בָּרֵךְ ה׳ חֵילָם וּפוֹעַל יָדָם יִרְצֶה

Bless, O Lord, their might, and accept the work of their hands (see Deut. 33:11) The author of the Tanya will typically begin an epistle with a rhetorical flourish derived from Scripture. These paraphrases of verses and their interrelations contain allusions to the topic he will proceed to discuss. The opening words here are taken from Moses's blessing of the tribe of Levi (with a change from the singular to the plural). The might and work of the hands of the Levites – to be more precise, of the priests – are expressed in their service in the Temple. Thus, the author of the Tanya is comparing the service of charity performed by the people to the holy service in the Temple. This is because charity in general, and more specifically charity for the community, like the service of the offerings, is a general mitzva of the public realm, in which one gives and draws something from this world to God. In the case of sacrificial services, we give of ourselves and our essence to God without making any worldly calculations. Similarly, the ethic of giving charity is ultimately not a heavenly calculation rather than a worldly one. A poor person is not expected to pay back what he receives. Rather, God Himself becomes the donor's debtor, as it were.

לְרָצוֹן לָהֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ תָּמִיד

so that they may gain favor before the Lord always (see Ex. 28:38). Their activity should always be pleasing to God. That is to say, it should be directed to the interiority of His supernal will and placed "before the Lord." "The Lord" refers to the name of Havaya, whose letters allude to all ten sefirot, through which God reveals Himself and bestows upon His creatures. Thus, "before the Lord" means that the hasidim should be on a level before – in the sense of prior to – His entire relationship to the fluctuating world, on a level that is eternal and always pleasing. As we will see below, this is referring to a person who influences others to give. The activity of such an individual is more profound than the act of charity itself, than the entire world of action. It is comparable to the inner divine will that precedes actual creation, which precedes the name of Havaya, the name applied to God when He brings the world into existence and acts upon it. In this and in other senses, the action of such a person relates to the inner divine will that is "before the Lord always."

כֹּה יִתֵּן וְכֹה יוֹסִיף ה׳, לְאַמֵּץ לִבָּם בַּגִּבּוֹרִים

So may God grant and so may He continue to fortify their hearts among the mighty. May God give them and continue to give to them in keeping with their donation and even beyond that measure. May He fortify their hearts among the mighty so that they will be the mightiest of all. Although giving charity is an expression of kindness to another, it also requires a person to act with fortitude toward himself, because he is taking something away from himself in order to give to the other. Thus, the author of the Tanya blesses his hasidim with the wish that their courage and might should increase.

וְנָדִיב עַל נְדִיבוֹת יָקוּם לִהְיוֹת גָּדוֹל הַמְעַשֶּׂה בְּכָל עִיר וּמִנְיָן, וְתֵחָשֵׁב לוֹ לִצְדָקָה

And may each generous person be established through his generous deeds to be great because he causes others to act charitably in every city and congregation. And may their charity be considered his own charity. One might be worried that his charitable generosity could undermine his financial security. Therefore, the author of the Tanya blesses his hasidim that, on the contrary, they will be well established on account of their generosity. Furthermore, a person who causes others to give, who inspires the community to be generous, attains even greater merit, reward, and stature than those who themselves give. That is because a person who causes others to give is greater than one who performs the deed of giving itself. The greatness and value of a deed depend on many factors: Its difficulty, the psychological and financial situation of the parties involved, and so forth. No two cases are exactly alike. Therefore, the author of the Tanya adds the phrase "in every city and congregation," to indicate that the greatness of a person who influences others is measured in relation to the specific population in question. It is as if he himself gave that charity. Up to this point, the author of the Tanya has spoken of a person who moves others: One who organizes, persuades, and leads the community to give charity. He will return to this individual later on, but for now he turns his attention to one who himself acts.

וְעַל הָעוֹשֶׂה נֶאֱמַר: ״צִדְקָתוֹ עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד״ (תהלים קיב,ט) ״עוֹמֶדֶת״ לְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה, שֶׁמְּקַבֵּל הִתְעוֹרְרוּת לִבּוֹ הַטָּהוֹר מִ׳גָּדוֹל הַמְעַשֶּׂה,

With regard to one who acts, it is stated, "His charity stands forever" (Ps. 112:9). "Stands" is in the feminine form, because the person who acts receives the awakening of his pure heart from the greater person [gadol, in the masculine], the one who causes others to act. With regard to one who gives charity, the verse states, "His charity stands forever" (Ps. 112:9). The word "stands" is in the feminine since he did not act of his own volition but because he was inspired by another. In spiritual matters, the "feminine" corresponds to the level of the recipient and the "masculine" to the level of the giver. Here the feminine form is applied to the act of giving charity because the giver is not acting on his own initiative but because he was inspired and influenced by another. Nevertheless, he did not reject this influence but accepted it and complied with it. That itself is a virtue, and therefore the charity is attributed to him and is called "his charity."

