Chapter 10 - Part One

00:00 Today we’re starting a new chapter. We’re up to chapter 10. After the Alter Rebbe explained the two souls, he explained where each soul is located in the body, exactly what it wants, and the struggle between them. So in the first nine chapters, the Alter Rebbe has primarily laid out the structure of the soul: how a Jew’s soul is constituted, the fact that there are two souls, and the faculties, garments, and desires of each, as well as the struggle between them. That is what the Alter Rebbe has explained until now. From chapter 10 onward, he is going to explain the categories he introduced in chapter 1. There, the Alter Rebbe cited the Gemara’s five categories. Broadly speaking, there are three: the tzaddik, the rasha, and the beinoni. In detail, there are five: a tzaddik who has good, a tzaddik who has bad, a rasha who has good, a rasha who has bad, and a beinoni. So now the Alter Rebbe returns to explain all these categories. Of course, his aim is to explain the beinoni. We all know that the Alter Rebbe called the Tanya the “Book of Beinonim,” because its main purpose is to explain the beinoni. But to understand what a beinoni is, we need to understand the extremes—to understand what it is not, what lies on either side. So the Alter Rebbe will first explain the two levels of tzaddik in chapter 10: the tzaddik who has good and the tzaddik who has bad. Then, in chapter 11, he will explain the two levels of rasha: the rasha who has good and the rasha who has bad. After that, we’ll come to understand the beinoni, G-d willing, in chapter 12. From there, the Alter Rebbe will begin discussing the avodah of the beinoni, which is the book’s main purpose. So in the chapter we’re starting now, we’re going to learn

02:09 about the level of a tzaddik. This chapter is very important as a continuation of the previous one, right? It follows very, very smoothly. In the previous chapter, we learned everything we discussed and explained at length in our classes: the Alter Rebbe explained that the G-dly soul wants to be king, to be in charge and to rule—not only over thought, speech, and action, but over the person’s entire being, every part of him, every single detail. It wants to penetrate even the left chamber of the heart and transform it, first through a love like flames of fire and then through a love of delights. It wants to transform the animal soul and make it good. That was the Alter Rebbe’s point in chapter 9. So here in chapter 10, the Alter Rebbe comes to tell us that the person who merits to reach that level completely is the tzaddik we’re discussing. Now, within that, there are two levels: one who has reached ultimate perfection—the tzaddik who has good—and one who has not reached ultimate perfection—the tzaddik who has bad. What exactly is the difference between them? How do we define it? You see, it isn’t just a matter of degree, of more or less. It’s a difference in their very nature, an entirely different category. How do we understand the difference between a tzaddik who has good and a tzaddik who has bad? That’s what we’re going to learn in chapter 10. Now, before I get into the chapter, it would seem that in chapter 10 we’re going to learn about tzaddikim. The Tanya is the Book of Beinonim, yet in this chapter we seem to leave the level of beinonim and move to the level of tzaddikim. We’re going to talk about tzaddikim. There’s also the well-known story that the Alter Rebbe wrote a separate book, a Book of Tzaddikim. There’s a whole account that the Rebbe relates in Reshimos: the Alter Rebbe wrote a Book of Tzaddikim, and it was burned. In 5571,

04:08 right near the end of his life, the book was burned. Then there’s a story involving the Mitteler Rebbe—a whole story about what happened to that book. It’s remarkable. We don’t have the Book of Tzaddikim that the Alter Rebbe wrote, but we do have this chapter, which gives us a bit of an idea, so to speak, of what the level of a tzaddik actually is. On the other hand, there’s a tradition passed down among chassidim, from the Rebbeim. I don’t remember now where this tradition comes from, but I think it may even be from the Alter Rebbe himself: he once said something to the effect that even the tzaddik of the Tanya is a beinoni. He, too, is a level of beinoni. In other words, the Alter Rebbe said that the tzaddik he explains here in chapter 10 of Tanya is not yet a true tzaddik. This level is the tzaddik within the beinoni, so to speak. We know that in holiness there is... and everything has its corresponding level, so in this matter too there is a tzaddik within the beinoni. In other words, the level of tzaddik here is as much of the tzaddik’s level as a beinoni can grasp. But a true tzaddik is something far more elevated, which isn’t discussed here in Tanya. That is a tradition among chassidim. But of course, in the straightforward reading, the Alter Rebbe is going to teach us about the level of a tzaddik in this chapter. One more point before we learn—and G-d willing, we’ll discuss it further on as well: a person might ask, “What does this have to do with us? I’m so far from the level of a beinoni—if only I were a beinoni! The level of a tzaddik is altogether beyond me. What’s the point of learning about the level of a tzaddik if it doesn’t apply to us?” There are several explanations for this, and G-d willing, we’ll discuss them too as we go on. First, let’s begin learning what it says inside. The Alter Rebbe says here in chapter 10: “Now, when a person strengthens

