The Spiritual Ladder

I heard in the name of Rebbe Elimelech that if a person wishes to rise higher in his spiritual level, he must see to it that his character traits are whole and perfect on the lower level. This is because it is impossible to maintain a constant static level.

A person is like the angels called Chayos, which run and return, for sometimes he rises and sometimes he falls.  And if his lower levels are not perfected, how can he return to them?

The Rebbe compared this to a man climbing a ladder.  The wise and intelligent man will first test all the rungs to make sure that they are whole and intact so that if needs be he can retrace his steps and return to them.

[Tal Moshe Zwecker: Mipeninei Noam Elimelech]