Regarding the conduct of simplicity peshitus of the true tzadik righteous one

Likutay Moharan II Torah 78: Regarding the Conduct of Simplicity of the True Tzadik Regarding the conduct of simplicity [peshitus] of the true tzadik [righteous one], that is, sometimes the true tzadik is literally a simple man [ish pashut mamash, what is called prastik], who conducts himself in ways of simplicity and does not reveal any Torah [divine teaching] and engages in mundane conversation and the like. He is then in the aspect of a simple man, literally.

Know that the essence of life is the Torah, as it is written: “For it is your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:20). And anyone who separates from the Torah is as one who separates from life (Zohar, Lech Lecha 92b, B’Haaloscha 148a, Va’eschanan 260a). Therefore, it seems astonishing and wondrous how it is possible to separate oneself from the Torah even for a light moment. In truth, it is impossible and unimaginable to be attached to the Torah constantly, day and night, without any interruption for even a moment. Every scholar [baal Torah], whether a learned person who engages in studying the Torah with Gemara, Perush Rashi, Tosafos [Gemara, Rashi’s commentary, Tosafos], and the like, each according to his level, according to his engagement in study, must necessarily desist from the Torah for some time during the day. Similarly, even one who attains insight [baal hasagah], even one who is higher and higher, exceedingly lofty, nevertheless must necessarily interrupt and desist from his insight for some time. For it is impossible to be attached to the Torah and insight without interruption, as one must necessarily pause for some time, whether to engage in some business or the like, for one must also attend to the needs of the body. In general, it is impossible in any way to be attached to the Torah and insight without any interruption. One must necessarily desist for some time. During that time when one desists from the Torah, then that learned person or one who attains insight is in the aspect of a simple man, literally [ish pashut mamash, i.e., prastik]. It seems very difficult how it is possible to separate oneself from the Torah even for a light moment, for it is our life, and so forth. Who is the person who would desire to separate himself from life even for a fleeting moment? Even though our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Menachos 99b): “The cessation of Torah is its fulfillment,” nevertheless, who would consent to desist from the Torah, even if it is its fulfillment? Certainly, it is better to be attached to the Torah, which is life and the length of days. Who is the person who would consent to separate from life even for a single moment? Especially one who merits love of the Torah and is very constant in the Torah and greatly attached to it, all the more so one who merits to feel some sweetness in the Torah, to innovate some insight, even a simple explanation in Gemara, Perush Rashi, Tosafos, all the more so and even more so one who attains insight, and especially one who merits the treasures of the King. This level cannot be measured by the mind. How could he consent to separate from the Torah even for a light moment? In truth, it is impossible to be attached to engagement in the Torah constantly, as mentioned above, for one must necessarily desist and interrupt for some time. If so, how do they sustain themselves during that time when they are idle from the Torah, since the essence of life is from the Torah, as mentioned above? But know that the true tzadik sustains himself during that time when he is a simple man, as mentioned above, from the way of journeying to Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel].

For know that all these simple ones, meaning that learned person during the time he is idle from the Torah, when he is then a simple man, as mentioned above, and also there is a simple man, literally, who is not a learned person at all, yet he is a proper and G-d-fearing person, certainly receives vitality from the Torah. Similarly, even those who are lower still, even the nations of the world, they too certainly receive vitality from the Torah. All these simple ones need a great simple man [ish pashut gadol] through whom they all receive vitality. For all the aforementioned simple ones need to receive some vitality from the Torah, which is the essence of life. In truth, they are distant from the Torah, for they are simple people [prastakis]. Therefore, they need a great simple man through whom they receive vitality from the Torah.

