Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 29 - Part 4

00:00 We’re going to the line beginning “as above,” after the parentheses. What is the Rebbe bringing up here? The Rebbe is bringing up the power of a person’s anger at himself, and the teaching that a piece of wood that will not catch fire must be broken up. The same applies to a body in which the light of the soul does not shine: it must be broken. It is like a piece of wood that will not catch fire. You have to break it into small pieces, and then the fire can burn in it. This is how it is explained, and it is also a practical remedy. The pride and coarseness a person has prevent that initial fire from catching. The spiritual light is not revealed in him, so he has to break his own stubbornness of heart. He has to break his stubbornness of heart. And how can he get through to his heart? Until now, the Rebbe has been speaking about a beinoni. When a beinoni reaches this point, the issue is the beinoni’s own condition. We spoke about this person and his coarse material nature. That, the Rebbe says, pertains to him. With a beinoni, though, the person himself is a different matter, and the evil within him is a lesser matter. But what is his essence? What is he here? What is his actual state? His actual state is something else. It is not something inevitable for him. He can also compel himself on this point, even more strongly than young men can. Whether such thoughts arise or not, the point is that they do not lead to thoughts of sin. But for him, the very fact that it is not inevitable is significant. He has the capacity; even if the beinoni has not fallen, the very fact that the possibility and the position exist shows that, in principle, he is in a worse state at another time. So this point about his coarseness has an effect on the person, on the beinoni. At the time—

02:12 This brings about the breaking of his heart. Let’s continue. So here the Rebbe says the following: we’ve already spoken about a beinoni, and about the state he reaches. This is not just a matter of saying that here is a beinoni whose coarse nature pertains to you. Here the Rebbe goes into greater detail. He speaks about actual evil, about the part of the beinoni’s soul that still carries such things. If he breaks himself, breaks his heart, he will also come to consider matters of actual evil. But we’re speaking about a beinoni. A beinoni does not have actual evil in what he does now. As I wrote, the beinoni is one who has not transgressed. Yet this whole discussion here is about evil. Understand: he does not have it now. But he had it in the past, and there are times when a person must reflect on sins he committed in the past. This applies even to a beinoni who committed sins in the past. He, too, needs to break his stubbornness of heart. The Rebbe says, in the line beginning “as above,” that we wanted to identify actual evil. But the contemplation here is meant primarily to bring about a broken heart, not merely to consider the act itself; it goes deeper. He should contemplate the coarseness of soul he had in the past because of the sin. Definitely. That is, even though now he truly has no connection to it. That sin belongs to a person when he is young, at the beginning, while here we are speaking about a beinoni who is already in a different state. The Rebbe puts it well: the beinoni is in a state in which he does not sin, by day or by night. And it is explained that this is one of the proofs for this interpretation: the meaning is that he has never committed a sin. So how does that fit with what—

04:14 the Rebbe is discussing here? The intent is that when it says he has not committed a sin, it is speaking about his present state: he is no longer connected to sin. But it is possible that a person was once connected to sin and committed sins of this kind, which are called “sins of youth.” Then the Rebbe says: if you did commit sins of youth, including the sin of wasting seed. These are matters particularly associated with youth. In youth there is what is called “the boiling of the blood”: during that period a person has stronger desires and is consequently more liable to fall and stumble in such matters. That is why he needs to be more careful. This is why these sins are called “sins of youth.” The Ari says that when a person commits sins of youth, the blemish he causes through them reaches the higher worlds. What does it mean to cause a blemish in the higher worlds? It is generally known that every sin a person commits causes a blemish not only down here, in his own soul, but also in the higher worlds. For a Jewish soul is a part of G-dliness, and the soul comes from the higher worlds. So when I blemish the soul, I also blemish, so to speak, the soul’s source in the higher worlds. That is true of every sin. But particularly with the sin being discussed here, the sins of youth—wasting seed—the blemish in the higher worlds is greater than with any other sin. Why? As the Rebbe explains briefly, based on Tanya, chapter 7, there is a very great difference between all other sins and the sin we are discussing here, the sins of youth. Every other—

