See God in Everything But do not forget the basic purpose of our “Society for Positive Mindfulness.” It does not suffice to have experiences of spiritual inspiration triggered by the things of this world. Ultimately, inspired thoughts of this nature have a physical form. This is because when you have a thought, you must picture an image that is almost physical. (Cf. the opinion of the Ravad, ibid.). Also, in order to gain inspiration, you have to imagine this-worldly problems and your day of death.
No, he is not. Our desire is to tear aside in one motion the entire curtain spread across the totality of life. Then, in an instant you will see yourself standing before God’s glory in the midst of a great camp of angels and seraphim—and you being one of them.
Up to this point, the advice I have given has only presented a means by which you may come to a true intent and rise level after level. The goal is that there will manifest in you passion and an imageless thought, the expansion of a thought that is so strong and clean that you will see God in everything. Instead of your senses forcing your thoughts to apprehend a sensory form according to their nature, the opposite will occur: your mind will contemplate a clear thought (the essence of thought without form and image), and this will overwhelm your senses, penetrating deeply into them and there being manifested by them in the world. Finally, all of your thought’s communication and contact with the world will occur without the veil of your senses. Your thought will function directly through the vehicles of your eyes, ears, and so forth. These organs will be no more than transmitters of your thought.
This is not to say that I intend to entirely wipe out your physical senses so that you will not apprehend the world in front of you. You will see the world, but you will also see God’s holiness resting upon it (whether or not you are looking at it). And this is not to say that you will merely contemplate that God rests upon the world and that He rules over everything. We have already spoken about the fact that our mind alone does not really bring us close to God. By analogy, what good would it do you to close your eyes and gaze at an image of clouds? Will clouds really descend upon you in consequence?
Rather, there will be revealed within you a new type of thought that you have not known before, although it already exists within you, and with it you will see everything.
We are not telling you fantasies, nor are we speaking of matters that so transcend the world and nature that only elevated personalities can reach them. These are things that every Jew can assuredly and certainly attain with a little effort—as long as that effort is constant. These matters do not conflict with nature.
If it is hard for you at this point to understand how you will be able to arrive at a state that neither you nor your friends could ever have imagined, do not despair. Know this rule: never despair of reaching any great level and elevated trait that you have heard about. Rather, desire these things in your heart and work hard to reach them.
Many people have been lost, not rising to the state that they were capable of reaching, only because they surrendered out of laziness, sloppiness and the prompting of their evil inclination. If they had only wanted to try to act and rise little by little, step by step, they would not have wasted all their days in rubbish, they would not have destroyed all the light and holiness that was prepared for them.
And so do not content yourself with reading through this little book. Instead, learn it slowly. And do not go through it all at one sitting. Rather, pause at the end of each section. And it is preferable that you take a few days to go through it, reading a little each day. Then, after you have finished, learn it a second time, then a third time, and so forth.
When you read this work carefully and review it, endeavor to become aware of its overall form. All of a person’s life force cannot appear in one limb only. It appears in his 248 limbs. And only when you look at all of them together can you recognize his complete form. In the same way, this book consists of teachings, inspirational advice and practical ideas. When you look at only one part, you only see one limb of its intent. In your heart and soul, you must solder together everything in this book. Then the form of this particular service of God with its particular goal will become evident.
אֲבָל אַל נָא יִשְׁכַּח חָבֵר הַחַבְרַיָּא אֶת עִקַּר כַּוָּנָתֵנוּ בְּחֶבְרָתֵנוּ "בְּנֵי מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה", שֶׁלֹּא דַּי לָנוּ בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה כְּגוֹן זוֹ בִּלְבַד, שֶׁבֵּין כָּךְ וְכָךְ עוֹדָן מַחֲשָׁבוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶן צִיּוּר גּוּפָנִי, כִּי בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה אַתָּה מֻכְרָח לְצַיֵּר לְךָ דִּמְיוֹן כִּמְעַט גּוּפָנִי בְּסָמְכְךָ עַל הראב"ד זַ"ל וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה בָּא לְהִתְעוֹרֵר מֻכְרָח אַתָּה לְצַיֵּר לְךָ דַּאֲגוֹת גּוּפָנִיּוּת וְיוֹם הַמִּיתָה.
