נ.

My soul and my heart, Mr.

Z. Shazar — who wanders through all the gates to seek and to search for the voice of the awesome song and melody of the Tzadik, through which is the essential vitality and existence of all Israel — fortunate is his portion.

Abundant peace.

[This letter opens mid-sentence in the source text.]

Because of my great love for you, by day and by night I shall not forget you — to pray for your wellbeing and your good! Through peace and love, people meet together and explain to one another the true purpose, and draw to themselves conceptions of G-dliness (hasagas Elokus) — to recognize and to know the Creator Yisburach

— until through this the opinion of the heretics is nullified, those who say there is no world but this one! Peace comes through truth, and the essential repair and clarification of truth is through the true Tzadik — who is the aspect of the very essence of the point of truth within Israel. But falsehood has strengthened so greatly, in that the adversary has introduced a great confusion among Israel, until truth has been splintered into flocks and flocks, and each one says that the truth is with him.

And he has raised up in the world heads and leaders of falsehood — in the aspect of false prophets — and they dispute the point of truth and wish to hide and conceal it entirely. And from this is the essential prolonging of the exile. And regarding them it is said: "Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves" [Isaiah 1:23] — for they are the essential thieves, who steal the understanding of the masses, and conceal the light of the point of truth so greatly that it is impossible to stand against them.

…Who relates to the true Tzadik with reverence and with immense love without end and without limit. And who strives with all his strength to greatly publicize and to make known throughout all the worlds the name of the true Tzadik — through whom the redemption will come to us and to all Israel and to the entire world. A good inscription and sealing — for a long good life and peace.

But even so — "And You, Hashem, are exalted forever" — for one single spark from the holiness of the truth of the true Tzadik, and from the holiness of the light of his true Torah, which shines and sparkles in the heart of the Jew who desires truth, and inclines his mind and his heart to the truth of truth — and this spark burns and utterly destroys all of their falsehoods and deceits and the like. For "the lip of truth endures forever" [Proverbs 12:19] — and truth stands! The essential of peace is to connect two opposites. And when you see two people who are true opposites of one another — for example… — do not say it is impossible to make peace between them, because on the contrary, this is the essential completeness of peace — to strive that there should be peace between two opposites. And to merit peace, it is through the Tzadik who illuminates truth in the heart of each one and multiplies peace in the world, and also makes peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven.

One must always remember the magnitude of the loftiness of the nobility of his delicate soul — which is very high in its supernal root. To have mercy upon it, to adorn it and to beautify it and to polish it with the most supernal and most awesome lustrous brilliance of the Tzadik — to rescue it from the fowler's snare of the oppressors (and the foolish) [and the palaces] of exchange — which substitute and corrupt greatly. And to conduct oneself in the noble manner of the holy kingship of the true King's Son who was exchanged.

If Ben Gurion and Lavon and all the colleagues were striving with all their strength to taste the honeyed sweetness of the wisdom of the true Tzadik — the wise one who digs new wells and springs, springs of wisdom that never cease, flowing with balsam oil and all kinds of precious and wondrous good fragrances that purify and cleanse from all the filths and abominations and all the impurities of the world — then certainly a wondrous peace and love and great unity would have been created between them! The transcriber, bound to you in bonds of love that shall never be shaken forever.

The holy days of Elul have already arrived — the days of mercy and forgiveness. And one must now return and begin afresh — to yearn and to long with powerful desires — to remain fixed at the holy Rosh Hashana within the holy gathering of the true Tzadik. And not to separate oneself from them all the days of one's life. For as long as one is within the whole of the gathering that the true shepherd gathers — there is remedy for him always. Even if what passes over him will pass — however it may be. Yisroel Odesser When a person wishes to draw close to Hashem Yisburach and to return in teshuvah — thousands and tens of thousands of descents without measure must pass over him. And he must be a very strong warrior — to fortify his heart every time, not to abandon his place because of any descent in the world whatsoever. And this is the essential and the foundation upon which everything depends — never to fall in one's mind, and to strengthen oneself always — even as he is — to believe with complete faith that there is no descent in the world. For in every place one can find Hashem Yisburach. And even when one falls into the nethermost depths, Heaven have mercy — even so one must always strengthen oneself and never despair at all. For even there Hashem Yisburach is found — in the aspect of "If I make my bed in the netherworld, behold You are there" [Psalms 139:8]. The evil inclination lies in ambush for the soul of the person always — to defile his mind with sins and transgressions and great blemishes. And he needs abundant mercy and great strength — to deliver his soul from the hand of the netherworld, until his soul returns to its place and to its rest. The essential mercy that one must have for Israel is to implant within them the light of the Tzadik — and through this to take them out from sins and to bring them close to Hashem Yisburach.

Israel Dov Odesser