To my friend,
I read your letter from the month of Tevet (December 1956) and I will answer in brief and in general.
I have already written you that there are mitigated judgments. To understand this in the preparation to entering the Creator’s palace is that sometimes a person feels that he is in a state of lowliness, meaning that he has neither Torah nor work, and also thoughts of worldly vanities and so forth. At that time one becomes despaired saying, “‘And I to serve my master’ must have been said about someone else.”
Rather, to people of high degrees, who have been born with good and upright qualities and a good mind, and desire and craving to persist with the study of Torah, and their only engagement since their arrival in the world, their minds and hearts are only about Torah and work. But a man of my value, I belong in the cowshed, and the verse, “For it is not a vain thing for you, for it is your life and the length of your days,” was not said about me.
Sometimes there is mitigation during the awakening of the lowliness, and a person sees that “I did not know how immersed I was in transient things and my idle matters. I did not pay attention to being as one should be. And the psalm that is said, ‘Will be glorified in me for He desires me,’ I too should be saying that psalm because all of Israel have a part in the next world, as in ‘He stood and concealed it for the righteous in the future.’
“But now that I am far from the whole thing, I must not despair and only trust the Creator, that ‘You hear the prayer of every mouth.’ ‘Every’ means that even though my mouth is not as proper as it should be, the thirteen qualities of mercy are bound to awaken on me, as well.
“From this day forth, I hope to be going forward, though I have already said this many times and in the end remained in my lowliness.” At that time he replies that there are “world,” “year,” “soul,” and these three must be united in same time, place, and soul together.
For this reason, he says, “It is now certainly the time for me to come out of all these bad states, and ‘one who comes to purify is aided,’” and he promptly begins the work with renewed vigor and strength.
Even during the negotiation he does not feel suffering from the lowliness, that he sees that he has been in this lowliness all his life. On the contrary, during the negotiation he feels pleasantness and elation because now the greatness he will later be awarded shines for him. This is considered that the surrounding light shines to him from afar.
That is, although he is still far from the king’s palace, meaning he has not yet been rewarded with purifying his Kelim (vessels) so as to be for the Creator, he nonetheless has illumination from the light that is destined to clothe in him. It follows that the state of lowliness does not pain him, but on the contrary, gives him pleasure.
This is regarded as “mitigation of the judgments,” meaning that that situation is not so bad. It is so because he is not looking back to the past, but ahead, to the light he is destined to obtain. It follows that he is attached to the Creator in terms of the surrounding light.
However, the two above states are also difficult—for a person to be able to judge and scrutinize himself regarding which state he should accept and follow. Usually, when a person is still uneducated in the ways of the work, he is like a shadow. Sometimes he is shown from above a state of despair, and sometimes he is shown from above a mitigation of the lowliness.
But anyhow, if one cannot choose for oneself what he must take, he should still believe that the state of despair is the truth. Instead, he should say that he is still not qualified in the work but is still in the catapult, meaning being thrown from above from state to state.
And if the person falls into the first state, called “despair,” then he really is dead. And sometimes a person puts himself to death, meaning goes to a place where there is danger. This is called “putting himself in a dangerous place.” For the most part, the environment causes such a state called “death.” And then, “the dead are free,” since a dead person becomes liberated from the Mitzvot (commandments). That is, he says that all the Mitzvot he had taken upon himself from his teachers were useless, so he has no reason to pursue them.
The advice for this is only to return to an environment of living people, meaning people who are still pursuing the Mitzvot they have assumed from their teachers. And although in that state he cannot believe that there are people in his group who are alive, rather it seems to him that the world has darkened and wherever he looks there are only heaps of bones surrounding him, there is one thing where he can exert and see—if his group is nonetheless pursuing with the commandments of his teacher.
Sometimes one is not even allowed from above to see even this. At that time he sees before him a cunning person, that he cannot deceive himself that he is walking on the straight path, and seeing that his works are undesirable torments him.
This is not so with the group. Either they do not see their real situation or they do not even have the time to see their lowliness, so they lead a tranquil life and are at peace. But (I) lead a life of pain.
At such a time a person sometimes craves to enjoy worldly vanities, but that, too, cannot satisfy him. And although he sees that others do enjoy life, and why was he sentenced to be unable to be satisfied like others? He walks around and sees people running about each to his work, or shop, or seminary, and none of them seem to be in any pain and suffering. Instead, they are all merry and joyful. So why can’t I find reason for satisfaction with honor and provision?
