Tanya By Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz Chapter 48 - G-D constricts himself for us, that is love

Welcome to tonight's Tanya class. We are studying tonight chapter 48 perm. And uh today happens to be a very very important powerful chapter in Tanya and that is tonight we're going to learn about the tremendous love that God has for us. Now obviously God has that love for us and it's beautiful. But when we really realize and stop for a moment and think about the way God loves us, what's going to happen? We will obviously naturally love God. Now, if we love God, what happens when we study Torah? In that mode of love and we pray in that experience of love and we do a mitzvah in that experience of love, it becomes a real mitzvah, becomes real Torah, becomes real prayer, becomes a real connection. There's a relationship. Otherwise, we are robots. Not bad. It's okay to be a robot in God's world, but it's nicer. It's okay. But it's not bad thing to be a robot. It's okay. But it's nicer when you're a human being, too. And you can live and love, right? Again, being a robot is not a bad everything is good, right? What do we learn? God good. And there was another word we learned today. Uh it's it's it's all it's all wonderful, right? But the point is being a robot is not a bad thing. You're being a robot. You're doing all the right things. I mean, a robot in a positive way. You're doing all the right things. you're saying all the right things, you're thinking, but you want to be in love because when a person is in love with God, then obviously everything you do takes on a whole different reality. Now, how do we have love for God? So, the alter teaches in this chapter that we have love for God because we realize how much God loves us. And this chapter, it's a very cabalistic chapter, a very deep chapter, but I'm going to give you the intro and we're going to go into it. We're going to get go a nice journey today. So the optimist starts by telling us that God loves us so much up to the point that he's willing to constrict himself so much so that we can live. Think about this. Giving us space, giving us freedom, freedom of choice. Sometimes we probably wish we don't have so much free choice. We rather sometimes rather be robots, right? But God hides himself hi Hebrew is calledum. There's many translations hiding, constricting, constraining himself, concealing himself again and there are different types of tsum tsum. Timsum is a word, but there's different there's many types of but the general concept is that God conceals himself. And we're going to talk about that in a minute in depth what type of concealment we're referring to. But the idea is God is willing to conceal himself so that we can be who we are. We can live the life who we think we're trying to live. Now, why does God do that? Only because he loves us. Because if he didn't love us, you know who would be filling all the space? God. We wouldn't be here. I mean, the truth is, even now that we're here, we're really not here. God's here. We think that we're here. But the fact that we think that we're here, that's a gift from God that allows us to think that we're here. Now again, why does he do that? Because he loves us. Okay? Now again, so before God created the world, God was everywhere. There was no place where God didn't exist. So in order for us, now we say us, let's define what means us. us finite human beings to exist take up space to think to feel to live to do to be to go from point A to point B the only reason why we think that we exist and we believe we exist whether we are or aren't that's another again another whole discussion it's a comp you know this is like a you need to have a little abstract uh um understanding today or or or uh u imagination the only reason why we exist cuz God con God God went ahead and and did a symptom he constrained himself concealed himself. Okay. Now there are different types of concealments. So let's talk about one type of concealment. One type of concealment is where God is felt in this world. God's felt in the world. Now if God is felt in the world let's take for example anyone want to share how where do you feel God in the world in your life an example don't be shy my dog when I look at my little girl okay so you see your girl you see God I see God in her you see God in her where do you see God in this world I see God in everyone I meet everyone everyone everyone you see God in everyone okay do you see God somewhere more than more than in one place you see or is God all over the same way? Yes, sir. Huh? Always with me. What? I always feel that he is with me. You always feel he's with you. But my question is, do you feel or see God um in a in a more tangible way in one area than the other? No. No. Okay. When I think about when you think about them. Okay, that's good. Yes. Sure. Of course. Sometimes you feel it more than where for example your brain when you're studying Torah you feeling closer. Okay, there you go. That's a good example. So when you're studying Torah, right? So when you study Torah, you feel more God. Let me ask something this. What happens when you walk into a synagogue? Do you feel a little more God than you when you're walking down the street? Yeah. Right. Especially certain streets. Correct. Certain synagogues. Okay. Right. Okay. You ever I'm sure many of you took a took a trip to Israel. How do you feel when you come to the Western Wall? Phenomenal. You feel a little more than Fort Meyers? Oh, yeah. A little bit, right? Not let's come on. Let's not sold Fort Meyers, you know, but a little more than Fort Meyers, right? Okay. A little more than North Fort Myers. A little more than anywhere. All right. A little more than Santa. Correct. Okay. This is a middle group. All right. One sec. So, what does that mean? What does that mean? So, what that means is very simple. God does have a on a certain level again everything is relative and everything is this is a