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With the help of God. Re’eh [Behold]1This letter was apparently written during the week when the Torah portion of Re’eh is read. Typically, this occurs in the month of Elul, when religious seekers turn their attention to the coming Days of Judgment and the Ten Days of Repentance, which is a theme in the letter. – Berakha [Blessing].2The Torah portion Re’eh opens with the declaration: “Behold! I place before you today, blessing and curse” (Deut. 11:26). R. Salanter is expressing the wish that the recipient will behold blessing, and not curse.

In the past, as I knew it, each person was seized with terror from [hearing] the proclamation sanctifying Elul.3For this meant that the Day of Judgment was only a month away. This trembling bore fruit, bringing each person, at his own level, closer to His service, blessed be His name.However, it was not as expected, namely, that a person who all year was far from His service, blessed be His name, would clothe himself in greater dread and worry of fear of judgment – for only Torah and good deeds can offer protection from retribution, may the Merciful One save us. On the contrary!4Compare Esther 9:1. The improvement of actions was twice as evident in the person who all year long held onto his holy way, according to his level, than in the person who all year long walked in darkness without light, according to his level.

The reasons for this reversal are several, both physical and spiritual. The main physical cause is habit (hergel) which rules over everything for better [or worse], and the like. The spiritual cause is very simple – by sinning, a person draws upon himself a spirit of impurity, which troubles his spirit and confuses his reason. As in the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, “No person commits a sin unless a spirit of foolishness enters him,”5Compare Sota 3a. i.e., [sin] is irrational.

Anyone who has engaged at all in Mussar study has seen palpably that this spiritual cause stands as an obstacle; it stultifies his heart against the progression of reason (to the extent that he truly understands the state of his belief, as mentioned above6See Letters 7 and 13.). And certainly, the ways of the world and what it would take to reverse them also govern [behavior] in this matter. Thus, in addition to the physical cause [of hergel] there is also [the cause of] imitation, according to which the essential human is like an ape, doing exactly as others do, in their dress and the like.7One of the major themes that emerged in Mussar education and training was for an individual to develop an internal compass, so as not to be swayed by the attitudes or conventions of others.

So, now that the men of great reverence are gone, whose trembling in awe of judgment was apparent on their faces – and made an impression on the hearts of their followers – in the absence of the root, where will the leaves come from?Still, the spiritual cause is the main cause; it would appear that the trembling of Elul is almost extinguished, may the Merciful One save us. However, for a moment, when we take off the filthy clothes and put on priestly8I.e., clean/pure. robes,9Compare Zechariah 3:4. we see clearly that one should fear and shudder now, each on his own level, many, many, many times more than before. In general – what is to be done? There are many details, each person according to his situation and nature.

In general, it is known, and experience teaches us, that to be a servant of God, blessed be His name, even at a high level, without Mussar study – and to transform evil to good without Mussar (be it heavenly chastisement…that breaks a person’s heart and makes it good, or it be based on Mussar study) – is like trying to see without an eye or hear without an ear. Therefore, the decisors have written that in these Days of Awe – the time of preparing to go to judgment on Rosh HaShana, and especially the preparation for Yom Kippur (one can’t explain enough10A play on Isaiah 40:16. the importance of the task before the person: to prepare himself before he comes [to judgment],

for it is impossible to describe the great difference, how much more he will be saved from terrible retributions [may the Merciful One save us] in the true world, if he increases for himself the quality of Yom Kippur, and attains even a slightly higher level of repentance) – each person should set aside time to study the books of reverence.11This last clause is a direct continuation of “the decisors have written…”

But what shall we do about the iron wall that separates12Compare Berakhot 32b. – the impure spirit that surrounds and disturbs the human spirit [by] not letting him achieve wise counsel [and not letting him] get results from his study of Mussar in order to improve a person’s ways to get closer to His service, blessed be His name?

There is one way. Experience shows it too. It is to pour out one’s soul to God, blessed be His name, in the presence of ten.13I.e., a minyan. To this purpose, pierce a small hole in this iron wall. It is a small, easy thing, but it bears much fruit.

Since I am currently a man wandering from his place, I can’t get ten for this purpose. With this [letter] I remind your excellencies and encourage you – while you still can and it’s still in your hands (Shabbat 151b) – gather in a group of ten, as mentioned above. Perhaps I, too, will achieve something14Compare Genesis 30:3. in my individual prayer (without making promises) which feels like facing a lot of counterforces…. I was never used15Compare Numbers 22:30. to doing this alone, but this is what I must do now.Your friend, Israel, [written] on the night after Holy Shabbat