78.
Charity and Holy Thoughts
“God, long-suffering, filled with kindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6), have mercy on me in Your graciousness. Help me give charity with a generous hand to many worthy poor people to fulfill their needs for the sake of Your name alone, without any ulterior motives, joyfully, with a good heart and a pleasant expression.
May I always give a great deal of charity for the sake of Your name in accordance with Your good will, until with the power of that holy charity I will nullify the power gained by wicked people who oppose holiness when they give charity. Cause them to stumble [by inducing them to give money to] unworthy poor people, [so that] “their hand will not act wisely” (Job 5:12).
May they have no power to act against [those of] Your nation Israel who desire to serve You.
Draw Your great holiness upon us. Pour onto us strength that comes from the true tzaddikim, the elders of holiness. In their merit and power, may we overcome the “old and foolish king.” May we expel him and his troops from our border, burn the spirit of uncleanness from the land and nullify all types of evil thoughts, which pursue people constantly—in particular, those people who desire to come close to You.
May we draw onto ourselves the light of the face of the King of life, the light of the countenance of holiness that is drawn from [the holy aspect of Divinity called] Arich Anpin of holiness.
Help us eradicate all evil thoughts that derive from [the unholy aspect of reality called] Arich Anpin of the “husk.”
Shield us so that we will never be harmed by any “evil woman,” nor any evil thought—both of which are at the root drawn drawn from Arich Anpin of the “husk.”
It is impossible to avoid those thoughts that are drawn from there, because they are present wherever we turn.
Protection Against Unholy Thoughts
Hashem, filled with compassion, kind and true, rescue us from licentious thoughts, which are the greatest source of uncleanness, which are the side of death and more bitter than death.
You Who have pity for the poor, You who devise thoughts so that no one will remain cast away from You, rescue us from [those thoughts].
Have compassion upon us, we who are so weak in this generation before the coming of the moshiach.
We have descended lower and lower. Lacking help and support, we have sunken into the muddy depths of the water and the waves have washed over us so that we cannot stand.
Be gracious to us so that we will not be lost. Give us the power to overcome Arich Anpin of the “husk” and [expel it] from our border. May no evil thought, which is drawn from there, come upon us.
In Your righteousness, give us life.
Draw our spirit forth from suffering. Only You can identify those who at every moment stand against those of us who desire to return to You. Those people rise up against us and pursue us “as the one who hunts the partridge in the mountains” (I Samuel 26:20).
God, You Who are “great in counsel and mighty in deed” (Jeremiah 32:19), have compassion upon the remnant [of Your people]. Rescue us from death and redeem us from destruction. “Save my spirit from the sword, my soul from the hand of the dog” (Psalms 22:21).
Send us holy, true advice at every moment, so that we will be saved from all types of evil thoughts, so that they will not arise and enter our hearts. And may we instead attain holy thoughts.
You Who revive the dead, elevate us so that we will live in the light of Your countenance and not die an eternal death.
Avoiding the Company of the Opposite Sex
Help us give a great deal of charity for the sake of Your name. “Charity saves from death” (Proverbs 10:2). In the merit of giving such holy charity, save us from evil thoughts, which possess the uncleanness of death.
Guard me always from spending time in the company of women and from speaking with them at length. May I reduce conversation with any woman—even with my wife—as much as possible.
And when at times it is necessary to speak with women, guard me in Your compassion so that I will not come to have any evil thoughts. Save me from gazing [at a woman] and from having [inappropriate] thoughts. May I not stray after my heart and eyes.
Help us, for we rely upon You alone. We have no one upon whom to rely but You, our Father in heaven.
“Rescue me from the mud so that I will not sink. May I be delivered from my enemies and from the depths of the water” (Psalms 69:15).
“May the waves of water not pour over me, may the depth not swallow me up, and may the wellspring not shut its mouth upon me” (ibid. 16).
“Turn to me and be gracious to me. Grant Your might to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant” (ibid. 86:16).
“Send me a sign for the good; let my enemies see it and be ashamed, for You, Hashem, help me and console me” (ibid. 86:17).
“I will gaze upon Your countenance in righteousness; I will be satisfied when I awaken with Your image” (ibid. 17:15).
