Likutei Moharan 241:1/ליקוטי מוהר"ן רמ״א:א׳

1When there are judgments, God forbid, then the Attribute of Judgment would destroy a person, God forbid. However, the Attribute of Judgment is incapable of destroying totally, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: [God’s] arrows are consumed, but [the Jewish people] are not consumed (Sotah 9a).

2Humans, however, are capable of destroying each other totally, God forbid. Therefore, when there are judgments against a particular person, God forbid, and some other person comes forward to oppose him, the Attribute of Judgment departs from him. This is because they prefer that revenge be taken from him by a human being, for [humans] have [greater] capability, as explained above.<This is what King David, of blessed memory, prayed: “Let us fall into God’s hand”—because the Attribute of Judgment cannot destroy totally—“but let me not fall into the hands of man” (2 Samuel 24:14), as explained above.>

3Hence, someone who is a great tzaddik and is overseeing the rectification of the world will, on occasion, intentionally oppose another tzaddik in order to remove from him the Attribute of Judgment, for they rely on him to extract greater revenge. However, afterwards, he acts with compassion and makes no trouble for the other tzaddik.