Truth and Faith

The very essence of the Redemption depends upon emunah (faith). For the essence of the Exile is solely due to a deficiency in emunah. That is to say: the Redemption will come when the children of Israel strengthen themselves in true faith — believing that everything that transpires in the world in general, and everything that befalls each individual person in particular, whether suffering, G-d forbid, or abundance, all of it originates in His particular Divine Providence, may He be blessed, and not from the course of nature. And they shall further believe that everything the Holy One, blessed be He, arranges with a person is only for good — as the Sages of blessed memory explained: "Everything the Merciful One does, He does for good." [Berachos 60b; Zohar I, 181] This means that everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does with His servants is entirely good, as is further explained in all the books of truth, and in particular in Likutay Halachos — that the sufferings G-d sends a person are in order to awaken him from his slumber, so that he may return from a path of error to the path of Torah, the path of truth, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN on the verse: "I have strayed like a lost sheep" [Psalms 119:176], and as explained in Rashi's commentary on the verse: "You return man to dust, and say: Return, O children of man." [Psalms 90:3] — that the Holy One, blessed be He, sends harsh sufferings, G-d have mercy, to a person, and through them He alerts him to turn from his evil path. And conversely, when He sends abundance, the Holy One, blessed be He, showers goodness upon a person in order to test him — whether he will recognize and believe that these goodnesses and acts of kindness come from His particular Providence, or whether, G-d forbid, he will imagine that he amassed them through his own exertions and wisdom. One must further believe that whoever transgresses even a single commandment of the Torah — whether through scoffing or through heresy — will certainly be punished. Even though it may appear that sinners go unpunished, and on the contrary seem to succeed in all worldly matters — in bodily health, in livelihood, and the like — one must believe and know that the success of sinners is merely a trial for the truly G-d-fearing and faithful: will they hold fast and cling to truth in all its truth, even though they see that transgression brings no immediate harm, while the straight and true path does not bring immediate success? But in truth, Hashem, may He be blessed, will not disregard the scorners and heretics for their transgression of the Torah's commandments, nor for their mockery and derision of true faith. If they do not repent of their evil and false views and do not direct themselves toward true faith and the fulfillment of the Torah, they will be punished with severe punishments, and their apparent success will be overturned upon them into troubles and sufferings — as it says in the Psalm for the Shabbath day: "When the wicked bloom like grass, and all workers of iniquity blossom — it is that they may be destroyed forever." [Psalms 92:8] That is: the great success of the workers of iniquity is precisely so that they may perish forever. When the children of Israel attain true faith, as described in this section — even a single community alone — the complete Redemption will certainly draw near, as the holy Zohar states: "b'knishtah chadah" [Zohar Chadash, Noach 23c] — meaning, even if only one single community of men attains true faith as it should be, the Redemption will come speedily in our days, Amen. And the essence of the individual exile — that every Jew is pressed and squeezed, oppressed by sadness, by worries, by questions, doubts and bitterness from the various trials of his life, whether in health, in livelihood, etc., whether from his own side or from the side of his household — all of this is due to a lack of faith in particular Divine Providence. That is: he does not believe that everything happening to him, whether suffering or abundance, is all directed by His particular Providence, may He be blessed, and not according to the course of nature. And he does not believe that there is no rescue from suffering save from Hashem, may He be blessed, and that truly no natural effort avails — as it says: "He delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He desire the thighs of man" [Psalms 147:10] — meaning, Hashem, may He be blessed, does not desire that one rely upon natural causes. Rather: "Hashem desires those who fear Him, those who hope for His kindness" [ibid., 11] — meaning He desires, as it were, that they believe in His particular Providence, trust in Him, and await His kindness. But due to the absence of faith in particular Providence, and due to placing one's hopes in natural efforts contrary to His will, nothing good comes of it. And when this does not help, one falls into sadness, worry, and melancholy — which is the harshest exile of all, G-d have mercy. All of this is due to the absence of faith in particular Providence — meaning, not seeking salvation and mercy from Hashem in every matter for which one truly needs them. But through complete faith, as described in this section, one is saved from all manner of exiles, both general and personal.

Faith, prayer, miracles, and the Land of Israel are one single matter and interdependent. That is: the Land of Israel is a segulah (a propitious means) for strengthening faith in the Divine Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed, when one longs and yearns intensely [נִכְסָפִים] in truth to merit faith in all its generality and particularity (as explained in §1). The Land of Israel is similarly a segulah for the perfection of prayer — to feel, believe, and clearly know that it is forbidden to pray to any created being in the world, but only to Hashem, may He be blessed, alone, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN . Furthermore, the Land of Israel instills within a person's heart faith in miracles — in supernatural guidance. That is, when a person needs goodness or rescue from trouble that is naturally impossible for him to receive — if he believes in miracles, in supernatural governance, believing that Hashem can help him by means of a miracle and provide him the goodness and salvation he needs even though naturally it is beyond him — then, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN , faith and prayer transform nature. And certainly when one merits complete faith and complete prayer — never to weaken but always to strengthen oneself in prayer and faith — and when one merits believing in miracles, this is the holiness of the Land of Israel. It is further explained in Likutay Halachos that drawing close to the true Tzadik and properly fulfilling his counsels — this is literally the holiness of the Land of Israel. From this we learn that through true closeness to the true Tzadik and fulfilling his counsels, one merits to strengthen oneself in faith as one should, and also merits complete prayer — feeling that it is forbidden to pray falsely, and not to any created being, but to Hashem alone. Also through true closeness to the true Tzadik, one merits belief in miracles, as explained above. The upshot of all the above is: when closeness to the Tzadik awakens and brings one to faith in Divine Providence and faith in miracles (for faith in miraculous Providence is greater than faith in natural Providence), and to complete prayer — this is a sign that the Tzadik to whom one has drawn close is a true Tzadik. But if drawing close does not awaken one to faith, to prayer, and to proper fear of G-d, it is a sign that that Tzadik is not a man of truth. In Likutay MoHaRaN , the sign of a Tzadik — whether he is a true Tzadik — is explained. See there.

