אות-יז

One who has fallen, G-d forbid, to places very distant from holiness — to the point that seemingly it is impossible to find His divinity there, for about such places it is said: "and My glory I will not give to another" [Isaiah 42:8] — yet in truth even they receive vitality from Him, may He be blessed. Only the divine vitality in those places is utterly sealed and hidden in the secret of the Vacant Hollow [chalal hapanui]. And specifically those places receive vitality from a very lofty aspect — the aspect of the sealed utterance. Therefore the essential advice is that he seek and ask for Hashem, may He be blessed, even from there, being one who asks and seeks: "Where is the place of His glory?" And the more he sees himself far from His glory, he should grieve and ask and seek more: "Where is the place of His glory?" And through this very seeking and yearning and longing after His glory and grieving and crying and asking "Where is the place of His glory?" — through this he himself ascends to the highest ascent, meriting to ascend to the aspect of Ayeh [Where?], which is the very highest holiness. (ibid., Halacha 6, Ois 8) Even one who has fallen very, very deeply, G-d forbid, and is in the lowest depths — even so he has great hope through the great true Tzadik, for through him all can receive vitality from holiness in every place they are. Therefore truly there is no despair in the world at all — [in Yiddish: kayn ye'ush iz gor nit farhanden]. And however he is — even if he has fallen to wherever he has fallen, G-d have mercy — even so, since he strengthens himself as he is, there is still hope for him to return to Him, may He be blessed. And the essential thing is "from the belly of the depths I cried" — for even a cry from the lowest depths is never lost forever. Let him cry and cry and never despair of crying — only let him cry and entreat Hashem, may He be blessed, always, however things are, "until Hashem looks down and sees from heaven" [Lamentations 3:50]. (ibid., Ois 78)