כְּתִיב: ״מַה יָּפִית וּמַה נָּעַמְתְּ אַהֲבָה בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים״ (שיר השירים ז,ז).

The verse states, "How fair you are and how pleasant you are, love in its delights!" (Song 7:7). This verse speaks of a specific kind of love, which is known as love of delights. It may be inferred from here that there is also another kind of love, which is not comprised of delights.

הִנֵּה ב׳ מִינֵי אַהֲבוֹת הֵן

Now, there are two kinds of love. The first is love of delights, meaning one enjoys a wondrous pleasure in God, coupled with a great and powerful joy, the joy of the soul and its infatuation as it tastes that God is good and delightful, and marvelously sweet. This experience is literally like the experience of the World to Come, where "the righteous…enjoy the splendor of the Divine Presence" (Berakhot 17a). While there are many types and levels of love, detailed in hasidic works, that are characterized by external factors such as the object of one's love, here the author of the Tanya discusses the two essential aspects of love itself. In the first, the emotion relates to the process, to the desire for closeness and to the shortcomings of a reality in which the lovers are not together and do not actualize their love. The second aspect arises when they are actually together. The first kind of love is not actually concerned with the object of love, but rather with its memory and with one's passion and longing for it. While the second kind of love is felt when the object of one's love is present, and this love relates to it directly. This love is not called first because it is first chronologically, nor does "first" mean the most common. Rather, it is the highest love. It is called love of delights because the love itself is a delight. Unlike a love of desire and longing to fill some lack, which could be a love of anguish, love of delights is entirely a pleasure. It requires nothing and constitutes wondrous bliss. This can be true only of love of God, because a perfect, eternal love that never lacks anything cannot exist in relation to anything else. Anything that pertains to the limited, incomplete realms that are bound by time contains some kind of deficiency, some element that is not currently complete or from which the soul is disconnected. A delight is "wondrous" only when it is "in God." The literal translation of the Hebrew that is loosely rendered as "in God" literally means "over" God. This means that this delight is above all the worlds, and moreover, it is even above the name of God, which refers to the manifestation of God that forms and gives life to the worlds. Such love is about being together with God Himself, with all the emotion and meaning that this entails. This is a "wondrous" delight. "Wondrous," as explained elsewhere, means separate, for the pleasure taken in God is distinct from all conceivable earthly pleasures. "Joy" is a revelation, while "pleasure" is internal. The source of "pleasure" may be unconscious and imperceptible, even to the person himself, while "joy" means the revelation of something's essential meaning, both to the individual and to others. Joy is revelation, both in the sense that when a person is happy, he reveals and is revealed, and in the sense that revelation brings joy. The soul rejoices when it gets a taste of the fact that God is good and delightful. Of course, we cannot grasp with our minds, nor even with our emotions, the manifestation of God's goodness, which is the object of "the love of delights." We are unable to fully comprehend this; we can receive only a taste of it. A "taste" is like a spark of Ḥokhma, a flicker of light that the soul can subsequently interpret. The soul can then live based on this memory. When one receives a "taste" of the fact that God is good and delightful, he attains a general idea of the matter rather than complete comprehension of it. Essentially, God and everything connected to Him is exceedingly pleasant and sweet, and this is wondrous to the point that it is impossible to grasp. The soul cannot bear what it cannot grasp, and it begins to pine as a result of all the pleasantness and sweetness. As was explained in the commentary to the previous epistle, the soul reaches the level of pining when it attains what it can from the light that "fills all worlds," the light that is first grasped by Ḥokhma. When this light fills the soul with consciousness and sensation until it can bear no more, the soul reaches the level of "pining," a state in which the vessel can no longer contain the light. As was explained in the previous epistle, there is a general distinction between the time for "work" and the time for receiving one's "reward." This world is essentially for divine service, which means observing mitzvot, studying Torah, and praying. The World to Come, on the other hand, is for receiving one's reward. There, it is no longer possible to act, but only to view and take pleasure from all that we accomplished while in this world. Therefore, love itself is "divine service." It is performed by means of contemplation, purification of the soul, transformation of one's desires, and effort to bring it to fruition in this world. This effort is made with one's spiritual faculties as well as through speech and action in the realm of Torah, prayer, and mitzvot. In contrast, the "delight" obtained from love of delights is a "reward," rather than "work." Even if there was an act of service that led to this pleasure, the pleasure itself would not be a direct, unequivocal consequence of the service, but rather something additional, a gift. Even if one receives a taste of "love of delights" in this world, it is not a part of this world. Rather, it is "like the actual experience of the World to Come, where the righteous enjoy the splendor of the Divine Presence."

וְעַל זֶה כְּתִיב: ״שִׂמְחוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּה׳״ (תהלים צז,יב).

