There is nothing that stands in the way of Teshuvah | Chapter 4, Part 2

00:00 And we’ll continue in chapter 4 of Tanya. The Alter Rebbe begins to explain that, to understand the Torah’s mitzvah of teshuvah—the idea of leaving sin behind, and what that means on a deeper level, that a person truly and wholeheartedly will not return to the transgression—we need to understand teshuvah according to the inner dimension of Torah. The word teshuvah can be read as “tashuv hei,” returning the hei. There is the lower hei, corresponding to lower teshuvah, and the upper hei, corresponding to higher teshuvah. What is the difference between them? The Alter Rebbe continues: There is something else we need to understand—what the holy Zohar says in several places, that teshuvah does not help for the blemish of the covenant and emitting seed in vain. We know that the Zohar speaks very severely about this sin. It presents it as an extremely grave matter. As is known, the Alter Rebbe already brought this in Tanya, at the beginning, in Likkutei Amarim, chapter 7. He says there that this is a very grave sin because, in his words, “of the great amount of impurity it brings into the world through seed emitted in vain.” It brings a great deal of impurity into the world. Precisely because it is in vain, it has no vessel; it spreads and brings so much impurity into the world. The Zohar goes so far as to say—and this is its wording—“Teshuvah does not help.” Teshuvah does not help. That is how far the Zohar goes. But this is very puzzling. The Alter Rebbe says that when you read the Zohar at face value, it is astonishing. How can you say such a thing? “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah.” There is an explicit teaching of our Sages that says nothing can stand against teshuvah. And “nothing”

02:17 means exactly what it says: nothing. Nothing can stand in the way of teshuvah, even idol worship and forbidden relations, and so on. Why does he add “even idol worship and forbidden relations”? On the simple level, he means that teshuvah helps even for the gravest transgressions, idol worship and forbidden relations. So the question would be: all the more so for the blemish of the covenant, which does not carry the punishment and severity stated regarding idol worship and forbidden relations. But the Rebbe adds a further point. What the Alter Rebbe means here is that the Gemara in tractate Niddah, when discussing the severity of this well-known sin, says that emitting seed in vain is as grave as idol worship, forbidden relations and bloodshed. It compares it to all three, deriving from various verses that this sin has an aspect of each of them. So the Alter Rebbe is saying: even if this sin is as grave as idol worship and bloodshed, teshuvah is possible for those sins too. How, then, can you say teshuvah does not help? But this is answered explicitly in Reishis Chochmah. Reishis Chochmah, one of the foundational works of mussar and Kabbalah, was written by a disciple of the holy Arizal and is often cited in Chassidus. Reishis Chochmah says that the Zohar means lower teshuvah does not help, but higher teshuvah does, and so on. That is its answer. When the Zohar says teshuvah does not help for the blemish of the covenant, it is speaking of ordinary teshuvah. Ordinary teshuvah is not enough for this sin. This sin calls for a higher level of teshuvah—higher teshuvah. That is the explanation of

04:18 Reishis Chochmah. Good. We’ll see how the Alter Rebbe explains this later. In chapter 9, the Alter Rebbe will explain exactly how this sin differs from an ordinary sin. I’ll tell you the central point now, orally, so at least we know the main idea. Why isn’t lower teshuvah enough? Why is higher teshuvah needed? The Alter Rebbe’s central explanation is that, with any ordinary sin, the blemish lies in casting off the yoke. The main issue with an ordinary sin is the casting off of the yoke of Heaven. A Jew needs to have kabbolas ol, acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, so teshuvah means accepting that yoke. That is lower teshuvah. As we discussed in the previous class, what is lower teshuvah? It is the lower hei, malchus. When a person sins, he blemishes malchus; he blemishes his acceptance of the yoke of Heaven. Through teshuvah, he restores malchus, restores the yoke, restores the hei. That is true of every sin. But there are sins whose blemish is not only in kabbolas ol. They blemish the soul itself, the very essence of the soul, a place within the soul. So it is not just a matter of an action, not just something a person did, not just a sin that blemished his acceptance of the yoke of Heaven. It is a sin that blemishes the soul itself, its very essence. What does that mean? As we discussed, what is the difference between lower and higher teshuvah? Even before we learn the whole explanation, we have already discussed the basic point: the difference between the lower hei and the upper hei. The lower hei is malchus. With malchus, I obey and serve the king. There is a king and there is a servant, and the servant is subordinate to the king.

