אֲהוּבַיי אַחַיי,

My beloved ones, my brethren, This epistle begins with a salutation frequently employed in Iggeret HaKodesh, which is directed principally to the Rebbe's close Hasidim: those who are not only "beloved" and influenced by him but who are also his "brethren," in that they help, by being influential leaders along with him. As was the case in earlier epistles, this salutation precedes a demand that goes beyond minimum requirements: a demand that the hasid strive to attain a profound level in serving God that will be noticeable by others and, therefore, influence them.

אַל נָא תָּרֵעוּ, רֵיעִים, הָאֲהוּבִים לְיוֹצְרָם וּשְׂנוּאִים לְיִצְרָם.

please do not do evil, friends, beloved by their Creator [ Yotzram ] and who are hated by their evil inclination [ yitzram ]. This wordplay (which appears in Berakhot 61a) adds that the Rebbe's "beloved friends" are those who are beloved to God and hated by their evil inclination. The opening phrase, "do not do evil," means that even if at present a person does not palpably love God with strong feeling, he should at any rate serve God so that his situation will not worsen, but he will remain on the level of a beinoni who does not become evil. Beloved to their Creator, hated by their evil inclination. Loving God and hating evil is a special level that cannot be demanded of every person (see Likkutei Amarim, chap. 10). Yet as the author of the Tanya explains here and elsewhere, "Beloved to their Creator" are people who wish to be on that level and so they serve Him with that intent. Those who are "hated by their inclination" are those who, even if they do not hate evil completely, do not want to grow distant from God, and so they remove themselves from evil in all ways. However, even these people, that want to love God, do not always succeed in actuality. That is because their love for their Maker and their hatred for their evil inclination do not always penetrate all of the layers of their soul, but remain theoretical. As a result, they do not feel entirely obligated to act accordingly. This letter comes for that purpose: to strengthen their love of God on the one hand, and their hatred for their evil inclination on the other. The two qualities of being a beloved friend of the Creator and being hated by one's evil inclination express the approach, that appears in several places in the Tanya, that the contrast between them is significant. Those beloved by their Creator are those who are hated by their evil inclination, and vice versa. A person who truly loves God hates evil. If a person does not hate evil, that indicates that his love for God is incomplete. There is no neutral realm. There is no valid time or psychological state in which a person would not love God and hate evil and instead just exist. A person must always serve God: whether he is "racing forward" or "returning," whether he is in a state of expanded consciousness or restricted consciousness. If at any moment he is not loving God, he must at least hate evil, in all of its forms, as much as he can, with fear and trepidation.

וְאַל יַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם עַצְמוֹ רָשָׁע שָׁעָה אַחַת לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם

A person should not make himself wicked before the Omnipresent for even one hour, The simple meaning of this Talmudic statement (Nidda 13a) is that there is no period of time in which a person may allow himself to be wicked. The reference is not to someone who is truly wicked, someone who literally commits a sin, but to a person who allows himself a period of time in which he does not serve God: whether in actuality, in preparation, or even in waiting to do so. Here the author of the Tanya employs an additional meaning of the word sha'a, "a brief period of time." It also means "to turn to" – in particular, in the sense of prayer (as that usage is employed by the Sages). Therefore, this quotation is speaking especially of the time of prayer, when a person turns to God.

אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּהּ מִכָּל הַיּוֹם לְהִקָּהֵל וְלַעֲמוֹד לְפָנָיו בְּשָׁעָה זוֹ,

which is chosen from the entire day for people to assemble and stand before Him at that hour, Prayer has set daily times. The very fact that these times have been chosen, makes them deeply and intrinsically propitious for prayer. Furthermore, since all Jews gather to pray together during these particular, set times, these times are imbued with additional auspiciousness.

שֶׁהִיא עֵת רָצוֹן לְפָנָיו,

which is a time of favor before Him, The time of prayer is "a time of favor before Him." The set time for prayer is not only an arbitrary establishment of an agreed-upon time for all Jews to gather, but it is intrinsically propitious. It is "a time of favor" from the point of view of God Himself. Prayer is a meeting of two parties coming together. We come to that meeting when we gather in the synagogue, prepare ourselves and stand in prayer. And God, as it were, comes to meet us by revealing the depth of His will to us.

