Tanya Part 3 Chapter 10
By Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter MD
This draft has neither been edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
This supernal Tshuvah (repentance), cleaving of one spirit to the other through Torah study and acts of loving kindness, is the attribute of flow from above to below, to be truly the word of G-d in his mouth as it is written “and I will put My words in your mouth” (Isaiah 51:16) and “His right hand will embrace me “(Song of Songs 2:6) with acts of loving kindness, the kindness is the right hand…
Comment: The quotations above indicate that when one studies Torah, the word of G-d is placed in the mouth of man. In the Zohar, the various sefirot correspond to the limbs of the body. The Sefira Chesed (Kindness) corresponds to the right arm.
Sometimes we engage in the Torah and Loving Kindness and we think how is this going to benefit me in the future. The true altruistic intent of study or good deeds is being present in the moment and not being concerned with the future. At the moment of study, we are at one with G-d
But lower man must ascend from level to level. It is the attribute of supernal tshuvah, cleaving of one spirit to the other with the intention of the heart in prayer and in particular with the recitation of the Shm’a and its blessings in order to say “And you shall love the L-rd your G-d with all your soul and with all your might etc.” with perfect truth. “And these words….” And you shall speak of them etc.” so that the Word of G-d is truly in his mouth (Deuteronomy 6:5-9) “And there is no truth…other than the Torah”
Comments: The quotations above are from the second paragraph of the Shm’a We feel this level of immersion and intimacy during prayer when we achieve Supernal Tshuvah
And to perform all the Mitzvot, as they say: “which He sanctified us by His commandments like “You are sanctified to me” is the attribute of the supernal sanctification, an expression of separation and separateness which cannot be invested within the worlds because “all of it exists as if of no import” (to G-d) rather with the attribute of sovaiv kol haolamim (encircling all the worlds) it is the Ratzon Elyon (The Supernal Will) Blessed be He (G-d) as is explained in Likutei Amarim Chapter 46 (Part 1 of the Tanya).
Comment: Kiddush and Havdalah are two side of the same coin. When we recite the Kiddush (the blessing over the wine) (when Shabbat begins), we separate Shabbat from the rest of the days of the week and hone in on the Infinite Light of Holiness separating it from the mundane. When Shabbat ends, we perform the Havdalah ceremony. The word Havdalah also means separation. In this case, we are ending Shabbat and separating the Holy Day of Shabbat from the temporal days of the week.
And after the prayer (the Amidah) they say “I will lift up my soul to You O L-rd” (Psalm 25:1) (right before recitation of the Song of the Day in the Morning Service) meaning I will cleave my spirit to Your Spirit all day long etc. And all this, through contemplation of the Greatness of the Ein Sof (the Eternal) Blessed be He with the deepening of the Da’at during the two blessings preceding the Shm’a and in the Psukei DiZimra as is known.
Comment: The morning service (Shacharit is broken up into several sections: the morning prayers, the Korbanot-a recitation of the details of the various sacrifices made in the Temple, the Psukei DiZimra-various Psalms and poems (Piyutim) praising G-d, the Shm’a including the prayers preceding it and following it, the Amidah-the silent prayer introduced by Ezra the Scribe upon the return from the Babylonian Exile in the 5th Century BCE, etc. The purpose of the Psukei DiZimra and the two prayers preceding the recitation of the Shm’a is to praise G-d for all His Glorious Creations so as to open the heart to establish a real connection with the Divine during the recitation of the Shm’a and the silent prayer (Amida otherwise called the Shmoneh Esrei). The mida (attribute) of Da’at (translated as knowledge) represents a deepening of understanding of Binah and implementation of Binah as we learned in Chapter 9 last week.
And because the prayer is supernal Tshuvah (repentance), the lower Tshuvah must precede it and this is what the Sages said: :”One does not stand to pray except in a serious state of mind” (Brachot 5: a). And Rashi said “submission” which is lower repentance to awaken Divine compassion as referred to above as the Talmud infers from the passage “She was embittered and prayed to the L-rd” (1 Samuel 1:10)
Comment: The lower Tshuvah brings out a broken heart and embitterment. The quotation above from the first chapter of Samuel 1 refers to Hannah, the wife of Elkaneh. She is barren and her sister wife, Pninah, lords it over her because she has children. In despair she goes to Shiloh, the site of the Holy Ark, and prays fervently but quietly for a son. The Priest Eli thinks at first that she is drunk. She explains the situation, he calms her and assures her that she will have a child. By the next year, a son is born. This child becomes the Prophet Samuel. The Elter Rebbe is using the fervent prayer of Hannah which comes from a broken heart to make his point.
And in the same Baraita there: “The Sages taught: one does not stand to pray except with joy” (Brachot 31:1)
Comment: Prayer is a tool for Tshuvah. Lower Tshuvah comes from a broken hear. Supernal Tshuvah prayer brings out joy because there is an intimate connection, a cleaving, with the Divine.
