וּבָזֶה יוּבָן מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: "כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ״ (דברים ל, יד)

With this, that which was discussed in the previous chapter, we can understand the verse "Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to perform it" (Deut. 30:14). At this point, we can begin to understand this verse, which appears on the title page and is the theme of the entire book.

דְּלִכְאוֹרָה הוּא "בִּלְבָבְךָ״ נֶגֶד הַחוּשׁ שֶׁלָּנוּ

On the surface, it appears that this statement that the words of the Torah are "in your heart" is contrary to our experience To say that Torah's words are near at hand, not just for us to articulate or to perform, but that they can be near to one's heart, that one can easily feel love and awe for God while fulfilling the Torah and mitzvot, seems unrealistic and very nearly impossible.

[וְהַתּוֹרָה הִיא נִצְחִית],

(and yet it is axiomatic that the Torah is eternal). This parenthetical note, which the author of the Tanya  repeats numerous times, is borrowed from the teachings of the Ba'al Shem Tov. One of the basic tenets of Hasidism, it asserts that the Torah is not limited to a particular time or generation. Rather, it is relevant to all times and individuals. In view of this, one cannot resolve the question by arguing that the verse was intended only for those who left Egypt, stood at Mount Sinai, and received the Torah. The words of the verse must necessarily be understood as applicable to all times and even to each and every one of us today.

שֶׁאֵין קָרוֹב מְאֹד הַדָּבָר לְהַפֵּךְ לִבּוֹ מִתַּאֲווֹת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה לְאַהֲבַת ה׳ בֶּאֱמֶת,

It is clearly evident that transforming one's heart from being focused on the pleasures of this world to truly loving God is not a "very near matter," Clearly, it is no small thing to transform one's heart, to abandon the love of other things and truly love God. It is no trifling matter for a person who is immersed in worldly affairs, whose heart is occupied with the pleasures of this world, to redirect his heart to the love of God.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּגְּמָרָא (ברכות לג, ב): "אַטּוּ יִרְאָה מִילְּתָא זוּטַרְתִּי הִיא?״

as the Talmud asks, "Is fear of Heaven a minor matter?" (Berakhot 33b), Regarding the verse "What does the Lord your God ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God…" (Deut. 10:12), the Talmud asks: Is fear of Heaven a triviality that all God asks is "only" to fear Him? On the contrary, people invest all their strength and dedicate their entire lives to attaining fear of God.

וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אַהֲבָה.

and all the more so regarding love. It is much more difficult to achieve love of God than fear of Him. Fear is essentially passive. It does not require the effort, transformation, and passion that love does. How can it be said, then, that to fear and, moreover, to love God in our hearts is near at hand?

וְגַם אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל, דְּצַדִּיקִים דַּוְקָא לִבָּם בִּרְשׁוּתָם (בראשית רבה לד, י).

Furthermore, aside from the problem posed by our experience, our Rabbis stated that only the righteous have their hearts under their control (Bereshit Rabba 34:10). This implies that anyone who is not righteous does not have his heart under his control, and he must struggle throughout life to escape from his heart's dominion. A person cannot immediately reprogram his heart the moment he decides that closeness to God is worthwhile, and it is evident that the Sages were of the opinion that only the righteous have this ability. At any rate, neither the Torah nor this book solely addresses tzaddikim.

אֶלָּא דְּ״לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ״, רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר, הָאַהֲבָה הַמְּבִיאָה לִידֵי עֲשִׂיַּית הַמִּצְוֹת בִּלְבַד,

Rather, the love referred to in the verse is specifically the love regarding which the verse states "to perform it," meaning, the love that leads merely to the performance of mitzvot, This touches on the essential nature of the beinoni that the preceding chapters described. The author of the Tanya draws a distinction between a state of being that entails inner changes in the heart's emotions and the actions that transpire in the realm of actual deed, the physical action one takes to express his love. It is not uncommon for a person to act a certain way because he understands that it is the proper thing to do, yet he does not necessarily feel that way on an emotional level. The words "The matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may perform it" are not specifically referring to the ultimate state, to the creation of intense emotions until "in her love you will always be intoxicated" (Prov. 5:19) and "I am lovesick" (Song 2:5). Rather, this is a love that merely leads to action. In this context, "in your heart" does not plumb the emotional profundity and intensity of revealed love, but it is no less love and no less "in your heart."