לְהִתְגַּלּוֹת לָבוֹא אֶל הַמִּקְדָּשׁ מְעַט,

when He comes to the miniature sanctuary to reveal Himself, God reveals Himself at this time of favor by coming to the "miniature sanctuary," which is the synagogue. Since prayer substitutes for the sacrificial offerings, the synagogue is a "sanctuary," analogous to the Temple. Just as the Divine Presence was revealed in the Temple during the services, there is a revelation of the Divine Presence at the time of the service of the heart, which is prayer. In the Temple in Jerusalem, the revelation of the Divine Presence, the source of the souls of the people of Israel, was total. However, the synagogue is only a "miniature" sanctuary because, during this time of the exile, when the people of Israel are scattered across the world and distracted in mind, the revelation of the Divine Presence in every "miniature sanctuary" is not complete but only a revelation of part of the Divine Presence that relates to and rests upon that particular congregation and each of its members.

לִפְקוֹד לִשְׁכִינַת כְּבוֹדוֹ ״הַשּׁוֹכֵן אִתָּם בְּתוֹךְ טוּמְאוֹתָם״ (ויקרא טז,טז),

to visit the Divine Presence of His glory, "which dwells with them in the midst of their impurity" (Lev. 16:16), God's coming to the "miniature sanctuary" is the unification of God with His Divine Presence. In Temple times, God was united with His Divine Presence. However, in the time of exile, and overall, in the external aspect of the world's existence, God is not a revealed partner with the world, meaning, He is not united with His Divine Presence. Within this world, the Divine Presence is sunken in impurity. It is in exile. It gives life to the husk that exists as though it is independent, with no apparent connection to God. But during the time of prayer, when Jews pray "in the midst of their impurity" and cling to God to unite with Him, then He comes to visit them, as it were. His Divine Presence rests upon and is revealed in that congregation in the miniature sanctuary.

וּלְהִמָּצֵא לְדוֹרְשָׁיו וּמְבַקְּשָׁיו וּמְיַיחֲלָיו.

and He makes Himself available to those who seek Him, request Him, and hope for Him. That is the meaning of the time of favor: God is revealed to a person who seeks Him and yearns for Him in prayer. Furthermore, God Himself comes - not with other names and forms, not via messengers. That is the time of His deepest desire, when He Himself is revealed and unites with those who seek Him.

וְהַמְסַפֵּר בִּצְרָכָיו מַרְאֶה בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָפֵץ לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן וְלִרְאוֹת בְּגִילּוּי כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ,

A person who speaks of his own needs when he prays shows that he does not desire to contemplate and see the revelation of God's glorious kingdom, A person who speaks of his worldly needs at the set time for congregational prayer is not a wicked, sinning person. He is requesting that God should grant him permitted worldly things that, at other times, are necessary. However, at this time dedicated to prayer, when God, as it were, makes Himself available to those who seek Him, when a person is focused on his own needs, he shows that he does not desire to contemplate the revelation of the glory of God's sovereignty. Not only is he not praying, but he is by definition someone who does not want to pray. This indicates that deep within he does not desire the revelation of the Divine and closeness to the Divine. If a person does something wrong, while internally, he is going against his inner desire, we say that he is under compulsion or mistaken. We take the state of his inner being as the more significant factor at that time, and we minimize the seriousness of the act. On the other hand, if a person does something permitted, but his inner will in doing so is not to grow close to God, that is something that warrants even more serious concern.

וְנַעֲשָׂה מֶרְכָּבָה טְמֵאָה

and that person becomes an impure chariot The concept of "chariot" refers to something that is entirely an instrument for another, greater entity acting through it. In general, this term is used to characterize the realm of the holy. Thus, the patriarchs were a chariot for holiness, as is a Jew when he performs a mitzvah. However, the concept can apply to impurity as well, when the entity to which a person nullifies himself and that acts through him is the husk and the evil inclination. Just as in the realm of holiness, being a chariot is on a higher level than performing a good deed, conversely in the realm of impurity being a chariot is a more complete connection to impurity than is committing a sin. When a person is a chariot for impurity, not only is his deed subjected to the husk, but so are his feelings and his deepest desires.

