Tanya: Chapter 17 - Part 1

The verse states that it is easy for one to fulfill Torah and mitzvot with all three “garments” of the soul—thought, speech, and action. The words “with your mouth” refer to speech, “with your heart”—to thought, and “that you may do it” refers to action. In a deeper sense, however, “your heart” refers not only to the power of thought but also to the heart as the seat of the emotions—love, fear, and so on. The verse is telling us, then, that it is within easy reach of every Jew to fulfill the mitzvot with a feeling of awe and love of G‑d. Concerning this, the Alter Rebbe poses the question:

And as is written in The Duties of the Heart,4 “Desires for worldly pleasures are unable to dwell in the heart together with a love of G‑d.” In order to attain a love of G‑d, therefore, it is necessary for one to change his nature from one extreme to the other—by no means an easy matter!

This indicates, as the Rebbe points out, that even in Moses’ generation (and surely in subsequent generations), it was no simple matter to acquire a fear of G‑d.

This latter quotation intensifies the question, as the Rebbe points out. Not only is it not “very near” to us to achieve a love of G‑d, but on the contrary, it is possible only for tzaddikim, who are a minority. Surely the Torah does not address only tzaddikim; how, then, can it state that a love of G‑d is very near to us, indicating that our heart is in our control, that we can divert it from mundane desires to a love of G‑d?

The author thus interprets the words “that you may do it” as a qualification of the earlier phrase “for this thing is near to you…with your heart.” What is “near to you with your heart” (i.e., what sort of love is easily attainable)? That love which pertains to action (“that you may do it”).

Thereby, we may also understand the order of the words in the verse. The words “in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” refer to the three “soul-garments” of thought, speech, and action, as we have observed earlier. However, the order in which they are listed in the verse is difficult to understand, for it seems to be neither an ascending order (action, speech, thought) nor a descending order (thought, speech, action). Why is the middle faculty, speech, put first, followed by thought (“in your heart”), and then action (“that you may do it”)? However, according to the interpretation of the words “that you may do it” given here, this is readily understood. These words follow immediately after the words “in your heart,” for they serve to explain and to qualify them: the love of which the verse speaks here (“in your heart”) is that which leads to action (“that you may do it”).

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.”

Returning now to his original point, that the wicked cannot begin serving G‑d with love and fear before repenting their sins, the Alter Rebbe says:

Teshuvah (repentance), spelled תְּשׁוּבָה, forms the words “returning the hey”; this implies that repentance “returns” the hey of the Divine Name, Havayah (yud-hey-vav-hey), to its proper place. The higher category of teshuvah returns the “higher” (the first) hey to the yud preceding it, while the lower form of teshuvah returns the “lower” hey to the vav preceding it. The teshuvah mentioned earlier as a prerequisite for a love and fear of G‑d is of the lower category.

A captive not only lacks the freedom to act as he wishes but is also forced to carry out the wishes of his captor. The Divine spark within the soul, however, although in exile, is still not in captivity. It has merely lost its ability to affect the person with its G‑dly vitality.

Only when he repents and thereby frees the Shechinah from exile, allowing the Divine spark within him to affect his soul and body, may he begin to serve G‑d with love and fear.

In summary: It is indeed “very near” to us to love and fear G‑d, for we are able to create at least an “intellectual emotion” by means of our mind, which is under our control, even if our heart is not. However, this does not apply to the rasha, who is a slave to the desires of his animal soul and must repent before beginning to serve G‑d with love and fear.