But even if not, you can still form a group. Do as much as you can on your own. And all the members of the group must meet no less than once a year for a few days—not in order to hold a convention with hoopla and commotion, but in order to spend those days in service and separation from this world. Discuss your practices in serving God throughout the year, how you sanctify all your actions for the sake of God’s glory, and how you resolve to increase your self-encouragement and immerse yourself in the holiness of God from this day forth.
Conclusion: You Will Succeed! If you have read this far and you see that you have erred, that you have come to an area in which you have no interest—because you think us deluded or non-productive—then for your own sake and our sake, leave our group at once, go back to your miasma, and we will go forward for the sake of Hashem our God.
Perhaps your heart is heavy within you because, after having read through this work once, twice or three times, you still do not have the sense of having come to where God’s Presence rests, you still do not see anything or feel anything, you still have no elevated thought or inspiration—you have in fact experienced nothing that we have discussed. Do not let your spirit fall. Realize that the distance from the earth to the heavens is a journey of five hundred years. And so, not having reached the heavens in a single leap, why should you be discouraged?
I am certain that after you spend a period of time engaged in constant work of this type, God will help you sense the rays of supernal light and divine holiness that have entered your soul, body and essence. At the very least, you will begin to act in a more refined and improved manner in all areas affecting your body and soul. Your thoughts will start becoming qualitatively different.
Then you will be inspired and experience greater feeling in your prayers. You will know how to make use of all the experiences of your soul—its joy and broken-heartedness—to bring it forth to meet its Beloved, and to purify it on the highest plane. You will learn how to look at every commandment from the viewpoint of the soul. You will merit at least some measure of preparation for self-sacrifice with your entire body and soul when reciting the Sh’ma.
In this alone, you will have risen somewhat to be a spiritual person. And then a supernal sight will begin to spark within you, so that you will see in everything the holiness of the “fine, beautiful One, the radiance of the world” (Yedid Nefesh). At first these sights will be minor. But with every experience, they will grow to become more clear and frequent. Ultimately, you will not remain a spiritually uncultivated person. You will be someone centered in the world-to-come even as you still live in this world.
10
חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזַּק ד' אִתָּנוּ
Let us be strong, let us strengthen ourselves, for God is with us!
חָבֵר גַּם מֵעִיר אַחֶרֶת יִתְקַבֵּל לְהַחֶבְרָה.
Group Members from Out of Town
Someone from out of town may also join the group.
וְאִם יִמצְאוּ לוֹ חֲבֵרִים בְּעִירוֹ יִתְנַהֲגוּ כַּנַ"ל.
If you find members in your own area, act in the manner described above.
וְאִם לָאו יִתְנַהֵג הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ כְּכָל אֲשֶׁר אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ, וּבֵין כָּךְ וּבֵין כָּךְ צְרִיכִים כָּל הַחֲבֵרִים לְהִתְאַסֵּף לֹא פָּחוֹת מִפַּעַם אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה, עַל אֵיזֶה יָמִים, לֹא לֶאֱסֹף אֲסִיפָה בְּשָׁאוֹן וְרַעַשׁ, רַק לָבוֹא לְמָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְהַיָּמִים הָאֵלּוּ יְמֵי עֲבוֹדָה וּפְרִישׁוּת יִהְיוּ וְיָשִׂיחוּ זֶה בְּזֶה וְזֶה לָזֶה אֵיךְ מִתְנַהֲגִים הֵם בְּעִנְיְנֵי עֲבוֹדָתָם בְּכָל הַשָּׁנָה, וְאֵיךְ מְקַדְּשִׁים הֵם אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם לִכְבוֹדוֹ ית' וְאֵיךְ יְקַבְּלוּ וְיוֹסִיפוּ לְהִתְחַזֵּק וּלְהַשְׁקִיעַ בִּקְדֻשַּׁת ד' מֵהַיּוֹם וָהָלְאָה.
But even if not, you can still form a group. Do as much as you can on your own. And all the members of the group must meet no less than once a year for a few days—not in order to hold a convention with hoopla and commotion, but in order to spend those days in service and separation from this world. Discuss your practices in serving God throughout the year, how you sanctify all your actions for the sake of God’s glory, and how you resolve to increase your self-encouragement and immerse yourself in the holiness of God from this day forth.
אִם הִגַּעְתָּ עַד הֲלוֹם בִּקְרִיאָתְךָ אֶת קֻנְטְרֵס הַזֶּה וְרוֹאֶה אַתָּה שֶׁטָּעִיתָ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁלֹּא רָצִיתָ, אִם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁחוֹשֵׁב אַתָּה אוֹתָנוּ לְבַעַלי הַזָּיָה אוֹ לְבַטְלָנִים, עֲשֵׂה זֹאת אֵפוֹא, לְמַעַנְךָ וּלְמַעֲנֵנוּ וַעֲזֹב עַד מְהֵרָה אֶת חֶבְרָתֵנוּ, חֲזוֹר אַתָּה לְהַבִּצָּה שֶׁלְּךָ וַאֲנַחְנוּ נֵלֵךְ לְשֵׁם ד' אֱלֹקֵינוּ.
Conclusion: You Will Succeed!
If you have read this far and you see that you have erred, that you have come to an area in which you have no interest—because you think us deluded or non-productive—then for your own sake and our sake, leave our group at once, go back to your miasma, and we will go forward for the sake of Hashem our God.
אֲבָל אִם רוֹאֶה אַתָּה שֶׁדַּרְכֵּנוּ דַּרְכְּךָ, וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר חִפַּשְׂנוּ אָנוּ גַּם אַתָּה מְחַפֵּשׂ.
