תּוֹכֵחָה

Just as when one person is very far from another and cannot speak to him so that he hears — he therefore must write him a letter and send it to his distant place — similarly the true Tzaddik, who engages in the rectification of the entire world: to rebuke them, to arouse them to teshuvah, and to return them to the right path — in the dimension of "to rectify the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty, to turn toward You all the wicked of the earth, etc." [from Aleinu] — therefore, beyond what he strives and engages with those close to him: to speak to their hearts to return them to the right path and bring them to the ultimate of their complete rectification — there are still many souls very far from him in distance of place and very far in distance of levels, to whom it is impossible for him to speak at all. Particularly the idolaters [ovdei kochavim u'mazalos] who are very far from the holiness of Israel — how can he speak with them and draw them close and bring them to the faith of Israel? Therefore he must write them a letter — and this is accomplished through charity [tzedakah]: through which the calm and clear air is formed. And then when the true Tzaddik speaks his holy words — words of faith and the nullification of heresy and idolatry — those words travel and are heard from afar; to the point that they are written also in the books of the idolaters — province by province in its own script. And then the idolaters find in their own books the opposite of their faith — until they come and convert, as we find with the many converts who converted because of such matters, as is known. And this comes because of the good that is suppressed under their hand — and this good is from the dimension of portions of the souls of Israel, only it is suppressed under their hand in great exile for a very long time — until it has almost forgotten its own greatness. And there are many many dimensions in this, as is explained in the inner text. And through this holy word written in their books — the good that is suppressed there finds it in their books; and then this good recalls its greatness: how it is from a holy and very lofty place that is above all the worlds; and how it is also from the holy souls of Israel who rose first in thought; and how Hashem Yisborach, as it were, deliberated and consulted with their souls at the time of the creation of the world; and all the worlds were created only for their sake; and now it is so suppressed in exile that it is going toward total ruin and loss, Heaven forbid. And through this it has great compassion upon itself and becomes aroused to return to its root. But since this good is already very much bound and caught among them in many bindings — when the good begins to return, it pulls and tears with it more of their very own substance; and this is the dimension of converts [geirim]. But sometimes when they see the good longing intensely and drawing itself with all its force and wishing to return to its place at its holy root — they overpower it further and bring it into greater concealment: meaning they bring it into the innermost of their thought; and then the good comes out through the children that are born — and they become masters of teshuvah and converts. And even though we have spoken until now about the good that is suppressed among actual idolaters and about the drawing-close of converts — all of this also occurs in particularity among Israel themselves: when sometimes the good is suppressed in exile so much — among the Sitra Achra and lusts and corrupt views and confusions of faith, Heaven forbid — to the point that it becomes so distant that it has almost entirely forgotten its own greatness, on the contrary, etc. — to the point that even the Tzaddik himself can barely speak with him. And then the Tzaddik is compelled to send him a letter to his distant, coarse, and very defiled place. And when the innermost root of his good point that is rooted in him from the root of his soul sees the holy words of the Tzaddik — it then recalls its greatness at its root and has great compassion upon itself and begins to yearn and long and break free from its great exile in which it has been suppressed for so long — and wishes to return and come back to its holy root; until through this it pulls and tears also from the very essence of the evil itself; and those who are most distant from the holiness of Israel draw close through this — which is the dimension of the drawing-close of converts. And sometimes the good comes out through the children that are born — which is the dimension of the very great wicked who produced from their offspring great and awesome tzaddikim: as our Rabbis said: "from the descendants of Sennacherib, etc." [Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 96b], and likewise "from the descendants of Haman, etc." [ibid.] — particularly among Israel themselves, in the dimension of "who can bring a pure thing from an impure one?" [Job 14:4]. And all of this is through the power of the holy letter of the truly true tzaddikim. And this is the dimension of "Hashem will count in the writing of the peoples" [Psalms 87:6] — meaning the holy words of the tzaddikim that are written also in their books. And the ending: "this one was born there, Selah" [ibid.] — meaning through this the good comes out in any event through the children that are born. [No source citation in this edition.]

