*Three individuals traveled together to the Rebbe:
The Chassid, the devotee of the Rebbe
The coachman
And the horse
All three are on the exact same trip, but each one has something completely different in mind:
The Chassid was meditating about his Rebbe and serving G-d✨ The Coachman was dreaming about the payment 💵 and bottle of vodka 🍾 he’d receive at the end of the trip, The horse was focused on the hay awaiting him at the end of the journey 🎋 Likewise, there are three partners in the performance of a mitzvah: - The “Chassid” - the one who serves G-d. This obviously refers to the divine soul. - The “horse” - the body🧍🏻♀️ - The “Coachman” - the one who directs the horse to follow the bidding of the divine soul, ie - the animal soul. It takes all three of them to fulfill a mitzvah. Together, they become a vehicle for holiness. Therefore, G-d’s presence will rest upon all three of them. The only reason this is possible is because while performing the mitzvah, the animal soul is in exile. Her essence remains unchanged. She retains her natural attraction to evil 😕, and yet, she is hijacked into the service of G-d, or exiled from her inner will, so she cannot express her desire. Exile is a reality in which someone cannot express himself as he truly is 😬. He cannot be who he wishes to be. We’ve already been introduced to the concept of G-d’s presence in exile. This occurs when your divine soul is overpowered by your animal soul and commandeered into doing things that are against the will of G-d. In the same way, the opposite situation also exists: the forces of impurity get exiled ⛓️🥜⛓️! When you overcome your impulses, refuse to act upon them, and instead pass the steering wheel to the divine soul so that it determines your actions, you place your animal soul into exile. It is similar the way Haman led Mordechai on the king's horse🏇 ~🚶🏻♂️… Even as he was displaying the greatest honor to Mordechai and fulfilling the king’s instructions, his personal desire was to do the exact opposite. He remained, as much as ever, the same evil Haman. The same applies to your animal soul and innate negative impulses: They remain in place, as strong as ever, however during the performance of the mitzvah, they are surrendered to holiness. And yet, the animal soul never becomes 🙃 a divine soul... She will always continue to seek physical pleasure 😋, but since the good deed was done via her, she, too, deserve the spiritual reward for her participation. There are several useful methods to help convince your animal soul to perform a mitzvah: 👉🏻 You can convince her: “You won’t regret it! It’s totally worth it!”. _Observing Shabbat means you will have a day of rest 😌and connection with your family 👨👩👧👦. And delicious food…_ 👉🏻 You can threaten her ☝️: “If you don't keep Shabbat, G-d will be angry and you will be punished 😨” _This compels the animal to agree but not with all her heart 💔… She just doesn’t see any other choice. 👉🏻 You can literally force her: “That's what I decided ✊! Be quiet and listen 🤫!” _Coercing your very own self_ 😉 Regardless of the route taken to get yourself to do the mitzvah, As soon as the animal soul surrenders to your divine soul and cooperates in fulfilling a commandment, nothing hinders G-d’s light and presence from resting upon your body _at this point in time_ since it is subservient to G-dliness. It is important to note that when G-d’s presence rests upon the body or animal soul, it’s different from the way it does on the divine soul. The divine light is literally absorbed into the divine soul, while it merely surrounds and encircles the body and the animal soul 🌀. The divine light and energy does not penetrate them. This does not mean that there are several types of divine presence. Although the light and energy of G-d is absorbed into the divine soul and only encompasses the animal soul and body, it is the same Shechina, the same divine presence.