Regarding this kind of love the verse states, "Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones" (Ps. 97:12). Now, not everyone merits to attain this kind of love; it is the kind described in the holy Zohar (3:177b) by the phrase, "The kohen serves God with the innermost desire of the heart. " The revelation of the delight that is found in love, the joy that is found in God, is the reward of the righteous. It says in Likkutei Amarim that not everyone can be a tzaddik or receive the reward of the tzaddikim, which is love of delights. Anyone can achieve that which comes as a result of divine service. If he invests the time and effort and does the necessary work, then he will succeed. However, not everyone receives an additional gift from above. These endowments are given by the grace of God, and do not depend on the strength of a person's will or service, but rather, on the unique essence of a given soul and the awakening of divine will from above, to which not every person is privy. The priests were singled out from among the Jewish people to worship God in a unique manner than the rest of the Jewish people. An Israelite can never become a priest. Parallel to this clear-cut delineation of roles, with regard to spiritual divine service, the righteous possess unique faculties and their own special modes of worship. Like the priests, they teach, guide, and lead the people in the ways of divine service, and they themselves have a form of worship that is unlike everyone else's. As explained in the Zohar, and in more detail elsewhere, unlike the service of the Levites, the priestly service is "concealed." This essentially internal work that demands intention and thought, happens in the heart, therefore, it differs from person to person. In contrast, the external service of performing mitzvot, is alike for everyone. The essential, innermost desire of the heart is not a desire that is formed in the mind through contemplation and deep reflection. It does not pertain to objects in the outside world, but to that which the soul itself longs for. It precedes rational understanding of one's external reality. When divine service is performed with the innermost desire of the heart, one's deepest, most essential desire is manifest in the soul. In other words, the soul does not need to attain something that it does not have or that is concealed from it. In contrast, when divine service is performed with the faculties of the soul, the mind tries to attain that which is above it, and the attributes strive to relate to that which is beyond their grasp. The person is thus left only searching and longing, running and returning from one side to the other of the seemingly unbridgeable gap between humankind and the Divine, between the revealed and the concealed. However, in the case of divine service through the innermost desire of the heart, one has already "arrived." Something much greater overpowers the soul and all its faculties; a divine space from above. The Zohar explains that the priestly service is "concealed," while service of the Levites is loud and melodious, because the priestly service requires no additional exertion. It does not need to break down any barriers or cross any divides, because everything is already present. The soul can pass comfortably and effortlessly from realm to realm. This kind of worship and love is called love of delights because the very experience of it is an unparalleled pleasure. One who loves with this kind of love needs nothing else.

וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: ״עֲבֹדַת מַתָּנָה וגו׳(במדבר יח,ז), כִּי אֵין דֶּרֶךְ לְהַשִּׂיגָהּ עַל יְדֵי יְגִיעַת בָּשָׂר כְּמוֹ הַיִּרְאָה שֶׁשּׁוֹאֲלִין עָלֶיהָ: יָגַעְתָּ בַּיִּרְאָה? וְאוֹי לַבָּשָׂר שֶׁלֹּא נִתְיַיגֵּעַ בַּיִּרְאָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּרֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה.

Moreover, of this kind of love the verse states, "As a service that is a gift I give your priesthood; the non-priest who approaches…" (Num. 18:7), for there is no way to attain it by human effort, like there is with fear of God. Regarding fear, one is asked in the next world, "did you toil with fear?" and, "Woe to the person who did not toil to attain fear," as stated in Reshit Ḥokhma (Sha'ar HaYir'ah, chap. 12). The author of the Tanya quotes a verse that characterizes the way in which the priestly service entails the innermost desire of the heart: "You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood with regard to any matter of the altar and with regard to that which is within the curtain…. As a service that is a gift I give your priesthood; the non-priest who approaches shall be put to death" (Num. 18:7). In Jewish history, this service of love and the "innermost desire of the heart" was reserved only for the priests, and performed inside the Temple. In the spiritual realm, only the righteous and those individuals who have received it as "a gift" engage in this type of service. This type of worship is not attainable by others. This reflects God's attribute of kindness, for He gives it "free of charge," not in exchange for a person's worship. However, it also contains an aspect of the attribute of judgment, for the only way to attain it is as a gift, and it is given only to those who are chosen by God. No one else may acquire it, and moreover, they are prohibited from even trying. This is reflected in the end of the verse: "The non-priest who approaches shall be put to death." There are some spiritual faculties that are received as gifts, and there are others that are received as rewards for a person's efforts. That which a person is capable of attaining, he is obligated to attain. The human being was brought to this world in order to work hard and receive his reward, not to receive gifts. However, the limitation involved in this is that one's reward relates directly to the work he performs, and each person's work relates directly to the faculties that he possesses. Therefore, through hard work, a person is only able to reach levels of love and fear that are within human grasp, levels that already exist in some form in his reality in a more constricted expression for example, in the love and fear he feels for other people. In contrast, one cannot attain the level of "love of delights" through hard work. There is nothing like it in this world, and it may be acquired only as a gift. It says in Reshit Ḥokhma that after a person's death, he is asked if he made an effort to achieve the attribute of fear while in his body. From this question it is clear that this matter depends only on effort. Not only is it possible to acquire fear by means of hard work, but moreover, everyone is obligated to do so, and a person who does not will encounter misfortune.

וּכְתִיב בַּיִּרְאָה: ״אִם תְּבַקְּשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וגו׳״ (משלי ב,ד–ה), מְלַמֵּד שֶׁצְּרִיכָה יְגִיעָה רַבָּה וַעֲצוּמָה כִּמְחַפֵּשׂ אַחַר אוֹצָרוֹת.

