ערך כעס

Through three desires — which are the desire for money, and eating, and sexual union [mishgol] — through this one blemishes the holy honor [kovod d'kedushah]. And then the soul is naked without a garment — in the aspect of: "And you were naked and bare" [Ezekiel 16:7]. It is known and explained elsewhere that anger damages wealth. Even though we see many wealthy people who are angry — and even so they have great wealth. And especially the gentiles — who are full of anger and murder — and even so all the wealth is with them. But in truth the essential wealth is holy wealth [ashirus d'kedushah] — see the inner teachings. And for wealth such as this, it is impossible to merit except specifically through the subjugation of anger.

The essential toil and entanglement of livelihood comes through foolishness and deficiency of da'as — which comes through anger. In the aspect of: "Whoever becomes angry — his wisdom departs from him, etc." For anger is the aspect of the blemish of eating from the Tree of Knowledge — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "A fool — his anger is known the same day" [Proverbs 12:16]. And through this it was decreed upon him: "In toil shall you eat of it, etc." [Genesis 3:17] — "In the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread, etc." [Genesis 3:19].

When the yetzer hara incites a person to become angry — he must remind himself how much and how much he will lose through this — both spiritually and materially. For through — [through] — anger he will lose the holy wealth, which is the aspect of the root of all souls. And therefore within the holy wealth are all the supernal luminous colors [guinin ila'in] and all the holy sparks. And if, G-d forbid, he does not restrain his spirit and becomes angry, G-d forbid — he will lose everything and fall into the toil and exertions and bitterness of livelihood — which is the aspect of the desire for money, which is the aspect of the tit hayaven [sinking mire], which is the essential bitterness of exile. And concerning this it is said: "I have sunk in the deep mire and there is no foothold" [Psalms 69:3]. For from all the desires it is easier to extract oneself — except from the desire for money, as is explained elsewhere.

The essential of mockery [leitzanus] comes from arrogance of spirit — that one is haughty of heart and great in his own eyes, to the point that all the people of the world are as nothing in his eyes — and he mocks each and every one. As this terrible affliction is found in many people — who mock each and every one, especially the G-d-fearing and the upright — and find faults and deficiencies in each and every one. And all of this — on account of his arrogance, for it seems to him that there is none wiser than he — and the entire world must learn from him and conduct itself according to what his mind dictates. And these mockers intensify in their mockery to the point that they weaken the minds of many upright people and cause them to fall from their service through their evil mockery, G-d protect us. And all of this comes from their evil arrogance.