Tomer Dvorah ~ ethics and re-creation of one's Self ~ Seventh and last class

The twelfth: "Which You swore to our fathers" - there are people that are not proper, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has mercy on all of them. And they explained in the Gemara (Berakhot 7a), "and I will give grace to the one that I give grace" (Exodus 33:19) - "The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'This storehouse is for those that are not proper.'" There is a storehouse of those given grace that the Holy One, blessed be He, graces and gives them [as] a free present. As the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Behold, they have the merit of the fathers - I swore to the fathers. Therefore, even if they are not proper, they shall merit because they are from the seed of the fathers to whom I swore. Hence, I will lead them and guide them until they are refined." And so should a person be if he meets evildoers: He should not be cruel towards them or curse them and similar [to these things]. Rather, he should have mercy upon them and say, "In the end, they are the children of Avraham, Yitschak and Yaakov. If they are not fit, their fathers were fit and proper. And one who disgraces the children, disgraces the fathers. [Hence] I do not desire that they be disgraced through me." And he covers their insult and refines them according to his ability.

The thirteenth: "From days of yore" - behold [this is] the trait that the Holy One, blessed be He, has with Israel when their merit and similar [to it] ends. What shall He do - behold, they are not proper in their own right? It is written (Jeremiah 2:2), "I remembered for you the kindness of your youth, your love as a bride" - the Holy One, blessed be He, actually remembers the days of the early ones, the love that He had from before, and has mercy upon Israel. And through this, He remembers for them all the commandments that they did from the day they were born and all of the good traits with which the Holy One, blessed be He, runs His world. And from all of them, He produces a special quality to have mercy for them. And behold, this trait includes all of the traits entirely, as they explained in the Idra (Zohar, Nasso, p. 134b). So [should] a person refine his behavior with people, such that even if he does not find an argument from those mentioned [in the other traits], he should say, "There were already times when they did not sin. And behold, that time, or those earlier days, they were fit." And he [should] remember for them that good that they did in their childhood, and remember for them the love of the 'ones weaned from milk, removed from the breasts.' And through this, there will not be a man who will not be fit to benefit, to pray for his welfare and to have mercy upon him. To now [we] have reached the thirteen traits though which a person should resemble his Creator, which are the highest traits of mercy. And their special quality is that [just] as a person acts below, so [too] will he merit to open for himself the highest trait above - exactly as he acts, so will there be a flow from above. And he will cause that trait to shine in the world. And so he should not have these thirteen traits escape from the eyes of [his] mind. And he [should] not stop the verse from his mouth, so that it will be a reminder - when a situation comes to him that he needs to uses one of the traits, he will remember and say, "Behold, that thing depends upon trait x; I do not want to move from it, so that this trait does not disappear and retreat from the world."

(18) Who is a God like You, Forgiving iniquity And remitting transgression; Who has not maintained His wrath forever Against the remnant of His own people, Because He loves graciousness! (19) He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins Into the depths of the sea. (20) You will keep faith with Jacob, Loyalty to Abraham, As You promised on oath to our fathers In days gone by.