אֲהוּבַיי אַחַיי וְרֵעַיי אֲשֶׁר כְּנַפְשִׁי

My beloved ones, my brethren and friends, who are like my own soul, This is an especially affectionate address, partly because what the author of the Tanya will proceed to say will not be easy to hear.

בָּאתִי כְּמַזְכִּיר וּמְעוֹרֵר יְשֵׁנִים בְּתַרְדֵּמַת הַבְלֵי הֲבָלִים

I come as one who reminds and awakens those who sleep the slumber of futility of futilities The phrase "futility of futilities," which is from Ecclesiastes (1:2), refers to all worldly affairs that have no real value, that are insignificant and of no substance in and of themselves, but in which people immerse themselves so that they remain in a kind of torpor, sleeping through life.

וְלִפְקוֹחַ עֵינֵי הָעִוְרִים,

and to open the eyes of the blind . One whose life is guided by a vain purpose is compared to someone who is sleeping or to a blind person. The fact is that there is a purpose to everything, but sometimes one must first wake up from a dream in order to see it. The aim of the letter is to wake people up from this slumber and point to where they should invest their efforts, to show them what it truly means to live.

יַבִּיטוּ לִרְאוֹת לִהְיוֹת כָּל יִשְׁעָם וְחֶפְצָם וּמְגַמָּתָם לְכָל בָּהֶם חַיֵּי רוּחָם בִּמְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים,

Let them look and see to it that their sole drive, desire, and aim, everything on which the life of their spirit depends, should be invested in the source of the living waters, the infinite source of life, One sign of purpose is that it is not fragmented at its root but rather is a comprehensive goal that necessarily occupies the whole of a person's being. As the author of the Tanya puts it, "their sole drive desire, and aim, everything on which the life of their spirit depends" – all their focus, their aspirations and goals in life – should be invested in the infinite source of life, God Himself. In other words, all their desires and longings, all the faculties of their soul on all levels, should be directed only to the source of life. He should be the exclusive focus of their yearning, and they should be subsumed and consumed in Him alone.

כָּל יְמֵי חַיֵּיהֶם מִנֶּפֶשׁ וְעַד בָּשָׂר,

all the days of their life. This applies to everything, from matters of the soul to matters of the flesh, When he says "all the days of their life," the author of the Tanya is defining the scope of this engagement: at all times and in all areas of life. Moreover, the extent of one's commitment should apply to everything "from [matters of] the soul to [matters of] the flesh," to all aspects of a person's spiritual life as well as his physical existence and all matters in which a person occupies himself. This does not only mean spiritual matters but also physical interests, one's health, one's livelihood – everything. There are those who give God a percentage, like an income tax. They feel obligated to donate something, and they even understand that it is necessary, but the principle, remains with them. Yet when a person is prepared to give not only a certain sum or even a large contribution but everything, to be subsumed in the infinite source of life, this is a goal that has implications for everything else. When one does not merely pay lip service but actually keeps his word, this impacts all areas of life, "from [matters of] the soul to [matters of] the flesh."

דְּהַיְינוּ, כָּל מִילֵּי דְּעָלְמָא וְעִסְקֵי פַּרְנָסָה.

meaning all material matters and the means by which one may earn a livelihood. The author of the Tanya proceeds to elaborate on the phrase "[matters of] the flesh." Even lowly, physical areas of life, which naturally have a strong pull on one's attention and are very difficult to ignore, are included in this purpose and goal, in one's subsummation in the "infinite source of life." It should be emphasized here that the author of the Tanya is not demanding from people that they ignore these primary, basic needs of existence. Jews must subsist in this world and live well. They must struggle unconditionally for their livelihoods. Nevertheless, they must also remember the true purpose of all these occupations.

לֹא יִהְיֶה כְּאֵלּוּ דְּעָבְדִין לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם דְּזָנִין וּמְפַרְנְסִין וּמוֹקְרִין לִנְשַׁיְיהוּ וּבְנַיְיהוּ מֵאַהֲבָה,

