וְהִנֵּה מוּדַעַת זֹאת שֶׁהָאָבוֹת הֵן הַמֶּרְכָּבָה (בראשית רבה פרשה מז, ח),

It is known that the patriarchs are the very chariot of God (Bereshit Rabba 47:8), The statement that the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – "are the very chariot" means that there was no distinction between them and the heavenly chariot that Ezekiel described in his prophecy. They were not just like the chariot, but they were the chariot. A chariot is a vehicle upon which a rider sits, and upon which he may be seen. The essence of a chariot, or vehicle, is solely utilitarian; it does not choose where to go but is a vehicle that the rider directs as he wishes. Ezekiel's chariot was a vehicle for holiness. When a person is described as a chariot of holiness, it means that his entire being serves as a vehicle for expressing holiness. From the perspective of the rider, he is not a happenstance vehicle, but the authentic vehicle – always and wherever he goes.

שֶׁכָּל יְמֵיהֶם לְעוֹלָם לֹא הִפְסִיקוּ אֲפִילּוּ שָׁעָה אַחַת מִלְּקַשֵּׁר דַּעְתָּם וְנִשְׁמָתָם לְרִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, בַּבִּיטּוּל הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל לְיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.

who, throughout their lives, never ceased even momentarily from binding their minds and souls to the Master of the Universe with the aforementioned self-nullification to His unity. As was explained earlier, when a person performs a holy act (a mitzva), he functions as a vehicle for holiness. But he is called a chariot only if he achieves the level of the patriarchs, who never ceased from binding their minds and souls to God by nullifying themselves to His unity. When a person nullifies himself in some small way to perform a holy act, he becomes a vehicle for holiness. But only if he is able to live in such a way that his entire being, whether he is awake or asleep, aware or unaware, is an instrument for the Divine Presence, is he regarded as its "chariot."

וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים, כָּל אֶחָד לְפִי מַדְרֵגַת נִשְׁמָתוֹ וְהַשָּׂגָתוֹ.

They were succeeded by all the prophets, each commensurate with the level of his soul and comprehension. Following the patriarchs (and suffused with their influence), whenever a prophet would, on his level, prophesy, he would become a chariot for the Divine Presence. At that moment, the prophet's unique personality would be nullified before God. The prophet would therefore serve as an instrument through which God expressed Himself within the spiritual realm that the prophet had attained.

וּמַדְרֵגַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם הִיא הָעוֹלָה עַל כּוּלָּנָה,

The level of Moses, our teacher, may he rest in peace, surpasses that of them all, Moses's self-nullification to the divine light surpassed even that of the patriarchs and the prophets.

שֶׁאָמְרוּ עָלָיו: שְׁכִינָה מְדַבֶּרֶת מִתּוֹךְ גְּרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה.

as our Sages said of him: "The Divine Presence speaks from Moses's throat." Moses's words were not his at all. Since there was no separation between Moses's individual self and the divine being, he possessed no personal speech.

וּמֵעֵין זֶה זָכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַעֲמַד הַר סִינַי, רַק שֶׁלֹּא יָכְלוּ לִסְבּוֹל, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל, שֶׁעַל כָּל דִּיבּוּר פָּרְחָה נִשְׁמָתָן כו' (שבת פח, ב), שֶׁהוּא עִנְיַן בִּיטּוּל בִּמְצִיאוּת הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל.

The people of Israel attained something of this level at the revelation at Mount Sinai, yet they were unable to bear it, as our Rabbis state that at each utterance God spoke, their souls flew out of their bodies, and so forth (Shabbat 88b). This refers to the nullification of their existence that was mentioned above. At Mount Sinai, as the Israelites received the divine words of the Torah, the inner essence of existence, they experienced a level approaching that of the chariot of the patriarchs and the prophets. Every person has drives, desires, and dreams unique to him and by means of which he lives in his personal reality. But at each of God's utterances, the consciousness and emotions of the people of Israel – their realities – were nullified, the meaning behind their souls flying out of their bodies. As no vestige of their personality remained, they were thus able to become a vessel upon which the Divine Presence rested. When a person experiences God's presence he cannot relate to anything else and cannot function in this world. Existence as he knows it is suffused with the brilliance of the divine light, which pumps life into him as well. Consequently, as a prophet enters a prophetic state, he encounters a severe crisis, jarred as he is by the traumatic transition in and out of the prophetic state. With great difficulty, the prophet (being a person of great wisdom and strong character) can bear this crisis. But the people of Israel, who merited a semblance of this state at the revelation at Mount Sinai, were unable to sustain the burden of this total and ongoing state of self-nullification.

