Unity of the Friends
You should know that there are many sparks of sanctity in each person in the group. When you collect all the sparks of sanctity into one place, as brothers, with love and friendship, you will certainly have a very high level of sanctity from the Light of Life, for the time being.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 13”
Each of them had a spark of love of others, but the spark could not ignite the light of love to shine in each, so they agreed that by uniting, the sparks would become a big flame.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“One Should Always Sell the Beams of His House”
I do remind you of the power of love of friends particularly at this time, for our existence depends on that, and this is the measure of our near-to-be success.
Therefore, turn away from all the imaginary engagements and set your hearts on contemplating thoughts and devising the right inventions to truly connect your hearts as one, and the words, “Love thy friend as yourself,” will come true in you.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 47”
Do what you can and the salvation of the Lord is as a blink of the eye. And the most important matter before you this day is the unity of the friends. Exert in that as much as you can for it can compensate for all deficiencies.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 10”
I hereby instruct you to begin to love one another as yourselves, share your friend's sorrows and rejoice at your friend's delights as much as possible. I hope you will keep my words and carry out the matter in full.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 49”
This, too, I will ask of you: make great efforts in love of friends to find new ways to increase the love among the friends, and to nullify your bodily passions, for this is what casts hate, and among those bestowing contentment upon their Maker, no hate may be depicted. On the contrary, mercy and great love exists among them, and these words are simple.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 11”
Indeed, I feel all of you together, that you have replaced today with tomorrow, and instead of “now” you say, “later.” There is no cure for that but to strain to understand that error and perversion—that only those who need salvation today are salvaged by the Creator. And those who can wait for tomorrow will obtain their wit after their years, God forbid. This came upon you due to your negligence in my request to exert in love of friends, as I have explained to you in every possible manner that this remedy is sufficient to complement for your every deficiency.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 13”
I have established orders for you, by which you can maintain the situation without regressing, and the most unique of which is adhesion of friends. I guarantee that this love is capable. I will remind you of everything good thing that you need; and if you are steadfast in that, come what may, you will surely go from strength to strength in spiritual ascensions.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 47”
“And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, ‘What are you seeking?’” ... meaning, “How can I help you?” “And he said: ‘I seek my brethren.’” By being together with my brothers, that is, by being in a group where there is love of friends, I will be able to mount the trail that leads to the house of God.
This trail is called “a path of bestowal,” and this way is against our nature. To be able to achieve it, there is no other way but love of friends, by which everyone can help his friend.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “The Love of Friends”
There is none so wise as the experienced. Therefore, I will advise you to awaken within you fear of chilling the love between us, although the mind denies such an image. Still, exert yourself, if there is a tactic to increase the love, for one who does not add, it is regarded as decreasing, too. It is similar to one who gives a splendid gift to his friend; the love that appears in his heart at the time of action is unlike the love that remains in his heart after the fact. Rather, it gradually cools and wanes until one may completely lose the blessing of love. Thus, the recipient of the gift must find a way to make them new in his eyes each day.
Baal HaSulam, A Sage’s Fruit, Vol. 1, “Letter no. 2”
How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. These are the friends, as they sit together inseparably. At first they look like people at war, wishing to kill each other, then they revert back to a state of brotherly love. The Creator, what does He say about them? “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.” The word “together” indicates the presence of Divinity with them. Moreover, the Creator listens to their discourse and He is pleased and content with them. And you, the friends who are here, just as you were previously in a state of love, so you should remain inseparable from now, until the Creator rejoices with you and calls peace upon you and by your merit shall there be peace in the world. “For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘May peace be within you.’”
The Book of Zohar with the Sulam [Ladder] commentary,
Aharei Mot, Items 64-65
And while one begins to feel the love of his friend, joy and pleasure immediately begin to awaken in him, for the rule is that a novelty entertains. His friend’s love for him is a new thing for him because he always knew that he was the only one who cared for his own well being. But the minute he discovers that his friend cares for him, it evokes within him immeasurable joy and he can no longer care for himself, since man can toil only where he feels pleasure. And since he is beginning to feel pleasure in caring for his friend, he naturally cannot think of himself.
Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Letter no. 40”
Each gift ... that he gives to his friend is like a bullet that makes a hollow in the stone. And although the first bullet only scratches the stone, when the second bullet hits the same place, it already makes a notch, and the third one makes a dent.
And through the bullets that he shoots repeatedly, the dent becomes a hollow in his friend’s heart of stone, where all the presents gather. And each gift becomes a spark of love until all the sparks of love accumulate in the hollow of the stony heart and become a flame.
The difference between a spark and a flame is that where there is love, there is open disclosure, meaning a disclosure to all the peoples that the fire of love is burning in him. And the fire of love burns all the transgressions one meets along the way.
Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Letter no. 40”
And once I have acquired the clothing, sparks of love promptly begin to shine within me. The heart begins to long to unite with my friends, and it seems to me that my eyes see my friends, my ears hear their voices, my mouth speaks to them, the hands embrace, the feet dance in a circle, in love and joy together with them, and I transcend my corporeal boundaries. I forget the vast distance between my friends and me, and the outstretched land for many miles will not stand between us.
It is as though my friends are standing right within my heart and see all that is happening there, and I become ashamed of my petty acts against my friends. Then, I simply exit the corporeal vessels and it seems to me that there is no reality in the world except my friends and I. After that, even the “I” is cancelled and immersed, mingled in my friends until I stand and declare that there is no reality in the world—only the friends.
Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Letter no. 8”
One must know that love is bought by actions. By giving his friends gifts, each gift that he gives to his friend is like an arrow and a bullet, making a hole in his friend’s heart. And although his friend’s heart is like a rock, still, each bullet makes a hole. And the many holes join into a hollow, into which the love of the giver of presents enters.
And the warmth of the love draws to him his friend’s sparks of love, and then the two loves weave into a garment of love that covers both of them. This means that one love surrounds and envelops the two, and they naturally become one person because the clothing in which they both cover is a single garment. Hence, both are annulled.
Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings, “Man as a Whole”