אַף עַל פִּי כֵן ״עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד״. פֵּירוּשׁ, שֶׁכָּל הַצְּדָקָה וְהַחֶסֶד שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, מִנִּדְבַת לִבָּם הַטָּהוֹר, הֵן הֵנָּה חַיּוֹת וְקַיָּימוֹת בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי עַד זְמַן הַתְּחִיָּיה

Nevertheless, his charity "stands forever." This means that all the charity and kindness that the people of Israel perform in this world out of the generosity of their pure hearts remain alive and in existence in this material world until the time of the resurrection, The word "always" is attributed to one who inspires others to act. Here the author of the Tanya adds that the person who acts, and his action, also exist eternally. This is one of the differences between masculine and feminine, between giver and receiver. The giver comes from above, from outside the system upon which he exerts his influence. Therefore, he and his influence transcend the internal changes within the system. He is in the realm of the "always" and the unchanging. In contrast, the receiver, the feminine, are dependent on what they receive, and are therefore not described as "always." Nevertheless, since the giver has his own personality and free will to decide whether or not to accept the influence – and, if he does, in what manner – his acceptance essentially includes an aspect that is not only an act of receiving. Moreover, his receiving itself contains an aspect of giving, as has been explained in reference to the Sages' statement that "more than the calf wants to suck, the cow wants to suckle" (Pesaḥim 112a). Through his very agreement to receive, it is as though he is providing the one who bestows with the will to bestow. Here too, the one who receives the influence and performs the act of charity is thereby elevated above the natural physical reality of his world, and thus through act of his he stands "forever." However, the epistle's primary concern here is not the person giving the charity but the act of charity itself: What causes charity – in contrast to every other action in the world, which deteriorate, disintegrate, and erode – to "stand forever"? The act of charity is exceptional because in a sense it is not entirely an act of this world. An act that is entirely charitable and kind, which is not dependent on receiving any recompense in this world and in general is unallied to any personal motive and anything in this world, although it is an action performed in this world, is not in fact part of this world. Rather, it is like a penetration of the infinite into this world. Therefore, even though it is enclothed in the world, it stands forever. What is the nature of the life force that "stands forever" within the acts of charity, and in a sense within all of the commandments, which the people of Israel perform? Apparently, this world that God created should have been perfect and eternal, just as He is. However (as explained at length in the kabbalistic literature) in the past it was impaired, and therefore it is now not as straight as it had been when it was created, but distorted. As a result, it does not simply reflect the divinity that creates it and gives it life. Instead, it tells a different story, a false tale. When people hear this falsehood, believe it, are enticed by it, and live in accordance with it, they amplify it. This falsehood is the source of the world's temporal nature. By contrast, when people perform commandments, and particularly when they perform acts of charity and kindness, this generates rectifications. As people perform acts of truth, things move to their proper places and connect with the truth. In this manner, the commandments slowly change the story of the world, the order and meaning of matters in the world, until – when everything will come together and the entire world will speak the truth – the world will exist forever, unchanging. The statement that charity and kind deeds are "alive and in existence in this material world until the time of the resurrection" means precisely that they act to rectify and properly align this world. This is occurring even if we cannot observe it. By the nature of things, such an effect cannot be sensed until it is complete. The same applies to mundane cases: For example, a group of workers, each of whom is laboring within a large system, will be able to see the totality of their work only when everything is finished and the system begins to work. Therefore, at present, since the rectification is incomplete, because we only see, think, and feel in terms of this world in its current configuration, the infinite, eternal meaning of charity is hidden from us. However, all this applies only "until the time of the resurrection."

