אות - לט

It is fitting that one should feel the distress of an individual, and certainly the distress of the many, Heaven forbid, in the heart. Because it is possible that one knows of the distress, Heaven forbid, and knows clearly the pain of the distress, Heaven forbid — and yet his heart feels no distress at all. And in any case, the distress of the many, Heaven forbid — it is fitting that the heart should feel the pain of the distress. And if one does not feel it, one must knock the head against the wall — that is, to knock the head against the walls of the heart, as mentioned elsewhere (below, article 217) on the verse *"And you shall know today and return it to your heart"* [Deuteronomy 4:39] — that one must bring the mind into the heart. And understand this well. Afterwards I heard in his name that he said: This is the aspect of *"And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall"* [Isaiah 38:2] — that he turned and drew the face — which is the mind and knowledge — toward the walls of the heart,[68] that is, as mentioned. Because the essence of the face is the wisdom and the knowledge which is the light of the face, as explained elsewhere.[69]