Tanya: Chapter 42 - Part 1

In the previous chapter, the Alter Rebbe explained that fear of G‑d is a prerequisite to divine service. Every Jew is capable of attaining this level by contemplating how “G‑d stands over him” and “searches his reins and heart [to see] if he is serving Him as is fitting.” This thought will lead him to bring forth at least some measure of fear in his mind. This, in turn, will enable him to study Torah properly as well as to perform both the positive and negative commandments.

The Alter Rebbe also noted that this level of fear is known as yirah tataah, “lower-level fear,” which is a preparatory step to the proper performance of Torah and mitzvot. This degree of fear must be manifest if one’s Torah study and performance of the mitzvot are to be deemed avodah, divine service.

Superficially, the answer seems to be that this was said by Moses to the Jewish people, and for him, fear of G‑d is indeed a simple thing.

The Alter Rebbe now goes on to explain that the answer of the Gemara, that “in the case of Moses, it is a simple thing,” does not refer to Moses alone but to the “Moses” which is found in every Jew, for Moses imbues all Jews with the level of daat (lit., “knowledge”), enabling them all to bind their own faculty of daat to G‑dliness. It is concerning this level of Moses found within every Jew that the statement is made, “…in the case of Moses, it is a simple thing.” For when a Jew utilizes the power of Moses found within him, i.e., when he binds his daat with G‑dliness, then fear of G‑d is indeed a simple thing and easy to attain, as shall presently be explained.

Just as a shepherd provides nourishment for his sheep, thereby supplying them with vitality, so, too, do the “seven shepherds” sustain Jewish souls with “vitality and G‑dliness,” each from his own spiritual level. Abraham provides the Jews with the spiritual faculty of chesed and love, and so forth.

Chasidim relate that the Alter Rebbe pondered for a considerable number of weeks whether to write that the “seven shepherds” provide “G‑dly vitality” (חַיּוּת אֱלֹקוּת) or whether he should write “vitality and G‑dliness” (חַיּוּת וֵאלֹקוּת). He finally resolved to write the latter—“vitality and G‑dliness.” For “vitality” refers to love and fear of G‑d, since it is they that vitalize one’s performance of Torah and mitzvot; “G‑dliness” refers to self-nullification before G‑d. The “seven shepherds,” then, cause both “vitality and G‑dliness” to flow into Jewish souls.

Just as G‑d is termed the Creator of created beings, so, too, is He called the Emanator of those entities found in the World of Atzilut, a World which, together with its beings, is an emanation of the Ein Sof.

As explained in ch. 2 above, G‑d’s knowledge and man’s are utterly dissimilar. On the human plane, the knower, the faculty of knowledge, and that which is known are three distinct and separate entities. However, concerning G‑d: “He is the Knowledge, He is the Knower, and He is That which is Known.” Thus, supernal knowledge is one with Him. And it is within this level of daat that Moses’ soul is rooted.

When a Jew receives the capacity for daat from the soul of Moses, he is able to perceive G‑dliness in a truly knowing and internalized manner so that he actually experiences Him. Utilizing this capacity enables every Jew to know and feel how “G‑d stands over him…and sees his actions.” It is therefore easy for him to summon up within himself a fear of G‑d.

However, all the above refers to the luminary aspect of Moses, which is received by every Jew. The Alter Rebbe now goes on to say that there is an even higher level of Moses—a “spark” of Moses’ soul that is bestowed upon the spiritual leaders and sages of each generation. (A spark is an actual part of the flame, unlike rays of illumination, which are not truly part of the luminary. So, too, the sparks of the soul of Moses, found within the leaders and scholars throughout the generations, are a part of Moses’ soul.) The task of these leaders is to teach G‑d’s greatness to the Jewish people so that they will serve G‑d with all their heart.

Because of the “spark” of Moses found within a spiritual leader, he is called “Moses,” as in the Talmudic expression, “Moses, do you speak aright?”6 This spark is clothed not only in a leader’s soul but also in his body.7 This is why Chasidim say that one never tires of gazing at a rebbe, for within him is a spark of Moses. These sparks which are clothed in sages and spiritual leaders enable them—

Thus, in order to “serve Him with all your heart and with a longing soul,” it is necessary to “know the G‑d of your father”—to know and comprehend His greatness. This is taught to the Jewish people by the scholars of each generation, within whom sparks of Moses are enclothed.

Only at that time will a teacher be unnecessary. However, in our era, one needs to have a mentor impart knowledge of G‑d’s greatness if one is to know how to serve Him with heart and soul. And one’s dependence on Moses through the intermediary scholars of each generation (the “sparks” of Moses) is of the very essence of one’s divine service.

