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.
This causes that Hashem will give the person love of Him in a manner of “אִיש ִי-my Husband.” Meaning, like it is written (Hoshea 2:18): “On that day you (the Jewish People) will call Me ‘My Husband.’”
The Alter Rebbe takes the verse of Leah’s statement about her relationship with her husband and applies it to our relationship with Hashem. Leah said that because she gave birth to Reuven, Yaakov will fully love her as her husband. The Alter Rebbe takes the word “יֶאֱהָּבַנִּי-he will love me” and interprets it as “will cause me to love,” meaning in our context, causing the person to love Hashem.
Then the Alter Rebbe takes the word “אִּיש ִּי-my Husband” and give it a new reference. The simple meaning is that Leah is saying that now her husband will love her. The Alter Rebbe is interpreting it to mean that Hashem will cause the person to love Him as if He were our “Husband.” The Alter Rebbe continues to explain the word “אִּיש ִּי” on a deeper level:
The deeper meaning of the word “אִיש ִי” is “א ש ַׁ־ַׁש ֶל ִי מַמָּּש .” The simple meaning of “אִּיש ִּי” is “אִּ י ש יִּ לֶ ש-my husband,” here the Alter Rebbe is interpreting is as “אֵש יִּ לֶ ש-my fire.”
Meaning, the yearning from below to Above, in a manner of “your yearning will be for your husband” (Bereishis 3:16), since He is my very fire, which is the yearning to actually become enveloped in Hashem’s Infinite Light, until He will be “אִיש ִי,” my real fire, since, “His right hand will hug me” (Shir HaShirim 2:6), meaning His Light will encompass me like a hug so that I will become enveloped in His Light, so that Hashem’s Infinite Light will be actually revealed in my soul through this yearning.
The idea of loving Hashem as our “husband” is that we experience a fiery love for Hashem. Just as a wife has a fiery love and desire for her husband, so too our soul has a fiery love and yearning for Hashem’s Infinite Light to shine into us. Through this fiery yearning for Hashem, He does shine His Light into us, so that we can be enveloped in experiencing His Light.
Seemingly, the Alter Rebbe is using the idea of calling Hashem “my fire” in two different meanings: 1- I have a fiery yearning for Him, 2- When He shines His Light upon me it is a truly fiery experience.
In other words, there are two “fires”: There is the fire inside of our soul yearning for Hashem, and there is the fire of G-dliness that comes down into us when we truly yearn for it. (For more about these two “fires” see Likutei Torah Parshas Shlach page 44c.)
So far, the Alter Rebbe explained the idea of ‘רְ אוּבֵן-Reuven,’ which is the idea of “seeing” Hashem in prayer. This is done by “gazing at the Glory of the King” through deep contemplation on His greatness and the contrast between that our current state of restraint and concealment on the Divine soul. This “seeing” Hashem in prayer produces a fiery love for Hashem and a yearning to actually experience and be enveloped by His Light.
