(1) “V’orach Tzaddikim (The path of the righteous) is like a shining light—growing ever brighter, [as the sun does] until noon.” (Proverbs 4:18)

(2) The sun itself radiates in its place consistently, whether in the morning or the middle of the day. The obstacle is only because of the earth, which obstructs between people and the sun. This is why the light does not spread out all that much at the beginning of the day, but a little at a time until it has spread across the earth.

(3) The same is true of the tzaddik. He himself always shines. The obstacle is only because of the receiver. [In other words,] the obstacle is because of the earth which obstructs—i.e., this world. For people are submerged in this world, and so are unable to receive the light of the tzaddik.

(4) This is the point of that which is taught in the Talmud on the verse (Zechariah 5:2), “a folded scroll”—when it is folded… when it is peeled…. We find therefore that the entire world is like one span in three thousand and two hundred of the Torah.

(5) Thus, the Torah is very great and broad. However, the small span, which is the world, bars one’s vision and prevents one from seeing the Torah’s great light; even though this world in its entirety is no bigger than a small span vis-à-vis the Torah, which is very great and “broader than the sea” (Job 11:9).

(6) But there is an apparent difficulty: How can such a small thing as this obstruct and block out such a great thing which is a few thousand times its size? For all of this world in its entirety is very small vis-à-vis Torah, which is thousands of times greater than it.

(7) However, it is like the following example: A small coin, if held in front of your eyes, will prevent you from seeing a large mountain. Even though the mountain is thousands of times greater than the small coin, nevertheless, because the coin stands in front of one’s eyes, it therefore blocks out one’s vision to the point where one cannot see a thing many times larger than it.

(8) The same is true when a person arrives in and comes to this world. He remains submerged there, in the futility of the world, so that it seems to him there is nothing better than this. This world, small and insignificant, prevents him from seeing the great and lofty light of Torah, which is thousands of times greater than it, as explained. This is exactly the example of the sun, that the earth obstructs one from seeing the sun’s great light even though the sun is many times larger than the earth. It is like the example mentioned above.

(9) This is the meaning of [the opening verse]: The path of the tzaddikim is like a shining light—“Like a shining light,” literally. Just as the sun always shines—the obstacle being the earth which obstructs it even though the earth is small vis-à-vis the sun, as in the above example—so, too, the tzaddikim always shine. It is only that the earth, i.e., this world, obstructs one from seeing their great light. Thus, although their light is very great, and this world in its entirety is small and very negligible vis-à-vis their great light, even so, it obstructs and prevents one from seeing their light. This is like the previous example of the coin.

(10) All this is because the world stands in front of his eyes and blocks him, such that he cannot see the light of the Torah and the tzaddikim which is thousands of times greater than it.

(11) However, if he removes the small obstruction from in front of his eyes—that is, he diverts his gaze away from this world, and instead of looking at this world raises his head and lifts his eyes to look above the world which obstructs and blocks—he will then merit seeing the great and lofty light of the Torah and the tzaddikim. For, in truth, their light is thousands and tens of thousands of times greater than this world and its futilities, as mentioned. It is only that this world stands in front of his eyes and does not allow him to divert his gaze so as to look upwards, to the light of the Torah and the tzaddikim. This is exactly like the aforementioned example of the small coin which stands in front of the eyes and obstructs him from seeing a large mountain. Yet, he can easily remove the coin from in front of his eyes and immediately see the mountain which is greater than it.

(12) It is exactly the same with regard to the world and the Torah. It takes only a minor shift for him to remove the world from in front of his eyes. He will then be worthy of seeing the great light of the Torah and the tzaddikim, which illuminates in all the worlds with a very great light. Understand this well.

(13) Similarly, I heard it said in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: Alas! Alas! The world is filled with amazing and awesome wonders and lights. But the small hand stands in front of the eyes and prevents them from seeing great lights.