Transcript
Good morning, Boker Tov, welcome back to Ten Minutes of Meaning, Sefer Tanya. I want to thank our generous sponsors Marilyn and Michael Fedak for the generosity sponsoring this class and so much more. Please help yourself to coffee, slushies, pastries and more in our Rav Shaya's corner. We are on the 10th Perek of Tanya, and we've been learning about, now taking a deeper dive into how Tanya began in understanding the difference between the Tzadik, the complete Tzadik and the incomplete Tzadik. The Tzadik V’Tov Lo and the Tzadik V’Ra Lo. As we began the Sefer by talking about the difference between Tzadik, the Rasha, two types of Tzadikim, two types of Reshaim and the Beinoni, halevai Beinoni, we aspire to be a Beinoni. The Tzadikim and the Beinoni all externally on the outside are doing the right thing, behaving the right thing, making the right choices. It's the internal conversation, struggle, identity that's the difference between them. So this 10th Perek began unpacking exactly this, the incomplete Tzadik. Now the incomplete Tzadik is the person that we look at and we would look at with unbelievable, incredible, endless and boundless admiration. We would look at what the Tanya calls the Tzadik who's not Gamur, the incomplete Tzadik, and we would look at this Tzadik and say \"Wow, makes all the right decisions, does all the right things, never gives in to impulse, never indulges temptation, does everything right.\" That looks to us like an outstanding righteous Tzadik and yet the Tanya calls him a Tzadik who's incomplete. And why is this Tzadik incomplete? Because though the Tzadik makes the right decisions in the end, in the outcome, in the result, internally still there's some shemetz, there's still a little presence of, a little residue of understanding the capacity to use the material or the physical for ego rather than Elokus. As the Tanya's been developing, our lives are this battle, this internal struggle. What in the last Perek he described as the war over territory. The Guf and the Neshamah, the soul and body are fighting. Who's in charge? Who's in control? Who's the ruler and who's ruled? Who owns the territory? We have the animal soul, the Nefesh Bahamis that wants us to just indulge impulse, appetite, do what you want, when you want, where you want, how you want, why you want. But then we have a חלק אלוקה ממעל ממש or a godly soul. Discipline, self-control, sovereignty over ourselves. So the goal is to live a life of Elokus not ego. That our eating and our sleeping, all of our actions and behavior, there is no such thing said the Tanya as reshus. There is no middle category. There is no parve, there is no neutral. Everything is either a mitzvah, it's either serving Hashem, we're advancing His will, His mission here on earth, or we're giving Him a dirah betachtonim or, or we're feeding ego. Or we're feeding the klipa, the sitra achra, the dark side. There is no neutral, there's nothing in between. Even sleeping and eating, even what seems to be mundane activities, they can go in one direction or the other. So therefore the Tanya's encouraged us to live our lives with the mindfulness that everything we do and everywhere we go and everything we say and every choice we make should all be advancing the presence of Hashem here on earth and trying to advance our personal mission, our purpose answering our why. The Tzadik makes all the right decisions. Tzadik eats only kosher food and makes a bracha before and after and davens with kavana and gives tzedaka and shteigs and learns Torah and doesn't speak lashon hara. Tzadik does everything right. But still, while the Tzadik is eating and the Tzadik's experience of eating is that the food is only a connection of chiyus of Elokus, but the Tzadik sees the other person eating or sees that food and says \"I still understand, I still remember, I can still identify a little bit with the idea that food is just stam delicious, that I just want to fress, that I just want to stuff my face, that I just like to eat for a sense of ego.