Chapter 46

In this chapter the Alter Rebbe explains another straight path to love. Hashem (in addition to the one in the previous chapter), and he calls it a useful path for everyone, and it also involves a very easy method. Moreover, he calls it an absolutely real path that reaches the very depths of the heart.

What is this path about? If we look at ourselves in the water, we see that it works like a mirror. That is, just as when we look at ourselves in the water, we see our own face reflected, in the same way, when we love another person, that love is reflected in the other person's heart, thus awakening in that person love for us (this is written by King Solomon in his Proverbs).¹).

If this mirrored love works between two human beings, imagine how it would work between Hashem And us. To help us understand how this idea applies to Hashem, The Alter Rebbe gives an example: a king of flesh and blood, who shows his immense love for a simple, unfortunate person, thrown into a garbage dump. How does the king show his love? He descends from his glorious place with all his ministers and servants, and lifts this simple person from the garbage dump and takes him to his private chamber, the king's chamber, to a place where no one is allowed to enter, and approaches him, and embraces him, and kisses him, and unites himself with him completely.

How will that simple person feel? Surely the king's attitude will awaken in their heart an immense love for him, from the very depths of their being.

This same example applies to Hashem, who is the King of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. Let's analyze the example part by part: the greatness of Hashem It is immense (He is the king of the example), and there are many spiritual worlds (the rooms of the king's palace) and in each world there are many angels (the ministers and servants), who are constantly praising Him Hashem.

Despite having such a large number of angels at His service, Hashem He set all that aside and chose the Jewish people (the ordinary person), brought them out of Egypt (the garbage dump in the example), and gave them the Torah (He approached the simple person) so that they could study it (the kiss in the example). We already learned (in chapter 5) that when we study and know Torah, We unite our intellect and our will to the Intellect and Will of Hashem (the king who joined the simple person in the example), and we also learned (in chapter 4) that when we fulfill a Mitzvah, Hashem He embraces us (which is the idea of the king embracing the simple person).

In summary:

King	Hashem
glorious place	the spiritual worlds
ministers and servants	angels
simple person	the Jewish people
He took it out of the garbage.	He brought them out of Egypt
brought her closer	handed them the Torah
He hugged her	observance of Mitzvot
He kissed her	study of Torah
joined her	knowledge of Torah

After explaining every detail of the example, the Alter Rebbe says that this is the meaning of the blessing that is said before doing each Mitzvah. We say, “Blessed are You… who has sanctified us with His precepts.” “Sanctified” is the same Hebrew word used for a wedding (in Hebrew). kideshanu He was sanctified and Kiddushin (It is marriage). Just as a man marries a woman and unites with her, in the same way Hashem joins us through the observance of the Torah and the Mitzvot.

The Alter Rebbe further explains that this word “sanctified” (kideshanu) also means that Hashem He raised us up in holiness, made us a holy people, set apart from the rest of the peoples of the earth. Moreover, He made us holy just as He Himself is holy. Through fulfilling a Mitzvah or study Torah, we join Hashem and we become as holy as He. Even more, Hashem He becomes like our personal “God,” like the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Just as they, through their merits, joined Hashem And He became their God, and we, with our Mitzvot, we join Hashem and He becomes “our God”.

That is why our wise men said² that it is an obligation to stand up in front of someone who is fulfilling a Mitzvah even though he is a simple person, who doesn't know about Torah, due to the presence of Hashem within that person while fulfilling the Mitzvah.

Up to this point, the Alter Rebbe explained this straight path to having love for Hashem revealed in the heart. But, after considering what has been mentioned so far, it may be that we still do not feel that burning and excitement in the heart that the Alter Rebbe describes. This may occur because we have not yet sufficiently refined our Animal Body and Soul like the patriarchs, and, automatically, the Animal Body and Soul continue to conceal the presence of Hashem to the Divine Soul. Then, it might seem to us that it is useless to think that Hashem He is with us, and he pulled us out of the garbage dump and embraces us with every Mitzvah and kisses us with the studio of Torah, Because in reality, either way, we don't feel love for Him.

To resolve this problem, the Alter Rebbe quotes a verse³ From the psalms, where the psalmist says: “And I am a fool and do not know; [I am like] animals with you, and I am always with you.” And he explains it this way: even though we are like an animal, which does not know or feel the presence of Hashem so as to feel fear and love for Him, yet “I am always with you,” because the body cannot prevent the union of the soul with Hashem, It only prevents us from feeling and being aware of that connection. In other words, when we fulfill a Mitzvah or we study Torah, we are together with Hashem, even if we don't realize it.

With this idea, the Alter Rebbe explains, we will understand a complex matter. The punishments for transgressing the Torah They apply to all Jews equally, whether one is Righteous (tzadikor a simple, ignorant person. But apparently, it's unfair. How Hashem Can God punish someone who knows and understands the gravity of what they are doing (a Righteous person) in the same way as someone who does not know and understand (an ignorant person)? And the answer is that the difference between the Righteous person and the ignorant person is that the Righteous person feels the sanctity of a Mitzvah, While the ignorant person does not. But even though the ignorant person does not feel the sanctity of what they are doing, they are still doing something holy. And when they transgress the Torah, is disrespecting the sanctity of Hashem within that Mitzvah. That is why he is punished in the same way as a Righteous Man.

The Alter Rebbe ends this chapter with a clarification. The verse from the psalms uses the word “animals” to indicate that we do not feel and do not know Hashem. But the word is plural, as if to indicate that there are several types of animals that neither feel nor know. Hashem. Even in the highest spiritual realms, the very essence of Hashem. They too are like animals facing Hashem.