{"id":13783,"date":"2026-01-04T10:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.kabbalah.info\/?post_type=book&p=13783"},"modified":"2026-01-04T10:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:54:25","slug":"rabash-letter-no-55","status":"publish","type":"book","link":"https:\/\/www.kabbalah.info\/en\/rabash-letter-no-55\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter No. 55"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January 19, 1962, Eve of Rosh<\/em> Hashanah<\/em> to the Trees, Bnei Brak<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello and all the best to my friend,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thank you for the invitation to the wedding that I received. Yet, I regret not being able to participate in your joy from up close, but I will participate from afar, for joy is a spiritual matter, and in spirituality space has no influence at all. Only in corporeality does space set apart or bring close, but in spirituality I can partake in your joy even when far away, for it is only nearing of the hearts that we need. So blessings to the groom and bride, and may there be a generation of upright and established forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And by the way, I am writing to you what I said regarding the fifteenth of Shevat<\/em>. Our sages said, \u201cRabbi Yohanan said, \u2018Why is it is written, \u2018For man is the tree of the field?\u2019 Is man the tree of the field? But because it is written that you will eat from it but do not cut it, and it is written, \u2018This you will destroy and cut down,\u2019 how so? If he is a decent wise disciple, eat from it but do not cut it. If not, \u2018This you will destroy and cut down.\u2019\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should understand the connection between a decent wise disciple and the tree of the field. The verse says, \u201cYou shall not destroy its tree by swinging an axe against it; for you may eat from it \u2026 Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down.\u201d It follows that the verse speaks of a tree, so what does it prove about man?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holy Zohar<\/em> says, \u201c\u2018Another god is sterile and does not bear fruit.\u2019 That is, one who is not working for the Creator does not see fruits in one\u2019s work. What are the fruits? It is written in the Midrash: \u2018These are the generations of Noah.\u2019 It is as it is written, \u2018A fruit of a righteous, a tree of life.\u2019 What are the fruits of the righteous? Mitzvot<\/em> (commandments) and good deeds.\u201d Thus far its words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Gemarah, before the words of Rabbi Yohanan, it is said there: \u201cTania, Rabbi Banaa says, \u2018Anyone who engages in Torah Lishma<\/em> (for Her sake), his Torah becomes for him a potion of life, as it is said, \u2018She is a tree of life to they who hold her,\u2019 and it is said, \u2018It shall be a healing to your flesh,\u2019 etc. Anyone who engages in Torah Lo<\/em> Lishma<\/em> (not for Her sake), it becomes to him a potion of death, as it is said, \u2018Let my lesson decapitate as rain.\u2019 There is no decapitation but killing, as it was said, \u2018And they decapitated the heifer there by the stream.\u2019\u201d We should understand the proximity of the matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we should interpret this by ethics. Rabbi Yohanan asks, \u201cIs man the tree of the field?\u201d That is, what similarity is there between man and the tree of the field? What do we learn by the comparison in text between man and the tree of the field? He brings evidence to that from the verse, \u201cYou may eat from it but do not cut it down,\u201d etc., referring to a wise disciple. If he is decent, meaning learning Lishma<\/em>, which means that he is learning things that will lead him to yielding fruits, it means that this learning will make him bear fruit, meaning Mitzvot<\/em> and good deeds. He will learn this because by that he will be rewarded with the potion of life. This is the meaning of, \u201cYou may eat from it but do not cut it down.\u201d If not, if you see that the learning you are learning does not bring you to do Mitzvot<\/em> and good deeds, called fruits, then know that it belongs to the Sitra<\/em> Achra<\/em> and not to the Kedusha<\/em> (holiness).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the reason for the custom to eat fruits on the fifteenth of Shevat<\/em>, to imply that we are going by the way of holiness, and we have fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From your friend, who wishes you and your family all the best,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January 19, 1962, Eve of Rosh Hashanah to the Trees, Bnei Brak Hello and all the best to my friend, I thank you 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