Tanya — Chasidut

Tanya

Tanya — Chasidut on Beth HaMidrash: the Hebrew text with its English translation, with Rashi and the major commentators. Free, online.

וְהִיא אִגֶּרֶת הַשְּׁלוּחָה לִכְלָלוּת אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵינוּ, יְבָרְכֵם צוּרֵנוּ וְיִשְׁמְרֵם:COMPILER’S FOREWORD—for the author considers himself merely a “compiler.”Being an Epistle sent to the Communities of our Faithful. May the Almighty guard them.

אֲלֵיכֶם אִישִׁים אֶקְרָא, שִׁמְעוּ אֵלַי רוֹדְפֵי צֶדֶק מְבַקְשֵׁי ה׳, וְיִשְׁמַע אֲלֵיכֶם אֱלֹקִים לְמִגָּדוֹל וְעַד קָטָן, כָּל אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ דִּמְדִינָתֵינוּ וְסָמוֹכוֹת שֶׁלָּהּ, אִישׁ עַל מְקוֹמוֹ יָבוֹא לְשָׁלוֹם וְחַיִּים עַד הָעוֹלָם נֶצַח סֶלָה וָעֶד, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:To you, O men, do I call. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the L–rd; and may G–d hearken to you, both great and small, all the faithful in our land and those adjacent to it. May each in his place achieve peace and eternal life for ever and ever. Amen. May this be His will.

הִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת, כִּי מַרְגְּלָא בְּפוּמֵי דְאִינְשֵׁי בְּכָל אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ לֵאמֹר כִּי אֵינָהּ דּוֹמָה שְׁמִיעַת דִּבְרֵי מוּסָר לִרְאִיָּיה וּקְרִיאָה בַּסְּפָרִים, שֶׁהַקּוֹרֵא, קוֹרֵא לְפִי דַרְכּוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ וּלְפִי הַשָּׂגַת וּתְפִיסַת שִׂכְלוֹ בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם, וְאִם שִׂכְלוֹ וְדַעְתּוֹ מְבוּלְבָּלִים וּבַחֲשֵׁכָה יִתְהַלָּכוּ בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳, בְּקוֹשִׁי יָכוֹל לִרְאוֹת אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב הַגָּנוּז בַּסְּפָרִים, אַף כִּי מָתוֹק הָאוֹר לָעֵינַיִם וּמַרְפֵּא לָנֶפֶשׁ.Behold, it is known as a saying current among people—all our faithful—that listening to words of moral advice is not the same as seeing and reading them in books. For the reader reads after his own manner and mind and according to his mental grasp and comprehension at that particular time. Hence, if his intelligence and mind are confused and wander about in darkness in G–d’s service, he finds difficulty in seeing the beneficial light that is concealed in books, even though the light is pleasant to the eyes and [brings] a healing to the soul.

וּבַר מִן דֵּין, הִנֵּה סִפְרֵי הַיִּרְאָה הַבְּנוּיִים עַל פִּי שֵׂכֶל אֱנוֹשִׁי, בְּוַודַּאי אֵינָן שָׁוִין לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ, כִּי אֵין כָּל הַשְּׂכָלִים וְהַדֵּעוֹת שָׁווֹת, וְאֵין שֵׂכֶל אָדָם זֶה מִתְפָּעֵל וּמִתְעוֹרֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁמִּתְפָּעֵל וּמִתְעוֹרֵר שֵׂכֶל חֲבֵירוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה גַּבֵּי בִּרְכַּת חֲכַם הָרָזִים עַל שִׁשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, ״שֶׁאֵין דֵּעוֹתֵיהֶם דּוֹמוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ״ וְכוּ׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הָרַמְבַּ״ן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה בְּמִלְחָמוֹת שָׁם בְּפֵירוּשׁ הַסִּפְרֵי גַּבֵּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ ״אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ בּוֹ״, שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַהֲלוֹךְ נֶגֶד רוּחוֹ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד וְכוּ׳.Apart from this, the books on piety, which stem from human intelligence, certainly have not the same appeal for all people, for not all intellects and minds are alike, and the intellect of one man is not affected and excited by what affects [and excites] (List of Text Emendations in the Tanya), by the Lubavitcher Rebbe (below, p. 781). the intellect of another. Compare with what our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said 58a. with reference to the blessing of the “Wise One in secrets” (חכם הרזים) upon beholding 600,000 Jews, because their minds are dissimilar from one another, and so on. As also Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, of blessed memory, [explains the reason for this blessing] in Milchamot, elaborating on the commentary of the Sifrei concerning Joshua, who is described as “a man in whom there is spirit,” “who can meet the spirit of each and every one,” and so on.

אֶלָּא אֲפִילוּ בְּסִפְרֵי הַיִּרְאָה אֲשֶׁר יְסוֹדוֹתָם בְּהַרְרֵי קוֹדֶשׁ, מִדְרְשֵׁי חֲכָמֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה אֲשֶׁר רוּחַ ה׳ דִּבֶּר בָּם וּמִלָּתוֹ עַל לְשׁוֹנָם וְאוֹרַיְיתָא וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כּוֹלָּא חַד, וְכָל שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא נְשָׁמוֹת כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּפְרָטֵיהֶם וּפְרָטֵי פְרָטֵיהֶם עַד נִיצוֹץ קַל שֶׁבְּקַלִּים וּפְחוּתֵי הָעֶרֶךְ שֶׁבְּעַמֵּינוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – כּוּלְּהוּ מִתְקַשְּׁרָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאוֹרַיְיתָא – הִיא הַמְקַשֶּׁרֶת אוֹתָן לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא כַּנּוֹדָע בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ. הֲרֵי זֶה דֶּרֶךְ כְּלָלוּת לִכְלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל.But even the books on piety, whose basis are in the peaks of holiness, the Midrashim of our Sages, of blessed memory, through whom the spirit of G–d speaks and His word is on their tongue; and [although] the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, are one and the same, and all the 600,000 general [souls]. of Israel with their individual [offshoots] down to the “spark” in the most worthless and least estimable members of our people, the children of Israel, are thus bound up with the Torah, and the Torah binds them to the Holy One, blessed is He, as is known from the holy Zohar, pp. 18 ff. Revised edition: On the Study of Chasidus—A Trilogy of Chasidic Essays (Kehot, 1997), pp. 7 ff.—this [bond] pertains [only] in a general way to the community of Israel as a whole.

Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim, Compiler's Foreword