Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 2 - Part 1

00:02 Speaker 1 Up to this point, the Alter Rebbe has explained the nature of the animal soul. Now the Alter Rebbe begins to explain what the G-dly soul is—the second soul. The Alter Rebbe says: “The second soul in a Jew.” This second soul is found specifically in a Jew. A non-Jew does not have this soul. So what does the Alter Rebbe say about it? “It is literally a part of G-d above.” What is the essence of this second soul, found specifically in a Jew? It is literally a part of G-d above. Here we have the well-known question: Why does the Alter Rebbe call the G-dly soul the “second soul”? “Second” sounds like second in importance, something secondary. But this is the principal soul. The Alter Rebbe should have begun by explaining the Jewish soul, the essential soul of a Jew, and only afterward said that the other soul is the animal soul. Instead, the Alter Rebbe reverses the order: first he explains the animal soul, and then the G-dly soul. Chassidim give several explanations for this, based, in fact, on the maamarim... First, there is the straightforward explanation in terms of time. The animal soul enters first: “Sin crouches at the door.” The animal soul enters immediately at birth, while the G-dly soul enters at age thirteen. It begins to enter at the bris milah, but the holy soul completes its entry at age thirteen. Since the animal soul comes first chronologically, the Alter Rebbe explains it first, and only afterward explains the soul that comes later—the second soul. That is also why, in Koheles, the animal soul is called “an old and foolish king,” while the G-dly soul is called “a poor and wise child.” The animal soul is called old because it came first.

02:21 Speaker 1 It is older. That is the straightforward explanation. Then there is a deeper explanation. Chassidus teaches that the animal soul’s source is higher than that of the G-dly soul. The animal soul’s source is in the world of Tohu, while the G-dly soul comes from Tikkun. Since Tohu precedes Tikkun, the Alter Rebbe first explains the animal soul, associated with Tohu, and then the G-dly soul, which comes from Tikkun—that is, it comes to rectify what comes from the world of Tohu. Chassidus explains this more fully: Why did Hakadosh Boruch Hu arrange for the animal soul to enter first, and the G-dly soul only thirteen years later? It would seem that for thirteen years we live like animals, with only the animal soul and all kinds of desires, and only at age thirteen—good morning!—does the G-dly soul arrive. That doesn’t... that doesn’t... that doesn’t seem fitting, right, or fair. They should have come together, or in the opposite order: the G-dly soul first and the animal soul afterward. But the maamarim of Chassidus explain this on the basis of the verse, “A little light dispels much darkness.” We see that a little light dispels much darkness, all the more so a great deal of light. So if the G-dly soul were to enter first, or if both souls entered together, then the moment a person saw the light of the G-dly soul and felt its holiness, he would be drawn to it. It would be out of the question for him to be drawn to the other side, the side of evil. There would then be no struggle between the two souls—the struggle Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted. In other words, there would be no “Choose life,” no need for a person to

04:23 Speaker 1 choose, through his own efforts, the path of life, holiness, Torah and mitzvos. If a person saw the light of holiness, he would be drawn to it. It is natural to be drawn to light; he would naturally be drawn to holiness and would distance himself completely from kelipah. So to make a struggle possible, and to make it an even struggle, the animal soul first takes root in a person. For thirteen years it takes root in him. He becomes accustomed to the things of this world—eating, drinking, physical things, games, and so on. Then he reaches age thirteen, and the G-dly soul begins to enter. Now the struggle begins. Because of his habits, because of what has taken root in him, he has spent his whole life getting used to a more animalistic, material way of living. Now he begins to feel that there is something deeper. There is G-dliness, there is... there is the service of Hashem. But he is already used to the other side, so there is a struggle. If the two souls had entered together, there would have been no struggle at all. The whole matter of choice would be missing. That is why, in Chassidus, the Alter Rebbe first explains the first soul, the animal soul, which enters a person first, takes root in him and becomes part of him. Only afterward does the G-dly soul begin to enter, to rectify and refine the whole mess the animal soul has made.

