וּלְתוֹסֶפֶת בֵּיאוּר בַּאֵר הֵיטֵב מִלַּת "מְאֹד" שֶׁבַּפָּסוּק: "כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד״ וגו׳.

To explain further and more thoroughly the word me'od , very, in the verse "Rather, the matter is very near to you…," The verse not only states that "the matter is near to you," but that it is "very near." The emphasis seems excessive. The matter that is "near," as the previous chapter described, is a product of the mind ruling the heart, "for anyone who possesses a brain in his head." This chapter elucidates how it is "very near" – that is, it is for everyone, even one who is unable to direct his thoughts in this manner.

צָרִיךְ לֵידַע נֶאֱמָנָה כִּי אַף מִי שֶׁדַּעְתּוֹ קְצָרָה בִּידִיעַת ה׳

one must know with certainty that even regarding one whose mind is limited in the knowledge of God One way to attain love and awe of God is through intellectual meditation and deep contemplation of the knowledge of God. Obstacles rise, though, and foremost among them is a limited intellect. This is not necessarily an assessment of one's entire capacity. It could be a deficiency specifically in the knowledge of God, an inability to grasp such abstract matters. Another stumbling block may be a lack of information. To contemplate God's greatness, one needs, besides mental acuity, to know what to contemplate. Perhaps the person has not studied anything that is related to God and His greatness and does not know what he should be contemplating.

וְאֵין לוֹ לֵב לְהָבִין בִּגְדוּלַּת אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּה דְּחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ

and has no heart to comprehend the greatness of Ein Sof , blessed be He, by which to generate fear and love One person lacks knowledge of God; another lacks heart. He cannot get past his intellect to the place where meditation translates into feelings of love and fear. The difficulty of transitioning from the intellectual experience to the emotional one, even for one who possesses the brains to do so, is one of the major obstacles in the service of God.

אֲפִילּוּ בְּמוֹחוֹ וּתְבוּנָתוֹ לְבַד,

even in his mind and intellect alone, Not only is he unable to attain love and awe of God in his heart, a forceful emotional experience, or one at least equal in depth to his other feelings, but even an intellectual love and awe is beyond him. This means that an understanding of how to relate, how to love, and what to love, the love and awe "very near to you" described in the previous chapter, are unattainable to him.

אַף עַל פִּי כֵן קָרוֹב אֵלָיו הַדָּבָר מְאֹד, לִשְׁמוֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל מִצְוֹת הַתּוֹרָה, וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כּוּלָּן, בְּפִיו וּבִלְבָבוֹ מַמָּשׁ

there is nevertheless a matter that is very near to him: to observe and perform all the commandments of the Torah, with the study of Torah being equivalent to all the other mitzvot, literally in his mouth and heart. Although the spiritual work employing the methods explained thus far may not be "near" to this person, there is another possibility that potentially can even be "very near," that is eminently achievable for him. That is to perform the mitzvot of the Torah, in particular Torah study. This performance of the mitzvot will not be limited to verbal expression or deed, but is also experienced in the heart and accompanied by actual feelings of love and fear.

מֵעוּמְקָא דְּלִבָּא, בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ,

Moreover, it comes from the depths of his heart, in absolute truth, The depths of the heart is the innermost and deepest seat of emotion. It is the faculty of the heart that is independent of any potentially false experience and as such is an eternal, absolute truth.

בִּדְחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ, שֶׁהִיא אַהֲבָה מְסוּתֶּרֶת שֶׁבְּלֵב כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁהִיא יְרוּשָּׁה לָנוּ מֵאֲבוֹתֵינוּ.