Also, regarding fear, the verse states, "If you seek it like silver…" (Prov. 2:4), which indicates that acquiring fear requires a great and mighty effort, like that of one searching for treasures. The verse states, "If you seek it like silver and search for it like for hidden treasures, then you will understand fear of the Lord" (Prov. 2:4–5). The following analogy is brought in Likkutei Amarim (chap. 42): Just as a person digs in the ground with tremendous effort when searching for treasure, one must dig with the same amount of effort in order to uncover the treasure concealed within the understanding of the heart. This treasure, concealed fear of God, is present in the soul of every Jew. (It is part of "concealed love," for it is the fear of being separated from God). One must search inside himself in order to uncover it, whether by garnering an actual emotion or by resolving to more carefully, observe the Torah's commandments. Since fear (and love) are certainly present in every soul, the attainment of fear depends only on effort. In the words of the Sages, "If a person says to you…I have labored and I have found, believe him."

אֲבָל אַהֲבָה רַבָּה זוֹ [אַהֲבָה בְּתַעֲנוּגִים] נוֹפֶלֶת לָאָדָם מֵאֵלֶיהָ, מִלְמַעְלָה, בְּלִי שֶׁיָּכִין וִיכַוֵּון לָהּ, אַךְ וְרַק אַחַר שֶׁנִּתְיַיגֵּעַ בְּ'יִרְאַת הָרוֹמְמוּת' וְהִגִּיעַ לְתַכְלִית מַה שֶּׁיּוּכַל לְהַשִּׂיג מִמֶּנָּה לְפִי בְּחִינַת נִשְׁמָתוֹ – אֲזַי מִמֵּילָא בָּאָה הָאַהֲבָה בְּתַעֲנוּגִים מִלְמַעְלָה לִשְׁכּוֹן וּלְהִתְיַיחֵד עִם הַיִּרְאָה, כִּי דַּרְכּוֹ שֶׁל אִישׁ לְחַזֵּר כו׳ (קידושין ב,ב), כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּלִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים (פרק מג).

By contrast, this great love [love of delights] descends by itself upon a person from Above, without him preparing for or intending it, and only after one has exerted himself regarding the attainment of fear of the exalted, having reached the full capacity of fear his particular soul is capable of. Then, the love of delights comes automatically from Above, residing within and becoming united with the fear, for "it is the way of a man to pursue a woman" (Kiddushin 2b), as explained in Likkutei Amarim (chap. 43). Elsewhere, it is explained that great love and love of delights are two levels of love. Love of delights is, as mentioned, a type of worship that is a gift rather than the result of effort. It is impossible to receive it by means of effort, preparation, or intention, and moreover, it comes specifically when one has not prepared for it. By nature, when one prepares for something, he does so according to his perceptions, expectations, and anticipations. However, when something comes from above, from far beyond the individual and the farthest reaches of his expectations, preparation only interferes with its arrival. There is, nevertheless, a stipulation. This gift is not a totally independent process with no correlation whatsoever to the individual; it is simply not direct, as in the case of wages, which are paid in accordance with the amount of work that has been done. One's actions in the lower realm are indirectly pertinent. Although God freely gives us that which He desires to give us, even if it is not what we deserve, in order to receive it in a significant and impactful way, there must be some level of preparation in the person's soul. The spiritual "vessel" that is able to relate to this kind of love is "fear of the exalted." The deeper a person contemplates higher fear or "fear of the exalted" on a more abstract level, the more he is able to actualize the full capacity of his fear. How a person comprehends his world depends on his personal "vessels." He cannot acquire more than what his "vessels" are able to contain. Every person acquires such "vessels of awareness" throughout his life: knowledge, study, effort, abstraction, subtly, and so forth. However, at the foundation of all a person's abilities and vessels lies his "particular soul." This refers to the essence and root of his soul, the spiritual world it derives from, and so on. One receives his unique soul from his father, his mother, and God. He has no choice in this matter, nor does he need to perform any work for it. There is, however, work that a person can and should perform in accordance with the soul that he has received. He must use the talents and abilities he was born with in order to realize his full potential. When a person reaches the full capacity of his comprehension, and attains the sensation of the fear of the exalted that accompanies this, then love of delights descends upon him from above. As mentioned, this love is not the result of divine service performed in the lower realm. Rather, it arises automatically and naturally. It is not commensurate with the level of the human being, but with God. It is God's love: meaning, it is the feeling of actually loving God Himself, of loving His love, not just the comprehensible, limited way in which that love expresses itself in one's life. But rather, a love that cannot be grasped, for no thought can fully perceive God. It is a feeling that is somehow an extension of God's own feeling, not as it humanly perceived. As stated, in order for this supremely transcendent feeling to be registered and resonated with within one's soul, the soul must attain fear of the exalted, higher fear, to the fullest extent that it is capable of. Higher fear, like higher love, belongs to a level that is above comprehension, above the soul, and above the worlds. It is God's, and therefore it is the only way for a person to perceive a glimpse of "love of delights," which comes from above. Once a person has put in the necessary effort and aroused within himself the highest level of fear that he is able to garner, he can also be privy to love of delights. It is explained in Likkutei Amarim that love is considered "male" (zakhar ), as it says, "He recalled [zakhar ] His kindness" (Ps. 98:3). Fear, on the other hand, is considered "female": The verse states, "a woman who fears the Lord" (Prov. 31:30), which could also be translated, "Woman is fear of the Lord." These abstract concepts are reflected in the observable dynamic between men and women, that generally the man pursues the woman, and not the other way around, as stated in the Talmudic quote here. He does this in order to be with the woman and give to her. The power of bestowing kindness and love always seeks to flow from above to below, into vessels and defined boundaries. It is like water, which naturally runs from a higher place to a lower place. Consequently, although an awakening from below cannot arouse love of delights or draw it down, if and when it awakens by itself, it descends to the space where higher fear is found. As stated, fear, especially higher fear, characterizes the inestimable higher realm. Likewise, it characterizes that which is in the lower realm and relates to the inestimable, the supernal level of love of delights. Therefore, higher love will find its place to a greater degree wherever exalted fear is stronger and the person feels lowlier and more subsumed.

