Likutay Moharan - Volume 2 - Torah-teaching 58

Likutay Moharan II, Torah 58: There Are People Who Say That When the Tzadik Is Great in Stature

There are people who say that when the tzadik [righteous one] is great in stature, because of his greatness, he cannot gaze and look upon the people of the world, for he is far from the world. And in truth, it is not so. For on the contrary, when the tzadik is very great, he can gaze and look upon the world more. And as we find with Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who certainly was very, very great in stature, much more than the tzadikim of this time, and even so, he said: Woe to me if I say, woe to me if I do not say (Kelim, Chapter 17, Mishnah 16). It is found that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was so familiar with the world that he was afraid to say words of Torah lest the deceivers learn from him. Behold, he was very familiar with the world, so that on the contrary, he was afraid lest they learn deceit from him. For in truth, the greater the tzadik, the more he can gaze and look upon the world. For behold, Hashem, blessed be He, is very, very exalted and elevated from the world, and even so, He gazes with particular providence upon the entire world. For in truth, one who is a yesh [something], then he cannot be in every place at once, for what is a yesh, when he stands here, he is not there, such as when he is in some service of Hashem, he cannot look upon the world. But one who is an ayin [nothing], there is no place where he is not, for he has no place at all. And therefore, the more the tzadik is included in the ayin, the more he can gaze and look upon the world. For it is not fitting to say about him that he is in a high and far place from the world, for he has no place at all. And as brought in our words [Likutay Moharan I, Torah 162] in the name of the Maggid regarding one who wants to become wise, let him go south, and so forth, see there.