Tanya for 18 Nisan

He should also reflect how the light of the blessed Ein Sof, which encompasses all worlds and pervades all worlds, and which is identical with the Higher Will, is clothed in the letters and wisdom of the Torah.

[Previous chapters have stated that G-d's Will is the source of the life-force that animates all worlds in both a transcendental and an indwelling mode.

(The light of the blessed Ein Sof is clothed) in the very letters of Torah that the person utters and in the Torah wisdom that he comprehends, G-d's Will is to be found.

As explained in chapter 4, the Divine Will clothed itself in the ink and parchment of the Torah scroll, and similarly clothed itself in the wisdom of Torah.

Thus, when the wisdom of the Torah determines that a certain object is either kosher or invalid, it is expressing the Divine Will.

Accordingly, before a person commences his Torah study, he should ponder on how the Ein Sof-light - the Divine Will - is vested in the letters and wisdom of the Torah he is now about to study], or, [if his meditation takes place before he puts on his tallit and tefillin, he should contemplate how the Divine Will is clothed] in these tzitzit and tefillin, [it being G-d's Will that a Jew wear them], and through his recitation [or study of the Torah], or by his wearing [tzitzit and tefillin], he draws upon himself His blessed light, that is, over the "part of G-d above" - [his soul] - which abides in his body, [and animates it.

This he does with the intent] that it may be absorbed and nullified in His blessed light.

[The individual's intent, then, is that the aforementioned study and performance have an effect on his soul.

In particular, as will soon be explained, the intellectual and emotional faculties of the soul are affected by tefillin].

Specifically, through tefillin, [he should intend that] the attributes of wisdom and understanding which are in his divine soul should be nullified and absorbed into the attributes of wisdom and understanding of the blessed Ein Sof, these being clothed, in particular, in the passages of Kadesh and Vehayah ki yeviacha. (4)

[In these passages, both of which are found in the tefillin, G-d's wisdom (Chochmah) and understanding (Binah) are enclothed, wisdom in the former and understanding in the latter.

By putting on tefillin, the individual's wisdom and understanding are absorbed in G-d's. How does this find expression]?

That is to say, that he should use the wisdom and understanding that are in his soul, for G-d alone - [only in pursuit of Torah and mitzvot, and for understanding G-dliness].

Similarly, [he should intend that] the attribute of Daat [the third of the three components of seichel] in his soul, which includes both the Chesed [kindness] and Gevurah [severity], i.e., fear and love, in his heart, be nullified and absorbed into the attribute of the Higher Knowledge.

[The attribute of Daat comprises kindness and severity insofar as these attributes exist on an intellectual level.

Moreover, as is explained at the end of chapter 3, the profound and involved meditation that characterizes the level of Daat actually creates love and fear, insofar as they exist independently on an emotional level.

This faculty of Daat, then, should - be nullified and absorbed into the attribute of the Higher Knowledge] - Daat HaElyon, - which comprises kindness and severity, and which is clothed in the passage of Shema and Vehayah Im Shamoa.

This accords with the statement of the Shulchan Aruch, (5) [that while putting on the tefillin one should intend] "to make one's heart and brain subservient to G-d."

[In this way, then, the divine soul as a whole, and its intellective and emotive faculties in particular, are affected by one's wearing tefillin].

And while putting on the tzitzit one should bear in mind what is written in the Zohar, namely, that he should draw upon himself His blessed Kingdom, which is the Kingdom over all worlds; [nevertheless, (6) we should intend and endeavor] to focus [G-d's Kingdom] specifically over ourselves, through this mitzvah - [for the commandment of tzitzit is peculiarly effective in enhancing one's acceptance of the yoke of heaven].

This is similar to [the commandment]: "You shall surely set a king over yourself." (7)

[The Rebbe Shlita notes: The verse implies (8) that before one set a king over himself he had no king, and it is he who now sets the king over himself].

In such a case, [i.e., having contemplated this matter], then: even though after all this [meditation] no fear or dread descends upon him in a manifest manner in his heart, nevertheless, since he accepts the Kingdom of Heaven upon himself, and draws upon himself the fear of Him in his conscious thought and rational volition, and this submission [to G-d and his fear of Him] is beyond doubt a sincere one - for it is the nature of all Jewish souls not to rebel against the blessed Holy King - then the Torah he studies or the commandment he performs because of his submission to the heavenly yoke and because of the fear that he has drawn into his mind, are termed "complete service," [of the kind that can result only from a fear of G-d, as the Alter Rebbe soon goes on to say], like all service [performed] by a slave for his master or king, [which is, of course, prompted by fear and awe.

All this can be accomplished by arousing - even if only in his mind - at least a minimal level of fear, and utilizing it in the study of Torah and the performance of the commandments].

On the other hand, if one studies [Torah] and performs a commandment with love alone, in order to cleave to Him through [the study of] His Torah and [the performance of] His commandments, then this is not termed "service of a servant," whereas the Torah has declared: (9) "You shall serve (vaavadetem) the L-rd your G-d...."

[This verb is cognate with the noun eved (servant or slave), and signifies service motivated by the fear and awe of G-d; and it is likewise written]: (10) "Him shall you serve (taavodu)...."

As explained in the Zohar (Parshat Behar): "Just like the ox on which one first places a yoke in order to make it useful to the world,...so too must a human being first of all submit to the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,... and only then engage in divine service; and if this [submission] is not found in him, holiness cannot rest within him...."

And (in Ra'aya Mehemna, ibid., 111b) it is written that every man must [in his divine service] belong to two categories and levels, namely, the category of a servant, [who serves his master out of fear], and the category of a son, who serves his father out of love.

And although one may find a son who is also a servant, it is impossible to attain to this degree without the prerequisite of [the higher level] of fear and awe known as yirah ila'ah, as is known to the initiated.

[It is clear from all the above that even if one loves G-d, but lacks a fear of Him, his spiritual labors will not be of the kind that the Torah calls avodah, divine service. And should he fail in his attempts at awakening a fear of G-d in his heart, he should at least arouse a feeling of fear and awe in his mind].

4. "As explained at length in the discourses on tefillin in Pri Etz Chayim; Siddur (edition with chassidic discourses); Imrei Binah; etc." (- Comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)
5. Orach Chayim 25:5.
6. "As explained at the beginning of the chapter." (-Comment by the Rebbe Shlita.)
7. Devarim 17:15.
8. See Likkutei Torah, Masei 90d.
9. Shmot 23:25.
10. Devarim 13:5.