Tanya: Chapter 31 - Part 2

Even if dwelling long and deeply on the abovementioned matters for an hour or two, to be lowly of spirit and contrite of heart, leads one to profound depression, let him not be perturbed.

True, atzvut (depression) derives from the realm of kelipat nogah, not of holiness,

for concerning the realm of holiness, it is written: “Strength and gladness are in His place,”1 and likewise, “The Divine Presence abides…only in [man’s] joy…and the same joy is required for the study of the Halachah.”2

Any depression, then, comes from the realm of kelipat nogah, except that if the depression is due to spiritual matters arising from one’s realization of his spiritual failings, it stems from the good contained in kelipat nogah, for, as mentioned in ch. 1, kelipat nogah contains both good and evil—the evil in nogah is the source of ordinary depression, and the positive element in nogah gives rise to spiritually motivated depression. Yet, even the element of good contained in nogah is, after all, kelipah.

(3For this reason, the Arizal writes that even worry over one’s sins is appropriate only during confession,

but not during prayer and Torah study. These must be conducted with a joy deriving exclusively from the realm of holiness, as opposed to frivolity and the like.)

Yet, this is precisely the method of humbling the sitra achara—through something of its own species and kind, i.e., the sitra achara is most effectively attacked by utilizing the good contained within it as a weapon against itself.

As our Sages expressed it: “From the forest itself comes [the handle for] the ax [which fells the forest],”4 and in a similar vein, “He encountered one of his own kind.”5

Of this sadness resulting from contemplation of one’s spiritual state it is written, “In every sadness, there will be profit.”6 The profit lies in the joy which follows the sadness, as will be explained later—i.e., in what way the sadness itself leads to joy.

In truth, however, the state of being contrite of heart and bitter of soul—i.e., remorseful over one’s remoteness from G‑d and over the fact that one’s soul is clothed in the sitra achara—can by no means be described in the Holy Tongue (Hebrew) by the term “atzvut.”

For “atzvut” means that one’s heart is as dull as a stone and that there is no vitality—arousal of feeling—in his heart.

But “bitterness” (merirut) and contrition are just the opposite, since the very fact that one is moved to be embittered is itself a sign of life,

except that this vitality derives from the holy attributes of severity (Gevurot) and it therefore expresses itself as bitterness, whereas joy derives from the [holy] attributes of kindness (Chasadim), for the heart contains both these attributes—kindness and severity.

At times, one must arouse the holy attributes of severity (Gevurot) in order to temper (lit., “sweeten”) stern judgments, which in this context denote the animal soul and the evil inclination, whenever it (the latter) dominates a man, G‑d forbid,

for stern judgments i.e., restraints on one’s spiritual well-being can only be “sweetened” by means of their source.

For this reason, our Sages said: “One should always incite the good inclination to anger [against the evil inclination].”8

The word “always” (“one should always incite…”) is, however, to be understood in a qualified sense. Joy, not severity, is usually the proper setting for divine service. Thus, when our Sages state that one should always incite the good inclination, this means whenever he finds it necessary for himself, as, for example, when one sees that the arrogance of his animal soul does not permit the light of his divine soul to penetrate his heart, causing timtum halev.

However, the appropriate time for this “anger” of the divine soul at the animal soul, meaning the time which is opportune and fitting for most people,

is when one is in any case depressed over mundane matters, or just so, without any discernible cause.9

This is an opportune time for redirecting the depression toward spiritual matters to be among the “masters of accounts” mentioned above, i.e., to engage in soul-searching and spiritual stocktaking,

and to fulfill the previously mentioned teaching of our Sages that one should always incite his good inclination against his evil inclination, since both of these paths harness the attribute of severity.

He will thus also be rid of the depression brought on by mundane matters.

He will then arrive at a true joy, as follows: In order to comfort his heart in double measure, let him—in the wake of the above words of truth concerning his lowly spiritual stature—tell himself the following.

Let him say to his heart: “Indeed, without a doubt, I am far removed, utterly remote from G‑d, and am despicable, contemptible, and so on.

“But all this is true only of me—that is, my body and the animating soul within it.

“Yet within me, there is a veritable ‘part’ of G‑d, which is present even in the most worthless of my fellows, so that even if I am no better than he, I still have this ‘part’ of G‑d within me, namely, the divine soul and the spark of G‑dliness itself clothed in it, animating it.

“It is only that when the body and animating soul are in such a lowly state, the divine soul is in exile within them.

“If so, then, on the contrary, the further I am removed from G‑d, and the more despicable and contemptible,

the deeper in exile is my divine soul, and all the more is it to be pitied.

“Therefore, I will make it my entire aim and desire to extricate it from this exile and to ‘return her to her father’s house i.e., to restore it to its source and its original state as in her youth,’

i.e., as it was before being clothed in my body, when it was completely absorbed in G‑d’s light and united with Him.

