Tanya with Rochel Schmukler

101

Tanya Chapter 41 part 5

Dec 29, 2022

43:36

Maybe your meditation doesn't leave its impression all day – but is it effective in the moment?

102

Tanya Chapter 41 part 4

Dec 29, 2022

42:31

Are you being true to yourself?

103

Tanya Chapter 41 part 3

Dec 15, 2022

51:15

A mitzvah is an incredible opportunity to surrender within our Source, both on a meta-level and as well as on a micro-level.

104

Tanya Chapter 41 part 2

Dec 9, 2022

46:08

To think that we are so close to Hashem!

105

Tanya Chapter 41: Accepting the heavenly yoke is the beginning of it all. part 1

Dec 1, 2022

49:47

Have you ever been in awe?

106

Tanya Chapter 40 part 6

Nov 10, 2022

1:00:49

The higher it is, the farther it reaches.

107

Tanya Chapter 40 part 5

Nov 4, 2022

54:13

Love and fear are two wings.

108

Tanya Chapter 40 part 4

Oct 28, 2022

46:51

A tiny being can initiate vast positive change. When a person learns and prays out of love and fear, the letters he utters are “alive” with spiritual infusion and they rise to the ten sefirot. There, their true identity as the completely unbounded light of Hashem is exposed. In this world below, the radiance of Torah and mitzvot cannot shine, but in the coming future when the world rises out of its materiality, all of that will change.Now, something amazing happens when Torah and mitzvot –– which are the Divine will –– rise to become incorporated within the ten sefirot. The Divine will, which far transcends the sefirot, illuminates them and causes the middot to fuse, “sweetening” the attributes of severity with kindness, thus bringing an increased flow of Divine kindness into our world. And all of this is set into motion by our fulfilling the Torah and mitzvot out of the desire to attach to Hashem in love and out of feelings of awe for Him.

109

Tanya Chapter 40 part 3

Sep 16, 2022

47:02

The secret of intention? The power to send things up from the material world into infinitely higher realities. Man’s animating, speaking soul is subject to the condition which affects the totality of this world –– kelipat nogah. When speaking worthless things, the vivifying soul constitutes a concealing veil, obscuring the Divine life energy within it. However, when the vivifying soul enunciates and powers words of Torah and prayer, it cannot conceal the Divine. In fact, it becomes transformed in the process, being that Torah and mitzvah completely disclose Hashem. However, if the intention to connect to Hashem is lacking, then although there is no concealment, there is a huge constriction which limits the holiness of these words to the realm of the physical. In contrast, when kavanah -– intention –– is infused into words of holiness, it enlivens them and raises them up to their place, to the ten Sefirot of the higher worlds, allowing their true essence to shine.

110

Tanya Chapter 40 part 2

Sep 9, 2022

44:32

Where do differences come from?

111

Tanya Chapter 40: Love and fear are "wings" that transport our acts of holiness to worlds beyond this one. part 1

Aug 23, 2022

48:05

Acts of holiness naturally rise beyond this world. When someone studies Torah without the intention to connect to Hashem, then the study does not rise to become incorporated with the ten sefirot. But it does rise! Torah is essentially holy and so its natural place is in a place of holiness, in the spiritual worlds above ours. In fact, angels are created from these acts of holiness either in our world of Asiya, or in the world of Yetzirah. All this is true so long as there were no contrary intentions. However, if the study was motivated by selfish interest, it remains trapped below in this world.

112

Tanya Chapter 39 part 9

Jul 22, 2022

43:58

Keep doing good things, no matter your intention. When someone studies Torah with self-serving interests, that holy act becomes trapped within the kelipah. But this is only a temporary situation. Once a person returns to Hashem in teshuva, their previous acts of holiness are released and return with them. This is not just a possible outcome. It is a definite outcome! Every person will ultimately do teshuva, whether in this incarnation or another. And once that happens, all acts of holiness from all previous incarnations will be released and ascend to the holy sefirot. For this reason, our Sages said that a person should always engage in Torah study and performance of mitzvot, even if he does so not for their own sake. With regards to Torah and mitzvot done out of habit, teshuva is not needed to raise the acts of holiness to their place in the higher worlds because they were never trapped in the kelipah. All that is needed is to study the same subject again for the sake of Hashem, and that elevates the previous study as well. The same is true of prayer.

