וּלְתוֹסֶפֶת בֵּיאוּר צָרִיךְ לְבָאֵר הֵיטֵב מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב: "נֵר ה׳ נִשְׁמַת אָדָם״ (משלי כ, כז). פֵּירוּשׁ, שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל הַקְּרוּיִם אָדָם – נִשְׁמָתָם הִיא לְמָשָׁל כְּאוֹר הַנֵּר,

To further elucidate the nature of this concealed love, it is necessary to properly explain the verse "The soul of man is the candle of the Lord" (Prov. 20:27). This means that the soul of every Jew, who is referred to as adam , man, is analogous to the light of a candle, This metaphor appears several times in the Tanya and has a variety of implications. Fundamentally, the human soul is compared to the flame of a candle, the human body or animal soul to the wick, and the Torah and commandments, whose role is to connect the soul to the body, to the oil, which connects the fire and the wick. As long as there is oil, the fire will continue to burn and will not consume the wick.

שֶׁמִּתְנַעְנֵעַ תָּמִיד לְמַעְלָה בְּטִבְעוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאוֹר הָאֵשׁ חָפֵץ בְּטֶבַע לִיפָּרֵד מֵהַפְּתִילָה וְלִידָּבֵק בְּשָׁרְשׁוֹ לְמַעְלָה בִּיסוֹד הָאֵשׁ הַכְּלָלִי שֶׁתַּחַת גַּלְגַּל הַיָּרֵחַ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּ'עֵץ חַיִּים'.

which by nature constantly flickers upward because the flame of a fire naturally desires to part from the wick and cling to its source on high, which is the universal element of fire located below the sphere of the moon, as stated in Etz Ḥayyim . This image is based on the scientific conception of previous eras, which posited a hierarchy of four basic elements in ascending order: earth, water, wind, and fire. The element of fire thus belongs to the highest stratum of our world and resides just below the sphere of the moon, which is the lowest of the spheres that surround the world. The general principle that the author of the Tanya presents here is that these fundamental elements yearn to return to their source. Earth and everything associated with it yearn to return to the element of earth (thus accounting for the phenomenon of gravity), and anything related to the element of fire yearns to rise to the element of fire above. There is another, perhaps more relatable analogy that describes the small flame's yearning to be absorbed within the greater flame, its source. When a candle is placed next to a large fire, the small flame of the candle seems drawn to the fire and is extinguished, giving the appearance that it desires to be absorbed into the greater flame and consumed by it.

וְאַף שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה יִכְבֶּה וְלֹא יָאִיר כְּלוּם לְמַטָּה, וְגַם לְמַעְלָה בְּשָׁרְשׁוֹ יִתְבַּטֵּל אוֹרוֹ בִּמְצִיאוּת בְּשָׁרְשׁוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן בְּכָךְ הוּא חָפֵץ בְּטִבְעוֹ.

Although by doing so the flame will be extinguished, illuminating nothing below, and also above, in its source, its light will become subsumed within its source, this is nevertheless its natural desire. Clearly, the light of the candle does nothing by conscious will. Yet precisely because of that, the use of this analogy is significant in understanding the author of the Tanya's intent. The tendency of the candle's light to annihilate itself in its source contradicts the natural law of inertia, that all entities strive to maintain their basic form, whether or not they possess consciousness. To change the form of an object, or to change its location or destroy it, one must apply pressure from without. The flame of the candle is acting in opposition to that principle, because it desires, as it were, to unite with its source without the imposition of any external force, even though that union would cause it to lose its independent existence. The author of the Tanya, then, emphasizes that "this is its natural desire." Although this yearning stands in opposition to the rational principles that we understand, it is embedded within the nature of the candle flame. A stone too will attempt to connect with its source in the element of earth by falling to the ground, but the stone does not lose its independent existence. When the flame reaches its source, on the other hand, it is entirely nullified, not only in appearance but in fact. This self-nullification is a dual one: surrender of its distinctive identity and, even more, surrender of any independent existence.

כָּךְ נִשְׁמַת הָאָדָם, וְכֵן בְּחִינַת רוּחַ וְנֶפֶשׁ, חֶפְצָהּ וְחֶשְׁקָהּ בְּטִבְעָהּ לִיפָּרֵד וְלָצֵאת מִן הַגּוּף וְלִידָּבֵק בְּשָׁרְשָׁהּ וּמְקוֹרָהּ,

So too a person's neshama soul level, as well as his soul levels of ruaḥ and nefesh , naturally desires and longs to depart and leave the body and cling to its root and source, This applies not only to the highest level of the soul, the neshama, but also to the soul's lower aspects, ruaḥ and nefesh. Unlike the construct of the self, which is shared by the body and animal soul and which desires to maintain its own independent existence, the divine soul yearns to return to its source, to leave the confines of the body and thereby eliminate the self.

