Tanya Part 3 Chapter 8
by Rabbii Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Gedalia Potash and William Schecter, MD
December 23, 2022
This draft has neither been edited nor approved by Rabbi Potash
After deepening knowledge of everything referred to above, one can truly implore, from the depths of the heart
“חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱלֹהִ֣ים כְּחַסְדֶּ֑ךָ כְּרֹ֥ב רַ֝חֲמֶ֗יךָ מְחֵ֣ה פְשָׁעָֽי׃
Have mercy upon me, O God,
as befits Your faithfulness;
in keeping with Your abundant compassion,
blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm51:3)
This way the greatness of the compassion of the Divine in one’s soul and above it will be truly fixed in one’s heart as recalled above. This way, the supernal compassion will be awakened from the thirteen attributes of mercy, drawn down from the Supernal Will, blessed be He, hinted at in the “thorn” (projection) t of the letter “yud” which is far above the sustenance flowing from the letters of the Tetragrammaton.
Comment: The first three letters of the Tetragrammaton are יהו’ The yud (י) stands for Chochma (Wisdom) the first of the three intellectual midot. The hay (ה) stands for Bina (Understanding) which are then channeled down to the emotional midot symbolized by the final hay in the Tetragrammaton through the vav (ו). The small projection on top of the yud which can be seen in the font used for writing the Torah
stands for Keter, synonymous with Ratzon (Divine Will) from which the energy flows down to the three intellectual and seven emotional midot.
Therefore, the thirteen attributes of mercy nourish all the blemishes (correct all the defects) as it is written
(“נוֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְנַקֵּה
forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment” (Numbers 14:18)
There is no correction for the externalities and the Sitra Achra from the flow of the lower letter “hay” (in the Tetragrammaton) as recalled above (and in this the lower “hay” will return to its place to unite with the other three letters of the Tetragrammaton and this is sufficient for the Kabbalist to understand).
And truly below in the Divine Soul within man, there is no more your sins divide
“כִּ֤י אִם־עֲוֺנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ הָי֣וּ מַבְדִּלִ֔ים בֵּינֵכֶ֕ם לְבֵ֖ין אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם וְחַטֹּֽאותֵיכֶ֗ם הִסְתִּ֧ירוּ פָנִ֛ים מִכֶּ֖ם מִשְּׁמֽוֹעַ׃
But your iniquities have been a barrier
Between you and your God,
Your sins have made Him turn His face away
And refuse to hear you.” (Isaiah 59:2)
And as it is written
“He corrects the repentant ones”
To wash and cleanse their souls invested in filth, the filth being the externality and Sitra Achra that the Gemorrah describes as “envelopes”.
And after the “spirit passes and purifies them” (Job 37:21), so can their soul truly return to the Tetragrammaton Blessed be He to ascend on high to its Source, and to cleave unto the Source with a wonderous unity, when the soul is united with G-d with the ultimate unity which existed prior to the spirit being blown from His mouth, descending below to be clothed in the body of man (and by way of analogy, prior to exhaling a man’s breath is one with his soul)
The attribute of this unity and this repentance is the attribute of supernal repentance which occurs after lower repentance and as it is written in the Holy Zohar in “The Faithful Shepherd” concerning Parashat Naso, Supernal Repentance is engaging in Torah Study with love and fear of G-d. For this is the ben yud hay—binah etc. as it is written in the Holy Zohar, Parashat Chaiye Sarah, “they draw upon themselves with a greater longing of the heart and greater force to approach the King
Comment: The Elter Rebbe is pointing out that Kabbalah considers the Baal Teshuvah, the repentant one, to be on a higher spiritual level than a Tsadik, because the Tsadik has not had to struggle and suppress the Sitra Achra (the evil inclination).
