Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Chapter 9
The whole chapterווְהַיְינוּ, שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה וְיָבֹא וְיַגִּיעַ לְמַדְרֵגַת אַהֲבָה רַבָּה וְחִיבָּה יְתֵרָה מִמַּדְרֵגַת אַהֲבָה עַזָּה כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ, וְהִיא הַנִּקְרֵאת בַּכָּתוּב: ״אַהֲבָה בְּתַּעֲנוּגִים״, לְהִתְעַנֵּג עַל ה׳ מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא; וְהָעֹנֶג – הוּא בְּמוֹחַ חָכְמָה וָשֵׂכֶל, הַמִּתְעַנֵּג בְּהַשְׂכָּלַת ה׳ וִידִיעָתוֹ, כְּפִי הַשָּׂגַת שִׂכְלוֹ וְחָכְמָתוֹ; וְהוּא בְּחִינַת הַמַּיִם וְזֶרַע אוֹר זָרוּעַ שֶׁבִּקְדוּשַּׁת נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, הַמְהַפֶּכֶת לְטוֹב אֶת בְּחִינַת הַמַּיִם שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית, שֶׁמֵּהֶם בָּאוּ תַּאֲוֹת תַּעֲנוּגֵי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה מִתְּחִלָּה; וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּעֵץ חַיִּים שַׁעַר נ׳ פֶּרֶק ג׳ בְּשֵׁם הַזֹּהַר, שֶׁהָרָע נֶהְפָּךְ לִהְיוֹת טוֹב גָּמוּר כְּמוֹ יֵצֶר טוֹב מַמָּשׁ, בְּהָסִיר ״הַבְּגָדִים הַצּוֹאִים״ מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁהֵם תַּעֲנוּגֵי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא מְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהֶם.
6That is to say that the person shall steadily rise to attain to the degree of “abundant love,” a supreme affection surpassing that of “ardent love” that is comparable to burning coals.18 This is what is called in Scripture “love of delights,”19 which is the experience of delight in G–dliness, of the nature of the World to Come. This delight is in the brain of wisdom, in the intellectual pleasure of comprehending and knowing G–d, to the extent that one’s intellect and wisdom can grasp [Him]. This is the element of “water” and “seed,” i.e., light that is sown in the holiness of the divine soul that converts to good the element of “water” in the animal soul, from which the lust for mundane pleasures had been previously derived.20 Thus it is written in Etz Chaim, Portal 50, ch. 3, on the authority of the Zohar, that the evil is converted into, and becomes, completely good, like the good nature itself, through the shedding of the soiled garments, the pleasures of this world, in which it had been clothed.
זוְכֵן שְׁאָר כָּל הַמִּדּוֹת שֶׁבַּלֵּב, שֶׁהֵן עַנְפֵי הַיִּרְאָה וְהָאַהֲבָה, יִהְיוּ לַה׳ לְבַדּוֹ. וְכָל כֹּחַ הַדִּבּוּר שֶׁבַּפֶּה, וְהַמַּחֲשָׁבָה שֶׁבַּמּוֹחַ, יִהְיוּ מְמוּלָּאִים מִן לְבוּשֵׁי הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה וְהַדִּבּוּר שֶׁל נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית לְבַדָּהּ, שֶׁהֵן מַחֲשֶׁבֶת ה׳ וְתוֹרָתוֹ, לִהְיוֹת שִׂיחָתוֹ כָּל הַיּוֹם, לָא פָסִיק פּוּמֵיהּ מִגִּירְסָא. וְכֹחַ הַמַּעֲשִׂיי שֶׁבְּיָדָיו וּשְׁאָר רַמַ״ח אֵבָרָיו יִהְיֶה בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוֹת לְבַד, שֶׁהוּא לְבוּשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי שֶׁל נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית.
7So, too, shall the other middot in the heart, the offshoots of awe and love, be dedicated to G–d alone; and the faculty of speech that is in his mouth, and the thought that is in his mind, shall be entirely and solely the instruments of the “garments” of thought and speech of the divine soul alone, namely, meditation on G–d and His Torah, which shall be the theme of his speech throughout the day, his mouth ceaselessly studying [it]; and the faculty of action centered in his hands, as also in the rest of the 248 organs, shall function exclusively in the performance of the commandments, which is the third garment of the divine soul.
חאַךְ נֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית שֶׁמֵּהַקְּלִיפָּה, רְצוֹנָהּ לְהֵפֶךְ מַמָּשׁ – לְטוֹבַת הָאָדָם שֶׁיִּתְגַּבֵּר עָלֶיהָ וִינַצְּחֶנָּה, כִּמְשַׁל הַזּוֹנָה שֶׁבַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ:
8However, the desire of the animal soul which is derived from the kelipah is the very opposite—and it is for the good of man that he may prevail over her and vanquish her, as in the parable of the harlot in the holy Zohar.21
91 In the sense of its principal area of manifestation.
102 Deuteronomy 12:23. Cf. above, end of ch. 1, nefesh means “life” and also “desire” (Genesis 23:8).
113 The animal soul is mainly moved by passion, while the intelligence reacts to it.
124 The divine soul is essentially intellective.
135 Ecclesiastes 10:2.
146 For the term daat (“knowledge”), see above, end ch. 3.
157 In the divine soul, the relation between mind and heart is reversed from that of the animal soul. (See above, note 3.)
168 Comp. Ecclesiastes 2:14.
179 Genesis 25:23.
1810 Ecclesiastes 9:14; Nedarim 32b.
1911 An instrument without independent will.
2012 Chs. 3 and 4.
2113 The three intellectual faculties chochmah, binah, and daat—chabad—have their corresponding physical brains.
2214 See above, note 6.
2315 Awe is regarded as a preliminary to love. There is, however, a higher category of reverence which can be attained only after having attained love. See below, chs. 23, 40-43.
2416 Deuteronomy 6:5.
2517 Berachot 54a.
2618 The author distinguishes various degrees of love: ahavah azah (ardent love)—a passionate love, and ahavah rabbah (abundant or great love) or ahavah betaanugim (delightful love)—a serene love of fulfilment. The first is likened to a burning flame; the second—to calm waters. These and other distinctions of love are later discussed at greater length. Cf. chs. 15, 16, 18, 40, 41, 46, 49.
2719 Song of Songs 7:7.
2820 Thus the divine soul is conceived as being potentially capable of not only suppressing the evil impulse, but also completely “sublimating” it.
2921 See also end of ch. 29. The parable: A king desired to test the moral strength of his only son. He had a most charming and clever woman brought before him. Explaining to her the purpose of the test, he ordered her to try her best to seduce the crown-prince. For the test to be valid, the harlot had to use all her charms and guile, without betraying her mission in the slightest way. Any imperfection on her part would mean disobedience and failure of her mission. While the harlot uses all her seductive powers, she inwardly desires that the crown-prince should not succumb to them. Cf. Zohar II:163a.
This parable is intended to explain the ultimate function of the animal soul, with its inherent evil and complete license and independence. Yet although the forces of evil must be real enough for the purpose of which they have been created, their origin and purpose is rooted in good, and they can, in fact, be so converted. Herein lies the underlying principle of the problem of evil.
Kehot Publication Society (English Translation)