שֶׁאָז הוּא זְמַן גִּילּוּי אֱלֹקוּת וְאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִבְּחִינַת סוֹבֵב כָּל עָלְמִין בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה

which is the time of the revelation in this world of the Divine and of the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds, The "time of the resurrection" will be the era of the revelation of divinity and the infinite light surrounding all worlds, a light that expresses the divine itself. Not only does that light not exist within the world, but the world actually exists within it. That light surrounds and contains the dimensions of the world, namely time and space. It cannot be revealed in the world as it is now, but only at the time of the resurrection. Then the mitzva of charity that one performed in this world, which has been alive and in existence since then in a state of concealment, will be revealed.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בַּאֲרִיכוּת בַּמִּכְתָּב דְּאֶשְׁתָּקַד

as was explained at length in my epistle of last year. This is apparently a reference to epistle 17, which discusses in great detail the reward for performing the commandments that will be given in the Garden of Eden and at the time of the resurrection of the dead, when the light that surrounds all worlds will be revealed. The author of the Tanya refers to that epistle because his statement above about "the revelation in this world of the divine and of the light of Ein Sof, blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds" contains an internal contradiction. He cannot address that problem in his brief remarks here, but since it cannot simply be ignored, he refers to epistle 17, which discusses that topic at length.

וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת כְּלִי וּמָכוֹן לְהִתְלַבֵּשׁ בּוֹ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּמוֹ הַגּוּף לַנְּשָׁמָה עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל

And there must be a vessel and abode in which the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, can be enclothed – like the body for the soul, figuratively speaking. Light without a vessel is a meaningless abstraction. It cannot be revealed and it cannot exert any influence. In order for the light to be revealed, for it to be meaningful in a particular place, it must be enclothed in a vessel. The analogy for this idea is the soul, which can be revealed and act within this world only when it is enclothed in a body.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״הֲלֹא כֹה דְּבָרִי כָּאֵשׁ״ (ירמיה כג,כט), מָה אֵשׁ אֵינָהּ מְאִירָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁנֶּאֱחֶזֶת וּמִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בַּפְּתִילָה כו׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר

As the verse states, "Truly, so is My word, like fire?" (Jer. 23:29) – just as fire shines in this world only when it is grasped by and enclothed in a wick…, as explained elsewhere. Just as fire in an oil lamp has to grasp the wick and oil, so too the light of the divine soul shines in a person only when it has something to which it can grasp. The animal soul is analogous to the wick, which burns as it is transformed into holiness (whether it is subdued or transformed into holiness), and the oil that maintains the fire represents one's good deeds, the mitzvot that he performs. The object of this analogy is the illumination of the divine light that fills all worlds, and which shines and fills a person's soul and his life in this world. However, one's service of performing the commandments in this world with his body and animal soul is not enough to bring forth the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds. Something beyond that is necessary, something that is apparently impossible: A vessel that can contain that unlimited light that surrounds all worlds.

וְהַגּוּף וְהַכְּלִי לְאוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הִיא מִדַּת הַחֶסֶד וּנְדִיבַת הַלֵּב, לִיתֵּן וּלְהַשְׁפִּיעַ חַיּוּת לְמַאן דְּלֵית לֵיהּ כו׳

And the body and vessel for His light is a person's attribute of kindness and generosity of heart, as expressed in his giving and bestowing vitality upon one who is lacking…, In order to contain infinitude, a vessel must itself be infinite, which is apparently impossible. Nevertheless, something of that sort does exist within a human being: Not an absolute infinitude, but a relative infinitude, a certain breaking forth out of the finite realm, which can serve as a vessel for the light that is literally infinite. All creatures apart from man exist and live within the parameters and boundaries of their nature, which they cannot break through, because these constitute their limits and essence. A human being, by contrast, can by virtue of his essential being freely choose to act against his nature and the nature and logic of the world. He can give charitably to someone who is undeserving or to one who has nothing and cannot give anything in return. This is not madness; it is an expression of the power of Ein Sof that is imprinted in this person. Here, in this body and in this world, he can perform an act of undeserved kindness that goes beyond finitude. He does not do so out of necessity; rather, he makes the decision on the basis of the power of the image of God within him, which only God can do, other than him. His decision to act in this manner forges a vessel down here below in which God Himself dwells and is revealed.

