Quotes From Tanya Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

SOUL “GARMENTS” – THOUGHT, SPEECH, ACTION

“Additionally the Godly soul contains three articles of clothing which it wears, comprised of the 613 Mitzvos/commandments in the Torah.”

“These are, namely, the thoughts speech and performance of the 613 Mitzvos / commandments.”

SOUL THOUGHTS – MERGING (GOD / MAN)

“When man uses his thoughts to comprehend all that is possible in the Pardes (the commentaries) of the Torah / Bible, and uses his speech in his study of the Torah, and his actions in the performance of all the commandments feasible to do, then the generality of his soul (comprised of 613 parts) merges with the 613 Mitzvos of the Torah.”

“More specifically, his Chabad (wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of his soul) is enclothed in the understanding of what he can understand, based on his natural abilities (i.e. intelligence) and root of his soul” (obviously various souls may have a predilection to specific parts of the Pardes – commentaries on the Torah.)

GODLY EMOTIONS – MITZVOS

“The emotions / middos are enclothed in the fulfillment of the 613 Mitzvos, as well as in the speaking, the Torah study, of them.”

LOVE – MITZVOS

“The reason the emotion of love, is the driving force of the fulfillment of the Mitzvos, for the reason why one would do any of the 248 action-commandments, is, out of love for God.”

LOVE (OF/FOR GOD) – MITZVOS

“Though one may possibly do something for an ulterior motive, the only true performance of the Mitzvos 248 action-commandments would be, for one loves God, and as s/he desires to unite with God (the corollary of love) hence the only possible method to do this would be through one of the 248 Mitzvos which are referred to as the “limbs” of the king (i.e. this would be like hugging the king.”)

FEAR (OF GOD) – SINS

“Fearing God is the reason one would refrain from contravening any of the 365 prohibitions of the Torah.”

“The reason fear is the root of the prohibitive commandments, is, for as one is afraid to contravene the will of God, hence one would not violate any of his rulings.”

“A deeper fear would be that one desires not to cause pain to the ever watchfulness (consciousness – omnipresence) of God’s eyes, for by violating any of the 365 prohibitive commandments, one gives life to the Kelipos (bad angels / demons) as they draw their sustenance from when a Jew violates any of these commandments, and, as they are wretched in the eyes of God, thus one who loves God will not cause him agony.”

SOUL “GARMENTS”

“Though the soul’s garments which it enclothes itself are as mentioned, nonetheless despite the fact that they are called clothing, which the soul wears (enclothes itself in) nonetheless in truth they are infinitely higher (loftier) than the soul itself, for God is one with his Torah (hence the garments of the soul, namely Torah study and performance, and the speech of its study, are literally God, as God unites in an infinite bond with his Torah, so the soul’s Garments are in fact even loftier than the soul itself.”)

TORAH

“Torah is compared to water – as water comes from the heaven to the earth, similarly the Torah, though originating in God’s very “soul” travels an infinite journey to become comprehendible to finite mortal minds.”

“Though the Torah originates in concepts beyond human comprehension, but it progressively descends through spiritual worlds until it speaks about our physical matters.”

“The Torah descends into not only matters affecting us, but into the very letters compromising the 24 holy books of Tanach, Torah, Prophets and Writings, comprehendible to our minds and practically performable by our bodies.”

TORAH / MAN (DIVINE)

“As the Torah clothes the ten parts of the soul, hence the light of God completely encompasses the 613 parts of man (i.e. his body from head to foot.”)

“This is why our sages teach us that, better one hour in Teshuvah (repentance – coming closer to God) and doing good in our world than all the life in the heavenly delights. For those delights are merely what man can understand of God which is but a minuscule ray, for no man can comprehend God at all (hence it is called a ray of the Shechinah’s light). However through the union caused via comprehending and performing the Torah on earth, which as mentioned, is united with God himself, for God and his Torah are seamlessly merged, hence one becomes unified with God himself (as opposed to only a ray of his light.”)

“The unity through the Torah to God, takes place despite the fact that the Torah refers to very physical Mitzvos, commandments, such as giving charity, Keeping Kosher etc. for this is like saying, there would be a difference in hugging a king if he were wearing less clothing to more clothing. As the king himself is behind his clothing, it makes no difference if there are many layer of clothing, for through hugging the king, all the layers do not obstruct the loving embrace between subject and king.”

“Just as if a king were to shake your hand, it would be the love coming through the handshake that counts; likewise, the Torah is compared to God’s right hand, as it states, “I shake with my right hand,” referring to the Torah, which comes from God’s right side, namely the side of kindness.”