There are people who conceal all miracles within the way of nature. That is: when Hashem, may He be blessed, saves someone from a dangerous illness from which no one believed recovery was possible, or from a robber, a murderer, or another danger from which there is naturally no way to be saved — the heretics [referring to those who do not believe in particular Providence] say that those salvations and rescues wrought by Hashem through miracles were natural and came about through natural causes, not through particular Providence. When the heretics who do not believe in miracles come to an end and true faith spreads throughout the entire world — as the verse says: "For then I will convert the peoples to a pure language, so that they all call upon the Name of Hashem to serve Him with one accord" [Zephaniah 3:9] — meaning, when all the nations come to understand the truth and believe that everything is guided by particular Providence, and all call to Hashem, may He be blessed, and seek all their needs from Him, and the heretics who deny miracles come to an end — then will the complete Redemption come. For the complete Redemption can only come through faith, as explained in §1. And although we observe that faith in its generality and particularity continues to diminish and decrease — the words of the holy Zohar remain faithful: "b'knishtah chadah" — meaning, even if only one single community of men strengthens itself and conducts itself with true faith as it should, the Redemption will come speedily in our days, Amen Selah, as explained in §1.

It is impossible to attain faith except through truth. For faith is only possible regarding matters that one's human intellect and knowledge cannot grasp. For whatever is comprehensible through reason requires no faith. If so, how can one arrive at true faith — to believe only in what is proper to believe — for through blind faith, without intellect and knowledge, one can fall, G-d forbid, into false beliefs, as we know from the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, how people in every generation stumbled into false beliefs. Falling into false beliefs, G-d forbid, is tantamount to actual idol-worship. And idol-worship is more stringent than all the other transgressions of the Torah, G-d have mercy. Therefore it is impossible for faith to be true except through truth. That is: through deep inquiry and contemplation of those matters that the intellect cannot grasp and one must simply believe in — through this one arrives at an understanding of the truth, and merits to feel that these matters are worthy and fitting to be believed, even though they cannot be understood by reason. Meaning: in Hashem, may He be blessed, in the holy Torah, and in the true Tzadikim who arouse people to fear of Heaven and fulfillment of the commandments — even though at first it is impossible to understand this through reason, and even though great questions arise at first about all matters of truth — nonetheless, through true looking, one arrives, with the help of Hashem, at the feeling that these things are worthy and fitting to be believed. But in matters that are not according to the Torah and not according to the view of the true Tzadikim, it is forbidden to believe. And when one strengthens oneself in true faith — to believe in what is proper to believe — one merits afterwards to understand also through one's intellect, as the verse says: "I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem" [Hosea 2:22] — meaning that strengthening oneself in Hashem through fulfillment of the Torah and through the true Tzadikim, in faith, will bring understanding of the intellect, for this is indeed the truth of all truths.

It is impossible to attain truth except through drawing close to true Tzadikim and fulfilling their counsels — even when obstacles arise that impede this. That is: even when it seems as though fulfilling the counsels of the true Tzadikim — whose counsels are certainly only according to the Torah — might, G-d forbid, deprive one's livelihood or diminish the honor of the one fulfilling them, one should not fear this, for it is not the truth — it only seems so. For in truth, conduct according to the Torah and according to the view of the true Tzadikim harms nothing. On the contrary, through true contemplation one sees that conduct according to the Torah and according to the view of the true Tzadikim of truth holds great good even in material matters, and certainly in spiritual matters. For in the end, nothing will remain to a person except what he held onto through fulfillment of the Torah and the view of the true Tzadikim, as stated in the sixth chapter of tractate Avos: "Nothing accompanies a person — not silver, not gold, not precious stones or pearls — only Torah and good deeds." One must also know that without the view of the true Tzadikim it is impossible to understand any true interpretation, whether in the Written Torah or in the Oral Torah, as is explained and understood in Likutay MoHaRaN, Part I, §57, subsection 2. Therefore one is obligated to fulfill the counsels and views of the true Tzadikim, and to conduct oneself according to the Torah in all character traits and all conduct according to their view — without consideration of obstacles. For when one is close to the true Tzadikim but does not fulfill their counsels and does not conduct oneself according to the Torah, this does not count as closeness, as is stated in Likutay Halachos. But when one does fulfill their counsels, "truth" becomes engraved within the person, and he understands and feels which matters are worthy of belief, and he distances himself from false beliefs.

One must also distance oneself from the counsel of the wicked and from opponents and those who contend against the truth. That is, from people who contend against the true Tzadikim and hate their views and counsels. It is forbidden to accept the views of these people, because their views and counsels contradict the truth.