One should not be like those who serve themselves, nor should the house of Israel be like the gentiles, who feed, sustain, and esteem their wives and children out of love, This means out of love for one's wife and children, an emotion that is intrinsic to a man's physical nature. Although a Jew does not have less problems or troubles than a gentile, and sometimes he has even more, the Jew may not live the same kind of life as his non-Jewish counterpart. Even animals maintain a (sometimes temporary) relationship with their offspring, but a Jew must ensure that there is another element to his relationships, that there is a higher purpose to everything he does. The difference between a Jew and a gentile does not boil down to merely a certain type of behavior, such as the fact that one performs a mitzva and the other does not, and there is no distinction between them in all other areas of life. Rather, the difference is intrinsic and internal, and it should be reflected in everything the Jew does or feels. The dissimilarity that the author of the Tanya is noting out here lies within a person. It applies not only to deeds but also, and primarily, to the feelings that accompanies those deeds. Even when a gentile acts for others, it is because he loves them. This love, as explained in the first chapter of the Tanya, is at its core self-love. He loves others and acts on their behalf as an extension of his own existence. His being has expanded and now includes others – his wife and children, his relatives and the residents of his town – but they are merely an extension of his own being that he is caring for, raising, and nurturing.

כִּי ״מִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ״ כְּתִיב (דברי הימים א יז, כא). דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם בְּעִנְיְנֵי אֶרֶץ לֹא יַפְרִידוּ [נוּסָּח אַחֵר: יִפָּרְדוּ] מֵאֶחָד הָאֱמֶת חַס וְשָׁלוֹם

for it is written, "Who is like Your people Israel, one nation on the earth?" (I Chron. 17:21), meaning that even earthly matters they do not separate [alternatively: even in earthly matters they are not separate] from the one true God, God forbid, A Jew must be "one on earth" so that even when he is involved in material concerns, which might seem remote and separate from God, he must remain "one," united with God, the one true reality. The author of the Tanya is saying that such unity is not only possible in Heaven, where the divine unity is manifest, but also on earth, where that unity is concealed and seemingly separate.

לְהָעִיד עֵדוּת שֶׁקֶר חַס וְשָׁלוֹם בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע עֶרֶב וָבוֹקֶר בְּעֵינַיִם סְגוּרוֹת "ה' אֶחָד״ בְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת וּבַשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וּבָאָרֶץ מִתַּחַת,

bearing false witness, God forbid, by reciting the Shema in the evening and morning with eyes closed, proclaiming that "God is one," omnipresent in the four directions and in the heavens above and the earth below, When we recite the Shema in the evening and morning, we close our eyes at the words "God is one" and have in mind that He is one "in the four directions and in the heavens above and the earth below." As explained in several places, this is alluded to in the word for "one," eḥad, spelled alef-ḥet-dalet. The letter alef represents the Aluf, or Captain, of the world, who is one in the seven firmaments and on earth, which together make eight, the numerical value of ḥet, and in the four directions, four being the numerical value of dalet.

וּבִפְקוֹחַ עֵינֵי הָעִוְרִים, ״הֲתָעִיף עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ״ (משלי כג, ה) חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.

and when the eyes of the blind are opened, when after the recitation of the Shema one opens his eyes, by "casting your eyes on the world and behaving as though God is gone" (Prov. 23:5), God forbid. After reciting the Shema, one opens his eyes. The idea here is that when a person emerges from those moments that he is concentrating on his prayers, from his connection with that which is holy, and he returns his focus on the world, he immediately "casts his eyes on the world and behaves as though God is gone," God forbid. Now he no longer sees the one God but the world and its distractions, which appear to be a separate reality from the Divine. In that moment, when one has opened his eyes after prayer, when he no longer sees the divine unity and is dealing with the world and its concerns, it is as though he is bearing false witness. That he fails to retain his focus on spiritual matters once he has finished reciting the prayers attests that what he said was not the truth.

אַךְ בְּזֹאת יֵאוֹת לָנוּ לִהְיוֹת [נוּסָּח אַחֵר: בִּהְיוֹת] כָּל עֲסָקֵינוּ בְּמִילֵּי דְעָלְמָא לָא לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ

Rather, it is befitting for us that our entire involvement in material matters should not be for our own sake Even when we are engaged in worldly matters, we do not cease to be "one nation on earth." We remain connected to the one God, so that we have no desire for those things for their own sake. The key difference is that gentiles generally occupy themselves with their faith only at a specific time and place, and then they lock up the building and venture outside, with no connection between what happened inside and what goes on outside. By contrast, a Jew's faith does not belong to the synagogue alone. If someone speaks in a certain manner in the synagogue and behaves differently when he leaves, then he was not holy in the synagogue either. If matters of sanctity are confined to specific situations, everything a person says and thinks about holy matters is worthless. It is like a child's game, where one child pretends to be a king and the other is a soldier. As soon as the game is over, they instantly drop their roles. One's prayers and even his Judaism in general can likewise become a kind of game. The real test begins when we leave the synagogue: Can we be one nation not only in Heaven but also, and most importantly, on earth?

