Tanya/ Iggeres Ha’Kodesh – The Holy Epistle, Epistle 1, Class 2
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On the strength that the Oral Law gives the soul of a Jew, King Solomon (peace be to him) explained:“She girds her loins with strength….”17
פֵּירֵשׁ שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלָיו־הַשָּׁלוֹם “חָגְרָה בְעוֹז מָתְנֶיהָ כוּ’” –
The “woman of valor” lauded by King Solomon at the opening of the relevant chapter is an allegorical allusion to Knesset Yisrael, the Congregation of Israel, which comprises all Jewish souls. In the verse quoted, she “girds her loins with strength.” “Strength” refers to the Torah,18 as in the teaching, “There is no strength but Torah.”19 Thus, the Torah strengthens the loins of the soul, just as a warrior girds his loins to gather maximal strength; but what is meant by “girding the loins of the soul”?
The loins are the underframe that supports the whole body, including the head that is positioned over them;
“מָתְנַיִם”, הֵם בְּחִינַת דָבָר הַמַּעֲמִיד כָּל הַגּוּף עִם הָרֹאשׁ הַנִּצָּב וְעוֹמֵד עֲלֵיהֶם,
it is they that lead and bring [the body] to its desired destination.
וְהֵם הַמּוֹלִיכִים וּמְבִיאִים אוֹתוֹ לִמְחוֹז חֶפְצוֹ.
And just as it is with the corporeality of the body, so it is with the spirituality of the Divine soul.
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא בְּגַשְׁמִיּוּת הַגּוּף, כָּךְ הוּא בִּבְחִינַת רוּחָנִיּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית,
Just as the loins support the corporeal body and head, so do the soul’s loins support and lead the “body” and “head” of the soul to its desired spiritual destination.
[The soul’s loins are] the true belief in the One G‑d, the blessed Ein Sof,
הָאֱמוּנָה הָאֲמִיתִּית בַּה’ אֶחָד אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא,
Who permeates all worlds with a vitality which is indwelling (pnimi), a vitality which is contracted and tailored to the capacity of each individual creature, and Who encompasses all worlds with a vitality that is transcendent (makif) and which cannot therefore clothe itself within created beings in an indwelling manner,
דְּאִיהוּ מְמַלֵּא כָּל עָלְמִין וְסוֹבֵב כָּל עָלְמִין,
there being no place or level of existence void of Him,
וְלֵית אֲתַר פָּנוּי מִינֵּיהּ,
above to no end, for there is no end to the degree of His exalted transcendence beyond all worlds,
לְמַעְלָה עַד אֵין קֵץ
and below to no limit, for there is no limit to His ability to descend to the very lowest levels of creation and clothe Himself within the world, even to the point that the world conceals the G‑dliness that is within it,
וּלְמַטָּה עַד אֵין תַּכְלִית,
and likewise in all four directions—east, west, north, and south—truly in a state of infinitude.
וְכֵן לְד’ סִטְרִין בִּבְחִינַת אֵין־סוֹף מַמָּשׁ,
All the above refers to the dimension of space.
The same applies to the dimensions of “year” and “soul,” as is known.
וְכֵן בִּבְחִינַת שָׁנָה וְנֶפֶשׁ, כַּנּוֹדָע:
Creation embraces the three dimensions known as “world,” “year,” and “soul,” as is explained in Sefer Yetzirah.20 “World” alludes to space, “year” refers to time, and “soul” denotes life. Just as G‑d is one and infinite within the realm of space, so is He one and infinite within the realms of time and life.
Now this faith, this belief in G‑d as outlined above, is referred to as the “loins” which uphold and sustain the “head,”
הִנֵּה אֱמוּנָה זוֹ נִקְרֵאת בְּשֵׁם בְּחִינַת “מָתְנַיִם” דָּבָר הַמַּעֲמִיד וּמְקַיֵּים אֶת הָרֹאשׁ,
meaning the intellect that contemplates and concentrates on the greatness of the blessed Ein Sof in the dimensions of “world,” “year,” and “soul,”
הוּא הַשֵּׂכֶל הַמִּתְבּוֹנֵן וּמַעֲמִיק דַּעַת בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין־סוֹף בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בִּבְחִינַת עוֹלָם־שָׁנָה־נֶפֶשׁ,
Thus, this faith sustains the “head,” for the foundation of one’s comprehension of G‑d’s greatness is one’ s belief in His unity.
and [that meditates] on the magnitude of His lovingkindness and His wonders with us,
וּבְרוֹב חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו עִמָּנוּ,
making of us “a people near unto Him”21 who can truly “cleave unto Him.”22
לִהְיוֹת “עַם קְרוֹבוֹ”, וּלְדָבְקָה בוֹ מַמָּשׁ,
Thus, it is known from the teaching, “One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world surpasses all the life of the World to Come,”23
כַּנּוֹדָע מִמַּאֲמַר “יָפָה שָׁעָה אַחַת בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה מִכָּל חַיֵּי עוֹלָם־הַבָּא”,
for [the World to Come] is a mere gleam and reflection of the level [of Divinity] called Shechinah,
שֶׁהוּא רַק זִיו וְהֶאָרָה מִבְּחִינָה הַנִּקְרֵאת “שְׁכִינָה”
which is so called because it is the Shechinah (שְׁכִינָה) “Who dwells” (הַשּׁוֹכֵן) within created beings, and so on,
הַשּׁוֹכֵן כוּ’,
Since the Shechinah bears a certain relationship to created beings, it is therefore this level of Divinity that is revealed in Gan Eden—the World to Come, which is but a pale reflection of the Shechinah.
and [the World to Come] was created by the single letter yud of [G‑d’s] blessed Name, and so on, as explained by the Sages24 in their exposition of the verse, “for by [the Divine Name that is composed of the letters] yud-hey, G‑d is the strength of the worlds” (בְּי־ה ה‘ צוּר עוֹלָמִים).25
וְנִבְרָא בְּיוּ”ד אַחַת מִשְּׁמוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ כוּ’,
Repentance and good deeds, however, truly bring Israel near to their Father in Heaven,
אֲבָל תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים מְקָרְבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲבִיהֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם מַמָּשׁ,
unto (as it were) the very Being and Essence of He Who is absolute infinitude.