לָכֵן, מִיָּד אָמַר לָהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ מִשְׁכָּן, וּבוֹ קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים,

Therefore, God immediately instructed them to make Him a Sanctuary, containing the Holy of Holies, Since the people of Israel could not bear having the Divine Presence rest upon them, God immediately instructed them to make Him a Sanctuary containing the Holy of Holies. The Sanctuary was a replacement of sorts for God's presence resting on the people. Initially, it was intended that the Divine Presence dwell within the person himself and not be confined to a particular building or geographic placement. This is alluded to in the verse "And I [God] will dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8), literally rendered as "within them," in other words, within each and every Jew, no matter their physical location. However, because the souls of Israel were incapable of tolerating that intense state of awareness and being veritable receptacles for the Divine Presence, the physical Sanctuary became necessary. The Sanctuary constituted a site for holiness, in addition to containing a space of even loftier holiness – the Holy of Holies. This space of supreme holiness, the Holy of Holies, was the locus in this world where all barriers were dissolved, where contact was made with the world beyond, where the dimensions of this world were nullified to divine existence. In the Holy of Holies, the divine being is not a light that a person gropes after in the dark, but a tangible existence directly before him. It is the place where ordinarily no one can enter, because his individual existence would be immolated there. Only the High Priest, after purifying and sanctifying himself as mandated by the Torah, entered that place once a year, and in so doing bound together place, holiness, and man.

לְהַשְׁרָאַת שְׁכִינָתוֹ, שֶׁהוּא גִּילּוּי יִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן.

for the dwelling of His Divine Presence, that is, the revelation of God's unity, as will be explained below (chaps. 52–53). What is the implication of there being a particular location where the Divine Presence dwells? After all, the verse states that "His glory fills the entire world" (Isa. 6:3), meaning that there is no place devoid of the Divine Presence. Moreover, the Divine Presence is the soul that animates all existence, and so it is impossible for there to be any existence in the absence of the Divine Presence. The explanation is that there is a difference between the "enclothing of the Divine Presence" and the "dwelling of the Divine Presence." The "enclothing of the Divine Presence" refers to the Divine Presence within everything, "filling all worlds" in order to enliven and sustain everything (including evil, as well as an evil gentile, as explained in Iggeret HaKodesh, epistle 25, p. 141). But the "dwelling of the Divine Presence" expresses the "revelation of His unity," the revelation of the existence of the Divine Presence not as something mysterious and hidden, but overt and tangible. In this sense, the Holy of Holies is the locus where the Divine Presence, the divine oneness encompassing all being and found everywhere, is revealed.

וּמִשֶּׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, אֵין לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ מִשְׁכָּן וּמָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ, הוּא יִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, אֶלָּא אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת שֶׁל הֲלָכָה,

But since the destruction of the Temple, the Holy One, blessed be He, has no Sanctuary and place for His dwelling, i.e., His unity, in His world, apart from the four cubits of halakha (Berakhot 8a), This statement does not mean that God has no place to be, since it is axiomatic that He fills and encompasses everything. Rather, it means that His unity is not revealed, and so not all elements of existence are aware of it. There are unique individuals who are characterized as "chariots," and there was a unique place characterized as a "place of His dwelling," where God's unity was revealed. With the destruction of this place, that is, the Temple, God no longer has a means through which to reveal His unity, except for the "four cubits of halakha." The place wherein one is able to connect to God's unity, the abode of the Divine Presence, no longer exists in a geographical location. Instead, it exists in an altogether different realm of existence. The concept of the four cubits of halakha refers to the space in which one dedicates time and energy to the study of halakha. That connects him to God's unity, and God's presence dwells upon him. In this arena alone there is a revelation of the true divine unity. Thus, when a person learns halakha and keeps the halakhot, he can build a connection with God and enter into partnership with Him.