כִּי אִם לְהַחֲיוֹת נַפְשׁוֹת חֶלְקֵי אֱלֹקוּת

but for the sake of giving life to the souls of others in need, portions of God, In practice, how should a person conduct himself if he is not acting for his own sake? The answer is, he should act "for sake of giving life to the souls of others in need, portions of God." This refers both to Jewish souls, which are a "portion of God on high" (Job 31:2), and to the sparks of holiness that constitute the divine component of every entity in existence. Everything one does should be to sustain and promote life, to give of his strength and his life to those divine portions. The abstract conception of directing one's attention to the Divine, which is beyond the reality of this world, finds practical expression in one's focus on the portions of the Divine that are located within the world. In simple terms, when a person provides for himself and his family members, he should have in mind that he is supporting, not himself and his loved ones, but those portions of God that are within them. In this way, his love for God finds expression.

וּלְמַלְֹּאות מַחְסוֹרֵיהֶם בְּחֶסֶד חִנָּם.

and to provide them with whatever they lack out of unconditional kindness. A Jew should not do anything out of a sense of obligation, whether for himself or for his family, but as an act of kindness. Not only should he perform charitable acts, but they should be done out of "unconditional kindness," without any calculations, without expectations of reward, neither in this world nor in the next. It is only when a person performs kindness, real kindness, unconditional kindness, that he escapes from the closed circle of legarmayhu, "for his own sake," of doing things for his own benefit, and is able to focus his gaze on the portions of God around him.

שֶׁבָּזֶה אָנוּ מְדַמִּין הַצּוּרָה לְיוֹצְרָהּ – ה׳ אֶחָד אֲשֶׁר ״חֶסֶד אֵל כָּל הַיּוֹם״ (תהלים נב, ג), ‘חֶסֶד שֶׁל אֱמֶת׳, לְהַחֲיוֹת הָעוֹלָם וּמְלוֹאוֹ בְּכָל רֶגַע וָרֶגַע.

In this way, we make our form, which is in God's image, resemble the one who formed him, the one God, for "the kindness of the Almighty is all day long" (Ps. 52:1). His is true kindness, giving life to the world and everything in it at every moment. Since a person is created in the image of God, he can actually resemble God if he conducts himself like Him by performing acts of kindness unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. God's kindness is considered true kindness because He sustains the world at every moment and does not need anything in exchange. A person must strive to emulate the attributes of God: Just as He feeds and nourishes all creations and does not need anything from them, so too one must toil for his livelihood and perform acts of kindness for others, not in order to receive anything for himself but for the sake of giving life to other souls, which are a portion of God on high. The author of the Tanya singles out one's livelihood and the performance of kindness as paths through which one can emulate God, because one does not have to be a scholar or learned, or even a particularly God-fearing person, to execute such tasks. One simply has to perform acts of kindness. But when one remains on the plane of action alone, even if he does good deeds, he is not necessarily emulating God. Perhaps he is emulating the gentiles, who also provide for their family. He might be imitating the wild beasts: After they tear apart their prey and eat it, they leave some for others if they are unable to finish it all. He therefore stated, "The house of Israel should not be like the gentiles," that their deeds should not be for their own sake at all, but "for sake of giving life to the souls [of others in need]."

רַק שֶׁאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבָנָיו שֶׁל אָדָם קוֹדְמִין לַכֹּל עַל פִּי הַתּוֹרָה,

It is only that a person's wife and children take precedence over everyone else according to Torah law, There are orders of precedence when it comes to charity. These are not dictated by rights but rather they are formal orders of precedence. There is the sphere of a person's family: Whoever is closest to a person is the first to receive charity from him. His immediate family takes priority, his father and mother, his wife and children, followed by his extended family, then the people of his city, the residents of the country, and so on. A man's duty to provide for his wife and children does not negate his obligations toward others, but merely establishes his order of priorities.

