Daily Tanya

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.