שֶׁהִיא רְעוּתָא דְּלִבָּא שֶׁבְּתַעֲלוּמוֹת לֵב, גַּם כִּי אֵינָהּ בְּהִתְגַּלּוּת לִבּוֹ כְּרִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ.

which is the deep desire of the heart concealed in the hidden recesses of a Jew's heart, even if it is not manifest in his heart like sparks of fire. This is not an experiential love but rather a deep, inner, concealed love that is nestled in the inner recesses of the heart. It is not overt like the fierce love that is felt like sparks of fire, and not everyone is required to evoke the love until they experience it as a fiery love. It is sufficient to arouse the degree of love and inner resolve that inspire the deed.

וְדָבָר זֶה קָרוֹב מְאֹד וְנָקֵל לְכָל אָדָם אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ לוֹ מוֹחַ בְּקָדְקָדוֹ,

This matter is very near and simple to achieve for anyone who possesses a brain in his head, Doesn't every person have a brain in his head? Rather, the author of the Tanya speaks rhetorically here. He is referring to the dimension of the mind within the soul, to the mind's voice, which differs drastically from the voice of the heart. Whereas the heart cannot contain contradictions, the mind is always able to present an alternative approach, one different from a certain mindset or from an existing emotion. It can say, "This is tempting, yet it is dangerous," or "I am not in the mood, but it is important and the proper thing to do." Therefore, even without overt love in the heart, and even contrary to overt love, one can act differently by virtue of the concealed love in his mind's understanding and the hidden recesses of his heart.

כִּי מוֹחוֹ בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ, וְיָכוֹל לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן בּוֹ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יַחְפּוֹץ.

since one's brain is under his control and, as such, he is capable of using it to ponder whatever he wishes. A person has no control over his feelings. To command oneself to love or to hate, to desire or not to desire, is beyond human capability. Yet a person's mind is under his jurisdiction. Through willpower, he can resolve to think about particular matters and not to think of others. His decision, of course, is liable to be undermined by thoughts originating elsewhere, but he is always free to redirect his thoughts as he wishes.

וּכְשֶׁיִּתְבּוֹנֵן בּוֹ בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מִמֵּילָא יוֹלִיד בְּמוֹחוֹ, עַל כָּל פָּנִים, הָאַהֲבָה לַה' לְדָבְקָה בּוֹ בְּקִיּוּם מִצְוֹתָיו וְתוֹרָתוֹ,

When one uses his mind to contemplate the greatness of Ein Sof , blessed be He, he automatically generates in his mind, at the very least, the type of love for God that enables the person to cleave to Him by fulfilling His commandments and His Torah. Any person is capable of compelling himself to meditate on God's greatness, no less than on anything else. In the course of a day, many people go to work and occupy themselves with subjects that do not always interest them, yet they willfully direct their minds to them. So too anyone can focus his mind wherever he chooses. When he intentionally contemplates subjects that arouse his love of God, that love will automatically take form in his mind. Love in one's mind is not the same as love in one's heart. The former is an awareness that loving Him is fitting. This is not yet an emotional experience but rather an intellectual recognition that this is an appropriate way to feel. Although this is not an emotional tempest that sweeps a person off his feet, it can lead to the same practical conclusions regarding the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments. As with any matter, once a person realizes that something is beneficial to him, that it is worth doing, he will act accordingly.

וְזֶה כָּל הָאָדָם,

That is all of man, These words appear in the verse "The end of the matter, everything has been heard: Fear God and observe His commandments, for that is all of man" (Eccles. 12:13). The conclusion of all processes that unfold within the soul takes place in the realm of action, and in the final analysis, it is expected that the action should entail the observance of commandments. Performing the commandments through a desire born of contemplation is "all of man" – it is his whole purpose. There are special expectations for gifted individuals, but for the rest of us, action based on a fiery love of God in the heart is not demanded. It is sufficient for one to fulfill the commandments willingly.

כִּי "הַיּוֹם לַעֲשׂוֹתָם״ כְּתִיב (דברים ז, יא), שֶׁהַיּוֹם הוּא עוֹלַם הַמַּעֲשֶׂה דַּוְקָא,

since the verse states, "To perform them today" (Deut. 7:11), where "today" refers specifically to this world of action, "Today" refers to this world, the world of action, a single continuum where one may "perform them." Actions are man's self-expression, as opposed to his feelings and emotions, since they take center stage in human reality. The deciding factor for the objective reality is what we do, not what we feel, and not only in this world: Human actions affect all worlds, the totality of creation. Someone who perpetrates evil, though his innermost heart is lined with good thoughts, is, in the final analysis, an evil person. Someone who performs good actions in this world and encourages others to do likewise, though his inner heart is consumed by doubts and loathsome desires, is a good person.