In other words, even people who have less than he does are still not tormented by life so much as to say that they are not enjoying life. But as for me, I feel that life is tasteless, meaning that all the corporeal pleasures cannot please me enough to satisfy me.
I am not saying that if corporeal pleasures do not give me as much pleasure as I want I will give them up, for even something that is not worth a dime you do not throw outside. But the concern is that I am not feeling as much pleasure as they do, so I will be as satisfied as others.
In truth, if we were to draw (this) and say that corporeal pleasures contain forty percent pleasure, that could be satisfactory to people who settle for forty percent. But to people who have tasted a spiritual taste, of whom we can say that they had had a sixty percent pleasure, they find it difficult to get used to living on food that contains only forty percent. This is why they are all merry and joyful, and he lives a life of pain, since he needs sixty percent pleasure. However, he does not throw away the pleasure, even if it contains only one percent.
This is why “Anyone who is greedy is angry.” That is, even though they receive as much pleasure as others, he is angry. That is, he wants to find the amount of sixty percent pleasure that he was used to in the spiritual flavors. But to begin with, you can only enjoy a tiny light in corporeality, as it is written in the holy Zohar, meaning a very limited amount of pleasure. Therefore, even when he dies, meaning when he has lost the taste of spiritual life, when he remembers that he is used to tasting the flavor of a higher percentage than there is in corporeal pleasures, he is afflicted and dissatisfied.
This is the meaning of “The maggot is as hard to the dead as the needle to the living flesh.” That is, when he is dead, but remembers the taste of pleasure he had had while being spiritually elated, called “maggot,” “as a needle to the living flesh,” meaning when he was alive and all his pleasures were in Torah and work, and he felt the flavor of the work of devotion in order to bestow contentment upon his maker. And if some sin awakened in him, meaning a craving of the will to receive, it pained him.
This is the meaning of “as a needle to the living flesh,” meaning when he was attached to life. But now that he remembers the maggot he is regarded as dead, and is afflicted, too.
However, it is a rule that the dead are forgotten from the heart. That is, he forgets that he was alive once, and that now he is in a state of death. They are washed by the flow of life of the general public and no longer live a life of sorrow. In other words, they come to a state where they forget everything.
At that time he comes to the state of “the dead are free,” meaning he is freed from all the commandments he had received from his teacher, and comes to a state of forgetfulness, forgetting even that he once possessed some works. Instead, it seems to him that he has been in this state his whole life, and forgets to make even that calculation, but simply flows on with the currents of the world.
It therefore follows that there are several states before one comes to grip the pipeline of life that sustains all the souls:
1) He forgets to make a scrutiny as to his current state.
2) He scrutinizes and sees that he is dead, and remembers the time of maggot. At that time he feels a life of pain, as it is written, “As a needle to the living flesh.” However, he falls into despair.
4) He scrutinizes and sees that he is dead, but the light of confidence shines for him and he grows stronger, deciding that henceforth he will walk in the ways of work as in mitigation.
5) During the work, when he works under the commandment of the mind and heart as much as he can, as in “Whatever you can do with your hand and strength, that do,” at that time it feels tasteful to study Kabbalah, although he does not understand the content of the spiritual matter. Still, the study shines for him with the light in it. He also feels the flavor of working above reason, and feels the remoteness that the will to receive causes him, and he craves to engage only in work of bestowal until the Creator pities him and greets him, as it is written, “I will hear what God will say, for He will speak peace to His people and to His followers, and let them not turn back to folly.”
Indeed, we should understand a heavy question—that we have been granted with hearing the words of the living God from the mouth of the living ARI, Baal HaSulam, and saw that nothing was hidden from him, and each time we were awarded with surrendering before him with our hearts and souls we felt that we were in spiritual air, above all the vanities of this world, how is it that we have remained in our current state, each according to his degree, where each of us should have been at a higher degree than he is in now?
This matter is revealed in the Torah. I have already explained to you the meaning of Israel’s exit from the hands of Pharaoh, and why if the Creator wanted to bring Israel out of Egypt, He had to have Pharaoh’s consent, since he is almighty. I explained that Pharaoh is the body, and the body needs to “love the Lord with all your heart,” etc., and love cannot be forced.