113

Tanya Chapter 39 part 8

Jul 15, 2022

43:56

Is a good habit good enough? We are looking at someone whose Torah study and mitzvah performance is not done out of a space of love and fear of Hashem. He acts this way out of habit, having been trained to fear and serve Hashem from youth. This kind of service is not considered truly for the sake of Hashem, because in order to do something for the sake of another, there has to be a motivating emotion of either love or fear. Next we look at someone who has self-serving interests when studying Torah. Not only can't his Torah ascend above, but further, is exiled in the kelipah. It will ultimately be released, so keep studying! We’ll talk about it next class b’ezrat Hashem.

114

Tanya Chapter 39 part 7

Jul 7, 2022

41:58

Knowing the difference can make all of the difference. By analyzing the reward for a mitzvah and being aware of its destination in the spiritual worlds, we can understand something of the essential make-up of a mitzvah. Knowing that a mitzvah powered by love and fear ascends to the higher worlds and becomes incorporated within the ten holy sefirot motivates us to serve Hashem out of a space of awareness and connection. On the other hand, while every act of Torah and mitzvah is inherently holy, a mitzvah done without love and fear lacks the power to ascend to the holy sefirot.

115

Tanya Chapter 39 part 6

Jun 10, 2022

47:43

The world of Atzilus is beyond the intellect of a created being, therefore it is the abode of the sublime souls who served Hashem in a way that completely transcends the intellect. As a chariot is nullified to the rider, these great tzadikim are completely surrendered to the Divine will–– and they, as well as everything that they own, expresses nothing other than the will of Hashem. People who are not capable of this level of surrender because their soul’s root lacks this capacity, have the opportunity to reach this level at times of Divine favor, such as during the amidah prayer. And even though they do occasionally experience the nullification of a chariot, the principal abode of their soul is not in the world of Atzilus. Instead, it is in the world of Beriah, and only on special occasions can it take the opportunity to rise to the world of Atzilus.

116

Tanya Chapter 39 part 5

May 27, 2022

45:59

The world of Atzilus is a world of oneness, and it is completely beyond the grasp of a created being. In that sublime world, the ten sefirot are completely unified with their Emanator, and so utterly and infinitely transcend the mind of a limited creature, no matter how great. A created being does indeed possess the ability to grasp chochmah bina and da’at in the lower world of Beriah and still retain existence due to the tzitzum – the constriction – in that world.

117

Tanya Chapter 39 part 4

May 13, 2022

50:10

There’s a distinction between the soul that serves and the service that it performs. Depending on the level of intention, the soul’s service of Torah and mitzvot rise to be incorporated within the ten sefirot, the Divine life force, in the higher worlds of either Beriah or Yetzirah. But ultimately, the ten sefirot of the world of Atzilus, which are one with their Emanator, the blessed Infinite One, are within the ten sefirot of every world. The soul, on the other hand, remains in abodes and chambers of the world, as a separate being who delights in the radiance of the Shechina –– which turns out to be the radiance of his or her own Divine acts of Torah and mitzvos which they generated when they served down below in this world.

118

Tanya Chapter 39 part 3

May 6, 2022

46:53

Normally, a soul who served Hashem with instinctive love and fear abides in the world of Yetzirah, as does the “ruach” of a righteous person’s soul. However, on special occasions the soul gets to rise to a world beyond its normal self, a privilege not available to angels. Why this special treatment? Because an angel doesn’t have to fight a dark side in order to implement its natural emotions. But a soul clothed in a physical body must resist evil in order to access its natural holiness, and that is tremendous!

119

Tanya Chapter 39 part 2

Apr 29, 2022

48:26

In order to “inhabit” a world, there must be a common bond between the “self” and the “world.” The world of Yetzirah is a world of holy emotion and the angels who serve Hashem with their emotional instinct abide there. Emotions are their mode and so that is their world. The world of Beriah is a world where the Divine intellect, the source of the holy emotions, radiates. Righteous people who served Hashem with intellectually generated emotions abide in this higher world, where the setting is one of deeper identification with the Divine.