with the fear and love that is the latent, concealed love that exists in the heart of the collective of Israel, bequeathed as a heritage to us from our forefathers. Even someone of limited intellect, incapable of awakening within himself love and awe in his performance of mitzvot, can nevertheless actualize a love of God that stems from his heart's depths. The author of the Tanya refers to it as the "concealed love that exists in the heart of the collective of Israel." This love is not something that springs from one's active consciousness but rather from the hereditary connection of every Jew's essence to God, simply because he is a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Its source is the point at which all Jewish souls unite with the one God, the point known as Kenesset Yisrael, the congregation of Israel. At this junction, one no longer taps into his soul's faculties as they relate to his individual nature. He reaches inside to the deepest root, to a primal source that can be described paradoxically as the "exalted depths" or "supernal depths," and from there he draws the strength to serve God. This essential heritage nestled in the depths of the Jewish soul is not something one can create or control, yet its power sustains his own life as it has sustained the Jewish people's existence through all generations. It is the faithfulness of a simple Jew, a quality coming not from intellectual love and awe but from the hidden love that every Jew inherits from his forefathers. Here the author of the Tanya touches on a topic that borders on the dangerous, a power so fundamental and dynamic within every Jew that he can draw on it as an individual and as part of the collective nation without exhausting its source. It is a well so deep, so powerful, that one can draw on it forever. But because it is so very powerful, once manifest it may never again allow for day-to-day existence. After making every other attempt, we try another source, the most basic, fundamental source, the nucleus of the very existence of matter. We draw power from the atom. But as with the explosion of nuclear energy, the inherent basis of all matter, the potential that is found within each individual, the very foundation of the soul, can be explosive. As the author of the Tanya will go on to explain, this spiritual nuclear bomb comes into play at the moment of martyrdom, the sanctification of God's name. At the moment of the full realization of its potential, life itself is swept away by its overwhelming power. One cannot live with it; it burns through everything in its wake, including life itself. Yet the author of the Tanya is telling us that one may tap into this potential for daily life. The conundrum that presents itself is, how does one make use of something so unequivocal, so ultimately yes or no? Without it, one risks emotional vacuity; with it, one leaps beyond all bounds, even that of physical existence. How does one receive from a hidden source that, when revealed, can be devastating? How is one to harness, apportion, and live with it?

רַק שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְבָאֵר וּלְהַקְדִּים תְּחִלָּה בַּאֵר הֵיטֵב שֹׁרֶשׁ אַהֲבָה זוֹ וְעִנְיָינָהּ, וְאֵיךְ הִיא יְרוּשָּׁה לָנוּ, וְאֵיךְ נִכְלָל בָּהּ גַּם דְּחִילוּ.

But we must first explain and preface how one so limited can evoke this loveit is a heritage with a thorough explanation of the root and idea behind this love, how bequeathed to us and how it also incorporates fear. The question of how awe is included within the hidden love is no side issue because in a certain sense awe and love are opposites. When we say that within every Jewish heart lies a hidden love, we are speaking of an essential connection and closeness between a Jew and his Father in Heaven. Awe and fear, by contrast, denote distance. How can someone with this subliminal love for holiness also attain the perspective of distance and the drawing back that follows? The author of the Tanya answers this question only in the next chapter. Now he turns to an explanation of how this love is an inheritance from the forefathers.

וְהָעִנְיָן, כִּי הָאָבוֹת הֵן הֵן הַמֶּרְכָּבָה.

The underlying idea is that the forefathers are the very chariot for the Divine Presence. The designation of the forefathers as the chariot for the Divine tells us that besides their individual identities as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they merited through their service of God to become a chariot for the Divine Presence, a channel for the Divine. They reached a level of self-abnegation before God whereby their bodies and souls became instruments and expressions of Godliness and sanctity within the world. A chariot is, for its rider, no more than a vehicle, without any will of its own. Its self-nullification with regard to the rider is absolute, greater even than that of the horse to its rider. The intention in calling the forefathers the chariot is that their sense of self had been transmuted. They no longer identified as an individual self but had become the instrument of the Divine Presence. Human dualities, the inclination toward good and the inclination toward evil, the body and soul, ceased to play a role. As chariots of the Divine Presence, their sense of self was as one with the will of God. They became a complete vessel for the divine will, for the divine attributes of love and kindness, restraint and mercy. The level of chariot, then, bypasses rankings of human virtues. It goes beyond wisdom, love, and awe to any degree. Even the highest level of prophecy is still a quality that relates to an individual, of whom it is said that the Divine Presence speaks through his throat. But the definition of "the forefathers are the very chariot [for the Divine Presence]" is a totally different level, a complete transformation of what it means to be human. The forefathers became a seamless part of the holy and transcendent world of Atzilut, not through any specific faculty within their souls but through their very existence.

