The Tanya is the seminal work of Chabad philosophy, authored by its founder, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. A small book with an oversized impact, the Tanya distills deep kabbalistic ideas into practical advice, charting a doable roadmap for any person attempting to serve G‑d. Read on for 16 facts about a book that has transformed tens of thousands of lives—and can change yours too.
1. It Is the “Bible” of Chabad Philosophy
The Tanya is the first and primary work of Chabad Chassidism. It sets down the foundations of a comprehensive philosophy that plumbs the inner depths of G‑d, the Jew, and Judaism, while conveying these ideas in terms the human mind can understand. As Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Sixth Chabad Rebbe, put it: the Tanya is the “Written Torah” of Chabad Chassidism.1
Read: What Is Chabad?
2. It Was Authored by the First Chabad Rebbe
The Tanya was authored by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad, commonly known as the Alter Rebbe. This work was so prominent to his life and legacy that he is known to many simply as “Baal HaTanya,” author of the Tanya.
3. It Charts an Attainable Path to Serving G‑d
The book’s objective is clear as soon as you read the title page, where the author states that the Tanya is based on the verse, “It is very close to you [to serve G‑d], in your mouth and your heart to do it.”2 The Tanya’s goal is to explain how it is within the reach of every person to serve G‑d in thought, speech, and action (“heart,” “mouth,” “to do it”). Moreover, you are empowered to get your emotions involved too (a second implication of “heart”), serving G‑d with love, awe, and joy.
Read: The Longer Shorter Way
4. It Is a Book for the Regular Guy
Although commonly referred to as Tanya, the name given by the author is Sefer Shel Beinonim, translated loosely as “Book of the Everyman.” Rather than a guide for spiritually attuned individuals aspiring to achieve perfectly enlightened lives (a.k.a. tzaddikim), the book speaks to down-to-earth Jews who wrestle daily with their basest impulses, showing how they, too, can serve G‑d. In fact, it is the constant battle with those incessant urges that are most precious to G‑d, creating Divine pleasure unsurpassed by the service of the most righteous tzaddik.3
Read: Man As Verb
5. Its Current Form Has 5 Parts
Sefer Shel Beinonim is just the first of the Tanya’s 5 sections:
- Sefer Shel Beinonim, “Book of the Everyman,” advice on how regular people can serve G‑d in their everyday lives with their hearts and minds.
- Shaar Hayichud Veha’emunah, “Portal of Unity and Faith,” on the unity of G‑d and its crucial place in Jewish faith.
- Iggeret Hateshuvah, “Letter on Repentance,” on the meaning of true repentance and how to achieve it.
- Iggeret Hakodesh, “Letter[s] of Holiness,” a collection of letters from the author, many of them centering on the importance of charity and its immense spiritual effects.
- Kuntres Acharon, “Appendix,” kabbalistic treatises expanding on themes touched upon in Sefer Shel Beinonim.
The first edition of the Tanya comprised only the first two sections. A later printing was expanded by the author to include the third section, while the final two sections were added by his sons posthumously.
Read: What Is the Tanya?
6. It Has Multiple Names
The overall name given by the author to the Tanya’s first 3 sections is Likkutei Amarim, “Collection of Sayings,” modestly attributing the themes formulated inside to his teachers and to earlier works. Sefer Shel Beinonim is the specific name he gave to its first and most widely studied section. Today, the book as a whole is generally called “Tanya,” after the first word of the first chapter.
Other names which were once in use but have since fallen by the wayside include: Sefer Ha’eitzot (“Book of Advice”), Sefer Habirur (“Book of Clarity”), and Sefer Ha’avodah (“Book of Divine Service”).4
7. It Introduces the Two-Soul Model
One of the Tanya’s key ideas is that every Jew has not one but two souls: the nefesh habahamit, the “animal” soul, and the nefesh ha’elokit, the G‑dly soul. This dichotomy is the source of the constant tug-of-war typical of the Jewish consciousness. While one part of us puts our personal desires, interests, aspirations, and ideals at the forefront, another part concurrently desires to sacrifice all that before a Higher Being.
Watch: The Mechanics of the Soul
8. It Teaches How to Beat Negative Emotions
Cognizant of the realities of life as experienced by the ordinary fellow, the Tanya deals with the negative emotions we all know that threaten to undermine our efforts to serve G‑d. Chief among them are guilt and depression, both of which are handled at length with astonishingly insightful analysis of the human psyche.
9. First Print Is a Collector’s Item
The Tanya was first printed—anonymously—in 5557 (1797) in Slavita. Although many copies were published, relatively few have withstood the test of time. Most remaining copies exist in libraries, although the writer of this column had the merit to view and hold a copy in the possession of an eccentric but fascinating private Judaica collector.
10. Over 8,000 Editions Have Been Published
The Tanya is one of the most popular works in Jewish literature, with over 40 printings in prewar Europe alone. In 5738 (1978) and then again in 5744 (1984), the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, encouraged printing the Tanya in every location across the globe with a Jewish presence. To date, over 8000 editions have been published, making the Tanya one of the most prolifically printed books of all time.
11. Its Translations Are as Diverse as Arabic and Braille
The Tanya’s popularity has led to it being translated into numerous languages, including English, Yiddish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Russian, Arabic, and more. It has even been rendered into Braille,5 providing the widest possible range of access to its life-changing spiritual treasures. Here at Chabad.org there are 3 separate English translations to choose from. So go ahead and dive right in!
Watch the translator of the Tanya to Arabic share his story
12. It Is Studied Daily and Completed Annually
In 5703 (1943), Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn promulgated an annual study schedule in which a portion of the Tanya is studied daily, with all five sections completed each year. The schedule was arranged so that the completion and subsequent commencement coincide with 19 Kislev, the day the Alter Rebbe was released from imprisonment by the Tsarist regime.
Study today’s portion of Tanya
13. It Has Changed Thousands of Lives
The study of Tanya is by no means limited to followers of the Chabad movement. The relevance and effectiveness of its ideas are recognized by tens of thousands of people across the spectrum of Jewish life and observance: chassidim and non-chassidim; Ashkenazim and Sephardim; observant and non-observant; men, women, and children. If you have not studied Tanya yet, now is the time to start!
Study the Tanya in English
14. It Has 53 Chapters
The first section of Tanya is divided into 53 chapters. Chassidic lore views them as corresponding to the 53 weekly Torah readings,6 as well as to the 53 days of the Alter Rebbe’s imprisonment.7 The number 53 in Hebrew spells gan, “garden,” perhaps hinting at the spiritual delight gained by delving into the book.
15. It Has Tremendous Spiritual Potency
Many amazing benefits have been attributed to the study of the Tanya. Studying the Tanya reveals the inner facets of the soul,8 purifies the atmosphere spiritually,9 and elicits an abundance of blessings and success.10 The Tanya is the antidote for all the spiritual maladies of our time.11 One Chassidic master, when viewing the Tanya for the first time, exclaimed, “How was the author able to squeeze such a large G‑d into such a small book?!”12
Visit our Tanya minisite
16. Chabad.org Is Releasing a Brand New Tanya
Chabad.org scholars Rabbis Tzvi Freeman and Levi Dubov are currently putting out a groundbreaking new Tanya with a running translation and commentary, written with the 21st century reader in mind.
Click here to subscribe to weekly installments of the all-new Chabad.org Tanya
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