120

Tanya Chapter 39: We can move beyond our natural holy instincts, but if not, angels operate by holy instinct too. part 1

Mar 31, 2022

49:42

Animals are instinctive beings of our physical world. But there are instinctive beings in the higher worlds too – these are the angels. Their powerful instincts of love or fear of Hashem are sublime and magnificent. However, it is a nature which they did not create by choice, by which they simply operate. From this we can appreciate the power of our own service, even if we cannot produce any new emotions, serving Hashem by tapping into the instincts of our soul. Our service then is at least as powerful as that of these mighty instinctive beings, the angels. Since the angels operate by instinct, their abode is in the world of Yetzirah. But the abode of the righteous who serve Hashem with intellectual love and fear, created out of free choice, is beyond that of the angels in the world of Beriah.

121

Tanya Chapter 38 part 6. You may lack the human power to generate new emotions. But that shouldn't stop you from acting on holy instinct

Mar 24, 2022

36:30

When a person lacks the capacity to generate new emotions of awe and love for Hashem, he has another path. He can awaken his instinctive love, which is embedded deep within his soul. This powerful love is innate to the Jew and includes within it an element of fear. Being mindful of his deep desire to attach to Hashem, a Jew can then use his awareness to perform a mitzvah. This intention then becomes the soul of the mitzvah, and is analogous to the soul of the animal whose love and fear are not a product of its intelligence and choice, but rather are a natural instinct.

122

Tanya Chapter 38 part 5. Your Divine instinct drives you to remain connected to your Source at any cost. Let that be the soul of your mitzvah

Mar 4, 2022

50:54

A human being is characterized by his power of intellect and freedom of choice. A person with the ability to meditate upon Hashem’s greatness and to generate love and awe based on that awareness, when he uses that intention to power a mitzvah, his intention becomes like the soul of a human for the body of the mitzvah. But what if you do not have the capacity to create love through meditation? How will you infuse soul –– the intention to attach to Hashem –– into your mitzvah? All you have to do is remember your essence, the love that you have etched deep within your core. A Jew must remember that they would suffer martyrdom rather than be separated from Hashem. So then consider this: Torah study and mitzvah performance is the opportunity to attach to Hashem and be absorbed in His oneness. If you would be willing to give up your life so as not to detach from Hashem, won’t you grab the opportunity to attach to Him? You will. And that intention becomes the soul of the mitzvah on the level of the animal, who operates not by freedom of choice, but rather by instinct.

123

Tanya Chapter 38 part 4. Can you see how the mitzvah and its intention reflects the lights and vessels of the Supernal world of Atzilut?

Feb 18, 2022

45:56

The correlation between the mitzvah and its intention is sourced in the supernal world of Atzilus: the intention to cleave to Hashem is sourced in the lights of Atzilus while the act or speech of the mitzvah is sourced in the vessels. Lights are about uncontained, unlimited manifestation of the Divine. Vessels are about expressing Hashem’s infinity in defined, structured ways. The attachment of the light with Hashem is total, the attachment of the vessels with Hashem is total. But the way this total attachment is expressed is different in each of them. In the light, the attachment is apparent, while in the vessels the attachment is inapparent. The same is true with the mitzvah and its intention. Each of them constitutes attachment to the Divine. The difference lies in how apparent this attachment is.

124

Tanya Chapter 38 part 3. The soul of the mitzvah. How intention radiates Divine attachment more than action alone

Feb 11, 2022

46:52

The intention of attaching to Hashem while performing a mitzvah is like the soul of the mitzvah. It is not that the attachment that is forged by intention is greater than the attachment forged by the act or speech of the mitzvah. Both action and intention are equal in this regard, since they are both the will of Hashem. The difference between them lies in how manifestly this connection is sensed. In just a dry act of the mitzvah, there is minimal radiance of the Divine will. In the intention of the mitzvah, the radiance is profuse. It is like the superiority of the radiance of the soul above that of the body. The body is a vessel and garment for the soul, expressing the soul. The act or speech of the mitzvah is like a body to its intention, which then expresses its core identity –– attachment to Hashem.

125

Tanya Chapter 38 part 2. The physical act of the mitzvah and its intention both manifest the Divine will. But there's a difference

Feb 4, 2022

45:34

While everything of this world is equal in that all are subject to utter and total Divine concealment, the difference between one thing and another becomes vast when we consider the contraction or expansion of the Divine light which flows into each. Generally, this world is divided into four categories, each class corresponding to a different letter of the Divine name Havaya –– one below the other in terms of contraction. We can apply this idea to the speech or act of a mitzvah and its intent. The speech or the act of a mitzvah is its body, the intent is its soul. Being the exposure of Hashem’s will, they each represent total revelation of the Divine and are equal in this respect. However, when it comes to the level at which this exposure is manifest, this is where they become different.

