ערך השגת והתנוצצות אלקות

Sections 12 through 24 · Continuing the Alef-Bais Even to a person who is on the lowest level — in the aspect of darkness and exile — even so G-d has compassion upon him and shines upon him at times a great sparkling [hisnotzetzus gadol] in his heart and his mind. And all of it — so that the person will be awakened through this and will be drawn after Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of: "Draw me after You — we will run" [Song of Songs 1:4]. And therefore immediately afterwards the sparkling and this illumination passes and is hidden from him. For the sparkling was only to hint to him the pleasantness of the light — so that he will pursue it. And this is the essential aspect of the herald [karez] that calls to the person every single time to return to Him, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is the aspect of Pesach and the Counting of the Omer and Shavuos, as explained in the inner teachings.

A person must believe with complete faith that everything that passes over him every day and every time and every hour — from the day of his birth until the day of his death — all of it is only circuits [sivuvim] from Him, blessed be He, in order that he merit attainments of G-dliness [hasogos Elokus] — to know and recognize Him, blessed be He. For only for this was he created — and there is no other purpose beyond this. As is explained in the holy Zohar: that the essential purpose of creation was b'gin d'ishtamuda'un lei — so that they might come to know Him. And this is the essential sum total of all the Torah and the sum total of all the intentions of all the holy commandments — for all of them are measures and compressions [shi'urim u'tzimtzumim] to merit through them the attainment of G-dliness — to know and recognize Him, blessed be He. But because "this opposite that G-d made" [Ecclesiastes 7:14] — for there is a kingdom of the sitra achra [the other side] that strengthens itself at all times to confuse a person's mind — so that he does not look and does not reflect upon all that is being done with him, which is for his eternal benefit, to merit the life of eternity through attainment of G-dliness — and he forgets, G-d forbid, the essential, and makes from the secondary the essential: as if the essential were, G-d forbid, the affairs of this world and the entanglements of livelihood, etc. — G-d protect us. Therefore one must seek very greatly the true Tzadik of very high stature — who is the fitting rebbe — who can circuit with each person according to his level in wondrous ways, until he brings within him too the attainment of G-dliness.

But because "this opposite that G-d made" [Ecclesiastes 7:14] — for there is a kingdom of the sitra achra [the other side] that strengthens itself at all times to confuse a person's mind — so that he does not look and does not reflect upon all that is being done with him, which is for his eternal benefit, to merit the life of eternity through attainment of G-dliness — and he forgets, G-d forbid, the essential, and makes from the secondary the essential: as if the essential were, G-d forbid, the affairs of this world and the entanglements of livelihood, etc. — G-d protect us. Therefore one must seek very greatly the true Tzadik of very high stature — who is the fitting rebbe — who can circuit with each person according to his level in wondrous ways, until he brings within him too the attainment of G-dliness.