Through properly fulfilling the commandment of tzitzis, one is saved from the lust for sexual immorality and from the counsel of the wicked, and merits rectification of the bris and fulfillment of the counsels of the true Tzadikim.

Through powerful prayer — that is, pronouncing the letters of prayer with full strength, attentiveness, and concentration upon the words of prayer — one merits true faith. It is also explained in the Shulchan Aruch and in Likutay Halachos, that one who does not know the meaning of the prayer is obligated to study the meaning of the words. Until one understands the meaning, one is at least obligated to be careful not to skip any word of the prayer. Through guarding and being careful in prayer every day as one should — and especially when it seems as though proper prayer with concentration and attentiveness to the words will cause harm to one's livelihood, because of the time allotted for prayer, and yet one stands firm in the test and does not give heed to these false thoughts and prays properly — through this one merits to be saved from false beliefs, and merits true faith.

Those people who deny miracles — saying that everything that occurs in the world in general, and everything that befalls each individual in particular, is only according to nature, and even when they see actual miracles with their own eyes, they say these are natural — these people damage the path of faith, the path of prayer, and the sanctity of the Land of Israel. And because of them the Exile is prolonged. For the true Redemption can only come through complete faith, as explained in §1.

When faith diminishes among the Jewish people in general, the Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed, becomes hidden and concealed, G-d forbid. That is, Hashem, as it were, does not watch over His children as He should — to save them from troubles and suffering, to supply their needs without suffering. For protection from troubles and suffering, and the receiving of all bodily necessities with ease, flow only from His merciful Providence when Israel's faith is as it should be. But when faith diminishes, Hashem's anger is aroused in the world, and as a result the true Tzadikim do not want to be leaders, and then there is no true leader in the world. And through breaking one's anger and transforming it into compassion — that is, when anger arises, one overpowers and nullifies it, and shows compassion to the one toward whom the anger arose — through this the fierce anger of Hashem, may He be blessed, upon the world is sweetened. That is, Hashem shows compassion upon the world and nullifies His fierce anger, and the true Tzadikim accept upon themselves the leadership — to teach the path of truth and the straight path to those who desire to learn from them, each person according to what they need. And through the true Tzadikim it is possible to arrive at the true purpose — meaning, through genuine closeness to the Tzadikim of the generation, as explained in §5, one merits to understand the purpose of life on earth.

It is forbidden for any person to accept upon himself leadership — what is called in common parlance "a gutem id" (a good Jew, a Rebbe) — unless his faith is complete and true. But if he believes, G-d forbid, in matters that the Torah forbids believing in, even though he also believes in Hashem, may He be blessed, he is forbidden from leadership because of the false beliefs within him. From this we learn that one who has false beliefs is forbidden even from being a leader of himself… for he is forbidden to decide and conduct himself according to his own views and opinions, since these are false and incorrect. And even when it seems to him that he desires leadership because he feels compassion for the world and wishes to do good — if in truth his intent is for honor, pride, and the like, he is forbidden to accept any governance. And through such leaders people arrive at heresy. But Heaven does not allow leadership to remain in their hands for long.

One must guard faith very carefully — that is, to examine oneself always whether one's faith is complete. For through corruption of faith it is impossible to receive reproof from the true reprovers, and peace becomes corrupted — meaning, strife arises between people and exile occurs, people being driven from place to place. Through a deficiency in faith, one can also fall into heresy, idol-worship, and false beliefs. For true faith is the essence of the supernal seal of holiness, and through true faith all the holiness of a Jew is preserved.

It is impossible to merit complete faith except through drawing close to the true Tzadikim of the generation and fulfilling their counsels and views with all one's ability and in truth. For the true Tzadikim instill the essence of true faith within those who genuinely draw close to them and fulfill their counsels. For the true Tzadikim are the very essence of the holiness of all Israel.

Truth and faith are in the aspect of anpin nehirin [shining face]. That is, those people who are imbued with and conduct themselves in genuine truth and faith as they should — they merit a radiant countenance, joy, vitality, and longevity. But falsehood — meaning people of falsehood — inasmuch as they think that through the way of lies and deceit they will find livelihood, honor, and the like — these people have no true vitality, for falsehood is in the aspect of death, G-d have mercy. And these people have anpin chashuchin [a darkened face] — their faces are darkened and gloomy, and they are always filled with sadness and worry, as if worshipping idols. May Hashem, may He be blessed, help us to be saved from falsehood and to merit truth.

True faith is the foundation and root of all holiness. For through complete faith one merits all good character traits. And as explained in §4, it is impossible to attain true faith except through truth.

Even one who merits to attain holy intellect in his mind — that is, one who merits to comprehend true understanding in matters of Jewishness, in the wisdom of the Torah and in divine perception — is obligated to probe deeply and contemplate whether this intellect might lead to a corruption of faith, for one may not rely upon reasoning that contradicts simple faith.

Through false Torah scholars who teach false teachings — as is explained in the holy Zohar — heresies come about through them. That is, through their false teachings, heretical views are aroused in people — views that cause denial of Divine Providence. Through them, contempt and opposition are also aroused toward the truly G-d-fearing. The remedy and advice for being saved from them and from their false teachings is the fulfillment of the commandment of hospitality toward true Torah scholars, as explained under the heading "Hospitality" §1. For through hospitality toward true Torah scholars one merits true faith, and through true faith one merits to know who the false Torah scholars are and what their false teachings are — so that one is saved from them. Through hospitality toward true Torah scholars one also merits to break heresies and contempt and to overcome opponents — meaning, not to be deterred by any opponent.

