Tomer Dvorah ~ ethics and re-creation of one's Self ~ Fourth class

(1) The sixth: "For He is One that desires kindness" - did we not already explain in its place that in the known chamber, there are angels appointed to receive the bestowing of kindness that a man does in this world? And when the trait of justice prosecutes against Israel, these angels immediately show this kindness, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has mercy upon Israel, since He desires kindness. And even with their being liable, if they bestow kindness - this one to that one - He has mercy upon them. And it is like it was at the time of the destruction [of the Temple]: That it was told to Gavriel (Ezekiel 10:2), "Go inside the wheelwork, etc." - as he is the minister of judgement and power; and He gave him authority to receive powers of judgement, inside the wheelwork from under the cherubs, from the fire of the altar. This is the judgement of the power of kingship (malkhut). And the judgement was intensified until it sought to finish everything off - to uproot the seed of Israel, since they were liable for destruction. And it is written (Ezekiel 10:8), "And by the cherubs there appeared the form of the hand of a man under their wings." And this is [meaning] that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gavriel, "They are bestowing acts of kindness - these with those - and even if they are liable, they are saved and there shall be a remnant from them." And the reason is because of this trait - since He is One who desires kindness, He desires that which Israel does kindness. And He recalls that side for them, even as they are not fitting from another side.

(2) If so, it is fitting for a person to practice this approach. If he sees a person doing evil to him and angering him - if there is a good side to [that person], that he does good to others or [has] a good trait that he practice appropriately, that side should suffice for him to nullify his anger from upon him. And his heart [should] be appeased about him; and he [should] desire kindness and say, "It is enough for me with this goodness that he has." And all the more so [is this the case] with his wife; as our Rabbis explained (Yevamot 63a), "It is enough that they raise our children, and save us from sin." So should he say about every person, "It is enough for me with x goodness that he did for me," or "that he did with y," or "[with the] good trait z that he has." He will [hence] be desiring kindness.

The seventh: "He will again have mercy on us" - behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not follow the trait of flesh and blood. [That trait is that] if [someone] angers him - if he is appeased from him, he is a little appeased, [but] not like the previous love [he had for him]. But if a person sinned [to God] and he repents, his stature is greater with the Holy One, blessed be He, [than before]. And this is [the meaning of] "In the place that penitents stand, [even] completely righteous ones cannot stand" (Berakhot 34b). And the reason is like they explained in the chapter [entitled] HaBoneh (it is in Menachot 29b in our texts) regarding why [the letter,] hey is made like a portico: "Such that the one that wants to exit from his world [may] exit." The explanation is that the world was created with a hey. And the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world widely open to the side of evil and sin. There is no side that does not have physicality, the evil impulse and defect - like a type of portico. It does not have fences but rather has a large breach, open towards the side of evil, to the bottom side. How many openings are there for anyone who wants to exit from his world - he cannot turn to a side that he will not find a side of sin and iniquity to go out to the external forces (chitsonim)! But it is [also] open from above; so that if he repents, he will be accepted. And they asked, "Let him be taken back through [the bottom]!" [They answered,] "the matter will not help." They [meant] with this that one who repents will not suffice to be fenced from iniquity [with a fence] like the fence of the righteous ones that did not sin - a small fence suffices for them. However a small fence will not suffice for the sinner that sinned and repented. Rather, he needs to fence himself with several difficult fences, since he already breached the small fence once. If he approaches there, his impulse seduces him easily. Rather he needs to distance himself with a very great distancing. And for this [reason], he does not enter through the opening of the portico, where the breach is there. Rather, he ascends and enters through the small opening, [such that] he makes several difficulties and mortifications for himself and [thereby] closes the breaches. And from this reason, "In the place that penitents stand, etc." - because they do not enter through the opening of the righteous ones, so that they will be with the righteous ones. Rather, they trudge and climb through the higher opening, and mortify themselves and become much more separated from sin than the righteous ones. Hence they climbed and stood on the level of hey (the numerical equivalent of which is five) - the fifth chamber in the Garden of Eden, which is the roof of the hey - whereas the righteous ones are at the opening of the hey, at the entrance of the portico. And accordingly, when a person undergoes repentance (teshuvah) - which is [that] hey returns (teshuv hey) to its place - and the Holy One, blessed be He, brings back His Presence upon him, He does not come back [with a love] only like the first love, but rather much more. And this is [the meaning of] "He will again have mercy on us" - that He will add to His mercy on Israel and refine them more and bring them closer. And so must a person act towards his fellow. He should not begrudge enmity from the earlier anger. But rather when he sees that his fellow seeks his love, he should have a level of mercy and love [that is] much more than before. And he should say, "Behold, for me he is like penitents, that the completely righteous cannot stand next to them." And he [should] bring him the closest - closer than he brings those that are completely righteous with him, that have not sinned towards him.

