אגרת הקודש

EIGHTEEN. It is written: “How fair and how pleasant are you, ahavah betaanugim.”1Song of Songs 7:7.

There are two kinds of love.2Zohar I:12a. See also above, Epistle 6 (notes 24 ff.) and end of Epistle 15. One is ahavah betaanugim (love with delights), meaning that one is in a state of wondrous delight over G–d, with a great and immense joy [the joy of the soul and its yearning as it discerns that the L–rd is good3Par. Psalms 34:9. and delightful as wondrously sweet delights]. It is truly in the mode of the World to Come where “they take delight….”4Berachot 17a; Maimonides, Hilchot Teshuvah, ch. 8.

And of this it is written:5Psalms 97:12. “Rejoice, tzaddikim,6The righteous [in the sense of saints] (see Likkutei Amarim, Part I, for the meaning of this term, esp. chs. 1, 10, 14, 35). in the L–rd,” and not everyone merits this.7It is the love attained by the tzaddikim only.—See Chovot Halevovot, Shaar Ahavat Hashem, ch. 4; Likkutei Amarim, Author’s Introduction to Part II. This is the rank the sacred Zohar8See Zohar III:39a; ibid., 88b and 177b, in the light of Zohar II:25b. Cf. also Zohar II:57a, and see Sefer Hamaamarim 5710, pp. 4 ff. and 54 ff. refers to as ka-hana bi’reuta deliba,9(The service of) the priest is with the devotion of the heart. and of which it is said:10Numbers 18:7. “A service of gift…11I.e., a service (avodah) which comes by way of a gift. See comment. of Rashi and Nachmanides, ad loc. See Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 14. and the stranger that comes close….”12Priesthood symbolizes the level of special proximity to and love of G–d (cf. Sifrei, Numbers, sect. 119), and an elevated position of sanctity (see Maharal, Derech Chaim, on Avot 4:13), thus the state of ahavah rabbah, or ahavah betaanugim, which follows as a Divine gift and reward to the tzaddikim that are on this level. For there is no way to attain it by human efforts as (there is with) the awe (of G–d), of which it is asked “Did you labor with awe?” and “Woe to the person who did not labor with awe,” as mentioned in Reishit Chochmah. Of awe is also written13Proverbs 2:4; cf. Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 42.—“If you will seek it as silver…”; this shows that it requires a great and immense exertion, as when one searches for fortunes.

But this great love [14Brackets appear in the text.the ahavah betaanugim] comes to man by itself, from above, without him preparing and attuning himself for it; rather, only after he has exerted himself in yirat haromemut 15Awe and bashfulness before the Majesty of G–d (as contrasted with the lower level of the dread of the punishment of G–d; see ref. cited above, note 2); cf. Zohar I:11b; Maimonides, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 11:2 and 4:12; Ikkarim 3:32. and has attained the maximum he is able to attain of that according to the level of his soul, then, of itself, the ahavah betaanugim comes from above to dwell and to become united with the yirah.16See Chovot Halevovot, Shaar Ahavat Hashem, Intro., ch. 3, and end of ch. 4. For “It is the way of man to go…,”17The way of a man [i.e., love; according to Psalms 98:3: זכר חסדו—reading זכר (male) for זכר (remembered)] to search for a woman [i.e., fear, awe; according to Proverbs 31:30: אשה יראת ה’; cf. Zohar III:27a].—Kiddushin 2b; see next note.—Love, thus, comes where awe is to be found already. Cf. Zohar III:145a-b. as explained in Likkutei Amarim.18Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 43. See also Likkutei Torah, Va’etchanan 7d; Siddur Im Dach 188a.