The primary importance of charity is through faith. That is, charity has no importance except when it is given out of faith — because Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded the commandment of charity, and not, G-d forbid, for honor and publicity so that people will say he is a charitable person, or because he is weak-natured and cannot bear another's lack. As explained in Likutay MoHaRaN : to give charity because the Creator commanded it, as explained in the Torah: "And you shall strengthen him... and your brother shall live with you" [Leviticus 25:35–36]. And it is primarily an obligation to give charity to matters through which true faith is built. And likewise through properly observing the Shabbas according to its law, for the sake of Heaven — not because of fatigue and a desire for rest — but solely because Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded to rest on Shabbas and not to perform any labor, commerce, or distressful business, as the Torah warns — through this one merits complete and true faith.

And likewise all good deeds have no importance without faith — meaning, one must fulfill commandments and good deeds out of faith that Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded this. But when good actions are performed without faith, they have no importance. And even Torah study and occupation with Torah, if they are not for the strengthening of faith and fear of Hashem, have no importance. For the purpose of the entire Torah is solely to strengthen oneself in true faith and fear of sin — that is, to fear committing a transgression, both between a person and G-d and between one person and another — as stated in tractate Avos : "Whoever's fear of sin precedes his wisdom — his wisdom endures." That is, one who occupies himself with the wisdom of Torah in order to merit fear of sin — his occupation with Torah is certainly of great value. But if this occupation is not for the sake of fear of sin, it has no value. As it continues : "Whoever's wisdom precedes his fear of sin — his wisdom does not endure." And so it is explained in Likutay Halachos, with a true interpretation of the verse: "All Your commandments are faith" [Psalms 119:86] — "All Your commandments," meaning the Torah which comprises 613 commandments — "are faith" — that is, the purpose of Torah study is solely to arrive at true faith. And even knowledge of the halachic laws of forbidden and permitted, valid and invalid, is only for the sake of complete faith. That is, through expertise in the laws and halachos of Torah and their fulfillment, one is saved, with Hashem's help, from all manner of prohibition, the mind becomes purified and sanctified, and it becomes easier to arrive at the perfection of faith — which is the foundation and root of all Jewishness. And it is explained in the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, said to all Israel that the essence of the Torah is fear — as stated in the portion Ekev: "And now, O Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you but to fear" [Deuteronomy 10:12]. And fear and faith are one.

The very sustainability of faith — meaning that a person should always be strong and complete in his faith — is only through guarding the bris. That is, to guard the purity of the mind from all manner of evil thoughts, and especially from thoughts of licentiousness and views of heresy. But to guard the mind at all times is possible only through true fear of Hashem. And to attain true fear of Heaven is possible only through genuine closeness to the true Tzadikim.

Through faith — that is, completeness in true faith and the absence of false beliefs — the mind, which is the soul, is renewed during sleep. And through sleep one receives new wisdom for service of Hashem, may He be blessed, and for comprehending the truth of the Torah. For the Torah is certainly pure truth, as the verse says: "A Torah of truth was in his mouth" [Malachi 2:6]. But one must labor greatly to understand and feel the truth of the Torah properly. And through complete and true faith it is certainly possible to understand and feel the truth of the Torah, and to merit new vitality in all good deeds.

Through corruption of faith — which is tantamount to idol-worship, G-d forbid — rain is withheld, there is no peace in the world, and no one wishes to help his fellow. Also due to corruption of faith, livelihood is not found, and people are compelled to wander from place to place in search of it.

The primary source of wealth comes from truth — that is, conducting oneself in truth, whether in commerce, in craft, in household management — meaning, conducting oneself according to the Torah, which is called "truth." And one who does so, Hashem, may He be blessed, grants him to feel vitality and abundance. But one who does not conduct himself in truth — even if he is blessed with great wealth — falls into poverty and degradation, G-d have mercy. And even if it appears that deceitful people succeed in their endeavors, their end will certainly not be good, as the verse says: "He who acquires wealth unjustly — in the middle of his days he shall leave it" [Jeremiah 17:11]. That is, one who amasses wealth not honestly and truthfully will quickly lose it, and even during his period of wealth, he will be considered poor — for he is never satisfied with what he has. But one who conducts himself in truth will fare well always.

Falsehood — that is, conducting oneself with deception, whether in commerce, in craft, in household matters — meaning, conducting oneself contrary to the Torah — damages one's physical and spiritual eyes. That is, the eyes of one's intellect become corrupted and one cannot understand the truth of any genuine viewpoint.

Through words of falsehood, the turbid blood in a person intensifies, and from it arise sadness, melancholy, and tears that damage the eyes — for it is impossible to speak lies except by making one's blood turbid. And the corruption of the blood comes from lusts and evil character traits. That is, the lusts and evil traits make the blood turbid, and through the turbid blood one falls into falsehood. Therefore it is impossible to speak truth, and especially to strengthen oneself in the trait of truth, unless one first rectifies the turbid blood. Rectification of the blood is possible through breaking the lusts and evil character traits and strengthening oneself in good traits and good deeds.

