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The Tanya continues delving into the root forces that the beinoni must draw upon to control the negativity within his character. Often we use our logic and the strength of our will to beat back the pull toward the forbidden – but as many of us can testify, that method is not foolproof. Rabbi Kirzner takes this battle a step beyond ourselves by inviting in the strongest Warrior of them all, to guarantee our success.
God is beyond any physicality. Is it possible to really relate to Him? If we learn the Torah and follow the mitzvos, we actually can. If we understand that this is the goal of all Divine commands, our actions are transformed from simply keeping to societal norms or being kind people to far more.
Some relate to God intellectually while others through their emotional channels. But what are we to do if we don’t feel God’s love yet we logically know we should serve Him more? Rabbi Kirzner explains the Tanya’s way of synthesizing our mind and heart to better relate to God - along with all the special people in our lives.
Sometimes we can envision great levels and intellectually aspire to them even while our emotions and physical body feel divorced from the concepts we desire. But where are the wings to help us rise to those levels? God’s promise of giving added height to us just by virtue of our positive thought is a powerful concept to understand, which can open up greater worlds for us.
When we feel disconnected from God, it’s terribly difficult to reach back to those moments of inspiration. How can we overcome the slump to stand our spiritual ground? The Ba’al HaTanya wraps up the various techniques that can be used to resist failure with this last focus on using our rational faculty to balance all aspects of self. He also reveals an incredible spiritual concept that teaches us to effectively destroy negativity itself.
There are two worlds – the apparent one that most people inhabit, and the hidden one that finds the expression of God in every occurrence, joyous or tragic. The life of breathing the air of spiritual goals and belief in God gives a sense of security and joy, as well as clarity. Is there any chance for simple people like us to join that world.
The Ba’al HaTanya explores the reasons we may feel sadness, and how to channel the emotion positively. He deals with our frustration at being unable to reach goals we’ve set for ourselves, and teaches us to depersonalize our spiritual work, in order to take our ego out of the picture and move on. He also encourages us by painting the scene of joy Hashem feels as He watches us chip away at the boulder between us.
Just as a tzaddik who has negativity in his character will have many different directions of growth, the same is true of a rasha, a bad person, with good inside also has many different directions of growth. Which category do we belong to? And how do we move ourselves up to the next stage?
While the rank of a beinoni is essentially attainable by all, does that mean being a tzaddik is out of our range? The Tanya gives a surprising and powerful response by handing over a tool to actually help us jump to spiritual greatness simply by aspiring to it.
How should we respond when we feel lethargic toward our spiritual responsibilities? The Tanya points to different practices that Judaism has woven into our day to remember our affinity toward God that really is a deep part of our being. The end of the class develops a new concept of how our sadness over spiritual failure can lead to growth.