Who May Join This Society Further on, God willing, we will set forth the regulations of the group. But at any rate, at the very beginning we must make it clear that only the following may apply to and become a member of this holy group:
1. You must be a person who truly feels pain and sorrow at your distance from God. You not only recognize your low state intellectually—which everyone realizes this intellectually, unless he is insane or drunk—but in your heart you truly feel the pain because of an embittered soul. This causes you no less concern than do your physical problems. Not only that, at times this weighs so heavily upon you that you cry over the sufferings of your soul and the lowness of your being.
3. Whether you are a merchant, craftsman, or whatever, you must meet with the group at least three times a week. And you must meticulously adhere to the group regulations, which will be described further on, God willing.
4. You must not be inconstant by nature, impetuously coming to a decision one day and forgetting about it the next, casually trampling upon your commitments and “overturning the pot.”
Some people lie occasionally, heaven forbid. This is very bad, God have mercy, but such a person can at any rate repent of this behavior, after which he would be a candidate to join our group.
My honored and holy father-in-law quoted a tzaddik to the effect that such person cannot repent, because even his repentance is false, since he fools himself and imagines that in one moment he has become righteous. But in truth, he is not righteous, he has not acted correctly, and he has not accomplished anything.
וְהַגַּם שֶׁהָלְאָה אי"ה נְסַדֵּר תִּקּוּנֵי הַחֶבְרָה, מִכָּל מָקוֹם רֵאשִׁית כֹּל אָנוּ צְרִיכִים לְמוֹדָעָה זוֹ לוֹמַר שֶׁרַק אֵלֶּה יוּכְלוּ לְהִתְקָרֵב וּלְהִכָּנֵס לְחַבְרַיָּא הַקְּדוֹשָׁה.
Who May Join This Society
Further on, God willing, we will set forth the regulations of the group. But at any rate, at the very beginning we must make it clear that only the following may apply to and become a member of this holy group:
א) מִי שֶׁמַּרְגִּישׁ בֶּאֱמֶת בְּקִרְבּוֹ כְּאֵב וּדְאָבוֹן הַנָּ"ל עַל שֶׁרָחוֹק הוּא מד', וְלֹא שֶׁיֵּדַע בְּדַעְתּוֹ לְבַד אֶת מַצָּבוֹ הַנָּמוּךְ, כִּי יְדִיעָה בַּשֵּׂכֶל כָּל אֶחָד יוֹדֵעַ אִם רַק אֵינוֹ מְשֻׁגָּע אוֹ שִׁכּוֹר, אַךְ שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת יַרְגִּישׁ כְּאֵב לֵב עַל שֶׁנַּפְשׁוֹ מָרָה לוֹ וּמַרְגִּישׁ הוּא דְּאָגָה מִזֶּה לֹא פָּחוֹת כְּמוֹ מִן דַּאֲגוֹתָיו הַגּוּפָנִיּוֹת ח"ו, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁכָּל כָּךְ יַצִּיק לוֹ הַדָּבָר עַד שֶׁיִּבְכֶּה לִפְעָמִים עַל צָרוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ, וְעַל שִׁפְלוּת עַצְמוּתוֹ.
1. You must be a person who truly feels pain and sorrow at your distance from God. You not only recognize your low state intellectually—which everyone realizes this intellectually, unless he is insane or drunk—but in your heart you truly feel the pain because of an embittered soul. This causes you no less concern than do your physical problems. Not only that, at times this weighs so heavily upon you that you cry over the sufferings of your soul and the lowness of your being.
ב) שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בֶּן תּוֹרָה אִם מְעַט וְאִם הַרְבֵּה.
2. You must be a ben Torah, dedicated to learning and keeping Torah—to a greater or lesser extent.
ג) יִהְיֶה סוֹחֵר, בַּעַל מְלָאכָה וכו', רַק שֶׁיְּפַנֶּה אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים ג' פְּעָמִים בְּשָׁבוּעַ לִמְקוֹם הַחֶבְרָה, וְיִזָּהֵר בְּתִקּוּנֵי הַחֶבְרָה הַמְבֹאָרִים הָלְאָה אי"ה.
3. Whether you are a merchant, craftsman, or whatever, you must meet with the group at least three times a week. And you must meticulously adhere to the group regulations, which will be described further on, God willing.
ד) אִם אֵינוֹ בְּטִבְעוֹ הֲפַכְפַּךְ, שֶׁמָּה שֶׁמַּחֲלִיט הַיּוֹם בְּדַעְתּוֹ מִגֹּדֶל פַּחֲזוּתוֹ, מְבַטֵּל וְרוֹמֵס לְמָחָר כִּלְאַחַר יָד, וּמְהַפֵּךְ אֶת הַקְּעָרָה עַל פִּיהָ.
4. You must not be inconstant by nature, impetuously coming to a decision one day and forgetting about it the next, casually trampling upon your commitments and “overturning the pot.”
ה) שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה שַׁקְרָן וְרַמַּאי שָׁקוּעַ בִּשְׁקָרָיו.
5. You must not be a liar, a dissembler immersed in his own falsehoods.
כִּי יֵשׁ אִישׁ שֶׁמּוֹצִיא לִפְעָמִים דְּבַר שֶׁקֶר ח"ו, הֲגַם שֶׁזֶּה רַע מְאֹד רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְּלָן, מִכָּל מָקוֹם יָכוֹל עוֹד לָשׁוּב וְיָכוֹל גַּם לְהִתְקַבֵּל בְּחֶבְרָתֵנוּ.
Some people lie occasionally, heaven forbid. This is very bad, God have mercy, but such a person can at any rate repent of this behavior, after which he would be a candidate to join our group.
מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן הָאִישׁ שֶׁהוּא בְּעֶצֶם רַמַּאי וְשַׁקְרָן, מְרַמֶּה אֶת אֲחֵרִים וְגַם אֶת עַצְמוֹ.
But there is another kind of person, one who is in his essence a dissembler and liar, a man who fools not only others but himself as well.
עַל אִישׁ כְּזֶה שָׁמַעְתִּי מִכָּבוֹד קְדֻשַּׁת חוֹתְנִי מוֹרִי הָרַב הַצַּדִּיק הַקָּדוֹשׁ זצללה"ה, שֶׁאָמַר בְּשֵׁם אֵיזֶה צַדִּיק זי"ע שֶׁאַף לָשׁוּב אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָאִישׁ כָּזֶה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁגַּם תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ בְּשֶׁקֶר הִיא, כַּנַ"ל שֶׁמְּרַמֶּה אֶת עַצְמוֹ, הוּא יָכוֹל לְדַמּוֹת לוֹ שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה אַחַת יֵעָשֶׂה צַדִּיק פּוֹעֵל וְעוֹשֶׂה, וּבֶאֱמֶת לֹא צַדִּיק וְלֹא פָּעַל וְלֹא עָשָׂה מְאוּמָה.
My honored and holy father-in-law quoted a tzaddik to the effect that such person cannot repent, because even his repentance is false, since he fools himself and imagines that in one moment he has become righteous. But in truth, he is not righteous, he has not acted correctly, and he has not accomplished anything.