There are hidden tzaddikim who, despite knowing the face of the Torah, are obliged to conceal their teachings. This is as in the story told of the Baal Shem Tov and the preacher.

And sometimes it happens that he, too, knows a teaching with a face, i.e., the face of the Torah, but is obliged to conceal it and so does not deliver it. Other times, he does not even write it down. And sometimes he writes it down and later burns it. Had it actually been put into writing, it would have formed a book and circulated. In addition, such writings contain Holy Names—the concept of “My Name, which was written in holiness”—but people spoil this, and so it is necessary to conceal and burn them.

Even so, the concealing and burning of these teachings and books is beneficial for the world. For there are also many books that were made and have been erased and lost to the world. The great tzaddikim of yore, the Tannaim and Amoraim and the like, certainly produced many books, but they have been lost.

Nevertheless, this is beneficial for the world, for if this were not the case, it would be utterly impossible for us to get close to God. This is because there are very many heretical books which, if they were disseminated, God forbid, it would be utterly impossible to get close to God. For example, Yeravam ben Nevat made two golden calves and said, “This is your God, O Israel!” (1 Kings 12:28), leading all the Jews to stray after them. Is it even conceivable that he could mislead so many people with such foolishness as the worshipping of calves? Rather, this surely involved an extremely profound heresy. And so if, God forbid, God forbid, may the Merciful One spare us, a single page of those books was extant, God forbid, people would be greatly distanced from God and it would be utterly impossible to get close to Him. This is why it is beneficial that the aforementioned holy books disappear or are burned.

2. For a book is the concept of God’s Name, as in “The Name of God is a tower of strength into which the tzaddik runs and is fortified” (Proverbs 18:10), and in the Zohar (I, 37b) it is brought: “the Name of God” is synonymous with a book. This is because SeFeR (a book) has the same numerical value as SheM (name), as is brought. A book is the concept of “My Name, which was written in holiness” and has spread in the world, making a name.

And know! each person must safeguard his personal aspect of Mashiach. For each person, commensurate with his holiness and his purity, possesses a personal aspect of Mashiach. He must be extremely vigilant to keep his aspect of Mashiach from becoming ruined. And the aspect of Mashiach primarily depends on guarding against immorality.

For Mashiach is the concept of nose, as in “The RuaCh (breath) of our AF (nostrils), m’shiach (the anointed) of God” (Lamentations 4:20). And immorality is contingent on the nose, as it is written (Exodus 20:13) : “You shall not TiN’AF (commit adultery)”—and the Midrash teaches: You shall not T’haNeh AF (pleasure the nose)” (Bamidbar Rabbah 10:2). Thus a person has to guard himself from even the Rei’aCh (scent) of immorality, for it blemishes his personal aspect of Mashiach, which is the concept of nose.

Now, the aspect of Mashiach resides upon the faces of Torah—i.e., the holy books which reveal the Torah’s face. It is there that the spirit of Mashiach hovers, as in “and the ruach (spirit) of God hovering over the water’s surface” (Genesis 1:2). “The ruach of God”—this alludes to the ruach of Mashiach (Zohar I, 240a). It hovers “over the water’s surface,” and water connotes Torah, as is brought.

3. And know! “the ruach of our nostrils, m’shiach of God” becomes a spirit of jealousy that grows increasingly more zealous. Wherever it finds immorality, [this ruach] becomes a jealous spirit and, on account of its considerable sanctity and purity, zealously protests it. Sometimes, [the ruach] zealously protests “and she had become defiled, or a spirit of jealousy may come over him… but she had not become defiled” (Numbers 5:14). Because of its tremendous holiness and purity, even if she has not become defiled, it zealously protests solely on account of the seclusion, which is considered a blemish relative to the jealous spirit’s tremendous purity. And on occasion this leads to divorce.

This is why the divorce document is called “a sefer of separation” (Deuteronomy 24:1), because it is produced by the sefer (book) upon which the spirit of Mashiach, the spirit of jealousy, resides. Alternatively, he makes her drink the “bitter waters,” which examine “if she has become defiled…” (Numbers 5:27). But if not, then, on the contrary, “she shall be proven innocent and she will bear seed…” (ibid. :28).

4. And know! there is a lower unification in this world which is carried out with such great virtue, sanctity and purity that the upper unification is dependent upon it. The couple, i.e., the man and the woman, are so virtuous—she is very virtuous and without a shred of spiritual deficiency, and he too is very virtuous—and their coupling is with such virtue and sanctity that the upper unification is dependent upon it. This is because: If iYsh (a man) and ishaH (a woman) are worthy, the Divine Presence resides in their midst (Sotah 17a). He contains a Yod, and she contains a Heh. These are [the letters of] the upper rectification. This particular coupling and lower unification is extremely valuable, since in this world a lower unification is carried out with such great sanctity that the upper unification is dependent upon it.

Now see, the spirit of jealousy, i.e., the concept of the spirit of Mashiach, which zealously protests immorality—what relevance does it have here being that they are very holy and pure? But know! here, the spirit of jealousy is for the sake of love. For it is brought in the Zohar (I, 245a) : Love unaccompanied by jealousy is not true love. This is as it is written: “for love is as fierce as death, jealousy as hard as the grave” (Song of Songs 8:6). For jealousy is an indication of love. On account of his great love he protests zealously concerning her. “Do not seclude yourself” so that the love will not be ruined, God forbid. This is what the aforementioned spirit of jealousy accomplishes here for the love.

However, because the lower unification is nonetheless in this world, the spirit of jealousy has the power to ruin their marital harmony, God forbid. Although the jealousy is for the sake of love, it has the power to instigate strife as a result of his jealousy for her.

5. Know, therefore, that this is why the great tzaddikim are obliged to conceal their teachings, to burn and destroy them, as mentioned above. This is in order to dismiss the spirit of jealousy, so that it does not ruin the aforementioned couple’s marital harmony, God forbid.

For their lower unification is very valuable, and if their marital bliss was ruined by the spirit of jealousy, it would be a very great loss. This is why the aforementioned teachings and books have to be destroyed—it is in order to dismiss the spirit of jealousy. For the spirit of jealousy is the spirit of Mashiach that resides upon the faces of Torah—i.e., the books, as explained above. It follows, that when books are burned and destroyed, the spirit of jealousy, the spirit of Mashiach that resides upon the books, is dismissed automatically.

And this is the mystery of “My Name, which was written in holiness, should be erased.” For the book is the concept of God’s Name, the concept of “My Name, which was written in holiness,” as explained above. Yet the Torah states that [the Name] should be erased and destroyed in order to instill marital harmony between a man and his wife—i.e., the aforementioned holy couple, for whose marital bliss the books, which are the concept of “My Name, which was written in holiness,” are erased and destroyed.

Then an a fortiori argument is employed on high: If about “My Name, which was written in holiness,” i.e., the aforementioned holy books, the Torah states “[it] should be erased” in order to induce marital harmony… how much more so should the books of heretics, which instigate enmity and discord between Israel…, be erased, destroyed and uprooted from the world—people’s recollection of them should be erased and uprooted. It follows, that the loss of the holy books results in benefit, for the books of the heretics are destroyed and uprooted and it is then possible to draw closer to God. Amen.