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98 | A New Light
believe that when I write you new insights and homiletics, I do not
do so without purpose. Although such an insight itself is certainly
very precious, creating insights is not my purpose—only that you
should proceed with all this and attempt to grow strong in
applying all of this.”
Much has been written and said about the power of the will.
But these words in themselves do not have the power to change
anything. That is because, if you do not dedicate time to want,
everything will remain in the realm of theory. You must give the
power of will the framework of a practice that is consistent, clear
and well-paved. Therefore, it is important that whoever learns this
book accustom himself practically to the wondrous counsel of the
work of the will (as shall be discussed in the coming chapters). Then
you will understand the secret of life in its length and breadth, in
its depth and height.
In Summation
The first step on the road to serving Hashem is the
knowledge that all progress depends on work, and that
everything depends on will. A person’s central choice is to
engage in the work of the will. Therefore, the highest work
in this life is the work of will.
Therefore, dear reader, now that you have learned about
the secret of life, apply these matters practically and devote
at least half an hour a day to the work of the will on just
one issue, and you will see changes take place right before
your eyes.
Hashem is with you, mighty warrior. Go forth with this
power of yours and save the people of Israel!
Chapter Four: | 127
And as a person engages in the work of the will on a fundamental
level, he uses his will to contemplate that it is not food that gives
life. Rather, only Hashem gives life. He then acquires the simple
faith that Hashem can give life even if he only eats a little. As the
verse states, “The righteous man eats to satiate his appetite, but the
stomach of the wicked shall feel want” (Proverbs 13:25). A person
who eats with faith and without cravings lives even with very little
food. But when a person eats because he is driven by cravings, then
even all the food in the world will not suffice to satiate his cravings,
and he will always feel empty and lacking.
Moreover, bear in mind that not only does overeating not give
life, but it diminishes a person’s life. This is well-known from the
medical literature—principally, the book of the great leader of
Israel, the Rambam, who was also the greatest of physicians: “A
person should not eat to such an extent that his belly is filled….
Most diseases that afflict a person result either from bad food or
from the fact that he fills his belly and eats in a coarse manner, even
if he eats good foods. This is in keeping with the statement that
Solomon made in his wisdom: ‘A person who guards his mouth
and his tongue guards himself from troubles’ (Proverbs 21:23). That
refers to a person who guards his mouth from eating bad food or
from overeating, and [who guards] his tongue from speaking of
anything besides what is necessary…” (Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Dei’ot
4). And it is stated in Likutei Moharan I 257: “When a person eats
more than he needs, that food harms him…. When he eats more
than he needs, that food cannot receive vitality from him, since the
person does not need that food…. The food seeks vitality to give
itself life, and it extracts the life force of that person, and in that
way it harms him. As a result, even other foods join with it and
harm him.” That is to say, either you receive life from food or the
food receives life from you. When you overeat, not only do you
not receive life from the superfluous food, but even the food that
you require harms you.
When we do the work of the will, we must strengthen ourselves
with an abundance of faith that only Hashem and not food grants
life and happiness. As a result, we earn in multiple ways: we leave