Through weighing one's words with judgment [mekhalkel devarav b'mishpat] — through this one can teach one's disciples one's wisdom without harming them; for the primary teaching depends on this: that one weigh one's words with judgment — as our Rabbis said: "sages, be careful with your words, etc." [Mishnah Avos 1:11] — "and the disciples who come should drink, etc." [ibid.]. [No source citation in this edition.]

One who strives to draw people close to Hashem Yisborach — which is the primary magnification of His honor, blessed be He — through this the name and soul of this one who strives grow great; to the point that all souls desire to be included in his soul and name. [No source citation in this edition.]

The true Tzaddik who engages in arousing people from their sleep — and this is through his returning and revealing and showing them the holy face [panim d'kedushah] that departed from them at the time of sleep — must specifically clothe this face for the reasons explained in the inner text. And there are many dimensions in this — for there are seventy faces to the Torah; and sometimes it is impossible to reveal to him the light of the face of Torah as it is; and one must clothe it in lower and smaller Torah words; and sometimes one must clothe the face into Torah in story-form specifically. And sometimes one clothes his own face to him. And there are those whom it is impossible to arouse through his own face — and one must show him a higher face and clothe it in simple and small Torah words or in stories — until one arouses him through this. And sometimes there is one who has fallen from all seventy faces of the Torah — to the point that it is impossible to arouse him through any face except through the stories of ancient times [sipuray ma'asios shel shanim kadmoniyos] — which are the dimension of Atik [the Ancient One], the dimension of elder, the dimension of the splendor of the face [hadras panim] — from which all seventy faces receive vitality and splendor. [No source citation in this edition.]

When one engages in arousing people — one must guard oneself from unworthy disciples. And for this, one's study should be to study and teach in order to observe and to do — meaning that through one's study with one's disciple, it should be as if one made him into a fellow and as if one made them into words of Torah [as our Rabbis said — Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 99b]. And when one studies with this intention — Hashem Yisborach protects him so that his words will not be inscribed in the memory-power of the unworthy disciple — rather they will be forgotten from him. And when one engages in arousing through stories — one's conversation and stories must also be in the dimension of the above-mentioned study: meaning to study and teach in order to observe and to do, as above. And through this one is protected from unworthy disciples — for everything is forgotten from them, as above. [No source citation in this edition.]

One who vindicates the many [matzdik ha'rabbim] — meaning one who draws people close to the service of Hashem, or who judges them with the scale of merit (for this too is called vindicating the many) — through this one merits to receive holy warmth and burning enthusiasm from above, and can bring warmth and burning enthusiasm down to others as well — in the dimension of "and those who vindicate the many are like the stars" [Daniel 12:3]. See the inner text. But one who does not receive the warmth from above — even when he brings warmth to another it is only temporary, and he himself cools — like molten iron thrown into water: the iron itself cools and the water that heats up is only temporary. [No source citation in this edition.]

This one who engages in drawing people close to the service of Hashem — even though in truth certainly the primary effort should be to draw close great and distinguished people: meaning scholars, wealthy people, and people of distinguished lineage — for such people have an additional and higher level also from the side of their souls; and also when one merits to draw close such people, the smaller ones draw close automatically, as is understood and explained elsewhere. Even so — since the ba'al davar greatly overpowers this, particularly the drawing-close of the great ones, and brings many obstacles against this — therefore this true Tzaddik who begins to engage in this — drawing people close to the service of Hashem — is also compelled in the very first beginning to engage first with those smaller in level: meaning with the poor and the like — to speak to their hearts and arouse them to Hashem Yisborach, and to explain to them well that there is no ultimate purpose from the entire world except to engage in the service of Hashem all the days of one's life — and similar words. Until his words enter their ears and they consent with all their heart and soul to join with him; and then he takes them and leads them to his place which is outside the settled world. (Meaning: for certainly all his thoughts and words and all his practices are certainly very far from the customary practices of most of the settled world whose majority of deeds are vanity and who pursue the superfluous and are always troubled with the vanities of the time. And one who wishes to truly be among the people of the Tzaddik — who is the dimension of the worthy Ba'al Tefillah explained in the inner text — certainly must turn his back entirely from the vanities of the settlement, and be content with what he has, particularly regarding garments and clothing not to be particular at all — and likewise everything of this kind, as is understood in the inner text.) And afterward when these close ones merit to truly receive his words and engage only in prayers, supplications, fasts, etc. — until there are found among them some people who are already worthy also to draw people close to the service of Hashem Yisborach — then the Tzaddik gives them permission to enter also into the settled world and engage in this matter; until the community of the above-mentioned Tzaddik grows and becomes great and makes a great impression in the world.