בַּה׳, חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

in God, the infinite source of life, blessed be He. Even though the soul infuses a person with life, it itself yearns to be absorbed into the source of life on high. As the author of the Tanya will go on to explain, these two aspects of the soul are interdependent. There is only one source of life, and in order that the soul may draw life from the source and give life, that it may be a living soul, it must be absorbed into the one source: God, the "infinite source of life."

הֲגַם שֶׁתִּהְיֶה אַיִן וָאֶפֶס וְתִתְבַּטֵּל שָׁם בִּמְצִיאוּת לְגַמְרֵי וְלֹא יִשָּׁאֵר מִמֶּנָּה מְאוּמָה, מִמַּהוּתָהּ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ הָרִאשׁוֹן,

Although the soul will become absolute nothingness and will be utterly subsumed there, leaving no trace whatsoever of its original essence and being, The soul's yearning for total disengagement from existence is more than a death wish. Death does not eradicate a being's individuality. The soul only changes from one state to another, from containment within a body to a different reality. But the yearning of the soul goes beyond that. Its goal is to completely eliminate itself, knowing that its presence within the source of all life will no longer be the existence of a self-aware, independent self with its own identity and desires but a radically different state of existence that retains no connection whatsoever to its previous existence and character.

אַף עַל פִּי כֵן זֶה רְצוֹנָהּ וְחֶפְצָהּ בְּטִבְעָהּ. וְטֶבַע זֶה הוּא שֵׁם הַמּוּשְׁאָל לְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ בִּבְחִינַת טַעַם וָדַעַת.

this is nevertheless its natural will and desire. This expression, teva , nature, is a borrowed term for anything that is not in the realm of reason and logic. In all languages, the word "nature" is one of the most obscure. It is used to describe almost anything at all, good or bad, and one would be hard-pressed to find any other word with so little intrinsic meaning. But the very lack of clarity of this word is an indication of its meaning: It is used to characterize a thing's basic makeup for which we have no explanation. This meaning is inherent in the Hebrew word for nature, teva, which means something impressed deeply into an object. Thus, a signet ring, which causes a wax impression, is a taba'at, and a coin, whose face is minted, is a matbe'a. Nature is the trait, the character, that is imprinted on a thing, or, alternatively, the thing is imprinted in it, and it is not affected by our interface with it. Although it is possible to derive the laws of nature, it is not possible to explain them. Wherever it is possible to explain why something acts in one way or another, that is no longer a description of nature but of a particular cause that results in a particular action or state. The nature of something is always beyond explanation, beyond rationale.

וְגַם כָּאן הַכַּוָּונָה שֶׁרָצוֹן וְחֵפֶץ זֶה בַּנֶּפֶשׁ אֵינוֹ בִּבְחִינַת טַעַם וְדַעַת וְשֵׂכֶל מוּשָּׂג וּמוּבָן, אֶלָּא לְמַעְלָה מֵהַדַּעַת וְשֵׂכֶל הַמּוּשָּׂג וְהַמּוּבָן.

Here too the meaning of the word teva is that this will and desire in the soul is not on the level of reason, logic, and intellect that can be apprehended and understood. Rather, it is beyond apprehensible and understandable logic and intellect. The foundation of all rational thought is the self. The concern for the continued existence of the self is the basis and focus of all rational thought. Every rational explanation of human phenomena always returns, in one way or another, directly or indirectly, to the ongoing existence of the self. This explanation can also be applied to the performance of the mitzvot, as well as to the relationship between man and God in general. They are the result of the yearning of the self to grow to broader and higher realms. But one phenomenon has no rational explanation: the willingness for self-sacrifice. Martyrdom stands in direct opposition to the primary axiom of survival. In this sense, the yearning of the divine soul for self-annihilation is a phenomenon without explanation, beyond rhyme or reason. The manifestation of the concealed love when a person gives up his life to sanctify God's name comes not from the ego's rational knowledge but from its total self-abnegation, which itself comes from beyond "apprehensible and understandable logic." This self-sacrifice is total. It is not a selflessness in which a person exchanges one state of existence for another: physical for spiritual, life in this world for life in the Garden of Eden. The continuation of one's existence is essentially the preservation of the self. In this sense, the self continues to exist even in the Garden of Eden, drawing pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence. But self-sacrifice is different. It is a yearning for the nullification of the self and not for its continued existence in any form whatsoever.

וְהִיא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ, שֶׁבָּהּ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

This will and desire is clothed in the soul's faculty of wisdom, which contains the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He. For the concealed love, which is contained in the deepest recesses of the soul, to be manifest and actualized, it is clothed in the soul's faculty of wisdom, where the light of Ein Sof shines. Wisdom is the point of awareness that is itself beyond the rational, the passageway within human consciousness between nothingness and existence. Thus it is the point at which the light of Ein Sof, which is beyond understanding, may be understood. It is here that the hidden love, which transcends the intellect and rationality, may be found.