lot of abstract reality but in a certain level God is more revealed more felt almost like in a feeling way for example the you know you go to the hotel today or you go into a synagogue or you go into praise for example people are sitting and really studying Torah people are let's say busy doing mitzvot for example how do you feel um before Passover you go to a matzabah factory where you come to the seda, right, and you see the wine and the the matzah and everything is set up exactly the way God told us in the Torah to do it. Do you feel a little more God? Right? You feel more God. So what does that mean? God in a certain way is more revealed. Now let me ask you a question this. If God was really revealed, if God was really revealed, how could we be there? If God was really revealed, we would not exist. God is infinite, right? So if the infinite god revealed himself, how could you be exist? How could how could you exist? So the answer is very simple. Well, not nothing. I say it's simple, but the answer simple once you study it, right? But the answer is that when we feel God, we don't feel we feel God. There's a certain yes, it's a certain vision, a certain comprehension, a certain reality, but it's not felt with the intensity of the infinite power. Because if the infinite power of God was revealed, we would byebye. We wouldn't be here. Exactly. So in other words, what the minute you say you, oh my gosh, I picked up this Torah. I picked up the Psalms and I felt God. Agreed. But not the infinite part of God. Because if you touched infinite, you know what happens to you? You're gone. You're gone. It's like for example, you can touch a cold light bulb that's plugged in. They have these cold light bulbs. You can touch it, right? Nothing happened to your fingers because why can't you touch it even though it's a light bulb cuz it's cold. Whatever the whether it's chemicals, irrelevant, the fact is you can touch it. But what happens if the light bulb was totally plugged in with no cold diffusion to it? It was 100%, you know, full 110 or 220 voltage running through that bulb. and you touched it. Let me tell you, you know what happens to you? Bye-bye. Right? Bye-bye. Why? Because if the intensity is there, you're not there. It it doesn't. Right? So, in order for you to be there, it has to be toned down and you have to be touching something which is toned down to where it's cold. So, the same thing also when we say God is revealed, it looks like he's revealed. That's what we It looks like we call I think in English is called smokes and mirrors. Right. Right. It's a sizzle. There's no steak there. You got a lot of sizzle, no steak, right? A lot of people like the sizzle. They don't want the steak. Some people want the steak. Right? Depends what you want. But the point is if you are feeling God in this world and we do feel God in certain places. Guess what? The intensity is not there. Matter of fact, take for example in the in the temple where God was revealed in the Holy of Holies. In a time when the temple stood, was anybody allowed to go into the Holy of Holies? No. Only the high priest Yunger. And guess what? If he sinned that year, he didn't make it out. Sometimes they had a string. No, no joke. They had a string and they pull him out. Why? because God over there allowed some of that intense um infinite powers to be revealed because we know for example that the there was an infinite component because for example it says that when you measured from wall to wall it was what one measure if you measured from wall to the ark from the arc to the wall it came out to the same measure so what did that take space and the answer was because there was an infinite component there so the minute there's an infinite component stay away very very high intensity and again the and that's what the whole service on Kiper is it was such a powerful intensity that the priest couldn't go in. So that is something which is called when God so when God is revealed in this world and we experience it Shabbat Shabbat God is much more revealed during the week but guess what is God really revealed the infinite light? No because we couldn't handle it. So anytime you tell me guess what I felt God that's great I believe you. You studied, you prayed, you did a mit. I believe you. You felt God. But guess what? It's not the infinite intensity of God. And that's good. That's one type of timum means where there's like a smoke and mirror of godly experience where you see it, you feel it. But guess what? Very, very low intensity. Low intensity. Now, but the reality is the reality is we know it says and I'll quote God says hello God fills you ready for this God fills the heaven and the earth. What does that mean? We know there's a rule. When you have a verse, you have to take it literal sense. You can have madashic interpretations, cabalistic interpretations, uh numerical value interpretations. But at the end of the day is you have to go based on a simple meaning. The simple meaning is God is where? Everywhere. Now does it say the ray of God is everywhere? Says ani I. What is I? The essence of God. Now is God finite or infinite? Infinite. Infinite. So what is the verse saying? I referring to the infinite part of God fills the heaven. Now we're not in the heaven right now, so we don't know what's going on there, but the earth. We're I think we're in earth, right? Calling earth, right? We're all on earth. Yeah, everyone agrees we're on earth, right? Radio in, right? We're on earth. Okay. So God says in this earth that we're in, I fill every spot. So if you had, let's say, a jar, a tw 10 10 12 oz jar, and I tell you, fill it with water. You fill up the jar with water. Now I say, seal it. And there's not a a a speck or a a room for any ear. 100% full with water. Tightly sealed. And I tell you, is there a place in this jar where there is no water? No. So where's the water? every every part of that tight jar in the world. God says I fill this