(8) I place G-d in front of me at all times;
The Lord is at my right side and I shall never be shaken.
(ה) היה רוכב על החמור ירד. ואם אינו יכול לירד יחזיר את פניו. ואם אינו יכול להחזיר את פניו יכוין את לבו כנגד בית קדש הקדשים:
(5) If one was riding a donkey, he should dismount from it [while he prays]. And if he is unable to dismount, he should turn his face [towards Jerusalem]. And if he is unable to turn his face, he should focus his heart toward the Holy of Holies [in the Temple in Jerusalem].
ר"א לעולם ימוד אדם את עצמו אם יכול לכוין את לבו יתפלל ואם לאו אל יתפלל
Rabbi Eliezer say: One must always evaluate himself before he prays If he is able to focus his heart on prayer, he should pray, but if not, if he is unable to do so, he should not pray.
אברייתא המתפלל צריך שיכוין את לבו בכולן ואם אינו יכול לכוין בכולן יכוין את לבו באחת
It was taught in a baraita: One who prays must focus his heart in all of the blessings. And if he is unable to focus his heart in all of them, he should focus his heart at least in one.
(ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת ה' אֱלֹקֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃ (ו) וְהָי֞וּ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם עַל־לְבָבֶֽךָ׃ (ז) וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשׇׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃ (ח) וּקְשַׁרְתָּ֥ם לְא֖וֹת עַל־יָדֶ֑ךָ וְהָי֥וּ לְטֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֶֽיךָ׃ (ט) וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזֻז֥וֹת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}
(5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. (7) Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. (8) Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; (9) inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֭מֵינוּ כֵּ֣ן הוֹדַ֑ע וְ֝נָבִ֗א לְבַ֣ב חׇכְמָֽה׃
So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom.
קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־ה' חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־ה'׃ {פ}
Look to the LORD;
be strong & of good courage (a brave heart)!
O look to the LORD!
(ה) וְהַלֵּב הוּא הַצַּיָּר שֶׁל הַמִּדּוֹת, הַיְנוּ הַחָכְמָה שֶׁבַּלֵּב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות ל״א:ו׳): וּבְלֵב כָּל חֲכַם לֵב וְכוּ'.
(5) The heart is what designs the things we do and the way we be. It is what determines what we say, how we act. It puts all the information that is inside the heart and produces specific expressions. Specifically, the Chokhmah (Wisdom) of the heart, as it is written (Exodus 31:6), “I have placed wisdom in the heart of all those who are wise of heart.” Rebbe Nachman here clarifies the specific "spiritual" mechanism whereby the wisdom (brain) works with the heart to produce those expressions, words, actions, etc. This is important because, as we say, the Torah says that the heart, on its own, should not be blindly followed. It is also important to know that the verse Rebbe Nachman brought to prove his point refers to the building of the Mishkan, the Jews' traveling wilderness Temple. this shows us that the heart is used in order to build physical-spiritual spaces.
(ו) וְאִית יְצִירָה לְטָב וּלְבִישׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ברכות סא): וַיִּיצֶר – בִּשְׁנֵי יוּדִין וְכוּ'. וְהֵם שְׁנֵי יְצָרִין, יֵצֶר טוֹב וְיֵצֶר הָרָע. הַיְנוּ: מַחֲשָׁבוֹת טוֹבוֹת הֵם יֵצֶר טוֹב, וּמַחֲשָׁבוֹת רָעוֹת הֵם יֵצֶר הָרָע. כִּי עִקַּר הַיְצָרִים הֵם הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת וְהַחָכְמוֹת שֶׁבַּלֵּב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית ו׳:ה׳): כִּי יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבּוֹ וְכוּ'. וּכְשֶׁאָדָם חוֹשֵׁב בְּמַחֲשָׁבוֹת רָעוֹת, הוּא מְטַמְטֵם אֶת הֶחָלָל שֶׁל הַבְּרִיאָה, שֶׁשָּׁם הִתְגַּלּוּת הַמִּדּוֹת.
So, Rebbe Nachman has shown that the heart is the part of us that produces words, reactions, projects, actions, etc. He continues: But there is a YeTZiRah (formation) for good and for evil. As our Sages taught: “And [God] YiYTZeR (formed)” (Genesis 2:7) —with two Yods. These are two YeTZaRin (inclinations): the instinct toward positive formation and the instinct toward negative formation. Meaning, there are a multitude of influences on, and voices in, the heart, determining whether the thought can do its job of opening, taking in moments and feelings and ideas and integrating them and applying wisdom to them and then producing positive, useful words and actions, etc. And there is something we can do to facilitate whether the heart can effectively do this work. In other words, good thoughts are the good inclination and evil thoughts are the evil inclination. This is because the inclinations are essentially the thoughts and wisdom of the heart, as it is written (Genesis 6:5), “for the inclination of his heart’s thoughts….” Thus, when a person thinks evil thoughts, he clogs up creation’s Space, which is where the attributes are revealed.
