Summary of Daily Tanya # 17
By zevi770 · December 27, 2015
Chapter 9
Until now the Alter Rebbe described two distinct souls, the Divine and animal with their independent desires and similar modes of functioning (mainly intellect, emotions, thought, speech and actions.)
Now the Alter Rebbe locates them:
The animal soul is located in the blood of the left side of the heart where from the heart’s passion (instinctual reactions/desires) they spread through the body and to the brain to think how to actualize them.
Conversely the Divine soul is located in the mind (as it first thinks, which causes an emotion that travels) to the heart and the rest of the body to feel, hence think and act on this emotion.
In simple words, an animal doesn’t know what it is doing – it’s desires are impulses (just like a drug addict is completely in denial – in fact, whenever we have a desire which is induced, we deny all counteracting rational objective realities) conversely when we try to implement a thought, we need to really deeply commit to it before it turns into an actual desire (which is why dieting is so hard.)