5400 —התמודדות עם מחשבות מבלבלות בעבודת השם

B"H, 27 Nissan, 5717. Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter, in which you write that distracting thoughts are bothering you, etc., etc.

I have already written several times to various members of Anash that although it is simple and well known that exaggerating the disturbance of such thoughts is also one of the enticements of the yetzer hara, which tries in every way and with every trick to disturb a person from serving Hashem with joy and gladness of heart. From this it is understood that as long as one does not exaggerate the matter—and moreover, even by simply diverting one's attention (not by fighting these thoughts directly), the situation will continue to improve. However, since thought is always wandering (as explained also in the discourses for Pesach—see footnote 1—that this is why thought is called a river), the way to push away these thoughts is by thinking about something else. And it is clear that when this 'something else' is Torah and mitzvos, then a little light pushes away much darkness—and certainly much light does so even more.

Among the practices and segulos for quickly nullifying such disturbances are: learning Torah from a text with purity, giving tzedakah before weekday morning prayers. And since according to your letter you have seen improvement in other areas, this should also clearly prove to you that there has been improvement regarding these distracting thoughts as well—only that the opposing side hides this improvement from you, etc.

Blessings for good news in all the above.

In the name of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita

P.S. Surely you participated in baking shmurah matzah (see footnote 2) and generally in activities of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches not to dwell on distracting thoughts or fight them directly; rather, redirect your mind toward Torah study and mitzvos. Practical steps like learning Torah from a text and giving tzedakah before prayer help dispel confusion and bring spiritual clarity.