Daily "Chitas" Tanya

Questions for today:

We learned how to identify a love for the Creator within us that encompasses our entire life – but there must be more. Such a love is still ‘me’ that is loving. Is there a truly selfless love?

If you joined us yesterday for the hold your breath challenge, you'll remember the type of love of the Creator where we recognize that our life is the Creator.

Today, we learn that there's an even higher level than that.

There's a part of the Zohar that's attributed to Moses, where he describes a type of love of the Creator that is similar to the way a child loves a parent.

He wants what's best for the parent and to be close to the parent, but it's not about him at all. It's just about what's best for the parent.

Now, Moses’ persona is a little bit higher than our pay grade. But Moses wasn't just a historical character. There's a little bit of Moses inside each of us.

Therefore, as difficult as it might be, we all have the ability to reveal and express that type of love to the Creator.

133 Tanya Iyar 03 ~ m158 Nissan 29

Tanya book 1, ch 44, Pt 2

Yesterday, we learned about loving the Creator with all our hearts. Today we go higher.

We adapt a deeper love from Moses- a love of a child yearning for his parents, not for his own sake, but because he wants what's best for his parents.

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/30/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCSjy01AcBk&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=132

Questions for today:

We realize that our love for G-d is beyond a list of appreciations for the many ‘things’ we have. Is there a way to envision the extent of our love for the Creator?

In order to feel this one properly, I will ask you to hold your breath while reading this for as long as possible, as long as it’s safe.  

Which one is greater? To love the Creator as much as we understand the Creator (all of us will have a different understanding), or to love the Creator because He is the source of our life?

The first one seems best because we can relate to it. We feel it, and we have that pleasure.

However, the truth is, we love our life more than every pleasure in the world.

Think of how desperately we need to inhale and how much we want the life that we feel getting weaker. We would give everything away to have it!

We don’t always realize this because a constant pleasure is not a pleasure, so we don't feel it until we lack it and really need it.

Therefore, with regards to our love for G-d, we say “nafshi ivisicha.” We don’t say “G-d, I love you with my soul”. Rather, we say I recognize my soul, and I understand that G-d is the very life that's inside of me, and therefore I love You with all of it.

132 Tanya Iyar 02 ~ m157 Nissan 28

Tanya book 1, ch 44, Pt 1

There are many levels of the love that we can achieve through our understanding of the Creator.

However, there is a much greater love that we can all achieve- the realization that our soul, our life, is G-d. Our love of our life is a love of G-d.

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/29/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkcJFnnzBpw&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=131

Questions for today:

Every relationship between two independent units must start with something. What starts it going?

We have been discussing bonding to the Creator through fear and humility, and through love.

Generally, we say that you must have a foundation of humility before you can connect with the Creator. Only when we're observing the commandments and studying the Torah, can we connect to the Creator on His level and be sure that we have no ulterior motives.

Today, we give examples from the Talmud, where the opposite was the case. People were entirely not humbled and not observing any commandments, yet the Creator showered them with love, and then they in turn reciprocated.

Though this is a possibility, generally the pattern is that we are humble, do the commandments, study Torah, and then bask in the light that results.

Tanya ultimately finishes this message with the statement that the word “love” is the numerical value of “light” two times. This is because, regardless of where it begins, love is a two-way street.

131 Tanya Iyar 01 ~ m156 Nissan 27

Tanya book 1, ch 43, Pt 3

Although generally we need to be humble before we can achieve love of the Creator, there are exceptions.

The talmud tells of Elazar ben Durdaya, a wicked person who repented and connected to G-d instantly.

Regardless, we conclude that "and you shall love" is the numerical equivalent to "light" x2 - because love is always a two-way street.

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/28/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgbjT3Uy-EM&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=130

Questions for today:

Yesterday's advice, to fear G-d 'at least' like a peer, needs advice. How can something 'I know about' impact my behavior as much as something I can see?

We discussed having a relationship with the Creator, inspired by fear. We said that we should feel this at least on the level of someone who resists his temptation to steal an apple because a person is watching them.

However, how can we compare the way we act when we see a person watching us, versus when we know that G-d is watching us? One is based on something we physically see with our eyes, and one is based on something that we know in the recesses of our minds?

Here is the idea. When we see a person watching the apples, the gaurd’s intellect is what prevents us from stealing. We are not afraid of his body and clothing seeing us, we are afraid of his persona and intellect knowing. However, when we see his body and clothing, we know that they are the vehicle containing his intellect and soul.