This Tzaddik who is in the dimension of the Ba'al Tefillah who engages in drawing people close to the service of Hashem — conducts himself in this with great wisdom; and changes and transforms himself with each individual differently: with this one he appears as a poor man, with that one he appears as a merchant, and similarly all the like. And likewise when he sees that in speaking with someone he cannot accomplish his good intention with him — meaning drawing close to Hashem Yisborach, for in truth this is the only primary intention when he speaks with people — but even so when he understands that he cannot accomplish his good intention with them, he then slants their minds and circulates with them in other conversations — until they do not at all understand that this is the intention of his words: to arouse and draw them close to Hashem Yisborach. And the Tzaddik is thus compelled to make his rebuke with great wisdom and great stratagems — in order to conceal himself at the start of his words so that they will not recognize him for who he is. For otherwise it is possible that his words will not enter the ears of the hearer at all — and the person will not want to speak with him or hear his words at all, because of the great force of the strengthening of the evil venom rooted in the heart of many people — to the point that as soon as one begins to speak with them and draw them toward the good, the evil is stirred up, Heaven forbid, in response: to the point that not only do they not listen to his pleasant words — sometimes they are even aroused against him with hatred and great warfare, as is also understood from the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory. And therefore the Tzaddik is compelled to transform himself and conceal his good intention each time, as above. [No source citation in this edition.]

This matter of striving with people to draw them close to Hashem Yisborach — and likewise to the true Tzaddik — requires great strengthening. For sometimes one speaks much to their hearts about this and sees that one accomplishes nothing with them — even so one is forbidden to despair of them; and must strive with them yet again. As we saw with the Ba'al Tefillah who engaged in speaking much with the people of the province who had gone very astray after the lust for money — and accomplished nothing with them — and even so resolved afterward to go again to speak with them. Afterward when each of the watchmen answered him: "what more can I do against the entire province — am I not just a single individual?" — from this very answer it appeared as if they had at least begun to have some doubt and to incline their views somewhat toward him; and this was a comfort to the Ba'al Tefillah — even though they were still very far from the truth of the view he wished to introduce in them. Particularly afterward when the treasurer also increased in rebuking them and speaking to their hearts — and they said: on the contrary, if that is your view then take us out of our error. Even though in truth they were still holding strongly to their foolish view — even so these words in passing were also a comfort to him. [No source citation in this edition.]

One must be very very careful to engage and strive in this — to draw people close to the service of Hashem Yisborach; for there is nothing greater than this, as is brought in the holy Zohar: "fortunate is one who holds the hand of the guilty, etc." [Aramaic: zakkai man d'achid b'ida d'chayyavayya v'chulu — Zohar I:179a]. And it is worthwhile to speak with them casual conversations about worldly affairs — perhaps from this it will grow and roll into true words that will arouse them to Hashem Yisborach. And even if one accomplishes with them only a passing motion — that some stirring of teshuvah should enter them, or some temporary awakening — this too is very good. All the more so, it is possible that over many days, when one speaks with them and returns to speak — perhaps one will merit to truly arouse them and draw them close to Hashem Yisborach. And one who is lazy and lax and does not engage in this is in the dimension of a dry tree that bears no fruit — since he produces no souls who will draw close to Hashem Yisborach through him. And the primary effort should be to strive with all one's strength to draw close great people of high level: scholars, distinguished lineage, and wealthy people, etc. — for then the smaller ones in level are secondary to them and draw close automatically. And the primary effort should also be with the young — for they are easier to return to Hashem Yisborach truly than the old. But even so one should also strive to speak with the old — for they too can merit to draw close to Hashem Yisborach, if they truly wish. [No source citation in this edition.]

Sometimes it is worthwhile to travel journeys for this purpose — in order to speak with people about the above-mentioned true ultimate purpose. [No source citation in this edition.]