שֶׁהוּא רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ וְחָכְמָתוֹ הַמְלוּבָּשִׁים בַּהֲלָכוֹת הָעֲרוּכוֹת לְפָנֵינוּ.

that is to say, God's will and wisdom, which are clothed in the halakhot that are set out before us. The divine essence that was revealed in the Holy of Holies is now disclosed in a different manner: via the embodiment of God's will and wisdom in halakha, which essentially is the unadulterated expression of God's true desire. Only within the four cubits of halakha is the Divine Presence revealed and the divine will clear: what we should do, say, and think in order to be with Him. If we leave the four cubits of halakha, we lose our connection with the divine will and wisdom that reaches down to us. The revelation of the divine will within the four cubits of halakha does not depend on the practical application of halakha – whether a particular halakha can be fulfilled, whether it is constantly applicable, or even whether it involves a situation that never existed and never will exist. The halakhot express what it is God desires in this world. When a person thinks about these matters and he too desires their fulfillment, he unites with God's will and wisdom, in the sense that he and God share the same desire. The four cubits of halakha are therefore the place of the divine unity's revelation, where a person can become as close to God as is humanly possible.

וְלָכֵן, אַחַר שֶׁיַּעֲמִיק הָאָדָם מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בְּעִנְיַן בִּיטּוּל הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל כְּפִי יְכָלְתּוֹ, זֹאת יָשִׁיב אֶל לִבּוֹ, כִּי מִהְיוֹת קָטָן שִׂכְלִי וְשֹׁרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתִי מֵהָכִיל לִהְיוֹת מֶרְכָּבָה וּמִשְׁכָּן לְיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ

Therefore, after a person deeply contemplates, according to his ability, the idea of self-nullification mentioned above, let him consider the following: "Seeing that my intellect and the root of my soul are too limited in their capacity to constitute a chariot and a sanctuary for God's unity When a person deeply contemplates the divine unity, he senses the need to nullify himself to the divine essence and banish the darkness and concealment of his physicality in the face of the unity of the divine existence. When this occurs, he should be aware that as his intellect and the root of his soul are too limited to constitute a chariot and tabernacle for God's unity, he must take another course of action, described below. Theoretically, if a person's intellect and the root of his soul are sufficiently lofty, similar to those of Abraham or Moses, he should not require a physical Temple, since he himself functions as one. Thus, Moses's private tent, where he would seclude himself, was called "the Tent of Meeting," the same term that is used to refer to (the precursor to the Temple) the Tabernacle (Ex. 33:7), because Moses was in his essence the Holy of Holies, and the Divine Presence would speak from his throat wherever he was, just as it did from "between the two cherubs" (Ex. 25:22). When a person contemplates the exalted status of a human being who is a chariot and sanctuary for the one God, on the one hand, and contrasts that with his own lowly level on the other, he eventually arrives at the following conclusion: "True, Abraham and Moses were a chariot and tabernacle for the Divine Presence because they possessed the requisite combination of intellectual ability and soul root. But with my inadequate intellect and my particular soul, I cannot expect my body and soul to become a sanctuary for the divine unity."

בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ,

in absolute truth, Even if a person can achieve some semblance of the feeling associated with being a chariot, he cannot achieve it in absolute truth, because his intellectual strength and the root of his soul are inadequate to the task. In this context, "absolute truth" connotes an unwavering and unmalleable connection with God. Nevertheless, every Jew has some level of a connection to this matter, as each soul is a part of the Divine. If he exerts the requisite effort, he will, on occasion, likely experience this degree of holiness. But in order for this to occur in absolute truth, that state of being must be unaffected by the moment and circumstances, such that this person is capable of feeling the same intensity of holiness while reciting the Shema on Tisha B'Av as he does during the climactic closing Ne'ila prayer of Yom Kippur. Hasidism considers this point of absolute truth, of an unchanging feeling and essence, to be extraordinarily praiseworthy. The Hasidim of Kotzk would speak of "the upright man," a person who is internally integrated from head to toe. The writings of Chabad refer to this as the point of the self, a point of personal being that does not change, that does not undergo stages of training and learning, of fluctuating ascent and descent, because it is a part of a person's inner self.

