עוֹד זֹאת, תִּהְיֶה שִׂמְחַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֲמִיתִּית,

In addition, there will be true joy of the soul, The joy that will be discussed in this chapter is "true" in the sense that it does not stem from a sense of temporary relief from a state of spiritual inadequacy and distress but rather is continuous, an expression of the existence of the infinite divine oneness. A person only has to think about this in order to attain this unparalleled joy. This type of joy differs from the joy described in chapter 31 in another way as well. The joy depicted earlier was experienced by the divine soul alone and had to be shielded from and evade the flaws of the body and the animal soul, while the joy described in this chapter may express itself even through the body and the animal soul.

וּבִפְרָט כְּשֶׁרוֹאֶה בְּנַפְשׁוֹ בְּעִתִּים מְזוּמָּנִים שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְזַכְּכָהּ וּלְהָאִירָהּ, בְּשִׂמְחַת לֵבָב.

especially when a person sees on certain occasions that he must purify and illuminate his soul with joy of the heart. Sometimes a person goes through a phase of self-induced bitterness which he must leave behind to attain a state of joy. At other times a person must experience joy, not because he was embittered but because he feels the need "to purify and illuminate his soul." A person can accomplish many things as part of his routine or out of a sense of duty. But sometimes he undergoes such a severe state of spiritual or physical exhaustion that he cannot act. He must experience what the author of the Tanya refers to as "joy of the heart" in order to purify and illuminate his soul. This kind of joy – genuine, heartfelt joy, not frivolity – is the optimal state of the soul. When a person experiences this joyful, positive state of mind, all of his actions are animated and effortless. He solves problems and meets challenges, and new paths open up for him. The Talmud says that a person should pray only out of the joy associated with performing a mitzva. Prayer, which is fundamentally an emotional service, clearly requires an appropriate emotional state. Our Sages broaden the scope of this requirement to include other mitzvot, such as Torah study, in another talmudic dictum which states that the Divine Presence rests only on a person who is imbued with the joy associated with a mitzva. When a person is feeling dejected or melancholy, it is as though he is trying to function in the dark. He cannot fully utilize his abilities. In order to illuminate the darkness and "purify and illuminate his soul," he must experience joy. Then he can look at himself and at the world around him with joy, energy, and ease. But how can a person reach this state of joy solely from within himself without relying on external stimuli?

אֲזַי יַעֲמִיק מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ וִיצַיֵּיר בְּשִׂכְלוֹ וּבִינָתוֹ עִנְיַין יִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הָאֲמִיתִּי,

Then he should contemplate and visualize with his mind and his understanding the concept of God's true unity, One way for him to achieve true joy is to "contemplate and visualize with his mind and his understanding the concept of God's true unity." Just as a person must dwell on certain ideas in order to elicit painful feelings, so must he contemplate the concept of God's divine oneness and unity in order to elicit joy. In order for a person's thoughts to lead to knowledge that is not only theoretical but will change his life, he must direct his thoughts. Directing one's thoughts involves a process of careful analysis whereby a person approaches a concept from multiple angles. In this way, he visualizes the concept in his imagination as tangibly as possible so that his soul can connect itself to that concept fully, both intellectually and emotionally. This applies to all objects of thought, whether material or spiritual, holy or impure. If a person cannot build frameworks in his soul in which his most personal understanding will become meaningful, he will be unable to emotionally relate to the objects of his thought. "The concept of God's true unity" as a topic for contemplation is discussed extensively in Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna. Here, the author of the Tanya touches only briefly on this concept, and only regarding the aspect that leads to joy.

אֵיךְ הוּא מְמַלֵּא כָּל עָלְמִין, עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים,

namely, how He fills all worlds, higher and lower, "Fills all worlds" is a concept in hasidic thought that refers to one of the two categories of the revelation of the divine light: "fills all worlds" and "encompasses all worlds." That the divine light fills all worlds refers to the revelation of divine light within created beings, animating each one according to its measure and purpose. Analogous to this is the revelation and function of the soul in the body: the power of sight is expressed via the eye, the ability to walk is expressed via the legs, and so forth. The author of the Tanya specifies "higher and lower" because with regard to the divine light that fills all worlds, the higher and lower worlds are not equally capable of containing it.

