5851 —התגברות על היסח הדעת ואיזון אחריות רוחנית

B"H, 17 Menachem Av, 5718.

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the end of Tishrei, in which you write that in certain situations you become very discouraged and broken, making it difficult for you to study even though you are careful about many matters discussed in connection with this in the books. As I believe I have already written to you, one of the key points to correct this state is the matter of distraction (hesach ha-daas). It is explained and understood even with simple logic that distraction does not mean fighting against the issue or even debating it negatively, for that is the opposite of distraction. Rather, it means simply turning your mind completely away from it—even from fixing it or thinking about how bad it is, etc. But since thought always wanders, true distraction can only be achieved by immersing your mind in completely different matters—ideally Torah. If a little light pushes away much darkness, how much more so does a lot of light—especially learning the "luminary within Torah," the source of light which is the inner dimension of Torah as explained in many places. The necessity for true distraction is also explained elsewhere and is based on the well-known answer of tzt"z (printed in his responsa Shaar HaMiluim sec. 62).

Regarding what you wrote about finding it hard to participate in Chassidic gatherings because you lack a sense for melody: this is like our sages' saying—if someone ate garlic and has its odor, should he eat more? In addition to rejecting your conclusion from above—that "nothing affects you," since that's impossible; a person is always influenced—especially at an auspicious time. As known from the note "from Heaven descended" about how powerful a farbrengen is.

On your question whether one must give up their own spirituality to save another's spirituality—it is already known from Rabbi Akiva's saying: "Ve'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha" (Love your fellow as yourself) is a great principle in Torah; see also Sota 21b regarding what defines a 'foolish chassid,' and other statements by our sages supporting this idea. The main point here is what is known regarding the verse "Tzedakah exalts a nation," that one's mind and heart become purified thousands of times over—and certainly spiritual tzedakah affecting souls is no less than material tzedakah. However, there are boundaries: just as one must be involved with others' welfare, a yeshiva student should not cancel all his learning schedules to engage only in acts of tzedakah—material or spiritual—as illustrated by our sages' story "Are there not enough graves..." (Yerushalmi Pesachim ch.3 halacha 7), and see also Moed Katan 9a end and there. Rather, as with all matters of our Torah—the Torah of life—one must find a middle path as explained at length by Rambam at the beginning of Hilchot Deot. Since a person is close to himself, he should present and detail the matter before friends who will guide him. May it be G‑d's will that you share good news regarding your own efforts and those with others.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that overcoming negative thoughts requires fully redirecting one's mind toward positive pursuits like Torah study rather than battling negativity directly. He emphasizes balancing personal growth with helping others through wise counsel and maintaining healthy boundaries.