06:01 the G-dly soul and battles so intensely with the animal soul that he drives out and eradicates the evil within it from the left chamber of the heart, as it is written, ‘You shall eradicate the evil from within you.’” What is the process the Alter Rebbe is describing? Again, it’s based on what we learned in the previous chapter: how each soul works to become the absolute master of the entire person—not only his outward behavior, but also his inner self, his very essence. So the Alter Rebbe says that if a person really does this, he will give the G-dly soul control over his entire being. He will strengthen the G-dly soul to such an extent and fight the animal soul to such an extent that he drives out and eradicates the evil within it from the left chamber. That means not only, as we said earlier, with regard to his actual conduct, not only with regard to thought, speech, and action, but also with regard to his inner self, his heart—and within the heart itself, even the left chamber. In other words, he brings the G-dly soul to rule over the whole person, including his inner self, his heart, and even the left chamber of his heart, so that love of Hashem reaches there too. This is what the verse says: “You shall eradicate the evil from within you.” That verse, of course, in its plain meaning as it appears in Parshas Shoftim, is speaking about the laws of putting someone to death when he has committed certain transgressions. It’s talking about a rebellious elder. I don’t remember exactly where the phrase “You shall eradicate the evil from within you” appears in Parshas Shoftim. But the Alter Rebbe uses that phrase, “You shall eradicate the evil from within you,” in keeping with what is explained in sefarim by holy Jewish sages, including the holy Ohr Hachaim, Rabbi Chaim, and other great early authorities, who interpret the verse as referring to the inner evil, the evil in the soul,

08:16 the evil of the animal soul. That’s what we’re talking about here. And “from within you” means from inside, from within the person, from his inner self. So that is what the Alter Rebbe means by “You shall eradicate the evil from within you.” It doesn’t just mean that he stops actually committing transgressions. He removes the evil, nullifies it from within himself, from his heart, even from the left chamber. But on the other hand, “the evil is not transformed into actual good.” Even so, he has not reached ishapcha. He has not yet transformed it into actual good. What does he mean? In light of what we learned in the previous chapter, the Alter Rebbe’s meaning will be very clear. If you remember, we discussed two levels of love in the previous chapter: love like flames of fire and love of delights. We explained that one of the differences is that love like flames of fire also affects the left chamber. It turns the fervor of an alien fire into a holy fire. In other words, he transforms even the animal soul—“with all your heart,” with both your inclinations. But this is not in the manner of ishapcha; it is in the manner of iskafya, as we explained at length. With the flames of fire, he has not yet transformed it completely. There is thirst and yearning to cleave to Hashem, but it has not yet become his whole being. By contrast, love of delights means that G-dliness becomes his delight. When G-dliness becomes his delight, that is ishapcha: it has been completely transformed. So that is what the Alter Rebbe means here. The incomplete tzaddik, the tzaddik who has bad, has not yet reached love of delights. He has reached love like flames of fire, and therefore he has driven the evil out even from the left chamber. Yes, he has accomplished “You shall eradicate the evil from within you” even in the left chamber, but not in the manner of ishapcha. It has not yet become

10:12 So that the entire essence of the animal soul is included in holiness. It becomes a thirst of fiery passion, but not yet a love of delights; the transformation is still incomplete. That is what he is saying. It has not been completely transformed, and because it has not been completely transformed, he is called an “incomplete tzaddik.” In other words, he has not reached the very end; he has not transformed the evil completely. So the tzaddik is incomplete. He has not reached the very last stage. And he is called a “tzaddik who has evil.” These are two names, and the Alter Rebbe will explain later in the chapter why there are two names; they are not simply the same thing. Although the Gemara, when it presents these categories, says that a tzaddik who has evil is an incomplete tzaddik, it is not clear from the Gemara that these are two distinct matters. Here the Alter Rebbe will explain to us that they are two matters. One is that he is an incomplete tzaddik, and the other is that he is a tzaddik who has evil. What does this mean in simple terms? He is an incomplete tzaddik because he has not finished the process; he has not reached the end. His state as a tzaddik is not yet complete, because he has not reached transformation in its fullest perfection. And he is also a tzaddik who has evil. Why, the Alter Rebbe asks, is he called a tzaddik who has evil? What does “who has evil” mean? The Alter Rebbe says: “That is, there is still a minute amount of evil within him in the left chamber.” What does “who has evil” mean? That he still has evil within him. Since he has not yet achieved transformation in its fullest perfection, there is still a minute amount of evil within him in the left chamber. Now, of course, the Alter Rebbe does not mean outright evil. We are talking about a tzaddik,