06:07 They are two separate beings, one subordinate to the other. The king’s commands and wishes come from him, and I carry out his wishes. When I sin, I cast off the yoke of Heaven, so teshuvah means accepting that yoke again. But the upper hei, binah, concerns the soul itself. Torah—intellect and understanding—touches a person’s very self; it connects with who the person is. As the Alter Rebbe says in chapter 5, it is “an inner union, the like of which does not exist”: a wondrous union. His wording describes how, in studying Torah, the soul unites inwardly with what it learns. This is a deeper union. It is not something external; they become completely one. So when it comes to Torah, it is not merely a relationship between servant and king. It is the king himself. The person unites with the wisdom and will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and becomes one with them. Broadly speaking, this is the unique quality of intellect. Later in Igeres Hateshuvah, we’ll see that the Alter Rebbe speaks at length about the greatness of studying Torah and understanding a subject. The unique quality of intellect is that the soul unites with it inwardly. It becomes part of me. It is not an action I perform, not something I do; it is an inner union between the person and what he learns. Since the blemish of the covenant is a blemish in the soul, an essential blemish that reaches a deeper place in the soul, its repair must also take place at a deeper level. That is the explanation we will see later in Tanya. When the Zohar says teshuvah does not help, it means lower teshuvah does not help, but higher teshuvah does. That gives us an understanding of the plain meaning of Tanya. And here the Rebbe offers a remarkable new insight. The Rebbe has an explanation here in Tanya that is

07:57 A truly remarkable insight. Because a simple question arises here: What is the Zohar doing? The Zohar should have said what the Reishis Chochmah says. Instead, the Zohar says that teshuvah does not help for the sin of blemishing the bris. Teshuvah does not help for wasting seed. A person looks at the Zohar and is beside himself. Does that mean there is no way to repair it? Despair! What is this? You need the Reishis Chochmah to explain: No, the Zohar does not mean teshuvah ila’ah; it means teshuvah tata’ah does not help. But the Zohar says it without qualification. The Zohar says teshuvah does not help. So the Rebbe offers a remarkable insight here: the Alter Rebbe brought this Zohar precisely to suggest the opposite of what it appears to say at first glance. The Alter Rebbe wants to use this Zohar to show that teshuvah without qualification means teshuvah tata’ah. When the Zohar says teshuvah does not help, it speaks of teshuvah without qualification, not teshuvah ila’ah. So we see that unqualified teshuvah means teshuvah tata’ah, not teshuvah ila’ah. First of all, what does that tell us? The Alter Rebbe wants Tanya to be a short path. He wants to bring the service of Hashem closer to a Jew, to make teshuvah more accessible to us, not more complicated. So through this Zohar, the Alter Rebbe wants to reveal that teshuvah without qualification is teshuvah tata’ah. In other words, even if you have not reached the level of teshuvah ila’ah, your teshuvah is not lacking. A person who does only teshuvah tata’ah has already done complete teshuvah. So much so that what is simply called “teshuvah” is teshuvah tata’ah, not teshuvah ila’ah. That is one message the Alter Rebbe

10:12 wants to convey through this Zohar. But that still does not answer the main question, right? It only gives us one point: the Zohar shows that teshuvah without qualification means teshuvah tata’ah. Fine. But what about the other side? The Rebbe offers a remarkable insight. Our Sages say, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah.” There, too, it says simply “teshuvah.” It does not say, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah ila’ah.” It says, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah”—teshuvah without qualification. And if that means teshuvah tata’ah—how do we know? From the Zohar, which says that teshuvah does not help, meaning teshuvah tata’ah—then we must say that when the Gemara says, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah,” it is also speaking about teshuvah tata’ah. That means teshuvah tata’ah does atone for blemishing the bris, unlike what the Reishis Chochmah says. Do you understand? The Zohar says teshuvah does not help, and we explain that unqualified teshuvah means teshuvah tata’ah. But the Gemara says, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah,” and there, too, it says simply “teshuvah.” So the Gemara implies that teshuvah tata’ah must help even for the sin of blemishing the bris. A remarkable conclusion emerges: teshuvah tata’ah really does repair and atone for blemishing the bris. But then how do we explain the contradiction? We now have a contradiction between two teachings of our Sages. Here you say teshuvah does not help for wasting seed, and that this refers to teshuvah tata’ah. There you say, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah”; it says simply “teshuvah,” so it, too, refers to teshuvah tata’ah. That implies teshuvah tata’ah does atone. How do we explain it? The explanation follows what we discussed in the previous class. The Alter Rebbe prefaced this by telling us that all the forms of

