From: murray.bbs@cybernet.cse.fau.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Tanya, Epistle 5, part 5 of 6
Date: 21 Aug 92 18:43:34 GMT
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

Tanya Epistle 5  5/619 Part 5 of 6
 
Continued from previous message 
 
And this is the meaning  of the verse, (62) "Let not the wise man glory
in his  wisdom...., but in this  let him glory -  [in understanding and
knowing Me,"  (63) [but  in  such a  manner that  it  brings about  the
fulfillment of  the phrase that follows]:  "for I am G-d  Who acts with
kindness...."  [We thus  see that wisdom is justifiably  glorified when
it leads to an act of kindness which in turn evokes a reciprocal act of
kindness from Above.] For it is Chesed, [the kindly conduct of man here
below, that results in the fulfillment of the verse, "I am G-d Who acts
with kindness," i.e., with  the Chesed of Asiyah, and]  that causes the
vitality  of Chochmah to issue  downwards [into the  letters of speech,
the source  of all created  beings.]   In the absence  of this  [kindly
conduct, the Torah study that such a  person undertakes] is called "His
wisdom"  alone: [it remains in heaven  as an untapped resource in which
that wise man cannot glory,] and there is no downward flow of life from
it, G-d  forbid. The above enables  one to understand  the statement of
Rabbi Isaac Luria, of blessed memory, that there are two kinds of souls
among  Jews: the souls  of Torah scholars,  who engage in  the study of
Torah  all their  lives, (64) and  the souls  of those  who perform the
commandments, occupying  themselves with  charitable and  kindly deeds.
Now  surely scholars,  too,  need to  occupy  themselves with  acts  of
kindness;  as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught, "[Whoever says that
he has nothing but Torah,"  - and thus no kindly deeds], "does not have
even Torah."  [How, then, could the AriZal have stated that people with
a  certain kind of soul invest  their lives exclusively in Torah study?
The Alter Rebbe's answer, which follows, takes it for granted that even
fulltime  Torah scholars  of course spend  some of their  time in doing
good deeds.]   However, as  regards Torah scholars  whose study of  the
Torah is their principal occupation and  most of their time is spent in
it,  [with only a minor part of  their time spent on the performance of
kindly  deeds,] the  effect  of their  arousal  from below,  to  arouse
Supernal  Chesed, to call forth  and bring downward  the [infinite] Ein
Sof-light  vested in Supernal Chochmah, the source of G-d's Torah which
is in their mouths, extends only to  the realm of the souls that are in
Beriah, through  their occupation with  Gemara, [The  study of  Gemara,
inasmuch  as  it  involves  reasoning and  intellectual  give-and-take,
corresponds  to the World of  Beriah, the realm  of comprehension.] and
extends to the angels that are  in the World of Yetzirah, through their
occupation with Mishnah.   [The Mishnah consists of statements of law -
"kosher" or "non-kosher", "pure" or "impure". Such bipartite divisions,
which  are a reflection  in the material  world below  of the divergent
attributes of Chesed  and Gevurah in  the realms above, are  related to
the  World of  Yetzirah, which  is the realm  of middot,  the spiritual
emotions.]   For  the animation  of souls  and angels derives  from the
combinations of  the letters of speech, i.e., the Oral Torah; [as it is
written in Patach Eliyahu, (65) "[The Sefirah of Malchut corresponds to
the mouth, which  we call the Oral Torah."] The  source of the letters,
however, is in Supernal  Chochmah, as mentioned above.   [Thus, through
their study of  the Oral  Torah, scholars draw  down Supernal  Chochmah
into  the combinations of the letters of  speech; this in turn provides
vitality to  [unborn] souls  and angels.]   However,  in order  to call
forth and bring downward an illumination and vitality from the level of
the Supreme Breath, the "lower hei," to this lowly world, which entails
a  greater and extreme contraction, the arousal from below by the Torah
scholars, who for only a small part of their time  engage in charitable
and kindly  deeds, is  not sufficient.  (66)   [This is  effected] only
through  an  arousal by  those who  perform  the commandments,  who are
occupied with deeds of charity and kindness for the major part of their
life (  (67) as explained  in Likkutei Amarim, Part  I, ch. 34).   [The
Alter Rebbe  explains there that even if a man distributes no more than
a  fifth of his income for charity,  that fifth elevates the other four
parts with it  to G-d, for thereby all his  exertion becomes a dwelling
for Him. Moreover, his acts  of kindness will arouse G-d's "right  hand
of kindness."   That is why  [people who are mainly  occupied with such
mitzvot] are called (68) "the supporters of [the] Torah [itself]," [and
not  only of those  who study the  Torah, for by  their activities they
draw  down the light of the  Torah from its root and  source so that it
will illuminate this  physical world below.]   These [people] represent
the levels  of Netzach and Hod,  [which are analogous to  (69) "the two
thighs" which  enable a man to  stand upon the ground;  the function of
the Sefirot  of Netzach  and Hod  is similar,] because  they cause  the
light of Torah  to issue downwards to  the World of Asiyah.   Now it is
clear (70)  why charity is  referred to as an  "act", as in  the verse,
(71) "And the act of charity will be peace." For the  effect of charity
is to elicit the light of G-d down to the World of Asiyah.  And this is
the meaning of the subtle phraseology of the holy Zohar:  "He who makes
the Holy Name,"  expressly saying "who makes."  For by an  arousal from
below, through  charity  and mortal  Chesed, one  arouses the  Supernal
Chesed   -  to  elicit  the  [infinite]  Ein  Sof-light  from  Supernal
Chochmah, the  yud of the Divine Name,  to the hei of  the Name, to the
"speech"  and "breath" of  G-d's blessed mouth,  in order to  draw down
[Divine  light] to  the World  of Asiyah.   And,  analogously speaking,
though infinitely incomparable: a  human being speaks only to  others (
(72)  and not when  he is  alone), and  then when  speaking to  them he
contracts his  intellect and thought. The  intelligent will understand.
 
