May 23, 1958, Manchester
Hello and all the best to my dear friend,
Today I received your letter together with 18; may you taste the flavor of the pleasantness of the brightness and sweetness of the one who lives (also written as 18) forever. We should aspire for everything, for aspiring for good things is called a “prayer,” which is a deficiency, when one feels that he lacks this thing and the Creator will grant him. That is, a person should await the time when he feels in his heart all the good things that the Creator has promised us upon the reception of the Torah, as it is written, “And now if you indeed obey My voice … and you shall be unto Me a virtue from among all the nations … and you will be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
We see that normally, one who has a lot of property and many possessions is high spirited. But we, the chosen people, as it is written, “You have chosen us from among all the nations,” so each one from the people of Israel should have been always happy and elated. However, as long as one was not rewarded with feeling in the heart all those good things, a person is not impressed by uttering, “You have chosen us.”
This is so because receiving the Torah refers primarily to the internality of the Torah, which is clothed in externality. The internality of the Torah is called “the names of the Creator.” This means that the general name of the Creator is “Good Who Does Good.” Since the Creator gives many pleasures that are included in doing good to His creations, the Torah is names of pleasures, where each pleasure has a different name. That is, the general name, Good Who Does Good, spreads over several details, and this internality dresses in the outer Torah.
Man should crave to be rewarded with the internality of the Torah, for then we feel all the good things that the Creator has promised us, so when we say, “You have chosen us,” it means that we already feel all the good possessions with which we have been granted, and for which we are called a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
This is the meaning of, “And the whole of the people were seeing the voices.” When the voice of the Creator is heard in the heart, that feeling is as sufficient as actual seeing “for man shall not see Me and live.” However, by seeing the voices, meaning by the voice of the Creator spreading into the heart, not into the ear—for the ear is external and only the heart is the man—hence, the voice of the Creator must be felt in the heart. This is when it is called “seeing the voices,” and then each one lives in a world that is utterly good, and the heart feels the “You have chosen us” because it tastes the brightness of the upper pleasantness and the sweet savor of the light of the Creator spreads throughout his heart. This is when we see, “Happy are you in this world and happy are you in the next world.”
Due to the sanctity of the Sabbath and the festival I cannot elaborate now. May the Lord help us be granted the complete reception of the Torah.
From your friend who wishes you and your family the very best,
Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag
Son of Baal HaSulam