Daily Tanya

This chapter discusses the entryway to true love of G-d, and sustaining it.

The type of love necessary for the completion of the Mitzvah must be infused with selflessness. In the Shechina all of our sous are one. When learning Torah or fulfilling a commandment, one should recite the intention of uniting G-d with the souls of all of Israel.

The great Talmudical sage, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, told his students "I wish that, at the very least, the fear of heaven should be at the level of fear you have from another human being. Therefore, if I just think to myself that G-d is present, and it keeps me from doing wrong, that is sufficient. "

Love alone is not enough. Love alone is about me. If love is the only experience, the lines can be blurred regarding for whom we are fulfilling this commandment. Therefore, commandments must be first and foremost fulfilled with G-d in mind. Otherwise, a passion-filled Mitzvah may be completely consumed with a sense of self

Why should my intent be so essential? Being that a Mitzvah is a physical act, it can not conduct spiritual G-dly energy. However, with intent, we can vivify the Mitzvah to reflect G-d's will.

Both awe and love are necessary to infuse the Mitzvah with spiritual content. Awe for G-d is a constant obligation. At the foundation of G-dly service, one must have reverence for G-d. Before the fulfillment of each commandment, one must contemplate the Omnipresence of G-d.

After crushing our animal soul, it can be helpful to awaken compassion for the exiled soul.

Redirecting depression into soul-searching, and into anger at the evil inclination, will dispel the mundane depression.

A person who is not fighting his/her own inclination at his/her battle point- be it in resisting (even subtle) evil or doing good (beyond one's comfort zone)- does not understand the sinner (who fails their own inner) temptation (even if on a different scale).

Don't compare your journey to others. You don't know his obstacles or his victories. You need to focus on your journey, is your "today" better than your "yesterday"?

Remember, you are essentially connected to G-d. Your divine soul would naturally outshine all your animalistic urges. G-d gave your urges a voice just that you overcome them.

COntemplation to "break" self-centeredness of the animal soul: You, evil inclination, are a horrible influence, you are meaningless and void. For how long will you conceal from me the infinite light of the Eternal G-d. Stop trying to distract me from obvious truths.

The Alter Rebbe now proceeds to suggest various lines of reasoning that the beinoni may use in order to humble and crush his spirit—and thereby the sitra achara of his animal soul.

Contemplation to "break" self-centeredness of the animal soul: My thoughts, speech and action, which I thought to be neutral, were most likely self-serving. THey did not make me a vehicle for the Divine.

This chapter expounds on the "Stone-like" heart- apathy and indifference. It includes explanations to help with awareness, and then in the coming chapter; how to address this.

Understand how you work- a mistake or negativity doesn't mean your soul is weak, it means your soul is strong, and therefore your evil inclination is challenging it more. Tune in to your soul and push away the inclination.

The toolbox for success in divine service: Understand the source of temptations and negative thoughts while doing something good. It is your evil inclination trying to stop you, and is really an opportunity for you to show your strength, that you will not be slowed down.

The toolbox for success in divine service: Don't let urges, temptation, and evil thoughts drag you down. Your divine purpose is to display your strength and overcome these temptations.

Suppressing a material temptation and urge, even something simple like not eating the moment the thought of food enters your mind, or not speaking desirable gossip, has a cosmic effect of making the world a better place. A place for G-d.

The toolbox for success in divine service: Tzadikim (in the true definition) do not have tempations, the rest of us struggle with temptation and challenges. Understand this and you will be empowered to push away the thoughts and rise to the occasion.

The toolbox for success in divine service: Is your spiritual standing dragging you down? Do you feel like you should be better? This is the way to becoming better: Do not entertain those negative thoughts at this moment; it is the work of the evil inclination.

We see from all the above the importance of serving G-d joyfully. Yet, many things in one’s life, both physical and spiritual, may cause him sadness. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to propose means of combating this sadness so that one may always be joyful.

