אות - כה

Regarding the thoughts in the brain — it is a great wonder and it is the greatness of the Creator blessed He, how thoughts are stored in the brain in many bundles piled upon one another. And when a person needs something and remembers it, he then draws out and brings forth that thing which was stored in the thought and recalls it. And the matter is wondrous — where was that matter stored until now? And there are connections and signs among the thoughts stored in the brain in very many bundles. And when one recalls something, on account of some occurrence that arouses that thought through the connection and sign within it, he then brings out that thought from amidst the bundles upon bundles of thoughts that are stored and arranged in the brain. And then when he draws out and brings forth that thought, all the thoughts are overturned and rolled from their arrangement in which they were stored. (Similar to what one sees in physical matters — that when one draws and takes something out from some box or bundle, the entire box and bundle is overturned and rolled.)

In the eyes of the world, forgetting is a great deficiency. But in my eyes there is a great virtue in forgetting. Because if there were no forgetting, it would be impossible to do anything in the service of Hashem — if one would remember everything that passed, it would be impossible for him to raise himself up to His service blessed He in any manner whatsoever; all the things that would have happened to him would have confused him greatly. But now, through forgetting, what has passed is forgotten.