וְעַל כֵּן זָכוּ לְהַמְשִׁיךְ נֶפֶשׁ רוּחַ נְשָׁמָה לִבְנֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵיהֶם עַד עוֹלָם מֵעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת דִּקְדוּשָּׁה שֶׁבְּאַרְבַּע עוֹלָמוֹת, אֲצִילוּת בְּרִיאָה יְצִירָה עֲשִׂיָּה, לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד כְּפִי מַדְרֵגָתוֹ וּכְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו.

They therefore merited drawing down for their descendants after them forever a nefesh , ruaḥ , and neshama from the ten holy sefirot of the four worlds of Atzilut , Beria , Yetzira , and Asiya , each according to his rank and deeds. The level of chariot is not a rank assigned to a particular individual but rather an essential transformation – a mutation of the person's essence, as it were, that can be passed along to succeeding generations. The forefathers were fundamentally different, and their progeny followed suit with this altered essence. This "new" creation was graced with a unique gift: a soul that stems from the realm of sanctity, a soul that finds expression not only in spiritual, intellectual, or emotional abilities deriving from the rational soul. After all, everything the rational soul is capable of, according to Rambam's yardstick, could be attained by someone like Aristotle. Rather, this is a power unconnected to human comprehension or even prophetic vision. It is an altogether different essence, a vital divine spark that every Jew inherits, unrelated to stature or deeds, wisdom or foolishness, righteousness or evil, closeness to or distance from God. It is the most essential plane of being a Jew, a part of his very essence. This divine spark that passes from the forefathers to their offspring emanates from the sphere of holiness that exists in each of the four worlds. Just as there are ten sefirot  in the world of Atzilut, so there are ten holy sefirot  in each of the other worlds, through which God manifests that particular world, sustains it, and governs it. The three worlds of created entities – Beria, Yetzira, and Asiya – parallel the three soul levels present in every Jew, nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama. A holy spark from the ten sefirot  from each of these worlds is drawn down into its corresponding soul level, animating the holiness contained therein.

וְעַל כָּל פָּנִים, אֲפִילּוּ לְקַל שֶׁבַּקַּלִּים וּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

At the very least, even with regard to the most unworthy and the sinners of Israel, These individuals do not lead their lives in a manner that is reflective of their holy forebears. Nevertheless, they are still Jewish souls, the progeny of their forefathers, and continue to carry their heritage within them.

נִמְשָׁךְ בְּזִיוּוּגָם נֶפֶשׁ דְּנֶפֶשׁ דְּמַלְכוּת דַּעֲשִׂיָּה, שֶׁהִיא מַדְרֵגָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה שֶׁבִּקְדוּשַּׁת הָעֲשִׂיָּה.

a nefesh of the nefesh of Malkhut of the world of Asiya , namely, the lowest level of holiness in the world of Asiya , is drawn down as a result of their act of coupling. The world of Asiya is the lowest of the four worlds. In Asiya itself are ten sefirot, the lowest of which is Malkhut. Malkhut itself contains the three levels of nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama, the lowest of which is nefesh. In the nefesh itself are a nefesh, ruaḥ, and neshama, the lowest level being nefesh, which the author of the Tanya refers to as a "nefesh of the nefesh of Malkhut [of the world] of Asiya."

וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן, מֵאַחַר שֶׁהִיא מֵעֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת קְדוֹשׁוֹת הִיא כְּלוּלָה מִכּוּלָּן,

Yet nevertheless, since Malkhut is one of the ten holy sefirot , it is comprised of them all, Each level incorporates and is comprised of all the other levels, while at the same time maintaining its distinct identity. Thus, even the lowest levels are comprised of the loftiest ones, just as one's toenails are still part of a person and thus contain an element of his comparatively lofty intellect. The worlds of holiness are distinguished by their interconnectedness and inclusion within each other. This is the natural result of self-negation, which is the mark of sanctity, and contrasts with the self-centeredness of kelippa: "My river is mine, and I made myself" (Ezek. 29:3). While kelippa's overriding self-centeredness rules out any possibility of connection with another, the self-abnegation of holiness to supernal sanctity embraces the whole of existence.

