אות - צא

If you want to study with continuous diligence, be careful never to speak against a fellow Jew. 151 This was said on the day before Rosh HaShanah 5571 (September 28, 1810), shortly before the Rebbe's demise. It was given in response to a request for advice on how to achieve diligence in study ( Tzaddik #160).

When the bride is beautiful, love is perfect (cf. Song of Songs 4:7) . But when the bride is blemished, love cannot be complete.

The Torah is a bride. It is written, “Moses charged us with the Torah, a heritage for the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4) . The Talmud says: Do not read MoRaShah (heritage) but Me’uRaSah (the betrothed): “Moses charged us with the Torah, the betrothed of the congregation of Jacob” ( Berakhot 57a; Pesachim 49b) . Every Jew is a letter in the Torah. The 600,000 letters of the Torah parallel the 600,000 Jewish souls. 152 Zohar Chadash , Shir HaShirim 74d. Cf. Likutey Moharan I, 2:6, 24:3, 273. The Torah is the root of all Jewish souls.

If there is a defect in a single Jew, it is also a blemish in the Torah, the root of the Jewish souls. If so, it is impossible to fully love the Torah.

But if you are careful not to speak against any Jew, then you will also find the Torah perfectly beautiful. You will then have a deep love for the Torah – for when the bride is beautiful, love is perfect. This great love will lead you to great diligence in your studies.

It is written, “God’s Torah is perfect; it restores the soul” (Psalms 19:8) . Each Jew represents a letter in the Torah. When people neither seek out nor speak of the flaws in their fellow Jews, then the Torah is perfect, with neither flaw nor blemish. When “God’s Torah is perfect,” then “it restores the soul.”

When people find the Torah without fault, then their love makes them worthy of continuous diligence in its study.