05:43 Speaker 2 When there is an animal soul, the G-dly soul can then ascend. It isn’t because the animal soul has already begun.

05:50 Speaker 1 Yes, but it’s a struggle. It’s harder by then. If they had both entered from the outset, there would have been no struggle whatsoever. A person would be drawn to G-dliness and, in actual practice, would become a complete tzaddik. He would have no attraction at all to the things of this world. Life would be better. Well, what can we do? Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted us to have to work hard. Hm?

06:16 Speaker 2 What does it mean to work on it every day?

06:18 Speaker 1 To work on it every day. Well, yiras Shamayim. Don’t calculate it day by day; in Chassidus this is explained in terms of mochin d’katnus and mochin d’gadlus. Age thirteen is when mochin d’gadlus enters, and there are explanations for that too. Why exactly at age thirteen, and not a day earlier or a day later? There are explanations for that. Of course, the Alter Rebbe says “in a Jew,” meaning that this applies only to a Jew, and he says, “It is literally a part of G-d above.” What is its essence? In four words, the Alter Rebbe expresses and emphasizes the essence of the G-dly soul: “A part of G-d above, literally.” The phrase “a part of G-d above” is not an innovation of the Alter Rebbe. It is a verse in Iyov. There is just one very small difference—but that small difference makes all the difference. It is the Alter Rebbe’s innovation: the word “literally.” Iyov says “a part of G-d above,” but the Alter Rebbe adds “literally,” and that is the full force of the Alter Rebbe’s teaching in Tanya. Why? Because the phrase appears explicitly in Tanach, in Iyov, and many commentators explain what “a part of G-d above” means. Most commentators explain that it refers to understanding. A person has understanding, intellect, and intellect is something that, in essence, comes from above. “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” In other words, understanding is something G-dly that Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave man as a gift. That is the meaning of “a part of G-d above”: the faculty of understanding, the ability to study and work through a subject. That is how commentators explain it. So “a part of G-d above” is not meant literally; it is a metaphor. Some commentators even say it is a figure of speech, meant only to allude to the intellect: because intellect is something very spiritual, it is called “a part of G-d above.” The Alter Rebbe rejects all the other interpretations, and the Alter Rebbe

08:24 Speaker 1 He adds the word “mamash,” meaning literally: a Jew’s soul is truly a part—literally—“a part of G-d above, mamash.” The plain meaning, quite simply, is that it is a part of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Hakadosh Boruch Hu placed a part of Himself, so to speak, within the Jew. This is the Alter Rebbe’s approach, and this is the essence of a Jew as the Alter Rebbe explains it. The whole world investigates it. The whole world investigates what a Jew is. There are inquiries, theories, and elaborate arguments about it throughout the world, among Jews and non-Jews alike, so to speak. What defines a Jew? Without studying Chassidus, we don’t have the precise definition of what a Jew is. A Jew is someone who performs mitzvos from time to time. A Jew is someone born to a Jewish mother. Being Jewish is something in the genes. How do you say it—genes? Is that the word? Genes? A Jew is something. What? What is it? What is this strange creation called a Jew? What exactly is it, and what is it made of? What makes it so special? There is depth to this. Some claimed that a Jew is someone who has a country, and others claimed that a Jew is someone who has a language. Others said a Jew is Torah—that’s already more refined. All sorts of things, none of which, of course, emphasize or express the essence of a Jew. Even if someone says that a Jew is someone born to a Jewish mother, that doesn’t bring out the essence either. It only shifts the question from the child to the mother. But why is she Jewish? Ultimately, the point is what the Alter Rebbe says here: a Jew means “a part of G-d above.” There’s something very interesting in the Kuzari. What the Kuzari says is very powerful. Of course, when you study Tanya, you understand it much better through Tanya, but what the Kuzari says is very powerful.