וּלְמָחָר כו׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.

while tomorrow, in the ultimate future, is the time to receive reward, as was explained elsewhere. In this world, the world of action, a person cannot fully interconnect all parts of the soul, the thoughts and emotions, with his deeds. Only "tomorrow," in the ultimate future, when one's soul becomes thoroughly integrated with what he has done in this world of action, will it be the "time to receive reward." Were it possible in this world to sense the perfection of good and holiness embodied in a single mitzva that one performs, one would do nothing other than mitzvot. The delight of one mitzva transcends whatever pleasures can be offered by this world, a place not essentially meant for recompense. In our world, perhaps one in a thousand people can say, "The nearness of God is good" (Ps. 73:28). The closeness of God becomes tangible only "tomorrow," when the soul will receive most of the reward, emotional intensity, and pleasure that the performance of a mitzva entails.

וְהַמּוֹחַ שַׁלִּיט בְּטִבְעוֹ וְתוֹלַדְתּוֹ עַל חָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי שֶׁבַּלֵּב, וְעַל פִּיו, וְעַל כָּל הָאֵבָרִים שֶׁהֵם כְּלֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה,

The mind, by its inborn nature, controls the left chamber of the heart, as well as one's mouth and all the limbs, which are the implements of action, The mind governs not only itself, its own thoughts, but it also controls one's emotional experience. This governance does not come about through a divine ordinance but is an integral part of the soul's structure. The mind cannot order the heart to stop desiring those things that the mind considers inappropriate, but it can prevent the heart from developing those desires. It is in man's nature to control the heart to the extent that it will avoid developing feelings and urges that run counter to his awareness. Of course, there are limits to this mental sovereignty, and if a person allows himself to cultivate such feelings beyond a certain limit, the mind will lose control. The monster he himself creates and nurtures will accept little authority. Yet as long as one is levelheaded, it is possible for him to be master of his heart, mouth, and actions. Mouths cannot speak of their own accord, nor can the limbs act automatically, without a person's conscious will and awareness.

אִם לֹא מִי שֶׁהוּא רָשָׁע בֶּאֱמֶת,

unless he is one who is truly wicked, Here the author of the Tanya  adds a somewhat uncommon remark in the broader scope of this book. As the title conveys, this is the Book of Beinonim, while this comment pertains to the wicked. It seems that apart from the obvious message for those who are categorized as wicked, this is a lesson that is significant even for the beinoni. In the preceding chapters, much attention has been devoted to describing the rank of beinoni  in relation to that of tzaddik. This present remark delimits the beinoni  in contrast to lower ranks, the rank of rasha. Until now the author of the Tanya was not speaking of exceptional cases but of regular people capable of becoming beinonim. Though such a person may not be a complete beinoni at the moment, and might even on occasion be considered a rasha, he is able to become a beinoni at any time because his mind rules his heart and he can direct it as he wishes. This is not the case with someone who is "truly wicked" – someone truly evil, whose iniquity is not characterized only by some misdeed or evil thought.

כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים הֵם בִּרְשׁוּת לִבָּם וְאֵין לִבָּם בִּרְשׁוּתָם כְּלָל (בראשית רבה, לד, י; סז, ח).

in accordance with our Rabbis' statement "The wicked are controlled by their hearts, and they do not control their hearts whatsoever" (Bereshit Rabba 34:10, 67:8). This process parallels drug addiction. A person's intellectual processes may still function at this stage, but he utterly lacks the strength to resist the internal and external forces that now drive him. His heart and his nonintellectual desires and cravings have taken over. Though he may want to reassert control, he cannot. There are individuals who, though not completely wicked, have reached a state in which their hearts are no longer under their control. Rational thought fails against not only their inner urges but even their behavior. They are trapped in a free fall of emotional destruction from which they cannot extricate themselves. Not that they are unaware; they may very well know that they are on the road to destruction. But the mind has lost control of the heart, and the individual finds himself careening down this path with no brakes.

וְזֶה עוֹנֶשׁ עַל גּוֹדֶל וְעוֹצֶם עֲוֹנָם.

This is a punishment for the magnitude and severity of their sinfulness. When one enters such a cycle of transgression, in which one iniquity follows another and desire leads to desire, this is no longer part of the person's misdeed. Now it is part of his punishment. In this wretched condition, where he is quite aware of how he is destroying himself in this world and the next yet unable to free himself, lies the punishment of one who became so enmeshed in evil. He persisted in his stubbornness, letting out his inner animal and pampering it. Now, in return, the normal ability that the beinoni possesses, the ability of his mind to control the heart, is curtailed. At one stage, he relinquished his ability to choose and allowed himself to follow his desires unfettered. Now God lets him continue to the next stage of this descent, to continue on the path that will lead him to Gehenna.

