Hasidut untuk Kidung Agung 7:7

And therefore, it is stated in the Gemara: "One who betroths a woman on condition that he is righteous, and he is found to be wicked—she is nonetheless betrothed, for perhaps he had a thought of repentance." We thus find that the thought of repentance is primary, for through it the stature of the spiritual is repaired. However, one must also attach his physical stature to the spiritual stature so that they become united—by fulfilling the commandments of the Torah through action, so that there will be repair in both the spiritual and the physical. And also in the refinement of the character traits (middot) through action—for they are drawn down from the supernal attributes into man. For example, from the supernal attribute of love (ahavah) is drawn into the person the capacity to use this trait to love whatever he chooses, for the choice is in the hand of man. And if he possesses knowledge (da'at) and faith, that this trait originates in the supernal attributes, through which all the worlds are conducted—and that this trait also exists in the Torah, as is known: for the thirteen attributes by which the Torah is expounded are truly the attributes of the Creator, blessed be He, by which He governs the world. And from the Torah, which contains these attributes, they also enter into the person at birth, when the soul enters the body—since the soul is taken from the root of a letter in the Torah, which includes all of Torah and within it these attributes. Therefore, all these attributes are impressed into him so that he may use them for whatever he desires. And if he has da'at, then even at the time when the trait of love is aroused within him—for example, he begins to desire some physical pleasure—he should reflect: "Is not this trait rooted in the traits of the Torah and the supernal attributes? It merely descended and was constricted into me upon the entrance of my soul into my body, to assist me in serving the Blessed Name—that I might direct all my conduct in His service." For without these traits, it would be impossible to even begin any service of the Blessed One. For the service of God must specifically be through awe and love—that is, reverence and love—as well as connection and determination, and similarly through all the other traits, as is known. And shall I now use this trait of the Holy One, blessed be He, to provoke Him (Heaven forbid) and transgress His will? On the contrary—now that this love has been aroused in him, even if it was awakened in the direction of a transgression (Heaven forbid), nevertheless, since the trait has been awakened and opened, it becomes easier for him to take hold of it and begin to love the Creator, blessed be He. And surely, he will then refrain from transgressing His will. And by this, he connects himself to that trait at its root, and acts in accordance with its source—which is according to the Torah. And likewise, regarding all the worldly pleasures that are necessary—like eating, drinking, and other essential enjoyments—when pleasure and love are awakened in him, he should not be separated at that time from the love of the Blessed Creator. Rather, he should channel that love into the physical enjoyment itself. Indeed, it then becomes easier for him to use that trait to make this pleasure an expression of his love for the Blessed One—to love Him through it. And it turns out that all his deeds are for the sake of Heaven. And understand this well: for whoever possesses da'at (inner awareness), can direct his ways with proper judgment—to act in this manner whenever any trait is awakened within him. As the Baal Shem Tov (may his memory be a blessing) said on the verse (Song of Songs 7:7): "How beautiful and how pleasant you are—love with delights." This means: how beautiful and pleasant it is that within all delights is the supernal love. For through the arousal of pleasure, love is naturally awakened, and it becomes easier for him to then love the Creator, blessed be He. For otherwise, it is very difficult to initiate that trait—to begin to love Him, blessed be He. But through the delights, when love is awakened, it becomes easier. And surely, whenever a person desires some pleasure, and the trait of love is naturally aroused toward that pleasure—which is a fallen love, descending from the source of supernal love—he should know with certainty that this is a heavenly assistance from the Creator, blessed be He, in order to make it easier for him to then take hold of love for Him, blessed be He. For He knows, blessed be He, that without this, that trait would not be awakened in him at all. But if he lacks this da'at, then he chases after the pleasure itself, and casts the trait of love even further downward (Heaven forbid). And sometimes, when a negative love is awakened in him—he desires to do some transgression—and he is unable to carry out that sinful thought into action, because some obstacle arises before him—this too is a heavenly assistance, from the Blessed Name, who sees that he lacks the da’at to elevate this fallen love to its root, to take hold of love for Him, blessed be He. And on the contrary—since the person wishes to pursue that evil, the Creator, as it were, contracts His glory further to place that obstacle before him. So that at least he should be in the category of "sit and do not act" (passive restraint), and hopefully not cause further damage, since he is not acting positively according to His will, blessed be He. And this applies by analogy to all other traits. For example, if some external fear falls upon him and the trait of fear is aroused and opened within him—this is intended to assist him in grasping fear of the Blessed Creator. And consequently, when he comes to fear the Creator through that external fear, and fulfills the will of the Blessed Creator—then that fear is automatically elevated on high, and the external aspect of that fear—that is, the object he initially feared—falls away and is nullified, so that he no longer fears it. For example, this might occur with some authority figure or with threatening creditors, as this is known and explained at length elsewhere. And likewise with all the other traits—such as negative pride, and so on—all of them are heavenly assistance, to return the person to his Father in Heaven, to open for him that trait. And through this, he brings great pleasure to the Blessed Creator—by elevating fallen aspects from the source of holiness back to their place, thereby increasing the glory of the Blessed One.