גַּם מֵחָכְמָה דַּעֲשִׂיָּה שֶׁבְּתוֹכָהּ מְלוּבֶּשֶׁת חָכְמָה דְּמַלְכוּת דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁבְּתוֹכָהּ חָכְמָה דַּאֲצִילוּת, שֶׁבָּהּ מֵאִיר אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַמָּשׁ,

including Ḥokhma of the world of Asiya , within which is clothed Ḥokhma of Malkhut of the world of Atzilut , within which is clothed Ḥokhma of Atzilut, in which the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, itself shines (see gloss to chap. 35), Sanctity, of any level or form, is an all-encompassing constellation unto itself, a complete structure, or partzuf in the language of Kabbala. For this reason, the most minuscule unit of sanctity holds within itself boundless universes of holiness. So too the spiritual legacy of a Jew, even if grounded in the lowest levels of sanctity, contains within itself the most sublime heights. The transmission of sanctity, then, does not necessarily follow a neatly organized hierarchy. Every soul, no matter how common, contains the entire world of sanctity and the potential for a direct link to God Himself, even if that potential is nestled in its deepest depths. This may sound wildly optimistic, a spiritual rags-to-riches story, yet "the smallest will become a thousand" (Isa. 60:22), because every Jew bears within himself, as it were, the patriarchs, the chariot itself, though concealed, of reduced dimension, and imperceptible.

כְּדִכְתִיב: "ה׳ בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ״ (משלי ג, יט)

as it is written, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom" (Prov. 3:19), God established the earth with the attribute of Ḥokhma, Wisdom. In this sense, Ḥokhma, the highest of attributes, where the light of Ein Sof itself radiates, is revealed in the earth, which is the level of Malkhut, the lowest of the attributes.

וְ״כּוּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ״ (תהלים קד, כד).

and "with wisdom You have made them all" (Ps. 104:24). Wisdom, or Ḥokhma, is the vessel through which God operates, and it is revealed within the world of Asiya, as the word asita, "made," in the verse indicates.

וְנִמְצָא כִּי אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְלוּבָּשׁ בִּבְחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבְּנֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם, יִהְיֶה מִי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.

Thus it follows that Ein Sof , blessed be He, is clothed in the faculty of wisdom that is in the soul of a Jew, no matter his status. As mentioned, every Jew, even the most unworthy and even the sinner of Israel, has inherited a spark of holiness – literally, a portion of God on high – from his forefathers. This spark is clothed within the faculty of wisdom in a person's soul. Consequently, the faculty of wisdom is the starting point for the manifestation of the soul's faculties. This includes not only what is revealed in a person but also what is hidden, including the light of Ein Sof. Elsewhere, the author of the Tanya explains why God reveals Himself specifically in the faculty of wisdom. Though counted among the soul's cognitive attributes, it stands between consciousness and what soars beyond reality and awareness. In the topology of thought, wisdom is the flash, the spark, that passes from the hidden, unknowable regions of the intellect into the conscious mind. The threshold between existence and nothingness is no more than a point. Since it is dimensionless, without area or boundaries, it can therefore clothe the light of Ein Sof.

וּבְחִינַת הַחָכְמָה שֶׁבָּהּ עִם אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ מִתְפַּשֶּׁטֶת בְּכָל בְּחִינוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ כּוּלָּהּ לְהַחֲיוֹתָהּ מִבְּחִינַת רֹאשָׁהּ עַד בְּחִינַת רַגְלָהּ, כְּדִכְתִיב: "הַחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה בְּעָלֶיהָ״ (קהלת ז, יב).

The faculty of wisdom in the soul, along with the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which is clothed within it, permeates all the faculties of the soul in its entirety, from head to foot, as it were, giving it life, as it is written, "Wisdom grants life to its possessors" (Eccles. 7:12). The faculty of wisdom in the soul is the soul's innermost, hidden contact point to the source of life. It is the place where the supernal attribute of Ḥokhma illuminates the soul and, as mentioned, is the internal sanctuary for the divine light. This point is the real and true point of life for the soul, giving life to the entire soul from beginning to end. Obscured within lies the hidden facet that was bequeathed by the forefathers, the chariot of the Divine. This is what makes every Jew "a portion of God on high." As will be explained below, we have no consciousness of it. Normal living precludes its revelation. But the moment a Jew faces an extraordinary situation, it is exposed. The breakthrough is explosive. At that moment, his entire life changes. That flash of clarity does not allow for a return to the routine world of shadows. This connection to the hidden supernal holiness reveals itself particularly when one senses imminent extinction, the end of biological life, or, even more basic, the loss of the soul. At this juncture, one will give up his life rather than be severed from God.

