeed and you will be My virtue from among all the nations, for all the earth is Mine and you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” I will not elaborate on the questions, but the main thing that is explained there is that through the people of Israel, who are more capable than all the nations to approach the Creator, He will then bestow the abundance upon the rest of the nations.

Therefore, know my friends that since we were together with Baal HaSulam we are more capable of approaching the Creator, but we need to listen to his voice and to keep his covenant, for the voice of the living ARI [Baal HaSulam] will certainly not stop from us. As we were near him, he is certainly speaking on our behalf, and his voice is heard when he comes into the holy place. When a person approaches Kedusha (holiness), his voice is heard and we are certain to succeed.

This is the meaning of “For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say, ‘let peace be in you.’” This means that precisely because of the brotherhood and friendship “I will speak peace.” Otherwise they would be speaking in disputes and quarrels.

The interpreters interpreted that “I will say, et peace be in you’” refers to Jerusalem. We should understand according to our way. Jerusalem is called the “heart of the world,” and in the soul, Jerusalem is called the “heart of man,” meaning man’s desire is called Jerusalem, and there is a dispute there, meaning the desires of the nations of the world, from which man is made, and there are desires of Israel there and each wants to rule over the other.

It turns out that within the heart, called Jerusalem, desires quarrel and collide with one another and at that time no one rules. Naturally no one can acquire his wholeness. This is the meaning of what Rabba said, “I beg of you, do not inherit the gate of Hell. That is, there is sufferings from both the corporeal desires and from the spiritual desires.

This is applied to students who begin to enter the work of the Creator. Since none can show his full force, they are as broken vessels, meaning desires that come from the shattering, in which sparks of holiness were mingled called sparks of bestowal within the Klipot [shells] which are called “sparks of reception.”

But, “For the sake of my brothers and friends,” meaning because the purpose of creation was to do good to His creations, and in a place of hatred it is inappropriate for the light of the Creator, called “light of love,” to appear. “I will say, ‘let peace be in you,’” where “in you” means that inside the heart there will be peace. It is as in, “The Creator desires to dwell in the lower ones,” meaning to be with the lower ones in love, brotherhood, and friendship, for the lower ones to attain the light of the Creator, as it is written “I will listen to what God will speak, for He will speak peace onto His people and onto His pious ones and let them not turn back to folly.”

Meaning when we hear the voice of the Creator speaking to the heart, as in “He who comes to purify is aided,” and it was interpreted in the holy Zohar that he is aided by a holy soul, meaning that the heart hears the voice of the Creator and then specifically the voice of holiness receives the governance over all the desires, meaning the desire to bestow. And naturally, they will not turn back to folly, meaning he will not sin again because all the desires of reception have surrendered under the desire to bestow.

At that time all the good pleasantness appears on the heart, for then there is room in the heart for the instilling of the Shechina (Divinity), and the gentleness and pleasantness, and flavor and friendship spread, and fill up all of man’s organs.

This applies specifically when hearing the voice of the Creator. At that time the whole body surrenders and enslaves itself to holiness. At that time the body becomes a slave serving the holiness. But when not rewarded with hearing the voice of the Creator, we see otherwise, as the verse says, “You give us as flock for food” (Psalms 44), meaning all the desires of holiness are as food swallowed by the will to receive.

“His enemies take their spoil for themselves,” meaning that the will to receive takes all the energy that was intended for holiness; it takes it for itself, meaning if sometimes one can engage in Torah and work, it takes from that all the energy and we work without any rhyme or reason. “And you scattered us among the nations,” meaning that all the forces of bestowal were scattered under the governance of reception, which are called “nations.”

“You sell your people cheaply,“ meaning that even though there is no pleasure in the work of reception, still. If we have to perform an act of bestowal, there is no energy because they are the rulers. “And have not profited by their sale” means that we need not enjoy while doing corporeal things, but even when there is a glimpse of hope that there might be some benefit for the receiver then there is already energy to work. And it is likewise to the contrary: If there is any shadow of hope that some Mitzva [good deed] will come out of it, then the receiver is in control.

The concealment is so great that anything that is Lo Lishma [not for Her sake] can be done, and something that is Lishma [for Her sake] is so loathsome and base and despicable that he rejects that thought outward with all his might because man’s nature cannot tolerate something lowly.

This is the meaning of, “You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those around us.” That is, the will to receive called the “nations that live near us,” meaning in the heart, these nations mock and deride the work of Lishma with all kinds of mockery until we are powerless against them.

It follows that all of one’s efforts are to be favored by the Creator and to try to hear the voice of the Creator who said, “For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say, ‘let peace be in you.’” The voice of the Creator that we were rewarded with hearing while being together with the voice of the living ARI, he is certainly exerting on our behalf.

All we need is to be standing guard so we will know our approaching bad situation, so we do not ask the Creator for luxuries, but simply a life of holiness and “he who comes to purify is aided.”

By that we will understand the words, “A cane and a loaf tied to each other were given from heaven.” We should ask, “Do they not contradict one another?”

The thing is that a “cane” means suffering. A cane is only to tyrannize, which is suffering, and a “loaf” is pleasure. This means that a person is rewarded with two things together, meaning feeling the taste of suffering while working Lo Lishma, meaning for purpose of receiving, and tastes pleasure when engaging for the purpose of bestowal, and then the words “Let them not turn back to folly,” will come true.

Signing with a blessing and may we be rewarded with the reception of the Torah.

Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag,

Son of Baal HaSulam