Daily Tanya

The Alter Rebbe’s point is that the main objective in the commandment to love G-d lies not in the love itself but in the practical and wholehearted fulfillment of the commandments that is motivated by this love, for the main thing in this world is action.

Hence, the true love of G-d, which is in itself a partial reward for one’s serving Him, is not as important in this life as the actual performance of the mitzvot, which can be generated even by a love which remains hidden in the mind and heart. This, then, is the love referred to in the verse, “For this thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it”—a love which, though it may not find overt expression in the heart, is yet sufficient to motivate the performance of the mitzvot and within reach of every Jew.

How does this love motivate one to perform the commandments? This the Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain:

Hence, by having—in his mind, at least—a love of G-d and a desire to fulfill the mitzvot, one can utilize the natural mastery of the mind to overcome the desires of his heart and to motivate his mouth and other bodily organs to study Torah and fulfill its commandments. We thus see that this can be done even by one whose heart is not under his control, as is a tzaddik’s.

This also resolves an apparent contradiction. The statement “tzaddikim have control over their heart” indicates that anyone of a lesser rank, including a beinoni, is not in control of his heart, while the statement that only the wicked are “under the control of their heart” implies that anyone outside the category of rasha—even a beinoni—is in control of his heart. Where, then, does the beinoni actually stand? The previous discussion of the mastery of mind over heart explains this point. There are actually not two alternatives—of either being in control of one’s heart or controlled by it—but three. The tzaddik controls his heart. He can arouse a love of G-d in his heart, directly, without resorting to his mind as a medium of influence. The rasha, on the other hand, not only does not control his heart but is controlled by it. The beinoni, although not in control of his heart, as is a tzaddik, rules his heart by way of his mind, which is under his control. To a certain extent, then, i.e., as regards the practical effect of his heart on his thought, speech, and action, the beinoni does in fact control his heart. Therefore, the Alter Rebbe says of the rasha, “his heart is not under his control at all,” emphasizing that he is unable to influence his heart even by means of his mind.

The author previously stated that the ability of the mind to master the heart is natural and inherent in the mind. Why, then, do the wicked (resha’im) lack this capacity? He answers:

However, this raises another question: If they have in fact lost the ability to master their heart, how can it be “very near” to them to observe the mitzvot “with their heart”? In answer, the author states:

When speaking of the sacrifices and the laws pertaining to them, the Torah mentions only the Divine Name Havayah (as in the oft-repeated phrase describing the sacrifices: “an appealing fragrance to G-d (Havayah)”). No mention is made of a sacrifice to the Divine Name, Elokim. What, asks the Zohar, does constitute a sacrifice to that Name? The Zohar interprets the previously quoted verse as answering this question. “The sacrifice to Elokim is a broken spirit” (i.e., breaking the spirit of the sitra achara, and this is accomplished by means of) “a broken and contrite heart.”