[וְלִפְעָמִים מַמְשִׁיכִים פּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נְשָׁמוֹת גְּבוֹהוֹת מְאֹד שֶׁהָיוּ בְּעִמְקֵי הַקְּלִיפּוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר גִּלְגּוּלִים.]

(Sometimes even sinners of Israel draw down very lofty souls that were trapped in the abyss of the kelippot , as it is written in Sefer HaGilgulim .) Although this note is somewhat of a non sequitur, it relates to the topic at hand: the essential holiness that is every Jew's legacy. The rule of thumb is that individuals pass along souls similar to theirs to the next generation. On occasion, though, the script changes, and a wholly mysterious process occurs: A sinful individual, the product of lineage seemingly totally removed from sanctity, brings forth a child with a pure and exalted soul. The same hidden facet that can be awakened in any Jew who commits an act of self-sacrifice for the sake of sanctifying God's name can also manifest as a new and holy soul that does not match the soul of its progenitors. There are sources that describe the lofty souls that fall through the cracks between holiness and impurity. Captives of kelippa, they can escape only under unique circumstances. They are like rare gems buried in a garbage dump. Only one who frequents such places – and refined individuals with holy souls avoid such unsavory locations – will ever find them. It is only the sinners of Israel, who are at home in such venues, who can discover and extricate them. Among the great Jewish leaders in every generation were always those with the most unlikely parentage. One would be hard-pressed to find a more striking example of a noble soul with questionable pedigree than the Messiah, whose family tree is replete with relationships that were on the fringes of impurity: Judah and Tamar, Ruth the Moabite and Na'ama the Ammonite (descendants of Lot's daughters, a flawed lineage in and of itself), and David and Bathsheba. The soul of the Messiah, which itself epitomizes the redemption of sanctity from kelippa, can be reached only through these unions that are on the boundary between the sacred and the impure. As mentioned, the focal point of this sanctity is in the soul's faculty of wisdom. The author of the Tanya now explains what this wisdom is, what its function is among the soul's other powers, and why, specifically, the light of Ein Sof clothes itself within it.

הִנֵּה הַחָכְמָה הִיא מְקוֹר הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַהֲבָנָה, וְהִיא לְמַעְלָה מֵהַבִּינָה, שֶׁהוּא הֲבָנַת הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַשָּׂגָתוֹ, וְהַחָכְמָה הִיא לְמַעְלָה מֵהַהֲבָנָהוְהַהַשָָּׂגָה וְהִיא מָקוֹר לָהֶן.

Wisdom is the source of intelligence and understanding. It is above the faculty of understanding, which constitutes the intellect's understanding and apprehension of an idea. is above the Wisdom level of understanding and apprehension, and it is their source. Wisdom is not synonymous with the intellect. What we recognize as intellectual comprehension and understanding is the faculty of bina, understanding, whereas ḥokhma, wisdom, is the source and dynamic that creates the intellect. Wisdom acts as the bridge between a nonconceptualized idea and active intelligence, our perception of the concept. Thought is the process of combination and fusion, of analysis and differentiation. Yet this process can begin only when there is a particular idea for thought to engage, to take apart and reconstruct. The stage at which the idea first appears, before the intellect can start to work on it, is wisdom, which precedes comprehension. Our thoughts usually unfold so quickly that we miss the chance to both think and meditate on them. We fail to discern their rich layering. Only when the process slows, for whatever reason, are we able to distinguish between the stage at which an idea first appears in wisdom and the subsequent analysis and conceptual reorganization in understanding. Wisdom is the initial flash of cognition, the first grasp at awareness, neither comprehended nor intellectualized. It is the lightning bolt that illuminates the darkness, delivering its once-only impression. A protracted stage follows in which a person needs to understand what he saw. He disassembles the picture, attempting to integrate it with earlier ones. This is the stage of understanding, in which the intellect comprehends the subject. This is not a onetime impression, like that initial flash, but rather the spark of wisdom flashes and pulsates again and again, like an electric spark that energizes a motor, time after time. Chabad literature gives another example: Someone is stymied while trying to solve a problem. He sits and examines the issues when, suddenly, lightning flashes. I found it! If we were to ask him at that moment, "What did you find?" he could not reply. The flash of wisdom, the source of the intellect, is, by itself, nothing. The dimensions of understanding, their length and breadth, the possibility of exploration and rebuilding, of in-depth study and the discovery of the roots and possible results of things – all these are the intellectual understanding and comprehension that come only after the illumination of wisdom.

