PROLOGUE TO PART ONE: Chapters 1- 8
“Nearly Everybody”: The Inner Life and Struggles of the Jewish Soul
(Based on “Tanya: Collected Discourses of R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi”)
by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
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The first eight chapters of Tanya form the book's first unit; chapters 9 through 15 form the second; 16 through 25, the third; 26 through 34, the fourth; 35 through 40, the fifth; 41 through 50, the sixth; and 51 through 53 form the seventh and final unit. We'll offer the essence of each unit in the form of a prologue before we come upon the text itself, which this is the first of.
Part One begins by introducing the idea that while some of us Jews are utterly wrongful by nature and others are fully righteous, the great preponderance of us are somewhere in between. And it behooves us each to know just where we stand on that continuum. Before we can do that, though, we'll have to understand our spiritual makeup.
RSZ's first insight for us into that is his statement that we're each comprised of two antithetical "predilections" or spirits: one toward rank animalism and another toward pure G-dliness.
The G-dly spirit, we're taught, is a veritable portion of G-d and is comprised of ten elements in all: three “mind" and seven “heart" elements. And that it dons three "garments" at any one time: thoughts, speech, and actions.
We also learn that our G-dly spirit is elevated when its garments are used to fulfill mitzvot; that our mind is united with G-d's very will and wisdom when we study Torah; and that our hearts come into play when we infuse the love and fear of G-d into all that.
Our animalistic spirit is also comprised of ten mind and heart elements, and also has three garments. But they’re all derived from the four "husks" and from the "other side" rather than directly from G-dliness. Those four husks are themselves comprised of two subsets, though: three utterly impure husks, and a single "luminous” one that straddles both holiness and unholiness.
Now, since the luminous element of our animalistic spirit can function in either holiness or unholiness, and since we have it within us to determine in which one it will, it stands to reason that there'll be times when we lapse into unholiness (since we nearly all fall sway to the animalistic spirit's urgings). So how do we rectify things when we do?
And what's the difference between what we do when we lapse into outright unholiness and when we succumb to more subtly wrongful things, like partaking of perfectly acceptable things to excess?
(c) 2006 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
(Based on “Tanya: Collected Discourses of R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi”)
by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
__________________________________________
The first eight chapters of Tanya form the book's first unit; chapters 9 through 15 form the second; 16 through 25, the third; 26 through 34, the fourth; 35 through 40, the fifth; 41 through 50, the sixth; and 51 through 53 form the seventh and final unit. We'll offer the essence of each unit in the form of a prologue before we come upon the text itself, which this is the first of.
Part One begins by introducing the idea that while some of us Jews are utterly wrongful by nature and others are fully righteous, the great preponderance of us are somewhere in between. And it behooves us each to know just where we stand on that continuum. Before we can do that, though, we'll have to understand our spiritual makeup.
RSZ's first insight for us into that is his statement that we're each comprised of two antithetical "predilections" or spirits: one toward rank animalism and another toward pure G-dliness.
The G-dly spirit, we're taught, is a veritable portion of G-d and is comprised of ten elements in all: three “mind" and seven “heart" elements. And that it dons three "garments" at any one time: thoughts, speech, and actions.
We also learn that our G-dly spirit is elevated when its garments are used to fulfill mitzvot; that our mind is united with G-d's very will and wisdom when we study Torah; and that our hearts come into play when we infuse the love and fear of G-d into all that.
Our animalistic spirit is also comprised of ten mind and heart elements, and also has three garments. But they’re all derived from the four "husks" and from the "other side" rather than directly from G-dliness. Those four husks are themselves comprised of two subsets, though: three utterly impure husks, and a single "luminous” one that straddles both holiness and unholiness.
Now, since the luminous element of our animalistic spirit can function in either holiness or unholiness, and since we have it within us to determine in which one it will, it stands to reason that there'll be times when we lapse into unholiness (since we nearly all fall sway to the animalistic spirit's urgings). So how do we rectify things when we do?
And what's the difference between what we do when we lapse into outright unholiness and when we succumb to more subtly wrongful things, like partaking of perfectly acceptable things to excess?
(c) 2006 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
posted by Rabbi Yaakov Feldman | 7:04 AM
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