And now in the orphaned generation in which not everyone can change their heart instantly (to be open to prayer), it is advised to precede Tshuvah tata’a (lower repentance) with Tikun Chazot (the midnight prayer) as referred to above.
Comment: Tikun Chazot is a midnight prayer which focuses on the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Few people currently recite this prayer on a regular basis. The Elter Rebbe recommends incorporating this prayer into one’s routine if one is having difficulty opening up one’s heart to G-d during the Shacharit Service (morning) service.
And whoever cannot do so each night, should recite the Tikun Chazot not less than once a week prior to Shabbat. The Kabbalists know that Shabbat is the Supernal Repentance, the ascension of the worlds to their source, etc. and in particular the prayers of Shabbat, and this enough to one who understands (referring to the Kabbalists).
If we rearrange the letters spelling Shabbat (Shin, Bet, Tav = ש, ב, ת) we can spell ת, ש, ב (Tashaiv) which means return. The Elter Rebbe now quotes the following passage using the word תשב to make his point. “תשב אנוש ” Return O mortals (Psalm 90:3)
And from this we can understand the passage “Return to Me for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22). Meaning because “I have wiped away your sins like a cloud”, there is removal of the Sitra Achra and “I have redeemed you” from the externalities by the awakening of the supernal compassion, with the lower awakening through lower Tshuvah (repentance) as referred to above, so, “return to me” with Supernal Tshuvah.
Comment: The Lower Tshuvah results in redemption, a wiping away of sins like a cloud thereby allowing Supernal Tshuvah, most easily achieved on Shabbat when one cleaves to the Ein Sof (G-d)
והנה, תשובה עילאה זו, דאתדבקותא דרוחא ברוחא על־ידי תורה וגמילות חסדים, היא בבחינת המשכה מלמעלה למטה, להיות דבר ה׳ ממש בפיו, וכמו שכתוב: ״ואשים דברי בפיך״, ״וימינו תחבקני״ בגמילות חסדים, ד״חסד דרועא ימינא וכו׳״.
אבל אדם התחתון צריך לילך ממדרגה למדרגה ממטה למעלה, היא בחינת תשובה עילאה ואתדבקות רוחא ברוחא, בכוונת הלב בתפלה, ובפרט בקריאת־שמע וברכותיה, כדי לומר: ״ואהבת וגו׳ בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך וגו׳״, באמת לאמיתו: וכן: ״והיו הדברים האלה וגו׳, ודברת בם וגו׳״, להיות דבר ה׳ בפיו באמת, ״ואין אמת וכו׳״:
וכן לקיים כל המצות, כמו שאומרים: ״אשר קדשנו במצותיו״, כמו: ״הרי את מקודשת לי״, היא בחינת קדש העליון, לשון פרישות והבדלה, שאינו יכול להתלבש תוך עלמין, משום ד״כולא קמיה כלא חשיב״, אלא בבחינת סובב כל עלמין, הוא רצון העליון ברוך־הוא וכו׳, כמו שנתבאר בלקוטי־אמרים פרק מ״ו.
וגם אחר התפלה אומרים: ״אליך ה׳ נפשי אשא״, דהיינו, לאתדבקא רוחא ברוחא כל היום וכו׳. וכל זה, על־ידי ההתבוננות בגדולת אין־סוף ברוך־הוא בהעמקת הדעת, ב״שתים לפניה״ וב״פסוקי דזמרה״, כנודע.
ומאחר שהתפלה היא בחינת תשובה עילאה – צריך להקדים לפניה בחינת תשובה תתאה. וזהו שאמרו רבותינו־זכרונם־לברכה במשנה: ״אין עומדין להתפלל אלא מתוך כובד ראש״, ופירש רש״י: ״הכנעה״, והיא בחינת תשובה תתאה לעורר רחמים כנזכר לעיל, וכדיליף התם בגמרא מקרא, דכתיב: והיא מרת נפש.
אכן, בברייתא שם: ״תנו רבנן, אין עומדין להתפלל אלא מתוך שמחה״. ועכשיו בדור יתום הזה, שאין הכל יכולין להפוך לבם כרגע מן הקצה, אזי, עצה היעוצה להקדים בחינת תשובה תתאה בתיקון חצות כנזכר לעיל. ומי שאי אפשר לו בכל לילה – על כל פנים לא יפחות מפעם אחת בשבוע, לפני יום השבת, כנודע ליודעים, שהשבת היא בחינת תשובה עילאה, ושב״ת – אותיות ״תש״ב אנוש״, כי בשבת היא עליות העולמות למקורם כו׳, ובפרט תפלות השבת, ודי למבין.
(ובזה יובן מה שכתוב: ״שובה אלי כי גאלתיך״, פירוש, כי מאחר ש״מחיתי כעב פשעיך״ היא העברת הסטרא אחרא, ו״גאלתיך״ מן החיצונים בהתעוררות רחמים עליונים, באתערותא דלתתא בתשובה תתאה כנזכר לעיל – אזי – ״שובה אלי״ בתשובה עילאה):
חלק שלישי; אגרת התשובה, י״א