Letter 57

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

…Who purifies and polishes his soul in the new, entirely new, most supernal luminous lights — revealed in these our generations. Peace and a long and good life in this world and the next!

"Even the most lowly of my people — I lead him on the path of a very great Tzadik!"

Rabbainu, may his memory be for a blessing, reproved one who had been close to him and had become distanced — and afterwards returned and came back to him. He answered and said: "Even if several years pass and he does not move and ascend from his level — only standing at his first level as at the beginning. And even if he is worse than at the beginning — if he is close to the true Tzadik, the very closeness itself is very good beyond all measure and worth. Behold — I have people with me — of whom I do not know whether the nethermost depths would be sufficient for them. For even the nethermost depths would have been small before them — for if it had been possible for them to burrow beneath the nethermost depths they would have burrowed. And even so, through me they drew close to Hashem Yisburach," etc.

Rabbi Nussun, may his memory be for a blessing — on the day of his passing, on the tenth of Teves — said to his people in these words: "Afile men zol zayn der ergster ba'al aveira — abi men halt zich in Rebbe'n — vet men b'vadai teshuvah tun un men vet hobn a tikun!" {Even if one is the worst transgressor — the essential thing is to hold oneself to Rabbainu — one will certainly do teshuvah and one will have a repair!}

"To draw close to me is an impossible, very difficult and very heavy matter! Whoever draws close to my people — and even whoever merely touches them — will certainly be a truly worthy person in truth. And not only a worthy person — but even a very great Tzadik will be whoever merits to draw close to my people." (And he also said then: "I have already completed and I will complete!")

Faith alone — that one believes in the Tzadik and brings himself close to him, even if he does not receive anything from him at all — this itself is very good beyond all measure. For through the faith and the closeness alone, his evil is consumed and he is transformed into the essence of the Tzadik — provided his intention is for the sake of Heaven. The Tzadik himself cannot be attained — for there is nothing in him to grasp. Only through his people is it possible to understand the immensity of the awesomeness of his greatness. For through seeing that his people are people of action and walk truly in the path of Hashem — through this it is possible to understand the immensity of the greatness of the Tzadik. The Tzadik who subdues his evil inclination — and even regarding what is permitted to him he holds his desire in his hand — he always lives even after death. And there is no difference for him between death and life.