Likutei Moharan, Part II
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
לְפִי גַּדְּלוּת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְעֹצֶם רוֹמְמוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, בִּתְנוּעָה קַלָּה בְּעָלְמָא וּבְהִסְתַּכְּלוּת בְּעָלְמָא שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּרָאוּי לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, הָיָה רָאוּי לָבוֹא עַל הָאָדָם מַה שֶׁרָאוּי, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם;
Considering God’s greatness and the magnitude of His exaltedness, the slightest motion or glance unbefitting His glory would warrant that a person suffer commensurately, God forbid! God forbid!
אַךְ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, וְכָל הָעוֹלָם מָלֵא רַחֲמָנוּת, וְהוּא רוֹצֶה מְאֹד בְּהָעוֹלָם. עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ לְחַזֵּק עַצְמוֹ מְאֹד בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ בְכָל מַה שֶּׁיּוּכַל, אַף אִם הוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא. וְיִסְמֹךְ עַל רַחֲמָיו הַמְרֻבִּים מְאֹד בְּלִי שִׁעוּר, כִּי בְּוַדַּאי לֹא יַעֲזֹב אוֹתוֹ, אַף אִם עָבַר מַה שֶּׁעָבַר. הֶעָבָר אַיִן, וְהָעִקָּר – מִכָּאן וּלְהַבָּא לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה עוֹד, וְיִהְיֶה שֵׁב וְאַל תַּעֲשֶׂה עַל־כָּל־פָּנִים, הֵן בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה וְהֵן בְּמַעֲשֶׂה. כִּי גַּם הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁל אֲנָשִׁים כָּאֵלּוּ הִיא גַם־כֵּן עֲשִׂיָּה, כִּי גַּם בָּעוֹלָם הָעֲשִׂיָּה יֵשׁ מַחֲשָׁבָה, וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת שֵׁב וְאַל תַּעֲשֶׂה בְּמַעֲשֶׂה וּבְמַחֲשָׁבָה כַּנַּ"ל. וּמָה שֶּׁנַּעֲשָׂה עִמּוֹ מִמֵּילָא, אַל יָחוּשׁ וְאַל יִסְתַּכֵּל עַל זֶה כְּלָל:
However, God is full of compassion, and the entire world is filled with compassion, and He very much wants the world. Therefore, a person has to give himself great encouragement in his own service of God by every possible means, even if he is as he is. And he should rely on His limitless mercy, because He will surely not abandon him even if he has transgressed as he has. The past is gone, so the main thing is that from here on he does not repeat his actions. At the very least, let him do no wrong, neither in thought nor deed. For the thoughts of such people are also actions, because also in the World of Action there is thought. Thus one has to refrain from acting in deed and thought. And as for what happens to him on its own, let him not be concerned or pay any attention to it.
וְדַע, שֶׁעִקָּר הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַשְּׁלֵמָה הִיא, כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹבֵר בְּאֵלּוּ הַמְּקוֹמוֹת מַמָּשׁ שֶׁהָיָה מִקֹּדֶם הַתְּשׁוּבָה, כָּל אֶחָד לְפִי מַה שֶּׁעָבַר עָלָיו בַּיָּמִים הַקּוֹדְמִים, וּכְשֶׁעוֹבֵר בְּאֵלּוּ הַמְּקוֹמוֹת וְהָעִנְיָנִים שֶׁהָיָה מִתְּחִלָּה מַמָּשׁ, וְעַכְשָׁו פּוֹנֶה עֹרֶף מֵהֶם, וְכוֹפֶה יִצְרוֹ לִבְלִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד מַה שֶּׁעָשָׂה – זֶהוּ עִקָּר הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַשְּׁלֵמָה, וְרַק זֶה נִקְרָא תְּשׁוּבָה:
2. And know! the essence of complete repentance is when a person passes through the exact same places he was before repenting, each one according to what he experienced in earlier days. And when he passes through the exact same places and situations as originally, but now turns his back on them and subdues his inclination, so that he refrains from repeating what he did—this is the essence of complete repentance. This alone is called repentance.
וְהוּא מַעְלָה גְּדוֹלָה, כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ עֲדַיִן יֵצֶר הָרָע לְהָאָדָם, כִּי אָז יָכוֹל לַעֲבֹד אוֹתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ עִם הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע דַּיְקָא, דְּהַיְנוּ לִקַּח כָּל הַהִתְלַהֲבוּת וְהַחֲמִימוּת וּלְהַכְנִיסוֹ בְּתוֹךְ עֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, דְּהַיְנוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן בַּחֲמִימוּת וְהִתְלַהֲבוּת הַלֵּב וְכַיּוֹצֵא. וְאִם אֵין יֵצֶר הָרָע לְהָאָדָם, אֵין עֲבוֹדָתוֹ שְׁלֵמָה כְּלָל.
3. Now, it is a great advantage when a person still has an evil inclination. He is then able to serve God specifically with the evil inclination—i.e., to take all the excitation and passion and instill it in the service of God, so that he prays and pleads with fervor and enthusiasm and the like. But if a person is lacking an evil inclination, his service of God is not at all whole.
וְהָעִקָּר – לַעֲצֹר וּלְעַכֵּב הַחֲמִימוּת בְּעֵת הַתַּאֲווֹת, וּלְהַנִּיחוֹ בְּעֵת הַתְּפִלָּה וְהָעֲבוֹדָה, שָׁם יַנִּיחַ חֲמִימוּתוֹ וְהִתְלַהֲבוּתוֹ לְתוֹךְ הָעֲבוֹדָה כַּנַּ"ל.
Now, the main thing is to stop and restrain the passion at the moment of desire, and to unleash it during prayer and the service of God. That is where he should place his passion and excitement—into serving God.
וַאֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ אִישׁ כָּשֵׁר, נִזְדַּמֵן לוֹ לִפְעָמִים שֶׁמִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּהִתְלַהֲבוּת, וְזֶה בָּא גַּם־כֵּן מֵחֲמִימוּת הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ, רַק שֶׁהוּא אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל עַל זֶה שָׂכָר. אֲבָל מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְהִתְנַהֵג בְּכַשְׁרוּת, הוּא מַעְלָה גְּדוֹלָה כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ עֲדַיִן יֵצֶר הָרָע כַּנַּ"ל:
And sometimes even someone who is not devoted to God happens to pray with enthusiasm. This, too, stems from the passion of his evil inclination, but he is not rewarded for this. However, for someone who desires to devote himself to God, still having an evil inclination is a great advantage.