We can train ourselves to see the world around us as clothing of the Creator and to constantly be able to see the existence of the Creator within nature. This way, when we see the world around us, we will see G-d watching us. 

To stress this idea further, there are times when we don't even see another person, we see people we know behaving with respect and fear to something they see, and we are impacted and act fearfully as well.

When we think of ourselves as the center of the universe, this means that all the galaxies and stars that are constantly moving in a westerly direction are humbly bowing to the Creator. 

This can also have a impact on us, to share this humility. 

128 Tanya Nissan 28 ~ m153 Nissan 24

Tanya book 1, ch 42, Pt 5 

We can "see" the Creator. 

When we fear a security guard, we are afraid of the person, but what we see is the uniform. 

We need to practice seeing the world around us as G-d's clothing. 

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/25/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rsgPbc9dfc&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=127

Questions for today:

How do I elevate commandments that I did without the life imbued with intent, and what about if I acted selflessly?

Today’s Tanya differentiates between mitzvos that are performed without thought and mitzvos that are performed with ulterior motives.

If a person does something without thinking why they're doing it and who they're doing it for, the action lacks life and inspiration. However, if he then performs a mitzvah with thought, it elevates all of the past mitzvos that he had performed mindlessly.

For instance, a man prepares coffee for his wife every single day, but he doesn’t think about how tired she is and how hard she is working. Then, one day when he brings her a coffee, he tells his wife that he realizes how hard she works and really appreciates the fact that he can do this for her.

This thought and care takes all the coffees that he has prepared in the past and makes them part of this love that he just expressed.

What if somebody is not just not thinking, but he’s actually doing it for a selfish, narcissistic reason?

For instance, someone is studying Torah because he wants to be a famous scholar who will be worshipped by all. This mitzvah is tainted with that narcissistic attitude.

To retroactively elevate mitzvos that were done with selfish motives, the person would have to look in the mirror and completely reframe his life values so that he can act selflessly.

This process of introspection and reframing is called teshuva, repentance. Once he does that, everything he has done in the past can be elevated with that new selfless inspiration.

112 Tanya Nissan 12 ~ m133 Nisan 4

Tanya book 1, ch 39, Pt 6

There is a difference between a mitzvah done without intent and one done with an ulterior motive.

A mitzvah done without intent could be elevated by simply doing it again with inspiration.

However, a mitzvah done with ulterior motives retains the selfishness that caused it. To elevate this mitzvah, we would need teshuva, which involves serious introspection and reevaluation of our goals.

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/5/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-ruz7Jb0c&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=112

Questions for today:

How do I elevate commandments that I did without the life imbued with intent, and what about if I acted selflessly?

Today’s Tanya differentiates between mitzvos that are performed without thought and mitzvos that are performed with ulterior motives.

If a person does something without thinking why they're doing it and who they're doing it for, the action lacks life and inspiration. However, if he then performs a mitzvah with thought, it elevates all of the past mitzvos that he had performed mindlessly.

For instance, a man prepares coffee for his wife every single day, but he doesn’t think about how tired she is and how hard she is working. Then, one day when he brings her a coffee, he tells his wife that he realizes how hard she works and really appreciates the fact that he can do this for her.

This thought and care takes all the coffees that he has prepared in the past and makes them part of this love that he just expressed.

What if somebody is not just not thinking, but he’s actually doing it for a selfish, narcissistic reason?

For instance, someone is studying Torah because he wants to be a famous scholar who will be worshipped by all. This mitzvah is tainted with that narcissistic attitude.

To retroactively elevate mitzvos that were done with selfish motives, the person would have to look in the mirror and completely reframe his life values so that he can act selflessly.

This process of introspection and reframing is called teshuva, repentance. Once he does that, everything he has done in the past can be elevated with that new selfless inspiration.

112 Tanya Nissan 12 ~ m133 Nisan 4

Tanya book 1, ch 39, Pt 6

There is a difference between a mitzvah done without intent and one done with an ulterior motive.

A mitzvah done without intent could be elevated by simply doing it again with inspiration.

However, a mitzvah done with ulterior motives retains the selfishness that caused it. To elevate this mitzvah, we would need teshuva, which involves serious introspection and reevaluation of our goals.

Study today’s Tanya in full:

https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=4/5/2022

See today’s video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g-ruz7Jb0c&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=112