There’s no heretic from any nation or language quite like a Jewish heretic, who is obligated by his heresy to falsify his national history, to acquire a false image of his people’s nature, and further, to cover his people with scorn and to rob it of its national honor and glory. It’s impossible for him to do what he does only due to imperfect intellectual outlook and conception, he must be tremendously blemished and lacking in his soul, he must be entirely lacking in true national feeling. Additionally, he must be lacking in a true sense of uprightness that dwells in pure hearted individuals who seek truth. These deficits of soul can stem from various causes. In some cases, the deteriorated condition can bring a person to such a clouded perspective that he has no faith in his life and is driven insane. The explanation is simple that the most ravaging disease that expresses itself in the sickness of despair and denial in our generation, for it is in truth, after exhausting all judgment it is merely that same aggressive doubt that comes from a handful of destructive individuals to the camp of Israel in the form of biblical criticism to post-date the writing of the Torah from the days of the events that are written in it. For the establishment and the faith of the Exodus from Egypt and the journeys of the generation of the desert and our entry into the Land of Israel, how all those events were by the word of G-d and filled with the manifestation of G-d leaves no room for any fundamental heresy. For behold when a person is truly free in his spirit and considers without prejudice the nature of the Torah and its stories, like we consider any historical writing, he will immediately sense his spirit’s inner truth and will recognize that it’s impossible to forge an entire history of a whole people in such a revealed and obvious fashion such that the historical events are so precise, explicit, and interwoven, featuring the names of the people who its subjects and their biographies while indicating the places names and chronology that specifies days, months, and years, all the more so, when one looks upon the character of our people in the present, its stance, its activities in the world, its inner spirit, its existence and its commitment, then without any masking, the truth will be revealed like the light of day that the words of our Torah are living faithful words, then will a person feel in his soul how much intellectual crookedness and stubbornness is needed to bear heresy that falsifies the very spirit of Israel. After all of this, it achieves nothing in any fashion. In normal times, it would be impossible for this Jewish heresy to find ground to stand on once exposed to the light of healthy free inquiry, but all of this is true when the soul is healthy and the national feeling is alive and is aware of its position and its relation to its people, but when the situation is broken, then the person becomes a strange creature, there’s no natural relationship or connection, therefore there is no healthy love or natural sense, from all the defenses the only thing left is a weakened mind, confused by the blows of evil winds, what can possibly save in such a situation? Consider for a moment regarding another specific fundamental: in ethics a person’s relation to his parents. This also requires the power of faith and its’ not so clarified like the historical and revealed clarify of our Torah. If his natural sense of relatedness to his parents is taken from him, which stems from the influence of family life, in a natural and healthy state, if he would lean only upon the single support of reason would he be able to resolve the problem of this relationship in a manner that satisfies the heart that brings in its wake all of those beautiful ethical actions that normal family life and spiritual reliance of children upon fathers, wouldn’t the question always be “perhaps he’s not my father? or perhaps I was a foundling?” and similar questions, which destroys the harmony and truth of a good precious family situation which is also holy and honorable to man. Rather, a healthy spirit and a sensitivity which is impacted by natural social customs, they set the mind on its true basis and imparts to it a path in life and action with great strength and might. The same is true of general, national matters, especially regarding the Jewish people, there’s no way to preserve the healthy national spirit except by incorporating oneself with the people and its way of life, by way of the commandments of memory, such as Shabbat and festivals, by means of the Jewish table, by means of blessings and prayers, by attendance at synagogues and yeshivot, by means of all the patterns of Jewish life, only then is the development of the national spirit impressed upon, only then does Jewish historical consciousness develop in a person, which becomes live and vital and so powerful that even death cannot separate them. When the mind awakens afterwards in awe of its strength, it already finds for itself a fitting basis for refining its concepts to adapt its national and human sensitivities, its expanding scientific perspective, and together with the preservative effect of Torah study, he will recognize and understand its light and truth, until the spirit inside of him becomes alive and steadfast, then no weapon wielded against it will be successful and he will refute any claims made against him. And regarding this it is stated, "Trust in G-d in all of your heart and do not rely upon your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)." Know well that the power of understanding, the images generated by the assessing mind, it can only travel its path toward knowing the truth, and especially that truth that fastens the present to the past, on one hand, and to the future, on the other hand, when available for it are all the powers required for perfecting its images: Healthy senses, fully responsive emotions, purity of will. In some, the entire heart and all of life needs to be prepared to make available to the assessing mind the matter necessary for its judgements as true witnesses that support the throne of its judgment, then will understanding be full understanding, in order that he see with his eyes, hear with his ears, and return and be fully healed. When will this be, when all five lights join to form a single torch, health of body and soul, full strength for upright human justice, a well developed fully awake and alive religious feeling, a healthy and powerful national feeling, and above all of them, a well developed mind that comes from the combination of exploring the Torah both in its practical and speculative dimensions, together with a knowledge of the world and of life and of all the inclinations of the sciences, as is appropriate for an enlightened individual who loves wisdom and knowledge. Only a correct integration and a corresponding harmony, comprised of healthy and invigorated powers that build body and spirit together, shall we build and establish a generation filled with valor, which lives a full life, a life of strength and power, in the ascendant name of HaShem, the G-d of Israel. In responding to these demands taken together, it is obligatory for us to strengthen ourselves and our yearning to achieve them, for only then shall we discern that we are directed toward HaShem, and that we are yearning for the destiny that has been prepared for us from the very beginning, from the time of our ancestors, from the days our people's youth, from the time we emerged from Egypt, therefore, brothers, let us work the work of our people. Let us all know that we need to add and not to take away, to build and not to destroy. Let each individual and each grouping discern what is its unique ability in order that that person or group shall use its talent to influence those of lesser ability in that area, while at the same time, let no one forget the attribute of humility to know what it is lacking in order that it should yearn to be perfected by the influence of another group upon it. It hasn't been such a long time since the historic dispute Hasidism and its opponents. The dispute ate away at us significantly, but when we look at the matter, in truth, with all the detriments that no human development can be free of, all the more so, in our scattered situation, nevertheless, we recognize that two tendencies collided, both of which need to be perfected, the power of the practical element in religion and the accompanying expansion of learning all of its many and powerful branches, and the power of the emotional element with all of its expansion, where in truth, both of them taken together are truth, but in a single person simultaneously will not be perfected in all of their strength and axiomatically this is true for a grouping of individuals. Therefore, when individuals felt the need to enhance the power of the emotional dimension by means of emphasizing the value of prayer, poetic learning, exaltedness of the heart, and also to strengthen the imagination in a good way, when this was taken up by the masses, a great suspicion arose lest this demand widen the boundaries to such an extent to the point that it undermined the practical element, and this suspicion was well-founded, and there was truly a need for defending against this potential excess. Nevertheless, from the collision of these forces, great spiritual attainments were added to our people. This foundational event is very important for us to learn from it how great is the power of the demand for tolerance for the benefit and success of the people as a whole.
