וְהִנֵּה כָּל בְּחִינוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת אַהֲבָה הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת לְעֵיל הֵן מִסִּטְרָא דִּימִינָא,

All the aforementioned aspects and levels of love emanate from the right side of the array of the sefirot, The various types of love of God that were discussed in the previous chapters belong overall to two categories: ahavat olam, world-centered love, and ahava rabba, great love. Each these levels of love is of a particular scope, intensity, and class, but all of them are from the right side of the array of the sefirot, which is the side of Ḥesed (Kindness).

וּבְחִינַת כֹּהֵן, אִישׁ חֶסֶד.

represented by the priest, who is referred to as a man of kindness . The right array, that of Ḥesed, is also that of the priest, who is known as a "man of kindness." The core theme of the priestly service is Ḥesed and the sefirot associated with it, whereas the Levite service is characterized by Gevura, as the author of the Tanya will go on to explain. Ḥesed is the attribute of flow and propagation from above to below. This is the service of the priest: to draw down blessing from above. The Sages even refer to the priest as an "agent of the Merciful One" (Kiddushin 23b). The priest is not the agent of any person, to make contact with the Divine on an individual's behalf or even for the sake of Israel as collective. He is an agent of God, tasked with conveying the flow of divine sustenance and vitality from above to below.

וְנִקְרָא 'כֶּסֶף הַקֳּדָשִׁים', מִלְּשׁוֹן "נִכְסוֹף נִכְסַפְתָּ לְבֵית אָבִיךָ" (בראשית לא, ל).

It is also called the consecrated silver, because the word for silver, kesef, is related to the word kasof, "longing," as in the verse "You longed [ nikhsof nikhsafta ] for your father's house" (Gen. 31:30). This level of love that stems from the right side is also called "consecrated silver," which the author of the Tanya interprets as a sense of longing for that which is sacred, the soul's desire to cling to its Father in Heaven. "Your father" in the verse represents the sefira of Ḥokhma, which is the first sefira in the right array. This type of love is also referred to as "love that is like water." By contrast, love that belongs to the left side is called "love that is like sparks of fire." Love that is like water flows continuously from above to below. The most salient element of this love is that of drawing close, of identifying and uniting with the object of the love, the overall drive to come closer, to touch and to connect. This is the nature of all the types of love that have been discussed so far, whether ahavat olam or ahava rabba. In all its forms, it is a serene love that brings peace. When people speak of happiness, they are usually talking about the experience of such love. Because of the strong element of connection involved in this love, reciprocity is essential. There must be a response from the other side, so that the emotions find a tangible expression.

אַךְ יֵשׁ עוֹד בְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה הָעוֹלָה עַל כּוּלָּנָה, כְּמַעֲלַת הַזָּהָב עַל הַכֶּסֶף,

Yet there is another level of love that is superior to all the rest, like the superiority of gold over silver, If all the types of love mentioned in the previous chapters are like silver, then this love is like gold. Granted, silver is a precious metal, and love that is like silver comprises exceedingly high levels. Nevertheless, there is another type of love that is superior to them all in terms of the intensity of the emotion and its power to cause an individual to change.

וְהִיא אַהֲבָה כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ

and that is love like sparks of fire, This love surpasses love that is like water because the constant happiness that characterized the love that is like water, the love that stems from Ḥesed, is accompanied by an element of peace and tranquility, which brings with it the danger of becoming complacent. This is the feeling that "I am here and You, God, are there. We are connected to one another, and with that I am content." By contrast, love that is like sparks of fire does not allow a person peace of mind. He cannot be satisfied with the level he has attained, and he consumes anything that does not align with his yearning for the Divine. Everything else ceases to have importance or value, not only because he does not think about them, but because he actively engages in eradicating them. This kind of love is not peaceful, it is not enjoyable, nor does it provide a feeling of contentment. On the contrary, one may suffer as a result of it. He may be burned by it. Yet it is more essential to the human experience than love like water, in the same way that gold is superior to silver.