06:09 sin has a vessel. Every sin has some vessel through which a person carries it out. When a person commits a particular sin, the sin is invested in something specific. For example, if he does something with a particular object, that is what becomes involved in the sin. If he commits the sin of lashon hara, he blemishes his speech. He blemishes a particular faculty, and there is a particular vessel in which the sin is invested. Consequently, the sin and the blemish it causes are limited by the nature of that vessel. But the whole matter of the blemish caused by the sins of youth concerns wasting seed. “Wasting” means that there is no vessel here. That is what “wasting” means. Since here it has no vessel at all, the impurity it causes is abundant impurity, impurity without limits, because there is no vessel to contain it. In physical terms, there is the relationship between light and a vessel: the vessel limits the light, brings it into a particular place and sets its bounds. It gives it a fixed form. If I put water in a container, the container keeps the water in one place. But if you pour water out without a container, it flows and spreads in every direction, without limits, reaching everywhere. The same is true in spiritual matters. When there is no vessel in which the matter is contained, the resulting spiritual impurity—the blemish it causes—is so great that there is an abundance of impurity. It is written that, in one respect, the blemish caused by the sins of youth is quantitatively worse even than the blemish caused by very serious sins. But because those sins have a vessel—

08:05 the Rebbe says there that, in one respect, the sin of wasting seed is worse even than forbidden relations. Yes, because in a forbidden union there is a vessel for the act. With wasting seed, there is no vessel. So the abundance of vitality transferred in this case is without limit; there is an abundance of vitality. And the Rebbe says that this is why the sin of wasting seed is not mentioned in the Torah. So, returning to our subject, this is what the Rebbe is saying: because with sins of youth a person becomes more deeply defiled, he also causes a much greater blemish. And since the higher worlds are above time, it is as though he caused the blemish and became defiled at this very moment. Now the question arises: what about the present? We are speaking about a person who has already done teshuvah. After all, he is a beinoni, a beinoni who is now in the category of someone who has never sinned in his life. That means he has done teshuvah. The Rebbe raises a question: what does it mean to say that this person has never sinned in his life? Here it says that he did sin and then did teshuvah. So the Rebbe explains the power of teshuvah. Teshuvah does not only change a person’s present conduct; it also repairs the past. That is the whole point of teshuvah: it also repairs what happened before, including what had been an obstacle. Since he has now repaired that as well, it is as though it had never happened in his life. So why, all of a sudden, do we need to—

09:55 To contemplate things that no longer exist now? The Rebbe says that whenever a person comes to examine his heart and his material state, he needs to examine the sins he committed when he was young. In other words, he has nothing to do with those things now. He understands that now. Why examine matters he moved past long ago? But the Rebbe explains that the blemish is not limited to the person himself; there is also the blemish caused in the higher worlds. A person might say: That happened back then. How can it be as though he caused a blemish and became impure today, G-d forbid? But those worlds are above time, so the blemish there is as though it happened today. It is as though he committed that transgression today. What does that mean? There are two ways to understand this. It is known that the Siddur says the source of time is in the sefirah of Malchus. Where does the existence of time begin? It begins with Malchus. Above Malchus is above time. And since the blemish also reaches levels higher than Malchus—a sinful thought, after all, causes a blemish, even in the letters of the Divine Name, all four holy letters. In other words, a sinful thought causes a blemish on higher levels. In particular, G-d forbid, it affects the mind; it affects Chochmah, the yud of the Divine Name, or an inner level. The Rebbe adds that here it reaches an even higher level. Since the blemish also reaches worlds above Malchus, which are above time, it is as though he caused the blemish today. That is one explanation. Another explanation does not require us to speak of such high worlds. It means

11:50 even here. These are spiritual worlds, not only the very highest ones; even spiritual worlds that do have some connection to time are above our time. Something that takes a long time for us can be a single moment there. This is brought up in a story about the Rebbe Maharash, of blessed memory. The Rebbe Maharash sent a letter that arrived fifteen years later. The person it was meant for received it after fifteen years, and the letter spoke about something relevant at that very time, fifteen years later. The Rebbe Maharash had written it fifteen years earlier, but he wrote about it as something happening in the present. There is a story about how the Rebbe Maharash perceived it on a level like that of the prophet Elisha. I’ll tell you the story shortly. This has to do with the level of a higher world. What is fifteen years to us can be the present on a higher level. For us, the present is one moment; for him, it encompassed fifteen years. On a still higher level, a day can encompass a thousand years. A day of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is a thousand years. In other words, there are higher levels on which what is past or future for us is present. So even if I did something twenty years ago, on a higher level, above our physical time, what I did long ago may be as though I am doing it now, in the present. But then the question arises:

