Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 68

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 68

The primary perfection of the tzadik [righteous one] is that he can be above and below. That he will be able to show to one who is above and imagines in his mind that he is on a high level, he will show him that he is the opposite. And likewise the opposite, to one who is very below on the lowest level within the earth literally, he will show him that on the contrary he is close to Hashem, blessed is He. And this perfection must be for the tzadik. And without this he is not a tzadik at all. For he must show to one who is very below on the lowest rung completely that the man is still close to Him literally, as it were. And to arouse him and reveal to him: G-d is with you, and do not fear and do not be dismayed. For He, blessed is He, is with you and near you and close to you literally. For "the whole earth is full of His glory" [Isaiah 6:3]. Therefore, even if a man falls, Heaven forbid, to a place where he falls, may the Merciful One save us, and he is on the lowest level literally, even from there he can attach himself to Him and return to Him, blessed is He. For the whole earth is full of His glory. And we have already spoken of this, that when a man is placed completely below and sees that he is on the lowest rung, Heaven forbid, very far from Hashem, blessed is He, it is incumbent upon him to revive himself with this itself. That is, that this itself is closeness. After he sees that he is far, for previously he was so distant that he did not know at all that he was far. And since in any case he knows that he is far, this itself is closeness. And with this itself it is incumbent upon him to revive himself and return to Him. And likewise the opposite, to one who is very above, the tzadik must show him that he is completely far from Hashem, blessed is He. "מֶה חָמִית מַה יָּדַעַתְּ – What have you seen, what have you known?" (see Zohar, Introduction, page 1a; 1 Chronicles 29:11): "כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ – For all in heaven and on earth," which is the aspect of the tzadik, as is known, that He is one in heaven and on earth (Targum there, Genesis 2:1; Zohar, Bereishis 31a; Tikkun 22). That is, as mentioned above, that he will be above and below. That he will show to one who is above, in the aspects of heaven, that he is very far and does not know at all in the knowledge of Him, blessed is He, the aspects of "meh chamis meh yadas – What have you seen, what have you known?" For there above in heaven, there precisely they ask where is the place of His glory. And the opposite, to one who is below on earth literally, he will show him that G-d is with him, for the whole earth is full of His glory.

And this is the primary perfection, to be above and below. And this is the aspects of sons and disciples that one must leave in the world. For apparently the matter is astonishing, for is not the primary that a man must break himself completely from materiality? And if so, why is it an obligation when a man is completely removed above, that is, after the removal, that he leave after him sons in this material world, who will fill his place in this world? Is it not on the contrary better to be completely removed above? But in truth, the primary perfection is to be above and below, in heaven and on earth. For when he is in one world alone, this is not perfection. Only both together, above and below, this is a complete world. Therefore, a man is obligated that there remain from him a remnant on earth, a son or a disciple, so that even when he is above after the removal, he will be below also in this world. That is, what remains from him below, a son or a disciple drawn from him. And primarily it is the intellect that must remain below from his intellect. Therefore, he must leave a son or a disciple, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, expounded (Bava Basra 116a) on the verse: "אֲשֶׁר אֵין חֲלִיפוֹת לָמוֹ – Who have no changes" [Psalms 55:20], one said a son, and one said a disciple. For the disciple is from the intellect of the master. And likewise the son is also drawn from the intellect of the father. And Rabbi Yochanan held a disciple, for he had no sons. For with the disciple the intellect is abstracted from materiality. But with the son the intellect is clothed in the seminal drop. But both are needed.

And the general rule, that he must leave from him sons and disciples. And the disciples will illuminate more to disciples after them, and so further more. That also the disciples will be fruitful and multiply and make other disciples, and the disciples of his disciples will make more disciples, and so further more and more. In order that his intellect remain also below forever and ever. And likewise the sons must also that their memory remain for generations, sons and sons of sons, etc. For this is the primary perfection of the tzadik, that he be above and below, in the aspect of "כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ – For all in heaven and on earth," that He is one in heaven and on earth [see all this in the teaching "Vayehi miketz ki merachamam yenahagem" [in Torah 7], see there, for there the matter is explained well].