וְזֶהוּ כְּלָל בְּכָל סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא מַה שֶּׁנִּמְשָׁךְ מֵחָכְמָה שֶׁנִּקְרָא ‘קוֹדֶשׁ הָעֶלְיוֹן׳, הַבָּטֵל בִּמְצִיאוּת בְּאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בּוֹ וְאֵינוֹ

This is a general principle with regard to the entire side of holiness, that holiness constitutes only that which is drawn down from the faculty of wisdom, which is called "supernal holiness" since its existence is subsumed

דָּבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, וְלָכֵן נִקְרָא כֹּ״חַ מָ״ה.

in the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which is clothed in it, and it is not a separate entity, as stated above (chap. 6). It is therefore referred to as ko'aḥ ma , literally, "the potential for what." Only God Himself can be truly referred to as holy. Therefore, anything that is holy or that is related to holiness can only be drawn from the "supernal holiness," from the faculty of wisdom in which the light of Ein Sof is enclothed. The faculty of wisdom is also the faculty for self-abnegation, for achieving a state of nothingness. Its essence is that it dissolves into non-being; it becomes nothing. The author of the Tanya explained this elsewhere in terms of the mind and its ability to learn. The capacity to learn new things is based on the connection between wisdom and humility: The ability to receive wisdom in one's mind is identified with the self-negating ability to be humble. When a person is filled with his own ideas and knowledge, he cannot arrive at any new understanding but can only assimilate variations on the old. In order to attain new knowledge, he must acquire a state of self-nullification in which the old ideas no longer exist and he can assimilate new concepts. This is why young children learn so quickly, but as they grow older, their ability diminishes. A young child does not have a developed sense of independent existence, and thus he can more easily absorb new information. But as his sense of self grows, as he recognizes his own independent being, he has less wisdom, less mindfulness of what is going on around him. External reality cannot enter if there is nothing inside to receive it. Wisdom alone constitutes an empty vessel capable of receiving because it is completely nullified before the light of Ein Sof and not an independent entity in any way. In this way, wisdom can be a receptacle for holiness, for the boundless Ein Sof, which is distinct from everything.

וְהוּא הֵפֶךְ מַמָּשׁ מִבְּחִינַת הַקְּלִיפָּה וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא שֶׁמִּמֶּנָּה נַפְשׁוֹת אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם דְּעָבְדִין לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ

This is literally the opposite of the kelippa and sitra aḥara , from which stem the souls of the gentile nations of the world, who act for their own sake As the author of the Tanya taught in the previous chapter, a Jew is defined as someone who is prepared to give his life for the sake of God. In this sense, holiness in general may be defined as whatever is nullified relative to Ein Sof. The fundamental difference between holiness and the sitra aḥara is not in external phenomena but in the inner kernel from which everything originates and to which everything returns. When this kernel is solely self-oriented, when the beginning of a human act, no matter what it may be, is for the sake of the self, that act belongs to the sitra aḥara. When a person is self-centered, even if he gives charity, acts kindly, or is involved in holy deeds, his actions only enhance his ego and, more generally, magnify the kelippa.

וְאָמְרִין: "הַב הַב״

and say, "Give, give," These words are a quotation from the Zohar in its description of those who pray solely for themselves, like a dog barking for its food, but the original source is the verse "The leech has two daughters:'Give, give!' There are three that will not be sated, four that do not say,'Enough'" (Prov. 30:15). The leech, which sucks blood and is never sated, is an analogy for kelippa. While this analogy has several facets, the one expressed here is the demand of the insatiable kelippa to receive ("Give, give!"). Unlike holiness, which gives until it has given all of itself, kelippa only takes, and even when it gives, it is only making an investment that will return a profit later on, whether in this world or the next. Instead, service to God performed in holiness must be divested of any intention to receive reward. In the words of the Mishna, "Do not be like servants who serve the master in order to receive a reward, but be like servants who serve the master not for the sake of receiving a reward" (Avot 1:3).

וְ״הַלְעִיטֵנִי״, לִהְיוֹת יֵשׁ וְדָבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל,

and "Feed me" (Gen. 25:30), in order to become an independent entity, as stated above (chap. 6), On a metaphorical level, the verse in Genesis describes how Esau, who represented kelippa, demanded of Jacob, who was symbolic of holiness and the source of life-giving sustenance, to "feed him." He demanded that he direct that sustenance to Esau alone, for his self-aggrandizement. The contrast between the realm of holiness and the other side is not to be found in their outer manifestations but in a point of great subtlety that resists easy clarification. When the Sages discuss this topic, they enumerate the differences between the disciples of Abraham and the disciples of Bilam but not the differences between Abraham and Bilam themselves. The differences between Abraham and Bilam were in some ways too fine to be discerned by every eye. We must look at their disciples, after these differences had developed by several stages and grown more pronounced. Bilam was not simply an evil man. He was so great that the Sages comment regarding the verse "There has not risen another prophet in Israel like Moses…" (Deut. 34:10) that another prophet did not rise in Israel, but such a man did rise among the nations, and that was Bilam. In greatness and attainment of the spirit, Bilam was like Moses. But in one inner point, there was a difference between them that changed everything: "The man Moses was very humble, more so than any person on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3), whereas it is said of Bilam's disciples that they had "an evil eye, a haughty spirit, and a limitless appetite" (Mishna Avot 5:19). Even though the greatness of these two men was equal, one man was the root of kelippa, and the other was a man of God, without equal in Israel.