See God in Everything
But do not forget the basic purpose of our “Society for Positive Mindfulness.” It does not suffice to have experiences of spiritual inspiration triggered by the things of this world. Ultimately, inspired thoughts of this nature have a physical form. This is because when you have a thought, you must picture an image that is almost physical. (Cf. the opinion of the Ravad, ibid.). Also, in order to gain inspiration, you have to imagine this-worldly problems and your day of death.
וְהַלָּזֶה יִקָּרֵא אִישׁ הָרוּחַ וּבֶן הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה.
But is a person who needs this really called a spiritual person and a thinker?
רְצוֹנֵנוּ אָנוּ הוּא, לִקְרֹעַ בִּקְרִיעָה אַחַת אֶת כָּל הַמָּסָךְ הַפָּרוּס עַל כָּל הַחַיִּים, וּפִתְאֹם תִּרְאֶה אָח עַצְמְךָ עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי כְּבוֹדוֹ ית' בְּתוֹךְ מַחֲנֵה גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁל מַלְאָכִים וּשְׂרָפִים, וְאַתָּה אֶחָד מֵהֶם.
No, he is not. Our desire is to tear aside in one motion the entire curtain spread across the totality of life. Then, in an instant you will see yourself standing before God’s glory in the midst of a great camp of angels and seraphim—and you being one of them.
כָּל הָעֵצוֹת שֶׁדִּבַּרְנוּ עַד כֹּה הֵן רַק אֶמְצָעִים לָבֹא על ידם לְתַכְלִיתֵנוּ הָאֲמִתִּית וּלְהַעֲלוֹת אוֹתְךָ מַדְרֵגָה אַחַר מַדְרֵגָה, עַד שֶׁתִּתְגַּלֶּינָה בְּךָ הִתְלַהֲבוּת וּמַחֲשָׁבָה בְּלֹא צִיּוּר, רַק הִתְפַּשְּׁטוּת מַחְשָׁבָה חֲזָקָה וּנְקִיָּה כל כך עַד שֶׁבְּכָל דָּבָר תִּרְאֶה אֶת ד' ית', כְּלוֹמַר לֹא שֶׁהַחוּשִׁים יָחִישׁוּ כְּפִי רְצוֹנָם וְיַכְרִיחוּ גַּם אֶת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה לַחְשֹׁב וּלְצַיֵּר רַק כִּדְמותָם וּכְצַלְמָם דְּמוּת חוּשִׁית, אַךְ לְהֵפֶךְ הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה תִּהְיֶה חוֹשֶׁבֶת מַחֲשָׁבָה נְקִיָּה עֶצֶם הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בְּלֹא דְּמוּת וְצִיּוּר, וּמִתְגַּבֶּרֶת עַל הַחוּשִׁים וְחוֹדֶרֶת וּמִתְגַּלָּה עַל יְדֵיהֶם בָּעוֹלָם, עַד שֶׁכָּל הַמַּשָּׂא וּמַתָּן וְכָל הַנְּגִיעָה שֶׁלָּהּ עִם הָעוֹלָם בְּלֹא אֶמְצָעוּת לְבוּשׁ הַחוּשִׁים רַק יָשָׁר מַחְשַׁבְתִּית תִּהְיֶה, הָעַיִן הָאֹזֶן וכו' כֻּלָּם מְבִיאִים רַק דְּבָרִים מַחֲשַׁבְתִּיִּים.
Up to this point, the advice I have given has only presented a means by which you may come to a true intent and rise level after level. The goal is that there will manifest in you passion and an imageless thought, the expansion of a thought that is so strong and clean that you will see God in everything. Instead of your senses forcing your thoughts to apprehend a sensory form according to their nature, the opposite will occur: your mind will contemplate a clear thought (the essence of thought without form and image), and this will overwhelm your senses, penetrating deeply into them and there being manifested by them in the world. Finally, all of your thought’s communication and contact with the world will occur without the veil of your senses. Your thought will function directly through the vehicles of your eyes, ears, and so forth. These organs will be no more than transmitters of your thought.