וְזֶהוּ לְשׁוֹן חָכְמָה, כֹּ״חַ מָ״ה,

This is the connotation of the term ḥokhma , whose letters spell ko'aḥ ma , the potential for what, Ma, "what," is the term for nothingness, that which is nonexistent. Accordingly, it is an expression for humility and self-negation. As Moses and Aaron said, "And what are we?" (Ex. 16:8). We are nothing. We are not causal factors or influential, and therefore "your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord" (Ex. 16:8).

שֶׁהוּא מַה שֶּׁאֵינוֹ מוּשָּׂג וּמוּבָן וְאֵינוֹ נִתְפָּס בְּהַשָּׂגָה עֲדַיִין.

for it is that which is not apprehended and understood, nor is it yet grasped by the intellect. We cannot understand what wisdom is. It comes to us as a given fact, a sense of truth that we cannot define. We cannot explain why we feel it is true. At other levels of comprehension, there are systems and criteria. Yet they all depend on that initial conception of objects and ideas emerging from nothingness. Wisdom is therefore ko'aḥ ma, "the potential for what," because it draws from within the nothingness, which can neither be defined nor perceived.

וְלָכֵן מִתְלַבֵּשׁ בָּהּ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא דְּלֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה תְּפִיסָא בֵּיהּ כְּלָל.

Therefore, clothed within it is the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which no thought can grasp whatsoever. Wisdom is that element inside us that we cannot fathom. We approach it, only to stand gaping at the inexplicable. We enjoy its end products – intellect, feeling, awareness – without ever knowing their source. The faculty of wisdom is the mysterious point within our being, one that we can neither perceive nor understand. It is beyond the realm of what can be apprehended, although it is the source of human perception, emotion, and living awareness. For this reason, it is the vessel within us that clothes the light of Ein Sof, that transcends the thoughts of any created being. It is axiomatic that whatever a person can perceive in his thoughts is not the light of Ein Sof. If it is at all possible, then, for this divine energy to become revealed, it is in the very facet of the soul that itself is beyond knowing. When the Rebbe of Kotzk was once asked about knowing God's path, why He does things one way and not another, he replied, "A God whom some putrid drop can comprehend is hardly worth serving!" Not the most delicate way of putting it, but appropriate nevertheless. Godliness cannot be revealed in anything that can be perceived, measured, or defined within any boundaries but only in that corner of our existence that defies definition. As the verse states, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High" (Ps. 91:1) – the Most High dwells in "shelter," in the concealment that we cannot uncover.

וְלָכֵן כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲפִילּוּ הַנָּשִׁים וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ, הֵם מַאֲמִינִים בַּה׳,

Consequently, every Jew, even women and the ignorant, believe in God, Even those Jews who never studied and were never educated in Judaism in any depth possess faith in God. The power of faith within every Jew is seen empirically and is described in the talmudic statement "They are believers, children of believers" (Shabbat  97a).

שֶׁהָאֱמוּנָה הִיא לְמַעְלָה מִן הַדַּעַת וְהַהַשָּׂגָה,

because faith is beyond knowledge and apprehension, Where knowledge ends, faith begins. The connection to the Divine by way of faith is possible also for those utterly without understanding and perception of God, because faith is independent of comprehension or knowledge and unaffected by their absence. Faith derives its nurture from a completely different source, one connected to the soul's faculty of wisdom, which is wholly beyond awareness and understanding. For this reason, faith reaches beyond the intellect.

כִּי "פֶּתִי יַאֲמִין לְכָל דָּבָר וְעָרוּם יָבִין״ וגו׳ (משלי יד, טו).

for "the naïf believes everything, and the clever will understand it correctly" (Prov. 14:15). Understanding requires intelligence, but believing is something that even a simple person can do. The point here is not to extol simplicity but to praise faith, which even an unlettered person can embrace. The demands made of the intellect, the myriad stages of cognition through which one must struggle, have no bearing on faith. One can believe in matters whose complexity far exceeds his understanding. Although comprehension is configured by a thousand perceptual boundaries and dimensions, by the individual's knowledge and intellectual capabilities, faith's borders are free. Free of intellectuality, unrestrained by analysis, faith is unshackled to soar beyond intellect. In no way does this suggest that a man of understanding is disadvantaged in matters of faith, only that faith issues from a source apart from comprehension. To create the internal image of "God standing over him" requires intellect and understanding, whereas the one who has faith needs no pictures. He believes, and his belief requires no understanding of what he believes.

ולְגַבֵּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהוּא לְמַעְלָה מִן הַשֵּׂכֶל וְהַדַּעַת, וְלֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה תְּפִיסָא בֵּיהּ כְּלָל, הַכֹּל כִּפְתָיִים אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ,

Relative to the Holy One, blessed be He, who is beyond intellect and knowledge, and no thought can grasp Him at all, everyone is regarded as a "naïf" in His presence, There are things in which only simple people believe because the intelligent apprehend them through their intellect. Yet in relation to God, everyone is considered simple and "no thought can grasp Him at all." Not only the particular thought of a specific individual but all thought, because God transcends the essential nature of the power of thought on all levels. Consequently, everyone is considered a simple person relative to God. In those areas where thought is serviceable and where comprehension and understanding can function, simplicity is a disadvantage, and belief is an expression of that shortcoming. But regarding the essence of the Divine, which by definition is incomprehensible and beyond cognition, the fool and the wise man are on the same footing: Neither understands. Both can equally believe. In matters that can be apprehended, they are divided. The wise man comprehends, but the fool does not. By contrast, concerning an unknowable God, all men are fools, with a single gossamer distinction: The simple man cannot fathom the gap, the enormity of the absence of understanding. The wise man at least recognizes his inadequacy.

כְּדִכְתִיב: "וַאֲנִי בַעַר וְלֹא אֵדָע בְּהֵמוֹת הָיִיתִי עִמָּךְ. וַאֲנִי תָמִיד עִמָּךְ״ וגו׳ (תהלים עג, כב-כג), כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁבָּזֶה שֶׁאֲנִי בַּעַר וּבְהֵמוֹת אֲנִי תָּמִיד עִמָּךְ.

as it is written, "I am a boor, unknowing; I am like a beast before You. Yet I am always with You" (Ps. 73:22–23), meaning, specifically by virtue of my being like a boor and a beast, I am always with You. A person who is open to receiving and believing that which lies beyond comprehension is no longer chained to understanding and perception. Therefore, he is "always with You," whether or not he apprehends what he believes. Moreover, the attempt to perceive that which is not given to understanding, rather than bringing him closer to faith could have distanced him, but since one defines himself as a "boor" and a "beast," he comes to be "always with You," unencumbered by his intellect and knowledge. Faith, then, is higher than comprehension. Whereas comprehension takes place within the faculty of understanding, faith exists at the precognitive level of wisdom, where one absorbs matters automatically, with the need for neither analysis nor understanding. It is a level present, as mentioned, in the soul of every Jew.

וְלָכֵן אֲפִילּוּ קַל שֶׁבַּקַּלִּים וּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מוֹסְרִים נַפְשָׁם עַל קְדוּשַּׁת הַשֵּׁם עַל הָרוֹב, וְסוֹבְלִים עִינּוּיִם קָשִׁים שֶׁלֹּא לִכְפּוֹר בַּה׳ אֶחָד, וְאַף אִם הֵם בּוּרִים וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין יוֹדְעִים גְּדוּלַּת ה׳,

Consequently, on the whole, even the most unworthy and the sinners of Israel give up their lives in martyrdom for the sanctification of God's name. They also endure severe torture in order to not deny the one God, even if they are boors and ignoramuses and are not knowledgeable in the greatness of God, One who is most unworthy is one who makes light of the commandments, who never seriously regarded matters of faith nor gave heed to his actions, while the sinner of Israel is one who has committed numerous transgressions with malicious intent. Yet even they possess within them the potential to sacrifice their lives for the sake of God and would even undergo severe torture to this end. The Kuzari, which bears some resemblance to the Tanya in describing the nearly genetic presence of holiness among the Jewish people, attributes their uniqueness to outstanding individuals. According to the Kuzari, the verse that refers to Israel as "distinguished from among all the peoples" (Ex. 19:5), indicates that this is the nation of the forefathers. A "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6) is the nation with preeminent prophets and sages who cleave to God. The author of the Tanya, by contrast, assigns the sanctity and the uniqueness of the Jewish people to another cause. The forefathers and prophets, the tanna'im and amora'im, were exceptional and holy men, but it is not they who create a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. "For who is a great nation that has God near it?" (Deut. 4:7) does not refer to a nation of prophets and holy individuals who sacrifice themselves for the sanctity of the divine name but to a people that has thieves and ignoramuses who also martyr themselves. What is unique is not that someone scholarly and devout gives his life at the moment of supreme reckoning, though certainly an enormous deed, but that the most unlearned person imaginable, who never opened a book and never once engaged in profound contemplation, also goes to his death to sanctify God's name, revealing an innermost attachment to the sacred that is beyond understanding. This is the true, self-sustained connection to God.

