אות - יד

I greatly envy an upright person (what they call an "ehrlicher Yid")[30] — because it appears as though a person walks with sinews and entrails and limbs like everyone else in the world, and yet in truth it is a completely different matter altogether, because an upright person is very precious — fortunate is he. And the main thing is the desire and the yearning. And even though one cannot discharge oneself with merely that (as explained in the Torah-teaching "Vihiyu na pi shnayim" in Likutay Moharan 66), because one must bring forth from potential into actuality specifically — because even though "the Torah exempts one who is under duress" [Bava Kama 28b], even still, this is only for one who wishes to merely discharge his obligation. But one should not cool his resolve regarding the fact that he is exempt on account of duress — rather, one should perform the service of Hashem in actuality (as this is all explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above; see there). Even still, this too is good — when one holds fast in this way that he does not wish to be discharged through the duress, rather his yearning is strong and his desire is very forceful to merit to perform the service of Hashem in actuality. And this desire in itself is very good. And if even so he is under duress and does not merit to perform the service, the desire mentioned above in itself is very good.[31]