The Alter Rebbe opens his seminal work, which comes to explain a verse from the Torah, “for this matter is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, to do it.” The method of the book is “the long but short way,” and it is meant to take the place of a private audience with the Rebbe. Naturally, we resist this substitute for personal guidance! The Alter Rebbe speaks to us and tells us that he is fully aware of our resistance and deeply held reservations. Spiritual guidance must be personal, from teacher to student. How can a book accomplish this? There are so many inherent limitations to receiving spiritual guidance from a book. Firstly, what if you’re not in the right space to understand the message, either spiritually or intellectually? 

Now we explore the second meaning of "kideshanu" in the blessing for mitzvot. Hashem has literally made us holy with His intrinsic holiness, which is completely beyond the worlds. He becomes your G-d, His Essence manifesting through you, when you carry out a mitzvah, and thus we are obligated to stand up for someone who is fulfilling a mitzvah, even if they are ignorant and a boor.  In the act of a mitzvah, you become a chariot for the Divine just like Patriarchs. The only difference is, that their bodies were refined, so they felt it, and the rest of us are beset with the darkness of the body which obscures the incredible fusion that we experience. 

In giving us the Torah, Hashem has given us His very Self and Essence. Torah study is the Divine kiss – fusion so deep, where our essence merges with the Divine Essence. Hashem also embraces us in love by giving us His commandments, which are His limbs so to speak. His love for us is so great, and the fusion between us so complete, this is the reason why we say that Hashem has betrothed us with His commandments, like the fusion of man and wife who merge into one being and become one flesh. How tremendous is the love that Hashem shows us! If we call our attention to His love, we cannot help but love Him rapturously in return.

We are gifted with love as an inheritance: to realize that Hashem is truly my Life, to realize that Hashem is truly my Father. But just because it's innate doesn't mean it is automatic –– it takes effort on our part. That effort brings these loves to a space of "the heart's desire," and  brings the Torah and mitzvot produced by their motivation to a higher place than instinct, to the world of intellect, the world of Beriah. These loves encompass elements of instinct, intellect, and Divine gift. So, why should we work hard to cultivate intellectual love from the ground up? Because it ignites the flames of passion, and, moreover, it constitutes the very purpose of Man.

Returning to our experience with chochmah and binah: once awe and fear of Hashem are born, our hearts become ignited with a fiery passion for Him. Chochmah and binah are the father and mother that give rise to love and fear of Hashem. Indeed, all other emotions stem from this union, as every emotion is a derivative of these primary emotions of love and fear. Now, let’s consider the third "mother," the third intellectual faculty that gives rise to emotion: daat. Daat is not about acquiring new information; rather, it is the personalization of what we have perceived with chochmah and understood with binah. Through the daat experience, we deeply connect with this knowledge, allowing it to profoundly touch and transform us. It is only by focusing our minds on what we have perceived and comprehended about Hashem that we can cultivate lasting and vibrant emotions for Him.