13:46 I have already done teshuvah! So the Alter Rebbe says, “Even if he has already done proper teshuvah.” Do you see what that means? Hearing words like that could send a person into terrible depression. You could fall into complete despair: there is no remedy. A person stumbles once, and that’s it—he carries the burden his whole life. So the Alter Rebbe addresses this: “Even if he has already done proper teshuvah.” He will not commit the sin again in the future. As for the rebellion against Hashem’s sovereignty, the person corrected that the moment he first did teshuvah. And the blemish, too—when he did teshuvah back then, he also repaired the blemish. But the main thing in teshuvah is the heart. Teshuvah has several aspects: teshuvah in one’s actions and teshuvah in one’s heart. Its main aspect is in the heart. What does that mean? The Rebbe explains it this way. In Hilchos Teshuvah, the Rebbe explains that there is a mitzvah of teshuvah derived from Scripture. The mitzvah of teshuvah has its own specific requirements. The moment I say that from today onward I will not do it again, and make a firm decision never again to anger Hashem or transgress, but to accept the sovereignty of Heaven upon myself—that is teshuvah. It is complete teshuvah in the plain sense, fulfilling the mitzvah of teshuvah. That addresses the rebellion against Hashem’s sovereignty. The moment I do teshuvah and decide that from today onward I will accept the sovereignty of Heaven and return to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, that matter is resolved. But there is another

15:52 point in teshuvah. The Rebbe says, “The main thing in teshuvah is teshuvah in the heart.” What does “the main thing in teshuvah” mean? Not in terms of fulfilling the mitzvah of teshuvah, but in terms of coming close to Hakadosh Boruch Hu through teshuvah. When a Jew does teshuvah, he should try to restore his connection with Hashem so completely that it is as though he had never sinned against Him. That is the point. And this depends primarily on the heart—how deeply he feels, how much he takes it to heart, how deeply the Jew feels his connection to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Since this is in the heart, and the heart has many levels, teshuvah in the heart is not all on one level. The heart has many levels; it is made up of different levels, and within each of them there are further levels. Since it depends on the heart, everything varies according to the person and according to the time and place in which that Jew finds himself. The Rebbe mentions three factors here: the person, the time and the place. What level is the person on? At what time, and in what place, does he find himself? The Baal Shem Tov speaks about these three factors. First, the person: there are things that are acceptable when I am on one level but not acceptable on a higher level. Here is a familiar example. The Baal Shem Tov speaks of a person who has dirt on his clothing. Some dirt constitutes a barrier, while other dirt does not; it also matters whether the dirt is on a garment or on the body. There is a well-known saying about a student

17:57 A Torah scholar with a stain on his clothing—that is a very serious matter. Why? Because that same dirt, that same stain—a stain is a kind of grease or other dirt—might not be a problem for an unlearned person, but for a Torah scholar it remains a problem. Why is that? Because it depends on the person’s spiritual refinement. For a more elevated person, even something subtler matters. Just as this is true in physical things, it is true in spiritual things. In other words, something that is not considered a serious transgression for one person, at his level, can be considered a serious matter for someone at a higher level. Certainly, Hashem is exacting with the righteous to a hairsbreadth. What is not considered a blemish in one person is already considered a blemish in a more elevated person. With this, the Rebbe explains, for example, why we say “Forgive us” in the Shemoneh Esrei. [unclear] Why do we say “Forgive us”? The Rebbe explains: When a person reaches a higher level of holiness, he feels how far he is from holiness. Things that did not seem to be a problem before now become a problem. This is understandable. We see it in physical things, and the same is true in spiritual things, including teshuvah. So it may be that when I was a boy, when I was young, I did teshuvah. At the level I was on then, in the state my soul was in at that time, that teshuvah was enough to remove the blemish. Hashem had forgiven

