Shoftim תרל”א 1

אא”ז מו”ר ז”ל פ’ פ’ שופטים כו’ אשר ה”א נותן כו’.
On the first pasuk of the parsha, you shall place judges and watchmen on all the gates that HaShem gives you.
שידע כל אדם כי כל מה שנפתח לו מעט שער כ”א לפום שיעורין דליבי’ הכל אשר ה’ נותן כו’ ע”ש.
The Chidushei Harim explains that one needs to realise that whenever he has an opening of one of the gates through his effort. Meaning whenever one gains a deeper spiritual awareness through hard work, one needs to realise that even though he toiled hard, it is all “that HaShem your G-d has given you”, it is all a gift from HaShem.
וגם הפי’ כפשוטו להיות שופט ושוטר משגיח על כל הרגשה מפתיחת הרצון והחשק שבלב.
It can also be understood simply that one needs to protect and guard any opening, and time when he has a strong feeling of desire and will
שזה נק’ שער ופתח בפנימיות האדם יהי’ רק לה’ בלבד.
Which is also called a ‘gate’, this is an opening to the deep internal world of the person. This desire must also be protected so that it doesn’t get hijacked and captured by the yetzer Hara.
ושלא להיות ברגילות תוך הטבע רק בישוב הדעת.
And that one should not act out of rote, doing things naturally, rather it should be done through a tranquility of the mind.
והאמת כי כפי הישוב הדעת והידיעה שהוא רק ממנו ית’. כמו כן זוכה להיות נפתח לו השער.
And the truth is that in as much that a person has calmness and knowledge that everything is only from HaShem, so too will a person merit to have the gates (of the above-mentioned desire) open up more
כמ”ש אזמר בשבחין למיעל גו פתחין
As it states (Friday night Zemirot) “I will sing the songs to enter into the openings”, this can also be understood that through praising HaShem, “I will prune and uproot the thorns (the sitra achra) to enter the gates”.
כי השבח להש”י מסיר ההסתר מחיצוניות וזה ענין פסוקי דזמרה קודם התפלה לגרש הסט”א:
For through praising HaShem one removes the veil of the external physicality. This is indeed the idea of pesukei dezimra before the actual tefila, to remove the yetzer hara.