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Chapter 26
However, a matter of this kind must be made known, a great rule. For just as with victory in overcoming a bodily thing, for example two people who wrestle with one another, each to throw the other down, if one of them is in laziness and heaviness he will be beaten with ease and he will fall, even if he is mightier than his fellow, so it is exactly in the victory over the yetzer (the urge). It is impossible to overcome it with laziness and heaviness that are drawn from sadness and from a heart stopped up like a stone, but only with quickness that is drawn from joy, and from the opening of the heart and its cleansing from every tremor of worry and of sadness in the world.
And as for what is written (Proverbs 14:23), “In all sadness there will be a surplus,” the meaning is that there will be some advantage and some merit from this. Indeed, on the contrary, from this wording it is plain that the sadness, on its own side, has no merit in it, only that some advantage will arrive and come from it. And that is the true joy in Hashem (God) his Elohim, which comes after the true sadness, at appointed times, over his wrongs, in bitterness of his soul and a broken heart. For through this there are broken the spirit of impurity, and the sitra achra (the other side), and the wall of iron that cuts between him and his Father in heaven, as it is written in the Zohar (Zohar, part 2, 108a) on the verse (Psalms 51:19), “a broken spirit, a broken heart,” and so on. And then the opening of the verse will be fulfilled in him: “Let me hear exultation and joy,” and so on (Psalms 51:10), “Give me back the exultation of Your rescue, and a generous spirit,” and so on (Psalms 51:14).
And this is the plain reason for the practice of the Ari, of blessed memory, to say this psalm after the midnight rectification, before the study, so as to study in true joy in Hashem, coming after the sadness. For this joy has an advantage, like the advantage of the light that comes from the darkness, specifically, as it is written in the Zohar (Zohar, part 3, 47b) on the verse (Ecclesiastes 2:13), “And I saw… that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of the light,” and so on. See there, and it is enough for one who understands. And the Writ has spoken an explicit verse (Deuteronomy 28:47), “Because you did not serve Hashem your Elohim in joy,” and so on. And the explanation of the Ari, of blessed memory, on this verse is known to all (Explanation: even though he did serve Hashem, he did not serve “in joy,” but he served in sadness.).
And now, the counsel that is offered, to cleanse his heart of every sadness and every tremor of worry over matters of the world, and even over children, life, and livelihood: this saying of the sages of blessed memory is known to all (Berakhot 54a; there, 60b), “Just as one blesses over the good,” and so on. And they explained in the Gemara, to receive it with joy, like the joy over the good that is revealed and seen. For this too is for the good, only it is not revealed and seen by eyes of flesh, for it is from the concealed world, which is above the revealed world, and the revealed world is vav hei of the name Havayah, blessed be He, and the concealed world is yod hei. And this is what is said (Psalms 94:12), “Happy is the man whom Yah disciplines,” and so on.
And therefore the sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 23a) that those who rejoice in sufferings, of them the verse says (Judges 5:31), “and those who love Him are like the sun coming forth in its power.” For the joy is from his loving the nearness of Hashem more than all the life of this world, as it is written (Psalms 63:4), “for Your faithful love is choicer than life,” and so on. And the nearness of Hashem is of surpassing rank and height, without end, in the concealed world, for there is the hiding of His strength (Habakkuk 3:4), and the one who sits in the cover of the Highest (Psalms 91:1). And therefore he merits the coming forth of the sun in its power, in the time to come, which is the sun coming out of its sheath, in which it is covered in this world, and in the future it will be uncovered from its covering. That is, that then the concealed world will be revealed, and it will shine and give light in a disclosure great and mighty, to all who take refuge in Him in this world and who shelter in His shade, the shade of wisdom, which is a mode of shade, and not radiance, and not a good that is seen. And it is enough for one who understands.
But sadness that comes from heavenly matters, one must set counsel in his soul so as to be rid of it. It need not be said of the time of service, for one must serve Hashem in joy and in goodness of heart. But even one who is a man of business and of the way of the world, if sadness and worry from heavenly matters fall to him during his business, it is known that this is a stratagem of the yetzer, in order to make him fall afterwards into cravings, God spare us, as is known. For if it were not so, from where would true sadness come to him, on account of love of Hashem or of fear of Him, in the middle of his business?
Now, whether the sadness fell to him at the time of service, in the study of Torah or in prayer, or whether it fell to him not at the time of service, let him set this upon his heart: that the hour is not now the cause for true sadness, even for worry over severe wrongs, God spare us. Only for this does one need fixed times, and a fitting hour with a settled mind, to reflect on the greatness of Hashem, against whom he has sinned, so that through this his heart will be broken in truth, in true bitterness. And this hour is as explained in another place. And there it is also explained that immediately after his heart has been broken in those fixed times, he should then remove the sadness from his heart completely, and he should believe with a complete faith that Hashem has taken away his sin, and that He abounds in pardon. And this is the true joy in Hashem that comes after the sadness, as stated above.
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