It is written" "One should always sell the beams of his home and take shoes for his feet." What are "the beams of his home," shoes and the value of selling the logs of his home in order to be able to take shoes for his feet?

"Beams (Korot) of his home" meaning "incident (Mikreh)," everything that transpires in an individual's home. The individual is discussed from two aspects: mind and feeling, what he feels in his heart, good or bad. The incidents one goes through awaken questions regarding the Creator, and his friend.

Between Man and the Creator

Question: He has complaints to the Creator for not fulfilling all of his needs. Since that is the way of the good and the benevolent, and sometimes he feels the opposite, that his condition is the worst of all. That is the discernment of the spies, who speak badly of Sublime Providence.

Answer: It is written: "One must bless the evil as for the good." Since this path is founded on faith above reason rather than relying on what the mind compels him to think, speak and do, but to have faith that the Sublime Providence is good and benevolent. For by specifically justifying the Sublime Providence, one merits the attainment and the feeling of goodness and pleasure.

We should have faith that all comes from the Creator and is to our benefit. So why should we pray to the Creator to take troubles away? Because the prayer is separate from its answer. We should pray, and the Creator does what is best for us, as it is written "And the Lord shall do what He thinks is best."

Between Man and his Friend

Question: If one has complaints regarding the friends: For he is devoted in his work of love of friends, but sees no response from them nor help, rather they all behave opposite to what he thinks should be in love of friends, for each one to speak to the other with respect, as it is with respectable people.

In addition, he does not see love of friends in the friends' actions, rather all is conducted as if among lay people, who have not yet assembled and decided they need to become a society with love of friends, in which each is concerned with the others' welfare. Thus, he feels that he is the only one walking the correct path, and he spies on the friends to see if they are practicing love of friends. Since he hears that the friends are demanding the love of others, and he really wants to see if it is so.

Then he sees that it is all superficial. Even in their speech, which is the smallest part of the love of others, he sees they have no love of others. For they respond, paying no attention to the friend, coldly, as if they would like to be rid of him.

And he justifies himself: For he is thinking of the love of others, and is checking if there is love of friends in society, not out of self-love and what he benefited from the society with respect to self-love, rather he truly desires the love of others: "I am interested in society, I would like to see that each one is engaging in the love of others, for then my small force of love of others will increase, and I will have great force to engage in the love of others. Yet I see, I have gained nothing, since I see "not even one has done anything good. It would have been better if I had not lived among you."

Answer: The society was founded by one who chose the people suitable for the goal of the society, those with is a spark of love of others. Except that the spark could not ignite the light of love, illuminating in each individual. Hence, they agreed that by uniting all of the sparks, they could make one great flame.

Hence, even now, when he spies on them, he needs to overcome and say that just as before when all were of one opinion to walk the path of love of others, so it is now. And as soon as everyone judges each and every one of his friends to the scales of merit, they will ignite all of the sparks once more, and again there will be one great flame.

It is similar to establishing a covenant during the period of feeling the love among them, although it is unnecessary to establish a covenant at that time. Rather establishing a covenant was with the initial intention regarding the future, for it is possible they would not feel the love as they do now, yet would still practice the love as before.

Therefore, even though they do not feel the love now, as existed when the society was founded, in any case each one needs to overcome one's own reason and rise above reason. By each one judging his friend to the scale of merit, all will be corrected.

Thus, in all incidents of criticism, one must judge his friend to the scale of merit. Then, all will come to its place in peace.