הֵפֶךְ בְּחִינַת הַחָכְמָה.

which is the opposite of wisdom. The self-centered nature of kelippa is antithetical to wisdom. Wisdom is where the human and the Divine meet. This nexus is itself nothingness. Being "something," an independent entity, is the opposite of wisdom, and as such it cannot connect with the Divine.

וְלָכֵן נִקְרָאִים מֵתִים, כִּי "הַחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה״ (קהלת ז, יב), וּכְתִיב: "יָמוּתוּ וְלֹא בְחָכְמָה" (איוב ד, כא).

Consequently, they are referred to as dead even while alive because "wisdom grants life to its possessors" (Eccles. 7:12), and "they die without wisdom" (Job 4:21). Just as wisdom is the source of awareness, it is also the source of life. Accordingly, whatever is not connected to wisdom is not connected to life. Life essentially comes from a single source: holiness. Kelippa is thus not an independent source of life but a parasite that takes its life force from holiness. Lacking its own life force, evil constantly attempts to draw that energy from holiness. It attempts to take life ("Give, give") because that is its sole means of survival. The damage that kelippa does to holiness is not purposeful but is the unintended outcome of its desire to exist and live. Because it lacks access to the source of life and existence – that is, the ability to nullify itself before holiness – it clings to holy things, and at times destroys them, in an effort to draw life from them. Yet it does not realize that it is already dead because it is not prepared to nullify itself before holiness.

וְכֵן הָרְשָׁעִים וּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל קוֹדֶם שֶׁבָּאוּ לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן לְקַדֵּשׁ הַשֵּׁם, כִּי בְּחִינַת הַחָכְמָה שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, עִם נִיצוֹץ אֱלֹהוּת מֵאוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ, הֵם בִּבְחִינַת גָּלוּת בְּגוּפָם בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית, מִצַּד הַקְּלִיפָּה שֶׁבֶּחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי שֶׁבַּלֵּב הַמּוֹלֶכֶת וּמוֹשֶׁלֶת בְּגוּפָם בְּסוֹד גָּלוּת הַשְּׁכִינָה כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל.

Likewise, prior to their being confronted with the challenge of dying for the sake of sanctifying God's name, the wicked and sinners of Israel are also regarded as dead. This is because the faculty of wisdom in the divine soul, along with the spark of the Divine from the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, which is clothed within it, are in a state of exile within their own body, specifically in the animal soul from the side of kelippa in the left chamber of the heart, which rules and governs their body, constituting the aforementioned mystic exile of the Divine Presence (see chap. 17). The exile of the Divine Presence does not constitute the actual absence of God's presence but its involvement in other, unsanctified matters. The Sages state that "when [the Jews] were exiled to Babylonia, the Divine Presence went with them" (Megilla 29a). The Divine Presence is with them even in exile, but it is concealed, clothed in sackcloth – in nonholy matters, even in kelippot. When it wears this garb, the power and life force that stems from the Divine Presence can even be turned against holiness itself. The Ba'al Shem Tov states that there are three stages in the exile of the Divine Presence. The first is the exile of Israel among the nations. The second, and harsher, is the exile of Jews among themselves. The third, and most grievous of all, is the exile of an individual Jew within himself. Here the author of the Tanya is speaking of this third stage, when an individual's divine spark, which is found within every person's faculty of wisdom, is obscured by the body and the animal soul.

וְלָכֵן נִקְרֵאת אַהֲבָה זוֹ בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית, שֶׁרְצוֹנָהּ וְחֶפְצָהּ לִדָּבֵק בַּה׳ חַיֵּי הַחַיִּים בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בְּשֵׁם אַהֲבָה מְסוּתֶּרֶת,

Therefore, this love that is in the divine soul, whose will and desire is to cling to God, the infinite source of life, blessed be He, is referred to as concealed love, The love that is contained in the divine soul is not an operative function or manifestation of the soul on its part but is the essence of its very being. Whom a particular soul belongs to or where it stands is of no account. Every soul constantly yearns to return to its source, and this will and desire is what constitutes the love that is latent in the divine soul. This love can express itself in a range of emotions, but those emotions are merely manifestations of the soul's yearning and desire to be close to the object of his love, to cling to the infinite source of all life, to surrender itself to the Divine. That is the essential nature of the divine soul. But although every Jew has a divine soul, the love contained within it is not always revealed.