10:17 Speaker 1 The Kuzari asks the sage—he says to him: Explain what a Jew is. What is a Jew? What is the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew? Something like that. So it’s very interesting how he answers. He says: We know that the world is divided into four—four, how do you say it, four categories. There is inanimate matter, plant life, animal life, and human beings, and the difference between one and the next is an essential difference. It is a difference in essence, a different essence. A plant is essentially different from inanimate matter. It has an inherent quality that inanimate matter will never have. A plant is a plant and inanimate matter is inanimate matter. A stone will not begin to grow, and a tree is not a stone; it is a different category. The same is true of plants and animals. They have different essences—the essence of life that an animal has is not present in a plant. And human beings and animals are certainly different in essence. One has intellect and the other is an animal. A person will never give birth to an animal. A person gives birth to a person, and an animal gives birth to an animal. They are entirely different essences. So the sage speaking to the Kuzari tells him—and it’s written as a dialogue—“You should know that there are actually five categories. Until now, you knew of only four: inanimate matter, plants, animals, and human beings. In fact, there are five: inanimate matter, plants, animals, human beings, and Jews.” In other words, he explains that the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew is not a difference in some particular detail. Just as the difference between an animal and a human being is not a difference in some particular detail. To say that a human being is just an animal that walks on two legs instead of four—that misses the point. It is a different essence. We are talking about essence; it is a different category. The difference between a Jew and a non-Jew is a difference in essence. But in the end, he does not explain what makes that essence so different. According to the Alter Rebbe, the explanation is right here.

12:12 Speaker 1 This makes it very clear. And not just clear: from what we learn here in Tanya, we come to the conclusion that the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew is far greater than the difference between a non-Jew and an animal, between a human being and an animal, or even between a human being and inanimate matter. Why? Because all four categories are, of course, distinct in essence and incomparable to one another. But they have something in common: they all fall within the category of created beings. They are all creations. This one is human, this one is an animal, and this one is a plant. They all exist as created beings. A Jew, says the Alter Rebbe, is not a created being, but the Creator. He is “a part of G-d above.” That is to say, his essence is of the Creator. So the distance, the gap between a Jew and a non-Jew, is much greater, beyond comparison. They are entirely incomparable: Creator and creation. A Jew is not simply another created being on a higher level; he is an entirely different category. He is the Creator, “a part of G-d above.” And this explains all the questions about why we see among Jews the idea that “the people of Israel live,” the idea of eternity, [unclear], all sorts of things for which this is the only explanation: a Jew is, in essence, not a created being but the Creator. He has within him everything of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, at any rate. That is what “truly a part of G-d” means. Yes.

13:34 Speaker 3 The soul of the son is the body.

13:36 Speaker 1 The soul is enclothed in the body, so ultimately this reaches the body too. Yes, the difference is that the individual soul is not nullified either. It reaches the body. So there are bodies that die and bodies that endure, but ultimately even the body will not cease to exist. This is what the Rebbe explains: ultimately, a Jew’s body also exists forever. The essence of the body, which is connected with Atzmus, because ultimately this point of being truly a part of G-d penetrates even the body. That’s a sicha of the Rebbe; it isn’t relevant here. Maybe it is relevant. In fact, that brings us to the meaning of the word “mamash.” As is known, the Frierdiker Rebbe explained it in two ways, that mamash has two meanings: literally Divine, as we’ve just been discussing. Yes, it is truly a part of G-d. It isn’t just a turn of phrase or a metaphor; it is truly a part of G-d. There is another meaning: mamash in the sense of something tangible, something you can touch. That’s the opposite. “A part of G-d above, mamash”—the soul is a part of G-d above in a tangible way. That is, it comes down and is enclothed in the physical body. It doesn’t mean that the soul is a part of G-d above only while it is up above in Atzilus. When the soul descends below, does it stop being a part of G-d above? No: it is “a part of G-d above, mamash”—in tangible reality. As the soul is enclothed in a physical, material body, right there it is truly a part of G-d above, truly a part of G-d. And this is something found specifically in a Jew and nowhere else. It is unique to a Jew: even when a Jew is present in tangible, physical reality. There are things that are Divine above, but when they come down, they become created beings; they become something else. To descend below into tangible reality and remain a part of G-d—that is found only in a Jew. Then there is the story connected to this. Then the explanation—one story explains the other. The Tzemach Tzedek was studying Tanya, and he had