11:57 not about evil in the sense of wickedness, desires, and so on. That has no place in a complete tzaddik. Here the Alter Rebbe means evil in the broad sense, which includes physicality, materiality, and even worldly things. Of course, relative to the tzaddik’s true level, this is called evil. In other words, it is the broad sense of the term: as the Alter Rebbe teaches us in Tanya, anything that is not nullified to G-dliness is called evil in a general sense. That is what the Alter Rebbe means. Since this tzaddik has not yet brought his love of Hashem to the level of a love of delights, so that it becomes his entire being and all his delight, there is consequently still some evil somewhere in his soul. In the left chamber, there remains some sense of self and separate existence, something that has not been completely permeated with G-dliness. But it is subservient and nullified to the good. Although that evil is still there, it is completely subservient and nullified; it has been wholly subdued and is not felt. That is the precise meaning of “evil to him.” As the Alter Rebbe will explain later, “to him” means subservient and nullified. It is present, but in a state of subservience and nullification. It is subservient and nullified to the good because it is so minute. Because there is so little of it, it is completely nullified. As the Alter Rebbe will explain later, we can see something like this in the physical world. Sometimes you can have a vessel full of good, sweet water, but there is a drop of water that is not so good—bitter water, or water that does not taste good, or even dirty water. But because there is so much good water, that drop, or those few drops of water that do not taste so good, are of no consequence at all. A person does not even taste them; he does not even know they are there,

14:06 but in fact they are there. The fact that a person does not see or taste them means he can drink the water and they do not bother him. Everything is fine, as though they did not exist, but in truth, they do exist. The same applies here. This person is such a tzaddik that he has brought the love of Hashem into every part of his being. So although there is still a tendency in his animal soul, in the left chamber, that has not yet been transformed—because he has not yet reached a love of delights—it is not felt. He does not even know it is there. It is not at all what is openly felt within him; what is felt is only the love of Hashem. “But it is subservient and nullified to the good because it is so minute. And therefore it appears to him”—listen, everyone—“and therefore it appears to him as though he has driven it out and it has departed from him entirely.” That is why it appears that way to the person. What does “it appears to him” mean? The Alter Rebbe does not mean that he mistakenly imagines it. He means that this is how things look; this is how the reality appears. Take the example we gave earlier: you see a vessel of clean, sweet water. There may have been an unclean drop in it, and that drop is still there among all the water, but it is of no consequence. The water is wholesome and sweet; the drop has no noticeable effect. So when you look at it, what do you see? You see water that is one hundred percent good water. True, there is one drop there that has no effect. That is what “it appears to him” means: in practice, how does it look? It looks like water that is completely perfect. The same is true of this tzaddik. Outwardly, he does not merely

16:06 fulfill mitzvos; his entire being is the love of Hashem. He loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and he has the love of Hashem to an extraordinary degree, a love like fiery flames. The love of Hashem is present even in his animal soul, in the left chamber. He has no inner struggle. He has brought his animal soul to complete nullification before his G-dly soul. In other words, the love of Hashem has penetrated even the left chamber. There is no part of this person in which the love of Hashem is not felt. His entire being is permeated with the love of Hashem, without exception. But when you look at the subtleties, as the Alter Rebbe will explain shortly, the fact that he does not yet utterly loathe evil, and so on, shows that something is still there. But what is openly apparent? The love of Hashem. Wherever you look, you see only the love of Hashem. That is what the Alter Rebbe means by “it appears to him”—that is what is openly apparent. This is the meaning of the phrase here: “as though he has driven it out and it has departed from him entirely.” He has succeeded in driving out the entire presence of evil, with nothing left. “But in truth, if all the evil within him had departed and gone entirely, it would have actually been transformed into good.” If this person had truly reached a level at which the evil had disappeared entirely, he would have become a complete tzaddik. What does that mean? Again, in a moment the Alter Rebbe will explain what that means and how it relates to this point. What does it mean for the evil to be completely transformed? So again, what is the fundamental principle the Alter Rebbe is establishing here? The key to understanding the difference between a tzaddik who has good and a tzaddik who has evil, between a complete tzaddik and an incomplete tzaddik, is the extent to which the G-dly soul has penetrated the animal soul. What all the levels of a tzaddik have in common is his love of Hashem. In other words, the neshamah, the soul

