Translated, annotated and edited by Habachur Hatamim Benjamin Walters, Habachur Hatamim Mordechai Markel and Rabbi Yossi Markel
The bold print is the original translation, the plain print is explanations and annotations
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Shaar HaYichud - The Gate of Unification, also known as Kuntres HaHisbonenus - Tract on Contemplation Of the Mittler Rebbe the Holy Reb DovBer of Lubavitch starts like this :
It was already explained at length in a special tract (namely Kuntres HaHispaalus - Tract on Awakening (or Excitement) of the Emotions) about the specific types of excitation of the mind, heart and thought that are born from hisbonenus-contemplation, according to the five levels of the soul - NaRaNCha"Y (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, Yechidah).
Here is a Summary of Kuntres HaHispaalus:
Kuntres HaHispaalus
A Tract on the Awakening (or lit. Excitement) of the Emotions:
A Summary
(Kuntres Hahispaalus is sometimes referred to as Tract on Ecstasy - Devekus, It is the prequel of Shaar Hayichud)
The present text comes as a direct continuation of A Tract on the Awakening (or Excitement) of the Emotions which consists of two public letters of the Mitler Rebbe sent out to all of the Chassidim. The first one (which was later published as the introduction to A Tract on Excitement ) describes how many spiritual "sicknesses" were rampant among the Chassidim of that time, including even many of the greatest of the Alter Rebbe’s Chassidim. Then from them it spread to the younger and newer Chassidim. These sicknesses included a belief that one should not allow ones self to become emotionally excited at all from the Chassidus for they believed that this disturbed ones understanding. The Mitler Rebbe goes on to describe how these Chassidim would search for all sorts of advice on how to prevent their excitement. (This misconception seems to have arisen as a result from comments of the Alter and Mitler Rebbe, particularly in response to certain sects of Chassidim who became overly outwardly emotional, that one should not be very outwardly emotional during prayer and the like.)
There were others who had an almost opposite problem. They were not moved at all from what they learnt and saw the study of chassidus as totally useless and theoretical, learning it only out of obligation or maybe as some pseudointellectual pass-time like a crossword puzzle. To make matters worse all of these misconceived individuals preached their belief in the name of the Mitler Rebbe!
The Mitler Rebbe went on to explain how the entire purpose of the Alter Rebbe in teaching chassidus was so that people should become excited about G-dlyness as opposed to base physical pleasures, and by not becoming moved from the chassidus the Chassidim were "exchanging light for darkness," missing the entire point of the teachings of Chassidus.
In answer to this predicament the Mitler Rebbe declared that he felt a deep responsibility for the mistakes of the Chassidim and as such, should rightfully sit down with each one of them in a private audience and set them straight, but due to the lack of the time necessary for such an ordeal he would instead write a second public letter to all of the Chassidim, to explain the proper path of divine service.
In this second letter (which constitutes the body of A Tract on Excitement itself) the Mitler Rebbe explains that there are five basic levels of spiritual excitation or divine service, corresponding to the five levels of the soul (Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, Chayah, Yechidah). In addition, he describes signs to identify one's level as well as the spiritual pitfalls of which one must be wary of at each level. He also explains how these five levels exist both in the Natural and in the G-dly soul. Those of the G-dly soul being enclothed within the corresponding level of the Natural soul (so that the Nefesh of the G-dly soul is enclothed within the Nefesh of Natural soul, etc.) .
This is not the place for a full discussion of those levels, for they are not immediately relevant to the present text (but even the level of Nefesh causes Action - i.e. the DOING of the Commandments). However, one central theme explained there is important to us and that is that regardless of ones level of divine service or excitation, if it is to be genuine it must come from HISBONENUS (Analytic contemplative learning) on G-dlyness. The Mitler Rebbe arrives at this conclusion by explaining how in any true excitement, whether G-dly or not, one is thinking about what he is excited about and not how excited he is or how to get excited.
For example, when someone wins ten million dollars they're thinking "TEN MILLION DOLLARS!!!" not "Oh now I will spontaneously jump up and down in utter joy." This is why they bring a movie camera when they inform a winner of a sweepstake, because they know how the winner will react. This reaction, however is totally spontaneous and automatic and becomes more and more unconscious as the level of excitement increases, until the winner may not even realize what he/she is doing. Now you could also have an actor do the same thing and if the actor is good it will look outwardly to be the same. Only the actor’s excitement is not real, for it is intentional. Even if the actor gets real into it and actually experiences ‘real’ physical excitation with an increased heart rate and breathing, so that it even feels the same; still it is all just imagined and all the actor really did was hyped himself up, for he can’t truly be excited about the money because he didn’t win it.
So from this we see that there are two types of excitement that outwardly appear the same, but one is true and one is not. The determining factor is what one is thinking about at the time and in order for it to be true one must be thinking about what one is excited about. This means that if one is to have a true excitement from G-dliness, then at that time one must be thinking about G-dliness. On the other hand if one is thinking about the excitement, or how good he feels, then it is false. Rather, one must focus on G-dlyness in hisbonenus-contemplation and the excitement will be automatic and can even be subconscious.
It is with this understanding of the importance of hisbonenus that the Mitler Rebbe begins The Gate of Unity. In The Gate of Unity itself the Mitler Rebbe will further point out the necessity of hisbonenus in the understanding of Chassidus and Kabbalah as well as in the service of G-d in contemplative prayer and the like.
The material in this series is copyrighted by Rabbi Yossi Markel
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