126

Tanya Chapter 38: The power of intention. part 1

Jan 20, 2022

48:01

Drawing upon what we’ve learned until now, we can now understand the halacha –– that meditation is not valid in lieu of verbal articulation. Because the soul itself requires no perfecting; it came down here only to draw light upon the vital soul as well as the body. This is accomplished by actual articulation or action via the body. On the other hand, our Sages said that prayer or any other blessing said without kavanah is like a body without a soul. Let’s understand what this means: Both body and soul have Divine life force, and both experience equal, utter concealment of that life force. But when it comes to the amount of life force in each of them, there is a vast difference between them.

127

Tanya Chapter 37 part 8

Jan 14, 2022

32:50

Torah study is called “calling through the Torah.” To study Torah is to call G-d by His Name, turning to His very essence, asking Him to stay with us and not to leave us alone. This deep call from our inner space pulls down the very essence of Hashem over the source of our souls. Being cognizant that we draw down Hashem's essence when we study Torah allows us to experience great awe when doing so.

128

Tanya Chapter 37 part 7

Dec 30, 2021

49:59

129

Tanya Chapter 37 part 6

Dec 24, 2021

48:35

So much of your vital soul, and often its totality, is invested in earning a livelihood. Thus, when hard-earned money is given to charity, this one act brings the entire vital soul up to Hashem. That is why the Sages of the Land of Israel called charity simply “the mitzvah.” Because it embodies what a mitzvah is all about and is outstanding in this respect –– elevating the vital soul to holiness. So why did the Sages say that “Torah study outweighs them all?” Because there is something unique to Torah study, influencing and transforming the vital soul in a way that no other mitzvah can.

130

Tanya Chapter 37 part 5

Dec 16, 2021

42:47

The soul is perfect, requiring no rectification. What the soul had above in terms of love and fear of Hashem was way beyond anything it could achieve in this world. Even if the soul will reach the highest levels humanly possible –– that of a complete tzadik who loves Hashem with pleasurable love –– it will not experience anything remotely similar to what it experienced while above. The whole purpose of its descent is only to elevate the vital soul, the body, the world. We cannot understand this –– it is a mystery paralleling the mystery of the exile of the Shechina. It too is exiled, coming down to elevate holy sparks.

131

Tanya Chapter 37 part 4

Dec 10, 2021

46:14

When the vital soul of all of Israel is elevated to holiness, it will become a chariot for Hashem. This in turn causes the kelipat nogah life energy of the whole world to become elevated, a chariot to Hashem as well. Once the intermediate kelipah –– kelipat nogah –– ascends to holiness, all impurity and negativity will be totally obliterated, no longer having access to life energy. How does the refinement of our own vital soul bring elevation to the whole world? Because the Jewish soul is the source of vitality of the world, and each part of the world is connected to and dependent upon a particular soul. In fulfilling our mission in Torah and mitzvos, we elevate that part of the world which was created solely to support our Divine mission.

132

Tanya Chapter 37 part 3

Nov 25, 2021

44:58

The totality of this world’s life energy is elevated to holiness when we keep all of the mitzvot. The prohibitive commands serve to prevent our animal soul’s blood vessels from attaching and drawing nurture from the totally impure kelipot. And the positive commands serve to elevate our animal soul to Hashem, uniting the life-energy of each of our limbs with the light of the Ein Sof BH. Indeed, our limbs become a chariot to the Divine in this way.

133

Tanya Chapter 37 part 2

Nov 18, 2021

38:22

The more energy we invest in a speech-mitzvah, the more of the animal soul ascends to holiness. When the animal soul is absorbed in holiness, forgetfulness is alleviated and our Torah study is preserved. In our ambitions to elevate the entirety of this world, our mitzvah makes a huge impact. Because it is not just the things we use or the powers we invest, but everything that supports the process all the way back. Indeed, it takes the world –– and thus elevates the world.