וְהַשֵּׁנִית, הִיא אַהֲבָה וְתַאֲוָה שֶׁהַנֶּפֶשׁ מִתְאַוָּה וְאוֹהֶבֶת וַחֲפֵיצָה לְדָבְקָה בַּה׳, לִצְרוֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים, וְקִרְבַת אֱלֹהִים טוֹב לָהּ

The second kind of love is a love characterized by desire. It is when the soul desires, loves and aspires to cleave to God, to be bound in the bond of Life; when it appreciates how God's closeness is so good for it, and that is what it aspires to. Conversely, it appreciates how it is so bad to be distanced from Him, God forbid, to be separated, God forbid, by an iron barrier caused by the external forces of impurity. The second type of love discussed in this epistle is different in almost every respect from the first. The first is a love that not everyone is able to attain, while the second is found in every Jew. The first is a gift that can never be acquired by means of effort, while regarding the second, not only is it possible, but it is obligatory to toil for it. The first is love of delights, and the second is not. This does not mean that it is the opposite of pleasure; however, its main concern, rather than experiencing delight, is achieving its objective, as will be explained below. Unlike love of delights, this love includes within it an element of desire. The soul yearns to receive something it lacks. Before the soul descends into this world, it is literally bound together with God, the Source of All Life. Once it is in this world, far away from its source, it longs to be back there, cleaving to God. It lacks God's closeness, which is so good for it, as the verse says, "As for me, nearness to God is good" (Ps. 72:28). When it is in this world, the soul becomes enclothed in the body and the animal soul, which conceal and separate it from that closeness and goodness. Consequently, it desires and aspires to attain that connection once again. The opposite of this love is fear: the fear of becoming distanced or separated from God. When the object of a person's love is not yet present, and he only desires, loves, and aspires to it, his longing is always accompanied by the fear of failure, that the object will never come. As long as the beloved object is not yet part of the perfect union that the person seeks, he is in a kind of twilight: There is light and warmth on one side, and darkness and desolation on the other. The strength of one's yearning for God demonstrates his fear of being distanced from Him. This kind of love is not love of delights. The feeling that accompanies it does not include pleasure at having fulfilled a desire, and moreover, it involves the unpleasant apprehension that stems from the fear of being distanced. The concern is that the soul will be separated from God by kelippot (husks) that conceal the holiness found within. When the Sages use the term "iron barrier," they mean the strongest and most impermeable kind of barrier. The fear hiding in the soul of every Jew is that this kind of barrier will separate it from God. The divine soul does not fear anything. It is bound to the Divine and not connected to the world. Likewise, it does not receive anything from the world. As a result, the only thing in the world that can threaten or harm it is the cessation of the connection between it and the Divine. When they accumulate, these external forces become an "iron barrier," a closed, complete system that does not allow anything to pass through it. This is like a worldview that leaves no room for any other perspective, or a strong emotion that leaves no space for any other feelings in the soul. Of course, if the barrier were completely impermeable, it would not be so bad for the person, because he would not be aware that there was anything on the other side. However, it is not totally sealed. Just as concealed love is always present, whether hidden or shining, so too the different levels of barriers conceal while occasionally reveal. The human being, who feels love on the one hand and the barrier on the other, finds himself between the longing to be completely connected and the fear of the "iron barrier," of being totally separated.

וְאַהֲבָה זוֹ הִיא מוּסְתֶּרֶת בְּלֵב כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲפִילּוּ בָּרְשָׁעִים, וּמִמֶּנָּה בָּאָה לָהֶם הַחֲרָטָה.

This love is hidden in the heart of every Jew, even in the wicked; that is where their feelings of remorse come from. There are two aspects of this love: It is concealed, and it is present in every Jew. Love of delights, on the other hand, is revealed and reveled in by only certain individuals. What is "concealed love," a love that is not felt? It is explained in several places in Likkutei Amarim that "concealed" pertains to the revelation of emotion. On some levels and in certain circumstances, a person does not feel his love of God. However, regardless of one's situation or level, every person is capable of revealing it in other ways and through other emotions, and certainly through thought, speech, and action. Clearly, love of God is not obviously manifest in the hearts of the wicked; they lead sinful lives. Nevertheless, this love is revealed in them as well. The Sages say, "The wicked are filled with remorse all their days." A wicked person commits a transgression, but this love, which is embedded in his soul, gives him no rest. Even after the animal soul and its desires have overcome him and he no longer feels or even thinks of holiness, love of God keeps him from being able to enjoy the fruits of his actions. He experiences remorse, which stems from this love. The author of the Tanya does not describe the complexity of the human soul at length here as he does in Likkutei Amarim. Rather, he addresses the question that pertains to this love: How is it possible that a person has love of God within him, and a desire to come closer to Him, yet he acts in a way that is diametrically opposed to this, with wickedness, violating God's will and distancing himself from Him?