For this reason we should ask, “It is known that the work should be above reason, so why did the Creator show Pharaoh the signs?” Another question: “I have hardened his heart that I may place these signs of Mine within him.” It makes sense to argue that He has denied him the choice. That is, besides the fact that the inclination in a man’s heart is evil from his youth, he continually added him with hardening of the heart, so he had no way to choose the good and reject the bad.
Indeed, we should understand it the way Baal HaSulam had taught us: The foundation of our work should be in order to bestow. However, when there is a sign, it is difficult to work Lishma (for her sake), and the main thing is “that I may place these signs of Mine within him.” That is, specifically above reason, it is difficult to work Lishma.
But the main thing is that where there is a question of “who,” there is room for connection with “these,” and by the two of them, God appears there, since “These” without “who” cannot be, as explained (in the “Introduction of the Book of Zohar,” in the Sulam commentary).
And most importantly, we need the letters of Torah to appear, for the “the uneducated are not pious,” meaning that it is specifically one who is learned in Torah that we need. Otherwise it is regarded as “one who gives his daughter to an uneducated, it is as though he puts her in the lion’s mouth.” Put differently, if he is illiterate in Torah, it is certain death. Also, Torah is called the middle line—containing both things together, meaning “who” and “these,” which together make up the name Elokim (God).
Accordingly, if a person begins to enter the work on the path of truth and begins to taste flavor in the work, then it is possible to fail with the will to receive. That is, he already has a basis for engaging in Torah and work because he feels it as more palatable than all the vanities of this world.
In that state he no longer needs faith above reason because the sensation of pleasure is a clear sign to him that it is worthwhile to be a servant of the Creator. But if he is not given flavor in the work, he will not be able to continue with the work because it is difficult to begin with work that is above reason. Rather one begins in Lo Lishma (not for her sake) and then arrives at Lishma.
The order is as we teach infants to walk: We hold their hands and lead them (again). When they begin to walk we leave them alone. In the beginning they fall, so we help them again, and they fall again. So is the order until one can walk unassisted. This is regarded as being above to work Lishma.
Then, when he is awarded many things, he already knows how to conduct himself so as to be in order to bestow, even though he is receiving many things because he is learned in the Torah, meaning that he constantly engages in the Torah—to make all his intentions for the Creator. This is the beginning of the time when he is shown the secrets of Torah, which is the abundance poured upon the servants of the Creator.
With the above we will understand the matter of the hardening of the heart, which the Creator had promised Moses. That is, after all the miracles and wonders, meaning even if we receive several kinds of Gadlut (greatness/adulthood), both in terms of elation and in terms of innovations in the Torah, although in the act it will give us huge inspiration, to the point where we decide that there is none else besides Him and we should dedicate ourselves only to serving the Creator.
Therefore, do not think that this will cancel the room for work with respect to what the person must discover, for the person will promptly be annulled before his teachers and there will be no room for choice, meaning what one should (discover) choose.
In that regard, the Creator promised, “I can do something that you cannot understand that such a thing will be in reality. That is, if I have hardened his heart,” since the Creator gives the hardening of the heart because promptly after all the evident signs he forgets everything and has to start his work anew. “And if you ask ‘Why I need all those signs if he forgets them?’ but the time when he has a clear sign that it is worthwhile to be the Creator’s servant is called ‘support.’” And it is not attributed to him, but only to the supporter. But alongside this he accustoms himself to walk, as with the allegory of the infant.
Therefore, even though we were rewarded with hearing the words of the living God from the Shechina (Divinity) that was speaking out of the mouth of Baal HaSulam, the choice still remains with us. Thus, although he had revealed to us many revelations, it was only in order to guide us so we might walk unaided.
Hence, for each innovation he had revealed to us in the Torah, which brought us elation and great confidence to dedicate our lives only for the sake of the Creator, there promptly came a hardening of the heart, as in “for I have hardened his heart,” so we would later be able to make our own choice, as this is called “labor without support.”
His intention was to bring us to the desired wholeness. This is why each one remains in a state that is unsuitable for a student of his, and we need to strengthen ourselves, as it is written in my previous letter, that Jacob the patriarch did not die, meaning that his quality of truth lives forever. And when the verse, “And fear not, my servant Jacob, says the Lord, neither be frightened, Israel, for I will save you from afar and your seed from the land of their captivity.”
That is, even if we are in complete remoteness, the salvation of the Lord is as the wink of an eye, and we will be rewarded with coming to the truth, meaning to bestow contentment upon the maker. Amen, may it be so.
Your friend, Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag
Son of Baal HaSulam