(10) The seventh: One's face [should] always be shining and one [should] receive every person with a pleasant countenance. As so it is stated about the Highest Crown, "There is life in the light of the face of the King" (Proverbs 16:15); and no redness (harshness) or judgement enters there at all. So [should] the light of one's face not be changed; anyone who gazes at you will only find joy and a pleasant countenance. And no cause [should] disrupt you from this at all.

(11) The eighth: One's mouth [should] only bring out good; and the crafting of his statements be Torah and the causation of good will. And one [should] not bring out a disgraceful thing, a curse or the fury of anger from his mouth at all. And he [should] be similar to that Highest Mouth that never closes at all, and never prevents the good. And therefore, one must not be silent from speaking good about everything, and to always bring out goodness and blessing from one's mouth.

(10) The seventh: His face [should] always be shining and he [should] receive every person with a pleasant countenance. As so it is stated about the Highest Crown, "There is life in the light of the face of the King" (Proverbs 16:15); and no redness (harshness) or judgement enters there at all. So [should] the light of his face not be changed; anyone who gazes at him will only find joy and a pleasant countenance. And no cause [should] disrupt him from this at all.

(11) The eighth: His mouth [should] only bring out good; and the crafting of his statements be Torah and the causation of good will. And he [should] not bring out a disgraceful thing, a curse or the fury of anger from his mouth at all. And he [should] be similar to that Highest Mouth that never closes at all, and never prevents the good. And therefore, he must not be silent from speaking good about everything, and to always bring out goodness and blessing from this mouth.

(12) Behold, these are eight good traits; and they are all under the masthead of humility. As they are above in the Crown, in the Highest Limbs. And at the time that a person wants to approach the Above, to resemble Him - to open his sources to those below - he must attain perfection in these two chapters.

(1) When he must practice the traits of the Crown: Indeed, we know that it is impossible to always practice these traits, as there are other traits in which a person must attain perfection - and those are the lower severities (gevurot), as we will elucidate. However, there are specific days that the severities are not active and people do not need them, as the Crown rules over them [then]; and times that the Crown is [wholly] required. Then one must use all of these traits that we mentioned.

(2) Yet [with] the other traits - even if they are a need of the service at their [appropriate] times - [the times just mentioned are] not the time to use them, as the light of the Crown [would] nullify them; and hence he should not use those hard traits. For example, he [should] not use these traits on Shabbat - when the world is refined with the secret of delight, and [so] we do not judge [cases] on Shabbat. Then he [should] use all of the these traits [of the Crown] - to open the Highest Sources. As if he focuses his concentration on the lights of the Crown in his prayers but he acts the opposite with his actions, how will he open the Source of the Crown? And behold, he actually pushes It off with his actions. And behold the things are an a fortiori argument (kal vechomer): If the Crown does not dwell in the Highest Sefirot (divine emanations) that intensify holy judgments and holy anger, is it not even more so that the Crown and Its light will not dwell upon a person who is intensifying external anger - even if it is for the sake of the Heavens? And even more so, since he comes to challenge the Highest Traits. And They [will] say, "How brazen-faced is that one - the light of the Crown is not revealed in Us because of Our holy and pure judgement, and he seeks to reveal It [while] he is full of anger and disgraceful external actions?"

(3) Therefore, on holidays and Shabbat and Yom Kippur and at the time of prayer and the times of Torah involvement - that are [all] not times of severities, but rather times of the revelation of the Highest Will - a person must arrange his characteristics around all of these traits. And he can use the remaining traits for the service of God at the other times - but not the disgraceful one of them, as there is no time that it controls a person that it is not bad for him. And when he uses these traits [of the Crown], he can be prepared and sure that he will open the Highest Sources. Hence every man must gradually accustom himself to these traits. And the central one that he [should] grasp - which is the key to everything - is humility; as it is the head of all of them. It is the first aspect of the Crown, and all are included under it.

