After explaining that Torah scholars are not prophets and cannot reveal hidden worldly matters, the Alter Rebbe now addresses the deeper reason people constantly seek advice and salvation from others.
His answer is penetrating:
Their love for physical life, even for noble spiritual reasons, prevents them from fully accepting Hashem’s message.
- Love Can Distort Judgment
The Alter Rebbe begins with a difficult truth:
“אהבה מקלקלת השורה“
Love can distort one’s objectivity.
People are so attached to:
- Health
- Comfort
- Physical wellbeing
that they struggle to see events clearly.
Even when this attachment is motivated by a desire:
To serve Hashem with greater strength and enthusiasm,
it can still cloud judgment.
- Why People Run Seeking Advice
When physical suffering strikes, people often cannot bear it.
Instead of turning inward and upward toward Hashem,
they run:
- From city to city.
- From advisor to advisor.
- Seeking a solution, recommendation, or intervention.
The Alter Rebbe is not criticizing responsible effort.
Rather, he is criticizing the mindset that looks everywhere except where the message originates.
- What Should a Person Do?
A person should first:
Return to Hashem with humility.
He should recognize that suffering is not random.
Instead of immediately looking for someone to remove the difficulty, he should ask:
What is Hashem teaching me?
- Accept the Father’s Discipline
The Alter Rebbe gives a powerful mashal.
Imagine a loving, wise, righteous father who disciplines his child.
A wise child does not:
- Run away.
- Search for someone to rescue him from his father.
- Seek an advocate against his father.
Rather, he remains facing his father.
He understands that the discipline comes from love.
- Facing Hashem “Face to Face”
The Alter Rebbe applies this mashal to our relationship with Hashem.
When difficulties arise, the proper response is:
To stand before Hashem directly.
To accept His message with love.
And to understand that even painful experiences come from Divine concern for our ultimate good.
- What Does “Panim” Mean Above?
The Alter Rebbe explains that:
“פנים“ (the face)
in Kabbalistic terminology refers to:
- Will
- Desire
- Love
- Favor
When Hashem bestows goodness upon His children willingly and lovingly, this is called:
Panim
- Torah Comes from the Light of Hashem’s Face
This is why we say in davening:
“כי באור פניך נתת לנו תורת חיים“
The Torah is given through:
The light of Hashem’s countenance.
Meaning:
- His love
- His desire
- His inner will
toward His people.
- The Opposite Is “Achorayim”
The Alter Rebbe contrasts this with:
Achorayim (the back).
The nations and forces of impurity receive their vitality from this external mode of influence.
They receive life,
but not through the same revealed intimacy and closeness represented by Panim.
- The Human Parallel
The same dynamic exists within people.
When someone receives something:
- Willingly
- With acceptance
- With trust
he is facing the giver.
When someone resists, refuses, or turns away,
it resembles:
Turning one’s back.
The Main Message of the Letter
The Alter Rebbe is teaching that when hardship comes, the primary response should not be frantic searching for hidden answers or miraculous solutions.
Rather:
- Face Hashem directly.
- Accept His guidance with humility.
- Recognize the love behind the difficulty.
- Receive His message “face to face.”
Only then can a person properly understand and respond to what he is experiencing.
Key Takeaway
The Alter Rebbe explains that excessive attachment to physical wellbeing can prevent a person from recognizing Hashem’s hand in life’s challenges. Instead of running everywhere for solutions, a Jew should first turn directly to Hashem, accepting His guidance with humility and trust. Just as a wise child remains facing a loving father even when being disciplined, so too one should remain connected to Hashem “face to face,” receiving both His kindness and His rebuke as expressions of Divine love.