Now, this aforementioned love attained by beinonim at the time of prayer by virtue of the temporary preponderance of the divine soul over the animal soul, etc.,
וְהִנֵּה, מִדַּת אַהֲבָה זוֹ, הָאֲמוּרָה בְּבֵינוֹנִים, בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, עַל יְדֵי הִתְגַּבְּרוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית כוּ',
when compared to the standard of the tzaddikim who serve G-d in perfect truth (“in the truest manner of truth”), [this love] is not called “true service” at all,
הִנֵּה לְגַבֵּי מַדְרֵגַת הַצַּדִּיקִים עוֹבְדֵי ה' בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ, אֵין בְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה זוֹ נִקְרֵאת בְּשֵׁם "עֲבוֹדַת אֱמֶת" כְּלָל,
since it passes and disappears after prayer,
מֵאַחַר שֶׁחוֹלֶפֶת וְעוֹבֶרֶת אַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה,
whereas it is written, “The language (lit., ‘the lip’) of truth shall be established forever, but the tongue of falsehood is only momentary.”12
וּכְתִיב: "שְׂפַת אֱמֶת תִּכּוֹן לָעַד, וְעַד אַרְגִּיעָה לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר".
Thus, the term “truth” refers to something immutable; the temporary and passing are not considered “true.” The same applies here as well: Since the beinoni’s love of G-d is felt only during prayer and disappears afterward, it does not measure up to the “truest” sense of truth—the perfect truth attained by tzaddikim.
Nevertheless, in relation to the rank of the beinoni, [this level of love] is regarded as a truly perfect service in terms of their level of truth, i.e., the level of beinonim,
וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן, לְגַבֵּי מַדְרֵגַת הַבֵּינוֹנִים – נִקְרֵאת "עֲבוֹדָה תַמָּה" בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ שֶׁלָּהֶם,
in each man relative to his standing in the category of the beinonim (for, as mentioned earlier, the rank of beinoni is subdivided into many levels).
אִישׁ אִישׁ כְּפִי מַדְרֵגָתוֹ בְּמַדְרֵגַת הַבֵּינוֹנִים,
Their love, too, which they possess [only] during prayer, I term, “The language of truth [which] shall be established forever,” i.e., their love is true and permanent, though manifest only during prayer,
וַהֲרֵינִי קוֹרֵא בְּאַהֲבָתָם שֶׁבִּתְפִלָּתָם גַּם כֵּן "שְׂפַת אֱמֶת תִּכּוֹן לָעַד",
since their divine soul has the power to reawaken this love constantly, whenever it gathers strength during prayer, day after day,
הוֹאִיל וּבְכֹחַ נַפְשָׁם הָאֱלֹהִית לַחֲזוֹר וּלְעוֹרֵר בְּחִינַת אַהֲבָה זוֹ לְעוֹלָם, בְּהִתְגַּבְּרוּתָהּ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה מִדֵּי יוֹם בְּיוֹם,
by means of the spiritual preparation appropriate to each soul’s quality and rank. The higher the level of the soul, the less preparation it requires to awaken its love of G-d. Regardless, every soul has the capacity to arouse its love of G-d during prayer.
עַל יְדֵי הֲכָנָה הָרְאוּיָה לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ כְּפִי עֶרְכָּהּ וּמַדְרֵגָתָהּ.
The beinoni’s love of G-d is thus constant, since it is either in an active, revealed state or is in potentia and can be revealed at any moment throughout the day (for, as mentioned earlier, every beinoni has the potential to attain the level of “praying the whole day long”).
One difficulty yet remains: How is it possible for the same level of service to be considered untrue by the standards of tzaddikim and true with regard to beinonim? Is truth not absolute?
This matter is now explained as follows:
The quality of truth is to be found on every level. In each, truth means the essence and core of that level, i.e., truth is defined as that which agrees with the essence of that particular level where it is measured.
Since this is so in all the myriad levels of the spiritual worlds, from the very highest to the very lowest, and since the lowest levels are incomparable to the highest, how can it be said that the lower grades possess truth? We must say, therefore, that the term “truth” is relative to the level on which it is found, that each grade has its own core of truth. Things are true if they agree with [the essence of] their own level and untrue if they do not; they need not agree with a higher level to be considered “true.”
In the Alter Rebbe’s words:
Truth is the attribute of Jacob, as the verse states: “You give truth to Jacob,”13 who is called14 “the middle bolt which secures everything from end to end,”15 just as the middle bolt in the Tabernacle secured and bolted together all the boards by passing through them all.
כִּי הִנֵּה, מִדַּת אֱמֶת הִיא מִדָּתוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב, הַנִּקְרָא: "בְּרִיחַ הַתִּיכוֹן הַמַּבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה" –
In spiritual terms, this means that the attribute of truth passes from the highest gradations and levels to the end (i.e., lowest) of all grades.
מֵרוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת עַד סוֹף כָּל דַּרְגִּין,
In each gradation and level, it passes through the central point of that particular level,
וּבְכָל מַעֲלָה וּמַדְרֵגָה מַבְרִיחַ תּוֹךְ נְקוּדָּה הָאֶמְצָעִית,
which is, i.e., which then becomes the point and quality (i.e., the standard) of [that level’s] attribute of truth.
שֶׁהִיא נְקוּדַּת וּבְחִינַת מִדַּת אֱמֶת שֶׁלָּהּ.
Proof is now given that each grade has its own standard of truth, as it were:
The attribute of truth is an unbounded inheritance; it has no upper limit [as it extends] to the highest levels,
וּמִדַּת אֱמֶת הִיא "נַחֲלָה בְּלִי מְצָרִים", וְאֵין לָהּ שִׁיעוּר לְמַעְלָה עַד רוּם הַמַּעֲלוֹת,
and all lower gradations and levels are as nothing compared with those superior to them.
וְכָל מַעֲלוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת שֶׁלְּמַטָּה, הֵם כְּאַיִן לְגַבֵּי מַעֲלוֹת וּמַדְרֵגוֹת שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהֶן
If, then, truth is found on all levels despite their disparity, we must conclude that the standard of truth on each level is relative to the core of that level.
In support for his statement that the lower levels and grades are incomparable to the higher ones, the Alter Rebbe cites:
As is known to the students of the Kabbalah, the quality that is the “head and intellect”—the highest level—within lower grades is inferior to the “soles” and “feet”—the very lowest level—within the higher grades,
[כַּיָּדוּעַ לְיוֹדְעֵי חֵן, שֶׁבְּחִינַת רֹאשׁ וּמוֹחִין שֶׁל מַדְרֵגוֹת תַּחְתּוֹנוֹת הֵן לְמַטָּה מִבְּחִינַת עֲקֵבַיִים וְרַגְלֵי מַדְרֵגוֹת עֶלְיוֹנוֹת מֵהֶן,
as our Sages say, “The feet of the chayyot surpass all those levels lower than them, including the highest degree within those lower levels.”16)
וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: "רַגְלֵי הַחַיּוֹת כְּנֶגֶד כּוּלָּן"]:
The attribute of truth, then, is measured according to the standards of each level. We may thus conclude that the divine service of beinonim is considered “true” service relative to their level, although when compared with the service of tzaddikim, it is not considered “true,” since it passes after prayer.
The Alter Rebbe goes on to explain that nevertheless, the beinoni’s love—relative to his standing—is considered a true form of service.