אות-קלא

One who has compassion on his true, eternal life — whenever he sees the sitra achra, which is the aspect of the heichalos ha'temuros [chambers of exchange], overpowering and spreading and extending against him more and more — precisely then he overpowers and strengthens and hastens all the more to draw close to Hashem, because he sees that they wish to push him away entirely, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of distancing being the ultimate drawing-close, descent being the ultimate ascent. And this is the aspect of what our sages said about Mamre — that he gave the advice regarding the circumcision: Mamre is the aspect of the chambers of exchange that overpowered and spread against him — and through this specifically Avraham was counseled to circumcise his heart fully. (Halachos of Marriage, Halacha 4, Ois 19)