Tanya
תניא
Sefaria Community Translation
https://www.sefaria.org
Tanya
Part I; Likkutei Amarim
Title Page
Approbation
Compiler's Foreword
Chapter 1
We learned [in Niddah, end of chapter 3 (30b)]: "An swear is issued to him, be righteous, and be not wicked, and even if everyone in the world tells you 'you're righteous," view yourself as (someone who's) wicked.'"
But one has to understand this. For have we not learned, "Do not consider yourself wicked."!
What's more, if one will be wicked in his own eyes he will feel embittered and depressed, and he will be unable to serve G-d with joyful and a glad heart. And (even) if he will not be grieved by this at all, this could lead to frivolity, G-d forbid!
So the matter is as follows: We find in the Talmud five different types of people. A righteous person [tzaddik] who has good, a righteous person [tzaddik] who has evil; a wicked person [rasha] who has good, a wicked person [rasha] who has evil; and a intermediate person [Beinoni].
And the sages explained in the Talmud, that the 'righteous person who has good' is the perfectly righteous person [or the perfect tzaddik]; the 'righteous person who has evil' is a person who is righteous but not completely [or the imperfect tzaddik]. And in Raya Mehemna he explains, that [in the description of] 'a righteous person who has evil' [not that there is something evil about him, rather] - that any evil within him is completely mastered by his goodness, etc. And in the Talmud-Gemara: "The righteous [tzaddik] are judged by their good inclination etc., the wicked [rasha] are judged by their evil inclination, while the intermediate person [beinoni] is judged by both inclinations etc. Said Raba, 'For example, I am an intermediate person [beinoni].' Said Abaye to him, 'Our master has left no life for any creature.'"
So to understand all of this clearly. and also to understand a statement of Job's, "Master of the Universe, You have created righteous men and You have created wicked men." (Baba Batra 16a) [how can this be correct] when righteousness and wickedness are not predestined?
Also, we need to understand what is the true nature of this intermediate person [beinoni]. For certainly he is not someone whose deeds are half meritorious and half sinful [that he spent half his life doing good and half his life doing evil] for if that were the case how could Raba mistake himself for an intermediate person [beinoni]? It is known that his lips never ceased reciting words of Torah, to the extent that even the Angel of Death could not overwhelm him. Then how would he make such a mistake to consider himself [an intermediate person [beinoni] unless 'intermediate' means fully righteous in behavior and not] half sinful?
Additionally, [an intermediate person cannot be one who is half sinful, for] in the moment that one sins he is considered completely wicked [complete rasha]. (If afterwards he returns to righteousness [he repents from his sin] he is considered completely righteous.) Even someone who violates a minor rabbinic prohibition is considered wicked [rasha], as it is written in the second chapter of Yevamot (Yevamot 20a) and in the first chapter of Niddah (Niddah 12a);
and even one who is able to protest and does not is called wicked in the sixth chapter of Shevuot (Shevuot 39b).
And all the more so, in a fortiori inference, one who stays idle while being able to perform some positive mitzvah and does not, such as one who is able to engage with Torah and does not, about that person our sages used the verse "the word of Hashem etc, cut-off certainly cut-off etc" (Ex. 15:31) (see Sanhedrin 90b) and it is obvious that one is called wicked - even more wicked than one who transgressed a rabbinic prohibition!
This being so, we must conclude that the Beinoni is not even guilty of the sin of neglecting to study torah. This is why rabbah mistook himself for a Beinoni.
And this that we normally say, that someone with half merits and half sins is called an intermediate person (Beinoni), and someone with mostly merits is called a righteous person (Tzadik) .that is a borrowed term regarding reward and punishment, for he is judged based on the majority, and in his verdict he is called righteous, because he won his case. But regarding the issue of the truth of the noun, and the elevation and the level that differentiate the tzadikim and the beinonim, our sages said "the tzadikim are ruled by their inclination to good as it is stated: “And my heart is dead within me” (Psalms 109:22)" (Berachot 61b), that don't have an inclination to evil because they killed it with fasting. However, anyone who has not reached this level, even if he has more merits then sins, is not at all on the level and caliber of a rigorous person (Tzadik).
and therefore our rabbis of blessed memory say in the Midrash (Yuma 38b): "G-d saw that there are few righteous persons(Tzadikim), so he planted them in every generation, as its written and a riotous person (Tzadik) is the foundation of the world" (Mishlei 10,25).