וַאֲפִילּוּ מְלֹא כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַלֵּזוּ הוּא כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ

and how even this earth is filled with God's glory The second category of light, the other aspect of God's unity, is that which "encompasses all worlds," including this physical world." On this level, the divine light is transcendent, beyond all existence and encompassing all particulars equally. Regarding this category of divine light, differences between large and small, and upper and lower are meaningless. It brings into existence our lower world just as it does the upper worlds. It creates existence from nothing by virtue of its concealed nature. When a person contemplates these two aspects of the divine light, the transcendent and the immanent, which generates and animates everything, it can lead him to experience God's true unity. His awareness that even as God is transcendent He is here upon this earth, with all that this implies, is the essence of faith in the true divine unity. This type of faith negates the dichotomous perspective that "God is in the heavens and you are on earth" (Eccles. 5:1), in other words, that God is somewhere above whereas a person resides down below. Faith in God's unity is faith that God is present even where the person is. Therefore, He is truly one and unified, and there is no existence outside Him.

וְכוֹלָּא קַמֵּיהּ כְּלָא חֲשִׁיב מַמָּשׁ, וְהוּא לְבַדּוֹ הוּא בָּעֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים מַמָּשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה לְבַדּוֹ קוֹדֶם שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית.

and how everything before Him is literally considered nothingness, and that He is literally alone in the higher and lower worlds just as He was alone before the six days of Creation, God is present whether or not the world exists, whether before or after the six days of Creation. The existence of the world does not in any way conceal God's presence.

וְגַם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה שֶׁנִּבְרָא בּוֹ עוֹלָם הַזֶּה – הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם – הָיָה הוּא לְבַדּוֹ מְמַלֵּא הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה. וְגַם עַתָּה כֵּן הוּא לְבַדּוֹ בְּלִי שׁוּם שִׁינּוּי כְּלָל,

and also in this very space in which this world, the heavens and earth and all their hosts, was created – He alone filled this space. He is now also alone, without any change at all, Prior to the creation of the world, God was fully revealed and manifest everywhere; there was no existence without Him. Now as well, the world's seeming existence does not negate the infinite divine existence. The world does not, so to speak, press upon the divine existence to keep it from being present in the same space. The created world is nothing more than a secondary or tertiary image overlaid onto the true existence. In essence the created world itself is the divine existence.

מִפְּנֵי שֶׁכָּל הַנִּבְרָאִים בְּטֵלִים אֶצְלוֹ בַּמְּצִיאוּת מַמָּשׁ,

because the existence of all created beings is literally nullified in relation to Him, The world is not at all comparable to the Divine. The world is transparent compared to God's existence. From God's perspective, whether or not the world exists makes no difference. In this sense, created beings are nullified within God's existence, since essentially they are part and parcel of that existence, and have no independence beyond Him whatsoever.

כְּבִיטּוּל אוֹתִיּוֹת הַדִּבּוּר וְהַמַּחֲשָׁבָה בִּמְקוֹרָן וְשָׁרְשָׁן, הוּא מַהוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְעַצְמוּתָהּ,

just as the letters of speech and thought are nullified within their source and root, namely, the essence and being of the soul, The letters of speech and thought make up the concepts and words with which a person thinks and speaks. In a sense, these letters reveal a person's character and essence. When we compare the revealed letters to the original, unrevealed source, that which is revealed is nullified. It has no intrinsic meaning without the source that it reveals.

שֶׁהֵן עֶשֶׂר בְּחִינוֹתֶיהָ: חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת כו', שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם בְּחִינַת אוֹתִיּוֹת עֲדַיִין, קוֹדֶם שֶׁמִּתְלַבְּשׁוֹת בִּלְבוּשׁ הַמַּחְשָׁבָה [כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בִּפְרָקִים כ' וְכ"א בַּאֲרִיכוּת עַיֵּין שָׁם].

which are the soul's ten faculties – wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and so forth. They do not yet possess the aspect of letters before they are clothed in the garment of thought (as explained at length in chapters 20 and 21; see there). The ten faculties of the soul constitute its essence and being, which serves as the source of the letters, which are ultimately clothed in the garment of thought. When we consider the soul itself, prior to the expression of its traits, abilities, and potential, we see that what these express in the "garment" of the letters of thought and speech is as nothing compared to the infinite possibilities the soul contains. This relationship between a person's thoughts and personality is not merely quantitative. An entire world may exist within those thoughts: people, places, events, and actions. But that world has no independent, objective existence outside of his thoughts. It is no more than a shadow of the person's personality. Similarly, the letters of divine speech – whose power creates and maintains the universe and the reality of all of the worlds within it – do not possess substantiality any more than do the letters of human thought. Just as the creations of human thought are nullified relative to the person thinking them, so too, all worlds are nullified relative to the divine essence that creates them.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר גַּם כֵּן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, מָשָׁל גַּשְׁמִי לָזֶה מֵעִנְיַן בִּיטּוּל זִיו וְאוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּמְקוֹרוֹ, הוּא גּוּף כַּדּוּר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁבָּרָקִיעַ. שֶׁגַּם שָׁם מֵאִיר וּמִתְפַּשֵּׁט וַדַּאי זִיווֹ וְאוֹרוֹ, וּבְיֶתֶר שְׂאֵת מֵהִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתוֹ וְהֶאָרָתוֹ בַּחֲלַל הָעוֹלָם, אֶלָּא שֶׁשָּׁם הוּא בָּטֵל