12:05 teshuvah are connected to one another. They are not two separate forms of teshuvah. What did we explain in the previous class? What is the foundation of the explanation in Igeres Hateshuvah? That even when you serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu through teshuvah tata’ah, teshuvah ila’ah is already present within it, in a hidden way. A Jew who learns Tanya knows that there is teshuvah tata’ah and there is teshuvah ila’ah. He knows that they are not two distinct things: the inner dimension of teshuvah tata’ah is teshuvah ila’ah. In other words, I may not yet be at teshuvah ila’ah. I am not at the level of cleaving to Hashem or at lofty spiritual levels. I am at the first level, teshuvah tata’ah, kabbolas ol. But there can be two kinds of kabbolas ol. There can be external kabbolas ol—teshuvah tata’ah alone, completely disconnected. That is one kind. But there is also an inner kabbolas ol. The kabbolas ol the Alter Rebbe is speaking about here means that even at the lowest level of teshuvah, why am I going to do teshuvah and accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven? Because I know that I have a soul that is a part of G-dliness, and that at the essence of my soul I am bound to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, one with Him. That shines within a person even at the lowest level. So when teshuvah tata’ah is directed along a path that will lead me to teshuvah ila’ah, even teshuvah tata’ah atones for the sin of blemishing the bris and wasting seed. That is the difference between the Zohar and the Gemara. When the Zohar says teshuvah does not help, it means that if you do only teshuvah tata’ah, separately—if you take teshuvah tata’ah on its own, without connecting it to teshuvah ila’ah—

14:04 teshuvah tata’ah by itself is not enough. For blemishing the bris is a sin that damages the essence of the soul, and the teshuvah must reach the essence of the soul. But on the other hand, the Zohar does not disagree with the Gemara. When the Gemara says, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah,” it includes teshuvah tata’ah—even teshuvah tata’ah—when a person knows that his teshuvah tata’ah is the beginning that will later bring him to teshuvah ila’ah. In other words, even at the lowest level of teshuvah, he inwardly feels its connection to the essential self-nullification of the soul’s essence. Then teshuvah tata’ah, too, atones for blemishing the bris. That is the meaning of “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah”—even teshuvah tata’ah. Of course, this is not the straightforward reading of Tanya. It is not stated in Tanya’s words. It is hard to fit it into the text, but it is a remarkable point. First of all, you can see the Rebbe’s approach here: how the Rebbe looks at Tanya and at Igeres Hateshuvah and tries to bring every Jew into it, to bring the matter of teshuvah close to each and every person. That is what the Rebbe explains here. On a straightforward reading, the reasoning here seems to indicate that teshuvah tata’ah is not enough; teshuvah ila’ah is needed. No—even teshuvah tata’ah. But it must be teshuvah tata’ah that is connected to teshuvah ila’ah. That is the Rebbe’s innovation in this whole discussion. What does it mean to be connected to teshuvah ila’ah? At the very least, you must know that it is the intention, the goal, the ultimate purpose, and where you need to arrive. And know that the very fact that I have the ability to do teshuvah, despite having become separated from Hakadosh Boruch Hu—that is the ABC of Chassidus. Every student who learns the ABC of Chassidus knows this. The fact that I can do teshuvah even though I committed such serious sins and became

15:55 disconnected from G-dliness, and nevertheless I can do teshuvah and draw close to Hakadosh Boruch Hu—where does that come from? Because in my essence I am a Jew; because in my essence I have a connection to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It comes from the yechidah of the soul. In other words, the foundation of teshuvah tata’ah is actually connected to the highest level of teshuvah ila’ah, the essence of the name Havayah. Therefore, even teshuvah tata’ah has an effect. That is why the Gemara says, “Nothing stands in the way of teshuvah.” Even teshuvah tata’ah brings about atonement. This is a remarkable explanation from the Rebbe. Did you understand that point? It is a deep point, and very fundamental to the whole discussion in Igeres Hateshuvah. There is another remarkable explanation from the Rebbe, based on Rav Levi[?]. It is actually Rav Levi’s[?] last point on Igeres Hateshuvah, but it is connected to what we have just discussed. Later in Tanya, in chapter 9, when the Alter Rebbe discusses the rectification for wasting seed, he writes that it is through Torah study. The Alter Rebbe quotes Tanna Devei Eliyahu: “A person committed a sin and incurred death at the hands of Heaven. What should he do so that he may live?” This refers to the blemish caused by wasting seed, for its punishment is death at the hands of Heaven. What should he do so that he may live? It says that if he was accustomed to studying one chapter, he should study two chapters. He has to do double. Yes, the Alter Rebbe quotes it there: if he studied one page, he should study two pages; one chapter, two chapters. He has to do double, and that is the rectification. What does the Alter Rebbe say it means? It is like a rope. A person tore the rope; the rope has snapped. It has to be joined together again. To join the rope, you need two knots. One knot is not a lasting knot. We learn a tractate