So to explain this idea, based on what Rabbi Chaim Vital ob"m writes in Shar Hakdusha (and in Eitz Chaim-Shar 50 Chapter 2), that every Jew, a Righteous person (Tzadik) and a wicked person (Rasha), has two souls, as it is written (Yeshayahu 57 16) "and I have made 2 souls", and these are the two souls. The first Soul is from Kelipa and the other (unholy) side, and it is enclothed in a person's blood to give life to the body, and as it's written (Leviticus 17,11): ''for the Soul of the flesh is in the blood''. and from it (the soul) comes all bad character traits, from the four evil elements within it. Which are: anger and arrogance from the element of fire which rises. and desiring pleasures are from the element of water, for water plants all sorts of pleasure. And licentiousness and frivolity and boasting and empty things from the element of air. And laziness and sadness from the element of earth.
And also the good character traits that are in the nature of all Israel in their generations, such as compassion and good deeds, come for that [soul],
because in Israel that soul, which is from the Kelipah, comes from the Kelipah Nogah, that gas in it also Good, and is from the secret of the tree of knowing good and evil.
The souls of the people of the world, however, emanate from the other, unclean klipot which contain no good whatsoever. As written in Etz Chayim (portal 49 chapter 3) that all the good that the people do, is done out of selfish motivations. So the Gemara comments (Bava Batra 10b.) on the verse (Mishlei 14:34), "The kindness of the people is sin"- that all the charity and kindness done by the people of the world is only for their self-glorification. etc.
Chapter 2
The second soul in Israel is truly "a part of God above," as it is written: "and he blew into his nostrils a soul of life"(Genesis 2:7); "And You blew it into me." (Siddur, Morning Prayer). It is written in the Zohar "he Who blows, blows from within him," that is to say, from his inwardness and from his innermost being. For it is of his inward and innermost vitality that a man emits through blowing with force.
Nevertheless they remain bound and united with a wonderful and essential unity with their original essence and entity; namely, the extension of Chochmah Ilaah (Supernal Wisdom), since the nurture and life of the nefesh, ruach and neshamah of the ignorant are drawn from the nefesh, ruach and neshamah of the Tzaddikim and sages, the heads of Israel in their generation.
This explains the comment of our Sages on the verse, "And to cleave unto Him"— "He who cleaves unto a scholar [of the Torah] is considered by Torah as if he had become attached to the very Shechinah (Divine Presence)" literally. For, through attachment to the scholars, the nefesh, ruach and neshamah of the ignorant are bound up and united with their original essence and their root in the Chochma Ilaah, where He and His wisdom being one, and "He is the Knowledge (this attachment to Chochma Ilaah means a literal attachment to Hashem) . . .
(As for them who willfully sin and rebel against the sages, the nurture of their nefesh, ruach and neshamah comes from behind the back, as it were, of the nefesh, ruach and neshamah of the scholars)....
... Now, if the person sanctifies himself, he will bring forth a holy garment for the soul of his child. However great a soul may be, it still needs the father's sanctification (at the time of intercourse.)
But the soul itself, it sometimes happens that the soul of an infinity lofty person comes to be the son of an ignoble and lowly person. etc. All this has been explained by Rabbi Issac Luria of blessed memory, in Likutei Torah on Parsat Veyera, and in Taamai HaMitzvot on Parshat Bereishit.
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Addition explanation is needed regarding the term "grasping" when Elijah said, "no thought can grasp you" etc.
Now, any mind, when it conceives of and takes hold of an idea, the intellect is grasping and embracing the idea with it's mind, and the idea becomes contained, encompassed and clothed within the mind that has conceived of it and taken hold of it.