For know that all the aforementioned simple ones, whether the learned person who engages in the Torah for the sake of Heaven [for when he engages in the Torah not for its own sake, his study does not benefit the settlement of the world, for not for its own sake is needed only for himself, and even in this there are levels; only when he engages for its own sake does he engage in the settlement of the world], when he desists from his study, when he is then in the aspect of a simple man, literally, as mentioned above, or the other simple ones, each according to his connection to the Torah, so he sustains himself during his simplicity from the aspect of the maintenance of the world before the giving of the Torah. For before the giving of the Torah, the world was sustained only by His kindness [chesed], for there was no Torah yet or any performance of a mitzvah [commandment] through which the world would be sustained. The essence of the world’s maintenance was through His kindness alone. The tzadik, during his simplicity, when he desists from the Torah, receives vitality from this aspect. This is the aspect of the treasury of free gifts [matnas chinam], for there is a treasury of free gifts from which one who has no merit at all receives (Midrash Rabbah, Tisa, Parsha 45). Certainly, this treasury is not prepared for the wicked, for if so, the wicked would be greater than the tzadik, since the wicked certainly has no merit at all. Would he merit because of this to receive from the treasury of free gifts? But in truth, the wicked certainly does not receive from there. Rather, this treasury of free gifts is for the tzadik alone, meaning during the time when the tzadik is a simple man, as mentioned above. Then he receives from this treasury of free gifts, which is the aspect of before the giving of the Torah, when the world was sustained by free kindness alone, in the aspect of: “For His kindness is forever” (Psalms 136), which is said regarding before the giving of the Torah [as brought in the Gemara, Pesachim: These twenty-six “For His kindness is forever” correspond to whom? To the twenty-six generations, and so forth]. For then there was no Torah, and they engaged only in the settlement of the world and in proper conduct [derech eretz], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in the Midrash (Rabbah, Tzav, Parsha 9): “Great is proper conduct, for it preceded the Torah by twenty-six generations.” Then the essence of the world’s maintenance was through free kindness alone. In truth, even before the giving of the Torah, the Torah certainly existed, for the Torah is eternal. However, then, before the giving of the Torah, the Torah was in concealment and hiddenness, meaning that the entire Torah is included in the Ten Commandments. Before the giving of the Torah, the Ten Commandments were concealed in the ten utterances with which the world was created. Thus, the entire Torah was concealed and hidden within the settlement of the world, which was created with the ten utterances. In all the speech of the world and in all the deeds and actions, whether one who chops wood or any act, whatever it may be, in all of them the Torah is concealed, for everything was created with the ten utterances in which the Torah is concealed and hidden before the giving of the Torah. The tzadik, during the time when he separates from the Torah and is in the aspect of a simple man, receives vitality from this aspect of before the giving of the Torah. This is the aspect of the way of Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above, that the tzadik sustains himself during his simplicity from there. For the essence of the power of the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is through the aspect of: “The power of His deeds He declared to His people to give them the inheritance of nations” (Psalms 111:6), as Rashi explains on the verse in Genesis, and so forth, that for this reason it opens with “In the beginning,” so that they should not say, “You are robbers,” and so forth. Therefore, it opens with “In the beginning,” for He, blessed be He, created everything, and by His will He gave it to them, and by His will, and so forth. Thus, the essence of the power of Eretz Yisrael is from the aspect of the ten utterances with which the world was created, which are the aspect of the power of His deeds. Through this, Israel was able to go and conquer Eretz Yisrael. Also here, in the diaspora [chutz la’aretz], this aspect is found, for Israel, a holy people, sometimes comes to places that were very, very far from the holiness of Israel, such as a place that was originally of idol-worshippers and is now under the authority of one who is very far from the holiness of Israel. Israel comes there and conquers the place and sanctifies it, so that it becomes an Israelite place, which is also the aspect of Eretz Yisrael. They could say, “You are robbers, for you conquered this place that is not yours.” But through the power of His deeds, the aspect of the ten utterances, through this we have the authority to conquer the entire world and sanctify it with the holiness of Israel, for He, blessed be He, created it, and by His will He gave it to us. Thus, the ten utterances, which are clothed in proper conduct [derech eretz], meaning in the settlement of the world, for through them the world was created, are the way to Eretz Yisrael. For through the aspect of the ten utterances, one can conquer Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of proper conduct [derech eretz], meaning the way to the land, meaning to Eretz Yisrael. For proper conduct, which is the settlement of the world created with the ten utterances, is itself the way and path to Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above. This is proper conduct [derech eretz], meaning the way to Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above. In this proper conduct, meaning the way of Eretz Yisrael, which is the aspect of the ten utterances with which the world was created, in which the Torah is concealed, through this the world was sustained by His kindness for the twenty-six generations before the giving of the Torah. In this itself, the tzadik sustains himself during his simplicity when he does not engage in the Torah. For then he sustains himself in the aspect of the Torah that is concealed within the world, in all the speech and in all the deeds that were created with the ten utterances, in which the Torah is concealed, as mentioned above.

