Now, the Alter Rebbe will continue to explain why, in the absence of the aspects of “Rachel” and “Leah,” the various types of Tzaraas form, and what that means, practically, in our service of Hashem:
Meaning, that since there isn’t drawn forth the aspect of “return” into the vessels and letters of holiness, therefore, from the “yearning” alone, it is possible to result in giving life to unholiness. This means that it is not possible for something to remain neutral. If there is something being taken away from holiness, automatically it is giving life to unholiness, and if this yearning to be included and subsumed in the truth of Hashem is not energizing and being directed into holy actions, it will automatically give life to unholy actions.
For example, if, after a person prays with intense fervor (i.e., a strong “yearning”), he does not subsequently occupy himself with the study of Torah (a “return” to reveal Hashem in this world), then, from the very fervor of prayer, it is possible for harsh judgments to come from the person towards his fellow – like taking offense and anger, and also arrogance over the greatness of his prayer, or selfish desires might also occur.
When a person thinks about the greatness of Hashem and he develops a strong feeling of yearning to connect to Hashem’s truth, there are two things present: 1- the idea and knowledge (awareness) that he is focused on, which drives this yearning. This is the idea of Bina, the Intellect of the Mother. And, 2- the strong feeling in his heart, the yearning that results from the focused awareness of the Intellect of the Mother (Bina). During the actual prayers, this feeling is connected to the awareness, and so, just like that awareness is completely holy (since it is awareness of the greatness of Hashem), the feeling is also holy, since it is a feeling of yearning for the Divinity that he has become aware of. However, after the prayers, when he is no longer consciously aware of Hashem like he was during prayers, the feelings of yearning and fiery passion remain, but they are no longer connected to the awareness of Hashem, and hence, no longer connected to holiness. Therefore, after prayers, when one still feels an emotional excitement from the feelings aroused during prayers, but that excitement is no longer connected to the holy, conscious awareness of Hashem that derives from the Intellect of the Mother, it is possible for these feelings to express themselves in a manner of unholiness, since they are no longer directly connected to their original, holy awareness.
Practically, this means that the holy feelings aroused during prayers will be expressed in one of three unholy ways: 1-Anger, which is a fiery feeling similar to the fiery passion felt during prayers. In particular, it is possible, following prayers, to feel angry at someone else for not being holy enough (among other, less idealistic reasons). 2- Arrogance, specifically the arrogance that results from reaching such a high spiritual level during prayer. And, 3- Passionate desire for unholy things (since the animal soul’s passion is activated, but does not have the holy awareness needed to direct that passion towards holy matters).
The solution to this problem is that a person should pray, and then immediately occupy himself with the study of the Torah in order to “harness” that passion into bringing Hashem’s revelation back into the world, and thus “reconnecting” the feelings aroused during prayer toward holiness, so that there be no possibility of the opposite. (This is also why, in Shulchan Aruch it says that person should go directly from the House of Prayer to the House of Torah Study). Thus, the solution is to connect these feelings (which derive initially from the Intellect of the Mother) to the “Intellect of the Father.” This is done by bringing Hashem’s revelation into the world through the study of the Torah after prayer, as the maamar will continue to explain.
