תּוֹרָה לג - מִי הָאִישׁ הֶחָפֵץ חַיִּים

Torah 650

One must seek peace — as it is written [Psalms 34:15]: ""seek peace"" — that there be peace among Israel. And that there be peace for every person in his character traits — that is, that he not be divided in his traits and his experiences — that he have no division between them — whether in goodness or in difficulty — let him always find Hashem Yisborach — as expressed: ""in Hashem I praise a word — in G-d I praise a word"" [Psalms 56:11].

And this is merited through Torah and through the Tzadikim — who are both called peace. And through this one will merit to love Him, may He be blessed, in every place — whether in goodness or in difficulty — and to love one's fellows. And it is possible to have peace among all Israel — to love one another. For one will not be confused or disturbed by anything in the world — but will know and believe that everything that happens to him each day — whether good or suffering and trouble and worries and dangers, G-d forbid — all of it is for his eternal good. And specifically through this he can draw close to Hashem Yisborach — if he truly desires it. And likewise he will bear with his fellow — even if he has some suffering from him — and will strive to judge him favourably and find the good in him — and to turn the matter to good — saying in his mind that his fellow did not intend so much harm as he supposes. And the like. He will strive to seek and find love and peace with his fellows and all of Israel. And through this he will merit to love peace in every place — whether in goodness or in difficulty. And he will have peace with everything.

And one must know that the earth is full of His glory — and "lays atar panu mineh" [there is no place empty of Him] — and He fills all worlds and surrounds all worlds. And even one who engages in commerce with the nations cannot excuse himself and say: it is impossible for me to serve Hashem Yisborach because of the coarseness and materiality that always falls upon me from the business I always conduct with them. For in all physical things and in all the languages of the nations one can find divinity. For without His divinity, may He be blessed, they have no vitality or existence at all — as it is written: ""and You give life to them all"" [Nehemiah 9:6]. Only the life-force and divinity there is in very great contraction and diminishment — only enough to sustain it — and no more. And the lower the level — the more contracted and clothed in more garments His divinity is there.

And for this reason you must know: even if you are immersed in the dwelling-place of the husks and you are at a very low level — until it seems to you that it is impossible for you to draw close to Him, may He be blessed — because you have distanced yourself greatly from Him. And even if you have fallen into heresy in the fundamentals, G-d forbid — even so you should know: even in your place you can find His divinity — for He, may He be blessed, gives life to everything — as it is written: ""and You give life to them all."" And from there you can attach yourself to Him, may He be blessed — and return to Him in complete repentance. For it is not far from you — only in your place the garments are many.

And as a person ascends from level to level — he draws closer to Hashem Yisborach and can know Hashem Yisborach with greater understanding. For the higher the level — the fewer the garments and contractions — and then he is closer to Hashem Yisborach. And he can love himself together with Hashem Yisborach with greater love.

And there are good days and bad days. And the days are called character traits — as it is written [Psalms 39:5]: ""and the measure of my days."" And the character traits are the Torah — for all of the Torah consists of the character traits of the Holy One, blessed be He — for it speaks of love and awe and the other character traits. And through it the worlds were created — and its letters give life to every single thing. But they are more contracted the lower the level is. Thus good days — that is, Torah and its letters — can be found even in bad days — which are the languages of the nations and their evil character traits. And this is what is written: ""on a day of goodness — be in goodness — and on a day of evil — see"" [Ecclesiastes 7:14] — that every person look very carefully and certainly find good days in bad days — [that is, that he find Torah even in bad days — only because of the multitude of garments and contractions they are not seen and do not illuminate]. But through subduing his evil inclination — that is, the bad days — and overcoming them — he then resembles an angel of Hashem of Hosts [holy Zohar Part I, 90a]. And then he can gather the letters of the Torah even from physical things. And even when he speaks with the nations or sees their character traits — he knows the divine vitality — that is, the letters of the Torah clothed there. For then the evil dwelling upon the goodness — that is, the letters — is nullified and falls — and they protrude and appear and illuminate more greatly.

And this is the aspect of "na'aseh v'nishma" — in the aspect of: ""those who do His word — to hear the voice of His word"" [Psalms 103:20]. That one first acts and builds the letters of the Torah so that they protrude and combine [Yoma 71a]. And afterwards "nishma": "zakin l'mishma kalin mil'aila" [one merits to hear voices from Above] — that is, the letters of the Torah receive more vitality and light than they received before. Whereas when they were clothed in the languages of the nations and bad days — they received only enough vitality as was appropriate for that place in very great contraction (as brought in "Pri Etz Chayim", meditations of Purim, chapter 6).

