Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

“The mind” is regarded as Hochma, and the “heart” is regarded as Bina, which is light of Hassadim. The mind can control, meaning it has the ability to govern, so that specifically this will shine when he has a heart, which is the quality of Hassadim. Before he has Hassadim, the light of Hochma has no governance, it cannot shine, and that time is called “night.”

Conversely, in the corporeal mind, Baal HaSulam said that the mind has no control over the heart, which is the will to receive, since the will to receive is the landlord and the mind is powerless to overthrow it from its governance, for “One learns only where one’s heart desires.” In other words, a person sees no mind but only that which the heart wants.

For example, if a person wants to steal, he asks the mind to provide him with ways and manners to carry it out. Or if he wants to do good deeds, the mind advises him how to carry this out, as well.

It follows that the mind serves the heart, which is the will to receive, just as the hands and legs and the rest of the assistants that one has. For this reason, there is no other way but to purify the heart, for which reason we pray, “Purify our hearts to serve You in truth.” The mind cannot determine for man to walk on the good path or to the contrary. Rather, as was said at the time of the giving of the Torah, “We will do and we will hear.”

That is, first, we will do mindlessly, and then we will be rewarded with hearing, so we can hear that what we are doing is what is good for us. Conversely, if we first want to understand that it is worthwhile for us to bestow upon the Creator and then we will do, we will never achieve this.

This is as our sages said, “‘Therefore the governors said.’ Rabbi Shmuel Bar Nachmani said, ‘Rabbi Yonatan said, ‘Why is it written, ‘Therefore the governors said’? It is those who govern their inclination.’ ‘Come in calculation,’ come let us calculate the calculation of the world for the loss of a Mitzva [commandment] compared to its reward, and the reward for a transgression compared to its loss. ‘Build and establish,’ if you do so, you will be built in this world and be established for the next world’” (Baba Batra 78b).

Thus, those who govern their inclination, namely by doing, which is doing above rhyme and reason, can make a mindful calculation. But without the aspect of “doing,” the mind cannot calculate because one can never see the truth, for one is enslaved and partial toward the heart, the will to receive, so he takes a bribe if he sees that it might spoil the self-love.

Rather, first we must receive the Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] in the manner of doing above reason, which is called “doing mindlessly,” and then we are rewarded with hearing, when we can make good calculations until we come to a state of hearing from heaven. As Baal HaSulam said, “The reward for the Mitzva—the Metzaveh [Commander],” meaning we are rewarded with hearing the Commander of the commandments.