כִּי הִיא מְסוּתֶּרֶת וּמְכוּסָּה בִּלְבוּשׁ שַׂק דִּקְלִיפָּה בְּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

for it is concealed and covered by the sackcloth of kelippa in the sinners of Israel. The kelippa's garment is impenetrable, stymying both this feeling of love for God as well as its practical implementation. This is why, although wicked people too possess this love of God, it is not manifest within them, since they neither think nor act in a manner whereby this love can be expressed. On the contrary, their lifestyle can even run counter to the divine soul, which sustains them at their essence.

וּמִמֶּנָּה נִכְנַס בָּהֶם רוּחַ שְׁטוּת לַחֲטוֹא, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ״ל: "אֵין אָדָם חוֹטֵא״ כו׳.

From this kelippa a spirit of folly enters the sinners of Israel, causing them to sin, in accordance with our Rabbis' statement "A man does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him" (Sota 3a). A "spirit of folly" appears in a variety of forms. Some are obvious, such as when a person realizes that what he is doing is foolish immediately after sinning or even in the midst of the sin. He recognizes that this act is against his better interests, in conflict with his values, and inconsistent with his nature and will, and yet he does it. Another spirit of folly enters a person when he sins, but this spirit persuades him that what he is doing is not egregious, not even a sin, and that he is not separating himself from God. As a matter of principle, a Jew will deny that he would disconnect himself from God, and he denies that strenuously, even as he takes steps that lead him further and further away from Him. There is also a spirit of folly that tells a person that the prohibition he is violating is not important. It is only symbolic, of mere historical significance, that "the main thing is to be a good Jew in your heart." There can be an intellectual spirit of folly and one that is more simple. All these create the cloak that allows a Jew to live with a paradox: having the power within him to be able to sacrifice his life in order not to be separated from God, while at the same time, he is so distant from Him.

אֶלָּא שֶׁגָּלוּת הַזֶּה לִבְחִינַת חָכְמָה אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא לַבְּחִינָה הַמִּתְפַּשֶּׁטֶת מִמֶּנָּה בַּנֶּפֶשׁ כּוּלָּהּ לְהַחֲיוֹתָהּ. אֲבָל שֹׁרֶשׁ וְעִיקָּר

But this exile of the faculty of wisdom applies only to that aspect that spreads from it into the entire soul to animate it. However, the root and

וְאֵינוֹ שֶׁל בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית הוּא בַּמּוֹחִין, וְאֵינָהּ מִתְלַבֶּשֶׁת בִּלְבוּשׁ שַׂק דִּקְלִיפָּה שֶׁבַּלֵּב בֶּחָלָל הַשְּׂמָאלִי בִּבְחִינַת גָּלוּת מַמָּשׁ.

core of wisdom that is in the divine soul is in the brain and does not become clothed in the sackcloth of the kelippa that is in the left chamber of the heart in an actual state of exile. Wisdom is the source of life, so it extends throughout all the parts of a person's being, both spiritual and physical, vivifying it and manifesting itself in a variety of forms. These manifestations of the divine power that extends from the source of life, from the point of wisdom within the soul, may be obscured by the kelippa or may emerge from under the kelippa's sackcloth. Yet the core, the fundamental essence of wisdom in the soul, is never truly concealed, is never in actual exile.

רַק שֶׁהִיא בִּבְחִינַת שֵׁינָה בָּרְשָׁעִים

Rather, it is in a state of dormancy within the wicked There is a difference between exile and sleep. To say that the Divine Presence is in exile is not to say that it ceases to operate. On the contrary, the Divine Presence, the divine force, remains active, but it now operates in mundane areas and for the sake of mundane goals. The Divine Presence is, so to speak, like a slave who is held captive by an enemy. Although he continues to labor, he no longer does so for himself. In exile, the fundamental being continues to exist and act but is distorted and twisted toward other directions. Although the inner will and power of love and self-sacrifice continue to exist in a Jew's soul even in exile, it finds expression in alien and even hostile forms. Yet there exists a point within the soul, the point of wisdom within it, that never goes into exile, that never enters servitude, but at most it enters into a state of inactivity that the author of the Tanya terms "a state of dormancy." In that state, this core point of wisdom in the soul slumbers. It exists but is inactive, and although it does not express itself in holy forms, neither does it adopt any other.