“Now, too, will it likewise be absorbed and united with Him once again, when I concentrate all my aspirations on the Torah and the mitzvot, in an effort to clothe therein all [of the soul’s] ten faculties; i.e., by applying my mental faculties to Torah study and my emotive faculties to the performance of the mitzvot with the vitality lent them by the love and fear of G‑d, as explained above in ch. 4. Thus will my divine soul be reunited with G‑d.

“Especially in fulfilling the mitzvah of prayer will I try to release my divine soul by crying out to G‑d because of the distress of its exile in my loathsome body so that He release it from captivity and bind it to Himself.”

This service of G‑d, in which one seeks to restore the soul to its source, is referred to as “teshuvah with good deeds.”10

This denotes the “good deeds” which one does with the intention of returning the soul, which is part of G‑d, to the [Divine] source and root of all the worlds.

This, then, should be one’s lifelong aim in the service of G‑d with great joy—the joy of the soul upon leaving the loathsome body and returning, during one’s study of the Torah and service of G‑d through prayer, to “her father’s house as in her youth,” i.e., to the unity with G‑d that it enjoyed before it descended into the body.

This corresponds to the statement of our Sages11 that one ought to engage in teshuvah throughout his life.

Surely, there is no joy as great as that of being released from exile and captivity. It is comparable to the joy of a prince who was taken captive and was subjected to the hard labor of turning the millstone in prison12 while covered with filth,

and who then goes free to the house of his father, the king.

True, the body remains abominable and loathsome, and as the Zohar says, it is called “a serpent’s skin,”13

since the essential character of the animal soul has not been transformed to good so that it might be absorbed into the realm of holiness.

Yet, let his divine soul be more precious to him than his loathsome body so that he rejoices in the soul’s joy at its liberation, through the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, from the exile of the body, without letting the sadness on account of the lowly state of his body interfere with or disturb the joy of the soul.

This form of divine service—in which the divine soul breaks free of its exile within the body while the body and animal soul remain in their lowly state—is analogous to the Exodus from Egypt, of which it is written that “the people escaped.”14

At first glance, it seems strange: Why should it have been so, in a manner of flight? Had they demanded of Pharaoh that he set them free forever, would he not have been forced to do so, having been stricken by the Plagues?

But escape was necessary because the evil in the [animal] souls of Israel was still strong in the left part of the heart, the seat of the animal soul,

for their impurity (the impurity of kelipah) did not cease until the Giving of the Torah.15

Yet, their aim and desire was that their divine soul leave the exile of the sitra achara—the impurity of Egypt—and that it cleave to G‑d.16

So it is written—that there is a divine service which consists of the divine soul’s “escape” from the impurity of the body and animal soul: “G‑d is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction”17; “[He is] my high tower and my refuge”18; “and He is my escape….”19

Hence, it is written of the Redemption which will take place in the time to come, when G‑d will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth and there will therefore be no evil necessitating spiritual escape: “[You will not go out in haste,] nor go in flight, for G‑d will go before you.”20

One may lend this teshuvah—the restoration of his soul to its source—additional strength from the depths of his heart and likewise add a greater measure of light and joy to the joy of his soul brought on by the teshuvah,

by comforting his heart from its distress and sorrow, through reflecting (lit., “speaking to his heart”) with knowledge and understanding, as follows:

“Certainly it is true, as said above, that I am utterly remote from G‑d, etc., but it was not I who created my self in a manner that permits the divine soul to be exiled within the impurity of the body and animal soul. It was G‑d Who created me thus.

“Why then has G‑d done such a thing—to cause [the divine soul,] a part of His light which fills and encompasses all worlds and before which all is as naught, to descend into [the body] and be clothed in a ‘serpent’s skin’ and a ‘fetid drop’?

“Surely this descent must be for the sake of a subsequent ascent.

“That is, to elevate to G‑d the entire animating, animal soul, which derives from kelipat nogah, and also its ‘garments’ of thought, speech, and action,

by means of clothing them in the action, speech, and thought of the Torah.

(21The subject of this ascent will be discussed further on at length;22 it will be shown how this is the purpose for which the world was created.)

“If this be so, there is one thing for me to do, and this shall be my sole aim throughout my life:

To immerse therein—in the thought, speech, and action of the Torah and the mitzvot—the life of my spirit and soul, as it is written, ‘to You, G‑d, I raise my soul.’23

“In practical terms, this means: To bind my thought and speech with G‑d’s thought and speech—which are, in fact, the very laws which have been set out before us. For the laws of the Torah are G-d’s ‘thought’ and ‘speech,’ and by studying them, one binds his own faculties of thought and speech with their Divine counterparts. Similarly with action: I will bind my faculty of action with G‑d’s faculty of action through performing the commandments.”

For this reason, the Torah is described as “that which restores the soul,”24 i.e., it restores the soul to its source and root.

Moreover, concerning this occupation in the Torah and the mitzvot which brings joy to the soul by restoring it to its source and which banishes the sadness of its exile in the body and animal soul, it is written: “G‑d’s commandments are just; they gladden the heart.”25