\" He doesn't, or she doesn't. They make the right decisions but they could still remember. And the second Tanya said the second defining aspect of the Tzadik who's incomplete is that they're not bothered enough by the presence of ra. אוהבי ה' שנאו רע. If you really love God and you really are living Elokus, then you are repulsed by, you are allergic to, you have an intolerance towards that which is klipa. You see sitra achra, you see ego, you see people who are using and engaging and encountering this world in the wrong way and a person is just so bothered by that. They're repulsed by it. They're allergic to it. They can't connect to it. And this Tzadik who's incomplete on the outside again is making all the right decisions. They're not bothered enough, which brings us up to Section 2. אך מעלת צדיק גמור שאמר רבי שמעון בר יוחאי ראיתי בני עליה והם מועטים. The Gemara tells us that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai with his son emerged from the cave and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says to his son \"You know, I've seen the bnei aliya. I've seen the people who are living lives of ambition and aspiration. I've seen the people who are living Elokus and not ego. I've seen the...\" the people who are living at this lofty high state and muatim, they're very few. In fact, if there are any, it's you and I. It's me and you, it's you and I. שלכן נקראים בני עלייה. Why is, which is why the complete tzadikim are referred to as b'nei aliya. שמהפכים הרע ומעלים אותם לקדושה. They transform the evil urge of their animal soul, they take the appetite of the animal soul, but instead of allowing the appetite to be towards material physical, they transform that appetite and elevate it to holiness. As again, another chiddush of the Baal HaTanya's been that we have this animal impulse, this animal instinct, this animal inside us, and we're not coming or seeking to slaughter or purge or destroy or eliminate the animal. What are we trying to do with the animal? You could even have a pit bull. You could have whatever animal, but the goal is not to destroy or eliminate the animal. What's the goal? Train the animal. When you train the animal, the animal serves you. You train a pit bull, it becomes your guard dog. You train a, train an ox and it can plow your field. You train a, ich veis, a horse and it can pull your carriage. You train the animal, you're not trying to slaughter the animal, you're trying to train the animal to act on your behalf. So here this animal inside us that has this appetite, instead of it being an appetite towards material physical or ego, we take that appetite, even an appetite towards the physical, but we have it be an appetite to transform the physical. An appetite to use the physical as a means and a conduit, an instrument and a vehicle towards the spiritual. To demonstrate that Rashbi viewed the b'nei aliya, this elite class of tzadikim, they were tzadikim gemurim, the Tanya quotes Zohar. כדיתא בזוהר בהקדמה שכשרצה רבי חייא לעלות להיכלא דרבי שמעון בן יוחאי. When Rebbi Chiya wanted to ascend and go to the heavenly chamber, wanted to go have access to the great Rashbi, Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai, שמע קלא נפיק ואמר מאן מנכון דחשוכא מהפכן לנהורא וטעמין מרירו למתקא עד לא ייתון הכא. He is, heard a voice break out and said, \"Who among you has transformed darkness into light and bitter flavors into sweet ones before arriving here?\" In other words, Rashbi, who by his own testimony was one of the b'nei aliya, as the Gemara in Sukkah said, he says about himself and his son Rebbi Elazar, if there are only two, it's he and his son, required others who wish to enter his arena, who wanted to have access to him in his heavenly space, to be of the same stature. And what's the same stature? What does the Zohar tell us? Darkness to light, bitter to sweet. Before you can come here, you have to take klipa, the nefesh bahamit and turn it into the chelek eloka. You have to be able to transform and train the animal and elevate it and lift it and make it altogether different. That's the cost of entry. That's what it takes to have access. That's what it means to be b'nei aliya, it's what it means to be a tzadik gamur. So again, an incomplete tzadik is a tzadik, but v'ra lo. There's still ra to him. There's not ra to him in his behavior, actions, thoughts or speech, in the levush, in the garments of the soul, there's no ra externally, but the ra is bo. Tzadik v'ra lo, the ra is lo. There's still ra. He can still see food and understand that there are people who eat it b'derech klipa. Other way of understanding it, the Baal HaTanya says, was tzadik v'ra is lo. The ra though, lo, he owns it, he's in charge of it, he's in control of it, he's making the right decisions about it in the end. This tzadik gamur is a tzadik v'tov lo. This is a tzadik who lives and looks and sees the world, only makes the right decisions and doesn't even see or understand or comprehend, is not even tempted by the wrong decision. Doesn't even understand it. We know people