Falsehood — meaning a person who conducts himself in falsehood as described in §22 — is the very essence of evil and the very essence of impurity. And from such a person the Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed, departs, G-d forbid. But through truth, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over the person completely — that is, He protects him from all manner of troubles and suffering through His particular Providence.

Truth is one, but falsehood is many. That is, about any matter of truth one can say only one thing — for example, about gold one can only say that it is gold, about silver one can only say that it is silver, and so on — every thing can be called by only one name according to its true nature. But one who wishes to lie can say infinitely many falsehoods about any single thing. Yet in the end truth will be revealed as it is — one. That is: Hashem, may He be blessed, is the Creator of all worlds, and everything is governed by His will, may He be blessed, and by His particular Providence, with no compulsion of nature whatsoever. And all views that are contrary to truth — meaning, the views of heresy and denial — will be utterly nullified, and only truth will remain in the entire world. That is, all the world will acknowledge that "Hashem is the G-d," and that everything that occurs in the world, whether good, whether suffering G-d forbid, is only by His Providence, may He be blessed, and not according to nature. For this is the truth, and truth is only one.

If you wish to be included in "One" — that is, to be nullified before Hashem, may He be blessed, Who is called "One" — meaning, to conduct yourself in every detail according to His will, as explained in the Torah, and never to complain at any time to Hashem, may He be blessed, about the various events that befall you, but to believe that all the upheavals are certainly for good — as is explained in all the books of truth, and especially in Likutay MoHaRaN, in the Torah "Anochi" — that whether Hashem governs with mercy, whether He governs with justice, all is "One." And one who truly wishes to be included in "One" must guard himself from falsehood and deceitful conduct, as explained in §22, and must conduct himself in absolute truth in every detail. And whoever does so is included in Him, may He be blessed, Who is called "One" — for Hashem, may He be blessed, loves absolute truth very greatly.

Through true faith all the gates of holiness open before a person. That is, through the power of true faith one can conduct oneself in all the paths of Torah and holiness, and one is not deterred by any scoffer or denier, or any obstacle. For true faith is the key to all the paths of truth and to all the gates of holiness. And it is also known from MoHaRaNas [Rebbe Nosson of Breslov], of blessed memory, that the initial letters of the verse: "The heavens opened and I saw visions of G-d" [Ezekiel 1:1] spell the word אֱמוּנָה (emunah, faith). That is, through genuine faith one can feel and see the revelation of His divinity and kingship in every single matter — as if seeing it with one's very eyes and understanding it with one's intellect.

Faith applies only to a matter that the intellect does not comprehend, as explained in §4. Nonetheless, one who understands in "truth" will understand the matter that must be believed just as if seeing it with his eyes and just as if he understood it with his intellect — owing to his complete and perfect true faith. As is explained in the holy Likutay MoHaRaN on the verse: "And his hands were faith until the sun set" [Exodus 17:12] — meaning that a person must be complete in those matters that one is obligated to believe in, just as one understands with one's intellect — the intellect being called "sun."

Perfection of faith is attained through awakening and drawing those who are distant near to Hashem, may He be blessed. That is, those people who are distant from Jewishness — when one awakens them to fear of Heaven and the fulfillment of the Torah, one merits perfection of faith. To awaken people to fear of Heaven is possible only through fasting, or through distancing oneself from lusts and luxuries, which are considered equivalent to fasting. It is explained in several books of truth that distancing oneself from lusts and luxuries is greater than fasting in many ways. And through such fasting, one merits that through eating, a "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence, face to face" is achieved — that is, one merits to eat with such kashruth as described under "Eating" §9, and draws close to Hashem through it. For in eating there is a danger lest, G-d forbid, one becomes distanced from Hashem through it, as warned in the Torah: "Lest you eat and be satisfied… and your heart become haughty and you forget Hashem your G-d" [Deuteronomy 8:12, 14]. But through complete faith one merits to eat with such kashruth that through the eating one draws closer to Hashem, feeling and believing that He provides one's food, livelihood, and all one's needs — and one fully recognizes His Providence. And the full recognition of Hashem's Providence is called "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence, face to face." (And see under the heading "Eating," §9, where the meaning of "unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Presence" etc. is explained more fully.)

Because their faith is not complete, many people err and think and say that natural causes and effort are the primary factors for livelihood and healing. That is, they do indeed believe in Hashem, may He be blessed, but say that causes are also needed — whether for livelihood, for healing, etc. That is, they think that the causes are primary, and as if, G-d forbid, without them Hashem, may He be blessed, has no ability to give them livelihood, etc. But in truth all their thinking is due to a lack of faith. For Hashem can help — whether in livelihood, in healing, etc. — without any cause or effort whatsoever. And the reason the Holy One, blessed be He, usually arranges livelihood and healing through causes and efforts is only a test — to examine whether the person will believe in particular Providence even while engaged in causes. But in truth one must believe and know that livelihood, healing, etc., come solely from Hashem, may He be blessed, without any compulsion of nature whatsoever.

One must know that everything we do — whether prayer, whether Torah study, or fulfillment of the commandments — is all so that His kingship and the faith in Him [אֱמוּנָתוֹ], may He be blessed, should be revealed. That is, so that people will know and believe that everything occurring in the world in general, and everything befalling each individual in particular, are solely in accordance with His will and Providence, may He be blessed, without any compulsion of nature whatsoever — even though everything is clothed in causes, as explained in §30.

