Principles of Spiritual Work in the Group
Love of friends that is built on the basis of love of others, by which they can achieve the love of the Creator, is the opposite of what is normally considered love of friends. In other words, love of others does not mean that the friends will love me. Rather, it is I who must love the friends.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“What to Look For in the Assembly of Friends”
Each one should try to bring into the society a spirit of life and hopefulness, and infuse energy into the society. Thus, each of the friends will be able to tell himself, “Now I am starting a clean slate in the work.” In other words, before he came to the society he was disappointed with the progress in the work of God, but now the society has filled him with life and hopefulness.
Thus, through society he obtained confidence and the strength to overcome because now he feels that he can achieve wholeness. And all his thoughts—that he was facing a high mountain that couldn’t be conquered, and that these are truly formidable obstructions—now he feels that they are nothing. And he received it all from the power of the society because each and everyone tried to instill a spirit of encouragement and the presence of a new atmosphere in the society.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“What to Look For in the Assembly of Friends”
Each student must extol the virtues of each friend and cherish him as though he were the greatest in the generation. Then the environment will affect him as a sufficiently great environment, since quality is more important than quantity.”
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“What to Look For in the Assembly of Friends”
Each student must feel that he is the smallest among all the friends, and then he will be able to receive the appreciation of the greatness from everyone. This is so because the greater one cannot receive from the smaller one, much less be impressed by his words. Only the lower one is impressed by the appreciation of the greater one.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“Concerning the Importance of Friends”
There should be careful watch in the society, disallowing frivolity among them, since frivolity ruins everything.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“Purpose of Society (2)”
Rather, it is one person who can help another by seeing that one’s friend is low. It is written, “One does not deliver oneself from imprisonment.” Rather, it is one’s friend who can uplift his spirit. This means that one’s friend uplifts him from his state into a state of livelihood. Then one begins to acquire confidence and wealth once more in life, and he begins as though his goal is now near him.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“They helped Every One His Friend”
Those who have agreed among them to unite into a group understood that there isn’t such a great distance between them in the sense that they understand the necessity to work in love of others. Therefore, each of them will be able to make concessions in favor of the others, and they can unite around that.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“Make for yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend (2)”
To be integrated in one another, each person should annul himself before the others. This is done by each seeing the friends’ merits and not their faults. But one who thinks that he is a little higher than the friends can no longer unite with them.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“Purpose of society (2)”
It is a great effort when one should judge the friends to a scale of merit, and not everyone is ready for it.
Sometimes, it is even worse. At times, a person sees that his friend is disrespectful toward him. Even worse, he heard a slanderous rumor, meaning he heard from a friend that that friend, who is called so and so, said about him things that are not nice for friends to say about each other. Now he has to subdue himself and judge him to a scale of merit. This, indeed, is a great effort…
Therefore, when a person makes the effort and judges him to a scale of merit, it is a Segula [remedy/power/virtue], where by the toil that a person makes, which is called “an awakening from below,” he is given strength from above to be able to love all the friends without exception.
This is called, “Buy yourself a friend,” that a person should make an effort to obtain love of others.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“What to Look For in the Assembly of Friends”
It turns out that each and every one must be attentive and think how he can help his friend raise his spirit, because regarding the mood, anyone can find a needy place in one’s friend, which he can fill.
The Rabash, Rabash—the Social Writings,
“They Helped Every One His Friend”
He who thinks that he is deceiving his friend, is really deceiving the Creator, since besides man’s body there is only the Creator. This is because it is the essence of creation that man is called “creature” only with respect to himself. The Creator wants man to feel that he is a separated reality from Him; but except for that, it is all “the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Hence, when lying to one’s friend, one is lying to the Creator; and when saddening one’s friend, one is saddening the Creator.
Baal HaSulam, Shamati[I Heard], Article no. 67,
“Depart from Evil”