מִבְּחִינַת גְּבוּרוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת דְּ'בִּינָה עִילָּאָה'.

which emanates from the level of the supernal Gevurot of supernal Bina. Love that is like fire stems from the side of Gevura, though not from the attribute of Gevura itself, which is characterized by emotional constriction, but rather from the higher aspects of Gevura, the source of the Gevurot in Bina. The sefira of Bina is in the left array of the sefirot, which is the side of Gevura. Bina is called the "mother" of all seven attributes below it, including both Gevura and Ḥesed. This means that love, which is an aspect of Ḥesed, can stem from Bina, but it also contains an element of Gevura. This is love from the left side, a love that is like fire, which differs from the aforementioned types of love that stemmed from Ḥesed, from the right side of the array.

דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הִתְבּוֹנְנוּת בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, דְּכוּלָּא קַמֵּיהּ כְּלָא מַמָּשׁ חֲשִׁיב,

That is, through contemplation of the greatness of Ein Sof , blessed be He, before whom everything is literally considered nothingness, Contemplation, which employs the faculty of understanding, an attribute of Bina, is the first step. A person cannot achieve an emotional connection unless he first contemplates the object of that emotion, not as an external concept but as an internal experience. Contemplating God's greatness will evoke different responses in a person. It may lead to fear or to love. In every instance of contemplation, there is a moment of choice, where the person directs his thoughts toward a particular emotional connection. The direction of the person's thoughts depends on his nature, his spiritual state at the time, and the focus of his contemplation.

תִּתְלַהֵט וְתִתְלַהֵב הַנֶּפֶשׁ לִיקַר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוּלָּתוֹ, וּלְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בִּיקָרָא דְּמַלְכָּא כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶת עַזָּה הָעוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה, וְלִיפָּרֵד מֵהַפְּתִילָה וְהָעֵצִים שֶׁנֶּאֱחֶזֶת בָּהֶן. וְהַיְינוּ, עַל יְדֵי תִּגְבּוֹרֶת יְסוֹד הָאֵשׁ אֱלֹהִי שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלוֹהִית.

the soul will ignite and become inflamed to ascend toward the glory of the splendor of His greatness and to gaze at the king's glory. It is like sparks of fire and a fierce conflagration that rises upward and strives to detach itself from the wick or tinder that it grasps. That is to say, this love is generated by strengthening the element of divine fire within the divine soul. When a person chooses to contemplate God's greatness, how everything is literally nothingness before Him, his soul is ignited. The divine soul is like fire bound to the wick, which is the body and this world. When the element of fire in the soul is intensified through such contemplation, this element awakens a yearning in the soul to separate itself from the body and ascend to its source to become subsumed in the Divine. All the levels of love that the author of the Tanya discussed until now have involved some kind of implementation, such as studying Torah or performing mitzvot, through which one achieves attachment to God, which is all that the person desires. Love that is like fire constitutes a different process. Contemplating the greatness of God, before whom everything else is literally considered nothingness, evokes the feeling that there is nothing for the person in this reality and so he no longer wants to be there. It generates a fierce and passionate desire to escape the bounds of one's existence, to escape the boundaries of this world and be consumed in the divine essence, where there is no other besides Him.

וּמִזֶּה בָּאָה לִידֵי צִמָּאוֹן, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: "צָמְאָה לְךָ נַפְשִׁי" (תהלים סג, ב), וְאַחַר כָּךְ לִבְחִינַת "חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה" (שיר השירים ב, ה).

From this the soul comes to a thirst for God, as it is written, "My soul thirsts for you" (Ps. 63:2), and subsequently to a state of "lovesickness" (Song 2:5). When a person is in a place that is hot and arid, he becomes thirsty. Likewise, when the element of fire is strengthened within the soul, a feeling of thirst is created, the sense that something is lacking, together with a strong desire to fill that lack. Unlike other types of love, this love does not bring contentment. On the contrary, as it grows stronger, it becomes more demanding. The thirst becomes more severe, and the love does not quench it but rather intensifies it. This thirst cannot be quenched. When the thirst, the burning need that gets progressively stronger, cannot be gratified or reconciled in any way, it develops into a spiritual illness that is incapable of being cured, an ailment called "lovesickness." This is not random or accidental. It is the very essence of this type of love, which becomes incurable.

וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּאָה לִידֵי כְּלוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ מַמָּשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: "גַּם כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי" (תהלים פד, ג).

Then the soul comes to literally expire, as it is written, "Indeed my soul languishes" (Ps. 84:3). When thirst becomes severe and hopeless, the result is illness, and when the illness advances, the patient faces death. When lovesickness for God increases, and the thirst for Him cannot be quenched, when a person no longer desires or feels anything else, it is as though he has expired. The soul leaves this world, consumed by love of God. When one places a small candle flame next to a large flame, it appears as though the large flame swallows up the small flame. The small flame disappears, leaving an unlit wick. In a sense, this is also what happens in the case of love that is like fire. There is no solution to the process of this love, and it seems to have only one possible conclusion: the extinguishing of the small flame. Since the thirst will only increase and the love can never be fulfilled, the only resolution lies in self-annihilation so that there is no longer a person experiencing this love. The soul that loves like fire cannot reconcile its yearning within existence. It can only move toward its own annihilation, its existence as an independent entity in danger of perishing.

וְהִנֵּה מִכָּאן יָצָא שׁוֹרֶשׁ הַלְּוִיִּם לְמַטָּה

From this, the source of this love, emerged the root of the Levites here below. Unlike the love that stems from the right array of the sefirot, the side of Ḥesed, which pertains to the priestly service, love that is like fire relates to the service of the Levites. A person's divine service contains aspects of both, the priest's service and that of the Levite. Both served God in the Temple, yet the worship of one was not like the worship of the other. The service of the priest expressed the characteristic of Ḥesed, of bringing the world closer to God and bringing down the divine sustenance and vitality from above. The service of the Levite, on the other hand, relates to the attribute of Gevura and involved singing, yearning, and thirsting.

[וּלְעָתִיד, שֶׁהָעוֹלָם יִתְעַלֶּה, יִהְיוּ הֵם הַכֹּהֲנִים,

(In the future, when the world will be elevated, the Levites will be the priests, In our present-day world, the priests' service is considered the central element of Temple service, whereas the service of the Levites is auxiliary. In the messianic future, the roles will be reversed, so that the Levites' service will be the primary component. When this fallen world is repaired and elevated, there will be a different reality, where the Levites will be on a higher level than the priests.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הָאַרִ"י ז"ל עַל פָּסוּק: "וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם" (יחזקאל מד, טו) – שֶׁהַלְּוִיִּם שֶׁל עַכְשָׁיו יִהְיוּ כֹּהֲנִים לֶעָתִיד].

as the Arizal stated regarding the verse "But the priests, the Levites" [Ezek. 44:15], that the Levites of the present will become priests of the future.) That the Levites will one day become the priests is part of an overall picture of the world that will exist in the future. Our world is primarily tasked with bringing Heaven down to earth. It is active, dynamic, and ever changing, and it relies on a constant equilibrium between various forces. In the supernal world, and in our world in the future, where Heaven and earth are one and those who seek perfection will find it, there will be no such balance. Our world cannot endure those who are identified with the Gevura and judgment, with the heavenly ideal of strict adherence to the letter of the law, but rather needs to straddle the line between kindness and judgment. In the future, however, the world will be constructed on this side of the sefirot, the side of Gevura. In the future, all structures will be reversed. Currently, in our flawed and deficient world, we are wary of the attribute of judgment, because we cannot bear it. To be judged is to be found wanting because we are so flawed. In the perfect world of the future, we will seek out the attribute of judgment. In this world, our main task is to interact with reality and channel it toward service of God, but in the World to Come, the task will be to accept what is found within reality. The Levites of the present day will be the priests in the future because even if it is not apparent within the present reality, the Levites of today are superior to the priests in the same way that gold is superior to silver.

וַעֲבוֹדַת הַלְּוִיִּם הָיְתָה לְהָרִים קוֹל רִינָּה וְתוֹדָה, בְּשִׁירָה וְזִמְרָה, בְּנִיגּוּן וּנְעִימָה,

The service of the Levites was to raise the sound of joy and thanksgiving, with song and music, melodiously and pleasantly, From the service of the Levites in the Temple, we learn about the Levite service of our souls, the love that is like fire. "Song" refers to music created with the voice, while "music" is created with instruments. The terms "joy and thanksgiving" and "melodiously and pleasantly" refer to the movements of the music. A melody does not move in one direction, and because it contains opposing dynamics, it is both powerful and riveting. It rises and falls, goes forth and comes back. The purpose of the Levites' musical service is to awaken these dynamics within the soul.

