Tanya for Young Chassidim

Tanya for Young Chassidim

 

Dear Kids,

 

Let me tell you a story – this story is really about you!

 

Inside you there is a whole city!

 

In this city there are two rulers, each one tries to control you.

 

But hey, I am giving away the whole story, so enjoy figuring yourself out!

 

One day, Hashem spoke to himself and said “I really love Jewish Neshomois – people – I want to make them, and then I want them to choose me! – to choose to do Torah and Mitzvos! – but I don’t want it to be too easy, because I want to give them Moshiach which is the biggest reward in the world – when me and them will become one, so I want to make it challenging!”

 

When your Neshomah was in Heaven / Gan Eden, before it came down, Hashem told it “I am going to now send you into your body, but in your body I will give you a Yetzer Hara, this is a bad malach (angel) who will pretend to be your friend, but really he is your worst enemy, all he really wants to do, is get you to do everything that will make me sad, like when you don’t listen to Torah and Mitzvos! when you get angry chas-vshalom! or get upset and then do bad things! so please, only, only, only, be a Tzaddik, a good person, and not a Rashah, a bad person; but never think you are the best person; (because that will make you arrogant – think you are greater than others – and arrogance is where all evil comes from (because, if a person thinks he or she is better than others, then they don’t care about them!) – Do you swear?!” – “Yes! We Swear!”

 

Then your soul came into your body and when you were born, Hashem got really happy! Because, he was hoping that you – yes, you! – would be the one who will beat your Yetzer Hara!!!

 

Now let me tell you, about your little city!

 

In this city there are people – the people, are your abilities that Hashem gave you – the first ability, is the ability to think; the second ability, to speak; and the third ability, is the ability to do things.

 

Now your Yetzer Hara always tries for you to think, speak and do things against Hashem! but your Neshomah – which is really part of Hashem in you – only wants you to use your thoughts, speech and ability to do things, to use it for Hashem! Helping others! Loving others! Torah and Mitzvohs!

 

But let me tell you a secret – this is the greatest secret in the world! – Here is how you can always win and bring Moshiach! – You see, behind the people in your city, thoughts, speech, and doing things, is a computer! And it simply depends which computer is turned on!

 

You see, each computer CONTROLS what you will think, say or do!

 

Inside each computer is two parts, the first part is called Seichel / Intellect, or you can think about it as the software that you will install that makes a new program in your computer; because when you think a lot about something that is good, you start wanting that thing, so now you have downloaded that program, so you create an emotion – a feeling in your heart! (lets call it, the harddrive;) and you will always want that!

 

So let me tell some of the intelligent ideas that the Alter Rebbe teaches you in the Tanya, and if you think a lot about it, your heart/computer will download these ideas, become emotions, and then when you WANT to do them! you will create the Neshomah’s thoughts, speech and doing things, to be, stronger, than the Yetzer Hara’s, and you WIN!!!

 

1. First of all, let me teach you, that everything you see, is really Hashem! – The Alter Rebbe speaks a lot about this in his second book, Shaar Hayichud Veha-emunah – when Hashem decided to create the world, he didn’t have anything in the world to make it; so everything we think of,,, like building a table, first, we have the wood, and the we can build it, – but imagine complete darkness! So how do you make anything?! – You see, Hashem is different from us, all he needs to do is imagine what he wants and it comes – and that’s how he imagined the world into existence!     Now I want you to please imagine a dog – can you see your dog!? – Is he moving? – Now, please stop imagining the dog. Can you see it now, after you stopped imaging it? – No, because if you stop imagining, then the dog’s creator stops, and so the dog stops! So to, you and me and everything we see, is only because Hashem imagines us, all the time!!!

 

So what is everything? – It is only Hashem’s imagination! And just like if your doggy was real from your imagination, it would only be YOUR IMAGINATION, not really the doggy, so to, we are really ONLY HASHEM!!!

 

2. The most important idea to download, is how to have Ahavas Yisroel!

 

The best way to have Ahavas Yisroel is to first of all to realize that everything that isn’t a Neshomah, is really something that isn’t important! Because only the Neshomah which is part of Hashem lives forever, and everything else is only here for a short period of time! It is born and it dies, and when it dies, it rots; like worms eat bodies, and cars rust, and even beautiful jewelry gets buried and long forgotten!!!

 

Once we realize that only Neshomohs are really great! Then we can love all Neshomohs! All our fellow Jews! Because they too have these special beautiful diamonds! Hashem in them!! And also because we all come from the same diamond/ Hashem! We are literally brothers and sisters! Sharing the same father/mother, who made us!!!

 

3. Also, sometimes we get upset because someone hurts us, so then we need to act like Yosef Hatzadik! Can you imagine how angry he could have been that his brothers threw him into a pit and then took him out and sold him as a slave?! How would you feel if your brothers did that to you chas-vshalom?! But Yosef was smart, he realized that even though his brothers did something wrong (and Hashem will pay back bad people if they do something wrong to you) but for him, because everything only comes from Hashem, as he arranges everything that happens, and because Hashem only loves you, so it must be, that really, even though it feels terrible! there must be such a good reason that something terrible (like sometimes you need a shot from the doctor which feels terrible, but there must be a great great great reason if people who love you give you a shot; something that is so much better, that its worth feeling a little bit of pain for being so much healthier and better later!!!) So because Yosef realized, it was his loving Hashem doing it, that’s why he didn’t get upset with his brothers!! In fact, when they needed help, he told them, not to worry, because Hashem organized it to help the whole world, and he in fact helped them, and took care of all of them!!!

 

So you see dear soldiers, Chayolim in Hashem’s army, you can think these thoughts, and you will beat your nasty Yetzer Hara, and always be happy! and help make the whole world filled with Hashem’s light, bringing Moshiach!!!