אהבה רבה וגדולה מזו, והיא מסותרת גם כן בכל נפש מישראל בירושה מאבותינו, היא מה שכתוב ברעיא מהימנא: כברא דאשתדל בתר אבוי ואימיה, דרחים לון יתיר מגרמיה ונפשיה ורוחיה כו׳

A greater and more intense love than this (i.e., than the love which results from realizing that G‑d is one’s true soul and life), a love which is likewise concealed in every soul of Israel as an inheritance from our ancestors, is that which is defined in Ra‘aya Mehemna,10 in description of Moses’ divine service: “Like a son who strives for the sake of his father and mother, whom he loves even more than his own body, soul and spirit,… sacrificing his life for his father and mother in order to redeem them from captivity.”

This manner of service is not limited to Moses alone: it is within the province of every Jew,

כי הלא אב אחד לכולנו

for11 “have we not all one Father?”

Just as Moses possessed this love because G‑d is his Father, so, too, every Jew can possess this love, for G‑d is equally our Father.

This level of love is more selfless than that described by the phrase, “My soul, I desire You.” For love which results from realizing that G‑d is one’s true life will only be as intense as a person’s desire for life itself. It will not demand total self-sacrifice, which is the opposite of life. The love of a child for his parent, however, is not limited to his love for life; his parents‘ lives take precedence over his own, and he is ready to give his very life in order to save theirs.

ואף כי מי הוא זה ואיזהו אשר ערב לבו לגשת להשיג אפילו חלק אחד מני אלף ממדרגת אהבת רעיא מהימנא

And although one may ask, who is the man and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to approach and attain even a thousandth part of the degree of love felt by Moses, “The Faithful Shepherd,”

How, then, do we say that every Jew can feel the same love of G‑d that Moses felt?

מכל מקום הרי אפס קצהו ושמץ מנהו מרב טובו ואורו מאיר לכללות ישראל בכל דור ודור, כמו שכתוב בתיקונים: דאתפשטותיה בכל דרא ודרא, לאנהרא לון וכו׳

nevertheless a minute portion and particle of his great goodness and light illumines the community of Israel in each generation, as it is stated in the Tikkunim,12 that “an emanation from him Moses is present in every generation,”…13 “To illumine them.”

Since this luminous particle is found in all Jews in all generations, it thus becomes possible for every Jew — through Moses‘ goodness and light — to feel the love that he possesses as an inheritance from the Patriarchs in a manner similar to that of Moses.14

רק שהארה זו היא בבחינת הסתר והעלם גדול בנפשות כל בית ישראל, ולהוציא אהבה זו המסותרת מההעלם וההסתר אל הגילוי, להיות בהתגלות לבו ומוחו, לא נפלאת ולא רחוקה היא, אלא קרוב הדבר מאד בפיך ובלבבך

Only, the glow from Moses‘ soul is present in the souls of all Israel in a manner of great obscurity and concealment. But to bring forth this hidden love from its latency and concealment to a state of revelation, so that it will be manifest in his heart and mind, is15 “not beyond reach, nor is it afar off, but it is very close to you, in your mouth and heart.”

דהיינו להיות רגיל על לשונו וקולו לעורר כוונת לבו ומוחו

That is to say, it should be habitual with his tongue and voice to arouse the intention of his heart and mind, for16 “the sound of one’s voice arouses the devout concentration” of heart and mind,

להעמיק מחשבתו בחיי החיים, אין סוף ברוך הוא, כי הוא אבינו ממש האמיתי ומקור חיינו, ולעורר אליו האהבה כאהבת הבן אל האב

so as to immerse his thought in the Life of life, the blessed Ein Sof, for He is literally our true Father and the Source of our life, and to awaken our love for Him like the love of a son for his father.

וכשירגיל עצמו כן תמיד, הרי ההרגל נעשה טבע

And when one accustoms himself to this continually, habit will become nature.

ואף אם נדמה לו לכאורה שהוא כח דמיוני

Even if it appears to him at first sight that this is an illusion, and that in truth he does not possess this love for G‑d, and thinking that he does is nothing less than deluding himself as to his true spiritual status,

לא יחוש, מאחר שהוא אמת לאמיתו מצד עצמו בבחינת אהבה מסותרת

he need not be concerned, because it is intrinsically the absolute truth even without his own spiritual service, by virtue of the “hidden love” which his soul possesses for G‑d.

רק שתועלת יציאתה אל הגילוי: כדי להביאה לידי מעשה

But the benefit derived from the spiritual service through which he effects its emergence into the open is that he should translate it into action, and when his love is in a state of concealment it cannot affect his actions.

שהוא עסק התורה והמצות שלומד ומקיים על ידי זה, כדי לעשות נחת רוח לפניו יתברך, כבן העובד את אביו

This means being occupied with the Torah and the mitzvot, which he studies and performs as a result of it, i.e., as a result of revealing this love, with the intention of causing gratification to G‑d, like a son serving his father, who does so in order to cause him gratification.

Since the revelation of this love leads in fact to increased performance, he should not be troubled by the fact that he may be deluding himself in thinking that he possesses this love when in actuality he does not — particularly since his soul does truly love G‑d.

ועל זה אמרו: מחשבה טובה, הקב״ה מצרפה למעשה, להיות גדפין לפרחא כנ״ל

Concerning this it was said that17 “a good thought is joined by the Holy One, blessed be He, to a deed,” providing it with the “wings” to soar upwards, as explained earlier, in ch. 16.

“A good thought is joined… to a deed” cannot simply mean that when one thinks about doing a good deed and then, through no fault of his own, he is unable to do it, G‑d considers it as if he had actually done it. For if this were so the expression should be, “A good thought is considered by G‑d as an actual deed.” Rather, the term “joined to” indicates that the deed was actually done, but that the thought and deed were unconnected. G‑d, in His goodness, therefore connects the thought and the deed.

When a love of G‑d is revealed within one’s heart, there is an actual connection between the thought and the deed, for the revealed love adds vitality to the performance of the deed.

However, when love of G‑d is not revealed in one’s heart and is limited to one’s mind, it is considered to be a “good thought” that is not connected to a deed. Thus when one understands that something ought to be done, but he has no love for it, then the deed will be performed without fervor.

It is therefore necessary for G‑d to connect the “good thought” with the deed, thereby ensuring that the “good thought” — the love and fear of G‑d in his mind — will elevate the Torah and mitzvot which result from it, to the world and level of the “good thought.”