The Alter Rebbe has thus demonstrated how being aware of one’s willingness to sacrifice his life for G-d affects both the areas of “turning away from evil” and “doing good,” i.e., the observance of the negative and positive commandments, respectively. It follows that this awareness should constantly be on one’s mind so that he will always be ready to apply it to his performance of the mitzvot.

In the coming chapters, the Alter Rebbe will discuss means of overcoming possible obstacles in the path of one’s service to G-d. In the first instance, he shows how one may overcome the sadness and dullness of heart, whereby the heart becomes insensitive to feelings of love and fear of G-d.

The discussion until now centered on the category of “turning away from evil.” The Alter Rebbe showed how one could utilize his hidden love of G-d in refraining from sin. He now goes on to the category of “doing good,” discussing the use of the hidden love in leading one to perform all the positive commandments.

In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe concludes the discussion begun in ch. 18. There, he began to explain the verse, “For this thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it,” meaning that to serve G-d out of a feeling of love and awe for Him is a very easy matter for everyone.

The differences between the various sins apply only after the sin has been committed. During the act, however, every sin tears one away from G-d.

A Jew has a natural soul repulsion to idolatry because he can't bear to be separated from G-d. However, when a Jew sins, causing a temporary disconnect to G-d, which is akin to idolatry, Tanya then explains this to be the cause of "temporary insanity".

In this chapter, he explains that a transgression has exactly the opposite effect of a mitzvah. Whereas a mitzvah joins one to G-d, a transgression severs one from Him; whereas a mitzvah attests to G-d’s unity, a transgression implies idolatry.

The performance of G-d’s commandments would seem to be a result of one’s fear of Him and not vice versa. The Alter Rebbe explains that this is a higher level of awe than that which is a prerequisite for performing the commandments. This level can only be attained as a result of one’s observance of the commandments.Now if the commandments lead one to a higher level in the fear of G-d, surely the study of the Torah leads one to a still higher level.

The Alter Rebbe has thus far discussed two levels of union with the Divine will, one analogous to the chariot and its rider and the second to the unity of body and soul. Both these levels of unity are achieved by performing the mitzvot. He now goes on to describe a third and higher level of unity that is achieved through the study of the Torah.

In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe demonstrates how one can unite with G-d’s will and wisdom, and thereby with G-d Himself, through study of the Torah and observance of the mitzvot.

Through many and varied tzimtzumim, the Divine Word brought into being the kelipot and the sitra achara, who perceive themselves to be entities separate from G-d. For this reason, G-d’s Word is described in the Torah as speech, for the element of separation found in human speech (where the spoken word becomes separated from the speaker) is also present in the Divine “speech” of Creation. However, this separateness exists only in the perspective from which the created beings view their relationship with their source; from G-d’s perspective, there is no separation at all, for everything is united with Him and is contained within Him even after it is created.

In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe goes on to say that since, after all, the Torah does use the term “speech” with regard to Divine revelation, we must say that Divine speech contains, to some extent at least, the second characteristic of human speech as well (i.e., that it becomes separated from the speaker). He explains that this is in fact so but only with respect to the beings created by Divine “speech”—they perceive G-d’s Word that created them, and consequently also themselves, as being separate from G-d. This is specifically the case with the kelipot and the sitra achara, which represent a denial of G-d’s unity

Since G-d is not affected by the tzimtzumim which make it possible for a created being to feel separate from Him, He perceives all the creations brought into being by His Word as being still within their source—Himself. There they are in a state of absolute nullification. From His perspective, they are still nonentities, and the fact of their creation in no way detracts from His absolute unity—He is One alone after Creation just as He was before Creation.

the Alter Rebbe states that speech is distinguished by two characteristics: (a) it reveals that which was previously hidden in the speaker’s thoughts; (b) it becomes separated from its source. Only the former characteristic of human speech is analogous to Divine “speech,” which reveals to Creation that which was hitherto hidden within G-dliness.

