Questions for today:
Having articulated the centrality of physical impact in G-d's innermost desire, we now tackle a central topic in Jewish law, why is thought not enough?
Nobody ever got points for thinking about bringing their wife a glass of coffee. A poor person never became less hungry because we wished we could provide a meal for them.
Sometimes, thought is not enough. The concept of prayer is a great example of this.
While thought and intention are very important factors in prayer, one must physically articulate the words in order to fulfill their obligation of prayer. Merely thinking about communicating with the Creator would not be enough.
In contrast, if we would articulate prayer with our lips while being distracted and lacking proper concentration, we would still fulfill the vast majority of our obligation.
While this is true, there's no comparison between bringing a glass of coffee to a friend with your nose in your phone, to bringing it with a smile.
Similarly, one can’t compare giving a meal to a poor person with warmth and respect as opposed to just dropping it from the window.
The thought that accompanies the action can transform the whole deed.
Today’s Tanya articulates the difference between thought and action with an example of a body and soul. The body accomplishing physical deeds, and the soul giving the life and the energy animating the body
102 Tanya Nissan 2 ~ m121 Adar II, 21
Tanya book 1, ch 38, Pt 1
after having explained the critical function of physical action in fulfilling G-d's inner most desire, we now understand why action is Central to Jewish law.
We compare action to body and intent to soul. Actions can sometimes be more important than thoughts. Nearly all prayer is valid without intent, but none is valid without physical articulation of the words.
Study today’s Tanya in full:
https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=2/2/2022 ?????
See today’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez1DwmVm8HQ&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSBls9Hwx3P5vKIBRnjBvHe&index=104