This idea was likewise explained elsewhere (see Sha'ar HaYiḥud VeHa'emuna, chap. 3) by employing an analogy to this from the physical world, namely, the concept of the nullification of the sun's radiance and light within its source, that is, the body of the sun in the firmament. In there too, the sun's radiance and light certainly shine and radiate, even more than its radiance

בַּמְּצִיאוּת בִּמְקוֹרוֹ וּכְאִילּוּ אֵינוֹ בַּמְּצִיאוּת כְּלָל.

and illumination in the expanse of the universe; but there, inside the sun, its existence is nullified within its source, as though it does not exist at all. The light of the sun shines everywhere except within the sun itself. When the light shines outside the sun, it appears as an independent entity that gives vitality to complete worlds. But within the sun none of that has any significance. When the light is in the source from which it is generated, it is nullified. It returns, as it were, to the state prior to its having been created, when it did not exist at all.

וְכָכָה מַמָּשׁ, דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל,

In precisely the same way, figuratively speaking, One should bear in mind that the light and the source of light are only analogies. An analogy, whether taken from the material or spiritual world, serves to explain something beyond the analogy itself. We must examine the analogy again and again in order to seek its deeper meaning. In this particular analogy, the idea to contemplate is how a derivative is nullified in relation to its source, in the fundamental existence from which it stems.

הוּא בִּיטּוּל הָעוֹלָם וּמְלוֹאוֹ בַּמְּצִיאוּת לְגַבֵּי מְקוֹרוֹ, שֶׁהוּא אוֹר אֵין סוֹף בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר שָׁם בַּאֲרִיכוּת.

is the existence of the world and everything in it nullified in relation to its source, which is the light of Ein Sof , blessed be He, as explained there at length. As was explained earlier, the nullification of the world's existence relative to the divine is not due to the lowliness and insignificance of the world but due to the fact that its entire existence is a dim ray of light deriving from the essence of divine light. It is an illumination that appears as an independent entity only when it is disconnected and distanced from the divine source. The world, including everything contained therein, is insubstantial in the context of the divine light source.

וְהִנֵּה כְּשֶׁיַּעֲמִיק בָּזֶה הַרְבֵּה,

When a person contemplates this a great deal, Deep contemplation in general consists of thinking about a particular topic until it becomes clear to one and conceptually integrated into one's soul. Contemplation of God's unity is a component of the daily prayer service. It is what one must bear in mind when proclaiming, "Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). The idea expressed in this verse is more than the fact that God is one and not two. A person must be unwavering in his concentration, steadily focused for a period of time, envisioning and clarifying for himself the nature of this oneness, of the fact that "there is nothing besides Him" (Deut. 4:35), that not only is there no other like Him in terms of greatness or strength, but that nothing exists apart from Him. This is not the kind of thought that a person can have fleetingly – "God exists; He is one" – and then go on with his day. A person must meditate on this thought at length, reviewing it again and again. A significant proportion of hasidic teachings is meant to supply the content for such contemplation and provide a springboard that enables a person to look at this verse anew twice daily, in a fresh light and with new vitality. This is similar to how a person contemplates a physical object placed directly before him, as something he is seeing for the first time. The deep contemplation that this chapter is discussing is not a purely intellectual and abstract analysis, but something that has an emotional aspect as well. The nullification of the world before the Divine means that no barrier exists, that God is here with us as fully as He is in the highest heavens, and perhaps even more so. The more a person meditates on this, the more he perceives an intensely tangible nearness to God. This nearness is not dependent on a person's righteousness, fulfillment of mitzvot, Torah study, or anything else. Rather, it is a closeness that has no conditions, no limits, where essence meets essence and one may come to feel an intense joy that is without conditions and without limits.

יִשְׂמַח לִבּוֹ וְתָגֵל נַפְשׁוֹ אַף גִּילַת וְרַנֵּן בְּכָל לֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ וּמְאֹד

his heart will rejoice and his soul will be glad even with joy and song (see Isa. 35:2), with all his heart and soul and might The phrase "With all his heart and soul and might" recalls the commandment to love God mentioned in the first paragraph of the Shema: "With all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." That love of God likewise comes from a person's contemplation of God's oneness as he recites the words "Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one."