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתִּיקּוּנִים (הקדמת תיקוני זהר [יז,א]): וְכַמָּה גּוּפִין תְּקִינַת לוֹן

as written in the Tikkunim (Introduction to Tikkunei Zohar 17a): "And You prepared a number of bodies for them, which are called, in this rectification, Ḥesed , which is the right arm." The entire body is incorporated into the right. Even God's attributes have vessels for the light of Ein Sof, which are the sefirot. The first vessel is the attribute of Ḥesed. The character of divine Ḥesed is to give to one who, in comparison to the divine, has nothing. Although the Tikkunei Zohar goes on to speak of the other sefirot as well – "Gevura is the left arm, Tiferet is the body," and so forth, the author of the Tanya here emphasizes that they are all included in Ḥesed. Ḥesed is the first sefira in the order of the devolution of the attributes, and in a sense, it incorporates them all. All of the other sefirot are ways of defining, directing, and bestowing this Ḥesed. From the aspect of the recipient, Gevura is Gevura of Ḥesed, the necessary constriction of infinite Ḥesed so that the recipient may receive it. Netzaḥ and Hod are the manner that Ḥesed relates to the recipient, how he may receive, and so forth. All of the divine attributes, the vessels for the infinite light, are essentially expressions of Ḥesed, of granting abundance to one who is lacking.

וְכָךְ אָמַר הַפַּיָּיט: ״לְבוּשׁוֹ צְדָקָה״

And so did the liturgical poet say: "His garment is charity." God's garment, the vessel in which He is revealed, is charity. That applies both above, in the supernal realm, insofar as everything that God does in relation to the worlds is charity, and also below, in that God's revelation in the worlds is manifested through the charity that the people of Israel perform.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז״ל (סוכה מט,ב): אֵין הַצְּדָקָה מִשְׁתַּלֶּמֶת אֶלָּא לְפִי חֶסֶד שֶׁבָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״זִרְעוּ לָכֶם לִצְדָקָה קִצְרוּ לְפִי חֶסֶד״ (הושע י,יב)

And that is the meaning of the Rabbis' statement (Sukka 49b): "A person's charity is recompensed from Heaven only in accordance with the kindness in it, as the verse states,'Sow charity for yourselves; reap according to kindness'" (Hos. 10:12). This statement of the Rabbis distinguishes between charity and kindness. Charity is the giving of money to a needy person. Kindness is the interiority of the deed: How the money is given, with what intent, whether it is done with a pleasant demeanor, how much effort is involved, and so forth. The comparison of charity to sowing seeds means that one who gives charity will receive a reward – comparable to the harvest that follows the sowing – commensurate with the measure of his kindness, rather than with the amount given. The author of the Tanya now proceeds to reveal a deeper and more comprehensive meaning of this rabbinic statement.

שֶׁהַקָּצִיר הוּא גִּילּוּי הַזְּרִיעָה הַטְּמוּנָה בָּאָרֶץ, וְכָךְ הוּא הַצְּדָקָה וְהַחֶסֶד שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין בִּזְמַן הַגָּלוּת, הִיא טְמוּנָה וְנִסְתֶּרֶת עַד זְמַן הַתְּחִיָּה

That is because the harvest is the revelation of the seed that was buried in the ground. And the same applies to the charity and kindness that the people of Israel perform during the time of exile: It is buried and concealed until the time of the resurrection, Giving charity is comparable to sowing. There is apparently no logic to sowing. We take a good seed, bury it, and it disintegrates in the ground. The same is true of charity: One gives a gift to someone who has nothing and from whom the giver will receive nothing in return. Yet just as one who sows does not see the reward of sowing seeds at the time, but only at the harvest, so too we do not see the reward of giving charity during the entire exile, but we will see it at the time of the redemption, at the resurrection of the dead.

שֶׁיִּתְלַבֵּשׁ וְיָאִיר אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי

when the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, will be enclothed and radiate in this material world. At the time of the resurrection, there will be a revelation of the bond between the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds and the worlds themselves, which at present appears impossible. It will be revealed in this physical world, where the dead will be resurrected. The vessel and garment in which the light of Ein Sof will be revealed will be the charity sown in the earth, the charity that the people of Israel gave during the period of the exile. That is the meaning of "reap according to kindness." The revelation at the time of the resurrection is not to any extent commensurate with the value of the material charity that was given, but it is commensurate with the kindness that inhered in those acts of charity, with the movement of the soul of the kindness: A flow that was not restricted by whether the giver will receive anything in return and what that might be. Just as the sowing of kindness involves a movement of the infinite beyond the reckonings of income and expenditure, the same will occur in the future harvest as well: The light of Ein Sof will shine regardless of what was sown. How will the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds be enclothed in the physical world? Nothing like this exists in our world. Nevertheless, there is a description closely resembling it (which exists in holy texts, at any rate) of the lights enclothed in the vessels of the world of Atzilut. The author of the Tanya now proceeds to explain something about how the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds will be enclothed and revealed at the time of the resurrection.

