067 Tanya Shvat 26 ~ m077 Adar I, 8
Questions for today:
When I feel my inner challenges grow, I tend to place myself on the injured, or the “not worth trying” list. Is it possible that my challenges are a measure of my success?
You've heard the phrase, “you should have seen what happened to the other guy.” A kid comes into class all banged up and he says, either honestly or in jest, “you should have seen what happened to the other guy”.
This is our intuitive reaction every time we see half of a competition. We see only one contestant in a race. When the person we see starts to run a little faster, we assume that the challenger is also picking up speed. You watch a wrestling match and all the sudden the person gets a burst of energy, you assume that they're either reacting to, or instigating, an adrenaline rush.
We think this way in every situation except for in spirituality. If I'm praying and, all of a sudden, I get attacked by numerous distractions, I think to myself I'm terrible at praying; I'm not a spiritual person.
Today's Tanya reminds us to be intellectually honest. If I'm doing something holy and I get attacked, the Tanya tells us we should respond, “you should see what happened on the spiritual side.”
Tanya book 1, ch28 pt 1
Whenever we see half of a competition, we assume that the challenger is matching the pattern that we see, speeding up or increasing energy, as do the competitors within our line of vision.
Sadly, when our divine work is challenged, we assume instead that it is inherently weak. Today we are reminded to reverse that. A challenge to our spiritual effort is an indication of its health and success.
Study today’s Tanya in full:
https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=2/9/2022
See today’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcq7da5xmlA&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=68