בֶּאֱמוּנָה זוֹ כִּי רַבָּה הִיא, כִּי הִיא קִרְבַת אֱלֹקִים מַמָּשׁ.

in this faith in God's unity. One's joy abounds because it is a great faith, since it is literally an experience of closeness to God. Although the chapter began with the notion of intellectually contemplating God's unity, the author of the Tanya refers to this concept here as "faith" because it is first and foremost founded upon the faith that, as the psalmist says, "By the word of God the heavens were made" (Ps. 33:6). As stated earlier, the purpose of contemplating God's unity is not to deny material existence but to attain an experiential awareness of the Divine Presence. By contemplating the nothingness of existence relative to the Divine, we dismantle all the barriers and reveal that God is present. When we contemplate that "there is nothing besides Him," that there is no existence besides the Divine, no existence that has any tangibility that can interpose between us and Godliness, we attain a feeling of closeness to God, of being as close to Him as we can bear to be. In order to attain closeness with God, a person need not storm the supernal realms or penetrate more and more deeply into the layers of his soul. He need only remove the veil of created reality and reveal that God is present. The question is not whether God is present, but to what degree a person is aware of His presence. For example, there are many things whose existence a person is unaware of and that do not depend on his awareness. Every person has a heart, but only a minority (usually those with a heart condition) are sensitive to the fact. The heart constantly operates; a person's life depends on its continuing activity at every moment, yet he may not be aware of that. As a rule, the extent to which a person is aware of something bears no correlation whatsoever to how real or close it is to him. If anything, the correlation may be inverse, in that the closer and more familiar something is, the more effort and practice a person requires to be truly aware of its existence. As noted in other contexts, a person's greatest pleasure is that of being alive. Yet one typically takes this for granted, except at a time of crisis, such as after recovering from a serious illness or being granted a reprieve from a death sentence. The meaning of one's "closeness to God" is that the Divine is closer to him than anything else, closer than life itself, closer than the beating of his heart – and that is precisely why he does not sense it. But the moment the veil is lifted, as soon as this notion of God's unity enters into his awareness, then he needs nothing else in his life. He has everything.

וְ"זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם" וְתַכְלִית בְּרִיאָתוֹ, וּבְרִיאַת כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ דִּירָה זוֹ בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן בַּאֲרִיכוּת.

In fact this is the whole purpose of man and the purpose of his creation, and of the creation of all the worlds, higher and lower: namely, in order for this to be a dwelling place for Him below, as will be explained at length below. God created the world and man in order to have "a dwelling place below," which, to quote Ecclesiastes (12:13), "is the whole [purpose of] man." God is found in everything and everywhere, including the lower worlds, and this reality is not dependent on man at all. Moreover, from God's perspective, there is no distinction between the higher and lower realms. Therefore, the concept of "a dwelling place below" refers not to God's existence in the lower realms but rather to the fact that His existence is revealed to man both consciously and emotionally. The notion of lower realms as applied to the psyche of the human being relates to a level of his intellect or emotion that does not perceive the divine. When a person becomes aware that God is present in his ordinary state of reality, when he feels close to God, he creates "a dwelling place below" for God, and as such he attains the great goal of the existence of all worlds, from their beginning to their end.

וְהִנֵּה כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלָה שִׂמְחַת הֶדְיוֹט וּשְׁפַל אֲנָשִׁים בְּהִתְקָרְבוּתוֹ לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם, הַמִּתְאַכְסֵן וְדָר אִתּוֹ עִמּוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ,

How great is the joy of a commoner and lowly man when he draws close to a human king who lodges and lives with him in his home! Until now, the author of the Tanya has focused on a person's intellectual contemplation of God's omnipresence. Now he returns to the initial subject of the chapter: the concept of joy and how it emerges from that contemplation. Were a great, well-known man to stay at the home of a commoner, were he to shake his hand and speak to him even briefly, that meeting would become the focal point of the commoner's life, its apex of light and happiness. It would be an experience he would always remember and that would serve as his source of vitality.

וְקַל וָחוֹמֶר לְאֵין קֵץ לְקִרְבַת וְדִירַת מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וּכְדִכְתִיב: "כִּי מִי הוּא זֶה אֲשֶׁר עָרַב לִבּוֹ לָגֶשֶׁת אֵלַי נְאֻם ה'" (ירמיה ל, כא).