לַ'כְּסִיל הָעֶלְיוֹן׳, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עָלָיו: ״לֹא יַחְפּוֹץ כְּסִיל בִּתְבוּנָה כו׳״ (משלי יח,ב), כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתְבוּ הַזֹּהַר וְהָאֲרִיזַ״ל.

for the "supernal fool," regarding whom it is stated, "A fool does not desire sagacity…" (Prov. 18:2), as written in the Zohar (1:179a) and by the Arizal. The "supernal fool" refers to the evil inclination. A fool is the opposite of a wise person. A wise person nullifies himself to holiness, to that which is beyond his own existence, and consequently he receives from that holiness. On the other hand, the fool is not nullified. He is filled with his own ego, which constitutes a screen beyond which he cannot see. He is not stupid (he can be very clever) but neither is he wise. The fool represents the husk, confinement, and coarseness, and all of the evil that results from that.

דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָפֵץ לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן וְלִרְאוֹת בִּיקַר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוּלָּתוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הַנִּגְלוֹת לְמַעְלָה בְּשָׁעָה זוֹ,

This means that he does not desire to contemplate and see the glorious splendor of the greatness of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, which are revealed above during this time, This person becomes a chariot for the "supernal fool," which is active within him at the time of prayer. Ideally, prayer is a time of Divine revelation. That is not to say that God's inner being is revealed at that time, but rather "the glorious splendor of the greatness of the King of kings" – how He appears to this world that He created, the finite garment via which He makes and enlivens the world of which we are a part. Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna explains that this refers to God's sovereignty, Malkhut, which is not only His rulership over Creation but His attribute that brings Creation into being. Malkhut manifests itself in various forms: in fear, splendor and greatness. At the time of prayer, the principal revelation of Malkhut is that of the splendor of His greatness, which inspires and invites a person to come closer to God with love and fear, and to unite with Him in the words of prayer.

וְגַם לְמַטָּה אֶל הַחֲפֵצִים לְהַבִּיט אֶל כְּבוֹדוֹ וְגָדְלוֹ,

including below, to those who wish to gaze upon His glory and greatness, This revelation exists not only above in supernal, spiritual existence that openly expresses the Divine splendor and greatness, but also below in the physical world of deed that in general hides the Divine. At the time of prayer, those who desire to gaze upon God's glory and greatness – those who come to pray, who wish to gaze upon His glory and greatness - experience that revelation.

הַמִּתְעַטֵּף וּמִתְלַבֵּשׁ בְּתוֹךְ תֵּיבוֹת הַתְּפִלָּה הַסְּדוּרָה בְּפִי כֹּל,

the revelation that happens when He is enveloped and clothed within the words of the prayer that is fluent in every person's mouth, All people pray – not only righteous and holy people abstracted of physicality who have insights into the supernal worlds. That which can clothe God's glory and greatness to the lowest places, in each individual's awareness and feeling, is the simple text of the prayer written in the siddur that every person can recite. The text of prayer that we have, which was instituted by the Men of the Great Assembly for all Jews at all times, was not instituted for people on some particular level of attainment. Unlike the way in which a particular human intellectual message descends to be enclothed in speech, the Men of the Great Assembly took their universal comprehension that was imbued with divine inspiration, that came from being the central representatives of the totality of the congregation of Israel, and created this template that resonates with the intrinsic character of the congregation of Israel: that is to say, to every Jew in every era. This template is not based on the faculties and intellectual abilities of the particular person who is praying. Therefore, this template of the siddur can be fluent in the mouth of every Jew, because it contains this revelation in itself and descends with it to the "physical" plane of words and letters.

וּמִתְגַּלֶּה לְכָל אֶחָד לְפִי שִׂכְלוֹ וְשׁוֹרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתוֹ.

a revelation that is revealed to each person in accordance with his intellect and the root of his soul. God's revelation of Himself to an individual at the time of prayer is in accordance with the individual's intellect and soul root. Every revelation requires a vessel in which it is contained and through which it is revealed. If a person lacks the words and concepts to encompass what he sees, then even if he is aware that something is happening – a change in the atmosphere, new abilities that arise in him – it is not yet revealed to him. A person's intellect – comprised of his thinking, concepts, and knowledge – is the vessel in which the divine illumination is contained and via which it is revealed. The revelation is in keeping with the vessel. The more expansive a person's concepts, the more refined and abstract his discernment, the more developed his ability to interpret and arrange the revelation, then the higher, more expansive and more tangible will the revelation to him be. In a deeper sense, the root of a person's soul determines the manner of the revelation. A person's intellect, which fumbles its way forward, feeling and reaching conclusions, is the outermost tool of his soul. As his soul and the root of his soul receive these signs and signals, they respond in their individual way. Two people who have grown up in the same environment and learned the same topics from the same teachers should apparently have similar comprehension. However, they see things completely differently because the root of their soul is different.

