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IUBIREA ACOPERĂ TOATE NELEGIUIRILE

4.01 Baal HaSulam,

Letter No. 47

Let me remind you the validity of love of friends in spite of everything at this time, for it is upon this that our right to exist depends, and upon this our near-to-come success is measured.

Hence, turn away from all the imaginary engagements and set your hearts on thinking thoughts and devising proper tactics to truly connect your hearts as one, so the words “Love your friend as yourself” will literally come true in you, for a verse does not reach beyond the literal, and you will be cleaned by the thought of love that will cover all crimes. Test me in that, and begin to truly connect in love, and then you will see, “the palate will taste,”.

4.02 Baal HaSulam,

Letter No. 5

I rejoice in those revealed corruptions and the ones that are being revealed.

I do, however, regret and complain about the corruptions that have still not appeared, but which are destined to appear, for a hidden corruption is hopeless, and its surfacing is a great salvation from heaven. The rule is that one does not give what he does not have. Hence, if it has appeared now, there is no doubt that it was here to begin with but was hidden. This is why I am happy when they come out of their holes because when you cast your eye on them, they become a pile of bones. But I do not settle for it even for a moment, as I know that those who are with us are more numer- ous than those who are with them. But weakness stretches time, and those contemptible ants are hidden and their place is unknown. The sage says about this, “The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.” Moses let down his hands, but when Moses lifts his hands of faith, all that should appear promptly appears, and then Israel triumphs “in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror.”

This is the meaning of “Whatever you find that your hand can do by your strength, do.” When the cup is full, the verse, “The wicked are overthrown,” comes true. And when the wicked are lost, light and gladness come to the world, and then they are gone.

4.03 RABASH,

Article No. 8 (1985), “Make for Yourself a Rav and Buy Yourself a Friend – 2”

Those people agreed to unite into a single group that engages in love of friends is that each of them feels that they have one desire that can unite all their views, so as to receive the strength of love of others. There is a famous maxim by our sages, “As their faces differ, their views differ.” Thus, those who agreed among them to unite into a group understood that there isn’t such a great distance between them in the sense that they recognize the necessity to work in love of others. Therefore, each of them will be able to make concessions in favor of the others, and they can unite around that.

4.04 RABASH,

Article No. 286, “Truth and Peace Loved”

Particularly in matters where there is hatred between them we can speak of something new, mean- ing that they love each other.

 4.05 RABASH,

Article No. 17, Part 1 (1984) “Concerning the Importance of Friends”

He should consider the friend as greater than himself.

But how can one consider one’s friend greater than himself when he can see that his own merits are greater than his friend’s, that he is more talented and has better natural qualities? There are two ways to understand this:

  1. He is going with faith above reason: once he has chosen him as a friend, he appreciates him above reason.
    1. This is more natural—within reason. If he has decided to accept the other as a friend, and works on himself to love him, then it is natural with love to see only good things. And even though there are bad things in one’s friend, he cannot see them, as it is written, “love covers all transgressions.”

4.06 RABASH,

Article No. 273, “The Mightiest of the Mighty”

In ethics, we should interpret that “mighty” is “one who conquers his inclination” (Avot, Chapter 4). That is, he works with the good inclination and subdues the evil inclination.

The mightiest of the mighty is one who works also with the evil inclination, as our sages said, “With all your heart—with both your inclinations” (Berachot 54), where the evil inclination, too, serves the Creator. It follows that he makes his foe, the evil inclination, his friend. And since the evil inclination is also serving the Creator, it follows that here he has more work, for which he is called “the mightiest of the mighty.”

 4.07 RABASH,

Letter No. 40

And in the matter of love, it is through “Buy yourself a friend.” In other words, through actions, one buys one’s friend’s heart. And even if he sees that his friend’s heart is like a stone, it is no excuse. If he feels that he is suitable for being his friend in the work, then he must buy him through deeds.

