The Rebbe Rashab illustrates the concept of unity amidst diversity by explaining the oneness that characterizes the soul and its powers. Although the soul comprises many different and even conflicting potentials, however, since they all emerge from the same core and are filtered through the influence of the mind, all of those soul-powers function together as one, with shared purpose.
This concept is exemplified through the interrelation of the powers of Chochmah and Binah. Chochmah and Binah reflect opposing intellectual thrusts: Chochmah involves the abstract conception of an idea; in that experience, one becomes absorbed in that idea to the point that his sense of self is obscured. Binah, by contrast, internalizes a concept within oneself; it seeks to define the concept, component by component, in the terms of one’s existing intellectual framework. Nevertheless, despite this fundamental difference in nature, Chochmah and Binah function in tandem, interrelating with each other and complementing one another.
These explanations lay the backdrop for the fundamental premise of the maamar — further developed in later chapters — that differences between people need not be a cause for discord. Indeed, with a balanced mindset, it is precisely when each individual develops his own unique potential that people can complement one another, and join hands as a united community.
