Daily Tanya – Chapter 12 Part 2: Moach Shalit Al Halev (Sunday 15th Teves)

• The evil is felt but not consciously expressed: Nevertheless, since the evil does not retain the sole reign and governance over the body, which in the Beinoni is under the control of the G-dly soul, therefore, the evil is unable to express and fulfill his lusts and passions through investing itself in the limbs of the body, and actually performing the lust, or thinking, or speaking of it.
• Does not contemplate the lust: [This does not mean that the thought of the lust never enters his head, but rather] this means that one will not consciously concentrate and entertain in his mind the lusts for the pleasures of the world and think of ways of fulfilling his passion.
• The reason why the evil side within the Beinoni receives no expression: The reason why the lusts of the animal soul from the heart are unable to take control of the mind and body is because the mind naturally retains control over the heart.

3.      The mind rules over the heart [Moach Shalit Al Halev]:

• Human nature: This natural control that the mind contains over the heart was embedded within the very nature of the human body and soul in the outset of creation of man.
• Every person has the power to control his heart’s desires: Accordingly, every human being contains the ability and potential to control the lusts and passions that derive from his heart, to not allow his heart’s desires to be expressed in action, speech, or thought.
• Disregarding the lust and contemplating its opposite: Furthermore, the control of the mind over the heart is so strong that not only is it able to stop the lust from his heart from being thought about in his mind, but he can even fill his mind with thoughts of the exact opposite of that lust. This especially applies if one chooses to contemplate matters of holiness [instead of contemplating the lust, although technically one contains control to even contemplate mundane matters that are not of holiness in place of contemplating the lust].

4.      Like the advantage of light over darkness:

• This advantage that the mind has over the heart, that it is able to control the heart, is expressed in the verse in Scripture which states that “The advantage of wisdom over foolishness is similar to the advantage of light over darkness.”
• The light of the G-dly soul in the mind pushes away the darkness of evil: This means that just as light has the advantage and governance over darkness, as even a little bit of physical light gets rid of much darkness, as darkness consequently banishes itself in the face of light, so too, much of the foolishness of the side of evil found in the left part of the heart’s is consequently banished in face of the wisdom of the G-dly soul that is in the mind.
• Now, the desire and will of the wisdom of the G-dly soul in the mind is to take control of the entire body, to invest its three garments within the entire body, which is man’s thought speech and action of the 613 commands.