Tanya: Approbations

Approbation by the famous Rabbi and Chasid, a G‑dly man of saintly renown, our teacher Rabbi Meshulam Zusil of Anipoli.

I have seen the writings of this Rabbi8 and gaon; this G‑dly man, saintly and pure; this luminous lens9 who brings every subject into sharp focus.

He with his own talents has done well, and moreover, G‑d in his wonderful kindness has placed in his pure heart additional strength to do all this (i.e., to write the Tanya)

in order to show G‑d’s people His holy ways.

It was [the Alter Rebbe’s] intention not to publish these writings, for it is not his custom.

But because these pamphlets10 have spread among all Israel in numerous copies by sundry copyists,

and, as a result of the many and various transcriptions, the copyists’ errors have multiplied exceedingly,

he was compelled to bring these pamphlets to the printing press.

G‑d has aroused the spirit of the [two] partners, the outstanding and distinguished scholar R. Shalom Shachna, son of R. Noach, and the outstanding and distinguished scholar R. Mordechai, son of R. Shmuel Halevi,11

to bring these pamphlets to the printing house in Slavita.

I congratulate them on this good deed.

They were, however, apprehensive of the growing number of printing establishments which are wont to cause damage and ruin to the accredited ones.

In view of this, we have resolved to give this approbation so that no man shall lift hand or foot12

to cause any damage, G‑d forbid, to the aforementioned printers by encroaching upon their exclusive right in any manner.

It is forbidden to any person to reprint this book without the knowledge of the said printers for a period of five full years from the date below.

May he who heeds these words of mine be blessed with good.

These are the words of one who demands this for the glory of the Torah,

this day, Tuesday—the day on which the Creator twice saw that “it is good”13—of the weekly portion Tavo, in the year (פדותינ"ו) 556 of the [sixth] millennium.

The insignificant Meshulam Zusil of Anipoli

Approbation by the famous Rabbi and Chasid, a G‑dly man of saintly renown, our teacher Rabbi Yehudah Leib Hakohen.14

The wisdom of the man illumines the face of the earth—

when one sees the hand[writing]s15 of the author, the Rabbi and gaon, this G‑dly man, saintly and pure, pious and humble,

whose hidden [powers] have been revealed long ago (i.e., despite his efforts to the contrary),

when he sat at the seat of wisdom16 with our lord, master, and teacher, the world gaon (i.e., the Maggid of Mezritch, who was a world authority in the revealed aspects of Torah, as well as the supreme authority in the realm of Chasidic thought),

and he drew water from the well of living waters (—some understand this as an allusion to R. Avraham “the angel,” son of the Maggid, for the letters מבאר, meaning “from the well,” also spell אברם).

Now Israel (an allusion to the Baal Shem Tov, whose name was Israel) will rejoice in the revelation of his holy words—for in Tanya, the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov find lucid intellectual expression,

which have been compiled in preparation for the press, to teach the nation of G‑d the ways of holiness,

as anyone can perceive in the inner meaning of [the author’s] words.

That which is common knowledge needs no proof, and thus, the Tanya would actually need no approbation,

but for the fear of damage, so that no harm be caused to the printers,

I hereby sound a firm warning—that no man raise his hand or foot to print (the Tanya)

for a period of five years from the date below.

May he who heeds these words of mine be blessed with good.

These are the words of one who speaks thus for the glory of the Torah,

this day, Tuesday, of the weekly portion Tavo, in the year 556 of the [sixth] millennium.

Yehudah Leib Hakohen

Approbation17 of the rabbis, long may they live, sons of the illustrious author, of blessed memory, whose soul is in Eden.

Whereas it has been agreed by us to grant permission and authorization to bring to the printing press,

for a remembrance for the Children of Israel

the written works of uprightness and truth,18 “words of the living G‑d” (as Chasidic discourses are called) by our lord, our father, master, and teacher, of blessed memory,

recorded personally by his own holy hand in his own saintly expression,

whose words are all like burning fiery coals, which ignite people’s hearts, to draw them near to our Father in heaven.

These discourses are collectively entitled Iggeret Hakodesh (“the holy epistle”), being mostly epistles sent by his holy eminence to teach the people of G‑d the way by which they should walk and the deed which they should do.

Inasmuch as [our father] has made reference, in many places,19 to his Sefer Likkutei Amarim, and since20 “the words of Torah are scanty in one place and ample in another” so that some subjects in Iggeret Hakodesh are more fully elucidated in Likkutei Amarim and vice versa—

especially also since the [Iggeret Hakodesh] introduces new material (pertaining to Likkutei Amarim) in the form of a Kuntres Acharon (“Later Booklet”) on certain chapters, which he wrote when he composed the Sefer Likkutei Amarim;

[the Kuntres Acharon] consists of profound discussions and insights in passages of the Zohar, Etz Chaim and Pri Etz Chaim, which appear to contradict one another,

and in his understanding spirit, [the author] resolves each passage according to its context as explained in Likkutei Amarim—and thus this part of Iggeret Hakodesh is certainly directly connected to Likkutei Amarim21—

accordingly, we have deemed it proper to join [the discourses in Iggeret Hakodesh] to the Sefer Likkutei Amarim and Iggeret Hateshuvah of his saintly eminence our lord, our father, teacher, and master (i.e., to print them together).

Therefore we hereby place a great fence (i.e., prohibition) and the 22נח"ש (i.e., excommunication) of the Rabbis for which there is no remedy,

that no man lift his hand23 to print [these discourses] in their present form together with the Likkutei Amarim, or one without the other,

for a period of five years from the date below.

This, however, must be made known:

To our misfortune,24 the manuscripts written by his personal saintly hand, which were composed with great precision without a superfluous or deficient letter, have become extinct.

All that has remained from the abundance of material is this small number of writings, which have been collected one by one from the copies spread among the disciples.

Should, therefore, an error be discovered—for “who can avoid errors?”25—the obvious error will be identified as deriving from a scribal slip, but the meaning will be clear.

Today is the 5th day [Thursday], 22 Iyar, in the year 574 of the [sixth] millennium.26

Declared by DovBer, the son of my lord, father, teacher, and master, gaon and Chasid, saint of Israel, our teacher and master Schneur Zalman, of blessed memory, whose soul rests in the hidden treasure houses of heaven.

Declared also by Chaim Avraham, the son of my lord, father, teacher, and master, gaon and Chasid, our teacher and master Schneur Zalman; may the memory of the tzaddik be blessed, whose soul rests in the hidden treasure houses of heaven.

Declared also by Moshe, the son of my lord, father, teacher, and master, gaon and Chasid Schneur Zalman, of blessed memory, whose soul rests in the hidden treasure houses of heaven.27