17:55 Shabbos. You know, you need a knot on top of a knot, two knots, and that’s the idea of the two chapters. So Reb Levi writes about this: What is the significance of the two pages and two knots, the two pages in the two chapters? He says they correspond to two levels of lower teshuvah. There are also two levels of higher teshuvah. As we said last week, within each kind of teshuvah there are another two levels. That’s the idea of the two knots. And then the Rebbe says “doubled and redoubled.” He doesn’t write just “doubled”; he writes “doubled and redoubled.” That means it includes four: lower teshuvah and higher teshuvah, with two aspects in each. Good. A Kabbalistic allusion. What is he getting at? The Rebbe also explains the plain meaning there, along the lines of what we’ve just discussed. Reb Levi’s point is that when you learn Igeres Hateshuvah, it appears on the surface that lower teshuvah doesn’t help for a blemish of the covenant. Lower teshuvah won’t do; you need higher teshuvah. That’s what... But the truth is the opposite. The main teshuvah is lower teshuvah. Even for a blemish of the covenant, you need lower teshuvah. It’s just that, since the blemish here was in a deeper place, you also need something deeper. So you need higher teshuvah as well. But it isn’t higher teshuvah without lower teshuvah. On the contrary, lower teshuvah is the main part. Where do we see this? In the analogy of the knot, you can see clearly what the foundation of the knot is. When you tie a knot, how does it work? You tie one knot, right, but it doesn’t hold. It won’t last; it isn’t a lasting knot. So you tie a knot on top of that knot, and then it lasts. But what—what are you making last? The second knot?

19:58 The first knot? What’s the goal here? The purpose of the second knot is to strengthen the first knot. In other words, I tie one knot, but it doesn’t hold. So I tie another knot on top of it to strengthen the first one. The first knot, though, is the main thing. The second knot reinforces the first, but the point here is the first knot, on top of which I place the second. The same applies in our avodah. Lower teshuvah is the teshuvah that atones even for... even for a blemish of the covenant. It’s just that it won’t last, because the sin is more severe and so on. So you need a knot on top of a knot. You need to add higher teshuvah on top of lower teshuvah. But that doesn’t mean lower teshuvah is ineffective. On the contrary, lower teshuvah is the main teshuvah, and higher teshuvah must be added to it. And since lower teshuvah is a preparation for higher teshuvah, even if you haven’t actually reached higher teshuvah yet, once you’ve begun lower teshuvah with the aim of reaching higher teshuvah, the element of the second knot is already present within it, in a hidden way. So lower teshuvah also atones. That’s how these ideas fit together according to the Rebbe’s explanation. Now, there are two things we need to explain here. First, we know that in our generation the Rebbe spoke specifically about higher teshuvah. That’s a novel point, right? The Rebbe said that in our generation, the main avodah is higher teshuvah. And the reason, as the Rebbe himself explained, is that lower teshuvah is connected with bitterness, as we’ll see in chapter 7, and our generation isn’t equipped for bitterness, especially after all the hardships our generation has endured. So the Rebbe gave us a gift. He lifted us up and took us, in the spirit of lechatchilah ariber, so that we can go directly to the level

22:00 of higher teshuvah. In principle—and the Rebbe explained this many times; I was privileged to hear it from his holy mouth several times—the Rebbe spoke about this and said that in our generation, the moment a person decides to place himself in the appropriate state, he places himself in the state of higher teshuvah. And what does higher teshuvah mean? The Rebbe put it into practical terms—I heard this from the Rebbe several times: learning Torah with persistence, diligence, vitality and joy, both nigleh and Chassidus. That’s how the Rebbe explained higher teshuvah at several farbrengens. I heard it from the Rebbe in 5746, on Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach, in the maamar beginning “Margala B’Fumei D’Rava.” Anyone who wants can look up the wording of the maamar itself. It’s a very powerful maamar in which the Rebbe speaks quite explicitly about this, and we’ll get to it. After that, I heard it from the Rebbe several times during Tishrei, over a number of years. One year I remember right now, for example, is 5750, on Erev Yom Kippur. I remember the Rebbe saying these words, conveying the same idea: after all the hardships and everything our generation has been through, all the straits we’ve endured, we no longer need lower teshuvah—we can go straight to higher teshuvah. So that’s a basic principle in avodah that we need to know. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take stock of ourselves; don’t misunderstand it. It doesn’t mean that when Elul comes, we don’t need to take stock and look at what happened during the year and what we need to correct. We can’t lie to ourselves. A person needs to know where he stands, but not be absorbed in the negative. Don’t be absorbed in the negative. Instead, take hold of ourselves right away and know that through learning Torah with persistence, diligence and joy... The Rebbe also spoke in the maamar about avodas hatefillah. So, between us, that’s avodas hatefillah,

23:51 cleaving to G-dliness. That’s what the Rebbe spoke about then in the maamar. In other words, through avodah in holiness, we bring about the correction of all these matters. That’s one point. A second point I wanted to add here is that