Letter 156

To my beloved — who casts and rolls himself in mire and mud.

Hashem Yisburach sends after us and calls to us at every moment — and hints to us hints — to draw close to Him Yisburach. And sometimes a person is greatly aroused with a great arousal — to draw close to the Tzadik — upon whom depends all the holiness of his Jewish identity and all his repair. And then he can make a frantic deed — and what appears in truth to be madness. But even so — because of his true arousal — Hashem gives him success. And he merits to pass through all the chambers and all the obstacles and to shatter them all — until he merits to complete the matter in perfection.

And then the Sitra Achra pursues after him — and he is compelled to hide from it through many and many kinds of stratagems. And many and many kinds of changing waters pass over him — and many and many trials, etc., etc.… And immediately he can do a deed, etc. — a frantic deed and what appears in truth to be madness. And no human intellect would agree to this — how it would be possible to attain such a thing…