הנה ידוע כי כל למה שאדם רואה או שומע אינו במקרה, רק בכל מקום יש ניצוצות קדושים ואותיות קדושים, וחושקים ומתאוים תמיד לשורשם, כל אחד רוצה וחושק להתדבק מעין כיוצא בו, כמו אהבה לאהבה והתפארות לתפארת וכיוצא בזה, ואם האדם מעלה אותה אז שכרו גדול, כי עת לכל חפץ, וכמו שכתוב ובהגיע תר נערה ונערה, כי זאת המחשבה נקראת נוקבא, שרוצית לקבל קדושה, על דרך משל, אחד שראה איזה מלחמה וסיפר לאדם צדיק וצדיק זה העלה אותה במחשבתו להשם יתברך, נמצא זאת המחשבה היתה בין עמקי הקליפות, כדמיון הראשון שראה המלחמה בין הגוים, וכאשר סיפר לחבירו, נעשה מעשייה דיבור, ואחר כך בא לידי מחשבה: (לקוטי אמרים דל"ב ע"א)
Nothing that a person sees or hears is accidental. In every place, there are holy sparks and holy letters that constantly long for and desire their root. Each one wants to attach itself to that which resembles it – love to love, beauty to beauty, etc.7In other words, fallen traits, such as materialistic loves, desire for physical beauty, are in their root desire and longing for G-d, and constantly long to ascend to their true source. If a person uplifts them, his reward will be very great. For each thing has its time, as it is written: “When the turn of every maiden came to go in to king.” This [fallen] thought is called “the feminine,”8Nukba. Every lower level, that longs to ascend, is considered feminine in relationship to the level above it. and wants to receive holiness. For example, one person witnesses a war [among non-Jews] and relates it to a Tzaddik. The Tzaddik lifts this up in his thoughts to G-d. It turns out that this thought was originally among the “shells,” that is, the war that the person saw between the nations. When he related it to his friend [the Tzaddik], the act became speech. And afterward, it entered into thought.9The Baal Shem Tov is giving an example of how sparks are uplifted from among the shells. Just as there is a downward movement from thought, to speech, to action, so does the process work in reverse. A mundane sight becomes speech, when it is related, and then enters thought. In the present example, after hearing about the war, the Tzaddik might become inspired to think of G-d’s might, or His Providence, or His justice, or he might transform a lower fear of an impending battle to the higher fear of G-d. Likutey Amorim p. 32a.
הנה ידוע כי כל למה שאדם רואה או שומע אינו במקרה, רק בכל מקום יש ניצוצות קדושים ואותיות קדושים, וחושקים ומתאוים תמיד לשורשם, כל אחד רוצה וחושק להתדבק מעין כיוצא בו, כמו אהבה לאהבה והתפארות לתפארת וכיוצא בזה, ואם האדם מעלה אותה אז שכרו גדול, כי עת לכל חפץ, וכמו שכתוב ובהגיע תר נערה ונערה, כי זאת המחשבה נקראת נוקבא, שרוצית לקבל קדושה, על דרך משל, אחד שראה איזה מלחמה וסיפר לאדם צדיק וצדיק זה העלה אותה במחשבתו להשם יתברך, נמצא זאת המחשבה היתה בין עמקי הקליפות, כדמיון הראשון שראה המלחמה בין הגוים, וכאשר סיפר לחבירו, נעשה מעשייה דיבור, ואחר כך בא לידי מחשבה:
(לקוטי אמרים דל"ב ע"א)
Nothing that a person sees or hears is accidental. In every place, there are holy sparks and holy letters that constantly long for and desire their root. Each one wants to attach itself to that which resembles it – love to love, beauty to beauty, etc.7In other words, fallen traits, such as materialistic loves, desire for physical beauty, are in their root desire and longing for G-d, and constantly long to ascend to their true source. If a person uplifts them, his reward will be very great. For each thing has its time, as it is written: “When the turn of every maiden came to go in to king.”
This [fallen] thought is called “the feminine,”8Nukba. Every lower level, that longs to ascend, is considered feminine in relationship to the level above it. and wants to receive holiness. For example, one person witnesses a war [among non-Jews] and relates it to a Tzaddik. The Tzaddik lifts this up in his thoughts to G-d. It turns out that this thought was originally among the “shells,” that is, the war that the person saw between the nations. When he related it to his friend [the Tzaddik], the act became speech. And afterward, it entered into thought.9The Baal Shem Tov is giving an example of how sparks are uplifted from among the shells. Just as there is a downward movement from thought, to speech, to action, so does the process work in reverse. A mundane sight becomes speech, when it is related, and then enters thought. In the present example, after hearing about the war, the Tzaddik might become inspired to think of G-d’s might, or His Providence, or His justice, or he might transform a lower fear of an impending battle to the higher fear of G-d.
Likutey Amorim p. 32a.