Women’s Tanya Class

The Alter Rebbe opens his seminal work, which comes to explain a verse from the Torah, “for this matter is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, to do it.” The method of the book is “the long but short way,” and it is meant to take the place of a private audience with the Rebbe. Naturally, we resist this substitute for personal guidance! Spiritual guidance must be personal, from teacher to student. How can a book accomplish this?

Can a book truly reach you on a personal level like a teacher can? Your soul is rooted in the Torah and connected through the Torah to Hashem. And yet, even a book founded on Torah, might not give you the guidance you seek, as not everyone is fortunate enough to discern their unique place in the Torah.

A book really isn't one size fits all, and that is why you need a spiritual guide who can see you as the unique individual that you are, and give you guidance from that soul to soul connection. But this isn't a book. These are the transcripts of the deep, relatable answers that I gave you personally, my beloved students. It's all in here –– all of the answers to all of the questions. And if you need help finding your personal answer in this book, seek guidance from the wise people in your community and they will assist you.

This is the oath we took before we came down here: be righteous, don’t be wicked, and even if the entire world perceives you as righteous, regard yourself as wicked in your own eyes. Isn't it risky to view ourselves as wicked? Such a perspective could lead to either depression or apathy. Let's examine five categories within the Jewish people to gain clarity on this matter: two types of righteous individuals, two types of wicked individuals, and a beinoni in the middle. What defines a beinoni?

Who is this elusive beinoni? Defining him proves challenging; there appears to be no middle ground between a righteous person and a wicked one. Exploring various scenarios, we find that minor infractions do not categorize a person as a beinoni. Looking at the Talmud, we learn that the tzadik is someone who no longer has an evil inclination; their sole drive is for good. But what about everyone else? A new understanding emerges: Kabbalah teaches us that every Jew, whether righteous or sinful, possesses two souls. The first soul originates from the side of unholiness and animates the body by clothing itself in our blood.

Let's explore the first soul, the one that vitalizes our body and is clothed within our blood. It originates from the klipah, the realm of unholiness, and is made of the four evil elements that give rise to our negative qualities and character traits. Surprisingly, this soul is also the source for the natural Jewish traits of kindness and compassion. This is because it stems from the "glowing klipah" – kelipat nogah – which contains both good and evil, flowing from the esoteric tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Now, we encounter our second soul, which is described as "truly a part of G-d above." This soul is "blown" into us from the very innerness of G-d Himself. The Jew originates within the Divine thought, essentially a sample of the Divine "inner experience," and is called a child of Hashem, emerging from His wisdom which is inseparable from Himself, as Maimonides teaches.

Now let’s look at the Kabbalistic teachings of the Arizal, who exposed supremely high levels of the Divine reality. How does Maimonides’ statement apply in this context? Only once the Infinite Light clothes itself in the highest sefirot of the world of Atzilut. Beyond that, there’s really nothing to say. In fact, the highest level of the known spiritual reality is exactly equal to the lowest level, that of material action in this lowest physical world, relative to the Divine Essence.

All Jewish souls originate in the wisdom of Hashem, yet we observe a multitude of differences among them. We revisit the analogy of the seminal drop originating in the father's mind. Similarly, Jewish souls, having traversed the downward gradation of worlds, acquire lower levels of consciousness. The secret lies in our oneness, and by connecting with Torah sages who represent the "brain," we can manifest our own essence, no matter how low we have descended.

Now we comprehend how cleaving to Torah scholars is akin to attaching to the Shechina. By connecting with holy people who represent the level of the “brain,” we can experience and manifest G-dliness. But what about those who rebel against Torah scholars? Another crucial aspect to consider is the influence of parents on the child’s soul. The Zohar teaches us that the holiness of parents during conception significantly impacts the spiritual quality of their child’s soul. However, the Zohar speaks not of the soul itself but rather of its “garment”—the medium through which it manifests and expresses its essence.

Our soul has descended from the ten holy Sefirot. Let's examine how the Sefirot operate: The three highest sefirot activate the seven constructive sefirot, and this is how our soul manifests as well. The three highest faculties are the cognitive aspects of chochmah (inspiration), binah (understanding), and da'at (internalization). These three faculties of awareness give rise to and shape our emotional experiences.

Now let's look at the mechanism of the intellectual-emotional response. Every idea starts with a seminal point of inspiration, the point of chachmah. This point of inexplicable potential hovers just above our grasp, we don't own it and cannot explain it until we delve deeply into it, fleshing it out into its parts and particulars through the power of binah. When we apply this process to our intellectual appreciation of Hashem's astounding greatness, an awe of His transcendent majesty is born in our mind and moves to our heart as a real, palpable emotion.

Chochmah and binah are the father and mother that give rise to love and fear of Hashem. Indeed, all other emotions stem from this union. Now, let’s consider the third "mother," the third intellectual faculty that gives rise to emotion: daat. Daat is not about acquiring new information; rather, it is the personalization of what we have perceived with chochmah and understood with binah. Through the daat experience, we deeply connect with this knowledge, allowing it to profoundly touch and transform us. It is only by focusing our minds on what we have perceived and comprehended about Hashem that we can cultivate lasting and vibrant emotions for Him.

The Divine soul has three garments through which it finds expression: thought, speech, and deed, specifically through the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. The intellect of the Divine soul is expressed through the garment of thought, while its emotions—love and awe—manifest through the garments of speech and action. Speech and action become the expression of emotions because the true fulfillment of the mitzvot is driven by love. Fear, on the other hand, is expressed by observing the prohibitive Divine commands.

Understanding the Torah offers an incredible advantage above all other mitzvot: the Torah we study literally becomes part of our very being, which is why it is called "bread." Firstly, it integrates into us; secondly, it provides nourishment and life energy to our soul. In this way, Torah is like food for the soul, while mitzvot are the garments that clothe it. Our Sages teach that Torah is equivalent to all the mitzvot because it not only sustains the soul but also encompasses us as a garment as we strive to understand it and articulate the words out loud.

Hashem created "one thing opposite the other." This means that all ten powers of the Divine soul have a corresponding counterpart in the animal soul, along with the three garments, or modes of expression. How do we identify a thought, word, or action as an expression of the animal soul? And how do we recognize what belongs to "sitra achra – the other side"? And how do we define holiness?

How could anything exist if it opposes its essential life force? This is the secret of the exile of the Shechina – the Divine Presence – which vivifies forces that oppose it. Looking at this physical world and understanding the nature of kelipah – the obscuring husk – we can understand why darkness seems so prevalent here. And still, the infinite light of G-d fills this entire world through its investiture in the ten holy Sefirot.

Exploring kelipat nogah, the luminescent husk within the realm of impurity, which contains a mixture of good and bad. Its destiny hinges on our intentions when interacting with the material world. When our focus is on serving Hashem, even the most luxurious items can be elevated to holiness, like a sacrifice on the altar. But when self-indulgence drives our actions, these objects are pulled deeper into spiritual obscurity, temporarily disappointing their potential.