אות-ז

Every person must know: when he wishes to draw close to Hashem and he sees that obstacles and veils spread against him more and more — and particularly when he has already started somewhat and sees that each time they spread more against him, and sometimes after several years of seeming to have begun to purify himself somewhat, he falls back and desires and thoughts overcome him with enormous force, G-d have mercy: he must know that all this comes from the "soiled garments" [begadim tzoimim] from which he has not yet cleansed himself, and from which all the obstacles and overpowering come. And because of the great toil required for this — to completely strip off the soiled garments — and not every person merits to withstand this: from this comes all that passes over a person. And even one who has already started somewhat in the service of Hashem and began to purify himself a little — and even if he has already ascended somewhat from level to level and been purified more each time — even so, it can happen that afterward all the desires and thoughts will spread over him with even greater force than at first. All because of the soiled garments that he has not yet completely stripped from himself. And this can be understood well from what we see tangibly regarding the clarification of bread — the staff of human life — which requires clarification after clarification: one must plow and sow and reap, then clean the grain from chaff and straw, then grind it and clean the flour from bran. All these dross [p'soless] cleaving to the grain come from the soiled garments that attached to the food since eating was blemished through the eating of the Tree of Knowledge. Thus all these clarifications are to clean the grain from the hold of the soiled garments. And even so this is not the ultimate clarification — for the essential clarification is at the time of eating itself, when one must eat with holiness and bless it with intention, so that through this the pure good within the bread rises and gives life to the person so that he can praise and laud Hashem, may He be blessed. And the same is true of every person — ultimately the final clarification, of the aspect of eating itself, is sometimes harder than all the rest. And as a whole the world stands now in ikvah d'Meshicha [the footsteps of Mashiach] — close to the ultimate clarification needed before the complete redemption that will have no exile after it. Therefore now one needs great bitterness and toil before meriting something of holiness — and one must strengthen greatly with all manner of fortifications not to fall in one's mind, only to strive to drive away the soiled garments according to the ways and advice revealed to us by the true Tzadikim. For Hashem, may He be blessed, has already preceded the remedy before the wound through the holy books and advice revealed in our generations — through which we can strengthen and revive ourselves even now. (Halachos of Breaking Bread, Halacha 5, Ois 5–7) Also sadness [atzvus] is very harmful and gives power to the evil inclination. Therefore one must greatly strengthen oneself to gladden one's soul through all the ways and advice explained in their place — for the essential strengthening is through joy and gladness, as it is written: "For the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nehemiah 8:10]. (ibid.)