A spoken word is utterly without value in comparison with the soul’s intellectual and emotional powers (which are described here, for our purposes, as the essence of the soul). Surely, then, the Divine “Word” by which G-d creates and animates all the worlds has no value at all next to G-d, Who is truly and absolutely infinite. Thus, all the worlds created and sustained by the Divine Word are as if nonexistent, from G-d’s perspective, and their presence does not effect any change in His unity.

This same power of self-sacrifice, says the Alter Rebbe, can enable a Jew to refrain from every transgression and to fulfill all the commandments. But if, in fact, only a clear challenge to one’s faith—such as idolatry—arouses and activates one’s hidden love, how can this love serve to motivate one’s observance of all the commandments?

The kelipah can obstruct only those matters that do not directly affect the G-dly soul’s level of chochmah. Therefore, in such matters as faith—a derivative of chochmah—kelipah can neither penetrate nor obstruct. Consequently, in such matters, the Jew is aware that to succumb to sin would mean being torn away from G-d, and therefore, he will readily lay down his life rather than sin.

If a Jew felt how each sinful act tore him away from G-d, he would never sin, for after all, every Jew’s love of G-d is so strong that he is prepared to sacrifice his very life for G-d

Two questions remain: (1) What is the nature of this love (i.e., what does it strive for)? (2) How is fear of G-d incorporated in it? They will be dealt with in this chapter.

Every Jew has a soul which stems from the holy sefirot. Ultimately each soul is animated by the light of the Ein Sof by way of the soul’s faculty of wisdom (chochmah.. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain why it is chochmah that is the original recipient of the light of the Ein Sof. The explanation is based on a discussion of the nature of the soul’s faculty of wisdom

The Alter Rebbe will now explain an alternative method of attaining the love and awe of G-d, a method that may be used even by one with spiritual shortcomings. It consists of arousing the natural love of G-d that lies hidden in the heart of every Jew, a love that is his birthright, his inheritance from our Patriarchs. No meditation is needed to arouse it; all that is required of him is to recall and to make himself aware of this love—and he will be motivated by this recollection to observe the mitzvot. Since no meditation is required to create them, such love and awe of G-d are indeed “very near.” They are accessible to all.

The Rasha, it says, is ruled by his heart. The rule of mind over heart won't work when one is ruled by their heart. The way in then is through a broken heart. The recognition that they have veered off the path of G-d and the bitterness over this can help bring the person to Teshuvah and a return to their true selves.

The verse "The ... (Torah) is very ...(attainable) to you in thought, speech, and action" is implying that everyone is capable of creating a love for G-d. The key to this is creating intellectual emotions, helping us to fulfill the Mitzvot with constant love for Hashem, being that "The mind rules the heart", this reality makes the ability to create an emotional reaction to the contemplation of G-d possible.

When the feelings of love and awe of Hashem don't seem to generate, these are times when it is possible to generate these emotions cognitively, through contemplation. Although these premeditated emotional responses may be less passionate or feel less natural, they are considered valuable and can even enhance your Torah and Mitzvot. This can be another way that one may fulfill the Mitzvah of love for Hashem.

To enable him to master his desires, the beinoni requires (in addition to the natural ability of one’s mind to govern his heart) the help of the Divine light which illuminates his mind1 upon contemplating G-d’s greatness.

The verse mentioned yesterday is part of a talmudical discussion. Hillel defines "one who worships G-d" as one who goes the extra measure to study 1 extra time beyond the norm, then 100 times. The extra effort it takes to stretch outside of habit or natural ability is what defines the Beinoni as either "One who worships G-d" and one who does not, meaning, one who "does not worship" is one who is accustomed to be righteous in thought speech and action by either nurture or nature.

There is a difference between the righteous who work on themselves and those who have no inner struggle. There are those who by nature or habit are not drawn to physical pleasures. Even if in action and behavior the two may be identical, one who does the inner work is called an "Oved Elokim" one who worships G-d.

What is the point of the oath that we must be a Tzaddik, if this is not something every soul is destined or able to become? However, this does not absolve us of our obligation. Everyone must try their best.