Daily Tanya

Although the light of Hashem passes through many levels, there is never any essential change to the Shechina.

The word Shechinah (שְׁכִינָה) derives from the root שֹׁכֵן—“to dwell.” The titles of “mother” and “queen” relate to their functions of caring for the lives of their children and subjects, respectively. Now, if the creation of all things derives from the Shechinah , from the revelation of Divine power, how do we account for those things that derive from kelipot , entities that “oppose” G-dliness a...

The “soul” and spiritual life-force is the “word of G-d,” the potent Divine speech that continuously creates all beings, i.e., the Shechinah .

This letter comments on a discourse (in Tzavaat Harivash , sec. 120 in the Kehot edition) in which the Baal Shem Tov explains that though all things emanate from G-d through His attributes of love and awe, these attributes can find themselves in a state of exile.

The Alter Rebbe continues to emphasize the greatness and intense holiness present during prayers, and thus, the severity of idle talk during prayers. To express his sincere distaste and opposition to such behavior, The Alter Rebbe issues a Halachic ex-communication upon people who transgress this rule.

In the present letter, the Alter Rebbe goes on to condemn those who during prayer services engage in mundane conversation—not only on idle matters but even on matters that are necessary for their livelihood. Such conversation at any other time would of course be permitted. During prayer services, however, it demonstrates that the speaker has no desire to behold the G-dliness that is revealed speci...

Strictly speaking, our Sages applied the verse “and those who forsake G-d shall be consumed” only to a person whose leaving bars the congregational recital of a davar shebikedushah , a text involving the sanctification of G-d’s Name, which cannot be done without a quorum of ten. By contrast, though the quality of Torah study is enhanced by a quorum of ten, this is not a prerequisite condition.

Just as the Shechinah hovers over all Jews in an encompassing manner even when they are not studying Torah, so, too, even with regard to the indwelling of the Shechinah that is brought about by congregational Torah study: this illumination of the soul, being infinite, must be primarily transcendent.

Being fixed within the soul constantly, this reward is received by the soul not only in the World to Come—when the soul is enabled to apprehend rewards that are not to be obtained in this world28—but in this world as well. And since this kind of reward consists of a finite degree of illumination, it can be received by the soul even as the soul finds itself within the body. This is why it is writte...

In the letter that follows, the Alter Rebbe urges Chasidim to devote the daily interval between Minchah and Maariv to the group study of Ein Yaakov and to the laws in the Shulchan Aruch that have frequent and practical application. He introduces this appeal by explaining how sublime is the Divine Presence that dwells within Jews when they study Torah publicly. Indeed, only in the World to Come can...

The Alter Rebbe is quick to insist that his listeners’ love for the “life of the body” is no doubt motivated by a spiritual purpose. Nevertheless, they become so enmeshed in this love that they soon come to love the “life of the body” for its own sake as well. This latter love upsets the natural order to the point that it drives people to seek advice on material matters.

The reason given until this point for dividing one’s annual pledges into weekly or at least monthly payments was the quality of alacrity in performing a mitzvah. The Alter Rebbe now adds two further reasons for not deferring frequent payments to one consolidated contribution at the end of the year: (a) every single act of tzedakah refines the soul of the donor; (b) every single act of tzedakah bri...

The Alter Rebbe begins this epistle by greeting his fellow Jews as “lovers of G-d’s Name.” 1 This appellation especially suits those helping their brethren who serve G-d in the Holy Land. For upon this land “G-d’s gaze is fixed constantly,” 2 and this verse uses G-d’s ineffable Name Havayah , indicating that the Land is directly illuminated and animated by the sublime level of Divinity indicated b...

Not only is the capacity for growth an instance of yesh me’ayin and a result of G-d’s infinitude: the same is true of its constant recurrence.

it is specifically at the lowliest level of creation that the “rebounding light” manifests the essence of the original illumination with superior intensity.

Malchut of Atzilut as well as the union of za and nukva of Atzilut creates the souls and angels of the World of Beriah , creatures which are created in a manner of yesh .

Insofar as Torah and the mitzvot are rooted in keter , then, the mitzvot are on a higher plane than Torah; Torah is rooted in “concealed chochmah ,” the level of mochin in keter , while the mitzvot are rooted in gulgalta , the encompassing level of keter that transcends mochin .

The sefirah of malchut creates beings that sense themselves to be separate from G-dliness, for only over them is it possible for malchut to reign—so that these distinct and separate created beings should, by dint of their own spiritual service, nullify themselves to G-d’s will.

Angels and souls of Atzilut that have already emerged and become separated from the kelim cannot possibly act as conduits for the creation of yesh from ayin , inasmuch as they themselves are not actual Divinity.

The epistle that follows, beginning “The letters that are revealed,” is one of the epistles that was appended to the edition of the Tanya published in Vilna in the year 5660 (1900), these additions being noted by R. Asher of Nikolayev in his introductory declaration there. 53 This relevance of this epistle to the previous one may be found in the following parallel: The previous epistle explains ho...

The Alter Rebbe had previously said that (a) Moses’ prophetic comprehension of the sefirah of chochmah consisted merely of the achorayim (the hindmost aspect) of chochmah . He then went on to say that (b) the source of the Torah in chochmah is the same, for it too transcends reason. The Alter Rebbe is now saying that (c) even the chochmah vested in the 613 commandments is referred to as no more th...

Seeing something grasps its essence; comprehension merely grasps its externality.

In order to “enable” the Ein Sof -light, by definition infinite, to create worlds, which are finite, an intermediary is needed—to bridge the chasm between infinity and finitude. This intermediary, Torah, 1 is alluded to in our opening verse, “He enwraps [Himself with] light as [with] a garment….” 2

Having spoken until now of the higher category in the love of G-d called ahavah betaanugim , the Alter Rebbe now proceeds to consider the lesser love, ahavah zuta .

In the present letter, the Alter Rebbe elaborates upon two general categories in the love of G-d. The first category of love is granted man only as a gift from Above: he cannot attain it by dint of his own service. This pleasurable experience of Divinity is termed 3 ahavah betaanugim (“a love which experiences delights”) and is a foretaste of the World to Come, wherein the soul basks in the rays o...