וְלֹא דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה בְּמֵתִים אֵלּוּ שֶׁבְּחַיֵּיהֶם קְרוּיִם מֵתִים.

The Torah does not address these dead people, who even during their lives are called dead. This person's punishment in Gehenna has already begun during his lifetime. Just as a tzaddik can already be living a life of holiness, the life that will be his portion in the World to Come, while clothed in a physical body here in this world, so too can the wicked already reside in Gehenna within their bodily existence in this world. As in Gehenna, where one can change nothing, he becomes a mere spectator, observing how his desires continue to descend and watching how his body and soul fall to ruin. Just as in a nightmare, he can no longer intervene; he cannot be rescued.

כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת אִי אֶפְשָׁר לָרְשָׁעִים לְהַתְחִיל לַעֲבוֹד ה׳ בְּלִי שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה עַל הֶעָבָר תְּחִלָּה,

Indeed, it is impossible for the wicked to begin serving God without first repenting for the past Since this person is no longer in control of his heart, it is seemingly impossible for him to break this cycle of evil that generates more evil and to once more choose good. As mentioned, this inability to choose good is a punishment for his actions, a punishment that, like all the punishments in the Torah, transfers him to another state that forces him to break his previous state. It compels him to break the entire being of his soul and to look for something completely different that can extricate him from this negative cycle. In his current situation, the rasha truly cannot serve God. He must first rectify the past, change his essential self, and cease his wrongdoings in order to break out of the vicious cycle in which he finds himself.

לְשַׁבֵּר הַקְּלִיפּוֹת שֶׁהֵם מָסָךְ מַבְדִּיל וּמְחִיצָה שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל הַמַּפְסֶקֶת בֵּינָם לַאֲבִיהֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם,

by shattering the kelippot , which act as a dividing partition and iron barrier that separate between them and their Father in Heaven. A barrier of transgressions, an "iron curtain" of evil, separates the wicked from God, as the prophet says, "Rather, your iniquities have been separating between you and your God" (Isa. 59:2). It is this partition that the rasha must break, or he will remain captive behind it, a prisoner to the cycle of transgressions in which he has allowed himself to fall.

עַל יְדֵי שְׁבִירַת לִבּוֹ וּמְרִירַת נַפְשׁוֹ עַל חֲטָאָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר עַל פָּסוּק: "זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה לֵב נִשְׁבָּר״ וגו׳ (תהלים נא, יט). שֶׁעַל יְדֵי לֵב נִשְׁבָּר – נִשְׁבְּרָה רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה דְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא [עַיֵּין שָׁם פָּרָשַׁת פִּינְחָס דַּף ר״מ וּפָרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא דַּף ח׳ וְדַף ה׳ ע״א וּבְפֵירוּשׁ הָרַב מֹשֶׁה זַכּוּת שָׁם].

This is achieved by means of a broken heart and a bitter soul on account of his transgressions, as it is written in the Zohar regarding the verse "Sacrifices to God are a broken spirit; You, God will not reject a broken and crushed heart" (Ps. 51:19). By having a broken heart, the impure spirit of the sitra aḥara is broken as well (see Zohar there, Parashat Pinḥas 240, Parashat Vayikra 8, 5a, and the commentary of Rabbi Moshe Zakuto there). One can break the kelippot, the wall that has formed between oneself and God, by breaking one's heart. Surrounded by impurity, he is caught in a web of social or moral evil that controls him. He is a slave to his urges and desires, to the rhythm of his daily life, in which he does what he does. Yet one escape route remains: a broken heart. When he is overcome by profound bitterness at the realization of how far he has fallen, when he realizes he has touched bottom and his anguish becomes unbearable, then his heart breaks within him. At that moment, all his lusts and desires shatter, together with the evil force that has achieved dominion over him, the kelippa separating him from God.

וְהִיא בְּחִינַת תְּשׁוּבָה תַּתָּאָה לְהַעֲלוֹת ה׳ תַּתָּאָה לַהֲקִימָהּ מִנְּפִילָתָהּ שֶׁנָּפְלָה אֶל הַחִיצוֹנִים,