אַךְ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא מוּסְתֶּרֶת וְנֶעֱלָמָה בִּבְחִינַת גָּלוּת בַּגּוּף, הֲרֵי הַקְּלִיפָּה יְכוֹלָה לִשְׁלוֹט עָלֶיהָ, וְזֶהוּ רוּחַ שְׁטוּת הַמַּחֲטִיא לָאָדָם.

However, because it hides in concealment, in a state of exile within the body, the kelippa is able to dominate it. This is the "spirit of folly" that causes a person to sin. Love of God is the love of a person's divine soul. Just as the soul is concealed, as it is in a state of "exile" within the body in its corporeal faculties, so too this love is concealed. It is not revealed in a person's heart, nor in his life. It may manifest occasionally, at extreme moments when he is being tested and receiving revelation, but it is not part of a person's everyday experience. Exile is kelippa, an impenetrable covering that conceals the holiness that comprises it, and professes instead to be a self-sustaining entity. Since the soul is in exile, kelippa is able to dominate the individual to the extent that he forgets his divine soul, with its innermost wisdom, and desires. Instead, he identifies with the kelippa and its whims. This is the "spirit of folly," which causes a person to act contrary to his inner will. He disregards his understanding of what is good and what is not, of what is vital to his existence and what leads him to the path of ruin.

וְעַל כֵּן עֲבוֹדַת הָאָדָם לְקוֹנוֹ הִיא לְהִתְחַזֵּק וּלְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל הַקְּלִיפָּה בַּכֹּל מִכֹּל כֹּל, דְּהַיְינוּ מִתְּחִלָּה לְגָרְשָׁהּ מֵהַגּוּף לְגַמְרֵי מִמַּחֲשָׁבָה דִּיבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבַּמּוֹחַ וְלָשׁוֹן וּרְמַ״ח אֵבָרִים.

Therefore, because the kelippa opposes this love, serving one's Creator consists of standing strong to overcome the kelippa altogether. This means to first expel it completely from the body, from the thought, speech and action that are in the mind, the tongue and the 248 organs. The soul that is in exile in the body, or in any kind of exile, must carry out some work, an act of service. This is an act that involves overcoming difficulties and obstacles. A person's service to his Creator consists of overcoming the "concealment" of the body and the world, as well as defeating the spirit of folly, which distances the individual from himself and from his God. The purpose of this service is to come closer to God and to cleave to Him, bringing one's love for Him to fruition. Nevertheless, it cannot begin with love, because the soul is concealed within the body and cannot openly see or desire spiritual light and objective good. Rather, it begins with exerting some force to overcome the kelippa and its concealment, and only subsequently reveal the love. The author of the Tanya explains that we must overcome the kelippa "bakol mikol kol," which is loosely translated as "altogether." The precise language of this Hebrew phrase however, includes the repetition of the word kol, "all," three times. The simple implication of this repetition is that the kelippa must be completely vanquished, in all ways and in every aspect. Yet this phrase certainly also alludes to the talmudic statement about the three individuals to whom God gave a taste of the World to Come, and over whom the evil inclination did not rule: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is written regarding them, "bakol," "mikol," and "kol." God gave the forefathers "everything," kol. This was the reward for the mitzvot that they performed, and it was everything that could possibly be received, hakol. The forefathers, on their part, performed their service perfectly. As has been explained, they were perfect "chariots" of the divine attributes, and they bore no desire or love for anything else. This "perfection" of the forefathers, expressed by the terms "bakol," "mikol," and "kol," is also found in their descendants. Every Jew has the capacity to overcome the kelippa in the same way: "bakol," "mikol," and "kol." It is explained in Likkutei Amarim (chap. 18 and onward) that in a certain sense, the forefathers bequeathed to their descendants the "perfection" that they achieved. This is the inheritance of concealed love, which is present in every Jew. This love is that which enables us to observe the mitzvot fully, and become "chariots" of the Divine, through carrying out the mitzvot, just like our forefathers. The beginning of a person's service is to expel the kelippa completely. Thought, speech, and action are the three garments of the soul. They are the ways in which the body expresses and reveals the soul in this material world. Thoughts are expressed through the mind, speech through the tongue, and actions through the 248 body parts. A person is required to expel the kelippa "bakol mikol kol." These three terms signify the three garments of the soul. Bakol, which is said regarding Abraham, relates to action, or acts of kindness, on the right array of the sefirot. Mikol, which is said with regard to Isaac, refers to thought, or divine service and prayer, on the left array. Kol, which is said of Jacob, relates to speech, or Torah, is aligned on the middle array of the sefirot. In Likkutei Amarim, the author of the Tanya explains that the divine service of a beinoni relates entirely to the garments of the soul, and not to the spiritual faculties themselves. A person can toil and make changes and corrections only regarding these garments; what he does, says, and thinks. He cannot alter his spiritual faculties, or what he feels. A beinoni cannot change his emotions except in certain cases, and then only indirectly, through the garments of the soul. A person's service is to refrain from thinking, speaking, and doing certain things, and instead to think, speak, and do other things. The first step of one's service, when he is still in the exile of the body, and still thinking and speaking through the thoughts and loves of the kelippa, is to reject these thoughts and loves. He must stop thinking of them, speaking of them, and acting on them.

