Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 4
The whole chapterב וּבִפְרָטוּת, בְּחִינוֹת חָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ, מְלוּבָּשׁוֹת בְּהַשָּׂגַת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהוּא מַשִּׂיג בִּפְשַׁט־רֶמֶז־דְּרוּשׁ־סוֹד כְּפִי יְכוֹלֶת הַשָּׂגָתוֹ וְשֹׁרֶשׁ נַפְשׁוֹ לְמַעְלָה; וְהַמִּדּוֹת, שֶׁהֵן יִרְאָה וְאַהֲבָה וְעַנְפֵיהֶן וְתוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶן – מְלוּבָּשׁוֹת בְּקִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת בְּמַעֲשֶׂה וּבְדִבּוּר, שֶׁהוּא תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה שֶׁכְּנֶגֶד כּוּלָּן.
2Specifically: the faculties of chabad in his soul are clothed in the comprehension of the Torah, which he comprehends in Pardes, to the extent of his mental capacity and the supernal root of his soul. And the middot, namely fear and love, together with their offshoots and ramifications, are clothed in the fulfillment of the commandments in deed and in word, namely, in the study of Torah which is “equivalent to them all.”6
גכִּי הָאַהֲבָה הִיא שֹׁרֶשׁ כָּל רַמַ״ח מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה, וּמִמֶּנָּה הֵן נִמְשָׁכוֹת, וּבִלְעָדָהּ אֵין לָהֶן קִיּוּם אֲמִתִּי, כִּי הַמְּקַיְּמָן בֶּאֱמֶת הוּא הָאוֹהֵב אֶת שֵׁם ה׳ וְחָפֵץ לְדָבְקָה בּוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְדָבְקָה בּוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת, כִּי אִם בְּקִיּוּם רַמַ״ח פְּקוּדִין, שֶׁהֵם רַמַ״ח אֵבָרִין דְּמַלְכָּא כִּבְיָכוֹל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר. וְהַיִּרְאָה הִיא שֹׁרֶשׁ לְשַׁסַ״ה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, כִּי יָרֵא לִמְרוֹד בְּמֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא.
3For love is the root of all the 248 positive commands, all originating in it and having no true foundation without it, inasmuch as he who fulfills them in truth truly loves the name of G–d and desires to cleave to Him in truth; for one cannot truly cleave to Him except through the fulfillment of the 248 commandments which are the 248 “organs of the King,”7 as it were, as is explained elsewhere;8 while fear is the root of the 365 prohibitive commands, fearing to rebel against the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He;
דאוֹ יִרְאָה פְּנִימִית מִזּוֹ, שֶׁמִּתְבּוֹשֵׁשׁ מִגְּדוּלָּתוֹ, לַמְרוֹת עֵינֵי כְבוֹדוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינָיו, כָּל תּוֹעֲבַת ה׳ אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵא, הֵם הַקְּלִיפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, אֲשֶׁר יְנִיקָתָם מֵהָאָדָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן וַאֲחִיזָתָם בּוֹ הוּא בְּשַׁסַ״ה מִצְוֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.
4or a still deeper fear than this—when he feels ashamed in the presence of the Divine greatness to rebel against His glory and do what is evil in His eyes, namely, any of the abominable things hated by G–d, which are the kelipot and sitra achara, which draw their nurture from man below and have their hold in him through the 365 prohibitive commands [that he violates].
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org
Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org