לֹא שֶׁחוֹשְׁבִים אָנוּ לְבַטֵּל בִּכְלָל אֶת חוּשֵׁי הַגּוּף שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם עוֹלָם לְפָנָיו, עוֹלָם יִרְאֶה, רַק גַּם אֶת קְדֻשַּׁת השי"ת יִרְאֶה עָלָיו, בֵּין שֶׁיִּסְתַּכֵּל עַל הָעוֹלָם וּבֵין לֹא, וְלֹא שֶׁיִּתְבּוֹנֵן בְּדַעְתּוֹ בִּלְבַד שהשי"ת שׁוֹכֵן עַל הָעוֹלָם וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה, כִּי כְּבָר דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵיךְ שֶׁהַדַּעַת בִּלְבַד אֵינָהּ מַקְרֶבֶת בֶּאֱמֶת, וּמָה יוֹעִיל לוֹ לְאִישׁ שֶׁיַּעֲצֹם אֶת עֵינָיו וְיִתְבּוֹנֵן בֶּעָבִים הָאִם יֵרְדוּ הֶעָבִים אֵלָיו על ידי זה.
This is not to say that I intend to entirely wipe out your physical senses so that you will not apprehend the world in front of you. You will see the world, but you will also see God’s holiness resting upon it (whether or not you are looking at it). And this is not to say that you will merely contemplate that God rests upon the world and that He rules over everything. We have already spoken about the fact that our mind alone does not really bring us close to God. By analogy, what good would it do you to close your eyes and gaze at an image of clouds? Will clouds really descend upon you in consequence?
רַק שֶׁיִּתְגַּלֶּה בְּקִרְבְּךָ מִין מַחֲשָׁבָה חֲדָשָׁה שֶׁלֹּא יָדַעְתָּ מִקֹּדֶם שֶׁהִיא נִמְצֵאת בְּךָ וּבָהּ תִּרְאֶה הַכֹּל.
Rather, there will be revealed within you a new type of thought that you have not known before, although it already exists within you, and with it you will see everything.
לֹא דִּבְרֵי הַזָּיָה אָנוּ מְדַבְּרִים אֵלֶיךָ וְלֹא דְּבָרִים שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מִן הָעוֹלָם וְהַטֶּבַע אֲשֶׁר רַק בְּנֵי עֲלִיָּה יְכוֹלִים לְהַגִּיעַ אֵלֶיהָ, דְּבָרִים בְּטוּחִים וּוַדָּאִים אֲשֶׁר כָּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל יָכוֹל לָבוֹא אֲלֵיהֶם בִּמְעַט הִתְאַמְּצוּת אֲבָל תְּמִידִית דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵינָם נֶגֶד חֻקֵּי הַטֶּבַע גם כן.
We are not telling you fantasies, nor are we speaking of matters that so transcend the world and nature that only elevated personalities can reach them. These are things that every Jew can assuredly and certainly attain with a little effort—as long as that effort is constant. These matters do not conflict with nature.
וְאִם קָשֶׁה לְךָ לְהָבִין עַתָּה אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר לְךָ לְהַגִּיעַ לִידֵי מַצָּב אֲשֶׁר לֹא שִׁעֲרוּהוּ לֹא אַתָּה וְלֹא חֲבֵרֶיךָ, לֹא תִּתְיָאֵשׁ מִמֶּנָּה כִּי הַכְּלָל הַזֶּה תֵּדַע, כָּל מַדְרֵגָה גְּדוֹלָה וְכָל מִדָּה עִלָּאָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמַע לֹא תִּתְיָאֵשׁ מִמֶּנָּה, רַק תַּחְמֹד אוֹתָן בְּלִבְּךָ וְתִתְאַמֵּץ לְהַגִּיעַ אֲלֵיהֶן.
If it is hard for you at this point to understand how you will be able to arrive at a state that neither you nor your friends could ever have imagined, do not despair. Know this rule: never despair of reaching any great level and elevated trait that you have heard about. Rather, desire these things in your heart and work hard to reach them.
