Quotes from the Tanya – 6
By zevi770 · February 18, 2012
CHAPTER 5
Understanding the Divine / human unity that occurs through Torah study.
When one studies something two things occur simultaneously.
a. If I am contemplating a Divine law such as how to arbitrate between two arguing parties (Eilu Metzius etc.) then I am placing my mind into the law.
b. At the same time my mind is encompassing – thinking – swallowing the law.
There is no greater union – for this type of union cannot be replicated in the physical realm.
As the Torah is God, hence by studying Torah, man’s mind truly unites with God who otherwise is completely unknowable.
“In this there is an incredible benefit to Torah study over all Mitzvos, even over saying words of Torah, for whenever one says or does a Mitzvah, a light of God covers man from head to toe, however as in Torah study in the mind, not only does the mind go into the light, but the mind encompasses the light (see above) hence it is the only Mitzvah in which God unifies internally within man.”
“For this reason the Torah is called the food of the soul, for as it is “ingested” in the mind, hence when a person reaches Heaven, the Torah sustains him internally as food sustains man through its ingesting and unification with the person, similarly the Torah becomes one’s food in heaven and the Mitzvos (which as mentioned) shed an encompassing light around man, becomes one’s garments in Heaven.
This applies when the Torah is learned Lishmah (altruistically) which means that ones purpose in the study was for the ensuing unification with God.”