בִּבְחִינַת 'רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב',

in the manner of "running and returning" (Ezek. 1:14), The phrase "running and returning" is used in kabbalistic works to refer to this dynamic. "Running" indicates the pining of the soul to the point of expiration, in the manner described in the verse "Their hearts cried to the Lord" (Lam. 2:18). "Returning" is depicted in a different verse: "The people saw, and trembled, and stood at a distance" (Ex. 20:15).

שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה עַזָּה זוֹ כְּשַׁלְהֶבֶת הַיּוֹצֵא מִן הַבָּזָק, כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא [פֶּרֶק ב' דַּחֲגִיגָה (יג, ב)].

which is the level of this fierce love like the flame emitted from between pieces of earthenware, as the Talmud states ( in the second chapter of Ḥagiga 13b). The phrase "running and returning" appears in Ezekiel's vision of the divine chariot: "The divine creatures were running and returning like the appearance of a flash of lightning [bazak ]" (Ezek. 1:14). The Talmud asks: What is the meaning of the phrase "running and returning"? Rav Yehuda states that it is like fire that is emitted from a furnace, whose flame is continuously bursting forth and withdrawing. The Talmud goes on to ask the meaning of the next part of the verse, "like the appearance of a flash of lightning." Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina explains that it is like the fire that is emitted from between shards of earthenware used for refining gold. (Bazak, translated in the verse as a lightning flash, and can also mean a shard of earthenware.) Rashi explains, "Gold refiners would pierce holes in earthenware vessels and place them on burning coals with gold inside them…. A flash of light would rise through the holes that was multicolored and constantly emerging and withdrawing." This is the manner in which the service of the Levites awakened the divine soul to pine for God to the point of expiration. While the role of the priest is to bring blessings down from above into this reality, the role of the Levite is to take the supplicant out of the midst of the current reality and raise him toward Heaven.

וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְבָאֵר עִנְיָן זֶה הֵיטֵב בְּמִכְתָּב,

It is impossible to explain this subject clearly in writing, This kind of love is superior to the types of love discussed above, just as gold is superior to silver. The essence of love that is like fire, the soul's desire for annihilation, cannot be explained by means of the written word. As the author of the Tanya explained in the introduction to Likkutei Amarim, the written word, unlike speech, does not entail personal contact or connection. It merely offers a formulation of the overall message.

רַק כָּל אִישׁ נִלְבָּב וְנָבוֹן הַמַּשְׂכִּיל עַל דָּבָר, וּמַעֲמִיק לְקַשֵּׁר דַּעְתּוֹ וּתְבוּנָתוֹ בַּה', יִמְצָא טוֹב וְאוֹר הַגָּנוּז בְּנַפְשׁוֹ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת, כָּל חַד לְפוּם שִׁיעוּרָא דִּילֵיהּ.

but any ardent and astute individual, who is intelligent in grasping a subject and delves deeply to attach his knowledge and understanding to God, will discover the goodness and light hidden in his rational soul, each according to his capacity. This passage mentions each of the cognitive faculties: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. When a person is endowed with these faculties and employs them, contemplating God's greatness and binding his mind to the Divine, he will "discover the goodness and light hidden in his rational soul." When it comes to such contemplation and perception, there is no single parameter that pertains to everyone, so the insight one gleans cannot be conveyed adequately through words or superficial descriptions. Words that hit the mark for one person may be meaningless to another. Only one who has experienced it can understand it. Only then can he relate to it and perceive what is beyond the words that attempt to define it. This passage describes an inner journey, a road whose subtle markers are impossible to describe in writing. A person cannot understand these markers unless he himself has traversed that road.

[יֵשׁ מִתְפַּעֵל כו‘ וְיֵשׁ מִתְפַּעֵל כו'].

