Previous: Part 1, Chapter 27. Book contents. Next: Part 1, Chapter 29.
Chapter 28
And even if musings of desire, and other alien thoughts, fall to him at the time of the service, in the Torah or in prayer with concentration, let him not set his heart toward them, but let him turn his mind away from them at once. And let him also not be a fool, to occupy himself with raising the traits of the alien thought, as is known. For those words were said only for tzaddikim (righteous people), upon whom there do not fall alien thoughts of their own, but only those of others. But one to whom there falls what is his own, from the aspect of the evil that is in his heart, in the left cavity, how shall he raise it upward, when he himself is bound below?
But nevertheless, let his heart not fall within him, to become from this sad and worthless at the time of the service, which needs to be in great joy. Rather, on the contrary, let him take hold of more strength, and add firmness with all his power, in the concentration of the prayer, with mirth and with added joy, in that he sets it upon his heart that the fall of the alien thought is from the kelipah (a husk that hides holiness) that is in the left cavity, which wages war in the beinoni (the in-between person) with the nefesh elokit (the soul from God) that is in him. And the way of those who battle is known, and likewise of those who wrestle together: when one grows strong, then the second exerts himself to grow strong also, with all the exertions of his power. And therefore, when the nefesh elokit exerts itself and grows strong in order to pray, then the kelipah also grows strong against it, to confuse it and to topple it into an alien thought of its own.
And not according to the mistake of the world, who err in proving from the fall of the alien thought the inference that their prayer is nothing, for if he had prayed in a fitting and right way, alien thoughts would not have fallen to him. And the truth would have been according to their words, if there were one single soul, and she were the one who prays, and she were the one who thinks and muses the alien thoughts. But in the truth itself, they are two souls, at war with one another in a person’s brain. Each one desires and wills to rule over him, and that the brain be filled from her alone. And all musings of Torah and fear of Heaven are from the nefesh elokit. And all matters of the world are from the nefesh bahamit (the life-soul of the body), only that the nefesh elokit is clothed in her.
And it is like the parable of a person praying with concentration, and opposite him stands an uncircumcised rasha (a wicked person), and he converses and speaks with him in order to confuse him. Surely this is his counsel: not to answer him, from good all the way to bad, and to make himself like a deaf man who will not hear, and to fulfill what is written (Proverbs 26:4), “Do not answer a fool in the manner of his foolishness, lest you be equal to him, you too.” So let him answer nothing, and no argument and no reply, against the alien thought, for one who wrestles with a filthy person is made filthy also. Only let him make himself as one who does not know and does not hear the musings that fell to him, and let him remove them from his mind, and let him add firmness in the strength of his concentration.
And if it is hard for him to remove them from his mind, because they trouble his mind very much, with force, then let him lower his soul before Hashem (God), and let him plead with Him, blessed be He, in his thought, to have mercy on him in His abundant mercies, as a father has mercy on children who are drawn from his brain. And thus Hashem will have mercy on his soul, which is drawn from Him, blessed be He, to save it from the insolent waters, and for His own sake He will act, for the portion of Hashem is actually His people.
Previous: Part 1, Chapter 27. Book contents. Next: Part 1, Chapter 29.