Footnotes    
 
1. II  Shmuel 8:13.  
2. III, 113b.  
3. II Shmuel  8:15. 
4. Menachot 29b;  Yerushalmi,  Chagigah 2:1.  
5. Yeshayahu  26:4. 
6. This additional  interpretation rests  on an  alternative version  
   of our text from Tractate Menachot, which is supplied by Tosafot on 
   Berachot 51a (s.v. Zoche).  
7. See Iggeret HaKodesh,  Epistle 29 (p. 150b):  The garments [of the 
   soul] in the  Upper Gan Eden are produced  by this yearning (re-uta)  
   and this devout intent (kavanah), while in the Lower Gan  Eden they  
   are produced by the  actual performance of practical mitzvot. So, too, 

   in Kuntres Acharon, beginning of p. 155a et al. See also Likkutei 
Torah,         Parshat Vaetchanan, at the beginning of the maamar 
entitled  VeZot 
   HaMitzvah. (Note of the Rebbe Shlita.)
8. II, 158a; Zohar Chadash 93a.  
9. [The influence of  this Sefirah is felt] in the Lower Gan Eden as 
well,          (although in relation  to the Upper Gan Eden it is the 
Sefirah of 
   Malchut). See Or HaTorah, Chayei Sarah (p. 114a); Likkutei Torah, 
   Vaetchanan, p. 10b, et al. (Note of the Rebbe Shlita.) 
10. I, 6a, et al. 
11. This is discussed at length in Likkutei Torah, beginning  of 
    Parshat Re-eh; see the sources cited there. (Note of the Rebbe 
Shlita.) 
12. Cf. the Note at the beginning of ch. 12 of Shaar HaYichud 
VehaEmunah):           The shape of each letter indicates the pattern of 
the flow and                   manifestation of the  light. (Note of  the 
Rebbe Shlita.) 
13. Yeshayahu 64:3. 14. Zohar  III, 248a.
15. The larynx, palate, tongue,  teeth and lips. 
16. This is  analogous to the musical notes of a harp, that  are produced 
 
    by plucking different  strings. (Cf.  Hemshech 5666,  p. 447).  (Note 

    of the Rebbe Shlita.)  
17. The  Hebrew  names  for  the  vowels  Kometz  and Patach respectively 
 
    mean "compressing" and "opening". 
18. The reason for the change in order  (Alef, Ceht,  Heh, Ayin, instead
    of the  alphabetical order of Aleph, heh, chet, ayin,  may be 
    understood by reference to the statement in Zohar II, 123a. (See 
    also Etz Chayim, 
 
Continued to next message 
 
---   * Origin: Chasidus is for EVERYONE L'ChaimBBS 718-756-7201
FidoNet (1:278/610) To respond, write yy@corner.wpb.fl.us