A. The secret behind sociopaths – Kelipos do not have the aspect of Daas: Torah Or p. 74b-79b 

There exist three aspects of intellect, Chochmah, Bina and Daas. The aspect of Daas is the aspect of intellect that bridges between one’s mind and emotions and brings one’s comprehension into feeling. This aspect of intellect is only found in the side of holiness. However, in the side of evil, there is no aspect of intellect known as Daas. The reason for this is because they lack nullification to G-d, and their entire existence is just one of self-centeredness. This is the mystical meaning behind the story recorded in Melachim 1 that two harlots came to King Solomon for judgment over a dispute as to whose child died and as to whose child remained alive and the non-mother agreed to the initial verdict to have the baby sliced in half so that each can receive part of it. [The harlot in the story represents the side of evil which does not have the aspect of intellect known as Daas, and can hence come to such sociopathic behavior.]

• The Divine lesson: In the world of criminology, many are stunned and challenged with comprehending senseless crimes that do not serve any known benefit for the perpetrator. The rampant existence of serial killers, and high school shootings in the United States, have stunned even the greatest of criminologists and forensic psychologists in trying to understand the mind of these individuals who perpetrate such atrocious crimes against humanity. Their main focus is to see whether there is a commonality that they share, which if discovered, society can work on avoiding and preventing. All in all, there is no definitive answer which explains their behavior. The human mind cannot understand what would lead someone to become a sociopath in which he simply doesn’t care about right and wrong and feelings of others. The above teaching of the Alter Rebbe can help shed some light to sociopathic behavior. Kelipa in its essence does not have the aspect of intellect known as Daas, and hence naturally a person can live with a disconnect between what he is told to be right or wrong in his mind versus the reality that he lives and feels in his heart. Accordingly, if a child does not receive proper education of morals and ethics, and is not educated with the knowledge of a higher deity who watches his actions and who he must own up to, then it is only natural that sociopathic behavior will anchor within him. It is for this reason that the Rebbe fought a bitter, but unsuccessful, battle which reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1962^[1] to permit a non-denominational moment of prayer in the public educational institutions of the United States for the sake of the students being educated with daily emphasis on G-d and the morals that they must uphold.^[2] This was further brought up in the 1980’s in which the Rebbe advocated for all schools to observe a moment of silence in the start of their day in order to instill fear of G-d in the hearts of the youths of the country for the sake of having a more civilized society and diminish the erosion of the morals of the country.^[3]

[1] See Engel v. Vitale – Wikipedia; Abington School District v. Schempp – Wikipedia

[2] See Toras Menachem Vol. 34 pp. 148-156; English letter found in: Non-Denominational Prayer in Public Schools – Chabad.org

[3] See Sichos 5781 11^th Nissan; Toras Menachem 5743 Sichos of: 10^th Shevat, 11^th Nissan, Achron Shel Pesach; 12^th Tamuz; 5744 Sichos of 6^th Tishreiy; 19^th Kisleiv; 11^th Nissan; 5745: 6^th Tishreiy