Chapter 16

In this chapter the Alter Rebbe mentions two fundamental rules for every “intermediate Man”.

1) The brain rules the heart.

The main thing is to control the heart through the brain. This is done by arousing fear of Hashem to fulfill all the Mitzvot prohibitive and love to Hashem to fulfill the Mitzvot positive. This is achieved by thinking about the greatness of Hashem. Put simply, this means having control of the "clothing" of the soul (thought, word, and action) at all times.

However, not everyone comes to feel love for Hashem. Feeling love is like when your heart beats faster because you're excited, for example, because you're about to receive a very special gift you've been waiting for. You think about the gift so much that, just before receiving it, you're very eager to hold it in your hands and enjoy it. The "Middle Man" should feel the same way after thinking a lot about Hashem. But not everyone manages to feel that love… so, the Alter Rebbe gives the second rule:

2) The “Thought of the heart”.

It's like thinking about how we should feel about Hashem. Even if we cannot awaken a feeling of fear and love to Hashem In our hearts, we can, at least, think about Hashem. For example, we can think about how incredibly great and powerful He is, and all of creation is insignificant compared to Him; therefore, if we were to desire anything, it should be HashemThe greatest thing there is! Or we can think that Hashem gave us the Torah and the Mitzvot Because He loves us very much and wants us to be close to Him.

Therefore, it is correct and appropriate to embrace Hashem fulfilling His Mitzvot and studying Torah. Although there is no feeling of love in the heart, this thought is a kind of love for Hashem, because it inspires the "Average Man" to fulfill Mitzvot, just like love for Hashem revealed and felt in the heart. This level of love to Hashem It is called the “Thought of the Heart” (tvuná), it is a love that is thought about, not felt.

The Alter Rebbe explains that the Mitzvot They are like doves that fly. A dove, in order to fly, needs wings. The dove represents the action of Mitzvah, like getting tefillin, For example, the wings of the dove represent the feelings of love and fear. Hashem which led us to do the Mitzvah.

When the “Middle Man” makes a Mitzvah with love and fear sense in the heart, the Mitzvah fly and climb up to Hashem. The Alter Rebbe explains that even if the Mitzvah It was made with love and fear thought, He also rises, because that thought was what motivated the "Average Man" to fulfill the Mitzvah.

But there's a problem: the Alter Rebbe already explained in chapters 3 and 4 that there is an order to the soul and its "garments." First comes thought in the brain, then feeling in the heart, and later, action. This means that every thought, to become action, must pass through feeling in the heart. Thoughts in the brain are not as "close" to action as feeling. That is, the brain is not directly connected to action; the heart is in between. So, no matter how much we think about how appropriate it is to serve Hashem, How does that thought lead us to fulfill it? Mitzvot with enthusiasm even without feeling love to Hashem in the heart?

In other words, the Alter Rebbe is saying that the “Thought of the Heart” functions like an emotion in the heart, to become “wings of the dove,” that is, to elevate the Mitzvah a Hashem, as if that Mitzvah It would have been made with love and fear of Hashem True feelings are those that arise from the heart, but the brain (where "Heart's Thought" resides) is far removed from action... Feelings are what drive us to do something with enthusiasm, not thoughts!

To solve this problem, the Alter Rebbe quotes what our sages say¹"a good thought," which refers to love for Hashem of the “Heartfelt Thought” type,“Hashem links it to the action” of the Mitzvot. That's why the Mitzvot made with love to Hashem "Heart-based" types also rise.

This level of love to Hashem It's called a "good thought" because it's not love and fear of Hashem senses in the heart, but only thought. In reality, this “good thinking” helps to elevate the Mitzvot higher than they would rise on their own. The Alter Rebbe says that every Jew has a “hidden love” for Hashem in her soul (explained from chapter 18 onwards). That “hidden love” also makes the Mitzvot, but lower.