כְּדִכְתִיב: ״לְפִי שִׂכְלוֹ יְהֻלַּל אִישׁ״ (משלי יב,ח) ״יְהַלֵּל״ כְּתִיב.

As the verse states, "According to his intellect, a man will be praised (yehulal )" (Prov. 12:8). "Yehulal (will be praised)" is written in a way that it can be read as yehalel ("will praise"). Whenever a word in Tanakh is not read the same way that it is written, that means that it has two meanings: revealed and hidden. Here, the revealed meaning is that a man will be praised in accordance with his intellect, that others will recognize him and praise him. But the hidden meaning is that a person praises God in accordance with his understanding of God's greatness. This second meaning is considered hidden because it is something that others do not see. A person's praise of God is initially internal, something between him and God. Also, his praise of God is an expression of the essence of his soul. At that moment, the soul does not relate to the world, and the world does not relate to it. The soul is alone with God. Its entire being is its experience of the revelation of God, and its praise is the light that it reflects back to Him. On the other hand, the pronounced form of the word, yehulal, is that which is revealed: the way in which the soul is revealed to others and to itself.

וּמַלְכוּתָא דִּרְקִיעַ כְּעֵין מַלְכוּתָא דְּאַרְעָא,

The kingdom of heaven reflects the kingdom of earth, This Talmudic statement has far-reaching meaning. It implies that the sovereignty of heaven, meaning, the sovereignty of God, resembles the orders of sovereignty of a flesh-and-blood king in this world, and that which we know of sovereignty below applies above as well. The topic of this epistle is a person's connection with God, with heaven, with prayer. Therefore, the author of the Tanya reverses the Talmudic statement. He teaches that not only does that which happens above mirrors that which happens below. The converse is also true and a person can shape heaven in accordance with what he does here below.

שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ לִהְיוֹת חֶבְיוֹן עוּזּוֹ בְּחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים,

as it is the way of a king for the hidden shelter of his might to be in the innermost chamber, This refers to a human king. He is not revealed to everyone. The glory that characterizes his sovereignty inheres in the fact that he is hidden, that there is distance and difference between him and the people, chamber after chamber.

וְכַמָּה שׁוֹמְרִים עַל הַפְּתָחִים,

with several guards before the entrances, Between every chamber, between every level, there is an opening, since the essence of sovereignty is not absolutely differentiated and disconnected from the people, but rather a classified connection. Not everyone may enter and even those who are granted permission may do so only at certain times. The guards only allow the elite to enter or merely glance inside, and that, only after they prepare themselves. In terms of the heavenly kingdom, these "guards" are not angels of destruction standing with a sword in their hands or anything else external. Rather, they are a person's internal obstacles. God reveals Himself to everyone. That being the case, the only factor that prevents the revelation is the person himself: his intellect, the root of his soul and, principally, his will and his striving, and at the very least the fact that at the time of prayer he turns his attention to other things.

(עַד) אֲשֶׁר כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה מְצַפִּים יָמִים וְשָׁנִים לִרְאוֹת עוּזּוֹ וּכְבוֹדוֹ.

(until) numerous people wait days and years to see his might and glory. People who want to see a human king must wait and prepare themselves for years for the chance to do so.

וּכְשֶׁעָלָה רְצוֹנוֹ לְהִתְגַּלּוֹת לַכֹּל,

And when it has arisen in his will to reveal himself to all, And when this wondrous moment happens, that the king desires to reveal himself - not in response to the will of those who wished to see him, but for his own intrinsic reason. The author of the Tanya uses precise language here, "to reveal himself to all;" the king decides to reveal himself to all people equally. They are all invited to come before him. In terms of the kingdom of heaven, this refers to all Jews – as a whole and as individuals – who are invited to come to the synagogue to pray.