מושג הסבלנות הוא על פי רוב משובש. הרבה חושבים שאין ראוי להיות חזק כל כך בדעה ובנטיה, כי אם פונה גם כן מקום לכל דעה וכל נטיה, תהיה גם כן הפוכה מדעתו ונטייתו. זהו אמנם דבר טוב ואמת, אבל יש לציין ביחוד שאימתי תתן הסבלנות פרי טוב לאומה? דוקא כשתבא הסברת הפנים גם כן להנטיות ההפכיות מפני ההכרה השלמה, שכשם שיש חלקים טובים ונטיות מועילות באותם הקרובים לליבי, כן ישנן גם כן נטיות מועילות בדרכים שבהם מתגדרים אחרים הרחוקים ממחשבותי, בדעת הנכון ש״אין לך דבר שאין לו מקום״. אבל אותה ההסברה לא תוכל באופן ההגון למעט את כח הבירור והאנרגיה של השאיפה למטרה העקרית שנתבררה לאדם בתור הוספת תיקון ובנין באומה. על כן צריך רק להשכיל שכל ההתנגדות צריכה להיות על הגרעון וההרס, אבל לא על הבנין והוספת הכח. ואז כאשר יתרומם האדם למעלה זאת, להבין בכל תנועה כללית גם הרחוקה מדרכו את הצד המחייב שלה, יכיר כי גם התנועות השוללות והמהרסות נוסדו גם כן לתכלית הטבת הבנין והחיוב, וממילא יכיר את תעודתן ויבין להטותן לחפץ התיקון והבנין. למשל, השלילה הכפרנית היא המחלה היותר רעה והיותר מסוכנת בעולם בכלל ובעמנו בפרט. כאשר נתבונן אל מטרתה הטבעית, מפני מה היא נוסדת בחלק מן המין האנושי, וממילא גם כן בחלק מן האומה הישראלית, אז נכיר כי כאשר לכל הציורים החיוביים הלא עם האמת שיש בהם, הנה גם הדמיון עושה את שלו ומערבב בהם מושגים מטעים, וביותר כאשר יעברו דורות רבים ברפיון עבודה עיונית על שדי הדעות, הלא המושגים היותר נעלים וצחים יתעטפו במחלצותיהם הילדותיות ויתיצבו באופן פראי בלבבות. על כן מי המה המביאים את המין האנושי בכללו ואת אומתינו בפרטה לגבר חילים לזכך את המושגים הרוחניים להעמידם על טהרתם? רק אותם בעלי השלילה שאף על פי שאין בהם קנין עצמי של דעות חיוביות, אבל זה ההעדר עצמו הלא גרם להם שחסרים מהם גם כן אותם הצללים הדמיוניים שנתקבצו לבעלי החיוב. על כן הם מכאיבים את הלבבות של בעלי החיוב בלעגם ומהתלותיהם. וממילא יתעורר החפץ לדעת לעצמו, ולהשיב גם כן לאחרים בירורי דברים ממושגיו הפנימיים. ועל ידי הנטיה הזאת של חפץ גלילת החרפה, יתבררו הדברים ויתלבנו המושגים ויפוצו ענני הדמיון מאור האמת, וימצאו גם כן בעלי השלילה אחר כך מושגים חיוביים טהורים שכח האמת הגדול יכריחם להכנע לפניהם. זאת היא תמצית הסבלנות הבאה מהקפה כללית של דעת ד׳ ואמונה שלמה בדעת נפש כי ״כל פעל ד׳ למענהו״ אז לא יתקצף האדם יותר מדאי גם כן בראותו שועלים יוצאים מבית קודש הקודשים, ולא יחרד לבבו גם כן מקול המולה של המונה של רומי העולה בשאון, כי ישכיל ויכיר להוציא מכל דבר את התועלת הרצויה. מיד כל אחד ואחד נעשה לו אוהב ומסר לו דבר. גם מלאך המות מסר לו דבר שנאמר ״על כן עלמות אהבוך״, אל תקרי עלמות אלא על מותי ט. גם היותר מפסיד ומכלה גם כן נותן תועלת למי שמשכיל ערכו ותעודתו ומכשיר את עצמו ואת זולתו להשתמש בדברים היותר נראים כמסוכנים להשכיל ולהיטיב להצלחת הפרט והכלל.