והנה על מילת הערלה ממש, כתיב: ומלתם את ערלת לבבכם, אתם בעצמכם

Now, concerning the excision of the foreskin itself it is written: “And you — yourselves — shall excise the foreskin of your heart.”

Each and every Jew is able to remove this himself, for repentance tears down the veil with which his desires obscure the innermost point of his heart.

אך להסיר הקליפה הדקה, זהו דבר הקשה על האדם

But the removal of the thin membrane is a difficult matter for man,

ועל זה נאמר בביאת המשיח: ומל ה׳ אלקיך את לבבך גו׳, לאהבה את ה׳ אלקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך למען חייך

and of this it is written21 that with the coming of Mashiach, “The L‑rd your G‑d will circumcise your heart, to love the L‑rd your G‑d with all your heart and all your soul, for the sake of your life,”

כלומר, למען כי ה׳ לבדו הוא כל חייך ממש

because G‑d alone is literally your whole life.

In this state, the individual’s love of G‑d will not be a mere manifestation of his soul, but a love that constitutes his very life. And just as a person does not regard his life as being something apart from himself, so too will this love not be sensed as a distinct entity, but as an intrinsic component of himself.

שלכן אהבה זו היא מעומקא דליבא, מנקודה פנימית ממש כנ״ל, ולמעלה מבחינת הדעת

That is why this love, the love that follows the Divine excision of the heart’s thin membrane, stems from the depth of the heart, from the truly innermost point, as mentioned above, and transcends the faculty of Daat.

ולכן משיח בא בהיסח הדעת לכללות ישראל

Therefore, too, Mashiach will come when Israel in general are22 “caught unawares.”

והיא גילוי בחינת נקודה פנימית הכללית

[His coming] is the manifestation of the innermost point which is universal [to all Jews],

ויציאת השכינה הכללית מהגלות והשביה, לעד ולעולמי עולמים

and [likewise] the emergence of the universal Shechinah [of the entire community of Israel] from exile and captivity forever more.

Just as each individual’s Divine spark — his personal Shechinah, so to speak — is redeemed from captivity through means that transcend reason and Daat, in such a manner too will the universal Shechinah, and with it the entire House of Israel, be redeemed.

Thus, the ultimate circumcision of the heart, and in its wake the ultimate manifestation of the love of G‑d, will take place when Mashiach comes. Nevertheless, it is possible even now to liberate one’s personal Shechinah — one’s Divine spark — at least on a temporary basis, during the time of prayer. This the Alter Rebbe now goes on to say.