מֵאַחַר דְּלֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה דִּילִי תְּפִיסָא וּמַשֶּׂגֶת בּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ כְּלָל וּכְלָל, שׁוּם הַשָּׂגָה בָּעוֹלָם וְלֹא שֵׁמֶץ מֶנְהוּ מֵהַשָּׂגַת הָאָבוֹת וְהַנְּבִיאִים,

since my thought cannot grasp and apprehend God with any degree of apprehension in the world whatsoever, nor can I achieve even the slightest trace of the level of apprehension attained by the patriarchs and the prophets. Not only is this individual unable to grasp the divine existence as did the patriarchs (who were chariots), but he is unable to experience even a mere trace of this. In theory, a direct path to the Divine is open before every human being. The path of the patriarchs and prophets, of becoming a chariot for God's presence, is considered all but inaccessible, not because it is forbidden but because very few people can attain it, and so it is an objective limitation. No one can demand that he or others attain something for which they are unfit. A person must assess himself and his abilities, know that he is not capable of attaining this level, and then learn what he must nevertheless do in order to achieve a connection of absolute truth with God.

אִי לָזֹאת, אֶעֱשֶׂה לוֹ מִשְׁכָּן וּמָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ, הוּא הָעֵסֶק בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה

This being so, I will make Him a sanctuary and a place for His dwelling, by being engaged in Torah study, This individual tells himself that since he personally cannot be a sanctuary, he must enter God's own sanctuary. At present this sanctuary is not in a geographical location but is found within the Torah, in the four cubits of halakha. It follows that when a person engages in Torah study, he thereby enters God's sanctuary.

כְּפִי הַפְּנַאי שֶׁלִּי,

as my free time permits," Everyone, even a person whose full-time occupation is Torah study, has certain limits, because he cannot constantly be in the "sanctuary" of the four cubits of halakha. But every person has at least some free time during which he is not obligated to engage in other activities. It is during these moments that he is able – and required – to dwell in the four cubits of halakha, God's sanctuary.

בִּקְבִיעוּת עִתִּים בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, כַּדָּת הַנִּיתְּנָה לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּהִלְכוֹת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה,

by designating fixed times by day and by night, as per the prescribed amount for each individual, as set forth in the Laws of Torah Study, It is not enough to study Torah sporadically. A person must designate specific times by day and by night, in accordance with the prescribed amount stated in the Laws of Torah Study. The true mitzva of Torah study applies at all times, as alluded to in the verse in reference to Torah observance, "And you shall ponder it day and night" (Josh. 1:8), implying all day and all night. However, since every person has various obligations and constraints, one fulfills the mitzva by dedicating all of his free time to Torah study. This means that after he has discharged all of his practical obligations, he should dedicate his remaining time to engaging in Torah study.

וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל: אֲפִילּוּ פֶּרֶק אֶחָד שַׁחֲרִית כו'.

and as our Rabbis state: Even one chapter in the morning, and so forth. The Talmud states: "Even if a person learned only one chapter [of a Torah subject] in the morning and one chapter in the evening, he has thereby fulfilled the commandment'This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall ponder it day and night'" (Menaḥot 99b). We often find ourselves exceptionally busy, preoccupied with countless obligations, leaving no time for much else, let alone Torah study. This talmudic passage teaches that even if we can manage but a few meager moments to devote to Torah study, any accomplishment in this regard fulfills our obligation. Moreover, one is viewed as though he has engaged in Torah study the entire day and night. That is because he decides to dedicate his meaningful time, the moments he truly has for himself, solely to God by studying His Torah. These daily and nightly dedications connect his entire life, both his material and spiritual pursuits, to the divine unity, to the four cubits of halakha.

וּבָזֶה יִשְׂמַח לִבּוֹ וְיָגִיל, וְיִתֵּן הוֹדָאָה עַל חֶלְקוֹ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְטוּב לֵבָב עַל שֶׁזָּכָה לִהְיוֹת אוּשְׁפְּזִיכָן לַגְּבוּרָה פַּעֲמַיִם בְּכָל יוֹם, כְּפִי הָעֵת וְהַפְּנַאי שֶׁלּוֹ, כְּמִסַּת יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִרְחִיב ה' לוֹ.