וְאִיהוּ וְגַרְמוֹהִי חַד הֵם בְּחִינַת הַכֵּלִים דְּעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דַּאֲצִילוּת

And "He and His attributes are one" with the vessels of the ten sefirot of Atzilut , With regard to the relationship between the light and vessels in the world of Atzilut, the Zohar says that they are one: There is a unity of revelation of light and vessel without any division between them. This idea can be explained as follows: In our world, while the vessel does effect revelation, it always conceals as well. The lower a world is, the greater the amount of concealment of a vessel in relation to the revelation (until in our world there might be no revelation of divinity at all). The higher and purer the world, the greater the revelation and the less the concealment, until the vessel does not conceal anything at all in the rectified and purified world of Atzilut. The vessel remains a vessel, but it is entirely united with the light in it in terms of purpose, means and even essence. They display a single essence that is fully revealed.

וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן וְקַל וָחוֹמֶר אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הַסּוֹבֵב כָּל עָלְמִין מִלְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה מִבְּחִינַת אֲצִילוּת

all the more so is He one with the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds above and beyond the aspect of Atzilut . The light in the world of Atzilut is the ultimate concept of light that we can imagine, the absolute revelation of everything that can be revealed. Yet this all applies only to the light that fills all worlds, the light that relates to the vessels. It is in contrast to the light that surrounds all worlds, which is – as the phrase suggests – that which encompasses, which lies beyond all worlds, beyond relationship to any vessel, large or small, physical or entirely abstract. Therefore, just as in Atzilut, a light that is enclothed in a vessel is united with the vessel, with no interposition or distinction between them, that will certainly be the case when the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds will be enclothed in this physical world. The vessel in which this light will be enclothed will be united with that light and absolutely nullified within it.

וּלְפִיכָךְ נִקְרֵאת ‘צְדָקָה׳, לְשׁוֹן נְקֵבָה ״צִדְקָתוֹ עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד״ (תהלים קיב,ט),

Therefore, charity is called tzedaka , in the feminine form – "His tzedaka stands forever" (Ps. 112:9) – because it receives illumination from the light of Ein Sof , which encompasses all worlds and which will be enclothed in charity in this material world at the time of the resurrection. The feminine is associated with the vessel. The feminine receives the influence of the masculine just as a vessel receives light. Since charity is a vessel in the broadest meaning of the term, a vessel to receive the surrounding light of Ein Sof, it is thus the concept of the feminine in the most complete sense. Charity "stands forever." It does not go anywhere. It does not change and nor does it change anything else. Rather, it stands in its place and waits. In general, standing is self-nullification. Thus, "the standing prayer" [Amida ] is the level of absolute self-nullification. Likewise, the angels are described as "standing" (see e.g., Isaiah 6:2) because they are nullified in relation to the divine light that shines in them. The same is true of the charity that we give in this world during the entire period of the exile. It stands, but its effects are not recognized. We give more and more – each person in accordance as he can afford – in every generation, and yet we do not receive anything in return. The world does not change and does not shine upon us in response. This is the nature of charity, which "stands forever," in a state of self-nullification, of absolute reception of the light, without any limit to its reception. Therefore, charity is that vessel which will, at the time of the resurrection, forever receive the absolute influence of the light of Ein Sof that surrounds all worlds. Until now, the author of the Tanya has discussed the act of charity. Now he will address the kindness in charity, which is the inner aspect of its intent. What leads a person to give? What is this power within the soul and what is the supernal meaning of this power that is awakened and which motivates a person to give charity?

אֲבָל ״צֶדֶק לְפָנָיו יְהַלֵּךְ״ (תהלים פה,יד), הוּא לְשׁוֹן זָכָר הִיא מִדַּת הַחֶסֶד הַמִּתְעוֹרֶרֶת בְּלֵב הָאָדָם מֵעַצְמוֹ

