אות - צה

It is fitting for a person to accustom himself to be in the World to Come (206) — that is, to be separated from desires, as in the World to Come where there is no eating and no drinking and no desire of any animal desire of the perishing and corrupted things of this world (207). And just as we see: the sick person, because he is somewhat near to the World to Come — therefore he despises eating and drinking and intercourse and has no desire at all — on the contrary, all desires are loathsome and repulsive to him because he is near to the World to Come where there is no eating or drinking etc. So too a person should accustom himself while still alive and in good health that he should be able to conduct himself without desires as in the World to Come. And certainly if one remembered well the pleasures of the World to Come, one certainly could not bear at all the life and pleasures of this world. To the point that forgetting is therefore a great virtue. Even though it is not a good quality — even so it is a virtue, in that through it a person can live in this world (208). For if one remembered the pleasures of the World to Come — for there is a very great angel with a thousand heads, and every head has a thousand tongues, and every tongue has a thousand voices, and every voice has a thousand melodies. And when this angel stands to sing, it is certainly very beautiful and pleasant beyond all measure and reckoning. And now let the person consider his own lowliness and worthlessness compared to this — how could he bear his life? He would certainly despise his very life until he expired before his time. And similarly if one remembered one's own particular lowliness — as many people who are filthy and revolting through sins — certainly if there were no forgetting at all it would be impossible for him to raise himself at all to the service of Hashem Yisburach. And because of all this, forgetting is a virtue from this aspect. But a person should remember himself so as not to lose his world, Heaven forbid. And our Sages o.b.m. said (209): "In the future the Holy Blessed One will bequeath to every Tzadik 310 worlds." And one should estimate in one's mind the greatness of one world — how many houses are in it, and how many courtyards and lanes, and how many towns and provinces and the extent of each world, and how many stars and constellations without number and wonderful and wondrous spheres that are in each and every world. For all of these are in one world from among the worlds. And now — 310 worlds that each Tzadik has: how precious is his greatness and his pleasures and delights beyond all measure and reckoning. And behold, the 310 worlds that the Tzadik has — he builds them from dispute. For all the words of dispute that each person speaks are in the aspect of stones. For letters are called stones as is brought in Sefer Yetzirah (4:12) (209): "Two stones build..." etc. And they are in the aspect of separate stones, for the stones that come through the words of the disputants are separated and have no connection. And the Tzadik takes these stones and connects them and builds houses from them — for he makes peace among them and connects them and arranges them together, one upon the other, until he builds a house from them. And this is the aspect of "peace in the home" — that from the separate stones as mentioned he makes the aspect of peace in the home, and from the homes a city is made, until a full world is made from them, and similarly 310 worlds. And this is the aspect of "That I may cause those who love Me to inherit substance [yesh]" (Proverbs 8:21) — "those who love Me" specifically — the aspect of love and peace, for through the peace and love he makes among the separate stones, the 310 worlds come to be as mentioned. And this is what Avigail said to David, at the time when Naval contended against him and spoke against him as is stated there: (II Samuel 7:11): "And now I know that Hashem will make you a house"* — that is, through this dispute Hashem will make you a house from the aforementioned stones as mentioned above. For the Tzadik inclines toward kindness (210) and judges all those who contend against him favorably — that their intention is for the sake of heaven (211). For the world would not have been able to bear the light of the Tzadik, whose light is very great for the world to bear. And also because there are many severe judgments and accusations against the true great Tzadik — therefore they contend against him, and through this they silence the judgments and accusations. Just as we see when there is a severe judgment against a person, and one person puts on jealousy and says: I will go and take revenge upon him and punish him — through this he silences from him the other adversaries who were accusing, whom he could not bear their judgments. It is found that the one who goes to take revenge from him is doing him a very great favor — for certainly it is better and easier for him to bear the judgment of this one person, which he can bear, than to bear the judgments of all of them, Heaven forbid, which he could not have borne.

Just as we find with Pinchas in the incident of Zimri. For were it not for Pinchas, Israel would have been deserving of annihilation, Heaven forbid. But because Pinchas went forth and was zealous for Hashem — through this the judgment was silenced from upon Israel, as it is written: "When he was zealous for My jealousy among them, and I did not consume etc." So too one who contends against the Tzadik and says: I will do to him and show him my strength and my vengeance from him — through this he silences from him the other judgments as mentioned. And he also does him a favor — for when the Tzadik needs to ascend from level to level, he is then tested (212) whether he has the strength to stand in the palace of the King (Daniel 1:4). And the palace of the King is the aspect of the mouth of the Tzadik which is called "palace" — for its gematria is Adonai (213) which is the aspect of the mouth (214), as it is written: "Kingdom is the mouth" (215). And the fact that the Tzadik contends against him is a test for that Tzadik against whom is the contention — whether he has the strength to stand in the palace of the King, in the mouth of the Tzadik who contends against him. And through this he is elevated from level to level higher. It is found that he does him a favor. 206. RAK: See Alim LiTerufah, letter 414. 207. RAK: See tractate Berachos 17a. 208. RAK: See above section 26. And see tractate Tamid ch. 3, Mishnah 8, regarding the thousand voices.

209. RAK: Attributed to Avraham Avinu. See Shem HaGedolim, Books, letter Samech. 210. RAK: See Rosh HaShanah 17a. 211. RAK: See Avos 1:6; Shevuos 30a; Likutay Moharan 282.

212. RAK: See Shemos Rabbah 2:3. 213. RAK: Tikkunei Zohar 18; Likutay Moharan 55. 214. RAK: See Shaarei Orah 1; Pardes Rimonim 20. 215. RAK: See Tikkunei Zohar in the introduction.