In the beinoni, this desire of the divine soul in the brain—that it alone pervade his thought, speech, and action and hence his entire body—controls the lustful desires which the animal soul arouses in his heart. Moreover, it prevents their actual expression because of the natural supremacy of mind over heart and of holiness over evil.

But if the divine soul of the beinoni indeed dominates his every area of practical expression, alone dictating his every thought, word, and deed, why is he not considered a tzaddik?

The Alter Rebbe explains:

Nevertheless, he is not deemed a tzaddik at all,

וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינוֹ נִקְרָא "צַדִּיק" כְּלָל,

for this dominance that the light of the divine soul has over the darkness and folly of the kelipah of the animal soul, which is automatically dispelled,

מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיִּתְרוֹן הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר לְאוֹר נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית עַל הַחוֹשֶׁךְ וְסִכְלוּת שֶׁל הַקְּלִיפָּה הַנִּדְחֶה מִמֵּילָא –

is limited to the divine soul’s aforementioned three garments—only in thought, speech, and action does the divine soul of the beinoni dominate his animal soul,

אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה לְבוּשֶׁיהָ הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל,

but the essence and core of the divine soul does not dominate the essence and core of the [animal soul deriving from the] kelipah.

וְלֹא בְּמַהוּתָהּ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ עַל מַהוּתָהּ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ שֶׁל הַקְּלִיפָּה,

For in the beinoni, the essence and core of the animal soul originating in kelipah, which is lodged in the left part of the heart, remains undisturbed (not displaced by the divine soul)

כִּי מַהוּתָהּ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ שֶׁל נֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית שֶׁמֵּהַקְּלִיפָּה שֶׁבֶּחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי – לֹא נִדְחָה כְּלָל מִמְּקוֹמוֹ בַּבֵּינוֹנִי

after prayer, when the burning love of G-d is no longer in a revealed state in the right part of his heart, as it was during prayer, when the love glowed openly and was palpably felt there;

אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁאֵין רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ אַהֲבַת ה' בְּהִתְגַּלּוּת לִבּוֹ בֶּחָלָל הַיְמָנִי,

rather, the love is (after prayer) only on the inside—his heart is inlaid with hidden love, meaning that love which is natural to the divine soul, not the revealed love born of meditation that the beinoni experiences during the prayer, but a natural, hidden love of G-d, as will be discussed further in ch. 18—that in the heart of every Jew lies hidden a natural love of G-d.

כִּי אִם תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף "אַהֲבָה מְסוּתֶּרֶת", שֶׁהִיא אַהֲבָה הַטִּבְעִית שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן.

Then after prayer, when the love of G-d is no longer revealed in the heart of the beinoni, it is possible for the folly of the “wicked fool” (i.e., the animal soul) to reveal itself in the left part of the heart,

וַאֲזַי, יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת סִכְלוּת הַכְּסִיל הָרָע בְּהִתְגַּלּוּת לִבּוֹ בֶּחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי,

craving all physical matters of this world, whether permitted (except that they should be desired and used as means of serving G-d, whereas at this time, the beinoni craves them for their own sake for the pleasure they provide) or whether prohibited, G-d forbid,

לְהִתְאַוֹּת תַּאֲוָה לְכָל עִנְיְינֵי גַּשְׁמִיּוּת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה, בֵּין בְּהֶיתֵּר בֵּין בְּאִיסּוּר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם,

as though he had never prayed.

כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הִתְפַּלֵּל כְּלָל.

[His craving is limited] only [in that] in the case of [a craving for] a prohibited matter, it does not enter his mind to transgress in actual practice, G-d forbid.

אֶלָּא שֶׁבִּדְבַר אִיסּוּר אֵינוֹ עוֹלֶה בְּדַעְתּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת הָאִיסּוּר בְּפוֹעַל מַמָּשׁ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם,

But thoughts of sin, which are in certain respects (as explained in the previous chapter) “more heinous than actual sin,” can manage to rise to his mind and to distract him from Torah and divine service,

אֶלָּא הִרְהוּרֵי עֲבֵירָה הַקָּשִׁים מֵעֲבֵירָה יְכוֹלִים לִפְעוֹל לַעֲלוֹת לְמוֹחוֹ וּלְבַלְבְּלוֹ מִתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדָה,

as our Sages say, “There are three sins so difficult to avoid that no man is safe from [transgressing] daily:

וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: "ג' עֲבֵירוֹת אֵין אָדָם נִיצּוֹל מֵהֶן בְּכָל יוֹם,

thoughts of sin, [lack of] concentration in prayer…[and slanderous gossip]”9; thus, the beinoni is included in the generalization that “no man” avoids thoughts of sin.

הִרְהוּר עֲבֵירָה וְעִיּוּן תְּפִלָּה כוּ'".