His heart shall thereby be gladdened and rejoice, and so he will give thanks to God for his portion, with joy and a glad heart, that he has merited to be a host to the Almighty twice daily, according to the extent of his available time, in keeping with the capacity that God has generously granted him. Just as the Tabernacle was the locus of the Divine Presence's revelation, where the divine word was spoken from between the two cherubs, so too, a person who engages in Torah study becomes a locus for the revelation of the Divine Presence, which speaks through him (see Torah Or 67b). When a person designates specific times to study Torah, at least twice a day, once during the day and once at night, God lodges at his residence, so to speak, so that he becomes a host for God. As stated in the previous chapter, one within whose humble abode God, the King of kings, chooses to lodge, is overcome with immense joy, gladness, and gratitude.

וְאִם יַרְחִיב ה' לוֹ עוֹד,

If God graciously grants him more free time, The author of the Tanya is not referring to an era such as ours, in which labor laws make it possible for every person, even someone who works two jobs, to enjoy ample free time. Instead, he is referring to those who engaged in unregulated, intensive physical labor at home and in the field. If such people were able to squeeze out a few meager minutes to enter the four cubits of halakha, they too could become chariots for the Divine Presence.

אֲזַי טְהוֹר יָדַיִם יוֹסִיף אוֹמֶץ

then the clean-handed will add strength, Earlier, the author of the Tanya defined the very basic requirements of Torah study with which one must grapple in order to create a dwelling place for the Divine Presence. Citing part of a verse from Job (17:9), the author now adds that should God grant him additional free time, the beneficiary must take extra care not to squander it by filling it with worthless pursuits. Instead, he must make the effort to fill it with holiness. Productive use of one's free time by engaging in Torah study indicates that holiness is truly important to him.

וּמַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה כו'.

and "God links a good thought to an action" (Kiddushin 40a). Above, the author of the Tanya wrote, "If God graciously grants him more." The simple understanding is that it is referring to more time. Here, the author adds that this is not necessarily an increase in free time that he can utilize to perform additional good deeds. It can also be an increase in the sense of an improved intention and focus on matters that he already performs in those few free moments. For instance, he may have a "good thought," i.e., intention, that if he has more free time he will use it to study Torah. Because God links this good thought to an action, it is reckoned as though he has actually engaged in Torah study the entire day and night.

וְגַם שְׁאָר הַיּוֹם כּוּלּוֹ, שֶׁעוֹסֵק בְּמַשָּׂא וּמַתָּן, יִהְיֶה מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ בִּנְתִינַת הַצְּדָקָה שֶׁיִּתֵּן מִיְּגִיעוֹ, שֶׁהִיא מִמִּדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מַה הוּא רַחוּם וכו',

The rest of the entire day as well, when he is engaged in his business affairs, he will be a dwelling place for God through the charity that he will give from the profits of his toil, since being charitable is one of the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He: "Just as He is merciful…," In addition to the time that a person spends studying Torah, and in addition to the time that God considers it as though he had done so (meaning that he wished to learn Torah but circumstances prevented him from doing so), it is possible that even during the rest of his day when he is at work, he will be a dwelling place for God. This is achieved when one gives charity from the money he has earned with the intent to fulfill God's will. Our Sages state, "Just as He is compassionate and merciful, so should you be compassionate and merciful" (Shabbat 133b), and "Is it truly possible for a person to go in the way of the Divine Presence? After all, the Torah says,'The Lord your God is a consuming fire' (Deut. 4:24). Rather, a person must emulate God's attributes. Just as He clothes the naked…so should you clothe the naked…" (Sota 14a). Just as God shows compassion and mercy by "giving charity," meaning, bestowing His bounty upon all creatures, a person who gives charity emulates God. He thus attaches himself to God and becomes a dwelling place for Him.

וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתִּיקּוּנִים (תיקוני זהר, תיקון א): "חֶסֶד דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא".

and as it is written in Tikkunei Zohar (17a ), "Kindness is the right arm of God." The attribute of kindness is, as it were, God's right arm. God's hand gives everything, but sometimes it does so via human hands. When a person gives charity with the intent to fulfill God's will, he serves as an instrument via which the quality of divine kindness gives charity. At that moment, he is God's "right arm." He is a chariot for divine kindness, a resting place for God to dwell.

