Iggeres Ha’Kodesh Epistle 15, Class 9

Tanya/ Iggeres Ha’Kodesh – The Holy Epistle, Epistle 15, Class 9

 

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Likewise, by exercising the attribute of tiferet (lit., “beauty”), [a man seeks] to glorify G‑d and His Torah in all ways possible, such as by possessing a beautiful sefer Torah, beautiful tefillin, and the like,

וְכֵן לְפָאֵר אֶת ה’ וְתוֹרָתוֹ בְּכָל מִינֵי פְּאֵר,

and to cleave to His praises [by praising G‑d] with all the faculties of his soul:

וּלְדָבְקָה בִּשְׁבָחָיו בְּכָל בְּחִינוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ,

that is, by intellectual and thoughtful meditation on the greatness of G-d, which blossoms into the singing of His praises,

דְּהַיְינוּ בְּהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת שִׂכְלוֹ וּמַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ,

and likewise, when he speaks, his praises are not empty words but grow out of his preparatory meditation.

גַּם בְּדִיבּוּרוֹ.

“[Praising G‑d] with all the faculties of his soul” thus means that the worshipper utilizes his intellect and emotions as well as all three “garments” of his soul (i.e., the soul’s media of self-expression), viz., thought, speech, and action (for speech constitutes mini-action56). Alternatively, “[praising G‑d] with all the faculties of his soul” may mean: all those aspects of the soul that relate to praise, i.e., intellect, thought, and speech.

Likewise, by exercising the attribute of netzach, [a man seeks] to prevail triumphantly against anything that would restrain [him] from the service of G‑d and from cleaving unto Him,

וְכֵן לַעֲמוֹד בְּנִצָּחוֹן נֶגֶד כָּל מוֹנֵעַ מֵעֲבוֹדַת ה’ וּמִלְּדָבְקָה בוֹ,

and against anything that would restrain [the state of revelation in which]57 the entire earth is filled with the glory of G‑d,

וְנֶגֶד כָּל מוֹנֵעַ מִלִּהְיוֹת כְּבוֹד ה’ מָלֵא אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ,

like the wars for G‑d fought by King David, peace to him, which derived from his attribute of netzach.

כְּמִלְחֲמוֹת ה’ אֲשֶׁר נִלְחַם דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם.

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FOOTNOTES
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56. Sanhedrin 65a.

57.  Cf. Isaiah 6:3.