וְאַחַר כָּךְ יוּכַל גַּם כֵּן לְהוֹצִיא מִמַּסְגֵּר אָסִיר בְּחוֹזֶק יָד, דְּהַיְינוּ לִהְיוֹת חָזָק וְאַמִּיץ לִבּוֹ בַּגִּבּוֹרִים לִהְיוֹת הָאַהֲבָה הַמְסוּתֶּרֶת נִגְלֵית בְּגִילּוּי רַב בְּכָל כֹּחוֹת חֶלְקֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ שֶׁבַּגּוּף.

Then, one will be also be able to release the captive love from its captivity, and to do this with a strong hand, that is, to stand strong like a stouthearted warrior so that the hidden love will be revealed, with immense revelation, within all the powers of the various components of the soul vested in the body. Once a person has banished all thoughts, speech, and actions that pertain to this world, he will be able to extricate the divine soul from all worldly matters. Until then, the divine soul is shackled and confined within these matters. Even when the outer barriers are removed and there seem to be no more obstacles, concealed love does not reveal itself. It needs to be brought out "with a strong hand." It is written regarding the exodus from Egypt, "For with strength of hand the Lord took us out of Egypt" (Ex. 13:16), and in numerous other places it says that it was done "with a powerful hand" (Ex. 13:9). To bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, it was not enough merely to remove the impediment of "Egypt." When no one was trying to stop them from leaving any more, the exile still continued in their souls. They felt no need or desire for anything different, anything supernal, spiritual, or holy. They did not know where to go, and they did not understand why this was happening to them. It is the same regarding the soul. The removal of external impediments does not fill the internal void. At this stage, the soul still has no supernal, holy aspirations. Therefore, one needs to bring it out with a strong hand, with will and faith alone, in order to begin moving forward, despite the fact that we do not yet understand why, nor do we desire anything to be different. This requires courage and restraint. One must bolster his heart against all that he is used to loving, and against his fears of "emptiness" and the unknown. This courage, and this closing off of the heart, stems from restraint, which is the force within the soul that safeguards, curtails, and preserves. The powers of the soul include the capacity of intellect in the brain, and love, fear, and so forth in the heart. These are enclothed in thought, speech, and action.

דְּהַיְינוּ, הָעִיקָּר בַּשֵּׂכֶל וּבַמַּחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁבַּמּוֹחַ שֶׁהַשֵּׂכֶל יַחֲשֹׁב וְיִתְבּוֹנֵן תָּמִיד כְּפִי שִׂכְלוֹ וְהַשְׂכָּלָתוֹ בַּבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ, אֵיךְ שֶׁהוּא חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בִּכְלָל וְחַיֵּי נִשְׁמָתוֹ בִּפְרָט, וְעַל כֵּן יִכְסוֹף וְיִתְאַוֶּה לִהְיוֹת דָּבוּק בּוֹ וְקָרוֹב אֵלָיו כּוֹסֶף טִבְעִי, כְּבֵן הַכּוֹסֵף לִהְיוֹת תָּמִיד אֵצֶל אָבִיו, וּכְמוֹ אֵשׁ הָעוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה תָּמִיד בְּטִבְעָהּ לִמְקוֹרָהּ.

This means that the love is revealed primarily in the intellect and thought in the brain, so that one's intellect, according to its cognitive ability and capacity for understanding, constantly thinks about and contemplates the Creator, blessed be He, how He is the Life source of all life in general, and the Life source of his soul in particular. Thus, he will yearn and desire to be bound to Him and close to Him, with a natural longing, like a son who yearns to always be with his father, and like fire, whose nature it is to constantly rise above to its source. Until now, we have primarily discussed the prelude to divine service: what one must eliminate or reject, and what he must be sure not to think or do, so that the concealed love will be revealed. From here on, the author of the Tanya describes, in detail, what a person needs to actually do. Most of this divine service takes place in the brain. There is intellectual thought within the brain, but there are also thoughts within the heart, which pertain to the attributes, love and fear. Here, the author of the Tanya mentions the thoughts of the brain first, because at this stage, when love is still concealed and the soul does not yet feel or yearn by itself, most of the divine service is performed by the intellect. One should not consider these matters on just one random occasion. Rather, he should engage in serious, prolonged contemplation that ingrains the ideas within him. The impression of this contemplation should remain with him always. Every individual engages in contemplation with his own intellect, which may be deep or broad, detail-oriented or big-picture-oriented. One's mind moves at a unique pace and employs personally developed imagery and paradigms about that which is pertinent to him and affects any aspect of his being. "Understanding" refers to what a person knows, that which he has already learned. Contemplation of the Divine is not like contemplation of the material objects that one sees. An ordinary person does not see the manifestation of the Divine in all things. He merely sees the world, and he must learn about the Divine from the teachings of scholars and books, as well as from his own contemplation. This is the main reason for studying the deeper levels of the Torah in general, and hasidic discourses in particular: to acquire material for contemplation. A kind of example of this is brought below, and likewise, this idea is expounded upon in great detail in many hasidic discourses. It is explained that only a vast amount prolonged contemplation can lead to a true awakening of love of God. The subject of this contemplation is not the essence and being of God Himself, which we cannot possibly grasp with our intellect. Rather, broadly speaking, it is the revelation of God as the Creator and Ruler of the world. In order to evoke an attitude of love toward God, a person must contemplate God's attitude of love toward us and our world. This attitude is manifest in the most meaningful gift possible, which we receive from Him: life in this world in general, and the life of one's individual soul in particular. Every individual possesses some level of understanding of this life and of the world, according to his level and the kind of life he leads. Therefore, he may also get some conception of the source of life: on the cosmic scale and of a personal level. This conception that every person seeks is not only intellectual, but is a glimpse of love. To the same extent that a person loves life in general, and his own soul's life in particular, he will open up and discover love when he contemplates the Source of life; the Creator. People love their lives and their souls. In the simplest sense, "life" refers to the food one eats; the work he carries out; his relationships with his family, friends, and acquaintances; his experiences; and so forth. These are the elements that make up life. However, above all this, there is life itself, and occasionally, at moments of great salvation or spirituality, the individual is able to feel it. Therefore, in a certain sense, life is what a person desires, labors for, and longs for all his days. When one contemplates the fact that the Creator is the Source of all life, forming it, bestowing it upon us, and sustaining it, his mind yearns for God and he desires to cleave to Him. There are also different levels when it comes to love between human beings. The first and most basic level is the love that a person feels for himself and for his own life. This is the love that is called in Likkutei Amarim, "My soul, I desired you." The next level is the love that one feels for his father and mother, as it says in the same chapter of Likkutei Amarim, "like a son who tends to his father and mother, loving them more than his own body, soul, and spirit." This human love is also natural, though it is not obvious, for it requires some development on the part of the individual, who must have an awareness of something that is not physical or immediately apparent: the hidden source of that which is visible. Nevertheless, as is also explained there, once a person attains this level of awareness, this kind of love can be even stronger than the love of "My soul, I desired you." The author of the Tanya alludes to another level of concealed love, which is also mentioned in Likkutei Amarim (chap. 19). This level is compared to fire, whose nature it is to constantly rise. The metaphor for this higher level of love is an inanimate object; that does not depend on any understanding or knowledge and seems to be even more basic than that of the previous levels. The idea, which is explained in Likkutei Amarim, is that a flame, which is compared to the light and life force of the soul, naturally strives to ascend, to escape its wick and reunite with its source, even though its own light will be extinguished if it succeeds, becoming subsumed in that source. The first level mentioned was based on love of one's own life, and the next was based on love of the Source of one's life. This, even higher level, is when a person is willing to sacrifice his life and disappear from worldly reality for the sake of love of God.

