February 10, 1955
To my friend … Hello and all the best,
You surprise me … for it has been a while since I have received any news from you regarding your health and strength.
It must be that you are lacking confidence and strength, and in my view it is because of the external thoughts and views that you absorb through the attached channels found when coming to an environment that disagrees with our spirit and way. And where alien thoughts were in “the Nukva of the great deep” for you, meaning that the thoughts had no power or control for you have already cancelled them and cast them under your feet, for you can already trample them and walk over them, meaning there are still alien thoughts in your bodies, but they are no longer in control.
This is the meaning of the Shabbat (Sabbath)— although the Klipot are present in the world and the correction has not been completed, when “darkness shines as light,” but the place of the alien thoughts is in the Nukva of the great deep. That is, they have no grip over man at all. However, when departing from the authority of one to the authority of many, meaning when taking out the thoughts and works into the authority of many, for the many to look at them, and if we also insert the thoughts of the people of the authority of many into your authority of one, this is already called “desecration of Shabbat.” This means that we give room for the awakening of those Klipot whose power has already ceased—who were already in the Nukva of the great deep—to come up into your thoughts.
At that time, you do not think that these alien thoughts are wittiness and erudition of people from the outside, that it is on offshoot of your mischief, and that now you are attached to the truth, meaning possess the true scrutiny, and now the conclusions you are drawing are through true and one hundred percent clean contemplation of the alien thoughts. And also, that until now, everything you did was only due to your insufficient scrutiny that one who wishes to walk on the path of truth should do.
And henceforth you need to walk on the path that is customary to people who are carried out by the currents of the world, and the results are quite predictable. And although I do not tend to speak, much less write, about these matters, I will change my way, although I know that it will be utterly useless, but only for the purpose of, “I saved my soul.”
We had a party on the trees’ New Year’s Eve—on the month of Shevat, when the world is sentenced for the whip or for mercy. The month of Shevat is the fifth of the winter months. Through the curses and swears that we hear about the Torah and Mitzvot (commandments) when we arrive at the fifth discernment, which is the Sefira, Hod, we should correct and be sentenced favorably so that the pain will turn into splendor. At that time the whip becomes mercy, extending all five Behinot from Hesed to Hod, as it is written, “For I said, ‘Let a world of mercy be built.’” For the light of Hassadim is called “above reason,” and only there is the blessing.
For this reason, on the 15 of Shevat we bless on the fruits, as Baal HaSulam said, that the whole difference between Kedusha (holiness) and Klipa is in the fruits: the work yields fruits, but “another god is infertile and does not bear fruit.” Also, being rewarded with fruits is only through the quality of Hesed, and then one is rewarded with a fruit-bearing tree. “For man is the tree of the field,” namely that only through the way that we received from Baal HaSulam are we rewarded with fruits called being “fruitful and multiplying.” Through the fruits we are always in a state of youthfulness, meaning as a youthful boy, as in, “Delight, young man, in your childhood.”
This is the meaning of “Those whose hope is in the Lord will gain new strength,” for only this is called “help from above.” That is, when one comes into a state where there are arguments for both directions, one cannot sort out the truth. At that time one needs only help form above. This is called “Those whose hope is in the Lord,” for he needs heaven’s mercy.
May the Creator grant us with His salvation in corporeality and spirituality,
Your friend,
Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag