Questions for today:
The Tanya’s ‘long and short’ approach is specifically geared to articulating the gift G-d gave us, to be able to understand and connect to every aspect of the Torah, no matter how esoteric. Are elements of the Divine that are truly infinite, beyond this approach?
When delving into divine concepts intellectually, we can rationally conclude that there are concepts that are beyond our comprehension.
We know that a human mind understands topics and ideas that are personally familiar to it, and that it doesn't understand those that are not familiar.
On a higher level, we know that there are subjects like mathematics and physics, that we can grasp when they're on our level, and that we won't understand if they're above our level.
Similarly, we can realize that the human brain, in general, is wired to only grasp what is measurable and quantifiable. We can't wrap our heads around something that doesn't have a beginning or an end, an up or a down.
Therefore, we can understand ‘intellectually’ and ‘rationally’ that there must be something, without a beginning or end, with a divine capacity to make physics exists from nothing.
Now, we can use the same rationale to answer the question we asked at the end of the previous chapter. We can realize that that divine capacity must have the ability to self-regulate and make itself understandable and relatable
In fact, we can consider this an ‘intellectual awareness’ - even though we don't comprehend the mechanics of it.
172 10 Tanya Sivan 13 ~ m199 m12 Sivan 13
Tanya book 2, Ch 4, Pt 2
Our goal is not "faith", our goal is to fulfill the mandate to "know" the Creator.
This includes our "understanding" of divine aspects that are beyond the capacity of the limits of human comprehension.
We know intellectually that there must be a self existing divinity that brings existence into being - and that this would be something that our mind cannot wrap itself around.
We use this same rationale to "know" that this divine entity can self regulat, and can limit the perception of itself, such that the world can exist. - Even if the mechanics are beyond physical comprehension.
Study today’s Tanya in full:
https://www.chabadmed.com/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tdate=6/13/2022
See today’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXLEw3lZQ5w&list=PLFZQPK6u-zSC7FvXJfcTF6vOd_JEAABrJ&index=10