15:34 Speaker 1 a question for several weeks. He sat and contemplated it, and he could not understand what it meant. We say “a part of G-d above, mamash,” but seemingly “above”—the Rebbe brings this in Hayom Yom—“above” and “mamash” are opposites. “Above” is the utmost spirituality, something beyond which nothing is higher. “Mamash” is the utmost physicality, something tangible. So which is it? Is it a part of G-d above, or is it tangible? They are opposites. He struggled with it for several weeks until he went and asked the Rebbe. I think—I don’t remember... Maybe I’m mixing up two stories. In any case, he told him that this is precisely the wonder of it, the wonder of a Jew. The wonder of a Jew is that he is both of these things together: he is the most spiritual of the spiritual, and yet he has an effect within the most physical of the physical. In other words, what is a Jew, essentially? This is very relevant, because it expresses the essence of a Jew. If someone comes and says, “Do you know what a Jew is? A Jew is a part of G-d,” he still hasn’t explained what a Jew is. If someone comes and says, “Do you know what a Jew is? Someone who lives in this physical world and acts,” that isn’t a Jew either. A Jew is precisely these two extremes together: “above” and “mamash.” He is the most spiritual of the spiritual. On the one hand, a Jew’s entire essence is that he is a part of G-d, the most spiritual of the spiritual, with the loftiest attachment to Divinity. At the same time, he is literally present in the tangible reality of a body. He draws Divinity down here into physical reality, into the very meaning of physical reality. That is the essence of a Jew. Then there’s another sicha in which the Rebbe established this—perhaps that was the answer. There are two stories connected with this, and I’m mixing them up, but that is the explanation. I don’t remember exactly where—in which maamar.

17:24 Speaker 1 In this way, in this place, and I think it is written this way: “from above” and “literally” mean the most spiritual within the most physical. But elsewhere it is explained that “from above” is ratzo, the movement upward, and “literally” is shov, the return downward. That is the meaning of “literally from above”: “from above” is ratzo, and “literally” is shov. In other words, what is the essence of a Jew? The joining of two opposites. What defines a Yid, a Jew, is that he can join two opposites. On the one hand, a Jew is constantly moving in ratzo, constantly ascending, going beyond himself and drawing closer to what is above—leaving himself behind for G-dliness entirely. That is “from above.” At the same time, he moves in shov, descending into the world, taking action and living in physical reality. These two opposites together are the reality of a Jew: “from above” and “literally” at once. That is the essence of a Jew. In fact, there is a story chassidim tell. Once, a Jew came to Reb Aizik of Homil, one of the leading chassidim. He was an elderly Jew, very poor and simple, but he came in looking very happy. You could see great joy on his face. So they asked him about it. They thought he must be a hidden tzaddik or have something special about him; his face was so radiant. In short, they sat him down, gave him some l’chaim, and tried to get him to reveal his secret—who he really was. At first he said there was nothing to tell. He was a simple man, very poor, who had come to collect money. There was nothing else. But they pressed him: “You must have some secret. Why are you so happy? Why is your face so radiant?” So he said, “I’ll tell you the truth. Many years ago, I was once in Liozna. It was—