וְהִנֵּה, אַחֲרֵי הַעֲמָקַת הַדַּעַת בְּכָל הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, יוּכַל לְבַקֵּשׁ בֶּאֱמֶת, מֵעוּמְקָא דְלִבָּא ״כְּרוֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ מְחֵה פְשָׁעָי וְגוֹ׳״. כִּי אֲזַי תִּקָּבַע בְּלִבּוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת גּוֹדֶל הָרַחֲמָנוּת עַל בְּחִינַת אֱלֹקוּת שֶׁבְּנַפְשׁוֹ וְשֶׁלְּמַעְלָה, כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל. וּבָזֶה – יְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמִים הָעֶלְיוֹנִים מִי״ג מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים, הַנִּמְשָׁכוֹת מֵרָצוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן בָּרוּךְ־הוּא, הַנִּרְמָז בְּקוֹצוֹ שֶׁל יוּ״ד, שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מַּעְלָה מִבְּחִינַת הַהַשְׁפָּעָה הַנִּשְׁפַּעַת מֵאוֹתִיּוֹת שֵׁם הַוָיָ׳.
וְלָכֵן הַי״ג מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים מְנַקִּים כָּל הַפְּגָמִים, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״נוֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְנַקֵּה״, וְשׁוּב אֵין יְנִיקָה לְהַחִיצוֹנִים וְהַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא מֵהַשְׁפָּעַת הֵ״א תַּתָּאָה, כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל (וּבָזֶה תָּשׁוּב הֵ״א תַּתָּאָה לִמְקוֹמָהּ, לְהִתְיַיחֵד בְּיה״ו, וְדַי לַמֵבִין).
וְכֵן מַמָּשׁ לְמַטָּה בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹקִית שֶׁבָּאָדָם, שׁוּב אֵין ״עֲוֹנוֹתֵיכֶם מַבְדִּילִים״, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב ״וְנַקֵּה״ – ״מְנַקֶּה הוּא לַשָּׁבִים״, לִרְחוֹץ וּלְנַקּוֹת נַפְשָׁם מִלְּבוּשִׁים הַצּוֹאִים, הֵם הַחִיצוֹנִים וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּגְּמָרָא ״מְלַפַּפְתּוֹ וְכוּ׳״.
וּמֵאַחַר שֶׁ״רוּחַ עָבְרָה וַתְּטַהֲרֵם״, אֲזַי תּוּכַל נַפְשָׁם לָשׁוּב עַד הַוָיָ׳ בָּרוּךְ־הוּא מַמָּשׁ, וְלַעֲלוֹת מַעְלָה מַּעְלָה לִמְקוֹרָהּ, וּלְדָבְקָה בּוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּיִחוּד נִפְלָא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה מְיוּחֶדֶת בּוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּתַכְלִית הַיִּחוּד, בְּטֶרֶם שֶׁנְּפָחָהּ בְּרוּחַ פִּיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ לֵירֵד לְמַטָּה וּלְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּגוּף הָאָדָם (וּכְמוֹ עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, בְּאָדָם הַנּוֹפֵחַ בְּרוּחַ פִּיו, בְּטֶרֶם שֶׁיּוֹצֵא הָרוּחַ מִפִּיו – הוּא מְיוּחָד בְּנַפְשׁוֹ). וְזוֹ הִיא תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵימָה.
וְהִנֵּה, בְּחִינַת יִחוּד זֶה וּתְשׁוּבָה זוֹ, הִיא בְּחִינַת תְּשׁוּבָה עִילָּאָה שֶׁלְּאַחַר תְּשׁוּבָה תַּתָּאָה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בְּרַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא פָּרָשַׁת נָשֹׂא, דִּתְשׁוּבָה עִילָּאָה הִיא, דְּיִתְעַסֵּק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בִּדְחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא־בְּרִיךְ־הוּא וְכוּ׳, דְּאִיהוּ בֶּן י״ה – בִּינָה וְכוּ׳ (וּמַעֲלַת בַּעֲלֵי תְשׁוּבָה עַל צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים בָּזֶה הִיא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ פָּרָשַׁת חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, דְּאִינוּן מָשְׁכֵי עֲלַיְיהוּ בִּרְעוּתָא דְלִבָּא יַתִּיר וּבְחֵילָא סַגִּי לְאִתְקָרְבָא לְמַלְכָּא וְכוּ׳):