Additionally, the intellect itself is clothed in the idea at the time that it is grasping and taking hold of it
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
It is a well-known Rabbinic statement that the purpose of the creation of this world is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have an abode in the lower worlds. But surely with Him the distinction of "upper" and "lower" has no validity, for He pervades all worlds equally. The explanation of the matter, however, is as follows: Before the world was created, He was One Alone, One and Unique, filling all space in which He created the universe. It is still the same now insofar as He is concerned. For the change relates only to those who receive His blessed life-force and light, which they receive through many "garments" which conceal and obscure His blessed light, as is written, "For no man shall see Me and live," and, as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have explained it, that even angels, who are called chayyot, cannot see Him....This is the concept of the Hishtalshelut (downward gradation) of the worlds and their descent, degree by degree, through a multitude of "garments" which screen the light and life that emanate from Him, until there was created this material and gross world, the lowest in degree, than which there is none lower in the aspect of concealment of His blessed light; [a world of] doubled and redoubled darkness, so much so that it is full of kelipot and the sitra achra which oppose the very G‑dhead, saying: "I am, and there is nothing else besides me." Clearly, the purpose of the Hishtalshelut of the worlds and their descent, degree by degree, is not for the sake of the higher worlds, because for them this is a descent from the light of His blessed Countenance. But the ultimate purpose [of creation] is this lowest world, for such was His blessed will that He shall have satisfaction when the sitra achra is subdued and the darkness is turned to light, so that the Divine light of the blessed En Sof shall shine forth in the place of the darkness and sitra achra throughout this world, all the more strongly and intensely, with the excellence of light emerging from darkness, than its effulgence in the higher worlds, where it shines through "garments" and in concealment of the Countenance, which screen and conceal the light of the blessed En Sof, in order that they should not dissolve out of existence. For this purpose, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Israel the Torah which is called "might" and "strength," as the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, that the Almighty puts strength into the righteous in order that they may receive their reward in the hereafter, without being nullified in their very existence, in the Divine light that will be revealed to them in the hereafter without any cloak, as is written, "No longer shall thy Teacher hide Himself (literally: He will not conceal Himself from thee with robe and garment) ... but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher." It is also written, "For they shall see eye to eye,.. ." and, "The sun shall be no more thy light by day ..., but the Lord shall be thine everlasting light...."
It is well known that the Messianic Era, and especially the time of the Resurrection of the Dead, is the fulfillment and culmination of the creation of the world, for which purpose it was originally created.
Note: The receiving of the reward is essentially in the seventh millennium, as is stated in Likutei Torah of Rabbi Isaac Luria, of blessed memory.
Something of this revelation has already been experienced on earth, at the time of the Giving of the Torah, as is written, "Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord He is G‑d; there is naught else beside Him"— "It was showed " verily with physical vision, as is written, "And all the people saw the thunderings"— "They saw what is [normally] heard." And the Rabbis, of blessed memory, explained, "They looked eastwards and heard the speech issuing forth: 'I am,' etc., and so [turning] towards the four points of the compass, and upwards and downwards," as is also explained in the Tikunim that "There was no place from which He did not speak unto them...." This was so because of the revelation of His blessed will in the Decalogue constituting the epitome of the whole Torah, which is the inwardness of His blessed will and wisdom, wherein there is no concealment of the Countenance at all, as is written, "For in the light of Thy Countenance hast Thou given us the Law of life." Therefore they [the Israelites at Sinai] repeatedly expired out of existence, as the Rabbis have taught that "At each [Divine] utterance their soul took flight,... but the Holy One, blessed be He, restored it to them with the dew with which He will revive the dead." This is the dew of the Torah which is called "might," as the Rabbis have said, "Everyone who occupies himself with the Torah is revived by the dew of the Torah...." Later, however, the sin [of the Golden Calf] caused both them and the world to become gross again— until "The end of days," when the dross of the body and of the world will be purified, and they will be able to apprehend the revealed Divine light which will shine forth to Israel by means of the Torah, called "might." And, as a result of the overflow of the illumination on Israel, the darkness of the gentiles will also be lit up, as is written, "And the nations shall walk by thy light,..." and, "O, house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord" ; again, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see together,..."; and, "To go into the holes of the rocks, and into the clefts of the boulders, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty." And as we pray, "Shine forth in the splendour and excellence of Thy might upon all the inhabitants of the world...."
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
At the time the First Temple stood, in which the Ark and Tables [of the Decalogue] were housed in the Holy of Holies, the Shechinah, i.e. Malchut d'Atzilut, that is, the aspect of the "revealed" light of the blessed En Sof, dwelled there and was clothed in the Ten Commandments, far higher and stronger, and with a greater and mightier revelation, than its revelation in the shrines of the Holy of Holies above in the upper worlds. For the Ten Commandments are the "All-embracing principles of the whole Torah," which comes from the Higher Wisdom, that is far higher than the world of manifestation. In order to engrave them on material tablets of stone it (the Shechinah) did not descend degree by degree, parallel to the order of descent of the worlds down to this material world. For this material world functions through the garment of material nature, while the Tables [of the Decalogue] are "The work of G‑d, and the writing is the writing of G‑d," beyond the nature of this material world which is derived from the effulgence of the Shechinah in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah ("Action"), whence issues light and vitality to the world of Asiyah, in which this our world also is contained. But the category of the Higher Wisdom of Atzilut, consisting of the totality of the Torah as it is epitomized in the Decalogue, has clothed itself in Malchut of Atzilut and of Beriah alone, and they alone, united as they are with the light of the blessed En Sof that is within them, are referred to as the "Shechinah" which rested in the Holy of Holies of the First Temple, through its clothing itself in the Ten Commandments, which were engraved in the Tables [reposing] in the Ark, by miraculous means and by the work of the Living G‑d (this being the "hidden" world which nests in the world of Beriah as is known to those familiar with the Esoteric Discipline).