When one does so, he is mightily bound up with the object of his thoughts and is unable to free himself from them. Thinking about G‑d and His greatness should be done in the selfsame all-absorbing manner—and thereby, the thinker will be truly bound up with Him.

While it is true that the soul has this capacity by dint of its being nurtured from the soul of Moses (for were the soul lacking this capacity, then even the greatest effort would be of no avail, for how can a created being possibly comprehend and feel its Creator? How can a soul enclothed in a body feel and be bound to G‑dliness?), nevertheless, even after possessing this capacity, it requires a prodigious effort to actually comprehend and feel G‑dliness.

When one has weakened the grossness of the body so that it hinders no longer, it becomes possible for the “light of the soul” to be manifest. This, then, is one manner of exertion, known as “exertion of the flesh.”

And, as the Shulchan Aruch concludes, “he will be humbled and abashed before G‑d.” This is true of one whose soul is naturally refined; he is “immediately…overcome with fear” without great effort or time required on his part.

Within the World of Asiyah itself, the lowest of all Worlds, this type of soul comes from the lowest of the ten sefirot. It is thus a soul of “lowly nature and origin,” which finds it difficult to conceptualize G‑dly matters.

I.e., only by expending a great amount of effort and contemplating G‑dliness for a long stretch of time will it be able to secure a degree of G‑dly illumination and conceptualize a notion of G‑dliness. Only then will this contemplation penetrate such a person so that he will be fearful of G‑d.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, said in a talk that a “long time” means “an hour today…an hour tomorrow,” until ultimately, the repetitiveness of intense concentration day after day will ensure that no matter how lowly the soul may be,

(With regard to the Alter Rebbe’s above assurance that no matter how lowly the soul and notwithstanding its previous sins, still, with intense concentration on G‑d’s greatness, it will surely attain the lower level of fear, the Rebbe comments: “We also understand from this that even before [attaining] this [level of fear], the person will surely succeed in undoing his separation [from G‑d] that was brought about through his sins, i.e., he will [regret his sins and] repent.”14)

The Rebbe explains: One’s labor not only helps a person achieve something commensurate with the amount of labor, similar to payment received for doing a job, it moreover enables him to say, “I have found.” For in the case of a person who finds an object, his find is incomparably greater in value than the labor invested in finding it.

Since this treasure is surely concealed within every Jewish heart, all that needs to be done is to dig it out and seek to reveal it.

Hence, it cannot be said that during a particular time, this treasure is lacking and unattainable.

A question now arises. If this fear is “natural” and is always found within a Jew’s heart, why then is it necessary to take measures involving profound contemplation of G‑d’s greatness in order to attain it? The Alter Rebbe therefore goes on to say that since this fear is found in the recesses of the heart, it does not affect one’s actions and enable him to refrain from sinning. It is thus necessary to take steps that will reveal this fear and ensure that it will affect one’s actual deeds.

When a man realizes that G‑d scrutinizes his innermost thoughts, he will surely refrain from sinning and will seek instead to perform mitzvot.

How, then, can we possibly say that G‑d possesses an “eye” and “ear,” organs that are part of a physical body?

When we say that G‑d does not possess any bodily likeness, we mean that He is not bounded by the frailties of a physical body. A physical eye can observe corporeality but not spirituality; it can see only when there is adequate light, and only up to a given distance, and so on. Physical hearing is likewise limited. G‑d’s “seeing” and “hearing,” however, possess only the merits of these faculties but none of their physical limitations. For it goes without saying that any quality possessed by created beings is surely possessed by their Creator.

I.e., not only is a person aware of all that is happening to his organs, he also feels the organs themselves.

One need not use his eyes or ears to see or hear what has happened to a limb of his body, such as the pain of a burned hand or foot, for he knows and senses it in his mind.

Just as the brain, which is the source of life for the whole body, knows what transpires within it, so, too, does G‑d, the Source of all life, know what is happening with all of creation.

However, G‑d provides creation with life in a different manner than the manner in which the soul provides life to the body. The soul must garb itself in the body in order to provide it with life. By doing so, it is affected by the body (for “enclothing” implies that the clothed object undergoes a change). G‑d, however, is of course not subject to change when He provides life to creation. Hence:

He is not affected by the existence (the essence and being22) of the world;

The passage concludes: “You are [the same] since the world has been created”; thus, all Jews firmly believe that the world’s creation causes no change in G‑d,

The question arises: Is attaining the fear of G‑d such an easy thing that the verse says “only to fear Him”? The answer which is given (“For Moses, it is a simple matter”) is difficult to comprehend, for the verse speaks of what “G‑d demands of you”—of every Jew. The explanation is as follows: the verse is referring here to a level of fear which is indeed simple for every Jew to reach, that level being fear that leads one to “walk in all His ways.”