וְאַף שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹתֵן אֶלָּא חוֹמֶשׁ, הֲרֵי הַחוֹמֶשׁ מַעֲלֶה עִמּוֹ כָּל הָאַרְבַּע יָדוֹת לַה', לִהְיוֹת מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ,

Even though he gives only one-fifth of his income, yet that fifth elevates with it all four remaining parts to God, so that the totality will be a dwelling place for Him, According to halakha, one is normally not required to give more than one-fifth of his income to charity. Nevertheless, halakha views the one-fifth he does give as representative of his total income. Thus, as it ascends to God, it raises the remaining four-fifths with it. Moreover, since this money is the expression of all the sweat and blood that a person invested in his work, it represents his entire life, which now ascends to holiness to be a dwelling place for God.

כַּנּוֹדָע מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל, שֶׁמִּצְוַת צְדָקָה שְׁקוּלָה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת,

as is taught in the well-known statement of our Rabbis, that the mitzva of charity is equivalent to all the Temple offerings, Giving charity is equivalent to bringing sacrificial offerings, which elevates the world and draws it closer to God.

וּבַקָּרְבָּנוֹת הָיָה כָּל הַחַי עוֹלֶה לַה' עַל יְדֵי בְּהֵמָה אַחַת, וְכָל הַצּוֹמֵחַ עַל יְדֵי עִשָּׂרוֹן סֹלֶת אֶחָד בָּלוּל בַּשֶּׁמֶן כו'.

and with regard to the offerings sacrificed in the Temple service, all living creatures ascend to God by means of sacrificing one animal, and all vegetation by means of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and so forth. One animal offered as a sacrifice in the Temple (such as the daily continual offering) represented all living creatures. The measure of fine flour mixed with oil that accompanied each animal offering represented all vegetation, and the salt that accompanied every offering represented all inanimate matter. Similarly, the fifth of a person's income that he gives to charity (which is equivalent to the offerings) represents the entirety of his assets, and by extension the totality of his life and effort he invested into acquiring them. The essence of an offering is not the physical object designated for and given to God, because in truth nothing can be given to Him, as it states, "For every beast of the forest is Mine" (Ps. 50:10), and "The world and all it contains is Mine" (Ps. 50:12). Rather, the essence of an offering is the self-sacrifice for the sake of God demonstrated by the person bringing it. When one sets aside something that he had earned with his toil, desire, and energy, with his mental and physical exertion, and dedicates it to a purpose that God desires, he thereby becomes a chariot for God's "right arm," His attribute of kindness.

וּמִלְּבַד זֶה, הֲרֵי בִּשְׁעַת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַתְּפִלָּה עוֹלֶה לַה' כָּל מַה שֶּׁאָכַל וְשָׁתָה וְנֶהֱנָה מֵאַרְבַּע

Apart from this, during the moments of Torah study and prayer, all that one has eaten, drunk, and enjoyed of the

הַיָּדוֹת לִבְרִיאוּת גּוּפוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן.

הַיָּדוֹת לִבְרִיאוּת גּוּפוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן. remaining four parts of his income for the health of his body ascends to God, as will be explained below. A person's material possessions, along with the efforts he makes with his body and soul to acquire them, are elevated to holiness not only when he gives a portion of them to charity but in another way as well. When one studies Torah, prays, or fulfills the commandments, he utilizes his physical body, energized by the strength that he gained by his eating, resting, and so forth. The remaining four-fifths of his possessions, despite not having been dedicated to God by giving charity, for example, are nevertheless elevated to holiness when used for a holy purpose. As explained elsewhere (see Iggeret HaKodesh, epistle 26), there are three types of eating: eating that is itself the fulfillment of a commandment (such as on the Sabbath), eating in order to have the strength to fulfill a commandment, and eating simply in order to live. Even this last kind of eating, which has no intrinsic holiness, ascends to holiness if afterward a person uses the energy gained thereby to study Torah or to pray (unless it was connected to something forbidden, as explained in Iggeret HaKodesh there). Ultimately, all elements of a person's life, even if not used directly for holiness, attain at least a measure of holiness. By analogy, although the ark that contains a Torah scroll is not intrinsically holy, it attains holiness because it serves the Torah scroll. All elements of a person's life can be channeled to holiness. This holds true not only when he engages in the four cubits of halakha, but even when he is not consciously thinking of holiness and even while involved in other matters. A person can reach the divine light from every area of his existence in one way or another, breaking through the thickest darkness that spans the entire universe, and making himself a dwelling place for God. When a person builds a sanctuary for God in his life, he must construct it together with its adjoining courtyards, so that at the very least he may bring all existence into those courtyards, if not into the Holy of Holies itself. This concludes the discussion of the joy experienced by one who has made himself into a sanctuary for God by having God dwell within him, as it were. Although not every Jew can become this sanctuary through his own efforts, as did the patriarchs and prophets (the veritable "chariot for God"), he can do so by means of divine assistance. When a Jew engages in Torah study, he carves out the space for the four cubits of halakha, and in so doing he creates a sanctuary and dwelling place for God. Only when all the elements of one's life are concentrated into this four-cubit space as receptacles for holiness can one emulate the patriarchs and prophets and become a veritable sanctuary for God.

