Daily Tanya

Even one who has never violated a sin punishable by excision or a sin incurring death by Divine agency,

such as vain emission and the like,

but other, less severe sins,

nonetheless, since they cause a defect in the spirit and Divine soul,

as in the analogy of the fine strands of rope that are defective or severed, as noted above—in ch. 5, which describes the 613 strands that together comprise the lifeline of the soul, and when one transgresses one of the 613 commandments, one of these strands is severed,

therefore, through an accumulation of sins, there can eventually be a defect as grave as from one prohibition involving excision or death.

This would be true even when a single sin is repeated numerous times.23

In this manner, the prophet compares sins to a cloud that dims the light of the sun.

As the verse states, “I have erased your transgressions like a thick cloud”24 (that can dissipate).

This refers to the grave sins (25that are barriers) between the internal aspect of the power flowing forth from the Tetragrammaton and the Divine soul.

This is like the separation of a thick, dark cloud that stands between the sun and the earth with its inhabitants.26

[The above verse continues:] “…and your sins like a cloud.” These are the lesser sins that man tramples under his heel,

[sins] that obscure as does a thin and wispy cloud.

In the illustration, if one obscures the sunlight streaming through a window with many fine and flimsy curtains, they will darken as much as one thick curtain will, and even more.

This is exactly so in the analogue,

with all those cloudlike sins upon which man tramples indifferently, because they seem to be of little import: they obscure the Divine light by their multitudinous repetition as do many fine curtains, “darkening as much as one thick curtain will, and even more,”

and certainly with those sins that our Sages often warned against that are actually like idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed.

For example:27 ignoring the needy,

concerning which Scripture writes, “Beware lest there be in your heart something unworthy….”28

Beliyaal (here translated “unworthy”) is used in reference to idolatry29…, from which we learn that ignoring the needy is likened to idolatry.

Or talebearing, the evil tongue, that is equated to idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed.30

Likewise, the vile-tempered is like the idolatrous,31

and so is the arrogant.32

There are many such cases described in the Talmud—of sins whose punishment is not as severe as that of idolatry and the like but which nonetheless effect a similar spiritual blemish,

and [the sin of neglecting] the study of the Torah equals them all.

As our Sages assert, “G-d has overlooked idolatry, [immorality, and bloodshed, but has not overlooked the sin of neglecting Torah study].”33

For this reason, it was ordained that in the course of Keriat Shema at the bedside,34 one should accept the four executions of the court, and so on.

Besides, according to sod, the mystical dimension of the Torah, causing a defect in the yud of the Tetragrammaton is like incurring lapidation;

causing a defect in the hey is like incurring burning;

[causing a defect] in the vav is like incurring the sword;

and [causing a defect in] the latter hey is like incurring strangulation.

Neglecting the Shema impairs the yud, and tefillin the hey,

tzitzit the vav, and prayer the latter hey, and so on.

From this, a thinking man can infer for other sins and transgressions (The Rebbe adds: “…which one of the letters of the Tetragrammaton they are related to and thus to which manner of execution”),

and for [the sin of] neglecting the study of the Torah, which is equivalent to them all.