721. The Segula of Torah and Mitzvot

There is a Segula [power/cure] in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] that if he learns with this intention, although his heart disagrees with it, and all that he does with this intention is against his will and heart, yet through compulsory work, he is rewarded with inverting his desire from self-love to love of others.

We should understand what is written, that it is harder to attain the concept of bestowal upon others as this is against nature. Nevertheless, through the power of Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow, we can be rewarded with inverting our nature into aiming to bestow.

There is a question: When one is immersed in the nature of self-love, how can he engage in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow, since he has no desire or ability whatsoever to do anything unless it is for his own sake? Thus, how can one be educated into engaging in Torah and Mitzvot in order to bestow?

We should say that although man’s nature is only self-love, and that which is against it is hard for him to do, to the point that all his organs go against him, but there is the matter of coercion, meaning that when he engages in Torah and Mitzvot, he learns against his will, meaning that he wants it to be only for the sake of the Creator, and then he learns and thinks only about things that speak of the matter of bestowal.

And although the body disagrees, through the labor in which he exerts himself, forcing his body to work with this intention, although his heart’s desire disagrees with this intention, the light in it reforms him.