(One person is moved in one way, and another is moved in a different way.) There are no uniform rules that dictate what moves the soul or the ways in which it is moved. Each person's unique character determines what moves him and how. Likewise, what a person does as a result and how he does it is entirely individual. As stated above, it is impossible to fully explain this matter in writing, because that which evokes the feeling of thirst for the Divine to the point of lovesickness and the expiration of the soul is so personal that no objective parameter can be given for it. Yet there are certain conditions that must be met in order to achieve it, and while they are not the source of this love, they are prerequisite conditions, and they can be defined objectively to some extent.

אַחֲרֵי קְדִימַת יִרְאַת חֵטְא, לִהְיוֹת 'סוּר מֵרָע' בְּתַכְלִית, שֶׁלֹּא לִהְיוֹת ‘עֲוֹנוֹתֵיכֶם מַבְדִּילִים‘ כו' חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.

However, the prerequisite for attaining this love is fear of sin, utterly avoiding evil, so that your iniquities will not separate you from your God, God forbid. The prerequisite that one must utterly avoid evil pertains to all categories of love of God. If fear of sin, which causes a person to avoid evil completely, does not precede the love of God, that is not true love but love that is false. To acquire love of God and closeness to Him, a person must first make room within by clearing out all the garbage. Only then is he able to build a genuine edifice of love. This is particularly pertinent to love that is like fire, which involves a desire to depart from reality, a yearning for the expiration of the soul. For this to be a genuine feeling and a true ascent rather than madness or illusion, there cannot be even a slight blemish within the soul. If such a blemish exists, the person will not be able to cut off all ties to this reality and truly rise. In order to attain the love of the pining of the soul and the ascent toward a state where nothing concerns him but being subsumed in the Divine, a person must reach a state where not a single thread binds him to the side of evil and the lower world.

וְהִנֵּה סֵדֶר הָעֲבוֹדָה בְּעֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת הַנִּמְשֶׁכֶת מִבְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה עַזָּה זוֹ,

The order of the service of God through Torah study and the mitzvot, which is drawn forth from this fierce love, The solution for love of God on all its levels, its sole origin and expression, lies in the Torah and the mitzvot. Love is the desire to draw closer and become truly attached, and the only way to become attached to God is through Torah and mitzvot.

הִיא בִּבְחִינַת 'שׁוֹב' לְבַד.

is exclusively in the manner of "returning." Divine service generally consists of the dynamic between "running" and "returning." This constitutes the rhythm of life, like the heartbeat and breath in the body. In divine service, these movements involve rising from below and returning from above. In very general terms, the divine service of love, which is prayer, constitutes "running" from below to above, from created being to God. The actualization of that love, through the observance of Torah and mitzvot, constitutes "returning." The totality of life in divine service is the combined rhythm of these two movements. They must therefore correspond to each other in terms of their scope, intensity, and nature. When love consists exclusively of "running," there must be a corresponding motion of "returning," through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot. When the love is like fire, which cannot exist in the reality of this world at all, the divine service that follows it must necessarily comprise a complete return to reality.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר יְצִירָה: "וְאִם רָץ לִבְּךָ – שׁוּב לְאֶחָד".

As it is written in Sefer Yetzira (1:8), "If your heart runs, return to the One." Love that is like fire and attachment to God do not go in the same direction. The yearning of love that is like fire cannot be satisfied. It has no inherent resolution. It burns like fire, and thus by nature it is constantly rising out of the vessels that contain it while at the same time consuming them, because it is an entirely destructive force. The resolution of this love cannot come about by exhausting it, because that would constitute the soul's expiration. It can only be gratified through "returning to the One," breaking the process and returning to the all-encompassing unity, to the perspective that God is one on earth just as He is in Heaven and therefore running in any direction is purposeless. The ultimate human objective is the divine objective, and this is achieved with the "returning" that follows the "running," wherein the supernal unity is revealed in the lower world.