How infinitely more so is a person's joy with regard to the closeness and dwelling here below of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: "For who is it whose heart has dared to approach Me? – the utterance of the Lord" (Jer. 30:21). In order to truly sense God's closeness and the resulting joy one experiences, a person must have, on the one hand, a sense of trepidation in the face of awesome, infinite distance, such that "who is it whose heart dared to approach Me?" and he must perceive, on the other hand, the unrivaled closeness of the Divine. When a person experiences these two feelings, a sense of gratitude and tremendous joy bursts into being, as he considers that God, who is immeasurably great and awesome, chooses to be the guest in his home, meaning, in his awareness and his feelings. In and of himself, a person is a small, lowly creature. No matter how much he grows, he can never come close to God, the infinite Ein Sof. All human beings, from the simplest and lowest, to Moses, the preeminent human being, stand before Ein Sof at the same point: the point of nothingness. But although a person cannot reach the infinite Ein Sof, the infinite Ein Sof can reach him. Accordingly, it is only when God so desires that a person can be close to him. That is the reason for one's sense of gratitude, which results in a feeling of joy: that as infinitely great as God is, He reaches down infinitely below. "It is true that God is the King of kings, and before whom no one dares to approach, yet here He is! The King of kings visits me. He is always with me." This is the essence of a person's most simple and all-encompassing gratitude for being able to experience God's closeness to him.

וְעַל זֶה תִּיקְּנוּ לִיתֵּן שֶׁבַח וְהוֹדָיָה לִשְׁמוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכָל בֹּקֶר, וְלוֹמַר: "אַשְׁרֵינוּ מַה טּוֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וכו‘ וּמַה יָּפָה יְרוּשָּׁתֵנוּ". כְּלוֹמַר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָאָדָם שָׂשׂ וְשָׂמֵחַ בִּירוּשָּׁה שֶׁנָּפְלָה לוֹ הוֹן עָתֵק שֶׁלֹּא עָמַל בּוֹ,

It is on account of this that the Sages instituted that a person should give praise and thanks to God's name every morning, and say, "Happy are we, for how good is our portion and how pleasant is our lot, and how beautiful is our heritage!" That is to say, just as a person is happy and joyful in receiving an inheritance when a great fortune that he had not labored to acquire falls into his possession, The most germane clause of this quote is "How beautiful is our heritage." When a person acquires wealth through laborious and extensive efforts, he may feel as if he has received compensation for an investment that he made. But when a person receives an inheritance, something that he did not strive to achieve, something that was given freely, he can experience only pure joy and gratitude.

כֵּן וְיוֹתֵר מִכֵּן לְאֵין קֵץ, יֵשׁ לָנוּ לִשְׂמוֹחַ עַל יְרוּשָּׁתֵנוּ שֶׁהִנְחִילוּנוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, הוּא יִחוּד ה' הָאֲמִיתִּי, אֲשֶׁר אֲפִילּוּ בָּאָרֶץ מִתַּחַת אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ – וְזוֹ הִיא דִּירָתוֹ בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים.

likewise, and infinitely more so, ought we to rejoice over our heritage that our forefathers bequeathed to us. This inheritance is the ability to feel God's true unity, the knowledge that even on earth below there is nothing besides Him. This awareness is His dwelling place in the lower worlds. Our ancestors bequeathed to us an awareness, a realization that they themselves attained, by devoting their entire lifetimes to study, meditation, and contemplation. It is an inheritance for which we should be more grateful and joyful than for anything material. Our ancestors passed on to us the secret that in essence God is present right here. From generation to generation, fathers, as it were, whispered into the ears of their children: "In your house, in the house that all of us live in, lies a hidden treasure." This deeply personal awareness is the secret of God's true unity. The sense that despite everything, God is here with us and permeates all of existence is more precious than the treasures of all the kings of the earth. This is an inheritance that, although containing everything, is a person's individual awareness that he cannot pass on to anyone else. So in thanks to God, we exclaim: "How good is our portion…and how beautiful our heritage." Compared to this gift, everything else in the world pales into insignificance.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל: תרי"ג מִצְוֹת נִיתְּנוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל... בָּא חֲבַקּוּק וְהֶעֱמִידָן עַל אַחַת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה" (חבקוק ב, ד).

This is the meaning of the statement of our Rabbis, "There were 613 commandments given to Israel … Habakkuk came and established them upon one, the mitzva of emuna , as the verse states: "But the righteous will live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). Our Rabbis teach that "613 commandments were given to Israel… King David came and established them upon eleven…. Isaiah came and established them upon six…. Micah came and established them upon three…. Habakkuk came and established them upon one, referring to the commandment of faith, as it is stated:'But the righteous person shall live by his faith.'" This refers to faith in God's unity, which fills a righteous person with life and constitutes his reality. It is the meaning, power, and joy of his life. This joy is intrinsic regardless of his circumstances, whether a person is righteous or evil, rich or poor, fortunate or wretched. He knows what is important: that God is here with him.

כְּלוֹמַר, כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָהּ רַק מִצְוָה אַחַת – הִיא הָאֱמוּנָה לְבַדָּהּ. כִּי עַל יְדֵי הָאֱמוּנָה לְבַדָּהּ – יָבֹא לְקִיּוּם כָּל התרי"ג מִצְוֹת.

