Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 33 - Part 9

00:01 Speaker 1 To reach the joy of the soul—not just any joy of the soul, but its true joy—a person contemplates the oneness of Hashem. The Alter Rebbe explains that there are essentially two aspects to this. First, there is the joy that comes from contemplating Hashem’s oneness, particularly as Chassidus explains it: “There is nothing else besides Him.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu is here below, and we are all together with Him. Nothing exists apart from Him. Knowing that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is here below arouses tremendous joy in a Jew, like the joy a person feels when the king is there with him in his own home. That is one point. The second point, the Alter Rebbe explains, is this: I rejoice that I am with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, that I recognize and accept that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is here below with me, in my home. But there is an even greater joy: the joy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has when a Jew believes in and contemplates the oneness of Hashem. When a Jew contemplates Hashem’s oneness, at that very moment he transforms darkness into light. He takes a world that appears to have an independent existence, a world that appears to be a realm of kelipah and the sitra achra, and contemplates the truth: the world does not exist independently; on the contrary, it is utterly nullified. Through this act of contemplating Hashem’s oneness, he transforms darkness into light and subdues the sitra achra. This gives Hakadosh Boruch Hu tremendous satisfaction. There is no greater joy. For Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the greatest satisfaction comes from darkness being transformed into light, so that light has the advantage that comes from darkness. Since the joy

02:21 Speaker 1 that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has from this transformation is the greatest possible joy, a Jew rejoices in Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s joy. This is the second kind of joy the Alter Rebbe explains here in chapter 33. Of course, this also applies when he studies this idea; there is no difference on that point. So a Jew should rejoice that Hakadosh Boruch Hu rejoices—that He rejoices when the world is transformed from darkness to light through the very act of a Jew contemplating Hashem’s oneness. That is the point the Alter Rebbe has explained here in Tanya. We stopped on page 32, two lines from the bottom. We apologize to the first-year students who joined only today, but we began chapter 33 quite some time ago, even before the summer. We are stopping right near the end, and, with Hashem’s help, we will finish chapter 33 together today. Also, in a few days there will be another Tanya class, so it is a matter of days. In any case, we are in the month of Adar, so joy is especially timely. First, we are here, two lines from the bottom. Just one more point before we move on: the Alter Rebbe also mentioned the Diaspora. When a Jew believes in and contemplates Hashem’s oneness, it arouses joy in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Hakadosh Boruch Hu rejoices in the advantage of light that comes from darkness. This applies throughout the world, but particularly in the Diaspora, because there are more kelipos there. The Diaspora is a place of impure air, as the Gemara quoted in the text says.

04:22 Speaker 1 Nevertheless, when a Jew in the Diaspora contemplates Hashem’s oneness in this world of separation, it gives Hakadosh Boruch Hu even greater satisfaction. Consequently, the joy a Jew should feel at Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s joy is greater in the Diaspora than in Eretz Yisroel. On this point, I want to mention two things. The first is from the Rebbe Rashab and is brought in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Berachah; the Rebbe also wrote about it. This passage, these two lines, also appears in Hayom Yom, Part Two. Perhaps some of the students do not know that there is a Hayom Yom, Part Two. The Rebbe wanted to print it, but did not actually do so. Recently, though, it was printed. There are various editions of Hayom Yom, some of which include part of it, and it was also published as a separate booklet. They found various other materials there—the entries the Rebbe had prepared for a second part of Hayom Yom. This is brought in Likkutei Torah—not in Parshas Berachah, but in Parshas Ki Seitzei. I think they also made a separate booklet about it. There, the Rebbe quotes the Rav in the name of the Be’er Sheva. He writes something remarkable that is related to what the Alter Rebbe says here, though it is not quite the same thing. What does the Be’er Sheva say? He says that the Jewish people were dispersed among towns and cities in distant lands. Have you noticed how Jews have spread out and can be found all over the world? We see Jews in the most remote places on earth—what today are called backpackers, reaching the most out-of-the-way places. You are writing it down carefully; you may not know what “backpackers” means, but we know. He writes that the Jewish people were dispersed among towns and cities in distant lands.

