Daily Tanya

Our forefather Jacob requested protection from G-d, although He'd already been promised by G-d in this regard starting with the words "I am small". When G-d extends His right Arm to us, sharing Kindness with us, our response should be humility.

The need for prayer to be slow-paced and only those who comply should lead communal prayer services.

Faith represents the loins of the soul, the head represents the intellect, and the arms the emotions. Involvement in the study of the laws in the Oral Torah. It is through the laws that the Divine will is manifested. Will transcends and encompasses wisdom.

This letter written by the Alter Rebbe, expressing gratitude for the communal completion of the study of the entire Talmud. The Talmud embodies the strength of Torah, which girds the Jewish soul with strength.

When we realize that the suffering that we feel in this world, is in essence soul cleansing gifted to us by G-d, to save us from suffering in the afterworld, it is our humility that helps us feel joy at the time of suffering.

"My sin is always before me" written by King David, is written in the same psalm as words about being in joy. It is the humility that comes about from the awareness of our misgivings and sins, that helps us tolerate offensive words/actions.

We praise G-d for forgiveness, which is infinite. Unlike humankind, who, if sinned against multiple times, will have it hard to forgive. G-d forgives us when we are sincere in our request, regardless of how many times we have repeated this pattern.

Each of the various emotions may seem opposite, but can coexist being that they represent different things. We feel bitterness due to our distance from Hashem, and at the same time elation in our awe and closeness to Him.

Both Shabbos and prayer represent the higher level of Teshuva. Both require the prerequisite of the lower level of Teshuva so that the higher experience be authentic.

The soul is one with G-d. The study of Torah with intense emotions is the way to reconnect.

Having gone through the process of lower-level Teshuvah authentically (through the process elaborated in previous chapters—rectifying the interruption of one’s divine connection, thus raising the the lower hey back to its Source etc.), one is now in a position to experience higher-level Teshuvah—a re-union of soul with G-d, through Torah.

Having reflected on one’s sins’ effect thoroughly, one can truly arouse mercy from G-d’s 13 Compassionate Attributes. This brings cleansing and returns the Soul (‘Hey’) to its Source, completing Lower-Level Teshuvah. Now, the returnee is in a position to experience Higher-Level Teshuvah: a reunion of spirit with G-d (through Torah).

When one studies Torah, fulfills an act of kindness, or any commandment, it is a way of reaching out and accessing a colossal spiritual power and soul cleaving to infinity. The response to a comparatively minuscule movement on our terrestrial part summons a response so powerful, beyond our human abilities or scope.

Just as many layers of thin material serve to block out light, equivalent to one or two thicker ones, so can multiple ‘lighter’ sins have the same accumulative effect as a few grave ones.

Achieving a broken heart & humbled spirit is through a daily deep reflection on the degradation of the Divine (soul), caused by one’s sins .

There are two ways to repair the soul G-d connection. One is by arousing a true sense of compassion for the exiled G-d parts inside of himself. The other is by breaking the evil powers by ways of a broken heart.

The metaphor of a rope, attached with the final Hey of Hashem's name on rope, to the soul below is used to explain our connection to G-d. When sin severs the strings of the rope, the soul attaches to the forces of evil. Therefore, when one repents, they are reconnecting the final Hey of Hashem, to the original soul integral connection.

Now, during exile, our life force is often channeled through evil. Our choices dictate the source of our vitality.

We are mostly rooted in the final Hey of Hashem's name. While we contain all of the G-dly attributes, being that it is expressed to us through G-d's speech, therefore we are most closely connected to the final Hey. While all of creation emanates from the words of Hashem, a more external form of speech, however, the soul of a Jew emanates from the breath of Hashem. While words can permeate a partition, breath can not. The only separation that impacts the integral Jew-G-d connection is sin.

Because our souls are rooted in the name of G-d HVYH, our souls also have these functions in them. The Yud- is the subconscious intellect, the Hey- is the conscious intellect, the vav- is our emotions, and the final Hey- is our expressive capacities.

The letter Yud represents the Supernal wisdom, and the Hey represents G-d's intellect as it broadens and deepens. The Vav represents descent, as He extends Himself downwards. The Second Hey represents royalty, the element of speech and revelation. The Hey is the source of all sounds in speech.

