Likutay Moharan - Torah-teaching 268

268 - When a Person Does Not Focus on the Purpose, Why Does He Need Life?

When a person does not focus on the purpose [ultimate goal of existence, serving G-d], why does he need life? Behold, the soul always longs to fulfill the will of its Creator. And when it sees that the person is not doing His will, blessed be He—G-d forbid—then it longs very much to return to its root and begins to draw itself to depart from the person's body. From this, the person becomes ill, because the power of the soul is weakened as it draws itself away from him, since he does not fulfill its will—for it wants only that he do the will of the Place [euphemism for G-d], blessed be He. What returns the person to his health through medicines is because the soul sees that this person can force himself to act against his desire and habit. For he is accustomed to eating bread and other foods, and now he forces his desire and accepts bitter medicines and drugs for his health. Because the soul sees that he can force his desire for some purpose, therefore it returns to him, as it expects that he will force his desire for the true purpose—to do the will of his Creator, blessed be He.