וְהֶעֱבִיר קוֹל בְּכָל מַלְכוּתוֹ לְהִקָּהֵל וְלַעֲמוֹד לְפָנָיו לְהַרְאוֹתָם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ וִיקַר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוּלָּתוֹ,

and he circulates a proclamation throughout his kingdom that the people should assemble and stand before him so that he may show them his glorious kingdom and the honor of the greatness of his majesty, The will of the King does not remain hidden, but rather, "circulates," is the significant bridge between the inner and external dimensions. He draws down a "proclamation throughout His kingdom," which implies, throughout all the worlds. Although this revelation arose in the King's will in a one- sided way, in actuality it cannot occur only one-sided. There are some things that can be done unidirectionally, such as creating infinite worlds. But revelation cannot be unidirectional. As stated earlier, revelation is in accordance with the recipient's intellect, with his soul. This applies to all domains. Even if a person is shown sights and visions, that does not mean that he comprehends them. He must want, seek, understand and process what he sees within his soul. Only then is something revealed to him. Here too, in order for Hashem to be revealed to all, people must gather together, to congregate in one place and open themselves to each other – they must have a single will with a united intent and a single way of thought, in order to be together in that experience. They must stand, because standing always indicates self-nullification (like standing in prayer and like the standing in place of the seraphim). That nullification is a vital condition for revelation: every revelation of something new requires the nullification of a person's previous knowledge, and in a certain sense even of the recipient's personhood and being. All the more so, regarding a public community: it is impossible for there to be a public if the individuals do not nullify themselves in some way to each other; and how much more before Him. By way of analogy, relating to another person superficially does not require self-nullification: one takes from him what one needs, and that is all. But every instance of relating to the inner essence of another requires self-nullification: what is relevant is not what I want and think, but what the other being wants and thinks, and so forth. In order to receive, a person must first nullify (in that context) his own will and understanding. All of this, as stated earlier, is a preparation that people must make so that the King will show them the glory of His sovereignty.

מִי שֶׁעוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו

then, if a person who stands before him People who stand before the king are no longer at the starting point: the king has issued his proclamation, and the people have come and they are standing before him. After all of the effort and striving, from the highest to the lowest level, the tension reaches its pinnacle. Even before any revelation, the king is already present. From the aspect of the anticipation and intention of the king and the people, this is the peak moment, even more than the subsequent moment of revelation.

וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ לִרְאוֹתוֹ, וּמִתְעַסֵּק בִּצְרָכָיו,

does not care to see him but is preoccupied with his own needs, If, at that moment, a person has no interest in seeing the king, if he is not entirely concerned with standing before him, but he instead attends to his own needs – he answers the phone, he counts his money – then even if he does not leave (and he does nothing forbidden) his behavior is unimaginable. What can possibly be said about such a person?

כַּמָּה גָּרוּעַ וְסָכָל וּפֶתִי הוּא! וְנִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמָה בְּעֵינֵי כָּל הַבְּרִיּוֹת.

how inferior, foolish, and witless that person is! All people view him as comparable to the beasts that perish. One cannot say that this person is wicked, because he has no tangible benefit from his behavior. He is simply an utter idiot! Whoever sees a person acting this way cannot understand how it is possible for someone to fail to appreciate the situation he is in. The only way to explain this is by saying that he is like an animal that lacks the intelligence to understand and distinguish between one situation and another (e.g., between the Temple and a barn), and to act accordingly.

וְגַם הוּא בִּזְיוֹן הַמֶּלֶךְ,

In addition, this person has insulted the king, because he shows the king that to have gratification and pleasure from gazing at the king's honor and beauty is not more important to him than dealing with his own needs. Besides the fact that the person's behavior is idiotic and disgraceful, it constitutes an insult to the king. The fact that in his idiocy the person loses this rare chance that was given to him is his own problem. But when he insults the king, that is altogether a different problem.

וְגַם הוּא מִתְחַיֵּיב בְּנַפְשׁוֹ לַמֶּלֶךְ, עַל הַרְאוֹת קְלוֹנוֹ וּבִזְיוֹנוֹ אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ לְעֵין כָּל רוֹאֶה.