06:13 Speaker 1 The reason is that a Jew has faith in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Every Jew, whoever he may be, regardless of how he actually behaves, has faith in the oneness of Hashem—even when he is not thinking about it. Because he is a Jew, he has that faith. So when a Jew walks down the street, even if he is not thinking about anything, even if he thinks he does not believe, does not do anything, and is completely distant from Yiddishkeit, the very fact that a Jew walks there brings Hakadosh Boruch Hu to that place. He elevates the place and the spark within it. Why? Because a Jew is a person of faith, and faith brings about the revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu in that place. Through this, he accomplishes the refinement of the spark. The very fact that a Jew walks there has an effect. This is a remarkable teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, and it explains what we see: Jews in particular are known for this. It is well known that so many backpackers are Jews. They travel from place to place. Non-Jews do it too, but the people best known for wanting to go out and explore forests and mountains, reaching all sorts of remote places, are Jews. [unclear] Hakadosh Boruch Hu arranged for Jews to travel throughout the world, because the very fact that a Jew goes about in the world elevates a place through his faith. The Alter Rebbe says this here, but somewhat differently. He too speaks about the Diaspora and its advantage: there one can

08:10 Speaker 1 To reveal the work of refinement, turning darkness into light. There is no greater joy, no greater holiness and joy, than when darkness is transformed into light. The difference is that the Baal Shem Tov is speaking even about a Jew who does not contemplate this. The very fact that a Jew walks down the street already has an effect. The Alter Rebbe here is speaking about a Jew who contemplates the oneness of Hashem. What is the difference? Of course there is a big difference. If a person walks down the street—a Jew walks down the street—and he is not thinking about the oneness of Hashem, he is not contemplating it, then it is only because he is a Jew that, as the Baal Shem Tov says, he brings about an elevation in that place. But for him, that faith is not revealed; it is hidden. Consciously, he is thinking about other things. He may not even be careful about wearing tzitzis. That is not what brings about the effect. Rather, because he is a Jew, he has this within him in a hidden way. So it is understood that the elevation is not revealed either. The place is elevated and becomes more nullified, but the effect happens in a hidden way, not so openly. By contrast, when a Jew studies the oneness of Hashem and contemplates it while he is outside Eretz Yisroel, then certainly the elevation and the effect he brings about—the transformation of darkness into light—are revealed, because for that Jew it is revealed. So in the place where he has an effect, too, he brings about the refinement in a much more openly revealed way. That is one point. A second point: the Rebbe emphasizes here the idea of being outside Eretz Yisroel. Some chassidim have said that the Alter Rebbe is alluding here to the remarkable fact that the entire revelation of Chassidus, the entire revelation of the oneness of Hashem, took place specifically outside Eretz Yisroel. It is astonishing. We

09:50 Speaker 1 see that various parts of Torah were revealed specifically in Eretz Yisroel. The Shulchan Aruch, the Kabbalah of the Arizal, and all these things were revealed specifically in Eretz Yisroel, in Tzfas and in other places there. By contrast, the teachings of Chassidus were revealed specifically outside Eretz Yisroel. So much so that our Rebbeim, beginning with the Baal Shem Tov, did not go to Eretz Yisroel, even though they wanted to. It is known that the Baal Shem Tov tried in various ways to go to Eretz Yisroel. Yet despite all the troubles and trials he faced—he had already set out, he had reached Turkey, he had almost reached Eretz Yisroel—in the end he had to turn back and did not manage to get there. The Alter Rebbe also wanted to go to Eretz Yisroel, but he did not get there. In the end he had to turn back. Many others wanted to go as well. The Rebbe mentioned this, too, in the last sicha. As is known, on Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel, in Adar 5752, we heard what has, for now, been the last sicha from the Rebbe. What did the Rebbe speak about in its final part? The Rebbe mentioned that none of our Rebbeim, from the Baal Shem Tov onward, had come to Eretz Yisroel. The Frierdiker Rebbe had been to Eretz Yisroel. The Rebbe raised that question, and explained that the Frierdiker Rebbe had said explicitly that he was going there not for the sake of Eretz Yisroel. He went for the graves of tzaddikim. He wanted to visit his father’s grave, but at that time he could not return to Russia, because Russia was closed. So to visit the graves of tzaddikim, he had to arrange it this way. He went to Eretz Yisroel and said explicitly that he was not going for the sake of Eretz Yisroel itself, but because he needed to visit the graves of tzaddikim. To that extent, the Rebbeim had this concern about not going to Eretz

11:22 Speaker 1 Yisroel. Well, [unclear]. We will not get into explaining that now. But as for our subject: why was Chassidus revealed outside Eretz Yisroel? That is what the Alter Rebbe answers here. And by the way, the Alter Rebbe says that the whole matter of the oneness of Hashem brings pleasure to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, because it is what transforms darkness into light: a Jew grasps the point that “there is nothing besides Him,” that the world is nullified to G-dliness. That is the greatest transformation, and it brings the greatest joy and pleasure. And outside Eretz Yisroel, even more than in Eretz Yisroel. That is why this very matter of Chassidus—what is Chassidus? Chassidus revealed the oneness of Hashem—was revealed specifically outside Eretz Yisroel. There is also the well-known story of the Tzemach Tzedek and a chossid who wanted to move to Eretz Yisroel. The Tzemach Tzedek told him, “If Reb Hillel has no desire to go to Eretz Yisroel, why do you need to go?” Then he told him the well-known saying: “Make Eretz Yisroel here.” The Rebbe, incidentally, cites this many times in his sichos: this is our task. “Make Eretz Yisroel here”—work to bring the holiness of Eretz Yisroel into a place outside Eretz Yisroel through what we do. As it says in Tanya, through studying Chassidus outside Eretz Yisroel, the joy of transforming darkness into light is present in the loftiest way.