כִּי הַרְבֵּה אֲנָשִׁים כְּבָר נֶאֶבְדוּ וְלֹא עָלוּ אֶל הַמַּצָּב שֶׁהָיוּ מֻכְשָׁרִים אֵלָיו רַק מִפְּנֵי יֵאוּשׁ הַזֶּה, שֶׁיְּסוֹדוֹ עַצְלוּת, הִתְרַשְּׁלוּת ויצר הרע, וְלוּ רָצוּ לְנַסּוֹת לְהַעְפִּיל וְלַעֲלוֹת לְאַט לְאַט פְּסִיעָה אַחֲרֵי פְּסִיעָה לֹא הָיוּ מְבַלִּים אֶת כָּל יְמֵיהֶם בְּרֶפֶשׁ, וְלֹא הָיוּ מְאַבְּדִים אֶת כָּל הָאוֹר וְכָל הַקֹּדֶשׁ שהיה מוּכָן לָהֶם.
Many people have been lost, not rising to the state that they were capable of reaching, only because they surrendered out of laziness, sloppiness and the prompting of their evil inclination. If they had only wanted to try to act and rise little by little, step by step, they would not have wasted all their days in rubbish, they would not have destroyed all the light and holiness that was prepared for them.
לָכֵן אֶת קֻנְטְרֵס הַחַבְרַיָּא קְדושה שֶׁלָּנוּ, לֹא תִּפְטֹר בִּקְרִיאָה גְּרֵידָא בִּלְבַד רַק תִּלְמְדֵהוּ בְּנַחַת, וְלֹא בְּפַעַם אַחַת תַּעֲבֹר עָלָיו, רַק תִּתֵּן רֶוַח בֵּין פָּרָשָׁה לְפָרָשָׁה וכו', יוֹתֵר טוֹב לְחַלְּקֵהוּ לְאֵיזֶה יָמִים, מְעַט הַיּוֹם וּמְעַט מָחָר וכו' וְאִם כְּבָר גְּמַרְתִּיו תִּשְׁנֵהוּ וּתְשַׁלְּשֵׁהוּ וכו'.
And so do not content yourself with reading through this little book. Instead, learn it slowly. And do not go through it all at one sitting. Rather, pause at the end of each section. And it is preferable that you take a few days to go through it, reading a little each day. Then, after you have finished, learn it a second time, then a third time, and so forth.
וְתִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהַכִּיר אֶת צוּרַת הַפָּנִים שֶׁבְּכָל הַקּוּנְטְרֵס, כִּי כְּמוֹ הָאָדָם אִי אֶפְשָׁר לְכָל חַיּוּתוֹ לְהֵרָאוֹת בְּאֵבֶר אֶחָד, רַק בָּרְמַ"ח אֵיבָרִים וכו' וְרַק בֵּין כֻּלָּם כְּשֶׁמְּצָרְפִים בִּסְקִירָה אַחַת אֶת כָּל הָאֵבָרִים, נִכֶּרֶת צוּרַת אָדָם שָׁלֵם, כֵּן גַּם צוּרָה הָאַחַת אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל הַקּוּנְטְרֵס הִנָּהּ נִפְרֶדֶת לְמַאֲמָרִים, לְעֵצוֹת וְלָאֶמְצָעִים, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּבִּיטִים עַל חֵלֶק אֶחָד רַק אֵבֶר אֶחָד מִתַּכְלִיתוֹ רוֹאִים, וּצְרִיכִים לְצָרֵף בִּלְבָבֵנוּ וְנַפְשֵׁנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּמְצָא בּוֹ, וְאָז תִּתְרָאֶה צוּרַת עֲבוֹדָה וְתַכְלִית אַחַת מְיֻחָד בִּשְׁבִילֵנוּ.
When you read this work carefully and review it, endeavor to become aware of its overall form. All of a person’s life force cannot appear in one limb only. It appears in his 248 limbs. And only when you look at all of them together can you recognize his complete form. In the same way, this book consists of teachings, inspirational advice and practical ideas. When you look at only one part, you only see one limb of its intent. In your heart and soul, you must solder together everything in this book. Then the form of this particular service of God with its particular goal will become evident.
אֲבָל כָּל אֵלּוּ הֵם רַק לַאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁכְּבָר נִזְכְּרוּ וְנִפְרְטוּ בְּרֹאשׁ דְּבָרֵינוּ בְּעִנְיְנֵי תֹּכֶן הַחֶבְרָה.
But this will only be the experience of those who have already been described at the beginning of this work in regard to membership in our fellowship.