And it is known that the Torah — that is, the character traits and days — has the love of Hashem, may His Name be blessed, dwelling in them. As it is written in the holy Zohar [Part I, 46a]: ""by day Hashem commands His lovingkindness"" [Psalms 42:9] — for the chesed — that is, the love — is the day that goes with all the days — that is, the character traits which are contractions of His divinity — to attain Him — as written in the holy Zohar [Part II, 42b]: ""in order that they recognise Him."" And Hashem Yisborach clothed His divinity in the character traits of the Torah from His love for His people Israel. And this is the aspect of the 613 commandments — for Hashem Yisborach gauged in His mind that through this commandment and this contraction we could attain Him and serve Him. It thus follows that in every character trait and character trait of the Torah — the love of Hashem Yisborach dwells there — for He loves Himself together with Israel. And it is found that one who strips the Torah of the garments of the husks through subduing his evil inclination — then he is close to peace — as it is written: ""and all her paths are peace"" [Proverbs 3:17] — which is the Torah.

And there are two aspects in the Torah: the aspect of the revealed and the aspect of the hidden — that is, the Torah of "Atika Stima'ah" [the Ancient Concealed One] which will be revealed in the future. For there are two kinds of love: one is the love in the days as above — which is in actual. And the second is the love that is in potential — which was between Israel and their Father in Heaven before Creation — when Israel were still in His thought and mind — which is above time and character traits — which is the inner dimension of the Torah. And in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will strip away His garments that cover His divinity — that is, the inner dimension of the Torah — and this Torah of "Atika Stima'ah" will be revealed. And then peace will greatly increase — as it is written: ""they will not harm and will not destroy in all My holy mountain — for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem"" [Isaiah 11:9] — for the love in da'as will be revealed. For now the light of this Torah is hidden — as our Sages of blessed memory said: ""and G-d saw the light that it was good"" [Genesis 1:4] — ""it is good — to be stored away"" [Chagigah 12a]. And there are also Tzadikim who are called "tov" [good] — as it is written: ""say of the Tzadik that he is good"" [Isaiah 3:10]. And they are called light — as it is written: ""light is sown for the Tzadik"" [Psalms 97:11]. They are also hidden and concealed — for the world is not worthy now to make use of them. And when the love in da'as is revealed in the future — called ""one day that will be known to Hashem"" [Zechariah 14:7] — for love is called day as above: ""by day He commands"" etc. — which is neither day nor night — that is, this love is above time and character traits. Then the hidden Tzadikim and the hidden Torah will be revealed — and then great peace will be revealed in the world — when all opposites will unite — as it is written: ""and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb"" etc. [Isaiah 11:6].

And even in the character traits themselves — each person according to his aspect is in the aspect of da'as to the aspect below him. For the lowest level of the world of "Yetzirah" is in the aspect of da'as to the world of "Asiyah" beneath it. And likewise there is a person whose love he has with Hashem Yisborach in his character traits and within time — is in the aspect of the love in da'as above time — for the person who is at a lower level than him.

And every person can taste the light of the love in da'as — even now within the days — each person according to his aspect. That is: when one binds his heart to his da'as. For every Jew knows there is a G-d in general — and according to this da'as — certainly all his desires and evil character traits should be nullified. But the wicked are under the authority of their heart [Bereishis Rabbah, Noach, Parshas 34]. And all the character traits and desires are in the heart. Therefore every person must see to bind his heart to his da'as — that his heart be under his authority — to subdue his heart and desires to this da'as — that he knows of Hashem Yisborach in general — that the earth is full of His glory. Until he breaks and nullifies all the desires through this knowledge and through knowledge of the Torah. And then the character traits within his heart are also included in his da'as. And then the character traits receive the light of the love in da'as. And he sees and attains the hidden light according to his aspect — that is, the Torah and the hidden Tzadikim.

Through the commandment of taking the "lulav" and its species one merits to reveal the holy da'as to all who come into the world — to know that the earth is full of His glory — and to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, in every place. And even in all the languages of the nations. And to recognise Him, may He be blessed — and to draw close to Him even at all the lowest levels. And to bind the holy da'as into the heart — that one's heart be under one's authority. And to love oneself together with Hashem Yisborach with love. And to come to the light of the love in da'as — which is the hidden light. And the hidden Tzadikim and the hidden Torah will be revealed. And then great peace will greatly increase in the world.