(4) And behold, the essence of humility is that he not find any value at all in himself, but rather think of himself as nothing. And the matter is like the statement (Exodus 16:7), "and what are we, that you complain about us" - until he is in his eyes, the lowliest of all the creatures and very disgraceful and disgusting. And when he constantly toils to reach this trait, all the other traits will be dragged after it. As behold, the first trait that is in the Crown is that It makes Itself appear like nothing in front of Its Emanator. Likewise, [should] a person make himself [to be an] actual nothing; and he [should] think of his disappearance, as much better than his existence. And with this, he will be in front of his detractors as if the [truth] is with them and he is [actually] disgraceful and to be blamed. And this will be a catalyst for the acquisition of the good traits.

(1) Suggestions to accustom oneself to humility: And I have found a remedy for a person to gradually accustom himself to these things. It is possible that, through them, he will heal himself from the sickness of pride and enter the gates of humility. And it is a bandage made of three drugs.

(2) The first: That he accustoms himself to flee as much as he can from honor. As if he accustoms himself to having people honor him, he will become habituated from them towards the side of pride. And nature will make him want this always, and he can only be healed with difficulty.

(3) The second: That he accustom his thought to see his disgrace and say, "If it is that people do not know of my inferiority, what is that to me? And do I, myself, not recognize that I am disgraceful with such and such" - whether it is with the lack of knowledge, the weakness of ability or the disgrace of food and the feces that come out from it, and similar to this - until he be disgraced in his eyes and disgusting.

(4) The third: That he constantly think about his iniquities and desire purification, upbraiding and afflictions. And he [should] say, "What are the best afflictions in the world, which will not disturb me from the service of God?" There is nothing more beloved in all of them than that they should curse him, and disgrace him and condemn him. As behold, they do not prevent him from his strength and vitality with sicknesses; and they do not prevent his eating and his clothing; and they do prevent his life and the life of his children with death. If so, he [should] truly want them and say, "What is it for me to fast and mortify myself with sackcloth and lashes - that weaken my strength from the service of God - that I should take them with my hand? It is better for me to mortify myself with the disgrace of people and their cursing me; and my strength will not depart and I will not be weakened." And with this, when insults come upon him, he will rejoice about them; and just the opposite, he will desire them. And he [should] make a bandage for his heart from these three drugs and train himself with it all of his days.

(1) Additional suggestions to accustom oneself to humility: And I have found a very good potion, but the potion does not help as much as the bandage mentioned above. And it is that he accustom himself to two things.

(2) The first: It is to completely honor all of the creatures. Since he recognizes the virtue of the Creator that created man with wisdom - and the wisdom of the Creator is likewise in all of the creatures - and he, himself, sees that they are very, very honored; as the Creator of all, the virtuous Wise One, dealt with them in their creation. And if he disgraces them, God forbid, he touches on the honor of their Creator. And behold, this is similar to a wise smith - he made a vessel with great wisdom and he showed his creation to people. And one of them began to denounce it and to disgrace it. How much anger will come to that wise one - since they are disgracing his wisdom, in that they are disgracing the work of his hands. And so, too, will it be bad in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, if they disgrace any creation of His creations. And this is [the meaning of] that which is written (Psalms 104:24), "How many are Your creations, Lord" - it does not state, "great," but rather, "many (rabu)," an expression [like], "the important one (rav) of the house" (Esther 1:8), [meaning] they are very important - "You made all of them with wisdom": And since Your wisdom has been involved with them, Your works become important and great. And [so,] it is fitting for a person to contemplate wisdom in them, not disgrace.

(3) The second: He [should] accustom himself to internalize the love of people into his heart - and even the evildoers - as if they were his brothers, and even more than this; until he fixes the love of all people into his heart. And he [should] even love the evildoers in his heart and say, "Who will give that they all be righteous penitents, and all be great ones and desirable to the Omnipresent," like the statement of the trusted friend of all of Israel. He stated (Numbers 11:29), "and who will give that all of the people of the Lord be prophets, etc?" And with what (how) will he love [them]? When he mentions in his thought the good [qualities] that they have and covers their blemish, and he not gaze at their scabs but rather at the good traits that they have. And he [should] say in his heart, "If this disgusting poor man was a man of much money, how happy I would be with his friendship - as I am with the friendship of x. And behold, if they would dress this one with nice clothes like x, behold there is no difference between them. If so, why [should] he lack honor in my eyes? And behold, in the eyes of God, he is more important than I - as he is stricken and downtrodden with poverty and afflictions, and [so] cleaned of iniquity. And why would I hate one that the Holy One, blessed be He, loves?" And through this, his heart will turn to the side of the good and accustom himself to think about all the good traits that we mentioned.