like that. We're usually annoyed by them. They're like annoying. They just eat the right foods in the right amounts at the right times. They get the perfect amount of sleep and they never procrastinate, they're not lazy, they don't sleep in, they don't press snooze. You know those people? They're really annoying. They're really annoying. While we struggle, while we beinonim and worse, struggle with not staying up, go to sleep, stop procrastinating, you didn't enough sleep, wake up, don't snooze, stop eating, eat the right foods, the right time, why are you still... They like, they don't even understand it. Like, why would I, why would I eat if I'm full? Why would I eat something unhealthy? Why would I eat at the wrong time? They don't even understand it. The tzadik v'tov lo, tzadik and the whole world is tov lo. Food is just, I don't eat, I don't live to eat, I eat to live. And I don't even understand. The tzadik v'ra lo understands the temptation to live to eat even though they eat to live. The tzadik v'tov lo says, \"I don't even chap, I don't even understand, like what do you mean? Food is just fuel, same way you put gas in your car so you could drive, but there's no emotional attachment or connection, you don't crave it.\" and an appetite for it. You just need to, when the tank is heading to empty, you gotta fill it with gas. So when your tank is heading to empty, you gotta fill it with food, but other than that, there's what do you mean? What else is there about food? That's the Tzadik Vetov Lo level. That level. ועוד נקראים בני עליה. And moreover they're called B'nei Aliyah finally. בפני שגם עבודתם בבחינת ועשה טוב בקיום התורה ומצותיה היא לצורך גבוה. They're also called the complete Tzadik because in addition to their transformation, in addition to training the animal to serve Elokus not ego, even their positive activities of Torah and Mitzvah observance are devoted only to Hashem. Now that might sound bizarre. The Tzadik who's less than perfect, incomplete, their Torah and Mitzvah observance is not directed to, then to whom is it directed? What else is there if it's not directed to Hashem? ומעלה מעלה עד רום המעלות ולא כדי לדבקה בו יתברך בלבד לרוות שמחת נפשו הצמאה להשם kemo shekasuv הוי כל צמא לכו למים pasuk in Yeshaya or a thirsty go to water כמו שנתבאר במקום אחר. It means if you're not a perfect Tzadik, it's even possible to be doing Torah and Mitzvos and going through motions. It's possible to be doing Torah and Mitzvos, but be doing them absent-mindedly, be doing them mindlessly, be doing it also because it feels good for you. Because it feels good for you. Why do you do the Torah and Mitzvos? Because it's the right thing to do and now you feel good, you did the right thing. Or it feels good to fabreng and make a l'chaim to Hashem and even though it's lifting your neshama, your neshama feels awake and aroused and on fire, that l'mayseh feels good. That feels good. Now that's a positive, that's an authentic feeling good. That's an authentic feeling good. But it's still a feeling good that's impacting internally you and it's not altruistic or benevolent or entirely all about Hashem. So a second defining quality of the complete Tzadik which distinguishes him is the unusual elevated quality, authentic quality, presence, purpose, focus, even of the service of Hashem. For most people when we have a great Tish fabreng and we do a great Mitzvah, we learn, we go to a geshmak shiur, so it feels really good. I'm awake, I'm on fire, it's changing me, I love it, I'm on fire, that's still us. אלא כדיפירש בתיקונים איזהו חסיד המתחסד עם קונו. The worship of the complete Tzadik, the Tikkunei Zohar says who is a pure Chassid? איזהו חסיד המתחסד עם קונו. Is the person who's mis'chased which is hispa'el, reflexive, transforms themselves with their creator. It's all about the other. It's all about the other. You could wake up in the middle of the night to take care of a crying baby and you could do it because you say I get nothing out of this, I hate this, I'm miserable about this, I would give anything not to do this but I don't want that baby to cry. Or you could say when I do it I feel like a good parent. I don't like it, I don't like my sleeping interrupted, but when I do it I feel I'm a good parent. A good parent, taking care. Even the Mitzvos and the service of Hashem can be, oh thank you, even the Mitzvah and the service of Hashem can be I'm doing it because it makes me feel good or I'm doing it because I'm doing it for and towards Hashem. So the complete Tzadik, everything, the way they interact