134

Tanya Chapter 37: We are creating the future right now. part 1

Nov 12, 2021

46:50

The coming future will see “a home for Hashem” in this physical world –– total Divine revelation. This destiny is not detached from our present reality, a sudden transformation imposed from above. In fact, it is a direct product of our present reality, because the mitzvot we perform today actually generate Divine revelation. Each time we engage the physical world in the act of a mitzvah, we draw down Infinite Divine energy into the physicality of this world and elevate it to holiness.

135

Tanya Chapter 36 part 4

Nov 4, 2021

44:13

The Revelation at Mount Sinai broke all barriers, and we beheld the Divine. That condition was only temporary -- the sin of the golden calf brought denseness back to the world. Still, with the profound revelation of the Torah, we received the strength to transform the darkness into light, and this time for good. A time is coming when the fleshly eye will perceive the Divine and every creature on this earth will perceive and know G-d.

136

Tanya Chapter 36 part 3

Oct 29, 2021

42:22

It should be utterly impossible to remain in existence when G-d is totally and essentially manifest. And it is. No being, earthly or heavenly, can withstand total Divine exposure. Yet, there is one way to remain vested in the body and yet bear that profound revelation that is coming at the End of Days. That is the "technology" of the Torah -- the Torah is "strength."

137

Tanya Chapter 36 part 2

Oct 22, 2021

46:03

In understanding the Divine desire, we come to examine the Kabbalistic idea of the chain-like order of worlds. And in so doing, we come to realize something utterly striking: that in our world of darkness lies the ultimate purpose of creation.

138

Tanya Chapter 36: Why was it all created? There's a purpose. part 1

Oct 17, 2021

45:44

Hashem has a desire to dwell in these lowest realms. In order to understand the scope of this desire, we must first define "lower" and "higher" from a new frame of reference. With our new realization, we can come to the astounding realization that Hashem is equally present in all of the worlds, from the most lofty and spiritual to this most physical.

139

Tanya Chapter 35 part 5

May 28, 2021

41:35

Yes, the animal soul at its core remains the same even during a mitzvah. But because its power is subjugated to holiness during a mitzvah –– indeed! It even powers the mitzvah –– and its essential self is rendered voiceless although unchanged, it does not prevent the Divine presence from manifesting upon the totality of the animal soul and upon the entire body. The act of a mitzvah manifests the Divine presence to varying degrees. The Divine soul and its garments, along with the power of the animal soul that impels the mitzvah, are totally absorbed within the Divine light. And as a result, a ray of light is drawn over the totality of the animal soul and above the entire body in an encompassing way. But none of these differences contradict the ultimate truth –– that Hashem is One without any differentiation or multiplicity ch’v.

140

Tanya Chapter 35 part 4

May 21, 2021

46:29

Even in the highest of all worlds, fusion with the Divine is only by first enmeshing within Chochmah –– the power of nothingness. This underscores the idea that only something that is utterly surrendered to the Divine has the power to manifest the Divine. What has no identity other than being pure expression of the Divine will? These are the Torah and the mitzvot. And between the two of them, the effect of the practical mitzvah, in which even the power of the animal soul is subsumed within the Divine, is farthest reaching –– bringing Divine manifestation even upon the lowest elements of the worlds and ourselves.

141

Tanya Chapter 35 part 3

May 7, 2021

46:04

A mitzvah is different from everything else in our experience. In a world of concealment, the mitzvah represents the total manifestation of the Divine will. In contrast to rapturous feelings of love, or deep feelings of awe for Hashem, a mitzvah is not an outgrowth of the human experience. It is rather pure revelation of the Divine will. The only thing that can manifest the Divine presence is something that is completely dissolved in the Divine light. And that means anything with an identity and consciousness of its own, even if it be a holy soul burning with passion for Hashem, cannot manifest the Shechina –– except through the act of the mitzvah which has no identity other than being the Divine will.

142

Tanya Chapter 35 part 2

Apr 29, 2021

47:58

King Solomon taught, “a wise man’s eyes are in his head.” But isn’t that where every person’s eyes are? The wise man stands out in that his eyes are focused on the Shechina that rests upon his head, mindful to supply oil for the light. Just as physically, there needs to be oil to fuel a wick and sustain a fire, so too spiritually: The body is only the wick, and to fuel the light of the Shechina, there needs to be oil, which are mitzvos and good deeds. Why can’t the Divine soul serve as the oil for the Shechina? Because even the soul of the loftiest tzadik has a separate consciousness, an identity of its own, lacking the utter nullification necessary to be totally absorbed with the flame, the light of the Shechina.

