Likutei Moharan 112:6/ליקוטי מוהר"ן קי״ב:ו׳

16. The following relates to that which is written above:

2For the truth is that there are many openings, as our Sages teach: “When someone comes to defile himself, they open up for him” (Menachot 29b)—there are many openings for him. And now that there are many openings {i.e., openings through which he fell}, he is able to depart. But “the fool walks in darkness….” Study there.

3Then, when I heard this entire matter from Rebbe Nachman’s holy lips, I spoke with him and suggested that there seemed to be a difficulty. For have not our Sages taught there (ibid.): Why was this world created with a heh? It is because [the letter heh ] resembles a porch {Rashi: open on the bottom}. Anyone who wants to depart, let him depart! {Rashi: Whoever wants to depart from it for evil ways, departs}. And why is its [left] leg suspended? It is because if the sinner returns to God, he is brought up. {Rashi: He is brought up through the upper opening, between the leg within [the heh ] and its roof.} Why not bring him up through the other one? It will not help {Rashi: Why not bring him up through the lower opening, the one through which he went out? It will not help because when someone comes to purify himself, he needs help in overcoming the evil inclination. He is therefore aided with an additional opening}.

4From here it is clear that it is impossible to depart from impurity and return to God by means of the opening through which he fell, as is well elucidated in the Talmud and by Rashi’s explanation. But this apparently contradicts what is written above, that it is possible to depart from the impurity be means of the openings in the impurity itself?

5The Rebbe said, “You have asked well,” and in an offhanded manner he answered that something more is involved here. For if a person merits to see the openings that are there, he will be able to depart by way of the openings through which his friend fell. This is because one person’s descent and fall is another person’s ascent. Understand this. That is, sometimes that which is considered a fall for a friend who is on a higher level, is in his case considered an ascent vis-à-vis his lower level. Therefore, even though it is impossible for him to ascend by way of the openings through which he himself fell but only through a higher opening, as explained in the Talmud mentioned above—if he had been worthy of seeing the openings in the impurity itself, he would have been able to ascend from there by way of the openings through which his more advanced friend fell. For the descent and fall of his friend is in his case considered an ascent, as above.

6However, it is only possible to merit seeing the openings that are there and ascend from there through them, by means of the truth; by his becoming accustomed to speak the words of his prayer with truth, to the best of his ability. Even though darkness, obstacles and confusions surround and encircle him from each and every side, and confuse him greatly to the point where he cannot pray at all—he should still try to at least say what he says with truth, no matter what its level.

7He should likewise try to always draw himself to the genuine truth. By doing this he will merit that God Himself will enlighten him, and he will see the openings that are there and be worthy of coming out of the darkness into the great light, as mentioned. Study there very well.

8And he [the Rebbe] said to me then, that by means of this advice it is possible to truly be virtuous all one’s days. For at all times, no matter what the situation, one will be able to rejuvenate oneself and fortify oneself through this—through the truth, which is the light of God Himself, for ‘even all the darkness cannot block Him out’ (Psalms 139:12). This is because there is no impurity or force of the Other Side in the world which does not have in it openings from which to depart. It is only that we do not see them because of the great darkness that is there.

9But through the truth, God Himself shines for him. He will merit seeing and finding the opening of hope even in the depth of his fall, to emerge from the darkness into the light, and to truthfully draw closer to the Holy One, always. Amen. Amen.