חוּץ מִצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁבַּדּוֹר שֶׁהֵן קוֹדְמִין לְבָנָיו, וְצַדִּיקִים שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל קוֹדְמִין לַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁבְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ, לְבַד מִזֹּאת שֶׁלֹּא הִנִּיחוּ כְּמוֹתָן בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ, וְדַי לַמֵּבִין.

except for the tzaddikim of the generation, who take precedence over one's children, and the tzaddikim in the Land of Israel take precedence over the tzaddikim outside the land, aside from the fact that the tzaddikim who traveled to the land did not leave anyone of their stature behind outside the land. This is sufficient explanation for one who understands. This particular passage does not appear in the standard printed editions, but is found in Luaḥ HaTikkun. These letters that deal with charity were written for the most part with regard to the charity of the Land of Israel, and therefore this addition concerning the order of precedence in giving charity in relation to the righteous is logical.

עַל כֵּן אֲהוּבַיי אַחַיי שִׂימוּ נָא לְבַבְכֶם לְאֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים הַנֶּאֱמָרִים בִּקְצָרָה מְאֹד (וְאִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם פֶּה אֶל פֶּה אֲדַבֵּר בָּם בַּאֲרוּכָּה).

Therefore, my beloved ones, my brethren, pay attention to these words, which are stated here very briefly (and God willing, I will speak about them at length when we meet in person). The brevity of the letter does not mean that its content is not important and does not require the reader's full attention. Yet for various reasons the author of the Tanya did not wish to write about these concepts here at length. As explained in the introduction to the Tanya, certain matters cannot be clarified in writing. In general, it is difficult to address serious concerns that touch on highly sensitive and personal issues through the medium of the written word. One should attempt to broach such topics only in person, face-to-face, by speaking directly to the listener. It is for this reason that the author of the Tanya was brief, and in a departure from his usual manner of writing, he added a request that the reader pay particular attention to his words. Though they are not easy to hear, they come from a place of love.

אֵיךְ הֱיוֹת כָּל עִיקַּר עֲבוֹדַת ה׳ בָּעִתִּים הַלָּלוּ, בְּ׳עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחָא׳ הִיא עֲבוֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: אֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל נִגְאָלִין אֶלָּא בִּצְדָקָה.

Remember that the primary means of divine service at these times, which are described as the heels of the Messiah, is the service of charity, as the Sages stated, "The Jewish people will be redeemed only through charity" (see Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Sefer Zera'im, Hilkhot Mattenot Aniyim 10:1). Jewish history is not a random sequence of events but a meaningful pattern of the service that the Jewish nation is required to perform over the course of the generations. This pattern can be discerned as taking on the form of man, which in a certain sense is the figure of the Messiah, with different eras representing different parts of that form. The era of the tanna'im, for example, which followed the destruction of the Temple, was the embodiment of the cognitive attributes that represent the head: Ḥokhma, Bina, and Da'at. In that era, the souls were rectified through these attributes. The times in which we live, by contrast, are described as the "heels of the Messiah," when the exile will come to an end and the redemption is imminent. In this era, the principal service is the mitzva of charity, an action-based mitzva, which will bring rectification to this world of Asiya, the world of Action. When the service of the Jewish people in all generations has been accomplished, the image of the Messiah will also be complete and he will arrive, at which point history will also come to an end.

וְלֹא אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה שָׁקוּל כְּנֶגֶד גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, אֶלָּא בִּימֵיהֶם, שֶׁתַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה הָיָה עִיקַּר הָעֲבוֹדָה אֶצְלָם, וְעַל כֵּן הָיוּ חֲכָמִים גְּדוֹלִים, תַּנָּאִים וְאָמוֹרָאִים.

The Sages' statement that Torah study is equivalent to kind deeds applied only to their days, when Torah study was their primary occupation, which is why they were great scholars, tanna'im and amora'im . This statement, "Torah study is equivalent to all of them," which includes kind deeds, appears in the Mishna. Although each person in every generation is obligated to perform the same mitzvot, there are different emphases for various people, places, and generations. The era of the Sages was a period of Torah study, when Torah study was their main occupation, and therefore there were individuals in those generations for whom that was their primary task and who were qualified for such work.

מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בְּ׳עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחָא׳, שֶׁנָּפְלָה ‘סוּכַּת דָּוִד׳ עַד בְּחִינַת רַגְלַיִם וַעֲקֵבַיִים, שֶׁהִיא בְּחִינַת ‘עֲשִׂיָּה׳,

By contrast, in these times described as the heels of the Messiah, when the booth of David has fallen all the way to the level of feet and heels, which is the level of Asiya, The sukka, or booth, of David is reference to David's monarchy and so is an appellation for Malkhut of Atzilut, which descends to the worlds of Beria, Yetzira, and, finally, Asiya. The divine attribute of Malkhut descends in order to bring life to these worlds. The world of Beria represents the head – the intellect and awareness. Yetzira corresponds to the torso, to the heart and the attributes or emotions. The feet and the heels are the embodiment of Asiya and action.