In other words, it is as though there is only one commandment, which is faith alone, for by means of faith alone a person will come to fulfill all 613 commandments. This is not to say that faith substitutes for all the other commandments, and one who possesses faith is not obligated to fulfill them. On the contrary, faith provides the means by which a person fulfills all of the commandments. This unique quality underscores the importance of faith.

דְּהַיְינוּ כְּשֶׁיִּהְיֶה לִבּוֹ שָׂשׂ וְשָׂמֵחַ בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ בְּיִחוּד ה' בְּתַכְלִית הַשִּׂמְחָה – כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הָיְתָה עָלָיו רַק מִצְוָה זוֹ לְבַדָּהּ, וְהִיא לְבַדָּהּ תַּכְלִית בְּרִיאָתוֹ וּבְרִיאַת כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת –

That is to say, when a person's heart will be happy and joyous, with the ultimate joy in his faith in God's unity, as though he is obligated only in this commandment alone, and that it alone is the purpose of his being created and the creation of all the worlds, The phrase "the righteous person lives by his faith" means that the greater a person's faith, the more alive, inspired, and vibrant he is. When a person believes that God exists not only somewhere in the heavens above but is here with us and that there is truly nothing besides Him, that is the sole source of his joy and vitality. The purpose of the creation of man and all the worlds is for God to have a dwelling place below, which, as was noted above, is our personal, subjective awareness that God is with us. When a person attains this awareness that God is with him, that God is his life and that there is nothing besides Him, he fulfills his part in the purpose of his being created and of the creation of all the worlds.

הֲרֵי בְּכֹחַ וְחַיּוּת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּשִׂמְחָה רַבָּה זוֹ תִּתְעַלֶּה נַפְשׁוֹ לְמַעְלָה מַעְלָה עַל כָּל הַמּוֹנְעִים קִיּוּם כָּל התרי"ג מִצְוֹת,

then with the strength and vitality of his soul experienced through this great joy, his soul will be elevated far beyond all obstacles that prevent him from fulfilling all of the 613 commandments, This feeling of joy is a person's sensation of divine life flowing through him and all existence. This chapter continues the theme begun in chapter 31, which describes a person who feels dejected on account of his spiritual failings and who therefore cannot serve God by properly fulfilling His commandments. In order to break free of his immobility and overcome the obstacles that are preventing him from serving God, he must attain a state of joy. The path to doing so is the way of "a righteous person, [who] lives by his faith," that is, faith in the unity of God. A person possessing faith can constantly be rejuvenated. This path is accessible not only to the righteous. Any person can say, "Although I, as lowly and disgraceful as I may be, have committed such and such sins, God is always with me, and when God is with me, what can be bad?" The power of this joy enables anyone to overcome his feelings of dejection and rise above anything that prevents him from serving God by keeping His commandments.

מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ.

whether those obstacles are internal or external. A person can overcome every obstacle, whether it is the result of entanglements within his own soul and his own life choices, or whether it stems from external circumstances. Until this point, the author of the Tanya has explained the verse "A righteous person lives by his faith" as referring to the sense of renewal and joy experienced by a person who possesses faith in the oneness of God and His closeness to him. From this point onward, the author analyzes the subject on a deeper level.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר "בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה" – יִחְיֶה דַּיְיקָא – כִּתְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל, כָּךְ תִּחְיֶה נַפְשׁוֹ בְּשִׂמְחָה רַבָּה זוֹ.

Thus the verse states, "He shall live by his faith" – specifying "he shall live "; that is, just as the dead, for example, will be revived, so will his soul be revived by means of this great joy. Not only does this faith provide inspiration for the rest of a person's life, but it constitutes a renewal of his current life. When the soul of one whose former life was cause for bitterness, for a fading will to live, is rejuvenated by the joy generated by living by one's faith, a completely new life replaces the old. This phenomenon is analogous to the future resurrection of the dead, when the deceased will be infused with an utterly new and qualitatively different life than we experience at present.

וְהִיא שִׂמְחָה כְּפוּלָה וּמְכוּפֶּלֶת, כִּי מִלְּבַד שִׂמְחַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת בְּקִרְבַת ה' וְדִירָתוֹ אִתּוֹ עִמּוֹ,

This is a manifold joy, because apart from the joy of the person's soul when apprehending God's closeness to him and His dwelling together with him, This refers to the joy of a person who attains the awareness that God dwells with him.