As for the Second Temple, in which did not repose the Ark and Tables [of the Decalogue], our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that the Shechinah did not abide there. This refers to the category of the Shechinah which used to abide in the First Temple— which was not of the ordinary descent of the worlds. But in the Second Temple it abided according to the order of gradual descent, of Malchut d'Atzilut vested in Malchut d'Beriah and the latter in Malchut d'Yetzirah, and the latter in the shrine of the Holy of Holies of Asiyah which in turn was clothed in the Holy of Holies of the Temple here below. In it rested the Shechinah, i.e. Malchut d'Yetzirah which was clothed in the Holy of Holies of Asiyah. Therefore no man was permitted to enter there, except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. However, since the Temple was destroyed, there remains to the blessed Holy One but "The four cubits of Halachah alone." Hence each individual who sits by himself and occupies himself in the Torah, the Shechinah is with him, as is stated in the first chapter of Berachot. The phrase "The Shechinah is with him" means in the order of the gradual descent and investment of Malchut d'Atzilut in Malchut d'Beriah, and Yetzirah and Asiyah. For the 613 commandments of the Torah are by and large active precepts, as are also those which are fulfilled by word and thought, such as Torah study and Grace after meals and the recital of the Shema and Prayer, for it has been ruled that contemplation has not the validity of speech, and one has not fulfilled one's obligation by contemplation and kavanah alone, until he gives utterance with his lips; and it has been ruled that the motion of the lips is considered an "action." The 613 commandments of the Torah, together with the seven commandments of our Rabbis, combine to total the numerical equivalent of כתר ("crown") which is the blessed Ratzon Elyon (the "Supernal Will"), which is clothed in His blessed Wisdom, and they are united with the light of the blessed En Sof in a perfect union. "The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth," which refers to the Oral Law that is derived from the Higher Wisdom, as is written in the Zohar, "The Father [chochmah] begat the daughter [i.e. Malchut, the Oral Law]."
And this is what the Yenuka meant when he said that "The Supernal light that is kindled on one's head, namely, the Shechinah, requires oil," that is, to be clothed in wisdom, which is called "oil from the holy anointing," as is explained in the Zohar, that "these are the good deeds," namely, the 613 commandments, which derive from His blessed wisdom. Thereby the light of the Shechinah can cling to the wick, i.e. the vivifying soul in the body, which is metaphorically called a "wick." For just as in the case of a material candle, the light shines by virtue of the annihilation and burning of the wick turning to fire, so does the light of the Shechinah rest on the divine soul as a result of the annihilation of the animal soul and its transformation "From darkness to light and from bitterness to sweetness" in the case of the righteous, or at least through the destruction of its garments, which are thought, speech and action, and their transformation from the darkness of the kelipot to the Divine light of the blessed En Sof, which is clothed and united in the thought, speech and action of the 613 commandments of the Torah, in the case of benonim. For as a result of the transformation of the animal soul, originating from the kelipat nogah, [a transformation] from darkness to light, and so forth, there is brought about toe so-called "ascent of the feminine waters" to draw the light of the Shechinah, i.e. the category of the "revealed" light of the blessed En Sof— over one's divine soul [principally dwelling] in the brain of the head. Thereby will also be clearly understood the text "For the Lord Thy G‑d is a consuming fire" as is explained elsewhere. CONCLUSION OF THE FIRST PART WITH THE HELP OF G-D, MAY HE BE BLESSED AND EXALTED.