פֵּירוּשׁ, וְאִם רָץ לִבְּךָ – הִיא תְּשׁוּקַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ שֶׁבַּלֵּב בֶּחָלָל הַיְמָנִי, כְּשֶׁמִּתְגַּבֶּרֶת וּמִתְלַהֶבֶת וּמִתְלַהֶטֶת בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד, עַד כְּלוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ מַמָּשׁ, לְהִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ אֶל חֵיק אָבִיהָ, חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְלָצֵאת מִמַּאֲסָרָהּ בַּגּוּף הַגּוּפָנִי וְגַשְׁמִי לְדָבְקָה בּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ;

"And if your heart runs" refers to the yearning of the soul that resides in the right chamber of the heart. When this yearning intensifies and is set ablaze and ignites until the soul pines to literally pour itself into the bosom of its father, the infinite source of life, blessed be He, and emerge from its confinement in the corporeal, physical body in order to cling to God, The phrase quoted from Sefer Yetzira, "and if your heart runs," means that the heart's desire races and increases in order to emerge from the vessel of the heart. The soul desires to be freed from the limitations of the body, from the obligation to live in this world, and yearns to cling to God, the source of all life.

אֲזַי זֹאת יָשִׁיב אֶל לִבּוֹ

then he must take to heart This phrases is often interpreted as referring to the contemplation that leads to internalizing matters in the heart. Here the author of the Tanya is indicating that after a person's heart runs in order to part from the vessel of the heart, one needs to return it to the heart, to the vessel, to the body, to this world.

מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל, כִּי עַל כָּרְחָךְ אַתָּה חַי (אבות פרק ד משנה כב), בַּגּוּף הַזֶּה, לְהַחֲיוֹתוֹ כְּדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ חַיִּים עֶלְיוֹנִים מֵחַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַטָּה עַל יְדֵי תּוֹרַת חַיִּים,

our Rabbis' statement "For against your will you live" (Mishna Avot 4:22), that despite the yearning to be subsumed, the soul must remain in this body to keep it alive in order to draw down supernal life from the infinite source of life, blessed be He, through the life-giving Torah, The Mishna teaches that a person is obligated to sustain his physical body, the abode of his soul, by drawing down the life force into the body and the material realm. This is accomplished when a person fulfills the Torah with his body and with every part of the world with which he interacts. These words, "against your will you live," expresses the great paradox of the life of the soul and its constant yearning. The gratification of this fierce love of God, the union of the soul with the Divine, is not found in continuing along the path of "running" but in the opposite direction by fulfilling the Torah through the soul's connection to this world, this body. In the larger picture, this is the paradox of existence. It is through returning to life in this reality "against your will," through the "returning" that follows the "running," that one lives.

לִהְיוֹת דִּירָה בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים לְאַחְדוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר לְעֵיל.

so that there is a dwelling place in the lower worlds for God's unity in a revealed state, as explained above. This is the purpose of returning in the overall scope of the existence of all the worlds: When the world moves toward concealment of God's oneness, the next movement will be the creation of a dwelling place on earth for the revelation of His oneness. This is the world's ultimate purpose: to make room for the Divine to have a dwelling place on earth.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (חלק ב קלה, א): "לְמֶהֱוֵי אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד". פֵּירוּשׁ, שֶׁהַיִּחוּד הַנֶּעֱלָם יִהְיֶה בִּבְחִינַת עָלְמָא דְּאִתְגַּלְיָא.

As it is written in the holy Zohar (2:135a), the purpose of creation was "that there be one in one," meaning that the unity that is concealed will be manifest on the level of the revealed world. The objective is for the divine unity to no longer be concealed but rather to be revealed within the world and within our reality. This passage from the Zohar is recited before the Sabbath evening prayer in most communities that pray according to the Sephardic custom. The Sabbath, particularly at night, represents this state of perfection described as "one in one." In Siddur Admor HaZaken, the author of the Tanya explains that this means that just as there is One above so is there the "secret of the One," as stated in this passage of the Zohar, below. Our goal is to connect the two so that rather than standing in contrast to each other, they resemble each other.

וְזֶה שֶׁאוֹמְרִים: "לְכָה דּוֹדִי" וכו'.