When a person is very strong in true faith, he then merits to understand with his intellect those matters in which he previously needed to believe. But he must then strengthen himself in faith in yet higher matters that his intellect cannot grasp. However, the faith must be strong and perfectly complete — for only in that way can he arrive from faith to intellectual understanding. That is, he will understand with his intellect those matters in which previously he needed to believe.

The trait of contentiousness cannot bear truth. That is, a person who does not wish to accept his fellow's view due to contentiousness — meaning, due to pride and imagined honor, and not because he understands that the right is not with his fellow — such a person will not acknowledge the truth. And even if it is explained to him and he is persuaded many times, he will not accept it and will not change his view, due to the evil trait of contentiousness within him. Therefore, one who truly wishes to know the truth must remove from himself the trait of contentiousness — and then he will certainly understand the truth properly.

True faith brings about patience [arichas apayim]. For a person whose faith is complete believes that everything befalling him is under the particular Providence of Hashem, may He be blessed — meaning that aside from Hashem there is no one who can save him from his troubles and sufferings, for all his upheavals are under His Providence, and certainly everything is for his good. Therefore he places his trust not in effort or any cause, but only in Hashem, may He be blessed. And he holds himself always in service of G-d, so that no cause or obstacle distances him from the truth. A person whose faith is complete will certainly not transgress any commandment of the Torah because of the deficiencies and trials that befall him — rather, he will endure and wait for Hashem, may He be blessed, to help him, for all the obstacles and confusions that distance a person from fear of Heaven and Torah observance are only due to sadness and laziness, and primarily due to a lack of faith — not believing that everything befalling him is under His particular Providence, and that no one can help him except Hashem, and that there is no remedy for being saved from troubles and suffering etc., except through true prayer, true faith, trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, and anticipation of His salvation. A person who is not sufficiently complete and strong to endure and wait for the salvation of Hashem falls into sadness and laziness, and distances himself from the truth due to the deficiencies and trials that befall him. And what causes one not to pray properly — praying hurriedly without concentrating and contemplating the words of prayer — also comes from a lack of faith. For if one believed that Hashem, may He be blessed, hears every word of prayer, believes in His Providence, and feels and believes that through proper prayer with contemplation and without swallowing of words no harm whatsoever will come to one's livelihood or other matters — then one would pray with longing, concentrating on every word of prayer as one should. But because of a lack of faith one prays with swallowing of words, not knowing what one's mouth utters and to whom one prays. But when a person is strong and complete in true faith in every detail, as described above — that Hashem hears every word the person utters, and especially the words of prayer directed to Hashem Himself, as it were — then no confusion or obstacle can distance him from the truth, for he possesses the trait of patience. And he awaits heavenly mercy, and strengthens himself in prayer, in Torah observance, and in his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, always.

To merit complete faith and proper patience as described in the previous section, is possible only through the sanctity of the Land of Israel. And every person must pray to Hashem, may He be blessed, to help him yearn for the Land of Israel with such intensity that he merits to attain it — meaning its holiness. And all the Tzadikim must yearn for the Land of Israel, for it is a segulah for nullifying anger and sadness, and for meriting through it the perfection of faith and patience.

The essence of perfect faith is that a person should value and esteem the true matters that one is obligated to believe in, having no doubt whatsoever — meaning, that they appear to him as if he understands them with his intellect and sees them with his eyes.

Through strife, thoughts of the wicked — that is, heresies — penetrate the minds of upright people. And the remedy and advice for those evil thoughts is silence — not to speak about them, and not even to search for responses in one's own mind to those questions, doubts, and heresies. Rather, one should surrender the battle against those thoughts to Hashem, may He be blessed — that is, to pray that the Holy One, blessed be He, should remove the evil thoughts from him and help him receive good thoughts. For the essence of rectification and perfection is purity of thought. And when thoughts are good, certainly one's deeds will also be pure and clean.

A man of truth, who fulfills the commandments and good deeds with the same intensity and excitement when he is alone with Hashem, may He be blessed, as he does among people — because he has no false motive whatsoever, and makes no false movement in his service of G-d, but always intends in truth for the sake of Heaven — such a person draws to himself the power of all righteousness. That is, he has the power as if he were the greatest philanthropist. And through complete truth he nullifies from himself all manner of evil thoughts, whether of heresy, whether of other evil views, and merits pure thoughts.

When a person is in trouble, G-d forbid, he is very far from the truth at that time. Therefore one must guard oneself greatly during a time of trouble, G-d have mercy, not to be caught through suffering in falsehood or error. Rather, let one greatly multiply one's requests from Hashem, may He be blessed, for salvation and mercy — to be saved both from the suffering and from falsehood and error.