וְכָל מַה שֶּׁיַּתְמִיד לַחֲשׁוֹב בְּשִׂכְלוֹ כּוֹסֶף זֶה כָּכָה יִתְגַּבֵּר וְיִתְפַּשֵּׁט כּוֹסֶף זֶה גַּם בְּפִיו וּבְכָל אֵבָרָיו לַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, לְדָבְקָה בָּהֶם בַּה׳ מַמָּשׁ, דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְקוּדְשָׁא

The more one's mind constantly contemplates this yearning for closeness to God, the more this yearning will grow stronger, and it will spread to the mouth and to all the organs as well, motivating them to be occupied with Torah study and performance of the commandments,

בְּרִיךְ הוּא כּוֹלָּא חַד.

by which he will truly bond with God, for the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one. As explained earlier, a person can choose to think about these matters and to continue thinking of them for an extended period of time. He can decide to think about the fact that God is the Source of life and of his soul, and that he should therefore yearn to cleave to Him as much as he is able to do so. As this thought continues to grow over time and permeates all one's other thoughts, the yearning will overflow beyond his thoughts and fill his speech and action. Every person's revealed yearning and love seek actualization. This love, be it intellectual yearning, or heartfelt longing, is not a "love of delights," but rather a love of longing, which seeks to fill that which is missing. Longing occurs in the soul, while fulfillment takes place in the body. All yearning in this world is actualized through the body. A person desires something, and then he performs some act: He says something, does something, or goes somewhere, and this fulfills his soul's desire in some way, quieting and alleviating the yearning. With regard to love of God, too, the yearning is ultimately satisfied through the mouth and other body parts. This fulfillment takes place through studying Torah and performing mitzvot, and as a result, becoming attached to God. It is difficult to speak with God like one speaks with another person, and it is certainly impossible to hug or kiss Him. Nevertheless, out of His great love for us, He desired that the soul within the body be given the Torah, which is enclothed in worldly matters. In the Torah, God expressed and enclothed His will and wisdom in the most essential way. This means that we are given God Himself with no filters. The Torah was not given to us by means of an intermediary such as an angel, a messenger, a parable, or a metaphor. The Giver and the gift are one. Therefore, when a person thinks thoughts of Torah with his mind, speaks its words with his mouth, or performs its mitzvot with his 248 body parts, he is thinking God's most essential thoughts, speaking His deepest words, and performing His actions. He is united and attached to God by means of a union that is unparalleled in this world. At that moment, not only are God and the Torah one, but the individual, God, and the Torah are all one.

וְעַל כּוֹסֶף זֶה שֶׁבְּגִילּוּי רַב כְּתִיב ״צָמְאָה נַפְשִׁי וגו׳״ (תהלים מב,ג), כְּאָדָם הַצָּמֵא לְמַיִם וְאֵין לוֹ תַּעֲנוּג עֲדַיִין כְּלָל.