12:39 Speaker 2 What were you talking about?

12:40 Speaker 1 That’s not the point. It’s Eretz Yisroel. [unclear]. So this is what the verse means when it says, “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker.” The Alter Rebbe comes and says: according to what we have just explained, what joy should a Jew have? A Jew should rejoice in the fact that Hakadosh Boruch Hu rejoices—in Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s joy. Accordingly, we can understand what we say in davening, a verse cited in Tanya: “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker.” It is one of the Twelve Pesukim, the last of them. The Rebbe taught us that one of the things we need to do is know the Twelve Pesukim by heart. Some people think that only children, the children of Tzivos Hashem, need to know the Twelve Pesukim. That is a mistake. The Rebbe wanted everyone to learn the Twelve Pesukim by heart, everyone to say them every day, and everyone to think about them. In any case, the Twelve Pesukim are something that should be engraved in every person. It is not just something for children to say before a bracha. In any case, one of the Twelve Pesukim, the last of them, is this verse cited in Tanya: “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker.” What does “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker” mean? The simple meaning is that a Jew should rejoice in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. What is the plain meaning of the verse “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker”? That Jews rejoice in Hakadosh Boruch Hu, who made them? We are happy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu made us. But the question is: why does it say “in his Maker”? It could have used another word: “Let Yisroel rejoice in Hakadosh Boruch Hu,” “Let Yisroel rejoice in Hashem,” “Let Yisroel rejoice in G-d.” Why this particular expression, “in his Maker”? It is not a usual way to refer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The psalm itself begins, “Sing to Hashem a new song; His praise in the assembly of the chassidim,” using the name of

14:36 Speaker 1 Hashem. Later it also says, “Let them praise His name with dancing.” But here the wording is “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker.” What is the significance of “his Maker”? The Rebbe explains that, based on what we have learned so far, we can understand that a Jew’s joy here is not simply joy in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is true as well: a Jew rejoices in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But the emphasis here is on “his Maker.” The point is that anyone who is of the seed of Yisroel—regardless of how he has conducted himself in day-to-day life until now—is a Jew. And because he is a Jew, as we said earlier, he has received an inheritance from our ancestors. What is our inheritance? This matter of faith. We have inherited it. We inherited faith in Hashem from our ancestors, so no one is without it. Rather, every person of the seed of Yisroel should rejoice in this joy. He should rejoice in the joy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has. What gives Hakadosh Boruch Hu joy? He rejoices and delights in His dwelling in the lower worlds, which are the realm of physical action. What gives Hakadosh Boruch Hu joy? The dwelling in the lower worlds: that this physical world becomes a dwelling for Him, here in the realm of physical action. That is why the verse says, “Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker.” It does not use a different word, because “his Maker” refers to physical making. It is here, in the physical world where we find ourselves, that our task takes place and faith is revealed. This is the greatest joy of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and we need to rejoice in His joy. Now, “his Maker” is actually in the plural. Here the Alter Rebbe goes on to point out another detail in the verse. Seemingly, why is “his Maker” in the plural? It should have said “the One who made him,” or something like that. The plural seems out of place. What? How can a plural expression be used for Hakadosh Boruch Hu? Based on

16:43 Speaker 1 What is being explained here is also described this way: this physical world, full of kelipos and the sitra achra, is “its Makers” in the plural, referring to the public domain. This physical world, full of kelipos and the sitra achra, is called the public domain. As is well known, the public domain represents the world of kelipos. Chassidus explains the whole reason it is forbidden on Shabbos to carry into the public domain: the public domain represents kelipah. The laws of carrying on Shabbos are connected with this idea of kelipos. Shabbos belongs to holiness, and therefore carrying in the public domain is forbidden on Shabbos. So that is the idea of “many.” What does “many” mean? What is the difference between holiness and kelipah? Holiness is bittul—self-nullification—and bittul means “Hashem is one and His Name is one.” There is nothing besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is the idea of the singular domain: the One and Only of the world. There is nothing besides Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But how does this world feel on its own? It feels like “many,” like separation. It feels itself to be a separate entity, as discussed at length in the well-known maamar explaining the difference between Esav and Yaakov. Regarding Esav, the Torah uses the plural “souls.” Esav had only six people, yet it says “souls” in the plural. Regarding Yaakov, who had seventy, it says “soul” in the singular. What accounts for the difference? Esav represents kelipos. So even though there are only six, each pulls in a different direction. Each wants something else; each opposes the other. That is the whole nature of kelipah: ego, separation, isolation, pride—all of that. Holiness, by contrast, is unity and oneness. That is why kelipah is called a domain—