Therefore, the great tzadik must descend and fall into simplicity and be a simple man, literally, for some time. For through this, he sustains all the aforementioned simple ones, whoever they may be, even the nations of the world. For he sustains himself in the aspect of the Torah concealed in the ten utterances, which are clothed within the world, and from him, all the aforementioned simple ones receive vitality.

Each one, according to his closeness to holiness and to the aforementioned tzadik, receives higher vitality from him. Therefore, Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, when he sought to come to Eretz Yisrael, sought a free gift [matnas chinam], as it is written: “And I pleaded with Hashem” (Deuteronomy 3:23), the aspect of a free gift (Rashi there). This is: “At that time, saying” (Deuteronomy 3:23), meaning his prayer was with the power of the aspect of: “At that time, saying,” meaning with the power of that time when the world was sustained through the ten utterances, which was before the giving of the Torah. Then the world was sustained through the ten utterances in which the Torah was concealed, and then the world’s maintenance was through a free gift, as mentioned above. With this power of the maintenance of the world before the giving of the Torah, meaning the aspect of a free gift, the aspect of the aforementioned ten utterances, with this power, one merits to come and conquer Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above. Therefore, Moshe sought to come to Eretz Yisrael through this aspect. This is: “And I pleaded with Hashem,” meaning a free gift, “at that time, saying,” meaning with the power of the aspect of that time when the world was sustained through the utterances alone, when the world was sustained through the aspect of a free gift, as mentioned above, through which one can come to Eretz Yisrael, as mentioned above. Therefore, Moshe sought to come to Eretz Yisrael through this aspect, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of: “At that time”—that [hahi] is the aspect of sealed and concealed, for at that time, before the giving of the Torah, the Torah was concealed and hidden within the ten utterances, and so forth, as mentioned above.

