Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 9
The whole chapterהאַךְ הִנֵּה כְּתִיב: ״וּלְאוֹם מִלְאוֹם יֶאֱמָץ״, כִּי הַגּוּף נִקְרָא ״עִיר קְטַנָּה״, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁשְּׁנֵי מְלָכִים נִלְחָמִים עַל עִיר אַחַת, שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד רוֹצֶה לְכָבְשָׁהּ וְלִמְלוֹךְ עָלֶיהָ, דְּהַיְינוּ, לְהַנְהִיג יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ סָרִים לְמִשְׁמַעְתּוֹ בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר יִגְזוֹר עֲלֵיהֶם, כָּךְ שְׁתֵּי הַנְּפָשׁוֹת, הָאֱלֹהִית וְהַחִיּוּנִית הַבַּהֲמִית שֶׁמֵּהַקְּלִיפָּה, נִלְחָמוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ עַל הַגּוּף וְכָל אֵבָרָיו, שֶׁהָאֱלֹהִית – חֶפְצָהּ וּרְצוֹנָהּ שֶׁתְּהֵא הִיא לְבַדָּהּ הַמּוֹשֶׁלֶת עָלָיו וּמַנְהִיגָתוֹ, וְכָל הָאֵבָרִים יִהְיוּ סָרִים לְמִשְׁמַעְתָּהּ וּבְטֵלִים אֶצְלָהּ לְגַמְרֵי, וּמֶרְכָּבָה אֵלֶיהָ, וְיִהְיוּ לְבוּשׁ לְעֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹתֶיהָ וְג׳ לְבוּשֶׁיהָ הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל, שֶׁיִּתְלַבְּשׁוּ כוּלָּם בְּאֵבְרֵי הַגּוּף, וְיִהְיֶה הַגּוּף כּוּלּוֹ מָלֵא מֵהֶם לְבַדָּם, וְלֹא יַעֲבוֹר זָר בְּתוֹכָם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, דְּהַיְינוּ, תְּלַת מוֹחִין שֶׁבָּרֹאשׁ יִהְיוּ מְמוּלָּאִים מֵחָכְמָה־בִּינָה־דַּעַת שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, שֶׁהִיא חָכְמַת ה׳ וּבִינָתוֹ, לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן בִּגְדוּלָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עַד אֵין חֵקֶר וְאֵין סוֹף, וּלְהוֹלִיד מֵהֶן – עַל יְדֵי הַדַּעַת, הַיִּרְאָה בְּמוֹחוֹ וּפַחַד ה׳ בְּלִבּוֹ, וְאַהֲבַת ה׳ כְּאֵשׁ בּוֹעֲרָה בְּלִבּוֹ כְּרִשְׁפֵּי שַׁלְהֶבֶת, לִהְיוֹת נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה נַפְשׁוֹ בַּחֲשִׁיקָה וַחֲפִיצָה לְדָבְקָה בוֹ בְּאֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בְּכָל לֵב וְנֶפֶשׁ וּמְאֹד מֵעוּמְקָא דְלִבָּא שֶׁבֶּחָלָל הַיְמָנִי, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מָלֵא וְגָדוּשׁ עַד שֶׁתִּתְפַּשֵּׁט גַּם לֶחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי לְאַכְפָּיָא לְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא יְסוֹד הַמַּיִם הָרָעִים שֶׁבָּהּ, שֶׁהִיא הַתַּאֲוָה שֶׁמִּקְּלִיפַּת נוֹגַהּ, לְשַׁנּוֹתָהּ וּלְהַפְּכָהּ מִתַּעֲנוּגֵי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה לְאַהֲבַת ה׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ״ – ״בִּשְׁנֵי יְצָרֶיךָ״.
5It is written, however, “One nation shall prevail over the other nation.”9 The body is called a “small city.”10 Just as two kings wage war over a town, which each wishes to capture and rule, that is to say, to dominate its inhabitants according to his will so that they obey him in all that he decrees for them, so do the two souls—the Divine and the vitalizing animal soul that comes from the kelipah—wage war against each other over the body and all its limbs. It is the desire and will of the Divine soul that she alone rule over the person and direct him, and that all his limbs should obey her and surrender themselves completely to her and become a vehicle11 for her, as well as a robe [instrument] for her ten faculties and three garments mentioned above,12 all of which should pervade the organs of the body, and the entire body should be permeated with them alone, to the exclusion of any alien influence, G–d forbid. That is to say that the three brains13 that are in the head shall be permeated with chabad of the Divine soul, namely, the wisdom of G–d and the understanding of Him, by pondering on His unfathomable and infinite greatness, and from them shall be born, through the daat (knowledge),14 awe in his mind, and dread of G–d in his heart,15 as well as love of G–d that shall flare up like a glowing fire in his heart, like flaming coals, so that his soul shall yearn and long, with passion and desire, to cleave to the En Sof, blessed is He, with his whole heart, soul and might, from the very depths of the right ventricle of the heart. The latter would be so thoroughly permeated with love to overflowing, as to inundate the left side as well, to the extent of subduing the sitra achara with its element of the “evil waters,” namely, the lust stemming from kelipat nogah, changing it and transforming it from seeking the pleasures of this world to the love of G–d. Thus it is written, “‘With all your heart’16—with both your natures.”17
Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)