עוֹד זֹאת יִשְׂמַח בְּכִפְלַיִים בְּשִׂמְחַת ה' וְגוֹדֶל נַחַת רוּחַ לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמוּנָה זוֹ,

he will moreover be doubly joyful in his awareness of God's joy and the great degree of gratification this faith brings God, The joy a person's closeness to God generates is twofold: not only does he himself experience joy, but God too may be said to experience joy when a person believes in Him. When one who is trapped inside a body and unable to perceive the Divine is ensconced within a society that denies God, within a world that is turning to other directions, and he becomes aware that "behold, the Lord is standing over him," then God rejoices, and the person partakes of that joy. He consequently experiences a double joy: his own joy at being close to God, and God's joy at being close to him.

דְּאִתְכַּפְיָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא מַמָּשׁ, וְאִתְהַפַּךְ חֲשׁוֹכָא לִנְהוֹרָא,

in that the sitra aḥara is literally subdued, and darkness is transformed into light. The sitra aḥara, the "other side," refers to the aspect of existence that is not holy and hides holiness. As has been explained in a number of places (see commentary to chap. 27), there are two aspects to serving God, "subduing" and "transforming." Regarding the first aspect, the concealing veil is torn and a ray of the divine light appears from the other side. But with regard to the second, the concealment (the darkness) itself is transformed into light: the kelippa that had concealed the Divine is revealed as itself being divine light.

שֶׁהוּא חֹשֶׁךְ הַקְּלִיפּוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַחוֹמְרִי, הַמַּחֲשִׁיכִים וּמְכַסִּים עַל אוֹרוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ עַד עֵת קֵץ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: "קֵץ שָׂם לַחֹשֶׁךְ" (איוב כח, ג)

This darkness is referring to the darkness of the kelippot in this material world, which obstruct and conceal God's light until the end time, when, as the verse states: "He sets an end to darkness" (Job 28:3). In addition to the particular type of darkness associated with each specific sin, there is general darkness associated with the existence of kelippa in the most primal sense: Kelippa is by definition a covering that prevents us from seeing the essence within, an entity through which we cannot see the Divine. This concealment is due to the fact that the world (olam ) is by design an occlusion (he'elem ) of the Divine. At present this concealment is an integral part of the nature of the world, unaffected by people or the passage of time, that will be eradicated only at the end of days, when the world as we know it will be totally shattered.

[דְּהַיְינוּ קֵץ הַיָּמִין, שֶׁיַּעֲבִיר רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה מִן הָאָרֶץ "וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד ה' וְרָאוּ כָל בָּשָׂר יַחְדָּיו" (ישעיה מ, ה), וּכְמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן].

(This is a reference to the end of days, when God will remove the spirit of impurity from the earth, "and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh will see together" [Isa. 40:5], as will be explained below [chap. 36].) At the end of days (see Dan. 12:13), when the spirit of impurity will be removed completely and the concealment intrinsic to the existence of the world will be eradicated, then "all flesh will see together." The concealment is a combination of a number of factors: the external world, a person's senses, and the internal structure of his psyche. In order to go beyond concealment, it does not suffice to rectify just one of these factors. Being able to see the Divine via the external world as a result of a miracle or a revelation will in itself not change much. A change in a person's sensory, material awareness will in itself not be enough without a corresponding shift in the internal makeup of his psyche. Lacking that, he will always readjust himself so that the messages from the outside align with his internal preconceptions. It is virtually impossible for a person to see things that, according to his fundamental assumptions, cannot exist. Moreover, in order to attain a perception of the Divine, he must push not only beyond the boundaries of material existence and the perception associated with the material world, but also beyond the confining existence of his own self. In order for God to be revealed in this world, one must make a place for Him, and wherever a person's sense of self is present, God cannot be revealed. Therefore the Talmud states, "Any person who has arrogance within him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: He and I cannot dwell together in the world" (Sota 5a). But at the end of days, at the end of the existence of this world with its present meaning, form, and structure, at a time when the "world" (olam ) will no longer constitute a "concealment" (he'elem ), the existence of physicality will itself be a revelation of the Divine. Then "all flesh will see together that the mouth of God has spoken."

וּבִפְרָט בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ, שֶׁאֲוִיר אֶרֶץ הָעַמִּים טָמֵא וּמָלֵא קְלִיפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא.

This darkness exists particularly outside the Land of Israel, since the air of the land of the nations is impure and full of kelippot and the sitra aḥara . The spiritual darkness and concealment outside the Land of Israel is more powerful than in the Land of Israel. As a result of this potent darkness, the divine light is significantly less apparent outside the Land of Israel.

וְאֵין שִׂמְחָה לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ כְּאוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה בְּיִתְרוֹן אוֹר הַבָּא מִן הַחֹשֶׁךְ דַּיְיקָא.