Repentance is understood when we understand the uniqueness of a soul.

Looking into repentance through the esoteric lens now: The essence of repentance is the returning of the soul to closeness with the divine. The letter Hey is defiled in both G-d's name and the one in the name of the soul.

While a person can replace fasts with charity, fasting is also extremely valuable. One can also fast half days or during winter days.

To be able to attain the same loving relationship as before the sin, one should fast. However, weakening the body beyond its ability is a sin. Therefore it is recommended to give Tzedakkah in lieu of fasting.

Fasting is lie an appeasement gift as an Olah offering. The Arizal, a Preeminent Kabbalist recommended prescribed post atonement fasts.

Fasting is not a requirement of repentance to achieve atonement. It is however a means of getting closer to G-d.

Repentance means leaving the sin. Step 1: Full regret Step 2: Leaving that action, Step 3: Commit to never do it again Step 4: Admit verbally. The Rebbe discusses the value or purpose of fasting

This begins the third section of Tanya, Igeret HaTeshuvah. Similar to a marriage that goes bad, there's room to return and become close again. Today's portion explores a quote from the Talmud related to Teshuvah, repentance.

The transmuted letters of creation can be compared to the light of the moon as it is a reflection of the sun.

G-d, creating through the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, meaning via these unique powers, which in turn transform in position in the word combination, mutate numerically or in other etymological directions, creating other related and non related realities within the same word subset.

Divine speech and breath created man. G-d's speech and breath transcend man's intellect and are referred to as letters, meaning unique manifestations.

All of creation is a manifestation of G-d's attributes, through the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. Letters of thought, created the more sublime world of intellect, while the letters of G-d's speech created the lower realms of emotion and finally the physical..

There are 7 days of creation, and on each day shined a distinct attribute of G-d. The first day, was light, a manifestation of G-d's kindness. However, it was tempered by G-d's severity, which helped focus and limit the light that it can be absorbed and contained within the physical.

G-d, in His Infinity, can be one with His attributes, regardless of His how infinitly removed He is beyond them. Similar to the sun and it's rays.

Saying that we can't understand G-d, is absurd! G-d is so much greater, infinitely higher than His Supernal, Seminal Wisdom. How can we even try to attain an understanding of something that is so beyond understanding?

The comparison of G-d's seminal wisdom to action is only for us to be able to understand.

By G-d, the highest level of Chochma, is like action to us.

The first quality in creation is Chochma, seminal wisdom. Once the intellect of the soul is developed, we can work on the emotions. The quality of the intellect is determined by the maturity and quality of the emotions.

G-d is absolutely One in terms of creation, and also in terms of Himself. Whereas, in human kind, there may be a separation between man and his attributes. It is impossible to fathom, being that it is beyond our reality.

All life comes from the breath of G-d. The constriction of His life force was done through the letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the ten utterances.

G-d's thoughts are what makes up reality, and so G-d encompasses all of reality. At the same time, G-d confines Himself so much that He is contained in every dimension of reality, at the same time.

We can understand the mistake that some make that in order to bring the creation in to being, He had to create a space that He did not exist. G-d is everything, otherwise it would not be.

When G-d says "I am G-d and I did not change". Prior to creation there is G-d, and after is him as well. All of creation is a manifestation of His will.

The name Elokim has the same numerical value of "the nature", being that both conceal the creative light of Hashem, which enable the physical world to exist.

Kindness is the act of giving, while discipline is the act of holding back. How can they be one? Explaining that they are all but attributes of the One G-d, helps us understand this dimension.

In an effort to understand G-d, we may try to make a parallel between the soul and the body. G-d, unlike the soul, constantly creates and vivifies the world, which in turn is nullified in His light. It is only by virtue of His Gevurah, that reality as we know it exists. FOr G-d however, this is meaningless.

The verse "Shema Yisrael" is considered to be the supernal unification of G-d's name, and "Baruch Shem", a lower form of unification of G-d's name. The world must view itself as separate. This creates an opportunity for G-d's sovereignty.

G-d's attribute of sovereignty brings significance to G-d's attributes such as kindness and discipline. In G-d however, these attributes are null and void similar to the rays of the sun vis a vis the sun.

The fusion of the infinite dimension of G-d with the limited physical reality is the lower level of unification.