אות-טז

The war of Amalek — which is the war of the evil inclination — is a very long war. And the essential subduing of it is through strengthening oneself: that in whatever passes over a person all the days of his life, he should be very strong not to allow himself to fall in any manner — in the aspect of "and if I make my bed in the depths, behold You are there." And even from there he cries and screams to Hashem with utter self-expiration [k'los hanefesh], in the aspect of: "From the belly of the depths I cried" [Jonah 2:3]. And this is the essential path of teshuvah that we pursue in the awesome holy Days — Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur — and this is the essential victory of the battle that we pursue in those days. For as long as a person does not despair of himself and strengthens himself to begin anew each time however he is — he is called a victor of the battle. For truly, to Hashem is the battle — for a person alone cannot defeat the evil inclination, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Were it not for the Holy One, blessed be He, helping him," etc., as it is written: "The battle is Hashem's against Amalek". Only the person is obligated to strengthen himself each time to not retreat from this battle and not to despair of himself in any manner. And this is alluded to in the words of the holy Zohar: "Who is victorious? He who holds the weapons of battle in his hands." For certainly in this battle one does not yet see with tangible senses who is victorious, for the battle is still very long and the exile strengthens over each person — even so, as long as we still hold the weapons in our hands — and our essential weapon is prayer, as is explained elsewhere — and as long as we do not despair of ourselves from this battle, G-d forbid, and still hold the battle weapons — certainly we are victorious. For as long as a person strengthens himself in prayer and crying to Hashem he is in the category of "victorious in battle." (ibid., Ois 54) It has already been explained that there is no despair in the world at all. And in the very fact that he sees himself very far from Hashem, may He be blessed, in the utmost distance — in this very fact he should revive himself. For he would have been able to be so far that he would not know at all that he is far. And since he at any rate knows the greatness of his distance — even though the truth is so — even so, the very fact that he at any rate knows his distance is itself precious before Hashem, may He be blessed. And through this very fact he should revive and strengthen himself with all he can.