with the mundane world, giveth and taketh. The way they act with the mundane world and the way they act in their spirituals with Hashem is all about Hashem not themselves. We'll finish up with this. So im kan dilei in explaining this, kan dilei. The Tikkunei Zohar uses the term Kono, the word Kono, hamis'chased im kono. Who is a Chassid im kono? What's Kono? Creator. It's not actually Kono is not a creator. What's a kinyan? Kono is the one who owns him. The creator is the one who owns you, but Kono is like kinyan. Kinyan. Kono is the one who owns you, who's acquired you. The one who owns you. So now the Baal HaTanya based on the Tikkunei Zohar has a play on words. Kono is also from the word kan. What is kan? Shiluach HaKan, kan, hakan. What's a kan? A nest. You send the mother bird away from the nest. So the Tikkunei Zohar says that the Chassid is the one who acts kindly with his nest, which is the Shechina. Hashem's nest is the Shechina, the presence on earth, because that's what the point of life is. We're going to get into tomorrow night, Im Yirtzeh Hashem, we got a great shiur. Really excited about it. Our theme for Shavuos is America 250. All the shiurim and drashas are around the topic America 250. So I'm giving a shiur about America. Rav Chaim Volozhiner, there's a mesorah that came from many that Rav Chaim Volozhiner said the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah says there's ten stops in Galus. Rav Chaim Volozhiner had a tradition going back hundreds of years, America will be the... the last stop in Galus before Moshiach. There's something exceptional about America and America will be the last stop. Why does Hashem send us ten places? So there's a sicha of the Rebbe that talks about, he was talking about France but it's relevant to America, about why Hashem sends us all over. We collect the gerim, we go to other countries to collect the converts, and Chassidus says not just to collect the converts but the sparks. We go to those places to find the unique sparks of those places and to transform them for the good. Which I think is what the Tanya is talking about here. Means we're not just in America to live the American dream. We're in America because there's work to be done. And are we doing it? Has it been done? That's what we'll talk about tomorrow night. But here the Tanya is talking about ליחדא קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה בתחתונים. Our mission, our purpose here on earth is to unite Shechina with this world, to be this nest, to let Hashem come and dwell in his nest which is this world, to invite him, to make a space, to be a vehicle, a vessel, a keli. In heaven the glory of Hashem's presence shines brightly but here on earth it's blocked, it's eclipsed, it's hard to see. So our good deeds are to draw it down and give everyone visibility, to clean the lens and let people see Hashem's presence here on earth, to be that nest. Hamischased im kono means kan, make a nest for Shechina here on earth, live a life that people see you and talk to you and interact with you and they want a piece of what you have and how you live כמו שכתוב ברעיא מהימנא פרשת כי תצא כברא דאשתדל בתר אבוי ואימיה דרחים לון יתיר מגרמיה ונפשיה ורוחיה ונשמתיה. Like a son who exerts himself for a father and mother, whom he loves more than himself, more than his own nefesh, ruach and neshama, and everything of his own is considered worthless, only to fulfill the will of his mother and father ומסר גרמיה למיתה עלייו למפרק לון. And he's prepared to die for them, he's prepared to die כמו שנתבאר במקום אחר. So this Tzaddik Gamor, this Tzaddik Gamor doesn't even see, doesn't even feel, doesn't even tempted by whatsoever ra. He's Tzaddik ve-tov lo, he's trained the animal, and his appetite is only for Elokus, is only for godliness, and he sees the world as a place that he's creating a nest for Shechina, a nest for Hashem to come and to dwell. And so when others are fressing and stuffing their face with food, they see the way he eats and they say, wow, God is in the food, God is in the sleep, God is in the talk, God is in the clothing, God is in the business, God is in everything that they do, it's a dira be-tachtonim. That brings us to the end of the second section of Perek Yud, we'll pick up im yirtzeh Hashem next week. Looking forward, everyone should have a meaningful and a beautiful Kabbalas HaTorah, bepnimiyus, a real Kabbalas HaTorah, and be transformed, we shouldn't even recognize each other the next time we get together to learn because we had such an impactful Shavuos.