This is also the meaning of the liturgy that we recite on the Sabbath: "Come, my beloved, toward the bride…." This liturgy is recited when one ushers in the Sabbath. In its simplest sense, it is our call to God to come toward us. But it also contains our move toward Him, or in any case our preparation for coming toward Him. It is explained elsewhere that the word for bridegroom, ḥatan, also connotes a descent, from the Aramaic term ḥut, whereas the word for bride, kalla, comes from the term for destruction, kilayon, a hint at kelut hanefesh, the expiration of the soul. The bride must be a kalla, to reach a point where the soul will expire from this love, but the goal is for the groom to come toward the bride. This is why the text says here that the resolution of this love, which reaches the point of the soul's expiration, is "against your will you live," bringing the Divine down to the world to be "one in one," in order that God's oneness will be revealed on earth.

וּבָזֶה יוּבָן מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל: "עַל כָּרְחָךְ אַתָּה חַי וְעַל כָּרְחָךְ" וכו', וְאֶלָּא אֵיךְ יִהְיֶה רְצוֹנוֹ?

Now one can understand our Rabbis' statement "For against your will you live, and against your will you die" (Avot 4:22). What then should a person's will be? This statement is puzzling: "Against your will you live" indicates that a person wants to die, to leave this world, yet he is compelled to live. On the other hand, "against your will you die" has the opposite meaning, implying that the person wants to live, but he is compelled to die. What should a person want? To live or not to live? The answer is just as the Mishna describes it: One should desire both. This is the nature of life. When the soul pines, the divine service should be in the manner of "against your will you live," and in the next moment, when the soul returns and lives in this world, the person's desire and divine service must be in terms of "against your will you die." This is the "running and returning" of divine service. "Running" refers to the service of prayer and self-sacrifice when reciting the Shema, when the love that is like fire is evoked. The focus is parting from this life like sparks of fire, which cannot be contained in any vessel, whether the mind or the heart, but must burst forth. "Returning" is divine service through Torah study and performance of mitzvot. This service grounds a person in this world and draws down the divine light to be contained within the vessels of the mind and heart. It is the divine service of "against your will you live": Although the individual would prefer to part from the world, he must live and revitalize reality because God commanded it. We draw down life and existence from the Source of life, through the life-giving Torah. Through its fulfillment, the divine light is enclothed within the vessels of this world, and the purpose of the creation of the world, providing a dwelling place for the Divine in this lower world.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר בַּאֲרִיכוּת עַל מִשְׁנָה זוֹ, "עַל כָּרְחָךְ אַתָּה חַי" בְּעֶזְרַת חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

This is explained elsewhere at length (Torah Or 25b, 36c; Likkutei Torah, Lev. 48d) regarding this statement of the Mishna, "For against your will you live," with the help of the infinite source of life, blessed be He. "Against your will you live, and against your will you die" summarizes the vicissitudes of a life of divine service. "Running" is about the desire to reach God and not to live in this reality. It is yearning for God until the point of expiration. But then, when there is no more place to run, the soul discovers that God is here, not there. Thus ensues the movement that constitutes "returning." This dynamic is expressed in the prayers, specifically in Kedusha, where the myriad angels, the seraphim, ophanim, and holy ḥayot, together with the Jewish people below, declare, "Holy, holy, holy." All attempt to raise themselves, to reach God. Then comes the response: "The entire world is filled with His glory." They raise themselves higher and ask, "Where is the place of His glory?" The answer is "Blessed is the Lord's glory from His place." God is here, right now. This is the essence of Kedusha: the question and the answer, the "Holy" and the "Blessed." In the second section of the Tanya, Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna, the author of the Tanya explains the first verse of the Shema, "Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one," and the phrase that is said immediately afterward, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever." "The Lord is one," which expresses God's unity, signifies the annihilation of existence in the face of the Divine. "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever" heralds the return, reconsecration, and reevaluation of this world. It is for this reason that we say this phrase softly during the year. In our ordinary reality we are urged, and even required, to ascend. Moving downward is the natural state of our being, the direction in which our bodies pull us in this world, so we are encouraged always to ascend. On one day a year this is not the case, and then we say, "Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever," out loud and unabashedly. A person who can say after the race that he wants to return to the reality of this world, after he has refrained from eating and drinking, after he has conducted himself like the angels, does not need to be ashamed. The "returning" that follows the "running" justifies the existence of all the worlds, higher and lower.