Likutei Moharan 277:2/ליקוטי מוהר"ן ער״ז:ב׳

12. This is all when his opponents are wicked people. However, when those who oppose him are tzaddikim, then certainly their intention is only for good, as they elevate and raise him up by this and mitigate the judgments against him. It is like a person digging under his neighbor to [secretly] throw him a nice present. We find something similar in connection with charity. There were a number of Talmudic Sages who would hand out charity secretly, so that the one receiving it would not know (Ketuvot 67b). The same is true of the opposition of tzaddikim, which is actually their giving him good secretly and in concealment, as mentioned above.

2{“When merei’im (evildoers) rise up against me, my ears hear it. The tzaddik flourishes like a tamar (date palm)…” (Psalms 92:12, 13) .} This is what David requested, “When evildoers rise up against me….” For just as there is a date palm of holiness, the aspect of “The tzaddik flourishes like a date palm,” contrasting it is the date palm of the Other Side. This is the aspect of “leaven the size of a kotevet”; a kotevet is a date—i.e., the date palm of the Other Side. This is because seor (leaven) is the encompassing of and strength behind the judgments, for it is the aspect of the Name Elohim when squared and expanded, as is brought. This is why it is called TaMaR (date palm), suggesting TeMuRah (inversion)—i.e., the Other Side, which is called temurah, for the inversion of wisdom is foolishness, the inversion of life [is death]…, as is brought.

3Now, the source of the judgments and of the Other Side is dispute of holiness. This is because the Other Side is an aspect of dispute, their source being dispute of holiness. And judgment is mitigated only at its source. Therefore, by means of the disputes of the tzaddikim, which are dispute of holiness, the judgments are mitigated at their source, as explained above. Through this “The tzaddik flourishes like a date palm,” for the date palm of the Other Side has been mitigated and nullified by means of the dispute, which is the mitigation of judgments at their source.

4Thus it is that the opposition of tzaddikim is a great benefit. Yet, since the Other Side and the judgments—which are bona fide dispute—evolve from and are connected to there, it is therefore possible to imagine that the opposition of tzaddikim is likewise the bona fide dispute of hatred, God forbid, because they are connected to there, as explained above. However, the truth is that it is only for the good.

5This is what David requested, that when tzaddikim oppose him, he should hear from it only good, for certainly their intention is for good, as explained above.

6This is: When merei’im rise up against me—I. e., the dispute of the tzaddikim, who are brothers and rei ’im (friends). This is the aspect of “two friends who never part” (Zohar III, 4a), for they certainly are filled with love.

7And when they rise up against me, my ears hear it. The tzaddik flourishes like a date palm—He should hear from the opposition only the good they do for him with this; this being the aspect of “The tzaddik flourishes like a date palm,” of mitigating judgments, as explained above. Nor should he mistakenly think, God forbid, that it is bona fide opposition, so as not to allow them a connection with this opposition, for this opposition is only for the good, as explained above.