In his commentary on the Tanya, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz shares the following insight (my translation from the Hebrew):
The soul alone, naked and unclothed in a body, is a holy entity, but one which is static. This is so because it has no opposition. Great Chassidic leaders have taught that if God wanted our love or our Torah study alone He could have created countless angels who would study Torah non-stop. But angels are static, they never improve. They are what they are.
The same is true for the soul as long as it is by itself. In order for it to add value, it needs opposition. The opposition is created by the animalistic aspect of the soul. It is not in opposition in the manner of an opponent that wishes to harm and destroy, rather it is the opposition born of the body/soul duality; from the ability to freely choose.
It is the opposition than enables a person to reach heights that a soul alone cannot reach.
The soul alone, naked and unclothed in a body, is a holy entity, but one which is static. This is so because it has no opposition. Great Chassidic leaders have taught that if God wanted our love or our Torah study alone He could have created countless angels who would study Torah non-stop. But angels are static, they never improve. They are what they are.
The same is true for the soul as long as it is by itself. In order for it to add value, it needs opposition. The opposition is created by the animalistic aspect of the soul. It is not in opposition in the manner of an opponent that wishes to harm and destroy, rather it is the opposition born of the body/soul duality; from the ability to freely choose.
It is the opposition than enables a person to reach heights that a soul alone cannot reach.
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