וְאֵינָהּ פּוֹעֶלֶת פְּעוּלָּתָהּ בָּהֶם כָּל זְמַן שֶׁעֲסוּקִים בְּדַעְתָּם וּבִינָתָם בְּתַאֲוֹת הָעוֹלָם.

and does not exercise its influence within them as long as their faculties of knowledge and understanding are engaged in the pursuit of worldly pleasures. As long as a person's thoughts, his intellectual faculties, are applied to the pursuit of mundane pleasures, the inner spark of wisdom remains asleep and inactive. In an essay on the verse "A song of ascents: When God brings about the return to Zion, we were like dreamers" (Ps. 126:1), the author of the Tanya wrote that during exile Jewish existence is in a dream state. When God will bring about the Jewish people's return to Zion, we will see that throughout the entire night, during all the years of exile, we were like dreamers. The question implicit in this thought is, how can a Jew exist in exile? How can that divine spark, the wisdom hidden deep in the soul, which by its nature cannot go into exile, maintain itself during such a time? The answer is that this is possible in a dream. In a dream, everything is possible, even for two opposites to coexist. When a person's divine spark is asleep, it can combine two opposites: its existence in exile as its powers spread to other, nonholy realms and its yearning to cling to God alone and to deliver itself to the infinite source of all life. A person can view himself as a faithful Jew even if all his activities are anti-Jewish. That becomes possible when the primary spark, the "root and core of wisdom that is in the divine soul" is slumbering within him.

אַךְ כְּשֶׁבָּאִים לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן בִּדְבַר אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁהִיא לְמַעְלָה מֵהַדַּעַת, וְנָגְעָה עַד הַנֶּפֶשׁ, לִבְחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבָּהּ – אֲזַי הִיא נֵיעוֹרָה מִשְּׁנָתָהּ וּפוֹעֶלֶת פְּעוּלָּתָהּ בְּכֹחַ ה׳ הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ,

However, when even the wicked are faced with a test in a matter of faith, which transcends logic, touching the soul, specifically the point of wisdom within it, then the point of wisdom is awakened from its dormant state and exercises its influence through the power of God that is clothed within it, When such a person is tested with a challenge of faith, one that he cannot solve by applying his rationale, his cognitive faculties of understanding and knowledge, to decide whether he is in favor or against, whether he has one opinion or another, that is when that spark of wisdom awakens within him. There is a point beyond which an abnormally strained existence must explode. Every nightmare has a boundary past which the terror is so great that a person awakens from the dream. A person whose divine soul is in exile can build rational structures for himself, philosophical structures on the highest plane or simple structures of a thoughtless life, of eating and drinking for pleasure, with no desire or striving to attain more. But there comes a point when this familiar structure can no longer stand, when none of its rational supports can help – what the author of the Tanya calls "a test in a matter of faith." This point of critical mass, at which all existence must explode, differs in every individual, depending on the time, the place, and the person himself. For some, this point comes when they are told to commit a transgression as minor as moving muktzeh, an object prohibited for use, on the Sabbath. For others, it comes when they are about to commit apostasy. But every Jew has a critical point at which he realizes that to go beyond it is to cut himself off from his source, that beyond this point he has severed his ties to his Jewish essence. It is the point at which he must decide whether or not to identify as a Jew.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: "וַיִּקַץ כְּיָשֵׁן ה׳״ (תהלים עח, סה), לַעֲמוֹד בַּנִּסָּיוֹן בֶּאֱמוּנַת ה׳ בְּלִי שׁוּם טַעַם וָדַעַת וְשֵׂכֶל מוּשָּׂג לוֹ. לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל הַקְּלִיפּוֹת וְתַאֲווֹת עוֹלָם הַזֶּה, בְּהֶיתֵּר וּבְאִיסּוּר, שֶׁהוּרְגַּל בָּהֶם, וְלִמְאוֹס בָּהֶם וְלִבְחוֹר לוֹ ה׳ לְחֶלְקוֹ וּלְגוֹרָלוֹ לִמְסוֹר לוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ עַל קְדוּשַּׁת שְׁמוֹ. וְאַף כִּי הַקְּלִיפּוֹת גָּבְרוּ עָלָיו כָּל יָמָיו וְלֹא יָכוֹל לָהֶם, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינו זַ״ל: שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים הֵם בִּרְשׁוּת לִבָּם (בראשית רבה פרשה לד, י ופרשה סז, ח),

as it is written, "Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep" (Ps. 78:65), alluding to the light of Ein Sof clothed within the soul's faculty of wisdom. This awakening of wisdom leads the wicked person to withstand the test of faith in God and sacrifice his life without any reason, logic, or intellect that he can apprehend, and he is prepared to overpower the kelippot and this-worldly lusts, whether they are permitted or prohibited, to which he was accustomed. Moreover, he is even repulsed by them and opts to choose God as his portion and lot and offer his life to God for the sanctification of God's name, even though the kelippot overpowered him his entire life and he was unable to prevail over them in accordance with our Rabbis' statement "The wicked are controlled by their hearts" (Bereshit Rabba 34:10, 67:8). A wicked person cannot control his thoughts and feelings, so he stands beyond the bounds of free will. This is not to say that he has been stripped of the ability to choose freely, but that practically speaking he is no longer able to make an informed choice. He is caught within certain modes of living and thought. He no longer possesses the motivation to change his life. He is not able to make decisions that will result in actual change, nor has he any desire to do so. Instead, he slips steadily down a slope that he will not be able to climb again.