Each gift (and a gift is determined as such when he knows that his friend will enjoy it, whether in words, in thought, or in action. However, each gift must be out in the open, so that his friend will know about it, and with thoughts, one does not know that his friend was thinking of him. Hence, words are required, too, meaning he should tell him that he is thinking of him and cares about him. And that, too, should be about what his friend loves, meaning what his friend likes. One who doesn’t like sweets, but pickles, cannot treat his friend to pickles, but specifically to sweets, since this is what his friend likes. And from that, we should understand that something could be unimportant to one, but more important than anything to another.) that he gives to his friend is like a bullet that makes a hollow in the stone. And although the first bullet only scratches the stone, when the second bullet hits the same place, it already makes a notch, and the third one makes a hole.

And through the bullets that he shoots repeatedly, the hole becomes a hollow in his friend’s heart of stone, where all the presents gather. And each gift becomes a spark of love until all the sparks of love accumulate in the hollow of the stony heart and become a flame.

The difference between a spark and a flame is that where there is love, there is open disclosure, meaning a disclosure to all the peoples that the fire of love is burning in him. And the fire of love burns all the transgressions one meets along the way.

 4.08 RABASH,

Article No. 738, “A Covenant of Salt”

“On all your offerings you shall offer salt.” This is the covenant of the salt, which is a covenant against the intellect, for when one takes good things from one’s friend, they should make a covenant. A covenant is needed precisely when each one has demands and complaints against the other, and they might come into anger and separation. At that time, the covenant they made obligates them to maintain the love and unity between them, for the rule is that whenever someone wishes to hurt the other, they have a cure—to remember the covenant that they had made between them.

This obligates them to maintain the love and peace. This is the meaning of “On all your offer- ings you shall offer salt,” meaning that any nearing in the work of the Creator should be through a covenant of salt, as this is the whole foundation.

4.09 Zohar for All, Aharei Mot [After the Death],

“Behold, How Good and How Pleasant,” Items 65-66

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together.” These are the friends as they sit together, and are not separated from each other. At first, they seem like people at war, wishing to kill one another. Then they return to being in brotherly love.

The Creator says about them, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together” The word, “also,” comes to include the Shechina with them. Moreover, the Creator listens to their words and He has contentment and delights with them, as it is written, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him.”

And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part until the Creator rejoices with you and summons peace upon you. And by your merit there will be peace in the world, as it is written, “For the sake of my brothers and my friends let me say, ‘Let peace be in you.’”

4.10 The Holy Shlah,

Shaar HaOtiot, Vol. 2

Although your friend’s virtues are not equal to yours, you must tolerate him and love him, for so the Creator created him.

4.11 Babylonian Talmud,

Masechet Kidushin

It is written, “They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.” What is “with their enemies in the gate”? Rabbi Hiya, son of Bar Aba, said, “Even father and son, teacher and disciple, when they engage in Torah in the same gate, become each other’s enemies, but they do not move from there until they come to love each other.”

4.12 Proverbs, 10:12

Hate stirs strife, and love will cover all crimes.

4.13 Rabbi Nachman of Breslov,

Likutei Halachot

“Love will cover all crimes,” meaning love that is of holiness that is present in the point covers all the crimes and cancels all the breaking of the heart and all the curses.

4.14 Rav Shneor Zalman of Liadi,

Likutei Torah

By making the covenant, their love will be eternal love that will never fall. No prevention shall separate them since they make between them a strong and steadfast bond to unite and connect in their love in a wondrous connection and above rhyme or reason. Although rhyme or reason should have stopped the love or cause some hate, because of the making of the covenant, their love must exist forever. This love and this steadfast bond will cover all crimes, since they have made a covenant and bonded as though they have become one flesh. As one cannot stop loving oneself, so his love for his friend will not stop.

4.15 Raaiah Kook,

Orot [Lights]

In each one from Israel there lives a spark of holy light inherited from his forefathers, from the holi- ness of the Torah and the greatness of the faith. It follows that any division between a person from Israel and his neighbor, between one collective and another, it, too, builds worlds. Since everything is improvement and construction, there is no reason to speak bitterly, but to announce the greatness that both sides are doing, and that together, they are perfecting the everlasting structure and are correcting the world. Then, according to the expansion of knowledge, the love will grow according to the intensity of the hate, and the connection will grow according to the size of the separation.

 4.16 Avot de Rabbi Natan

Who is the strongest of the strong? He who makes his enemy his friend.

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