וְגַם בַּמְּעַט שֶׁיּוֹדְעִים אֵין מִתְבּוֹנְנִים כְּלָל,

and even the iota that they do know they do not contemplate at all. Even a limited conceptual grasp can fully permeate a person's character, influencing him in the same manner that a much vaster spectrum affects a greater mind. When a person meditates on what he knows, when he continually probes deeper, this knowledge becoming central to his being, then even if the concept itself is minor, it assumes increasingly greater dimensions and significance in his life. Among those who sacrificed their lives, suffering all kinds of horrible deaths rather than separate themselves from God, there were also ignorant and boorish individuals who never bothered to contemplate even whatever little they knew.

וְאֵין מוֹסְרִים נַפְשָׁם מֵחֲמַת דַּעַת וְהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת בַּה׳ כְּלָל. אֶלָּא בְּלִי שׁוּם דַּעַת וְהִתְבּוֹנְנוּת, רַק כְּאִלּוּ הוּא דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר כְּלָל לִכְפּוֹר בַּה׳ אֶחָד, בְּלִי שׁוּם טַעַם וְטַעֲנָה וּמַעֲנֶה כְּלָל.

They do not sacrifice their lives in martyrdom as a result of knowing and meditating upon God at all, but rather they sacrifice their lives even without knowledge or meditation, as if denying the one God is something utterly impossible, without rhyme or reason whatsoever. Elsewhere, it is explained that self-sacrifice is rooted in the essence of one's being, far beyond the faculty of knowledge or conscious awareness. When a Jew comes to this point, when he must choose between faith and denial of God, there is no room for deliberation. He knows with absolute clarity that he cannot forsake God, whatever the circumstances and at whatever cost. As the author of the Tanya goes on to explain, at that moment a flash of certainty enlightens his soul without the slightest internal conflict, though if pressed to debate the issue, he would be mute. This is a feeling as visceral as the fact of his own existence. No proof is required, nor would he be able to provide one. This perfect assuredness is found within even the most unworthy at the moment of his last and definitive test: to be with God or to deny Him. Whatever his thinking was over a lifetime, whatever his knowledge or lack thereof, none are relevant. As certain as he is of his own existence, so too is his conviction that he cannot sever himself from God.

וְהַיְינוּ מִשּׁוּם שֶׁה׳ אֶחָד מֵאִיר וּמְחַיֶּה כָּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ עַל יְדֵי הִתְלַבְּשׁוּתוֹ בִּבְחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבָּהּ שֶׁהִיא לְמַעְלָה מִן הַדַּעַת וְהַשֵּׂכֶל הַמּוּשָּׂג וּמוּבָן.

That is because the one God illuminates and sustains the entire soul by being clothed within its faculty of wisdom, which transcends knowledge and intelligence that are apprehended and understood. In the instant a Jew senses that his link to supernal holiness is threatened, a very different operating system is initiated, one that is somewhat akin to our survival mechanism in the face of danger. Restraints disappear, together with aches and pains, preconceptions and concerns. In an inelegant analogy, this works like a posthypnotic suggestion. A person receives a sign, hears a particular word, sees a specific sight, and forces beyond his conscious will begin to direct him. His previous life experiences, all that he thought and knew, are pushed aside, and he acts in a completely different manner. At that culminating moment, the faculty of wisdom in the soul inundates his entire being. His thinking moves beyond accustomed patterns; his actions shift to another mode. A previously unknown force surfaces and guides him. In the chapters that follow, the author of the