However, if you see that our path is your path, and that which we seek you also seek, then join us.
רַק שֶׁלִּבְּךָ נִדְכָּא בָּךְ עַל שֶׁגַּם אַחַר גָּמְרְךָ אֶת הַקּוּנְטְרֵס וְאַחַר שֶׁשְּׁנִיתוֹ שִׁלַּשְׁתּוֹ וכו' עוֹד אֵינְךָ מַרְגִּישׁ שֶׁבָּאתָ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר שָׁם אֱלֹקִים, לֹא רְאיָה וְלֹא הַרְגָּשָׁה, לֹא מַחֲשָׁבָה וְלֹא הִתְלַהֲבוּת שֶׁאָנוּ מְדַבְּרִים בָּזֶה מָצָאתָ, אַל יִפֹּל רוּחֲךָ בְּךָ, זכור נָא כִּי מִן הָאָרֶץ וְעַד לְרָקִיעַ מַהֲלַךְ חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה הוּא, וְלָמָּה זֶה עַתָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא הִגַּעְתָּ שָׁמָּה בִּקְפִיצָה אַחַת, כְּבָר נָפַלְתָּ.
Perhaps your heart is heavy within you because, after having read through this work once, twice or three times, you still do not have the sense of having come to where God’s Presence rests, you still do not see anything or feel anything, you still have no elevated thought or inspiration—you have in fact experienced nothing that we have discussed. Do not let your spirit fall. Realize that the distance from the earth to the heavens is a journey of five hundred years. And so, not having reached the heavens in a single leap, why should you be discouraged?
בְּטוּחִים אָנוּ בד' שֶׁאַחֲרֵי אֵיזֶה זְמַן עֲבוֹדָה מַתְמֶדֶת כְּגוֹן זוֹ, תַּרְגִּישׁ אֶת זָהֳרֵי אוֹר הָעֶלְיוֹן וְאֶת קְדֻשַּׁת ד' שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ בְּנַפְשְׁךָ גּוּפְךָ וְעַצְמוֹתֶיךָ, כִּי עַל כָּל פָּנִים תַּתְחִיל לְהִתְנַהֵג הַנְהָגָה יוֹתֵר מְזֻכָּכָה וְטוֹבָה בְּכָל עִנְיְנֵי גּוּפְךָ וְנַפְשְׁךָ. מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ תַּתְחֵלְנָה לַחְשֹׁב וְלִהְיוֹת אֲחֵרוֹת מֵאֲשֶׁר עַד עַתָּה.
I am certain that after you spend a period of time engaged in constant work of this type, God will help you sense the rays of supernal light and divine holiness that have entered your soul, body and essence. At the very least, you will begin to act in a more refined and improved manner in all areas affecting your body and soul. Your thoughts will start becoming qualitatively different.
וְאַחַ"כּ תִּתְעוֹרֵר וְתִתְרַגֵּשׁ בִּתְפִלּוֹתֶיךָ יוֹתֵר, תֵּדַע אֵיךְ לְשַׁמֵּשׁ בְּכָל מְאֹרְעֵי נַפְשְׁךָ שֶׁל שִׂמְחָה וְשֶׁל שְׁבִירַת הַלֵּב לְהוֹצִיא עַל יָדָן אֶת נַפְשְׁךָ לִקְרַאת דּוֹדָהּ וּלְטַהֲרָהּ בְּטָהֳרָה עִלָּאָה, תִּלְמַד אֵיךְ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל בְּכָל מִצְוָה הִסְתַּכְּלוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, תִּזְכֶּה עַל כָּל פָּנִים מְעַט לִמְסִירַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ בקריאת שמע בְּכָל גּוּפְךָ וְנַפְשְׁךָ.
Then you will be inspired and experience greater feeling in your prayers. You will know how to make use of all the experiences of your soul—its joy and broken-heartedness—to bring it forth to meet its Beloved, and to purify it on the highest plane. You will learn how to look at every commandment from the viewpoint of the soul. You will merit at least some measure of preparation for self-sacrifice with your entire body and soul when reciting the Sh’ma.
וּבְזֶה כְּבָר נִתְעַלִּיתָ מְעַט לְאִישׁ הָרוּחַ, וְאָז תַּתְחִיל גַּם ראיה עִלָּאָה לְהִתְנוֹצֵץ בְּךָ, לִרְאוֹת אֶת קְדֻשַּׁת הֶהָדוּר נָאֶה זִיו הָעוֹלָם בְּכָל דָּבָר, רְאִיּוֹת הַלָּלוּ אִם כִּי מִצְעָרוֹת תִּהְיֶינָה בְּרֵאשִׁיתָן, תִּתְגַּדֵּלְנָה בְּכָל פַּעַם לְיוֹתֵר בּוֹלְטוֹת וּלְעִתִּים יוֹתֵר תְּכוּפוֹת, וְסוֹף כָּל סוֹף לֹא תִּשָּׁאֵר אִישׁ שָׂדֶה רַק בֶּן עולם הבא גַּם בְּעוֹדְךָ בעולם הזה.
In this alone, you will have risen somewhat to be a spiritual person. And then a supernal sight will begin to spark within you, so that you will see in everything the holiness of the “fine, beautiful One, the radiance of the world” (Yedid Nefesh). At first these sights will be minor. But with every experience, they will grow to become more clear and frequent. Ultimately, you will not remain a spiritually uncultivated person. You will be someone centered in the world-to-come even as you still live in this world.
חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזַּק ד' אִתָּנוּ
Let us be strong, let us strengthen ourselves, for God is with us!