The second (type)19The inferior type: ahavah zuta. is a love and desire that the soul desires, loves, and wishes to cleave to the L–rd, “to be bound up in the bundle of life.”20I Samuel 25:29. See Likkutei Torah, Shelach 51d (and references, ad loc.); below, Epistle 29. The proximity to G–d is very dear to her, and that is what she desires.21Par. Psalms 73:28 and Isaiah 58:2. It is most grievous for her to become, Heaven forfend, removed from Him, blessed be He, by having an iron partition of the chitzonim22Forces of evil. The chitzonim, brought about by sin, separate man from G–d; see Isaiah 59:2; Zohar II:116b and Tikkunei Zohar 69 (108b). Cf. Sefer Habahir 58 (196). separating, Heaven forfend.

This love is latent in the heart of all Israel, even in the wicked ones, and from it derives their remorse.23Referring to “the wicked are full of remorse” (Shevet Mussar, ch. 25; cf. Nedarim 9b); see Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 11.

Though, because it is latent and concealed, in a state of exile in the body, it is possible for the kelipah24The realm of evil (cf. below, Epistle 25, note 39). to dominate over it; and that is the “spirit of folly” which causes man to sin.25See Sotah 3a.

Therefore man’s service to his Maker needs to be in strengthening himself and to prevail over the kelipah by all means. That is, first to expel it completely from the body—from the (faculties of) thought, speech, and action that are in the brain,26Seat of thought. tongue,27Seat of speech. and the 248 organs.28Seat of action. After that he will also be able to “bring out the captive from prison”29Isaiah 42:7—I.e., this love, from the dominion of the kelipah. with a strong hand. That is, “his heart is strong and steadfast among the valiant,”30Amos 2:16; cf. commentaries by R. Abraham Ibn Ezra and R. David Kimchi, ad loc. so that the love will become revealed in a state of great manifestation in all the powers of the parts of the soul in his body, i.e., mainly in the mind and in the (faculty of) thought of the brain, so that corresponding to its intellect and understanding the mind will constantly think and contemplate on the Creator, Blessed be He, how He is the Fountainhead of life31Lit., the Life of life—(cf. above, Epistle 17, note 4). in general, and of the life of his soul in particular.

Consequently, he will yearn and desire to become attached to Him, and near to Him, by an intrinsic yearning as that of a child that yearns to be constantly near his father, and as fire which by its very nature always rises upward to its source. And the more he continues to set his mind on this yearning, this yearning becomes correspondingly stronger and will extend even to his mouth and all his organs—to occupy himself with Torah and the commandments in order to truly cleave, through them, to G–d, for “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are entirely one.”32Zohar II:90b; see also ibid., 60a and Kitzurim V’Hearot, p. 104 f. Cf. Likkutei Amarim, Part I, ch. 23.

Of this yearning, as it is in a state of great manifestation, it is written: “My soul thirsts…,”33Psalms 42:3. See Hilchot Talmud Torah 4:6. like a person who thirsts for water, and, as yet, has no delight whatsoever.34The thirst is so overpowering that he is unable to delight in anything.

Also, of this yearning and of this love concealed in us we pray to G–d to aid us in bringing it out from imprisonment, and that the heart be full of it alone; and that its “rival-wife,” i.e., the mundane desires, do not enter its house.35See Likkutei Torah, Teitzei 37d ff. for this homily of the “two wives” as corresponding to the divine and the natural souls. Rather, (this yearning and love) be the mistress of the house, to rule over her “rival-wife” and to expel her at least from one’s thought, speech, and action. Though one cannot expel her altogether from one’s heart, she should at least be hidden, in a state of exile and servitude to the mistress of the house, her mistress to make use of her for her own essentials only, as eating and drinking, as it is written:36Proverbs 3:6. “In all your ways, know Him.”37Maimonides, Hilchot Deot 3:2 ff.: “Whether engaged in commerce or in manual labor for profit, one’s heart should not be solely set on the accumulation of wealth, but he should do these things in order to obtain therewith his bodily needs…. Likewise, when he eats or drinks, his purpose should not be to secure physical gratification, etc., but solely to maintain his body in health and vigor, etc. Man should aim to maintain physical health and vigor in order that his soul may be upright, in a condition to know G–d…by all your ways know Him.”—See also the comment. by R. Levi Gersonides, and Tzavaat Harivash, on this verse.