feeling of joy is related to the glandular excretion of hormones

Freely translated and adapted

3 Tammuz, 5716 (1956)

I was pleased to receive your letter of May 15th. I also enjoyed reading there about your interest in Chassidus, as well as some of your comments and views regarding the above, particularly in reference to the quality of joy.

To comment on that which you write, that the feeling of joy is related to the glandular excretion of hormones, etc., that reach the brain together with the flow of blood, and so on:

Since body and soul are totally connected and united, forming one entity, it follows that every phenomenon in the spiritual realm will also result in a physical phenomenon.

I trust that you will agree with me that such a unity within the microcosm of man, serving as it does as an analogy and illustration of the true unity found within the macrocosm of the universe as a whole, is not at all similar to the philosophy of pantheism - which posits that everything is natural and physical - but that the true definition of unity is the very opposite: that all is spirituality, and moreover, that all is G-dliness.

In keeping with this, on the verse"one nation on earth," Rabbi Shneur Zalman briefly comments: "This means that even in mundane 'earthly'
matters the Jewish people will not be separated - G-d forbid - from G-d's true unity and oneness" (Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle IX, p. 114a).

It is worth noting that followers of the philosophy of materialism would rejoice - as if they found a great treasure and as if they found proof to their approach - whenever they would find something relating to the psyche which they felt to be wholly related to physical phenomena, such as electronic responses, e.g., brainwaves, etc.

In truth, not only is there no contradiction between spiritual and physical phenomena, the contrary is true - that this is the logical result of the absolute truth of G-d's unity, that G-d is One and there is nothing besides Him which also causes the unity between spiritual and physical phenomena.

This means, not only is there no G-dliness - Heaven forbid - aside from Him, there is also no true existence other than His - this being one of the fundamental concepts of Toras HaChassidus, as explained in Rabbi Shneur Zalman's Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah....

You do not write about what area of medicine you practice, and I would like to know what it is. In any event, it is my hope that when you heal the physical ailments of your patients, you also take into account aspects of their spiritual healing - particularly for those who do not know that they are ailing spiritually, which makes them in even greater need of healing.