Likutei Moharan 17:5/ליקוטי מוהר"ן י״ז:ה׳

15. Yet, how is it possible to win converts, when they are so very distant from the holiness of Israel? And what is it that prompts them to even think of converting? But know! this comes about through the aspect of (Proverbs 19:4), “Wealth adds many friends”—in other words, through the charity which one gives to a Torah scholar, who encompasses a number of Jewish souls.

2For in truth, how is it possible for <the gentiles to convert> when they are so distant from the <holiness of> Israel? And how is it possible to talk to them so that they listen and come <to convert>? But just as when someone is very far away from his friend and cannot talk to him so that he can hear, he has to write him a letter, it is likewise necessary to send them [the gentiles] an aspect of writing until they can hear, even though they are distant.

3This is because the faculty of hearing primarily entails the letters of speech being engraved in the air and the air is then conducted until it comes to the ear of the listener. Thus, if the air is tranquil, pure and clear, then when someone who is capable of speaking does so, his words are heard <by someone listening> far away, as is readily observable.

4But when there is a storm-wind, then his friend cannot hear. This is because the wind confuses and separates the parts of the air. They become so spread out that his friend finds it impossible to hear even the sound, and certainly not the words themselves.

5Now, by giving charity he acquires souls, because he buys friends and loved ones for himself, <corresponding to, “Wealth adds many friends”>. This is what Munbaz said (Bava Batra 11a), “My ancestors stored money, but I stored souls.” The more people one gives charity to, the more <souls> he acquires.

6And, by virtue of this love which he acquires through <giving> charity, the air is purified. Thus, the more people he gives charity to and the more people’s love he acquires, the more widespread the tranquil, pure air becomes. This is because love is the binding of spirit to spirit, the spirit of the one who loves with the one who is loved. This is the concept of tranquil air—each one’s spirit is at peace with the other’s. There is no bad wind—hatred—to separate them.

7For hatred is synonymous with an evil spirit, as is written (Judges 9:23), “And God placed an evil spirit between Avimelekh and the inhabitants of Shekhem.” Rashi explains [evil spirit]: hatred. Thus, we can conclude that hatred corresponds to a bad wind, a confusion of the air, because of which that which is spoken cannot be heard.

8On the other hand, love and friendship are synonymous with the tranquil and pure which allows the words to be heard far away. And this is achieved through charity, as in, “Wealth adds many friends.” By giving charity, he acquires friends and loved ones. As a result the concept of tranquil and pure air comes into being.

9And the more one gives charity to more people, the greater this concept of tranquil and pure air becomes. By giving charity to one person, we find that he has acquired one friend. Their spirits are then bound, and a small area of tranquil and pure air is made. But by giving charity to <more> people, a larger area of tranquil and pure air comes into existence. Accordingly, the more he gives to greater amounts of people and acquires additional friends and loved ones—as “wealth adds many friends”—the greater and greater the area of tranquil and pure air grows and increases.

10Therefore, the main thing is to give charity to genuine tzaddikim and deserving paupers who [themselves] encompass a number of Jewish souls. By doing so, he causes the area of tranquil and pure air to expand greatly, as explained above. Just with that charity which he gives to them, he acquires very many friends. This is because they encompass many souls, and through this the area of tranquil and pure air increases all the more, as explained.

11Now, when the air is tranquil and pure, and one who is capable of speaking Jewish speech—holy speech—talks, then these words are inscribed and engraved in the air, as in (Psalms 45:2), “My tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.” And then his <holy> words go out and are heard from afar, as in (Esther 9:4), “His fame went out to all the provinces”—when the air is tranquil and pure it is possible to hear far away.

12Then, these words are written in the books of the nations, “every province according to its writing” (ibid. 8:9). And so, the gentiles find things in their books which are contradictory to their religion. Thus we find that [of late] a number of converts converted because of this—because they found in their books contradictions to their beliefs.

13How does it happen that they now find something which goes against their religion? This comes about because of the words of the tzaddik which are engraved and inscribed in the air, as in, “My tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.” And the air was pure and tranquil by means of “wealth [which] adds many friends,” so that the words went out—“His fame went out to all the provinces”—becoming engraved and inscribed there in their books. As a result of this concept, they found in their books contradictions to their religion.

14This caused them to convert. As is told of a number of converts who converted because of this, because they found in their books things which were contradictory to their beliefs. All this stems from the concepts spoken of above.

15And this corresponds to (Esther 6:2), “Now it was found written that Mordekhai had told.” Mordekhai is synonymous with the denial of idolatry. <For he is called> (ibid. 2:5), “a Jewish man,” <and> our Sages teach (Megillah 13a): “Anyone who rejects idolatry is called a Jew.” In other words, the words that Mordekhai told, which were words denying idolatry, were inscribed in the air until they come to be found written in their books, as above.

16And this is: “Now it was found written what Mordekhai had told.” The words which “Mordekhai had told,” these being the words of faith of the true tzaddik, were found written in their books. For the words of the tzaddik went far, until they were inscribed and engraved there in their books. By virtue of this, contradictions to their faith are to be found in their books. Instead, their books contain the holy words which “Mordekhai”—he being the concept of the tzaddik—“had told.” Thus: “It was found written that Mordekhai had told,” as above. And then, when these <gentiles> come and find there contradictions to their religion, this produces converts. As is written (Esther 8:17), “And many of the nations of the land became Jews.”