19:40 me, and the matter had been rectified. But now I have risen to a higher level, and what had seemed clean before suddenly looks stained. What was considered clean before is suddenly considered stained. A person changes all the time, at every moment; that is clear and understandable. So the same applies here. As he rises to a higher level, something that was not a blemish for him before now becomes one. [unclear] Hashem forgave him and erased it, but now a new blemish has become apparent, one that was not there before. Before, it did not matter; now it does. That is what this means. There are also matters that depend on place. What does “place” mean? It depends on where a person is. In one place, something may not be considered a blemish; in another, it is. About this it says, “Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations.” Had he lived in Avraham’s generation, he would not have been considered anything special. He was righteous in his own generation. In other words, a person’s surroundings and the place he is in can affect how his transgressions are judged. If he is in a less refined place, what he has achieved may be enough for his level. But if he comes to a place where people are more elevated, more will be expected of him. The same applies to time—to more elevated times during the year. Certain things might not be so serious during the year, but at a particular time, for example,

21:29 during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the Shulchan Aruch says there are things permitted all year that are not permitted then. There are stringencies we need not observe throughout the year, but during the Ten Days of Teshuvah we must be more stringent. What does that mean? [unclear] We see that the effect of a blemish changes according to the time. At a more elevated time, even something smaller causes a greater blemish. So there are three factors: the person’s level, the time, and the place. There is a well-known story about [unclear]. A rabbi once told him something, apparently in connection with bringing Jews closer to Yiddishkeit. He did not understand what that meant. So he told him: There is such a thing as a hot sauna. You go into the hottest part, where there are lots of hot stones. It is a little dangerous, because inside the sauna they strike you to strengthen the bones—I do not remember exactly how it works. There is a special place where they do this so that a person feels better. So the chossid says: If someone attacked a person on the street and tried to hit him, he would immediately call the police. But bring him into a hot sauna, and not only will he not be angry with you for hitting him—he will thank you. Why? We are talking here about Yiddishkeit and Jews. If you want to bring someone closer to Yiddishkeit and simply start talking to him about [unclear], you may not bring him closer at all; on the contrary, he may resist you. First you have to bring out the good. So

23:52 you have to bring him into the sauna. Yes, the sauna is a long story. [unclear] You can say true things without—without, how do you put it?—without getting to the point. Yes, yes, but first you have to bring him in. If you do it to him out on the street, [unclear]. What is the point? We should not be surprised by the difference. Something may be acceptable for a particular person, in a particular place, at a particular time. It is not good, but at a higher level, it becomes something that matters. The Rebbe says here that this relates to sin, to the state of the soul. That is how it is. [unclear] All right. Here the Rebbe also wants to explain: How does a person know whether his teshuvah was good enough? How do I know whether I have understood it better or not? So the Rebbe says: [unclear]. Not only that. There are other things that affect the heart. A person says, “I can see the dullness of my heart.” What causes that dullness of the heart? I know that the reason is that the kelipah has gained strength. [unclear] If I do not understand it, that is a sign I need to study it more. [unclear] It may be that in the future [unclear].

25:56 We will not explain the second possibility in detail here. It may also be that this is not because of a blemish—not that there is such a blemish at all. Even if there is no blemish, it may be that the aim is to bring the person to a higher level of teshuvah. And so, in another way, he experiences dullness of the heart. These are two possibilities. One is that, for the level he is on today, his earlier teshuvah is sometimes no longer enough. But sometimes that is not the reason at all. Rather, Hashem wants to raise the person to a higher level. This is the opposite: it is a movement upward. It is not a question of whether his teshuvah was mistaken or insufficient; the aim is to bring him to a higher level of teshuvah. One of the ways a person is prompted from Above to reach that higher level is by being given dullness of the heart, which leads him to rise higher. That is why David said, “My sin is before me always.” This is why King David said, “My sin.” The Rebbe has a long discussion here about this whole passage—the differences between the two possibilities, how this applies to King David, and why he brings up his sins. So, with Hashem’s help, we will leave that discussion for next time.