Part II; Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah
Chinukh Katan
Part III; Iggeret HaTeshuvah
Chapter 1
It was taught at the end of Yoma: There are three categories of atonement and repentance is with each one: If one violates a positive mitzva and repents, he is forgiven before he moves from his place. If one violates a prohibition and repents, repentance suspends [his punishment] and Yom Kippur atones. (To clarify: regarding their fulfillment, positive mitzvos are greater in that they supersede prohibitions, this is because divine light and sustenance is drawn into the supernal worlds from the Blessed One's Infinite Light through the fulfillment of positive mitzvos (as in Zohar, "The 248 commandments are the 248 limbs of the King.") as well as on the divine soul of [the performer] as in "Who sanctifies us with His commandments". but when is comes to repentance, even though one can be absolved of punishment over his rebellion against the Blessed One's Kingship, by not acting in acordance with the King's word, still the divine light is missing, and so on. As in the verse, "Mistakes cannot be corrected." i.e. "He who neglected reciting the evening and morning Shema" and so on. even if he would begin to always be scrupulous to recite the evening and morning Shema, his repentance is cannot correct the one time that he neglected.
If one commits a transgression that warrants excision or death from the earthly court, repentance and Yom Kippur suspend [his punishment], and suffering absolves (i.e. completes the atonement. and completes the atonement, as it is stated: “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with strokes” (Psalms 89:33).
Chapter 2
But all this, regarding atonement and forgiveness of sin, that he is totally forgiven for that which he violated the commandment of the King when he does complete repentance, and the matter nor half the matter is mentioned on the Day of Judgement to punish him for this G-d forbid in the World to Come, and he is totally exempted from judgement in the World to Come. However, so that he will be as desirable before Hashem and as desired and beloved before Him, May He be Blessed, as before the sin to be a consolation to the soul of his Creator from his worship, he needs to bring an olah sacrifice even on a light positive commandment which has no karet or death penalty, as our Rabbis expounded in Torat Kohanim on the verse "he should be desireable" as it says in the first chapter of Zevachim that an olah atones for a positive commandment. It is a gift after one has repented and been forgiven the punishment, like a man who disgusted the king and appeased him by means of an agent and was forgiven, even so he sends some gift before him so that the king will desire to see him (and the language of "atones" is like what it says in the Torah "and He will desire him to atone for him", this isn't an atonement for his soul, but an atonement before Hashem to be a consolation to the soul of his Creator , as it says there in the Gemara, and as it says "simple it should be desireable")
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Yet, all that was said above is about completing the atonement and the cleansing of the soul for G-d, as explained earlier based on the Talmud's first chapter of Zevachim, that the burnt-offering is a tribute after the intercessor's appeasement and so on. However, the beginning and foundation of the mitzvah of repentance is to return to truly G-d with a complete heart and it is necessary to explain this well and at great length, beginning with a quote from the holy Zohar in explaining the word "Teshuva-repentance" in the manner of mysticism: "Teshuv-hey. The lower hey - the lower teshuvah, the higher hey - the higher teshuvah."
Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
My beloved brothers and friends, from hidden love and revealed rebuke, let us dispute:
Remember the days of old, Consider the years of ages past. Was there ever such a thing, and where did you find this custom in all of the books of the Sages of Israel early and late to have the custom and decree to ask material advice about what to do in the issues of the material world, even from the great sages of Israel, the early ones like the Tanaim and Emoraim to whom no secrets were held back and the path of heaven was lit up for them, but only the prophets themselves, who were before Israel, like Samuel the visionary who Saul went to to ask God about the asses that his father had lost!
For in truth, all of the issues of the human except for the words of Torah and the fear of heaven are only attainable through prophesy, and the sages do not have bread as our Rabbis said, "Everything is in the hands of heaven except the fear of heaven," and "Seven things are hidden... A person does not know how they will make a living... and when the kingdom of David will be restored..." Behold they held these things equal to each other. And what it says in Isaiah "A counselor and skilled artisan," and also what our Rabbis said, "and they benefit from them with counsel and insight," this is referring to words of Torah which are called "insight." As our Rabbis said, "a counselor, this is one who knows how to extend the years and fix the months..." For the secret of the extension is called counsel and secret in the language of the Torah as it says in Sanhedrin 87, see what Rashi says there.
But I will say the truth to those who will hear me. For love distorts the line, and it is a covering for the eyes so that they will not see truth because of the great love they have of the life of the body for the sake of heaven to serve God with it in the flash of the fire and the great flame from the love of their souls for God. And therefore, they are rightly angered by the pain of the body (God forbid) and they are not able to accept it at all until they can pass them from their minds by pounding their legs from city to city to ask advice from afar and they do not pay attention to God, to return to Him with a lowly spirit and a subdued body to accept His rebuke with love for the one that God loves...
Part V; Kuntres Acharon