Tanya with Rochel Schmukler

Once we truly realize the enormity of the Divine soul's exile, we are prompted to action. Our agenda now becomes to free the soul from captivity and restore her to being totally united and absorbed within the Divine reality. This is achieved through an incredible space where no darkness exists, where the Divine is totally manifest, where the truth of reality is completely exposed. Torah and M...

The best time to stir up holy bitterness is when you are anyway sad because of mundane problems. Or, when you are sad for no apparent reason. Grab that moment of sadness and redirect it to become the holy emotion of bitterness. This will alleviate your worldly sadness, and unbelievably enough, transition to into joy! It is not about brushing the issues under the rug and making light of them. It is...

Taking the ideas presented in the previous chapters to heart seems to put us in a very compromised position. Sadness! Isn't sadness to be avoided at all costs? After all, every sadness, even that which is induced by spiritual concerns, belongs to the realm of the kelipah. The Alter Rebbe tells us: Don't worry! This is the method -- to subdue the darkness with its very own kind. And furth...

In this exercise of humility, the thinking person considers his own struggles and compares them to those of the sinful person. The struggle that we expect of the impassioned man is the struggle that we must demand of ourselves. And we fall short, unfortunately. This is true not only in the realm of "do good," in optimal performance of mitzvos. But this is true even in the realm of "...

It's easy to feel smug when you measure yourself up against someone who seems to fail miserably. But let's look at things beyond the superficial level, by a deeper set of criteria. The person who sins repeatedly doesn't fight to overcome his burning desires. To do so would require a valiant struggle. We may not face his formidable tests just to "turn away from evil." But w...

Our Sages instructed us to be truly humble before every other human being. And that means having humility even towards someone who is on the lowest spiritual level. Can a great person be truly humble before an evildoer? Yes: By taking the Sages' advice not to judge another until you have come to his place. A person must consider the physical place of the evildoer, as well as his spiritual &qu...

Breaking out of the illusion created by our dark side is simply about crushing it. Amazing! Is humility all it takes to fight this complex illusion? Yes. After all, the sitra achra, the "other side," is essentially substanceless -- like darkness, which is simply the absence of light. Light appears, and darkness vanishes. This idea is played out in the Biblical story of the spies. The Jew...

Doesn't everyone ask themselves this question? It is an important part of growing up. Get in touch with your truest, deepest essence. Your soul is calling and it won't be satisfied with anything but the real thing.

To access our deepest, truest space, the superficial self must be broken. That was position one -- the place from where we identify with our external self. Now, moving further into the chapter, we go into second person position. Now is the time to take the standpoint of the Divine soul and from that place, to rage against the animal soul. How dare it obscure the truth of Hashem's oneness! Thi...

Walking down the path to humility, we are enjoined to examine our thoughts, utterances and deeds. Were all of them an expression of holiness, allowing us to be a vehicle of the holy chambers? Or did some of our behaviors cause us to act as a chariot for the chambers of impurity? This is a most humbling thought. And further, let us consider our dreams: Did we experience mundane dreams, or even torm...

To relieve the heart of numbness, the shell of the sitra achra -- the dark side -- must be shattered. In this exercise, a person is called upon to look at the misdeeds of their youth from their current standing. True, you've moved on. But there is a place deeper still that must be reached. And from this deeper space, you can bring yourself to a state of true humility, thereby allowing the lig...

Why is the animal soul considered "the very person"? It's all a matter of the energy source with which you identify. The fact that most people identify with their animal soul, means that "this is me." And if that is who you are ... just this very thought is utterly humbling. 

We now begin to examine the spiritual sickness of a "dull heart." You are doing everything right as far as your meditation goes, but your heart won't respond. It is numb. It won't produce a corresponding emotion. This has serious repercussions as far as prayer is concerned, and as far as exercising restraint. To heal this sickness, we take advice from the Holy Zohar –– this req...

There is a common error that if you are suddenly distracted in middle of your devotions, you weren't doing a good job. That would be true if you had but one soul –– but you don't. You have two. Just ignore that distracting voice as though it were a stranger outside of you. And if the going gets rough, don't forget to ask Hashem for help.

How are we supposed to handle extraneous thoughts that come our way while seriously engaged in Torah study or prayer? Should we try to sublimate the driving emotion? Or should we perhaps feel dejected and despicable? Here's the rule: certain exercises are only meant for the tzadik who eradicated his evil. But for everyone else –– refocus your concentration, intensify your joy and ignore the d...

This class, we finish the chapter. We explore how the practice of self-restraint, of "self-made holiness" creates immense Divine repercussion. The very holiness that we unleash above is drawn down to us, granting us great Divine assistance in our unique mission.

Each and every time we resist our dark side, we cause a corresponding effect above. The unique flavor of the beinoni's struggles has the power to bring down the root of the evil above. His service is similar to the naturally unpleasant substance that has been seasoned and tempered to become a delicacy that comes to surpass the quality of naturally sweet and delicious foods. The pleasure that...

Working through different causes for depression, we now visit the problem of having involuntary sinful thoughts. This can bring a person down, feeling that they have not made any spiritual progress. The Alter Rebbe turns this scenario around, and brings us to realize that this in fact is a reason for joy! A new way to be close to Hashem!

A person who rejoices in sufferings is called a lover of G-d and is rewarded measure for measure. Now, we move to understanding sadness that comes from spiritual disconnection. While truly, separation from the Divine is a reason to be sad, you still have to be happy. For this kind of sadness, you need will to make the time and have a calm mind. Once you have paid attention to your sadness caused b...

Joy is required! To free the heart of any trace of worry or sadness, the Alter Rebbe first explores sadness originating from worldly matters. Examining the advice of our Sages, we come to an incredible realization –– that a person can actually experience joy even in the midst of challenges. 

Your Divine soul is the stronger of the two souls. But being stronger is not enough! If you want to be victorious in the inner struggle of light over darkness, happiness is key. Sadness is dangerous, and although it has its place, it must be employed only under very specific conditions. This Women's Tanya Class is our interactive spiritual journey where we investigate, discuss and apply the r...

The Revelation at Mount Sinai broke all barriers, and we beheld the Divine. That condition was only temporary -- the sin of the golden calf brought denseness back to the world. Still, with the profound revelation of the Torah, we received the strength to transform the darkness into light, and this time for good. A time is coming when the fleshly eye will perceive the Divine and every creature on t...

It should be utterly impossible to remain in existence when G-d is totally and essentially manifest. And it is. No being, earthly or heavenly, can withstand total Divine exposure. Still! There is one way to remain vested in the body and yet bear that profound revelation that is coming at the End of Days. That is the "technology" of the Torah -- the Torah is "strength."

In understanding the Divine desire, we come to examine the Kabbalistic idea of the chain-like order of worlds. And in so doing, we come to realize something utterly striking: that in our world of darkness lies the ultimate purpose of Creation.

Hashem has a desire to dwell in these lowest realms. In order to understand the scope of this desire, we must first define "lower" and "higher" from a new frame of reference. With our new realization, we can come to the astounding realization that Hashem is equally present in all of the worlds, from the most lofty and spiritual to this most physical.