וְהִנֵּה לְפִי הָאֱמֶת, עֲבוֹדַת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה צְרִיכָה לְהַתְחִיל מִלְּמַטָּה לְמַעְלָה, מִתְּחִלָּה יְטַהֵר אֶת גּוּפוֹ, וְאָז מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ מִמֵּילָא תִּטָּהֵר וְתִתְחַזֵּק, וְלֹא שֶׁיַּתְחִיל הָאָדָם בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה. Working Upon the Mind
Ideally, this service of mindfulness should begin from below and rise upwards. In other words, at first a person should purify his body. Then his thought will automatically be purified and strengthened. But one should not begin by working on one’s mind.
אֲבָל בְּדוֹרוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁכֵּיוָן שֶׁהִתְחִילוּ בַּעֲבוֹדַת וְטַהֲרַת הַגּוּף גְּמָרוּהָ וְטִהֲרוּהָ, וּבָאוּ גַּם לַעֲבוֹדַת וְשִׁכְלוּל הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה מִתּוֹךְ גּוּף כָּפוּף לִקְדֻשָּׁה, הָיָה זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיּוֹתֵר טוֹב לַמְּכֻוָּן. And so in earlier generations, people began by working on and purifying their bodies. Having completely purified their bodies so that they experienced a body that is subservient to holiness, they would arrive at the work and purification of mindfulness. This was the superior path.
לֹא כֵן עַתָּה בַּדּוֹר שֶׁל עִקְבְתָא דִּמְשִׁיחָא, דּוֹר נָמוּךְ, דּוֹר שֶׁל עֲקֵבָיִּים, וְגַם חֻלְשַׁת הַגּוּף גּוֹרֶמֶת הַרְבֵּה לַהֶעְדֵּר הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה שֶׁיּוּכַל הָאִישׁ לִמְשֹׁל עַל עַצְמוֹ וְעַל גּוּפוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר מַתְחִיל עַתָּה אֶת עֲבוֹדָתוֹ בְּגוּפוֹ לְזַכְּכוֹ וּלְקַדְּשׁוֹ, זוֹ וְזוֹ לֹא עָלְתָה בְּיָדוֹ. לֹא שֶׁהַגּוּף יִטְהַר, וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁלֹּא נָגַע וְלֹא נִסָּה לְזַכּוֹתָהּ וּלְחַזְּקָהּ, שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרָה בִּנְמִיכוּתָהּ, חֲשֵׁכָה, מְאוּסָה וּמְפֻגֶּלֶת. However, now, in our generation of “the heels of the messiah,” a dwarfish generation, a generation of “heels,” this is not so. Our bodies are weak, and this is the cause of a great lack of self-control, an inability to rule over ourselves and our bodies. If in these days a person were to begin his service by purifying and sanctifying his body, he would attain nothing. His body would not be purified, and certainly not his thought, which he would never even touch upon or attempt to purify and strengthen. His body would remain in its state of dwarfishness and darkness, repellent and rejected.
לָכֵן צְרִיכִים לְהַתְחִיל אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה. Thus, we must begin our work with mindfulness.
וּלְתַכְלִית זוֹ קָרָאנוּ אֶת חֶבְרָתֵנוּ "בְּנֵי מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה" כִּשְׁמָהּ כֵּן הִיא, לְחַזֵּק וּלְגַלּוֹת מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה בָּנוּ, לְשַׁכְללָה וּלְהרְחִיבָהּ שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה דַּקָּה מִן הַדַּקָּה, הֶאָרָה עוֹבֶרֶת לְנִיצוֹץ שֶׁמִּתְכַּבֶּה בִּמְהֵרָה, רַק זַכָּה וַחֲזָקָה עַד שֶׁאֶת כָּל הַגּוּף תַּכְנִיעַ וְכָל חוּשָׁיו תְּבַטֵּל תַּחְתֶּיהָ, הִיא תִּתְרָאֶה וְהִיא תִּמְשֹׁל בָּאָדָם. And so we have called our group the Society for Positive Mindfulness. Its purpose is to strengthen and reveal a good thought within us, to perfect it and expand it so that it not remain a wispy, momentary flash of a spark that is swiftly extinguished—but that it will become pure and strong, until it will subjugate the entire body, until it will subsume all bodily senses, appearing and ruling in us.
כִּי הַאִם כָּל אִישׁ מִתְקַדֵּשׁ כָּל גּוּפוֹ פִּתְאוֹם בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בִּתְקִיעוֹת אוֹ בְּיוֹם כִּפּוּר? וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרוֹאִים שֶׁגַּם אֶת הַגּוּף שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַדֵּשׁ יְכוֹלָה הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה הַחֲזָקָה לְהַכְנִיעוֹ וּלְהַקְדִּישׁוֹ. I will demonstrate that we do not first have to sanctify our bodies.
Does every individual suddenly sanctify his entire body right before shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah or on Yom Kippur? Certainly not. Nevertheless, we see that a strong thought can even subjugate and sanctify a body that has not been sanctified.
לָמָּה זֶה נַעֲזֹב אֶת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה עִם רוּחַ גְּבוּרָתָהּ לִישֹׁן וְלֵרָקֵב בְּעַצְלוּתָהּ בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ? And if that is the case, why should we allow mindfulness and its mighty spirit to sleep and rot in its lethargy within ourselves?