Chapter 16 focuses on the Beinoni who may have trouble loving God like the Tzaddik – who does so with the feelings of love already generated constantly within his heart.
In the second half of the chapter, which we conclude today, the Alter Rebbe explains in great deal how it can be that even though the Beinoni may lack the ability to serve God through an internal love within his heart – just like the Tzaddik does, he can still generate an intellectual love within his mind. He does this through his study of Torah and through his contemplation of performing the Mitzvot.
In his mind, he begins to generate the same type of love that the Tzaddik has, just that he cannot activate it in his heart sufficiently. Nevertheless, God regards this intellectual – hidden love – as if it were actually inside his heart. As a result, God joins the Beinoni’s thoughts with the Mitzvah itself at the time that the Mitzvah is actually performed, causing the extreme spiritual power and energy created in the observance of the Mitzvot to ascend to the second of the spiritual worlds (in descending order) – Beriah.
Actually, even if it be that this intellectual love is not generated, one’s Mitzvot can still ascend upwards – flying up from this physical world into the higher worlds, through a completely hidden love within the very being of every Jew, no matter who he is. If so – then one’s observance will cause the energy contained within that Mitzvah to ascend to the third of the spiritual worlds (in descending order) into the world of Yetzirah.
