אות - צו

You should accustom yourself to be in the World to Come ( Alim LeTerufah #414) . Separate yourself from all worldly desires. For in the World to Come, there is no eating or drinking, nor any of the harmful, worldly appetites (cf. Berakhot 17a) .

A sick person is close to death and therefore is almost within the World to Come. For this reason, he loses his appetite for all worldly things and is actually repulsed by eating, drinking and sex. He is almost within the realm of the World to Come where such appetites do not exist, so he finds them disgusting and repulsive.

Even when you are alive and well, you can still exist on a plane of the World to Come without worldly pleasures. If you would only contemplate the delights of the World to Come, you would find this world and its pleasures impossible to tolerate.

The ability to forget is not generally an advantage, but in this aspect it is. Without it, it would be impossible to live in this world (see “ His Wisdom ” #26) .

Imagine that you would constantly recall all the delights of the World to Come. There is an angel with a thousand heads. Each head has a thousand tongues. Each tongue has a thousand voices. Each voice has a thousand melodies.

The beauty of this angel’s song is indescribable. If you could imagine such things without forgetting, you would constantly compare your own limited abilities to the immensity of such a being. It would be utterly impossible for you to endure life. You would be so disgusted with your worldly life that you would die before your time.

If not for the power to forget, you would constantly recall your lowly state. Particularly a person sullied by sin would be unable to lift himself up to serve God. The power to forget has therefore a great benefit.

Still, you should remember enough (of the World to Come) that you do not lose it.

The Talmud teaches, “In the future, God will grant 310 worlds to each tzaddik” 166 This is explained in detail in Likutey Halakhot , Mezuzah 4; Zimrat Ha'aretz 106b. ( Uktzin 3:12) .

Consider a single world. Think how many houses and courtyards and streets and cities and nations it contains. Imagine the immense size of a single world. Consider the infinite number of awesome and wonderful stars, planets and galaxies it contains.

This is just a single world. Then try to imagine the 310 worlds that will be granted to each tzaddik. Think of the greatness and immeasurable delight these will contain.

Each tzaddik builds his 310 worlds through strife.

Every spoken word of strife is like a stone, because the letters of the words are called stones. Thus, the Sefer HaYetzirah 167 "The Book of Creation,” the earliest Kabbalistic work, traditionally attributed to the Patriarch Abraham (see Shem HaGedolim , Sefarim , Samekh 54). states, “Two stones build two houses.” 168 Sefer HaYetzirah 4:12. Cf. Likutey Moharan I, 18:6; ibid., II, 8:6, 79. Words of strife ( MaChLoKet ) are built of slippery ( MeChuLaKim ) stones (cf. I Samuel 17:40; Zohar III, 272a) . Stones created through strife are therefore slippery and cannot be joined.

But a tzaddik can join these slippery stones. He can then build them into houses. He makes peace between these stones, arranging them and joining them together until a house is built.

This is the peaceful home (cf. Shabbat 23b; Likutey Moharan I, 14:10) . The tzaddik builds a peaceful home out of these slippery, conflicting stones. From these houses, he builds a city, then a universe, until all 310 worlds are completed.

It is written, “That I may give those who love Me substance ( yesh )” (Proverbs 8:21) . YeSh has the numerical value of 310. These are the 310 worlds. 169 This is actually the derivation in Uktzin , loc. cit . Thus, “That I may give those who love Me 310.” [This is spelled out as a reward for love. Love and peace cement the slippery stones so that they might build the 310 worlds.]

After King David's dispute with Nabal, Abigail told King David, “Now I know that God will make you a house.” 170 These are actually closer to Nathan's words to David in II Samuel 7:11. Abigail's words are in I Samuel 25:28. This dispute will provide the stones for God to make you a house.

A tzaddik inclines to the side of kindness (cf. Rosh HaShanah 17a) . He even presumes the merit of those who oppose him 171 Cf. Avot 1:6; Shavuot 30a; Likutey Moharan I, 282. – that their intention is for the sake of Heaven. The world cannot endure the light of a tzaddik. Those who oppose the tzaddik obscure his light enough so that the world can bear it.

A truly great tzaddik must also face many judgments and accusations on high ( Yebamot 122b) .

Those who oppose him silence these judgments and accusations.

If a man faces serious accusations, suddenly another person may become filled with outrage and say, “I will judge him myself and take vengeance on him.” The others who wanted to bring the defendant to judgment are then silenced.

There are times when the accused would find it impossible to endure the judgment of his original adversaries. Then the other who wishes to take personal vengeance actually does him a favor. It is better for him to endure the judgment of that individual than that of the many. He can bear the former, but the latter would be too much for him.

It is written, “Pinchas … turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, when he took My revenge among them, and I did not destroy them” (Numbers 25:11) . Pinchas killed the sinner Zimri, taking the judgment into his own hands (ibid., 25:8) . Had he not done this, the Jewish people would have been sentenced to annihilation. But because Pinchas took God’s vengeance into his own hands, the accusation against the Jews was silenced. This is the meaning of the above verse. A man stands up against a tzaddik. He says, “I will act against him! I will show him my strength and revenge!” This man is actually silencing all other judgments against the tzaddik.

Yet another benefit comes from such conflict. Before a tzaddik can rise from one level to the next, he is first tested (cf. Shemot Rabbah 2:3) . Those who can advance are called, “Those who have the power to stand in the King’s palace” (Daniel 1:4; see “ His Wisdom ” #105) . The King’s palace is the mouth of a tzaddik. Palace is HeYKhaL . Turn the letters into numbers and the gematria gives you God’s Name, ADoNoY . 172 Tikkuney Zohar #18, 32a, 33b; Likutey Moharan I, 55:7. HeYKhaL is spelled Hei (5), Yod (10), Khaf (20), Lamed (30), which has the numerical value of 65. ADoNoY is spelled Alef (1), Dalet (4), Nun (50), Yod (10), which also has the numerical value of 65. The Name Adonoy is associated with Malkhut , the Divine attribute of Royalty (or Kingship) (cf. Sha’arey Orah 1; Pardes Rimonim 20:13) . Malkhut is the mouth of the transcendental form, as we are taught, “Royalty is the mouth” ( Tikkuney Zohar , Introduction, 17a) . The King’s palace is therefore the mouth of a tzaddik.

When one tzaddik opposes another, it is a test to see if the latter can stand in the King’s palace. One tzaddik is tested to determine if he can withstand the mouth of his counterpart. When he withstands this test, he is elevated to the next level. The dispute is therefore for his benefit.