19:26 Speaker 1 after the Alter Rebbe’s passing when he told this story, but he was speaking about a time when the Alter Rebbe was in Liozna. “I was once in Liozna, and the Alter Rebbe came out. He said a maamar. This was before Petersburg, when the Alter Rebbe would say short maamarim of just a few words. I heard the Alter Rebbe say in a melody: ‘Hakadosh Boruch Hu extended His little finger among them and burned them’—the angels. What does ‘His little finger’ mean? The Alter Rebbe said that His little finger is a soul. Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed the angels what a soul is, and they were consumed. When the angels saw what a soul is, they were consumed, utterly nullified, because a soul is higher than an angel. That was the only thing I heard from the Alter Rebbe. But those words—that Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed the angels a soul, and they were consumed and nullified because a soul is higher than an angel—affected me so deeply and brought me such joy that from then until today, I have been a happy person. I felt the greatness of my soul, ‘a part of G-dliness from above.’” With just a few words, the Alter Rebbe transformed that Jew. Along similar lines, there is the story of Reb Shmuel Munkes and Reb Kushilepla[unclear]. In short, he was a simple man, and he heard the Alter Rebbe say that the G-dly soul is on the right side and the animal soul is on the left. So, in the middle of davening, he climbed through the Alter Rebbe’s window because the attendant would not let him in, and cried out, “Rebbe, cut off my left side!” And the Alter Rebbe said, “And You give life to—

21:20 Speaker 1 them all.” The Alter Rebbe said the words “And You give life to them all,” and his soul began to shine. Chassidim said that this was not—the wildness of Kushilepla[unclear] was not the usual way of Chassidus. It was something exceptional. Usually, the Alter Rebbe’s Chassidus was [unclear]. But for him, the Alter Rebbe said, “And You give life to them all,” and that brought his soul into the open. The truth is that every one of us has this “part of G-dliness from above, literally,” and that is who I am. That is who I am. Now, we said we would share a thought and come to the subject of the Beis Hamikdash. There is a thought that relates directly to this week’s verse, from Reb Levi Yitzchak as well. The Rebbe quoted it in the name of Reb Levi Yitzchak, his father. The Rambam says—I think we already learned this here in chapter one—that it is forbidden to build with exposed wood in the Temple courtyard. The Raavad asks: How can that be? There was a Chamber of Wood, the chamber of the Kohen Gadol. On the plain level, the Rebbe explains that there is no contradiction. The Rambam forbids exposed wood, and the wood there was not exposed. It was called the Chamber of Wood, but its wood was covered with plaster; the wood was only inside, and that is permitted. But the Rebbe asks: Why, after all, did they call it the Chamber of Wood? Wood in the Beis Hamikdash is associated with something forbidden, the opposite of “You shall not plant for yourself an asheirah, any tree.” Why call the Kohen Gadol’s chamber the Chamber of Wood? So the Rebbe explains in the name of Reb Levi Yitzchak that it was called that because the Kohen Gadol is associated with long life. Long life is part of what the Kohen Gadol represents. The Gemara says that the Kohanim Gedolim in the First Temple lived long lives. What—

23:01 Speaker 1 does this have to do with this week’s verse? He points to the verse, “He shall remain there until the death of the Kohen Gadol.” A person who killed someone unintentionally remained in a city of refuge until the Kohen Gadol died. The Gemara asks why he had to wait until the death of the Kohen Gadol, and answers that the Kohen Gadol lengthens people’s lives, while this person shortened someone’s life. That is why he must wait until the Kohen Gadol dies. So we see that the Kohen Gadol is associated with long life. He explains this according to Kabbalah and Chassidus as well: the Kohen Gadol represents chessed, and chessed is connected with long life. That is why there was a Chamber of Wood, because a tree is associated with long life. It says, “Like the days of a tree shall be the days of My people.” When we want to emphasize long life, we use a tree as the comparison. So a tree expresses the idea of long life. Since the Kohen Gadol’s chamber was associated with long life, and the Kohen Gadol brings long life to the Jewish people as a whole, they called his chamber the Chamber of Wood. Even though its wood was not exposed, the name emphasized the long life that comes through the Kohen Gadol.