There is no greater joy before God as the light and joy caused by the superior nature of light that emerges specifically from the darkness. This darkness refers to the darkness of this world, in particular, the darkness in the lands of the other nations outside the Land of Israel. If a person clearly recognizes God's existence in the midst of this darkness, he creates light from within the darkness. The light that is generated from within the darkness, in which God takes such joy, is not a light that is the opposite of darkness but one that emerges from the darkness. Jeremiah alludes to this concept in the verse "If you extract that which is precious from the worthless" (Jer. 15:19), referring to a unique factor that is not shared by light that does not emerge from darkness.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב: "יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעוֹשָׂיו" (תהלים קמט, ב), פֵּירוּשׁ שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁהוּא מִזֶּרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לוֹ לִשְׂמוֹחַ בְּשִׂמְחַת ה' אֲשֶׁר שָׂשׂ וְשָׂמֵחַ בְּדִירָתוֹ בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת עֲשִׂיָּה גַּשְׁמִיִּית מַמָּשׁ.

This is the meaning of the verse "Let Israel rejoice in its Maker" (Ps. 149:2). This means that everyone who is of the seed of Israel should rejoice in God's joy, who is happy and joyous that His dwelling place is in the lower worlds, which are on the level of actual physical Asiya . A Jew must rejoice that God has made him dwell in the lowly and dark world of Asiya so that despite the darkness he will be able to perceive the divine light hidden within. The verse "Let Israel rejoice" indicates that this is the characteristic quality of Israel: Every Jew accepts simple belief in God's unity not as a philosophical conclusion nor as the apex of the mystical ladder, but in the same way that a small child does. He acknowledges that God is one not only in the higher worlds but in the lower worlds as well. A Jew accepts this not as the conclusion of his life, but as the starting point for his life. "Let Israel rejoice" because the end point and purpose of a Jew's life, to make a dwelling place for God below, is also imprinted upon every starting point of his life, in his soul and in his body.

וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב 'בְּעוֹשָׂיו', לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים, שֶׁהוּא עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִי הַמָּלֵא קְלִיפּוֹת וְסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ ‘רְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים', וְ'טוּרֵי דְּפֵרוּדָא',

This is the meaning the verse, which states "its Makers ," in the plural form. This is a reference to the fact that this material world is filled with multitudinous kelippot and the sitra aḥara , which are called a "public domain" and, in the Zohar's parlance, "mountains of separation," In terms of the straightforward reading of the verse, either the Hebrew term actually does mean "its Maker" (and the yod in the word usually indicating a plural is a linguistic anomaly here), or the reference to a powerful figure in the plural is a standard technique. Whereas a private domain (literally, "the domain of the individual") alludes to a space in which God, the "Individual One of existence," is revealed, and there is nothing besides Him, a public domain (literally, "the domain of the multitude") alludes to our physical world, a realm in which the Individual One is concealed. Instead, we perceive a multiplicity of forces and factors that make up and propel the world.

וְאִתְהַפְּכָן לִנְהוֹרָא וְנַעֲשִׂים רְשׁוּת הַיָּחִיד לְיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ בֶּאֱמוּנָה זוֹ.

and which are then transformed into light by means of this faith and become a private domain for the sake of God's unity. This world, referred to here as a public domain, i.e., a place where multiple forces seem to be at play and the oneness of God is concealed, must be transformed into a "private domain," i.e., a realm where God's unity and oneness are clearly apparent. It is a transformation in which darkness morphs into light. This occurs when there is a transition from a perspective of multiplicity to a perspective of oneness, from a perspective of a multitude of forces that appear to be acting arbitrarily and aimlessly, of evil and good jumbled together, to a perspective in which all forces act as guided by one clear guideline and in which they are all one. Transforming darkness into light is the work of the human being. A person is born into a world of disparity, the "mountains of separation." But he slowly learns that all of its barriers, the ominous "mountains of separation," are a deception, that what appear to be disparate entities are elements of one existence. He attains the faith that the divine light exists everywhere and that nothing can obscure it. As a result, the "public domain" is nullified and transformed into a "private domain." "Let Israel rejoice in its Maker." Israel rejoices in the transition from the so-called public to private domains. A person rejoices not in his personal accomplishments, but in the existence of God, in the fact that as a result of his awareness God illuminates all the worlds, and in the fulfillment of the purpose of his creation and the creation of all the worlds. The existence of the world is, as it were, God's endeavor to receive a signal, a message from another. The entire framework of creation is built to this end, to transmit that message. Ultimately, the fact that someone below answers Him, that God receives a signal from man saying, "You, God, exist," means that the message has been successfully transmitted from one end of existence to the other. This expresses the divine victory, which floods all of existence with light.