The name of God, יהו"ה when taken in simple gematria, has a value of 17. Namely: yud is 1, heh 5, vav 6, heh 5 = 1+5+6+5 = 17. (simple gematria means you add the digits of the value of each letter--in example: yud in normal gematria is 10, in simple gematria it's 1 + 0 = 1)
The Noam Elimelech shares this, explaining that HaShem's kindness, even when it is compressed in tzimtzum, is still good. (טוב = 17 = good)
In other words,
even when God hides himself from us, it is for our own good.
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