אֵין דֶּרֶךְ לְדָבְקָה בָּהּ בֶּאֱמֶת, וּלְהַפְּכָא חֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא דִּילָהּ [נוּסָּח אַחֵר: דִּילֵיהּ] כִּי אִם בִּבְחִינַת עֲשִׂיָּה גַּם כֵּן, שֶׁהִיא מַעֲשֵׂה הַצְּדָקָה.

there is no way to truly cleave to it and transform darkness into its light without also engaging in action, namely, the act of charity. When the "booth of David," or Malkhut, is on the lowly level of Asiya, our primary service is also through asiya, or action. We must operate primarily through action, which entails the act of charity.

כַּיָּדוּעַ לַמַּשְׂכִּילִים, שֶׁבְּחִינַת עֲשִׂיָּה בֶּאֱלֹקוּת הִיא בְּחִינַת הַשְׁפָּעַת וְהַמְשָׁכַת הַחַיּוּת לְמַטָּה מַטָּה, לְמַאן דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם.

As known to the scholars of Kabbala, action in relation to the Divine is when the life force is bestowed and drawn down below to one who has nothing of his own. The world of Asiya is the level of divine activity. It is the lowest and most distant level from the origin of the divine light. It is a place that has no inner relationship with the Divine. In view of this, God gives to this world as an act of unconditional kindness, to one who has nothing and no ability to repay the kindness. In human terms, when you give to someone who owns property, you expect to receive something in return, in one form or another, but when you bestow a gift on someone who has nothing, you don't expect anything in return. Such giving is related to the attribute of Malkhut, which according to the teachings of Kabbala has nothing of its own. Everything it possesses it receives from the levels above it, which it then projects to the worlds below. The same is true of us, in this world and at this time called the heels of the Messiah, which is the level of Asiya in time and place: The service required of us is also at the level of action, which entails giving charity, donating specifically to those who have nothing of their own.

וְכָל הַזּוֹבֵחַ אֶת יִצְרוֹ בָּזֶה וּפוֹתֵחַ יָדוֹ וּלְבָבוֹ – אִתְכַּפְיָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא

One who slaughters his inclination in this regard, by opening his hand and heart to give charity, subdues the sitra aḥara One has to "slaughter his inclination" through the mitzva of charity, like the slaughter of an offering, which is a gift to Heaven without any designs on making a profit here on earth in return, and "open his hand and heart" to give wholeheartedly, without the expectation of receiving a reward. The mitzva of charity, then, involves opening not only one's hand but also one's heart: One should smile, show empathy, take an interest in the other person's problems, and so on. When a person gives charity in this manner, he "subdues the sitra aḥara," which is the evil inclination, the kelippa. Two aspects of this statement are particularly noteworthy. First, that subduing the evil inclination does not mean that evil is transformed into good. It is not persuaded that giving charity is for its benefit. Rather, it is subdued against its will. This is the essence of charity, this unconditional act of kindness: giving even when he fails to understand the reason for it. Second, when it comes to subduing evil, even the slightest crack that one manages to inflict on it will contribute to shattering the sitra aḥara, the other side, completely. The existence of evil is like a disease that metastasizes everywhere and in every person. When one overcomes it, when he cuts off part of the evil, he also strikes at its root, its essence.

וּמְהַפֵּךְ חֲשׁוֹכָא לְאוֹר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, הַשּׁוֹכֵן עָלֵינוּ בִּבְחִינַת עֲשִׂיָּה בְּ'עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחָא',

and transforms darkness into the light of God, blessed be he, who in these times described as the heels of the Messiah, dwells upon us in a state of action, During this period called the heels of the Messiah, the light of God is the light of action. Through the light of our actions, through our giving of charity, we transform the darkness of his era, the heels of the Messiah, into light and divine revelation at this lowly level of action.

וְיִזְכֶּה לִרְאוֹת עַיִן בְּעַיִן בְּשׁוּב ה' צִיּוֹן כו'.

and will merit seeing with actual eyes the return of God to Zion and so forth. In the merit of giving charity, we will be able to see below that which can be seen above. The world of action and materiality will no longer conceal and obscure spirituality. The Divine will be revealed in all its glory.