Prayer: "When Evildoers Approach Me"

Torah 36

A. Every soul has a root in the seventy faces of the Torah, through the seventy souls of the house of Jacob. However, in order to merit the revelation of Torah, it must be refined in the exile of the seventy nations and languages, and their evil traits.

B. The evil trait that encompasses all the evil of the seventy nations is the lust for immorality. When a person breaks this lust, it is in his power to easily break the rest of his lustful desires. Subduing the lust for immorality brings one to "Da'as" (spiritual knowledge)—the "revelation of the Torah."

C. In order to subdue the kingdom of wickedness and be included within the realm of the Kingdom of Holiness, one must accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven by reciting "Shema Yisrael" and "Baruch Shem" with closed eyes.

"Krias Shema" (the recitation of the Shema) corresponds to the twelve tribes of Hashem. When a person recites it, his soul is separated from the evil traits and enters under His holy dominion.

D. Reciting "Krias Shema" alone can help a person against sinful thoughts that come to him occasionally. However, when a person's mind is flooded with such thoughts, he must shed tears while reciting it.

E. The tzaddikim reveal Torah and renew the souls of those who listen. Every person is capable of grasping the words of the tzaddik in accordance with the degree to which he rectifies his covenant (personal purity). One who guards the covenant merits to renew his soul through the Torah of the tzaddik, whereas one who blemishes his covenant is liable to be harmed by it.

F. The reason for this is that the fire that descends from above, even when it is channeled through the words of the Torah or the words of the tzaddik, is a simple, formless light. Only the vessel prepared by the receiver determines what form it will take—whether for a blessing or, Heaven forbid, the opposite.