Charity and Holy Thoughts
“God, long-suffering, filled with kindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6), have mercy on me in Your graciousness. Help me give charity with a generous hand to many worthy poor people to fulfill their needs for the sake of Your name alone, without any ulterior motives, joyfully, with a good heart and a pleasant expression.
May I always give a great deal of charity for the sake of Your name in accordance with Your good will, until with the power of that holy charity I will nullify the power gained by wicked people who oppose holiness when they give charity. Cause them to stumble [by inducing them to give money to] unworthy poor people, [so that] “their hand will not act wisely” (Job 5:12).
May they have no power to act against [those of] Your nation Israel who desire to serve You.
Draw Your great holiness upon us. Pour onto us strength that comes from the true tzaddikim, the elders of holiness. In their merit and power, may we overcome the “old and foolish king.” May we expel him and his troops from our border, burn the spirit of uncleanness from the land and nullify all types of evil thoughts, which pursue people constantly—in particular, those people who desire to come close to You.
May we draw onto ourselves the light of the face of the King of life, the light of the countenance of holiness that is drawn from [the holy aspect of Divinity called] Arich Anpin of holiness.
Help us eradicate all evil thoughts that derive from [the unholy aspect of reality called] Arich Anpin of the “husk.”
Shield us so that we will never be harmed by any “evil woman,” nor any evil thought—both of which are at the root drawn drawn from Arich Anpin of the “husk.”
It is impossible to avoid those thoughts that are drawn from there, because they are present wherever we turn.
Protection Against Unholy Thoughts
Hashem, filled with compassion, kind and true, rescue us from licentious thoughts, which are the greatest source of uncleanness, which are the side of death and more bitter than death.
You Who have pity for the poor, You who devise thoughts so that no one will remain cast away from You, rescue us from [those thoughts].
Have compassion upon us, we who are so weak in this generation before the coming of the moshiach.
We have descended lower and lower. Lacking help and support, we have sunken into the muddy depths of the water and the waves have washed over us so that we cannot stand.
Be gracious to us so that we will not be lost. Give us the power to overcome Arich Anpin of the “husk” and [expel it] from our border. May no evil thought, which is drawn from there, come upon us.
In Your righteousness, give us life.
Draw our spirit forth from suffering. Only You can identify those who at every moment stand against those of us who desire to return to You. Those people rise up against us and pursue us “as the one who hunts the partridge in the mountains” (I Samuel 26:20).
God, You Who are “great in counsel and mighty in deed” (Jeremiah 32:19), have compassion upon the remnant [of Your people]. Rescue us from death and redeem us from destruction. “Save my spirit from the sword, my soul from the hand of the dog” (Psalms 22:21).
Send us holy, true advice at every moment, so that we will be saved from all types of evil thoughts, so that they will not arise and enter our hearts. And may we instead attain holy thoughts.
You Who revive the dead, elevate us so that we will live in the light of Your countenance and not die an eternal death.
Avoiding the Company of the Opposite Sex
Help us give a great deal of charity for the sake of Your name. “Charity saves from death” (Proverbs 10:2). In the merit of giving such holy charity, save us from evil thoughts, which possess the uncleanness of death.
Guard me always from spending time in the company of women and from speaking with them at length. May I reduce conversation with any woman—even with my wife—as much as possible.
And when at times it is necessary to speak with women, guard me in Your compassion so that I will not come to have any evil thoughts. Save me from gazing [at a woman] and from having [inappropriate] thoughts. May I not stray after my heart and eyes.
Help us, for we rely upon You alone. We have no one upon whom to rely but You, our Father in heaven.
“Rescue me from the mud so that I will not sink. May I be delivered from my enemies and from the depths of the water” (Psalms 69:15).
“May the waves of water not pour over me, may the depth not swallow me up, and may the wellspring not shut its mouth upon me” (ibid. 16).
“Turn to me and be gracious to me. Grant Your might to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant” (ibid. 86:16).
“Send me a sign for the good; let my enemies see it and be ashamed, for You, Hashem, help me and console me” (ibid. 86:17).
“I will gaze upon Your countenance in righteousness; I will be satisfied when I awaken with Your image” (ibid. 17:15).