The nefesh ha bahamit does not volunteer to be purified, it has to be affected by the sechel.
We have an animal and a human being. The human tells the animal to behave, and the animal starts to restrain itself, till it becames habitual and it becomes more refined. After some refinement it can develop a sense of why things are inappropriate and it becomes eligible to really sense the G-dly soul. The keilim become eligible to actually sense the ohr – binah becomes like chochmah.
This occurs as a process from below. The keilim become like the ohr. This is what torah brings about. This is a level where the animal soul has been guided in doing a mitzvah, not just restraining itself.
This is like the wood of the tree having the taste of the fruit – this is accomplished by the path of torah from below to above. This is in the way of bitul hayesh – the keili becomes like the ohr.
Bitul hayesh (nullification of self); there are two ways to purify the midot, one is through debate and contemplation, this is the effect of sechel on the midot. The other way is that sechel gives a directive of how to proceed and the midot are controlled by this decree – this is bitul hayesh.
A human has the ability to guide himself according to torah even though it goes against his desire.
The difference between these approaches is that initially the first approach seems more effective, but here the behayma is not affected, it is just put aside, there isn't a bitul hayesh. There is great value in bitul hayesh since the goal is not just to behave well, but to behave well, due to the G-dly presence. Yesh and Elokus don't fit together.
The behayma (animal soul) gets more “full of itself” if it gets its own way – if it gets a gift it builds its own arrogance – it rejects the sense of a G-dly gift.
When the nefesh habahmit accepts a decree unwillingly, it breaks it, allowing for G-dly presence.
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