18:10 G-dliness—G-dliness permeates his entire being. What does “his entire being” mean? Even the left side of his heart. In practice, even his animal soul loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And yet there can be differences from one extreme to the other. Even when your animal soul is permeated with love of Hashem, there can still be two subtly different ways this happens. As the Alter Rebbe said earlier: transformation and subjugation; love like fiery flames and love of delights. That is what the Alter Rebbe is trying to explain to us here, right? The level of an incomplete tzaddik is… Since he has not attained love of delights, he has not completely transformed his animal soul. So although, outwardly, when you look at him, what do you see? There is nothing in his being that is not permeated with love of Hashem. Nevertheless, he is still not called a complete tzaddik. He is still called an incomplete tzaddik, a tzaddik who has some evil. The Rebbe once spoke about this—it was in [unclear]. There is a maamar the Rebbe delivered when the period of saying Kaddish for Rebbetzin Chana ended. The Rebbe held a farbrengen then and delivered a maamar beginning “Bila Hamaves Lanetzach.” The maamar appears in… Melukat; it is a well-known, short maamar. In that maamar, the Rebbe said something very interesting that relates to what we are learning now. He explained the distinction between a tzaddik who has only good and a tzaddik who has some evil. And the Rebbe connected this to the subject discussed in the Chassidus maamarim on “Padah Veshalom”: the difference between the revelation of “He redeemed my soul in peace” associated with the time of King Shlomo, and the redemption in peace that will take place when Moshiach comes. Although in both cases, as the Rebbe explains, there was no war in Shlomo’s time either. Even all his enemies came to bow before King Shlomo—“Even his enemies will be at peace with him.” But

20:59 nevertheless, there is a very great difference between the time of King Shlomo and the days of Moshiach. The Rebbe said that it parallels the difference between a tzaddik who has some evil and a tzaddik who has only good. In practice, in Shlomo’s time, everyone came to King Shlomo. Through the revelation he brought about by means of the Beis Hamikdash, King Shlomo caused all the nations to come to him. But their coming was not entirely of their own accord. Rather, the revelation of the Beis Hamikdash brought them to a state of complete self-nullification. So it is like the tzaddik who has some evil: in practice, everything is nullified, and everything is filled with love of Hashem. But it does not come from within them; that is not its cause. By contrast, in the future it will come from within. In other words, the world itself—the evil, the darkness—will be such that “even his enemies will be at peace with him.” The world, by its very nature, will be a vessel for holiness. This is discussed a great deal in the maamarim of 19 Kislev. But the Rebbe then said in the maamar that although, in terms of avodah, we are speaking here about the avodah of a tzaddik, such as being repulsed by evil, seemingly we have no connection to this. Yet the Rebbe says in Tanya that all the revelations of the future depend on our deeds and our avodah during the time of exile. That means that to reach the revelation of Moshiach, the avodah has to take place during exile. How does this apply here too? Since in the future there will be a revelation of the kind associated with being repulsed by evil, such a revelation of love of Hashem, we need to prepare for it now. So the Rebbe says in the maamar that although students of Chassidus say the well-known phrase, “If only I were a beinoni”—meaning that we do not belong to the level of a tzaddik—nevertheless, at certain times [unclear]. In the language of the maamar there,

22:58 there can be a time when a person, at least for a moment, an hour, or some period of time, genuinely feels repulsed by evil. There is a desire for this; there are flashes of illumination and special times when anyone can experience it. And it is very interesting that the Rebbe would say such a thing. We are talking about a tzaddik, about such lofty levels. Nevertheless, the Rebbe says that in these days, as we stand before the coming of Moshiach, anyone can, at certain times at least, have a moment, a minute, some period of time when something evil, something material, is so utterly out of the question for him that he too is repulsed by evil. And this is a preparation for the revelation of “I will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth”—the revelation of being repulsed by evil that will come in the future.