This is the lower level of repentance, which is to elevate and restore the final heh in the name of Havaya and erect it from its fallen state when it fell into the realm of the external forces of impurity, A tormented heart, unable to bear the excruciating pain any longer, is the path to this level of teshuva, which entails elevating the final letter heh in the name of Havaya. This name, spelled yod-heh-vav-heh, expresses the drawing down of divinity from the yod, which corresponds to the primary source of life in the sefira of Ḥokhma, to the final heh, which corresponds to Malkhut, as well as the Divine Presence. The final heh – the Divine Presence – fell, so to speak, as a result of man's misdeeds and is torn from its connection to the name of Havaya, from its attachment to the source of life in the yod of the name. When a person's heart is broken within, the reign of impurity that dominated him also shatters. At that juncture, it becomes possible for him to repent and restore his divine spark, that portion of the Divine Presence, the final heh, that is within him, to its place in the name, so that it is reattached to the supernal holiness. In this sense, repentance is not only an individual affair, a return to one's proper state. It is rather a return of the Divine Presence itself, which the person had pulled down and degraded within his own soul. Through his repentance, the Divine Presence is restored to its heights.

שֶׁהוּא סוֹד גָּלוּת הַשְּׁכִינָה,

which constitutes the mystic exile of the Divine Presence, The soul's descent into the realm of the kelippot, beyond the iron barrier that separates the Jewish people and their Father in Heaven, constitutes the broader meaning of the concept of the exile of the Divine Presence. The mystic exile of the Divine Presence, the descent of the final heh  in the name of Havaya  into the realm of the kelippot, is meant to rectify them and elevate them far beyond their initial status. This mystery is the very mystery and meaning of the descent of one's personal soul into the realm of the kelippot  on account of his sins. A soul's descent into this realm of evil is mysterious because it is not perceivable, just as the true purpose of exile remains unfathomable. It is indeed a mystery why holiness experiences a descent and why it is tormented and suffers. There is meaning to all this, yet it is incomprehensible.

כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: "גָּלוּ לֶאֱדוֹם שְׁכִינָה עִמָּהֶם״ (ספרי במדבר פד, קסא). דְּהַיְינוּ, כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה אֱדוֹם

in accordance with our Rabbis' statement "They were exiled to Edom, and the Divine Presence went with them" ( Sifrei, Num. 84, 161). That is what occurs when one performs an action akin to those of Edom. The exile of the Divine Presence also applies to each individual. When a Jew performs an evil act, one akin to that of Edom, he himself becomes Edom, Ishmael, or any other entity that is not part of his essential nature. He is no longer himself. The Jew does not have to physically go forth to the land of Edom in order to go into exile there. He has brought Edom into his own being and internalized it. Not only that, the Divine Presence goes into exile as well.

מוֹרִיד וּמַמְשִׁיךְ לְשָׁם בְּחִינַת וְנִיצוֹץ אֱלֹקוּת הַמְחַיֶּה אֶת נֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ נְשָׁמָה שֶׁלּוֹ, הַמְלוּבָּשִׁים בּוֹ בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית מֵהַקְּלִיפָּה שֶׁבְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁבֶּחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי, הַמּוֹלֶכֶת בּוֹ

He brings down and channels there the divine spark that sustains his nefesh , ruaḥ , and neshama , which are clothed in his animal soul, which stems from the kelippa that is in the left chamber of his

בְּעוֹדוֹ רָשָׁע וּמוֹשֶׁלֶת בָּעִיר בָּעִיר קְטַנָּה שֶׁלּוֹ, וְנֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ נְשָׁמָה כְּבוּשִׁים בַּגּוֹלָה אֶצְלָהּ.

heart, and as long as he is wicked, the animal soul rules over him and governs his small city, his body and its bodily functions, and his nefesh , ruaḥ , and neshama are trapped in exile in the kelippa. When a person sins, he does not only commission the body to execute the transgression but also drags his lofty nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama down with it. His nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama, components of his divine soul that are clothed within his body and its functions, are exiled. In this sense, one causes his divine soul, the portion of the Divine Presence within him – his divine spark – to descend into exile, no matter how slight the transgression.

וּכְשֶׁנִּשְׁבַּר לִבּוֹ בְּקִרְבּוֹ וְנִשְׁבְּרָה רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא וַיִּתְפָּרְדוּ וכו׳, הִיא קָמָה מִנְּפִילָתָהּ וְגַם נִצָּבָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּבוֹאָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר.

W hen his heart is broken within him, and the spirit of impurity and sitra aḥara are broken, resulting in the scattering of all evildoers, then it, the Divine Presence, the divine spark within him, rises from its fallen state and stands erect, as explained elsewhere. The redemption of the Divine Presence happens within the microcosm, within the individual's soul, whenever he crushes evil, and this comes about through a broken heart, through the bitterness of the soul. That is the door to his soul's redemption. This chapter dealt chiefly with the verse quoted in the title page of the book: "Rather, the matter is very near to you…to perform it." As explained by the author of the