Tanya- SoulWords

Another way of finding motivation to do mitzvos is by activating the soul's latent love for G-d. All Jews possess the capacity to make the ultimate sacrifice in order not to be separated from G-d. If one understands how all sin separates one from G-d, and every mitzvah connects one to G-d, he or she will find sufficient motivation to adhere to all of the mitzvos.

"It is very close to you--in your mouth, in your heart, to do it." Even the regular person can change his or her emotions enough to muster sufficient motivation to produce behavioral results. This is done through meditation.

"The brain rules over the heart," which at first referred to impulse control and reigning in the impulses of the heart, now is explained to also mean changing the heart by slowly creating new feelings through meditation.

Just as there are two types of tzadik and rasha, there are two types of beinoni--"one who serves" and "one who has not served." The struggle of the beinoni has inherent value. Without it, it is as if he does not even serve G-d, for service is only that which requires us to go beyond our established pattern.

We cannot change our feelings at will, but we can control our behaviors. The beinoni need not feel the love and awe of G-d that a tzadik does. Instead, the beinoni focuses on the three "garments" of thought, speech, and action.

We continue to learn about the personality of the beinoni. Emotionally, the beinoni is no different than a rasha, yet behaviorally he resembles a tzadik.

The beinoni is one who experiences the inner conflict of a rasha yet whose behaviors are indistinguishable from those of a tzaddik. The beinoni manages this by exercising the natural superiority of the mind over the heart (hamoach shalit al halev.)

The tzaddik is the one who has defeated his or her animal soul either incompletely by neutralizing it or completely by transforming it. The rasha has not defeated the animal soul and sometimes allows it to gain control of the modes of expression (garments.)

The body is compared to a small city over which two kings battle for total domination.

These chapters look at the unholiness within our own animal soul as well as in the universe around us. Just as the G-dly soul is composed of ten holy powers and expresses itself through three modes of holy behavior, so does the animal soul possess ten unholy powers and express itself through ten unholy modes of behavior (Ch 6). In the world around us, there is neutral negativity which can be elevated and refined (Ch. 7), as well as irredeemable negativity which must be avoided (Ch. 8).