18:25 Speaker 1 The private domain, the public domain, and tura deperuda, mountains of separation. It is called tura deperuda. What does tura deperuda mean? We see that mountains are separate from one another. That is the nature of a mountain: you cannot join it to another mountain. You cannot join two mountains together. Tura deperuda—as the Gemara says, “A mountain does not meet a mountain.” A mountain is a mountain; they do not meet, touch, or join. Why? Because each is an entity unto itself. That is the character of a mountain, an expression of independent existence. So two mountains are separate from one another. That is the meaning of tura deperuda: mountains of separation, of ego. “And Yitzchak fathered Yaakov.” The phrase tura deperuda appears in the Zohar on Shir Hashirim. There is a verse in Shir Hashirim that says, “Flee, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of spices.” One verse says “the mountains of spices,” and another says “the mountains of Beser”—Beser with a tav. What does “the mountains of Beser” mean? It comes from a word meaning separation, as in “he divided them in the middle”—he cut them into pieces. The mountains of Beser are tura deperuda. There is also a maamar on this verse among the Purim maamarim. In any case, this is the idea: “And Yitzchak fathered Yaakov”—the public domain becomes a private domain through this oneness of G-dliness and this faith. All of this explains “its Makers” in the plural. In other words, even Hakadosh Boruch Hu, as it were, is enclothed in this world; “its Makers” refers to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, yet it is written in the plural. Since we are speaking here about G-dliness becoming enclothed in the world, and the world is characterized by separation, even the G-dliness enclothed in it comes, so to speak, in a manner of separation. As is known, Chassidus explains that Elokim is grammatically plural: even the G-dly life-force enclothed in the world comes through division and differentiation. But a Jew, by contemplating that Havayah is Elokim and the whole idea of the oneness of Hashem—

20:09 Speaker 1 transforms the public domain into a private domain through this faith. How does one do that? Through faith itself. By believing in the oneness of Hashem, learning about it, contemplating it, and living with it, a Jew thereby turns the public domain into a private domain. And this is the joy a Jew should feel. So if we summarize what we have learned so far, there are two chapters in Tanya that discuss joy—the guidance the Alter Rebbe gives for attaining joy: chapters 31 and 33. What are the main aspects? We can divide them into four points. In chapter 31, the Alter Rebbe gives two approaches to joy. One of them was in today’s Chitas lesson. At the beginning of the chapter—in particular, what we learned in today’s Chitas—it says, “And afterward he will come to true joy.” The Alter Rebbe begins explaining joy in the middle of chapter 31; the second point is in tomorrow’s lesson, and then there is also chapter 33. There are two kinds of joy in chapter 31 and two in chapter 33. So, briefly, let’s summarize. The first joy is connected with taking the G-dly soul out of exile. A Jew should rejoice that by learning Torah, fulfilling a mitzvah, and especially by davening, he takes his G-dly soul out of exile and concealment and brings it back to the home of its father and mother. There, too, the Alter Rebbe says there is tremendous joy when the king’s child returns to his father and mother. The Alter Rebbe says this is like the Exodus from Egypt. After that, the Alter Rebbe—

22:05 Speaker 1 explains another point about joy: contemplating that I am not to blame for this. I did not make myself this way. I did not create all this exile and concealment of the body and the animal soul. Hakadosh Boruch Hu created a person with an animal soul, a body, and all the body’s materiality and kelipos. [unclear] Why did Hakadosh Boruch Hu do all this? Only so that a Jew, through his own avodah, would overcome it, practicing iskafya and is’hapcha—subduing and transforming it. When he contemplates this, it brings him even greater joy: each day, he can bring this exile to an end and fulfill Hashem’s will. Hashem made all of this so that he would overcome it. Contemplating that adds even more to his joy. Those were the two points the Alter Rebbe explained in chapter 31. In chapter 33, too, the Alter Rebbe discussed two aspects of joy. One is the joy of closeness to G-d: a Jew rejoices that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is close to him. The second is joy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is joyful. When we think about it, this last joy is the loftiest. Why? Because it is really the joy of the Creator. All the joys until now—the first, second, and third—are ultimately joys of a created being. They arise from what the person experiences: that I am leaving exile; that Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave me all this—I did not create it myself—and He did it so that I would overcome it. These are all contemplations that awaken joy more from the person’s side.

23:48 Speaker 1 Even the joy of closeness to G-d is about my feeling close to G-d. The fourth joy is the joy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is joyful. [unclear] And a Jew rejoices in the joy of Hakadosh Boruch Hu—that is the greatest joy.