Daily Tanya Chapter 35 Part 2: Why the G-dly soul cannot serve as fuel for the Shechina on ones head (Friday 17th Adar)

17th Adar

3.      The G-dly soul alone does not suffice to fuel the Divine presence:

• Only good deeds serve as the oil for the wick: From the parable in which the Divine presence is compared to a candle it is understood that just as a flame cannot stick onto the wick without oil, so too it is not possible for the Divine presence to remain on the body of man, which is considered the wick, without good deeds.
• The G-dly soul cannot serve as the oil: The G-dly soul alone does not suffice to provide the fuel for the Divine presence to remain on the body even though it is a portion of G-d above. The reason for this is because a person’s G-dly soul retains a separate entity and existence from G-d. [Thus, it does not contain the component necessary to be completely nullified in its existence to the flame, as is found in oil. This component is only found in the will of G-d, which are the Mitzvahs.]
• Even a complete Tzadik is a separate existence and entity from G-d: Even the G-dly soul of a complete Tzadik who serves G-d with fear and a pleasurable love of the highest level, is nevertheless not completely nullified in its existence within the light of G-d to become completely united with G-d in a complete unity. It rather retains a separate existence to love and fear G-d.

4.      The will of G-d is united with Him and can hence serve as the oil:

• The separate existence of the G-dly soul even of a Tzadik, is in contrast to the Mitzvah’s and good deeds which are the will of G-d and are completely united with Him and nullified to Him [and hence contain the component necessary in oil to be consumed by the flame of G-d].
• The Mitzvah’s are the internal will of G-d: While the will of G-d is the source of life for all the worlds and creations [nonetheless, this will does not suffice to attract the Divine presence being that it is only the external will of G-d which] descends below through many contractions and concealments until separate existences are created which do not nullify themselves before G-d. This is in contrast to the Mitzvah’s which are the inner will of G-d.
• The Mitzvahs are not separate from G-d: Being that the Mitzvahs are the inner will of G-d, they therefore do not contain any concealment of G-d’s will at all. The inner vitality and energy of the Mitzvah’s is not considered separate at all from G-d, and is rather included and united with the will of G-d, to the point of an absolute unity to the point that they are actually one.