He also incurs death before the king because he displays his disrespect and contempt for the king for all to see. If a person insults the king in private, the king can respond in whatever way he desires. He can even overlook the slight. But when a person insults the king in public, in the sight of everyone, that constitutes rebellion against the sovereignty, the punishment for which is death. Even the king cannot forgive him, as it were.

וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: ״וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן״ (משלי ג,לה). כְּלוֹמַר, אַף שֶׁהוּא כְּסִיל לֹא יִהְיֶה מֵרִים קָלוֹן, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִרְאֶה הַקָּלוֹן לְעֵין כֹּל.

Regarding this, the verse states, "And fools raise shame" (Prov. 3:35). That is to say, even if a person is a fool, he should not lift up the king's shame, making his shame visible to all. Even if a person is a fool, an idiot and a sinner, he should not act that way before others so that they may see and participate. This is an allusion to public prayer in the synagogue. A person who acts in such a disgraceful way ruins not only his own standing before God, but that of the entire congregation. And from the perspective of God the King, a public insult is an insult to the higher and much more perfected level that is manifested especially in the congregation, in particularly a group of ten Jews.

וְעַל כֵּן קָבְעוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ ז״ל (ברכות לג,א) בַּתְּפִלָּה כְּאִלּוּ עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ.

Therefore, our Sages instituted the principle (Berakhot 33a) that in prayer a person should feel as though he is standing before the king. This is the image that our sages depicted for every person to imagine in his mind's eye. God reveals Himself in many ways: as a father, as a rabbi, as a hasid or as a warrior; every one of his names and sefirot is essentially another form in which he expresses Himself. Yet, when a person prays, he must imagine that he is standing before the King.

עַל כָּל פָּנִים יִהְיֶה מַרְאֶה בְּעַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ עוֹמֵד כו׳

At the very least, he should present himself as though he is standing…, It is proper and desirable that a person feel that he is standing before the King of kings, because that is in fact the case. However, even if he cannot, he should at any rate, act as though he is standing before the King.

לְעֵין כָּל רוֹאֶה בְּעֵינֵי בָשָׂר אֶל מַעֲשָׂיו וְדִיבּוּרָיו,

in the view of all who see his conduct and speech with their physical eyes, He should at least act appropriately in physical and exterior matters - in his actions and speech - that other people can see. No one else knows what a person experiences, but others can hear and see what he says and does.

אַף שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מַחֲשָׁבָה לַכְּסִיל.

even though a fool has no thought. In Likkutei Amarim, the author of the Tanya discusses three categories of people: the tzaddik, the beinoni, and the wicked person. He states that the beinoni exercises control over the three garments of his soul: thought, speech, and deed. Here, he discusses the fool, who is not presently a beinoni, yet is still part of the congregation, one of the ten that the Divine Presence rests upon. He is neither a beinoni, nor is actually wicked. In relation to the service of the congregation, the author of the Tanya speaks of this additional distinction between garments of the soul, that he does not discuss in Likkutei Amarim. Although he does not control his thought, he does control the two external garments of his soul: his speech and deeds, and that suffices for him to be a part of the congregation. As for the internal garment, that of thought, even if he has no thought, even if he cannot think and imagine that he is standing before the King, he can still be part of the congregation, as long as he can speak and act like a person standing before the King.

וְעַל זֶה הָעִנְיָן נִתְקַן כָּל הַתְּפִלּוֹת, לַמִּתְבּוֹנֵן בָּהֶם הֵיטֵב.

All of the prayers were established after this pattern, as may be seen by anyone who reflects deeply on them. The structure of the prayer service and all of its laws and customs were established to support the pattern of a person standing before the King. The King invites each of us to a private and personal meeting, for which we prepare ourselves. First, we dress appropriately, in tallit and tefillin. We prepare our mind by reflecting on the King's greatness and on His lovingkindness in having agreed to receive us. Then we enter the palace and pass from room to room. We go from the outer chamber (Pesukei deZimra ) to the chamber where the great servants stand (the blessings on the Shema ) and from there to the inner chamber where the important ministers stand. At last, as we recite the Amida, we stand before the King in awe, fear and love, and we bow before Him. We do not immediately state what we want, but first address Him with words of praise. After that, we make our requests, following which we again bow and thank Him. And then we take our leave, not turning away but stepping backwards. We retrace our steps from room to room, as we leave the palace. As the kabbalistic books state, the order of prayer after the Amida parallels in reverse order the prayer leading to the Amida.

וּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַרְאֶה כֵּן מִתְחַיֵּיב בְּנַפְשׁוֹ,

A person who does not present himself in this manner incurs the death penalty, This is no game: it is really the case. Even if a person does not feel that he is standing before the King, that does not change the fact that he in fact is. When we come to pray, regardless of what we feel, we are standing before Him, and we are not free to act otherwise.

וְעָלָיו אָמְרוּ בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ (חלק ב קלא,ב): דְּאַנְהִיג קְלָנָא בְּתִקּוּנָא עִילָּאָה וְאַחֲזֵי פְּרוּדָא, וְלֵית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא בֶּאֱלָהָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, רַחֲמָנָא לִיצְּלַן.

and the holy Zohar says of such a person (2:131b) that "he brings the shame to the supernal rectification and shows that he is separate, and thus he has no share in the God of Israel," God save us. The "supernal rectification" is the unification and perfection of the supernal faculties. Intrinsically, these faculties are already rectified. Damage, destruction, confusion, and concealment exist only in the worlds below. However, since what is below descends from and is linked to what is above, any damage below affects that which is above. As long as that which is below remains unrectified, the rectification above is no longer whole and genuine. And only a person who is himself in the world below can rectify it. When he rectifies himself and the worlds via his Torah, service of God and deeds of lovingkindness, he draws the oneness, God's unity with His Divine Presence, up to the highest heights, higher and higher. However, if a person does not bring about any rectification below – for instance, if, during prayer, which is the time of unification and bonding of all the worlds, he acts as though he is not standing before the King, and he separates himself from the King – then, because he does not attend to the supernal rectification, he disgraces it. With that, he demonstrates separation from the rectification and from the supernal oneness. Consequently, "he has no portion" – bond and relationship - "with the God of Israel," who is one. Saying that a Jew has no portion in the God of Israel is extremely grave, perhaps the gravest statement that one can make, one that is even frightening. Therefore, the author of the Tanya adds, "God save him."

עַל כֵּן שְׁלִיחוּתַיְיהוּ דְּרַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל קָא עָבֵידְנָא לִגְזוֹר גְּזֵירָה שָׁוָה לְכָל נֶפֶשׁ

Consequently, I am coming as an agent of our Rabbis to impose a decree applying equally to everyone: The author of the Tanya is not initiating anything new. He comes as an agent of our Sages, who established the text and order of the prayer, and stated that a person should view himself as standing before the King. The decree of excommunication that the author of the Tanya institutes is based on the authority of the early Sages, to whose words all Jews are obligated. Just as the order of prayer applies equally to all and is not unique to a spiritual elite – to Torah sages or tzaddikim – so too this decree applies to and obligates every individual: a simple Jew and a pious scholar alike.

שֶׁלֹּא לָשׂוּחַ שִׂיחָה בְּטֵלָה, מִשֶּׁיַּתְחִיל הַשְּׁלִיחַ צִיבּוּר לְהִתְפַּלֵּל הַתְּפִלָּה עַד גְּמַר קַדִּישׁ בַּתְרָא, שַׁחֲרִית עַרְבִית וּמִנְחָה וכו׳.

That a person should not engage in idle conversation from when the Prayer Leader starts the prayers until the end of the last Kaddish : In the morning prayer, the evening prayer, and the afternoon prayer… This decree does not add to the halakha, which states that a person may not engage in any trivial conversation in the synagogue, and certainly not when the Prayer Leader starts the prayers. Apparently, this is a "decree" in that it imposes excommunication upon a person who transgresses this rule.

וְהָעוֹבֵר עַל זֶה בְּזָדוֹן יֵשֵׁב עַל הָאָרֶץ, וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִ־ג׳ אֲנָשִׁים שֶׁיַּתִּירוּ לוֹ נִידּוּי שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה.