In general, one must not despair of himself, for even one who is a simple man and cannot study at all, or is in a place where he cannot study, and the like, even so, during his simplicity, he must hold fast to fear of Hashem and simple service according to his aspect. For even then, he receives vitality from the Torah, as mentioned above, through the great simple man, meaning the great tzadik, who is sometimes a simple man, who sustains them all, as mentioned above. Even one who is, Heaven forbid, at the lowest level completely, Heaven forbid, G-d save us, even if he is placed in the lowest depths of Sheol, G-d save us, even so, he should not despair of himself and should fulfill: “From the belly of Sheol I cried out” (Jonah 2:3). He should hold fast to whatever he can, for even he can return and repent and receive vitality from the Torah through the aforementioned tzadik. The main thing is to strengthen himself in whatever is possible [“For there is no despair in the world at all” (and he then said in this language: kayn yiush iz gar nit farhandin [“No despair exists at all”]), and he greatly emphasized these words ayn yiush, and so forth, and said them with great power and with wondrous and awesome depth to teach and hint to each and every person for generations not to despair in any way in the world, even if something passes over him]. However he is, even if he has fallen to the place where he has fallen, G-d save us, since he strengthens himself with whatever he can, he still has hope to return and come back to Him, blessed be He. Even a simple man must also have fear of Heaven. There are several aspects of fears, for above we spoke of the aspect of proper conduct [derech eretz], meaning the way to Eretz Yisrael. However, Eretz Yisrael itself also has the aspect of ten holinesses, for there are ten [יוד] aspects of holiness, one above the other. These are the aspect of the ten utterances, and each utterance has the aspect of fear, the aspect of: “Establish for Your servant Your utterance that is for Your fear” (Psalms 119:38). For there is fear above fear [and he did not complete explaining this matter]. One must strengthen himself in fear of Heaven even during his simplicity in whatever he can, and he can come to great joy through his sincerity and faith. For wisdoms are not needed at all, only faith and sincerity and simplicity without any wisdom at all. For wisdoms greatly harm a person, and the wise are caught in their own wisdom, for wisdom leads him astray from wisdom to wisdom, and from that wisdom to another wisdom, and so from wisdom to greater wisdom, until he is caught and led astray in his own wisdoms, in the aspect of: “He catches the wise in their cunning” (Job 5:13). “In their cunning” specifically, meaning in their cleverness and wisdoms themselves, it catches them. Fortunate is he who walks in sincerity.

One must greatly seek from Hashem, blessed be He, to merit to draw close to the true tzadik. For fortunate is he who merits to draw close while still in his lifetime to the true tzadik, fortunate is he, fortunate is his portion [for afterward [meaning after death], it is very difficult to draw close, and one must greatly increase in prayer and supplications to merit in his lifetime to draw close to true tzadikim]. For the baal davar [opposing force] greatly focuses on this now, to confuse the world. For Israel is now very close to the end, and Israel now has great longing and yearning for Hashem, blessed be He, such as there was not in earlier days. Every person greatly yearns for Hashem, blessed be He. Therefore, the baal davar has schemed and introduced strife among the tzadikim and has raised many false renowned ones in the world.

Also, among the true tzadikim, he has introduced great strife, until no one knows where the truth is. Therefore, one must greatly seek from Hashem, blessed be He, to merit to draw close to the true tzadik.

[Transcription from the manuscript of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, himself, what we found with him, and they are headings of sections regarding the above matter, and additional matters in them that he did not explain explicitly. According to the understanding from these headings, the reader will see that there are many more matters in this subject, but we did not merit to hear explicitly except the above matter.] “And I pleaded”—free gift [matnas chinam], free [chinam], illicit relations [arayos], blemish of knowledge [pegam hadaas], Moshe, knowledge [daas], separation [prishus], mouth [peh], “stand here with Me” (Deuteronomy 5:31), the creation [habriah], free gift [matnas chinam], “the world is built with kindness” (Psalms 89:3), the creation before the giving of the Torah, “a time to act for Hashem, they have nullified Your Torah” (Psalms 119:126), the cessation of Torah, “at that time, saying,” in the ten utterances, that [hahi], the concealment, “the power of His deeds He declared to His people.”

One must greatly seek from Hashem, blessed be He, to merit to draw close to the true tzadik. For fortunate is he who merits to draw close while still in his lifetime to the true tzadik, fortunate is he, fortunate is his portion [for afterward [meaning after death], it is very difficult to draw close, and one must greatly increase in prayer and supplications to merit in his lifetime to draw close to true tzadikim]. For the baal davar [opposing force] greatly focuses on this now, to confuse the world. For Israel is now very close to the end, and Israel now has great longing and yearning for Hashem, blessed be He, such as there was not in earlier days. Every person greatly yearns for Hashem, blessed be He. Therefore, the baal davar has schemed and introduced strife among the tzadikim and has raised many false renowned ones in the world. Also, among the true tzadikim, he has introduced great strife, until no one knows where the truth is. Therefore, one must greatly seek from Hashem, blessed be He, to merit to draw close to the true tzadik.