Lessons in Torah Or Using the Animal Soul to Love Hashem

Earlier, the Alter Rebbe asked: How do we do serve Hashem “with both inclinations,” meaning also with the desires of the animal soul?

Seemingly, there are two parts of the answer to this question:

• The feelings of the animal soul cover over the Divine soul, restraining and limiting it. Because of this, the Divine soul cries out bitterly to Hashem. When that happens, it receives a much deeper revelation of Hashem than it would have had if it had never been restrained by the animal soul. In this context, the idea of using our animal soul to love Hashem is something that happens indirectly. We use out the fact that we have the desires of the animal to push ourselves to an even deeper connection to Hashem. In that sense the desires of the animal soul are being used to help us love Hashem.
• In addition, after we come to that deeper connection to Hashem, the revelation that accompanies it is so powerful that is does make some transformation in the animal soul. This enables us to actually love Hashem even with the animal soul himself, that the animal soul should want to connect to Hashem.

This is the meaning of Leah’s statement “for Hashem has seen my affliction,” meaning, that through our spiritual suffering and pain, which is the bitterness of the soul in a manner of an “awakening from below,” this brings down an “awakening from Above,” and as “water reflects the face shown to it, so too the heart of man will reflect what is the heart of his friend towards him.”

Which is the greater Light that is perceived in a way of “seeing” it, that is granted from Above to below.