מִכָּל מָקוֹם כְּשֶׁבָּא לִידֵי נִסָּיוֹן בִּדְבַר אֱמוּנָה בַּה׳ אֶחָד, שֶׁיְּסוּדָתָהּ בְּהַרְרֵי קוֹדֶשׁ, הִיא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית שֶׁבָּהּ מְלוּבָּשׁ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הֲרֵי כָּל הַקְּלִיפּוֹת בְּטֵלִים וּמְבוּטָּלִים וְהָיוּ כְּלֹא הָיוּ מַמָּשׁ לִפְנֵי ה׳,

Nevertheless, when faced with a test in a matter of faith in the one God, a faith whose foundation is rooted in the holy mountains, namely, the faculty of wisdom in the divine soul, within which is clothed the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, then all the kelippot become null and void in the presence of God and vanish as though they never actually existed, When a Jew reaches this point, when his faith in the one God is tested, then even if he had lived like a non-Jew his entire life, and even as a wicked non-Jew – even if he had been immersed in his desires and had viewed the world through non-Jewish eyes – at that moment everything that has passed is as nothing, and he performs actions that would never have been expected of him.

כְְּדִכְתִיב: "כָּל הַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדּוֹ״ וגו׳ (ישעיה מ, יז),(תהלים צב, י), וּכְתִיב: "כְּהִמֵּס דּוֹנַג מִפְּנֵי אֵשׁ יֹאבְדוּ״ וגו׳ (שם סח, ג), וּכְתִיב: "הָרִים כַּדֹּונַג נָמַסּוּ״ (שם צז, ה).

as it is written, "All the nations are as nothing before Him…" (Isa. 40:17), and it is written, "For behold Your enemies, Lord, behold Your enemies perish; all evildoers are scattered" (Ps. 92:10), and it is written, "As wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God" (Ps. 68:3), and it is written, "Mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord" (Ps. 97:5). These verses show that when God is revealed, the enemy automatically has no more power, and evildoers, whether they are outside oneself or within, are no longer significant. A person who was under the control of his heart, who was enmeshed in the web of circumstance and desire that forced him onto a certain path where no solution could be found, who, practically speaking, had lacked the ability to choose good, finds that his world has suddenly been overturned. Now he again is unable to choose, but this time, unable to choose evil. Such a person experiences a microcosm of the revelation at Mount Sinai, when God, as it were, held the mountain over the heads of the children of Israel, when everything lost all meaning in the face of the divine revelation. This does not mean that he is transformed into a different person altogether, because this revelation has come from within himself, from his own faculties. Still, this revelation is so meaningful that his entire past life is as though it had never been. When holiness shines so strongly, the shadows that create the other side cease to be. The other possibilities melt away, losing their meaning and their force until one lacks the freedom to choose anything but that which is holy.

וְהִנֵּה אוֹר ה׳ אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בַּחָכְמָה שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ – גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם כֹּחוֹ כָּל כָּךְ לְגָרֵשׁ וְלִדְחוֹת הַסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא וְהַקְּלִיפּוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ יִגְּעוּ אֲפִילּוּ בִּלְבוּשָׁיו, שֶׁהֵם מַחֲשָׁבָה דִּבּוּר וּמַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁל אֱמוּנַת ה' אֶחָד.

The divine light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, that is clothed in the faculty of wisdom in the soul is so great and powerful that it can banish and repel the sitra aḥara and the kelippot so that they are unable to touch even its garments, namely, the thoughts, speech, and actions expressing a person's faith in the one God. The power of this revelation is so great that not only does it affect a person's faith, so that he will believe in nothing but God, it even affects his soul's garments. Even though a person knows that certain acts that he is compelled by his enemies to commit are superficial, nonsensical, and meaningless, he will nevertheless sacrifice his life rather than commit them.

דְּהַיְינוּ לַעֲמוֹד בַּנִּסָּיוֹן לִמְסוֹר נַפְשׁוֹ אֲפִילּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת רַק אֵיזֶה מַעֲשֶׂה לְבַד נֶגֶד אֱמוּנַת ה׳ אֶחָד, כְּגוֹן לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אַף שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין בָּהּ כְּלָל בְּלִבּוֹ.

That is, this person is willing to withstand the test of faith and sacrifice his life even to refuse to perform an isolated action that challenges his faith in the one God, such as prostrating himself before an idol, even though in his heart he does not believe in it whatsoever. For many Jews, the prospect of bowing to a false god, even if they know clearly that they are not professing faith in it and that they would only be performing a purely mechanical act lacking all significance, constitutes the dividing point, the moment when they decide to give their lives rather than bow.