(י) וּכְשֶׁחוֹשֵׁב מַחֲשָׁבוֹת רָעוֹת, הוּא מְטַמְטֵם הַלֵּב, בִּבְחִינַת עָרְלַת לֵב, וּמְקַלְקֵל אֶת הַבְּרִיאָה, הַיְנוּ הַחָכְמָה שֶׁבַּלֵּב. כִּי הַיֵּצֶר הָרָע הוּא טִפְּשׁוּת הַלֵּב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (דברים י׳:ט״ז): וּמַלְתֶּם אֶת עָרְלַת לְבַבְכֶם, וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ: יָת טִפְּשׁוּת לִבְּכוֹן. וְטִפְּשׁוּת הוּא קִלְקוּל הַבְּרִיאָה, שֶׁהִיא עַל־יְדֵי הַחָכְמָה.
(10) But when a person thinks negative thoughts, they clog up the heart in the aspect of a foreskinned heart, and they spoil the process of creation—i.e., the Chokhmah in the heart. This is because the evil inclination is the same thing as the foolishness of the heart, as it is written (Deuteronomy 10:16), “Circumcise the foreskin of your heart,” which Onkelos (who translated the Torah into Aramaic 2000 years ago and sort of comments on it) renders: “your heart’s foolishness.” Thus, foolishness is the spoiling of the creation which comes about through wisdom.
(יא) נִמְצָא, כְּשֶׁאָדָם חוֹשֵׁב מַחֲשָׁבוֹת טוֹבוֹת בְּלִבּוֹ אֵיךְ לַעֲבֹד אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, בָּזֶה נַעֲשֶׂה לִבּוֹ בִּבְחִינַת: צוּר לְבָבִי, וּבִבְחִינַת: וְלִבִּי חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי, שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הֶחָלָל יִתְגַּלּוּ פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו, וְעַל יְדֵי פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו וּמִדּוֹתָיו הַטּוֹבִים יִתְגַּלֶּה שֶׁהוּא מְקַבֵּל עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם שְׁלֵמָה.
(11) We see then that when a person thinks good thoughts in their heart on how they might serve God, their heart is then in the aspect of “tzur of my heart,” and of “and my heart is ChaLaL (hollowed) within me.” For within the ChaLaL (Space) their positive deeds and actions are revealed. And through their good deeds and attributes it is revealed that they wholly accepts the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven.
לֵ֣ב טָ֭הוֹר בְּרָא־לִ֣י אֱלֹקִ֑ים וְר֥וּחַ נָ֝כ֗וֹן חַדֵּ֥שׁ בְּקִרְבִּֽי׃
Fashion a pure heart for me, O God;
create in me a steadfast spirit.
חזן: אֱלקֵינוּ וֵאלקֵי אֲבותֵינוּ. רְצֵה בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ. קַדְּשנוּ בְּמִצְותֶיךָ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתורָתֶךָ. שבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ וְשמְחֵנוּ בִּישוּעָתֶךָ. וְטַהֵר לִבֵּנוּ לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ ה' אֱלקֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון שבַּת קָדְשךָ. וְיָנוּחוּ בָהּ כָּל יִשרָאֵל מְקַדְּשי שמֶךָ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' מְקַדֵּש הַשּבָּת:
Our god and the god of our fathers, be pleased by our rest. Sanctify us by your commandments, and give us our portion in your Law. Sate us from your goodness, and cheer us with Your salvation, and purify our hearts to serve You in truth. And endow to us, O Lord, in love and benevolence, your holy Sabbath, and rest thereon all Israel who sanctify your name. Blessed are you, O LORD, Sanctifier of the Sabbath.
Afterwards, He moved on to exhort on the duties of the heart, in saying: "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart", which means you should keep them always in your heart and believe in them in the depths of your inner being.
In English, the heart is the seat of emotion, while in Biblical Hebrew, the kidneys are often considered the seat of emotion. " Heart - לב/לבב - is somewhere between what we call "mind" and what we metaphorically call "heart." Thus my translation, "heart-and-mind." In Modern Hebrew, "to set one's heart - לשים לב" means "to pay attention."
Haggai really wants us to pay attention! In my Mussar practice, I often use this phrase from Hagai - "simu l'vavhem al darheihem - set your minds-and-hearts upon your path" - as a reminder phrase for the middah of Zehirut: being careful about one's deeds, watchfulness, what Alan Morinis calls "shining awareness."