Daily Tanya

The various kinds of love of G-d discussed hitherto all come under the category of chesed and kesef and are therefore an outgrowth of chochmah . But the love of G-d in the form of kelot hanefesh discussed in this chapter comes under the category of gevurah , which is called zahav (“gold”) and is an outgrowth of binah .

By speaking words of Torah—as it is written, “And you shall speak of them”—the spirit emerges into a revealed state. Thus, the union of “spirit with spirit” is mainly brought about by one’s immersion in Torah study.

G-d freely chose Jewish bodies to be the proper receptacle for Jewish souls, desiring that through the deeds performed by the body (for all physical mitzvot demand bodily participation), the Jew should become united with Him.

The various degrees of nullification of these angels are thus spoken of in the first of the two blessings preceding the Shema . When a person meditates on this matter, he will begin to understand G-d’s greatness, for all the lofty angels are nullified to Him.

just as G-d brought forth His light into this world in a manner that transcended orderly and limited progression, so, too, should every Jew seek to serve G-d not only in an orderly and limited fashion but without limit, renouncing everything for the sake of his love of Him. Even limitations foisted upon him by the world’s very nature should not act as an impediment to his service of G-d.

Just as G-d brought forth His light into this world in a manner that transcended orderly and limited progression, so, too, should every Jew seek to serve G-d not only in an orderly and limited fashion but without limit, renouncing everything for the sake of his love of Him. Even limitations foisted upon him by the world’s very nature should not act as an impediment to his service of G-d.

It has been previously explained (in ch. 2) that G-d’s knowledge and intellect are totally different from man’s. When a mortal being knows something, three distinct identities are involved: (a) the “knower”—the person in possession of the knowledge; (b) the “knowledge”—the intellectual faculty which enables him to know; and (c) the “known”—the particular item of knowledge which he knows. G-d, howe...

the minute degree of illumination which results from the tzimtzumim enables the earth to exist in a finite manner and only in the finitude of inorganic and vegetable matter. G-d’s knowledge, however, as shall presently be explained, encircles the earth from above. For since His knowledge is infinite while the world is finite, it is impossible for this knowledge to pervade the earth, even though th...

By way of illustration, the Alter Rebbe will now draw an analogy from the physical earth, which is composed of the inanimate and vegetable worlds. These two categories are the least significant of the four categories—man, animal, the vegetative, and the inanimate—and the divine life-force found within them is contracted to a greater degree than the life-force found within animal and man. Neverthel...

Unlike the light that pervades all worlds ( memalei kol almin ), which permeates and vests itself within them (just as the soul vests itself in the body), the encompassing light remains aloof from the worlds.

Even the creatures of the highest spiritual worlds are finite beings, and in order for them to be created in a finite manner, the process of “contraction” must be invoked. Being finite, they are totally dissimilar to their source—the infinite G-dly light that exists prior to “contraction.”

The spiritual counterpart of the Exodus is the acceptance of the Kingdom of Heaven during the recitation of the Shema and one’s desire to cleave to G-d and be united with Him, for by these means, the soul frees itself from the exile and confines of the body and becomes one with G-d.

When tzaddikim perform a mitzvah, they actually feel how it unifies their soul with G-d. This, in turn, awakens within their soul a feeling of fear and awe of G-d, followed by a feeling of intense love of Him. This, of course, is not the case with these who “feel not.”

The Alter Rebbe now goes on to say that the word kideshanu also alludes to the sanctification a Jew achieves through Torah and mitzvot , sanctification implying a state of exaltation and separation from all worlds.

Like the lowly and disgraceful individual who was raised from the dunghill by the king in person, the Children of Israel were brought forth out of Egypt by the King Himself,

The king depicted here rules not over one land but over many; his love for the person is not only harbored in the heart but is manifest; the manner of love is not ordinary but “great and intense”; and the love is shown not to an ordinary person but to a truly despicable character. The Alter Rebbe goes on to state how his love is displayed:

In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe goes on to explain how very, very close it is for every Jew to reveal his hidden love of G-d. The approach explained in this chapter is novel (as the Rebbe clarifies) inasmuch as it utilizes the Jew’s very nature, thereby obviating the need for a specific manner of contemplation; a relatively general and tangible manner of contemplation will do, as will soon be exp...

In the chapter that follows, the Alter Rebbe describes yet another manner of attaining the level of lishmah , of performing Torah and mitzvot with the innermost feelings of one’s soul. This approach consists of utilizing the third of the primary spiritual emotions, namely, compassion—the attribute of tiferet (lit., “beauty”), which is the distinctive characteristic of our forefather Jacob—as follo...

Love created purely as a result of contemplation is more passionate and fiery than love which is essentially inherited, even when the inherited love is revealed through contemplation

although the two abovementioned loves (“My soul…” and “Like a son…”) are naturally found in a Jew’s soul, deriving as they do from the Patriarchs, still, when they are in a revealed state in one’s heart, they are able to elevate the Torah and mitzvot that result from them to the World of Beriah .

When the soul, G-d’s child, is clothed in the body and animal soul, it is in a state of captivity. Through Torah and mitzvot, it is liberated from this captivity and is joined with G-d. This causes Him a joy similar to that experienced by the mortal king in the analogy.

In the previous chapter, the Alter Rebbe explained that there are two broad categories in the love of G-d, ahavah rabbah and ahavat olam . Ahavah rabbah cannot be attained by man unaided. It is granted as a gift from above when an individual merits it; reflection alone on G-d’s greatness can in no way engender this level of love. Ahavat olam , however, results from intense and sustained meditation...

It has previously been noted that the higher level of love can come about only after one’s fear of G-d is total. However, the lower level of love may sometimes come about, as shall soon be explained, even without being preceded by the fear of G-d.

The Alter Rebbe explains in this chapter that just as there are two general levels of fear of G-d, there are also two general levels of love of G-d.

The Alter Rebbe now goes on to elaborate on a frame of mind which can and must exist constantly—“acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.” This is not attained through contemplation. Rather, it comes as a result of faith alone—and this state can exist constantly in all individuals.