וְהִנֵּה בְּכָל פְּרָטֵי מִינֵי שִׂמְחוֹת הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל,

As for all of the particular types of joy of the soul mentioned above (chaps. 31, 33–34), With these forms of joy, a person emerges from any depression and brokenheartedness he is liable to fall into, whether as a result of crushing his ego and shattering his sense of self (as explained in chapters 29–31), or for no particular reason.

אֵין מֵהֶן מְנִיעָה לִהְיוֹת נִבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו נִמְאָס וְלֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְרוּחַ נְמוּכָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַשִּׂמְחָה מַמָּשׁ,

none prevents one from being despised and repugnant in his own eyes and from having a broken heart and lowly spirit at the very time of joy, The common theme underlying these three types of joy is that they do not result from personal accomplishment, and so they are not accompanied by a sense of self-importance. Accordingly, a person can experience them while simultaneously feeling lowly and far from God, crestfallen that he is not striving and focusing sufficiently. He rejoices in the fact that he is a "sanctuary for God" as a result of his Torah study and a "dwelling place for Him" as a result of his giving charity, but that does not interfere with his being simultaneously "despised and repugnant in his own eyes." A similar idea is found in Hillel's statement "If I am not for me, who will be? But when I am only for myself, what am I?" (Avot 1:14). On the one hand, we have the total nullification of the person and his petty value in the face of the Divine, implied in the latter half of Hillel's statement. This creation is exceedingly lowly and perhaps would have been better off having never been created. On the other hand, the individual has inherent value in that he serves as a sanctuary for God. A person can possess this dichotomous makeup when he understands that his being a vessel for God is not a personal accomplishment, that his being a sanctuary for God is a given, just as his being "despised and vile" is a given. Just as a palace may stand atop a mound of trash, so too do these not contradict each other; both are equally true.

מֵאַחַר כִּי הֱיוֹתוֹ נִבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו וכו' הוּא מִצַּד הַגּוּף וְנֶפֶשׁ הַבַּהֲמִית, וֶהֱיוֹתוֹ בְּשִׂמְחָה הוּא מִצַּד נֶפֶשׁ הָאֱלוֹקִית וְנִיצוֹץ אֱלֹקוּת הַמְלוּבָּשׁ בָּהּ לְהַחֲיוֹתָהּ כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל [בְּפֶרֶק ל"א].

since his being despised in his own eyes, and so forth, is on account of the body and animal soul, whereas his being joyous is on account of the divine soul and spark of Godliness enclothed within it in order to animate it, as mentioned above (in chapter 31). When a person contemplates his personal, material self, he truly feels despicable and repugnant (as explained in chaps. 29–30), feelings not obviated by these hitherto discussed types of joy. He feels joy only on account of the divine soul within him giving him life, as mentioned above (in chap. 31). The divine soul is capable of reaching the greatest heights and fulfilling God's will. It can thus be joyful, although a person continues to see his body and animal soul as despised and repugnant and still requiring rectification.

וּכְהַאי גַּוְונָא אִיתָא בַּזֹּהַר (חלק ג עה, א): "בְּכִיָּה תְּקִיעָא בְּלִבָּאי מִסִּטְרָא דָּא וְחֶדְוָה תְּקִיעָא בְּלִבָּאי מִסִּטְרָא דָּא".

A similar idea appears in the Zohar (3:75a): "Weeping is lodged in one side of my heart, and joy is lodged in the other." Weeping out of sadness and feelings of joy can coexist within one heart, because human experience includes both.