עֵצָה

One must greatly distance themselves from the advice of the masses, most of whom give bad and very corrupt advice, all the more so from the advice of the wicked, disputers, and opponents of the truth, from whom one must distance themselves even more, for from them come all corruptions and blemishes, as their advice is the aspect of the counsel of the primordial serpent. When one accepts their advice, G-d forbid, they inject impurity into them, which is the aspect of blemishing the covenant. They distance from truth, holy faith, prayer, and coming to the Land of Israel. Therefore, one must greatly distance themselves from following their advice, G-d forbid, and instead attach themselves to true tzaddikim and their followers who walk in their ways, whose advice is entirely the aspect of the seed of truth, the aspect of rectifying the covenant. Through their advice, one merits all good—truth, faith, prayer, the Land of Israel, and performing miracles in the world (7:3).

Through being careful with the mitzvah of tzitzit, one merits to be saved from the counsel of the serpent, which is the bad advice mentioned above, and merits the counsel of tzaddikim (ibid., 4).

Through blemishing faith in sages, one never has complete counsel, is always in doubt, their counsel is divided, and they do not know how to give themselves advice in anything [see Tzaddik] (61:1).

Through accepting counsel from true tzaddikim, the sweetening of judgments is achieved, and through this, salvation comes to them. But if they do not accept counsel from tzaddikim, it is possible that evil will come to them, G-d forbid, through themselves, in the aspect of “A man’s folly perverts his way…” But if they accept counsel from tzaddikim, even if it does not turn out well afterward, they know it is only from above (143).

The rectification of counsel is through the cry of the heart, as one must cry out to the Lord from the depths of the heart. Through this, they dig and reveal deep counsels, and through this, holy faith grows and is rectified, they merit healing, and many great rectifications are achieved [see Faith, sections 41, 42] (Part II, 5:3).