143

Tanya Chapter 35: Why action is of primary importance. part 1

Apr 22, 2021

45:36

Isn’t our life’s journey about refining ourselves spiritually, so that we reach ever higher in our relationship with the Divine? And consider this: The beinoni –– the average person –– can never transform their animal soul, being unable to banish the evil from within it. So then why did their soul come down to be clothed within an animal soul that it can never completely vanquish? The Alter Rebbe offers comfort to the ever-struggling person.

144

Tanya Chapter 34 part 2

Apr 15, 2021

52:29

We are privileged to host the Al-mighty whenever we study His will and wisdom –– the Torah. But much of the time we cannot study Torah, being occupied with worldly matters. Here we explore different ways to bring the experience of manifesting the Divine unity into the rest of our day. We can do this by resolving to study more if we will have more time, and by emulating the Divine attribute of kindness, and by using the energy and health we gain through our material resources to serve Hashem. In culmination of the chapter, we learn the great paradox –– that our tremendous joy does not prevent us from feeling low and of a humble spirit. Because these two quite contrasting emotions stem from two very different causes.

145

Tanya Chapter 34: You can be a Sanctuary for the Divine. Here's how. part 1

Mar 4, 2021

51:04

The Patriarchs were the Divine chariot, never breaking focus from the Divine unity. And this was true to varying degrees about each of the prophets, most notably our teacher Moses. As a whole, the Jewish people experienced something of this Divine revelation at the giving of the Torah, but they did not have the mental and soul capacity to bear it; their souls left them. Instead, Hashem told them to build a physical space in this world where the Divine would be totally manifest –– the Sanctuary. Ever since the Temple was destroyed, the Divine will and wisdom is revealed within the four cubits of Halacha. And when we establish fixed times for Torah study, this Divine manifestation comes through us, and each of us becomes a Sanctuary, a host for the Al-mighty Himself.

146

Tanya Chapter 33 part 3

Feb 18, 2021

58:49

When we attain awareness of the Divine unity, aside from the joy that we feel in the intimate closeness to Hashem, we become an abode for Him. And that is actually our purpose! This faith in G-d's unity is so transformational that it breathes new reviving life into us, taking us high above all obstacles. The joy is doubled and redoubled when we consider that our awareness of the Divine intimate presence brings joy to the Creator Himself! So we rejoice together with Him, as He rejoices in the abode we’ve created for Him down below.

147

Embracing Womanhood

Feb 8, 2021

11:37

148

Tanya Chapter 33 part 2

Feb 4, 2021

46:43

When we bring the idea of Hashem’s true unity home until it pervades our mind and heart, the joy is enormous! This actually constitutes an experience of the closeness of Hashem. Our realization brings us greater joy than that of the commoner with whom the king shows extra closeness, and in whose home he even comes to dwell. This immense fortune is not something that we worked to acquire, it is an inheritance. It is our secret and our treasure, to directly experience the Divine most deeply and genuinely and to know that there is nothing else besides Him.

149

Tanya Chapter 33: Prescription for pure joy! part 1

Jan 29, 2021

50:01

If you are feeling weary and need extra joy, think about this: the idea of Hashem's true unity. Hashem fills all worlds, spiritual and physical. Indeed, this entire world is filled with His glory, and everything has no value at all relative to Him. Let us picture how letters have no existence of their own within the essence of the soul, and how light has no existence at all while still within the sun. With this, we can understand how the world and everything in it, being contained with the Infinite One, has no existence of its own, and all there is is Hashem.

150

Tanya Chapter 32 part 4

Jan 21, 2021

45:07

It sounds good to love and hate the same person. But how to act towards this individual, practically speaking? This is the time to employ compassion, which banishes hatred and arouses love. But what about King David's “consummate hatred” towards certain sinners, to those who are aware of the Creator and choose to deny Him? Don’t they have a soul too? Goodness to be loved, no matter their sins? Yes, but their Divine spark is hidden into obscurity, so that not even a glimmer of soul is revealed. With a lost signal, love might be quite elusive.

Tanya with Rochel Schmukler

תניא - עם רחל שמוקלר