Through giving thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, for everything — because one believes that everything befalling a person is under His Providence and for the good, even though one does not understand this with the intellect — and especially when one is saved from trouble and believes in truth that this salvation came through His particular Providence and not according to nature, and gives thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, for the salvation — and also through studying halachos, meaning studies that arouse a person to fear of Heaven and Torah observance — through all of this, truth shines in one's speech. That is, through this one merits to always speak words of truth — for the perfection of speech is only through truth. That is, speech that is spoken in truth alone is called speech; but words that are not spoken in truth are not speech at all. Also through giving thanks to Hashem and studying halachos as described above, one merits to pray in truth — for the essence of perfection is prayer in truth, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN in the Torah beginning "Tzóhar ta'aseh la'teivah." And one merits to receive Torah from a true teacher who teaches a Torah of truth to walk in the straight and true path. One also merits true marriage matches in every detail, and the extension of the holiness and joy of Shabbas into the weekdays — meaning, believing throughout the week that the Holy One, blessed be He, feeds and provides for a person through His particular Providence, and not through causes and efforts. Just as one's needs are provided on Shabbas without any effort or causes, solely from His particular Providence — so too is it on weekdays. And one should not think that one's Shabbas needs are provided from the exertions and causes one engaged in during the week, for the holy Zohar explains the reverse — that it is specifically from the holiness of Shabbas that all six weekdays are blessed. That is, one can find livelihood through His Providence even on weekdays, and then because of the greatness of one's faith in His Providence one does not run excessively after causes and disturbances, but finds rest of soul as on Shabbas, and rejoices in the kindnesses of Hashem throughout the week. This conduct extends the holiness and joy of Shabbas into the weekdays. Also through gratitude and study of halachos as described above in §5, one is strengthened in faith, to believe in truth that all changing actions flow from the simple Unity — meaning, believing that all the various events befalling each person are all from Hashem, may He be blessed, Who is called "the Simple One" — meaning He is not composite like created beings. And also believing that all the changes and upheavals in the world in general are from His particular Providence without any natural course whatsoever. And this faith is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, for the perfection of faith is the purpose of the fulfillment of all the Torah's commandments.

The essence is faith in truth, and every person must examine himself whether he is complete in his faith. For through corruption of faith come, G-d forbid, many kinds of illness, G-d have mercy, and many kinds of suffering, G-d forbid. But through complete faith one is saved from illness and suffering. And one must not despair and completely relax in faith because one feels that one's faith is not complete as it should be — on the contrary, when one feels that one's faith is not complete, one must strengthen oneself with the little faith that remains, and strive to correct and strengthen one's faith still more in the future — especially faith in particular Providence, as described in this book in several places.

When one has fallen from faith, G-d forbid, there is no advice and no strategy — only to cry out to Hashem, may He be blessed, from the depths of the heart, as the verse says: "From the depths I have called to You, Hashem" [Psalms 130:1]. And through this cry to Hashem from the depths of the heart, faith is repaired and strengthened, and one merits many good things and acts of kindness.

Through the weakening and corruption of the faith of Israel, false beliefs are strengthened — that is, one comes to believe, G-d forbid, in things that have no substance. But when Israel's faith is strong and powerful, and the children of Israel conduct themselves in the way of faith as they should, false beliefs fall, and converts are made both potentially and actually. That is, there are gentiles who awaken to understand the truth and convert in actuality — accepting upon themselves the faith of Israel and the fulfillment of Torah commandments — and there are those who merely feel the truth and acknowledge Hashem, may He be blessed, and His particular Providence, but do not actually convert.

The essential perfection of faith is attained through closeness to the true Tzadik, who possesses genuine divine spirit. Drawing close to the true Tzadik means: studying his books and fulfilling his counsels and views as explained therein — for these books greatly arouse a person's heart to fear of Heaven and Torah observance, as explained in Likutay Halachos. And through closeness to the Tzadik as described in this section, and in additional places in the words of the Rebbe of blessed memory, the power of imagination is clarified. That is, the true intellect is refined from false views, and one merits complete faith — in general, to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, created all of creation, as stated at the opening of the Torah: "In the beginning G-d created…" etc., and that everything that occurs in the world is under His particular Providence, and that everything that happens to a person individually is not by way of nature, but only through His particular Providence.

When a person has fallen from faith, G-d forbid, the remedy is to speak words of faith aloud as one understands it — as the verse says: "I shall make Your faith known with my mouth" [Psalms 89:2]. That is, one must express matters of faith with the mouth. Meaning: when one feels a weakening in faith, one must at the very least vocalize and articulate with the lips that one believes in Hashem, may He be blessed, in all generality and particularity, as explained above in the previous section. For through speaking genuine words of faith aloud, one arouses the point of true faith that exists within every Jew — by virtue of his being from the seed of Israel. And thus it is possible to merit, through this itself, through words of faith, the proper faith.

One must be very careful not to speak any word of heresy or atheism, even in the manner of jest — meaning, that in one's heart one believes properly, but one jests and speaks words of heresy — this too is a severe prohibition. And even repeating words of heresy that another person said is a severe prohibition, because it greatly damages faith. May Hashem, may He be blessed, save us from heresy and help us to be complete in true faith.

One must be very careful not to look into any books of philosophical inquiry [seforim of chakira], for the views of philosophical inquiry books greatly damage and corrupt the simple faith that is the foundation and root of all Jewishness. It is already explained in all the books of truth how severe is the prohibition of studying philosophical inquiry books. And one should remember this well in order to be saved from philosophical inquiry and heresy — and always strengthen oneself in simple faith.

It is better to believe in nonsense and falsehood — so as to be able to believe also in truth — than not to believe in nonsense and falsehood and thereby to scoff at truth and deny everything, G-d forbid. But the essence is to merit true faith without any nonsense or falsehood — only pure faith.

