2475 —גישת המוסר, בריאות רוחנית, ודרך הבעש"ט

B"H, 19 Adar II, 5714.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"ch vavac"h iy"a nu"n melachto melachet shamayim Moreinu HaRav Avraham Menachem Mendel Brentzki

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Your request for a blessing of healing for one of your students has been conveyed to me... as well as your second note that the operation took place and everything is in order. May it be the will of Hashem that just as you share good news regarding physical matters, so too you will share good news regarding spiritual matters—that your students are healthy as they should be spiritually.

Since for a Jewish person, physicality and spirituality go together, we can say humorously based on what our master the Alter Rebbe writes in Iggeres HaTeshuvah chapter 3: In our generations people are not as healthy as in earlier generations; therefore, many fasts are harmful and can even cause illness or pain G‑d forbid. Similarly, regarding healing of the soul: if in earlier generations it was possible to suffice with a regimen of spiritual self-affliction—meaning Musar practices that lower and distress a person—then in our times this could lead to spiritual illness or pain; that is, one may become overly low-spirited or even fall into despair G‑d forbid, or the body and animal soul and evil inclination may rebel against such lowering.

Therefore it is necessary to follow the path taught by the Baal Shem Tov: "You shall surely help him" (azov ta'azov imo)—beginning with explaining that the soul is truly a part of G‑d above; for He and His wisdom are one. Thus a person is an agent of the supernal man Himself (see Likkutei Torah at the beginning of Parshas Vayikra), and man has been given lofty powers not only to overcome obstacles but also to illuminate his soul, body, and portion in this world with extra light—and to make vessels for G‑dliness through joy. Therefore it is a shame to waste time and energy by not using these powers; their neglect stems from one's own lowliness—and joy breaks all boundaries, even those of one's body and animal soul.

How wondrous is the precision established as law by the Rema in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim siman 98 at the end of section 1: "And one should think before prayer about the exaltedness of G‑d (and only afterward) about man's lowliness." It is known that even the order of things in Torah is itself Torah. If you are responsible for conveying this order to your students—how much more so must these matters be deeply internalized within yourself! There is nothing that stands before one's will—even when it requires changing habits that have already become second nature.

With blessings for success in all the above.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that focusing solely on Musar's self-lowering can harm spiritual health today. Instead, he urges emphasizing one's Divine soul and serving with joy—uplifting both oneself and others beyond previous limitations.