Accordingly, the Gemara’s answer (“For Moses, it is a simple matter”) is now understandable. It means:

As mentioned earlier, all Jews possess a “hidden treasure of fear of heaven” in their hearts. Through the faculty of daat, this fear of heaven is revealed and felt in one’s thought and also affects his speech and actions.

In describing earlier the fear a Jew should possess for G‑d, the Alter Rebbe said that it should be similar to the fear felt “when one stands before a king,” for G‑d is omnipresent and observes all man’s actions.

A question arises: When one stands before a king, he is not only being seen by the king, but he is also looking at him, and this helps him to stand in fear of him. In the analogue, however, this is not the case: though G‑d, the King, sees him, he fails to see G‑d.

The Alter Rebbe will now respond to this question by saying that there is yet another means by which an individual may awaken within himself the fear of G‑d—by being able to “see” the King. For by observing heaven and earth and all the created beings that inhabit them and realizing that they all derive their life from G‑d, he will have fear of Him.

This is because while he sleeps, his inner essence and vitality are in a state of concealment. Clearly, then, they are the main reason for fearing a king while he is awake.

This, in turn, leads the beholder to fear him.

It is the realization that the king is found within the garments that creates the fear of him. And the same, the Alter Rebbe will conclude, is true here. When a person becomes accustomed to remember that when he gazes upon created beings, he is in reality gazing upon the King’s garments, he will then come to fear Him.

The Rebbe explains that what now follows answers a question: How can we possibly say here that the nullification of the world to G‑d is a concept that can be perceived intellectually, when in ch. 33, the Alter Rebbe explained that this was a matter of faith? In this chapter, too, we have learned that it is a matter of faith—“that all Jews are believers, descendants of believers,” and so on. Faith and intellect are not only distinct entities, they are antithetical; for example, when something is understood, faith is not necessary.

The Alter Rebbe therefore now goes on to explain that this intellectual perception is also implicit in the word emunah (“faith”). For this word is etymologically rooted in the word uman (“artisan”). In order for an artisan with a talent for painting, creating vessels, or whatever to be successful, he must habituate and train his hands; only then will they reveal the latent talents of the artistry found in his soul.

The same is true here: The soul of every Jew possesses the abovementioned faith. However, in order for this faith to be actualized so that one’s actions will be in consonance with it, one must habituate and train himself to realize that all he sees—heaven and earth and all of creation—are but G‑d’s external garments. By constantly remembering that their inwardness is G‑dliness, the soul’s essential faith will be revealed and will affect one’s actions. His bodily organs will then follow the dictates of his faith.

The Rebbe notes that “who trains his hands” means: “He is cognizant of the craft in his soul; he has a natural talent for it but needs only to train his hands so that it will find tangible expression in his actions (be it through art, or fashioning vessels, or the like).”

Thus, the analogue contains both aspects: The king sees the individual, and he sees the king, as it were, by looking at created beings and perceiving through them the divine life-force that vitalizes them.

The Rebbe notes that the reason the Alter Rebbe now goes on to say “There should also be…” is that until now, it has been explained how a Jew generates the fear of heaven through intellectual contemplation. The degree of fear he arouses will correspond exactly to the extent of his contemplation; the deeper the contemplation, the greater his fear. It also depends on how much each individual is governed by his intellect. Furthermore, it is too much to expect that all people constantly achieve a state of intellectual awareness—yet all people are obliged to stand in constant fear of heaven. The Alter Rebbe therefore now goes on to elaborate on a frame of mind which can and must exist constantly—“acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.” This is not attained through contemplation. Rather, it comes as a result of faith alone—and this state can exist constantly in all individuals.

This is also what the Alter Rebbe says earlier in the Tanya (beginning of ch. 41): “Even though after all this [meditation], no fear or dread descends upon him in a manifest manner in his heart,” still, he should accept upon himself G‑d as his king and accept upon himself the yoke of the heavenly Kingdom. As the Alter Rebbe explains there, this attribute is found within every Jew in a sincere manner because of the nature of Jewish souls not to rebel against G‑d, the King of kings. This level of fear can therefore always be present.