[An introductory open letter to all the Chassidim, published in the year 5574-1814]

To my dear brothers and friends, beloved comrades and attentive colleagues whose minds and hearts have been touched by the words of the Living God.¹

footnotes: ¹ The teachings of Chassidus are traditionally called, “The words of the Living God.

To those whose spirits are sometimes moved to revert from the confusion and tempest of the times - this being preoccupation with earning a livelihood. Such worries have become so greatly magnified in our times, that the spirit of preoccupation with livelihood looms large in people’s minds and hearts.

The situation has become so aggravated, to the point that the verse, “Therefore, hear this now, O afflicted one, who is intoxicated, but not by wine,”² has literally come to pass, or the verse, “All their wisdom has become swallowed up,”³ or “Their souls abhor all manner of nourishment”⁴ – “Oh how the sacred stones have been scattered outside on every street corner.”⁵

footnotes: ² Isaiah 51:21 ³ Psalms 107:27 ⁴ Psalms 107:18 ⁵ Lamentations 4:1

Even worse, habit has become second nature to them, so that they do not at all groan from the labor, but rather consider it to be pure.

This being the case, every God fearing and sensitive person, whose innards, to whatever degree, have been touched by the fear of God from his youth and who desires closeness to HaShem-יהו"ה within his soul, rather than to be cast aside, heaven forbid, should take it to heart to lay down counsel within his soul. That is, he should set times to contemplate how to arouse his soul, to prepare his heart and mind to receive the words of the Living God.

However, upon thoroughly examining this, in general and in particular, everyone should recognize that many have fallen ten steps backward in regard to arousal in Chassidic matters, compared to how it was in former times. This is so much so, that there is cause for a person to fear that since he is prone to falling, he may very well fall, God forbid. He could, thereby, despair of his soul altogether.

Truth should guide his path. Every person is capable of truly recognizing in his soul, that even though he has become distant from matters of Chassidus for quite some time due to preoccupation with livelihood or the like, nonetheless, no negative change has actually come about in his essential self.

Rather, only his mind and heart have had a dimming of the illumination of Divine light, because his mind and heart have been entirely preoccupied with many distractions etc.

Actually, this may be compared to sleep. During sleep it cannot be said that one’s life force completely withdrew from his mind and heart. He certainly is alive, because when we rouse him, he immediately awakens and is just as alive as he was before sleeping, literally.

Only that during sleep the vitality was concealed in his mind and heart; that is, the Neshamah and Ruach levels of the soul were hidden. When he is roused, the consciousness of the soul which was hidden during sleep becomes revealed once again. This indicates that in actuality, no new phenomenon has taken place.

Likewise, preoccupation with matters of livelihood, which is called, “The exile of the Shechinah” is also called “Sleep,” as scripture states, “When HaShem-יהו"ה will return the captivity of Tzion we will be like dreamers.”⁶ Similarly, this has been explained at length on the verse, “I am asleep – in exile – but my heart is awake etc.”⁷

footnotes: ⁶ Psalms 126:1 ⁷ Song of songs 5:2

If HaShem-יהו"ה will grant me the time, I shall send a special pamphlet dealing with fundamental Chassidic teachings that everyone, whether great or small, should know regarding the manner of how to conduct oneself in matters of livelihood. I feel compelled to do this because doing one’s work in a way which is alien to Torah has come to be regarded as permissible etc.

Unfortunately, no one takes to heart what it is that causes both physical and spiritual ruin in the world. Is it not because they have left the “Torah of HaShem-יהו"ה,” which is imbedded in each person according to his capacity?

Rather, in all their ways each person goes in his own direction, without taking the Torah and service of HaShem-יהו"ה, which is imbedded in their souls, into account.

Instead, they have departmentalized everything - setting the time for Torah and for heeding matters of Chassidus on one side and setting the time for physical bodily occupation on the other side. In their mind the one is not connected to the other; just the opposite, they regard them as two diametric opposites etc.

This evil has thus caused lacking even during the time of prayer and Torah study, for through this the enemy⁸-The inclination toward evil. is strengthened to enlarge his foothold and encroach outside of his sphere and to dull the heart and mind even during a time that should be propitious for spiritual arousal, so that one’s soul is not illuminated by the radiance of the words of the Living God that he hears⁹ or that he contemplates during prayer¹⁰ or the like.

footnotes: ⁸ The enemy is a reference to the Yetzer HaRa ⁹ The Mittler Rebbe refers to the learning of Chassidus as “hearing” or “listening” throughout this work, because the teachings of Chassidus are primarily transmitted orally by the Rebbe to his followers at Chassidic gatherings or the like. Also, whereas insight (Chochmah) is called “seeing,” contemplation and analysis (Binah) is called “hearing.” ¹⁰ According to Chassidus, the primary time for the contemplation of Godliness is during prayer.

Rather, his prayers are merely uttered with the lips, but his mind and heart are distant, being distracted with other thoughts and swallowed by them, as scripture states, “Israel is swallowed up etc.”¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ Hosea 8:8

Albeit, no one should ever despair of his soul, because the essential nature of his Divine soul, that he is always capable of becoming excited about HaShem-יהו"ה, has not at all changed in essence – each person according to his capacity.

Even a person who is prone to falling does not ever have to fall, for Israel is not widowed from the Living God. I know this faithfully according to what I have received from my beloved father, master, teacher and rabbi of blessed memory, whose soul reposes in Eden.

He spoke endearingly to me almost daily for several years concerning the essential natural reaction to the words of the Living God amongst all the members of our Chassidic brotherhood. This was transmitted in all its detailed forms, including all the guidance needed for each individual, so that he not err and delude himself, but rather, so that he will be wise in all his ways, neither veering to the right nor to the left etc.