The perfection of faith is to believe in Hashem, may He be blessed, without any philosophies and without signs and wonders. That is, one must not make one's faith in Hashem conditional upon seeing signs and wonders — rather, one must always believe in Him without any philosophical inquiry, only with faith in simplicity and straightforwardness — like the faith of women, or the faith of simple folk.

There exist in the world scholars, even in Torah wisdom, but without faith. And one must distance oneself from them with every manner of distancing — for the breath of their mouths damages an upright person.

Through joy in Torah study and fulfillment of the commandments — and especially when from within this joy one comes to dancing — through this, true faith is strengthened in a person's heart.

When faith is weak and damaged, G-d forbid, one is compelled to engage in hard labors — that is, in fasts and self-mortifications — in order to strengthen oneself in Jewishness. But when faith is complete, one can serve Hashem, may He be blessed, through everything — through eating, drinking, commerce, and all bodily needs — as the verse says: "In all your ways know Him" [Proverbs 3:6] — that is, through all matters of the body one can truly know Hashem, may He be blessed, if one engages in every matter with proper fear of G-d.

True faith — that is, genuine faith in Hashem, may He be blessed, and in His particular Providence — meaning that in everything that happens to a person, one should not think that it came about through natural causes, G-d forbid, but believe that it is all according to particular Providence, as described in this book in several places — is considered like charity. That is, if one is unable to fulfill the commandment of charity properly due to a genuine lack of money, then true faith is considered like charity — as the Torah says: "And he believed in Hashem, and He reckoned it to him as charity" [Genesis 15:6]. That is, faith as described above is considered like charity.

Through complete faith one merits children. And there is an allusion to this: the word אֱמוּנָה (emunah, faith) has the same numerical value as the word בָּנִים (bonim, children) in Gematria.

Faith is a very mighty thing. Through faith in simplicity — genuinely, without any philosophies — one can arrive at ratzon [divine will, yearning], that is, to intense longing and yearning for Hashem, may He be blessed, and for Jewishness with all one's heart — which is greater than holy intellect.

There are people into whose minds fall heretical thoughts because they were conceived without holiness. And likewise, thoughts of damage to faith penetrate a person through the evil deeds he does — as is stated in the Sefer HaMidos of our Rebbe, of blessed memory : "Transgression introduces heresy into a person." That is, when a person transgresses, heresies penetrate him — for it is the nature of transgressions to introduce heresies into a person. And the remedy for removing from the mind thoughts of heresy and atheism is shame and a broken heart. That is, to feel shame before Hashem, may He be blessed, for the very fact of falling into evil thoughts or those sins — until from the greatness of the shame, the heart is broken before Hashem, may He be blessed. And through shame and a broken heart, the heresies and evil thoughts depart from the person. And as already stated in §45: speaking genuine words of faith is effective in arousing faith.

One who has faith — whose essence is faith in Providence, meaning: believing that everything occurring in the world generally and individually is from His Providence, may He be blessed, and not from the course of nature; believing that everything is for the good; and believing that there is no refuge from suffering except at the side of Hashem, may He be blessed, and that no good can be attained except from Him, and all of this not through natural means but through prayer and true faith — one whose faith is such will have a peaceful and happy life. For there is no person in the world who does not undergo many troubles and sufferings in bodily health, in livelihood, or in other matters. And even upon the wealthy and the noblemen, troubles and sufferings come from themselves or from their households — for King Solomon said the verse: "For all his days are grief and sorrow" [Ecclesiastes 2:23] regarding even the wealthy and the noblemen. But a person who has true faith in Hashem, may He be blessed, and in His particular Providence — even when troubles and suffering befall him, G-d forbid, he takes comfort and strengthens himself in his trust in Hashem, that He will have mercy on him and save him, for he believes that the sufferings were sent for his good and for the atonement of his sins. For everything the Holy One, blessed be He, arranges with a person is great good, as the Torah says: "For as a man chastens his son, so does Hashem your G-d chasten you" [Deuteronomy 8:5] — that is, just as a father who rebukes and punishes his son certainly intends it for good, to arouse him to improve his deeds and character, so too, as it were, the Holy One's intention in sending suffering to a person is to arouse him to improve his deeds and character. But one who has no faith in particular Providence, only thinking that everything is conducted according to the course of nature — when trouble befalls him, he has nowhere to turn to seek salvation, nothing to strengthen and comfort him, and he cannot hope for Hashem's kindness and trust in His salvation. Therefore his life is no life. And when asked how he feels, he answers that he feels unwell. But one who has true faith in Hashem, may He be blessed, and in His particular Providence — it is always good for him and his life is peaceful, as described above.

For the essence of faith in the Unity [emunah hayichud] — that is, to believe in Hashem, may He be blessed, Who is called "One," and likewise for faith in particular Providence, as explained in the books of truth, and in particular in the books of Likutay MoHaRaN and Likutay Halachos — one merits these only through genuine closeness to the true Tzadikim. That is, to study their books and to fulfill their counsels according to their view, as explained in all the books of the Rebbe, of blessed memory. For if one does not strengthen oneself to accept their view and fulfill the counsels of the true Tzadikim as explained in their books, then the closeness has no value at all, as explained in Likutay MoHaRaN . May Hashem help us to truly draw close to the true Tzadikim.