However, "Justice [ tzedek ] will go before Him" (Ps. 85:14). Tzedek is in the masculine form. That is the attribute of Ḥesed [kindness] that is awakened in a person's heart of his own accord In contrast to the feminine that "stands," the masculine "goes": It changes itself, and it also changes and influences others. Not only does the masculine give charity, it rouses itself to do so and it awakens others as well. Kindness is aroused in a person's heart of his own initiative. It is not the case that another arouses and affects him. Therefore, this is referred to as the masculine, and it possesses its characteristics, in that it does not stand and receive but gives and goes forward. This distinction between tzedek and tzedaka, between the act of charity and the attribute of kindness in the soul, is the distinction to which the author of the Tanya referred at the beginning of this epistle: Between the community that gives charity and the individuals who inspire the community to give. Here, however, the author applies this dynamic to the intrapersonal realm, to the element in one's psyche that causes the other elements within him to act. In the movement from the exterior to the interior, from the deed to the heart, the author of the Tanya arrives at the inner plane of serving God: The service of prayer (which includes the recitation of the Shema ).

עַל יְדֵי הִתְעוֹרְרוּת אַהֲבַת ה׳ בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, וּלְדָבְקָה בוֹ, וְלִמְסוֹר נַפְשׁוֹ בְּ״אֶחָד״

by means of the awakening of a person's love for God when he recites the Shema , and of the person's cleaving to Him and giving over his soul when he says the word "one" The awakening of love for God is the interiority of the attribute of kindness. Kindness and giving are an expression of love. The arousal of the attribute of love for God in a person's soul results from his inner service of reciting the Shema as he thinks about what he is saying and ponders seriously and deeply the idea that he should cleave to God and give over his soul at the recitation of the word "one." If one recites "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one," while somberly bears in mind that God is one, including all reality, and that there is nothing other than God, not even the person himself, he thereby gives over his soul because he no longer regards himself as a separate being. As a result, he comes to love God. As the text of the Shema goes on to state: "And you shall love the Lord your God…. " (Deut. 6:5).

וּ״בְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ״ כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ וכו׳ וּבְאִתְעָרוּתָא דִּלְתַתָּא

and when he says, "With all your might," in accordance with its plain meaning…, and with his awakening from below. As stated in the Shema, one must love God "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Since the topic of this brief epistle is charity rather than the recitation of the Shema, the author does not enter into an explanation of the levels of service alluded to in the expression "with all your heart and with all your soul." Instead, he goes directly to the phrase "with all your might." The Mishna's straightforward explanation of this phrase is that it means "with all your money." While there are many profound hermeneutical and kabbalistic interpretations of this, the simple meaning is that one should give his money to charity. There are two stages in the service of prayer: The state of ascent and raising upwards, and the stage of descent and drawing down. The stage of ascent comes first: A person approaches prayer from the reality that he is living in, from feelings and an awareness that relate to his present life and current feelings. The first stage is to move from all of these to their root, to the root of love, of fear, and so forth: What he loves, and why he loves, and what love is, proceeding ever deeper until he reaches the depth of his heart that expresses the essence of his soul. From there, from the light of the essence of his soul, which is infinite in relation to the powers of his soul, he brings that light down and draws it into the vessels of love, which are transformed into love for God and into the power of kindness, of giving charity to a person in need. One of the fundamental axioms in Judaism is that an awakening from below, from the person, leads to an awakening from above, from God. The deeds of a person in this world below are not disconnected from what occurs above and elsewhere. That which is above and that which lies below are connected to each other in every respect. Everything we do here, every person and every small movement, has meaning. We are not free to do whatever we desire, and God does not act in an arbitrary fashion, without taking us into account. There is more than a response to our deeds and their consequences: It is the same act of ours that returns to us from above, only on a grander scale, measured by God. Prayer is our awakening from below. One awakens himself when he thinks about certain matters and does not think about other matters, and slowly he directs and raises his entire soul through understanding, knowledge, and feelings. The awakening is from below, from the point where he exists at that moment in his thought and feelings. When he thinks about the divinity in everything, he ascends and raises more and more, through his love for God and his relationship with Him.

וְ״כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים״ (משלי כז,יט) כֵּן לֵב אָדָם הָעֶלְיוֹן כו׳, אִתְעָרוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא

And "as water reflects a face to the face" (Prov. 27:19), so too regarding the heart of the Supreme "Person"…, there is a reciprocal awakening from above. "As water reflects a face to the face, so does the heart of a person to a person." This verse describes the process of an awakening from below that leads to an awakening from above. When a person looks into water, his reflection appears to him, and similarly, when he reveals his heart to someone else, he feels the heart of that other person turn to him. The author of the Tanya adds here (and this is a broad hasidic teaching) that this applies as well to the heart of the Supreme Person. God is called "the Supreme Person" because in His entire relationship to us and the world, He is enclothed in the form of a person, which consists of the ten sefirot, for they are in the form of the human soul (and body). Therefore, "as water reflects a face to the face, so does the heart of a Person to a person." As a person acts below, God is awakened from above.