A person who purposely violates this decree must sit on the ground and ask three people to nullify the supernal excommunication that has been imposed upon him. If a person is aware that such conversation at the time of prayer is forbidden yet he engaged in it, this decree of excommunication applies to him. To rectify that, he must sit on the ground like a mourner (an excommunicated person must engage in a number of mourning customs). Excommunication may be removed only by three Jewish men, who constitute a Jewish court of law. Even if a person was excommunicated by a single sage or via a decree (as the one here) or even if he accepted excommunication upon himself, he requires a Jewish court of law to release him. That is because excommunication is not a punishment imposed solely by human beings, but punishment in which human beings participate with God, as it were. Therefore, releasing a decree of excommunication also requires the participation of human beings with God. This is accomplished by a Jewish court of law, since God's Presence rests on every such court and so is considered God's own court of law.

״וְשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ״ (ישעיה ו,י) וְלֹא חָל עָלָיו שׁוּם נִידּוּי לְמַפְרֵעַ כָּל עִיקָּר.

"And he will repent and be healed" (Isa. 6:10). Retroactively, no excommunication will have applied to him at all. After having made grave statements about this sin and its punishment, the author of the Tanya concludes with words of appeasement and consolation. Excommunication is like illness. Therefore, being released from it is the equivalent of healing. However, this healing is not like that in the case of a physical disease, in which a person was ill and is now cured. With this healing, it is as though the person had never been "ill," as though he had never been excommunicated.

כִּי מִתְּחִלָּתוֹ לֹא חָל כִּי אִם עַל הַמּוֹרְדִים וְהַפּוֹשְׁעִים שֶׁאֵינָם חוֹשְׁשִׁים כְּלָל לְבַקֵּשׁ כַּפָּרָה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וּמִן הַבְּרִיּוֹת עַל הֶעָוֹן פְּלִילִי הַזֶּה.

That is because from the outset this excommunication applied only to rebels and transgressors, who have no intent whatsoever to request forgiveness of Heaven and of people for this criminal offense. Although this person acted willfully, there is a great difference between being willful and being rebellious and sinful. Even as a willful person sins, he knows that he is committing a sin, and he also knows the severity of the sin. Nevertheless, he is not rebelling against God. He sins because his evil inclination has overcome him, because a thought of foolishness has entered into him. But in essence, he is still sound. However, a rebellious person turns his back on God's sovereignty. Therefore, he does not request forgiveness for this sin. But when a person understands that he deserves excommunication and so he sits on the ground and asks three people to release him, he demonstrates that that he was not acting as a rebel. Therefore, from the outset the excommunication had never applied to him.

וְגַם דַּוְקָא כְּשֶׁמְּדַבְּרִים בְּזָדוֹן בִּשְׁאָט נֶפֶשׁ, וְלֹא עַל הַשּׁוֹכֵחַ אוֹ שֶׁנִּזְרְקוּ מִפִּיו כַּמָּה תֵּיבוֹת בְּלֹא מִתְכַּוֵּין, שֶׁאֵין צָרִיךְ הַתָּרָה כְּלָל.

Also, this applies specifically when people speak willfully, with contempt, not when a person forgets to refrain from speaking or when a few words have slipped unwittingly from his mouth. That does not require annulment at all. He is not even like a person who did something wrong thinking that it is permitted. Rather, he had acted without thinking. Such a person does not require to be released from excommunication, because he had never really incurred excommunication. Even when it does not occur to him to seek atonement, and so allegedly he does not repent, that is not necessarily a sign that he is being rebellious, because it is possible that he is completely oblivious to what he has been doing.

״וּבוֹחֵן לִבּוֹת וּכְלָיוֹת אֱלֹקִים צַדִּיק״ (תהלים ז,י).

"The God of righteousness probes men's minds and hearts" (Ps. 7:10). Only God can see such differentiations in a person's intent, even when the person himself does not really know the nature of his impetus when he acted as he did. A person may rely on the "God of righteousness" to see and judge him truly and fairly.

״הֵטִיבָה ה׳ לַטּוֹבִים וְלִישָׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹתָם״ (תהלים קכה,ד).

"Be good, Lord, to those who are good, and to the upright of heart" (Ps. 125:4). The author of the Tanya concludes with the language of prayer and blessing: May God, who probes the heart, be good to a person who is good and upright in his heart, even if he does not always appear to be. May God treat him well and not judge him as guilty.