Of this yearning that is so greatly manifest the verse states, "my soul thirsts for God…" (Ps. 42:3), like a person thirsty for water who does not yet feel any pleasure at all, unlike the love of delights mentioned above. Usually, a person cannot feel the attachment to God with the same intensity as he feels the yearning. If he does, then this is love of delights. Therefore, one is constantly in a state that is like thirst. Thirst is a yearning-feeling. It is a sense of lack that becomes progressively more tangible. It grows stronger the more one contemplates the fact that God is the Source of life, and that he longs to cleave to Him. Since God is infinite, a person can accomplish this only through the Torah, which is compared, for this reason, to water. However, because the Torah is enclothed and concealed in this world, when a person studies Torah and fulfills mitzvot, he does not necessarily quench his feeling of thirst. He may feel the same way he does when he engages in worldly affairs: He may not sense the Divine within them. For like the Torah, human beings are similarly enclothed in the body and in this world. A person understands worldly matters easily and thoroughly, and has emotional reactions toward them. In the future, we will be able to feel attachment to the Divine in the Torah and mitzvot that we engage in. This was explained at length in the previous epistle. Right now, however, a person can feel this intimate closeness only if he purifies his body and senses, so that his spiritual senses are no longer numbed by material input. Even if he succeeds at attaining such purity, he is able to feel the Divine in holy matters only to a minimal degree.

וְגַם עַל כּוֹסֶף זֶה וְאַהֲבָה זוֹ הַמּוּסְתֶּרֶת בָּנוּ אָנוּ מַעְתִּירִים לַה׳ לִהְיוֹת בְּעֶזְרֵנוּ לְהוֹצִיאָהּ מִמַּסְגֵּר וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַלֵּב מָלֵא מִמֶּנָּה לְבַדָּהּ וְלֹא תִּכָּנֵס צָרָתָהּ בְּבֵיתָהּ, שֶׁהִיא תַּאֲוֹת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה, רַק שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הִיא עֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת לִמְשׁוֹל בְּצָרָתָהּ וּלְגָרְשָׁהּ הַחוּצָה מִמַּחֲשָׁבָה דִּיבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה עַל כָּל פָּנִים.

Also, concerning this yearning and this love hidden inside of us, we beg God to come to our aid and to help us release it from its captivity. We pray for the heart to be filled with this yearning and love alone, and that its "rival" – worldly desires – not enter its "house," which is the heart. Rather, this love should be the master of the house, dominating its rival and expelling it from thought, speech, and action, at the very least. The author of the Tanya adds that the contemplation described above is not enough to reveal this love. Rather, one must also pray for it to be revealed. Prayer, which is also called the service of the heart (Ta'anit 2a), is concerned with instilling a person's contemplation in his heart. It is work that involves transforming and purifying the heart's innate feelings toward this world and redirecting them so that they connect to the Divine instead, as is explained at length elsewhere. The word avoda, which means service or work, is related to the term ibbud, which means processing and enhancing of an item, such as an animal hide, which is treated to make it into leather. The "heart" refers to the capacity of love within the soul. This can be focused on worldly matters such as food, money, and people, or it can be directed to the Divine. As has been stated, the beinoni, who needs to uncover the concealed love within him, cannot rid his heart entirely of his desires for worldly objects. However, he can render them insignificant and inactive, and disempower them from factoring in the decisions he makes regarding how to behave. It is explained in Likkutei Amarim that the beinoni is able to completely expel his worldly desires from the garments of his soul: thought, speech, and action. This means that one does not think or speak, and certainly does not make choices informed by his desire or love for worldly matters, nor by the concerns of his body or animal soul.

הֲגַם שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְשַׁלְּחָהּ לְגַמְרֵי מִלִּבּוֹ, עַל כָּל פָּנִים תִּהְיֶה הִיא מוּסְתֶּרֶת בִּבְחִינַת גָּלוּת וְעַבְדוּת לַעֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת גְּבִרְתָּהּ, לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהּ לִדְבָרִים הֶכְרֵחִיִּם לָהּ לְבַד כַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, כְּדִכְתִיב: "בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ" (משלי ג,ו).

Even if one cannot send the "rival" away from his heart completely, at the very least it, the rival, should be the one hidden in a state of exile, like a rival wife, subservient to her master, the master of the house, serving her master's needs alone, such as eating and drinking, as the verse states, "In all your ways be cognizant of Him" (Prov. 3:6). If beforehand, love of God was concealed, now, when it is revealed, the many forms of worldly love will be concealed instead. They cannot operate together, as previously explained: When one ascends the other descends; when one is revealed the other is concealed. Even in worldly matters that are not explicit commandments, a person must worship God, connect with Him, and cleave to Him. As stated, even if he is not able to engage in these matters out of love of God, he can nevertheless do them for reasons other than fulfilling his worldly desires. This is how one is able to serve God by means of worldly matters. The directive to "In all your ways be cognizant of Him" does not just describe a level of especial piety: It is cited as a halakha in the Shulḥan Arukh. Here, however, the author of the Tanya adds a new dimension to this command. The Shulḥan Arukh states that all a person's actions, such as eating and drinking, must be for the sake of Heaven, and certainly not for physical pleasure. Yet in addition to this, the inner strength and desire derived from such bodily pleasures must be used for the sake of divine service. In other words, a person must not engage in these actions like one who is forced to do so, with no vitality. Rather, he must utilize the power and vitality that he possesses with regard to these matters and make them part of his divine service. Food should not be a despised necessity, but a mitzva, or the means to a mitzva, which one must perform with excitement. This, in turn, awakens the innate vitality and excitement within the action itself. Therefore, when a person perfects and elevates not only a physical action but also the life force and desires of this world, he is carrying out the verse "In all your ways be cognizant of Him" to the fullest extent possible.