To Keep a Secret Therefore, our group will only accept those who share these concerns. As for those others who know in their souls that they do not fulfill these conditions and do not fall into this category, we ask them, “Do not enter our group and fool yourselves and us. Do not spoil the other members’ pure hearts and clean minds.”
Perhaps this is alluded to in the words of the midrash that the Jews did not reveal their “mysteries” in Egypt. We are told explicitly that the Jews did not reveal the secret that before “a [Jewish] woman would request an item of her [Egyptian] neighbor” (Exodus 11:2) the Jewish woman had already discovered that item during the plague of darkness. But even more than that, they did not reveal the “mysteries”: all things having to do with the soul. These must be kept secret and hidden, for it is not right that when naked souls are cleansing themselves of their impurity others should be watching. Consider this well.
וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכֵּן, אָנוּ מוֹדִיעִים בָּזֶה שֶׁלְּחֶבְרָתֵנוּ זוֹ יִתְקַבְּלוּ רַק אֲנָשִׁים דּוֹאֲגִים כָּאֵלּוּ, וְאֵלּוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים בְּנַפְשָׁם שֶׁאֵינָם נִכְנָסִים תַּחַת הַסּוּג הַזֶּה, בָּאֳפָנִים הַנָּ"ל, מְבַקְּשִׁים אָנוּ מֵהֶם אַל תִּכָּנְסוּ לְחֶבְרָתֵנוּ וְלֹא תַּתְעוּ אֶת עַצְמְכֶם וְאוֹתָנוּ, וְאַל תְּקַלְקְלוּ אֶת שְׁאָר הַחֲבֵרִים טְהוֹרֵי הַלֵּב וּנְקִיֵּי הַדַּעַת.
To Keep a Secret
Therefore, our group will only accept those who share these concerns. As for those others who know in their souls that they do not fulfill these conditions and do not fall into this category, we ask them, “Do not enter our group and fool yourselves and us. Do not spoil the other members’ pure hearts and clean minds.”
וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ שְׂבֵעִים רָצוֹן כָּל כָּךְ בִּקְרוֹא אִישׁ כָּזֶה אֶת הַקּוּנְטְרֵס הַזֶּה ג"כ.
Even more than that, I am not so pleased that such a person should even read this book.
וְאֶפְשָׁר נִרְמַז גַּם זֶה בְּדִבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא גִּלּוּ מִסְתּוֹרִין שֶׁלָּהֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם (מִדְרַשׁ תַּנְחוּמָא פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק סִימָן כה). לֹא הַסּוֹד בִּלְבַד לֹא גִּלּוּ, רַק גַּם הַמִּסְתּוֹרִין, לֹא אֶת הַסּוֹד שֶׁל וְשָׁאֲלָה אִשָּׁה מִשְּׁכֶנְתָּהּ (שְׁמוֹת ג כב) בִּלְבַד לֹא גִּלּוּ, רַק בִּכְלַל כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לִהְיוֹת בְּסוֹד וּבִצְנִיעוּת נִשְׁאֲרוּ בְּהֶצְנֵעַ, כִּי לֹא מִן הָרָאוּי שֶׁיִּרְאוּ אֲחֵרִים נְשָׁמוֹת עַרְטִילָאִיּוֹת בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁרוֹחֲצוֹת עַצְמָן מִטֻּמְאָתָן, וְהָבֵן.
Perhaps this is alluded to in the words of the midrash that the Jews did not reveal their “mysteries” in Egypt. We are told explicitly that the Jews did not reveal the secret that before “a [Jewish] woman would request an item of her [Egyptian] neighbor” (Exodus 11:2) the Jewish woman had already discovered that item during the plague of darkness. But even more than that, they did not reveal the “mysteries”: all things having to do with the soul. These must be kept secret and hidden, for it is not right that when naked souls are cleansing themselves of their impurity others should be watching. Consider this well.