לְמַהוּתוֹ וְעַצְמוּתוֹ כִּבְיָכוֹל, בְּחִינַת אֵין־סוֹף מַמָּשׁ,
As it is written, “His radiance is upon earth and heaven”26: heaven and earth derive their life-force from a mere glimmer or gleam of G-d’s Essence; not so the Jewish people, of whom the following verse continues: “He raises glory upon His nation.”27
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב “הוֹדוֹ עַל אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם, וַיָּרֶם קֶרֶן לְעַמּוֹ כוּ’”,
The word קֶרֶן, here translated “glory,” signifies a thing’s essence.28 The verse thus implies that the Jewish people derive their life-force from G‑d’s infinite Essence.
Similarly, before fulfilling many of the mitzvot, we say: “…Who has sanctified us [unto Himself] through His commandments and commanded us [to perform the mitzvah at hand].”29
“אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ כוּ’”.
By granting us the ability to perform His commandments, G‑d elevates us to His level, to the encompassing level of holiness that utterly transcends the degree of holiness that permeates the worlds.
And reflecting upon G‑d’s infinite kindness to us, in that He chose us to be “His nation…, the people close to Him,” will result in a reaction of “waters reflecting the face….”30
וְ”כַמַּיִם הַפָּנִים כוּ’”
From this contemplation are born the intellectually generated or the natural awe and love—the awe and love of G‑d that are naturally found within the heart of all Jews and need but be revealed through contemplation,31
לְהוֹלִיד מִתְּבוּנָה זוֹ דְּחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ שִׂכְלִיִּים אוֹ טִבְעִיִּים,
giving rise [either] to (a) a mode of love in which “their heart cried out unto G‑d”32 in its yearning to cleave to Him,
לִהְיוֹת בְּחִינַת “צָעַק לִבָּם אֶל ה’”,
or to (b) a mode of love characterized by “flashes of fire, a mighty flame.”33
אוֹ בְּחִינַת רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ וְשַׁלְהֶבֶת עַזָּה,
The latter mode of love is the first stage of a dual dynamic34—ratzo (“advance”), loving G‑d so fiercely and rapturously that the soul almost flees the body;
בִּבְחִינַת “רָצוֹא”,
this longing to expire, to lose one’s independent identity in G‑d’s all-encompassing unity, [must be] followed by the second stage—Shov (“retreat”), a sober and self-effacing return to the Divinely ordained reality of living as a soul enclothed in a body,
וְאַחַר כָּךְ בִּבְחִינַת “שׁוֹב”,
so that there be the fear of G‑d in one’s heart,
לִהְיוֹת פַּחַד ה’ בְּלִבּוֹ
specifically, the superior order of fear whereby [the individual] is abashed by His greatness….
וְלֵיבוֹשׁ מִגְּדוּלָּתוֹ כוּ’,
This abashedness restrains him from doing anything that G‑d finds displeasing.
This level of awe, fear, and shame [results from] “the left hand that parries,”35
וְהוּא בְּחִינַת “שְׂמֹאל דּוֹחָה”,
The Divine “left hand” represents gevurah, the supernal attribute of severity. It holds the worshipper at arm’s length, so to speak, curbing the intense love that would result from his sensation of G‑d’s nearness as represented in the phrase, “His right hand embraces me.”36
as it is written concerning the Giving of the Torah: “The people saw and they trembled, and they stood from afar….”37
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּמַתַּן־תּוֹרָה “וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנוּעוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחוֹק כוּ’”,
The Divine revelation at the Giving of the Torah produced a feeling of awe and self-nullification which found expression in the Jews’ “standing from afar,” fearing as they did to draw close to G‑d.
And these [faculties] love and fear are the arms and the body of the soul; love and kindness are the “right arm”; fear and severity are the “left arm.”38
וְהֵן בְּחִינוֹת הַזְּרוֹעוֹת וְהַגּוּף שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ:
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FOOTNOTES
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18. Note by the Rebbe: “See Torah Or (and Or Hatorah) at the conclusion of Parashat Yitro.”
19. Sifrei on Deuteronomy 32:2, et al.
20. 3:3, et al.
23. Avot 4:17.
24. Menachot 29b.
25. Isaiah 26:4. (See below, beg. Epistle 5.)
27. Ibid., v. 14.
28. Note by the Rebbe: “As in the [Talmudic] phrase keren vachomesh.” [Here, keren signifies the principal, the capital value of an object, as opposed to an added payment; cf. Keritot 26b.]
29. Cf. Siddur Tehillat Hashem, p. 6; Annotated Edition, p. 5.
30. “As explained above, in Part I, ch. 46 ff.” (—Note by the Rebbe.) Cf. Proverbs 27:19.
31. Note by the Rebbe: “As explained above, in Part I, ch. 44.”
32. Cf. Lamentations 2:18.
33. Cf. Song of Songs 8:6.
34. Cf. Ezekiel 1:14.
35. Cf. Sotah 47a.
38. Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction II.
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