הוּא הַמְשָׁכַת אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַסּוֹבֵב כָּל עָלְמִין לְמַטָּה מַטָּה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי בִּבְחִינַת גִּילּוּי בִּזְמַן הַתְּחִיָּה כַּמְבוֹאָר בַּמִּכְתָּב דְּאֶשְׁתָּקַד בַּאֲרִיכוּת

That awakening is the drawing down of the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which encompasses all worlds, to the lowest depths in this material world on the level of the revelation at the time of the resurrection, as was explained at length in the epistle from last year. The awakening from below refers to the awakening of a person's heart, during the course of his prayers, to love God with all his might. In other words, it is an awakening of love for God from the essence of a person's heart, which is drawn down into the world of action and is expressed in his conduct as he gives his money to charity, to someone who has nothing of his own. Correspondingly, the awakening from above is the light that surrounds all worlds – the light of the essence of God in relation to the worlds – which is drawn forth like an act of charity to the lowest depths without any limitation and without any conditions, until the ultimate purpose of the descent, which is this physical world. At present, the world cannot receive such an abundance in an overt manner. It will be able to do so only when it changes at the time of the resurrection. As noted earlier, the earlier epistle referred to here is apparently epistle 17.

וְזֶהוּ ״לְפָנָיו יְהַלֵּךְ״, שֶׁמּוֹלִיךְ וּמַמְשִׁיךְ פָּנִים הָעֶלְיוֹנִים מִלְמַעְלָה מֵהָאֲצִילוּת עַד עוֹלָם הָעֲשִׂיָּה

And this is the meaning of "will go before Him": that tzedek guides and draws down the supernal countenance from above Atzilut to the world of Asiya . Whereas tzedaka "stands forever," tzedek "will go before Him." Tzedaka is the act of charity itself, which is like a passive recipient, something that is done. By contrast, tzedek is the will, awareness, and love of the soul. "Will go before Him": It proceeds, engenders, and actualizes the performance of the deed. The supernal countenance is the interior aspect of God's creation of the world. The exterior aspect is the act, whereas the interior is its thought and intent. There is an intent that runs even deeper than this intent. The innermost intent is identified with the countenance that is above and beyond even the thought of creating the world, high and more inward than any relationship of the divine with any particular entity in the worlds, than any connection to the very idea of the existence of a world. This is the level of the light that surrounds all worlds, which is even higher than Atzilut. This drawing forth of the supernal countenance that is even higher than Atzilut, all the way to the world of Asiya, is awakened above in response to the awakening of a human being here below. This occurs when he recites the Shema with the dedication of his soul that is drawn to loving God on the level of "with all your might," with all of his money that he gives to charity.

וְכָעֵת עֵת לְקַצֵּר, וְכָל טוּב מֵהֶם לֹא יִבָּצֵר הֵטִיבָה ה׳ לַטּוֹבִים וְלִישָׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹתָם (תהלים קכה,ד), כְּנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ.

But now is the time to be brief. And may no goodness be withheld from them. "Be good, Lord, to those who are good and to the upright of heart" (Ps. 125:4), as is the wish of myself, one who seeks that good for them (see Lam. 3:25). This epistle focuses on a particular deed performed by a specific community that the author of the Tanya wishes to encourage and bless. Accordingly, since it is not the place for an extensive analysis, the issues under discussion are mentioned only briefly. The author of the Tanya concludes with words of blessing: "May no goodness be withheld from them" (see Gen. 11:6). In Scripture, these words apply to the generation of the Tower of Babel, and they have a negative connotation: Had that generation been united, their evil schemes would not have been frustrated. However, the author of the Tanya transforms the meaning into the good: In light of the unity that this community has revealed – both in the performance of the mitzva of charity (a mitzva that unites everyone, rich and poor) and the fact that they performed it collectively as a communal mitzva – no goodness should be withheld from them. The generation of the Tower of Babel had an evil intent: They wished to separate themselves from God. In contrast, the intent of the hasidim is for the good. Their heart is aligned with their deeds, and all of their deeds are for the sake of Heaven. They are seeking God and they wish to align themselves with His will and to draw close to Him.