וְכֵן שֶׁלֹּא לְדַבֵּר תּוֹעָה חַס וְשָׁלוֹם עַל אַחְדּוּת ה׳, אַף שֶׁאֵין פִּיו וְלִבּוֹ שָׁוִין, רַק לִבּוֹ שָׁלֵם בֶּאֱמוּנַת ה׳.

Similarly, he resolves to not speak disloyally, God forbid, against the oneness of God, even if his mouth and heart are not congruent, because his heart is whole in its faith in God. A Jew also will not make superficial and false statements that imply that he accepts another faith. In such cases, his speech would constitute a totally superficial garment that has no connection to his inner being, to his thoughts and feelings. But the process of revelation of the point of wisdom is so powerful that not only does it affect his innermost, fundamental essence, but it reaches his most external and superficial expressions of self.

וְזֶה נִקְרָא דְּחִילוּ הַנִּכְלָל בִּרְחִימוּ,

This is called fear that is integrated with love, Love is a state of closeness and intimacy, whereas fear is one of distance and disconnection. These examples of self-sacrifice are not expressions of closeness but of restraint and distancing from those acts that compel one to deny his Jewish identity. In that sense, they are expressions of fear, or, more precisely, of fear that is contained in love. Love and fear are not necessarily incompatible. Any love contains fear within it. Whenever there is an object of love, there is also the fear of losing it. On this level, fear of God is not fear of punishment but fear of being disconnected from God. This is "fear that is integrated with love," which is, in a sense, the highest level of the fear of God, a level where love and fear intertwine. This is the foundation and distillation of Jewish life. When we love, we cling to the source of life and are subsumed in it. When we fear, we are afraid that we may be severed from that source, which would mean that we are no longer alive. This point, this juncture, is so precious that every Jew is prepared to die for its sake.

שֶׁהִיא אַהֲבָה הַטִּבְעִית שֶׁבַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֱלֹהִית שֶׁבִּכְלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל,

which is the innate, concealed love that is in the divine soul of the collective of Israel, The emphasis is on all Jews, because this characteristic is not unique to the forefathers, the prophets, or the greatest among Israel, but belongs to every Jew. The ability to sacrifice one's self, which is the glory of Israel, does not belong only to those who have been educated in Judaism. We can assume that such people would choose martyrdom rather than do something in total contradiction to their lifelong ideals. The wonder and beauty exists particularly in those unlearned people who grew up in a nonreligious environment, even the most unworthy, even those who sin, physically and spiritually. The glory of Israel is found not only in Moses but even in a Jewish thief or reprobate who has given his life for the sake of God. This distinctive characteristic is the element that defines the Jew: a person who contains within himself the ability to give his life for the sake of his Jewishness.

שֶׁחֶפְצָהּ וּרְצוֹנָהּ בְּטִבְעָהּ לִידָּבֵק בְּשָׁרְשָׁהּ וּמְקוֹרָהּ אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא. שֶׁמִּפְּנֵי אַהֲבָה זוֹ וְרָצוֹן זֶה הִיא יְרֵאָה וּמְפַחֶדֶת בְּטִבְעָהּ מִנְּגוֹעַ בִּקְצֵה טוּמְאַת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁהִיא נֶגֶד אֱמוּנַת ה׳ אֶחָד, אֲפִילּוּ בִּלְבוּשֶׁיהָ הַחִיצוֹנִים, שֶׁהֵם דִּבּוּר אוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה בְּלִי אֱמוּנָה בַּלֵּב כְּלָל.

whose natural desire and will is to cling to its root and source, the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He. On account of this love and this will, the soul by nature is afraid and terrified lest it brush the tip of the impurity imparted by idol worship, God forbid, which is diametrically opposed to faith in the one God, even when it involves only the soul's outer garments, which are either speech or action, without believing in it whatsoever in the heart. The essence of Jewish identity may be found in the first two of the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God," and "You shall have no other gods" (Ex. 20:2–3). These two precepts express, respectively, attachment to God and love of Him, on one hand, and the repulsion from idolatry, with the attendant fear that one might be disconnected from God, on the other. These are not merely external directives but descriptions of the inner character of the Jewish soul, even if these characteristics are not always apparent. The author of the Tanya will go on to explain at length that every Jew fears and flees idolatry, but because he does not always recognize it, he may engage in an act tinged with idolatry without knowing it. Yet the moment he realizes that he is involved with idolatry, that he has reached the point of severance from the Divine, then all his other internal structures melt away, leaving him with no further doubt. In this sense, the entire Torah comes only to define and explain how to actualize these two precepts: "I am the Lord" and "You shall have no other gods." All the positive commandments are meant to help us come closer to the one God, to fulfill the mitzva of "I am the Lord your God." All the prohibitions express the idea that "you shall have no other gods." We must stay away from idolatry in all its forms and remain distant from anything that might sever our connection to Him. In view of this, one could say that the fulfillment of the Torah as a whole is one extended act of self-sacrifice for the sake of sanctifying the name of God. In this chapter, the author of the