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Tanya for Friday, 3 Adar, 5780 - February 28, 2020

Tanya
As Divided for a Regular Year

Tanya for 3 Adar

2 Adar, 5780 - February 27, 20204 Adar, 5780 - February 29, 2020


Chapter Thirty

[In chapter 29 the Alter Rebbe discussed various means of overcoming timtum halev - the state of insensitivity in which one's heart is dull, and unresponsive to his contemplation of G-d's greatness.

All these methods are aimed at crushing one's spirit, whereby one crushes the *cause* of the timtum halev - the arrogance of the sitra achra of the animal soul.

In (this) chapter 30, the Alter Rebbe continues this discussion by outlining another method of dealing with this problem].

One [who suffers from timtum halev] must also set his heart to fulfill the instruction of our Sages: [1] "Be thus lowly of spirit before every man."

[Now a number of commentators have noted a difficulty in this Mishnaic dictum.

For the Hebrew language distinguishes between two types of humility:

The first is a feeling of inferiority in comparison with others;

The second is the absence of self-glorification;

Even while recognizing one's superiority - the thought that his superior qualities are a G-d-given gift, (one should also keep in mind) that (had) another man (been) similarly endowed, (he) might in fact have invested them to better advantage.

The former type of humility is called Shiflut - literally, "lowliness", and the latter - Anivut.

Since the Mishnah employs the adjective Shefal Ruach, it is explicitly advocating the former type of humility, and here the difficulty arises:

Why should one regard himself as being lowlier than every man, lowlier even than the lowliest sinner?

Because of this difficulty, some commentators interpret the Mishnah as saying: "Conduct yourself self-effacingly toward every man," i.e., "Treat every man with deference, as though he were superior to you."

The Alter Rebbe, however, objects to this interpretation, as follows:

The wording implies]:

"Be thus, [lowly of spirit before every man]" and do not merely ACT thus, [and be so] in all sincerity, in the presence of *every* man, even in the presence of the most worthless of worthless men (kal shebekalim).

[Having rejected this interpretation, however, we remain with the original difficulty:

How is one expected to regard himself as being lowlier than the lowliest sinner?

In answer, the Alter Rebbe states that the introspective Beinoni will find that he often fails to wage war against his evil inclination to the same extent as the sinner is required to wage war against his desires.

Although the lapses of the Beinoni may be in seemingly inconsequential matters, they are more reprehensible than the lowly sinner's transgressions.

Thus, even the Beinoni, whose observance of the Torah and mitzvot is impeccable, can indeed regard himself as being lowlier than literally every man, as the Alter Rebbe goes on to say]:

This can be accomplished by following the instruction of our Sages: [2] "Judge not your fellow man until you have stood [i.e., placed yourself in his place]."

For it is [literally] his "place" [i.e., his physical environment] that causes him to sin, since his livelihood requires him to go about the market-place all day, and [whenever he is not thus engaged] he is of those who sit at the street-corners. [Thus] his eyes see all sorts of temptation; and "what the eyes see, the heart desires."

Additionally [it may be his spiritual "place", the nature of his evil impulse, that leads him to sin]: his evil nature burns like a baker's fiery oven, [which is heated with greater frequency and intensity than a domestic oven], as it is written in Hoshea: [3] "It burns like a flaming fire."

It is different, however, with him who goes about but little in the market-place, and most of the day he is at home [rather than at the street-corners, and he therefore encounters less temptation].

Even if he does go about the market-place all day, [so that his physical "place" is the same as that of the kal shebekalim], yet it may be that [his spiritual "place" is different, in that] he is not so passionate by nature, [and is therefore not as greatly tempted by the sights of the market-place].

For the evil impulse is not the same in everyone. One person's nature [may be more passionate, and the other's less so, as explained elsewhere. [4]

But if the misdeeds of the kal shebekalim are indeed attributable to his environment and to his passionate nature, why does he deserve his derogatory appelation?

To this the Alter Rebbe replies]:

In truth, even he who is extremely passionate by nature, and whose livelihood obliges him to sit all day at the street-corners, has no excuse whatsoever for his sins, and he is termed a rasha gamur ("an utter evildoer") for not having the dread of G-d before his eyes.

For he should have controlled himself and restrained the feeling of desire in his heart because of the fear of G-d Who sees all his actions;

This [fear of G-d would have enabled him to overcome his desires, despite the difficulties imposed by his surroundings and his nature] for, as explained above, [5] the mind has supremacy over the heart by nature of one's birth, [i.e., it is man's inborn characteristic that his mind is able to master and restrain his heart's desires].

Truly, it is a great, fierce struggle to break one's [evil] nature which burns like a fiery flame, for the fear of G-d; indeed, it is like a veritable test.

Therefore, every man ought to weigh and examine his own position, according to the standards of his place and rank in divine service, as to whether he serves G-d [in a situation requiring a comparable struggle] in a manner commensurate with the dimensions of such a fierce battle and test [as the kal shebekalim faces.

For even the most dispassionate and cloistered of men must often engage in battle with his evil inclination, both in the area of [6] "doing good" and in that of "turning away from evil," as the Alter Rebbe goes on to illustrate].

In the realm of "do good" - in the service of prayer with kavanah (devotion), for example, he must battle his evil inclination daily, in order to pour out his soul before G-d with his entire strength, to the extent of "wringing out" his soul, [7] [i.e., exhausting all of his intellectual and emotional power in his devotion].

[This battle must be waged both before (i.e., preparatory to) and also during prayer, as follows]:

He must wage a great and intense war against his body and the animal soul within it, which impede his devotion, crushing and grinding them like dust every single day, before the morning and evening prayers.

Also during prayer he must exert himself with an exertion of the spirit, [so that his spirit should not grow weary of lengthy contemplation on the greatness of G-d], and an exertion of the body [to remove the hindrances to devotion imposed by the body], as will be explained further at length. [8]

   

Notes:

  1. (Back to text) Avot 4:10.

  2. (Back to text) Ibid. 2:4.

  3. (Back to text) See Hoshea 7:4, 6.

  4. (Back to text) See Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2b.

  5. (Back to text) Ch. 12.

  6. (Back to text) Tehillim 34:15.

  7. (Back to text) Sifrei on Devarim 6:5.

  8. (Back to text) Ch. 42.


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