Letter No. 37

... as for separating love of friends from the work of the Creator, I do not understand it at all because it was never the custom with Baal HaSulam to connect those two together.

On the contrary, it was always forbidden to speak words of Torah or of states of greatness and smallness among the friends. Our way has always been, “Walk humbly.” It was barely permitted to speak of matters of work among the friends, as said in several of Baal HaSulam’s essays in that regard.

Rather, the devotion of the friends was that of ordinary people, where each one cares only about his friend’s corporeality, not about his spirituality. Drawing closer among the friends was actually through meals and drinking of wine, not through words of Torah.

Therefore, I am not sure what innovations you are trying to make. Perhaps until now you believed that for love of friends there shouldn’t be discussions or engagements in matters of work, and now you know for sure that this is the only way it should be, meaning by walking humbly.

The way is as one who goes to his friend’s occasion. He doesn’t think of himself—whether or not he is in a good mood—but must take part in his friend’s joy. He must not frown, but show a happy face. It is the same here: bonding among the friends should be such that each wishes to delight his friend, and precisely with corporeal things, since precisely here is the matter of “Buy yourself a friend.”

“Make for yourself a rav” is a different story. That is, sometimes among the friends, one wishes to execute, “Make for yourself a rav” toward another. However, this is specifically among friends who have great care and strict rigor, and not everyone is suitable for it. But this is no longer considered “love of friends,” meaning what love of friends requires, since there is no connection to the work, as you wrote to me.

Baruch Shalom HaLevi

Son of Baal HaSulam