Tanya/ Iggeres Ha’Kodesh – The Holy Epistle, Epistle 12, Class 4

This is empirically evident with terrestrial man, who is called a microcosm,¹²

וְכַנִּרְאֶה בְּחוּשׁ בָּאָדָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן, הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם “עוֹלָם קָטָן”,

for sometimes the good [within him] prevails, and sometimes the reverse, heaven forfend.

שֶׁלִּפְעָמִים הַטּוֹב גּוֹבֵר, וְלִפְעָמִים, לְהֵיפֶךְ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.

Therefore, there will be no peace in the world until the ultimate time (lit., “the time of the End”), when evil will cease to exist,

וְאֵין שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם עַד עֵת קֵץ,

when the good shall be refined from the evil

שֶׁיִּתְבָּרֵר הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע

in order to cleave to its root and source, the Divine Source of Life.

לִידָּבֵק בְּשָׁרְשׁוֹ וּמְקוֹרוֹ, מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ־הוּא,

At that time, “all evildoers shall be scattered,”¹³ and the spirit of impurity shall pass from the earth,⁸

וַאֲזַי “יִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל פּוֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן”, וְרוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה יַעֲבוֹר מִן הָאָרֶץ,

when the element of the good which sustains it will be extracted from its midst.

כְּשֶׁיִּתְבָּרֵר מִתּוֹכוֹ בְּחִינַת הַטּוֹב הַמְחַיֵּיהוּ.

Evil will then cease to exist as a matter of course, for its entire existence is dependent on the good found within it.

This refinement itself, of the good from the evil, will also take place through a manifestation of Divinity below,

וּבֵירוּר זֶה יִהְיֶה גַם כֵּן עַל־יְדֵי גִּילּוּי אֱלֹקוּתוֹ לְמַטָּה

For just as the refinement as a whole is accomplished through our actions and efforts throughout the time of exile,¹⁴ so, too, the actual refinement will result from the revelation of G‑dliness in this world.

with a great illumination and immense effulgence,

בְּהֶאָרָה רַבָּה וְהַשְׁפָּעָה עֲצוּמָה,

as it is written, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of G‑d,”¹⁵

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: “כִּי מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת ה’”,

and “The glory of G‑d shall be revealed….”¹⁶

“וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד ה’ כוּ’”.

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FOOTNOTES

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12.  Tanchuma, Pekudei 3; Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 69 (100b-101a).

13.  Psalms 92:10.

14. See above, Tanya, Part I, beginning of ch. 37.

15. Isaiah 11:9.

16. Ibid. 40:5