world. So is there a space in this world where God is not? No. That means that means earth I don't mean just the surface every part of the earth the space between earth and heaven every part of the air and everyone that takes a space in between there whether it's a human being an animal vegetation the mineral world furniture buildings every single spot that exists I need malle malle means I fill just Imagine that water in that jar, right? It's full of water. God is saying, "I am everywhere." That means if we had the eyes to see, what would we see? God. We're everywhere. Everywhere. Right. The kids have a song. Up, up, down, down, right, left, and all around. Right. Here, there, and every God is everywhere. So, and God says so. God says I am everywhere. So, everyone means two things. When we say God is everywhere, it means two things. One is God is everywhere. It's in the positive. And Judaism is always in the negative. And there is no place where God is not. Right? We're saying the same thing, but we're double-checking. God is everywhere, right? And there is no place where he's not. So guess what? When you're walking, say, "Excuse me, cuz you not you might be you are walking into God's space. You're sh Well, you are God technically, right? Let's not let's not get too too uh excited about ourselves. We are part of God. Make room for me, God. Matter of fact, by the way, it says in the Talm, if you had the eyes to see, you would see billions and millions of, you know, forces. Uh, right. And God is everywhere. You think, you think it's a joke. I know on the way home, you're going to say, "God, hold on." Uh, right? You think it's the car in front of you. You think it's the car in front of you that's not letting you go. It's God in front of you telling you to slow down. You know, now think about it. When you're in traffic, right? People get upset. The guy in front of you, what do you what? That guy in front of you is God. He placed himself there to teach you patience, right? And many other things, many other good qualities. Okay, but let's go back to the point. So God is everywhere. Now if God is everywhere, how do we exist? Hardly. Hardly. Right? That's I wish we felt that way every moment. We wouldn't have so many problems that we have. I did this and I said that and she said this, right? God is everywhere. So God is everywhere. How do we exist? By God's grace, how do we exist? He allows us to be. And if God is everywhere, how come we don't see him? And if God is everywhere, like why we why we why are we finite human beings? Why are we finite human beings? So in this chapter 48 the alter goes into at great length and he explains one aspect and again there's many aspect of but we're going to talk about one aspect today and the alter explains there's a concept of aimsum where god is everywhere but god is exists um and I'll tell you the two words in Hebrew and I'll and I'll translate and I'll explain you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Okay. So, God exists God exists in two ways. Know God exists all over. But the reason why we don't see him or we don't feel Thank you very much. The reason why we don't see him. Thank you. The reason why we don't see him or we don't feel him is because God is conceal. I'll give you the Hebrew and I'll translate and I'll explain. God is you ready? Makave. And I'll explain what that means. And so, and I'll explain what that means. Okay? God exists everywhere in every part of the world. But he is mach and so you notice I'm making a circle. Now, we're not talking about mach physical mach or physical sov because if that's the case, it says God fills every place. So what does mak and what does so mean? Mak and so the outer explains as follows. If God was felt with a full intensity, we would not be here. The only thing that would be would be this world. God wanted us Hi, welcome. Perfect timing. God wanted us what? to be able to exist in this world. So God had to go ahead and conceal himself in the sense that we don't see him. But but not like the first Timson we discussed before where God's intensity is not felt. God's intensity is 100% strong. The only thing is that we don't see it. We don't see it and we don't feel it. Why? Because God has the power that he can be here, but he can hide his intensity to the term the way it's explained in Kabala that mak it hovers around and so and and it and it circles around. So in other words, is God present everywhere? Absolutely. Says God is God is here. So why don't we see it or feel it? Because God concealed himself. He was made sounds of himself in a way in a way that what that we don't feel it and it's not it's not felt and we we can't touch it and when and and it allows us to be to live to think to speak to do and almost to the point to to think and believe God forbid that God doesn't exist in this world. Yeah. Well, why? Because God concealed himself. God concealed himself. But now the reality is even though God went ahead and concealed himself in a way that God has so to speak not revealed, God's here. God's here. And the um the reason why God did it this way is because if God did leave himself in its full intensity, we wouldn't be existing. And then how could we do mitzvot? How can we use our brain to study Torah? How can we pray? It would just be God. God would be number one and number one and that would be the only number that would exist. So God went ahead and concealed himself. The altar gives a beautiful analogy to explain it and he says like this and it's really a very good analogy. Let's say you're sitting, could be here, could be at home, anywhere. And um a friend of yours, a child, spouse, parent, neighbor, whoever it may be, it's only that you're very close. You have a relationship with them and the person went on a trip and you missed the person. You missed the person. Now the fact is you have good fond memories of the person and you can't reach the person either they don't have a cell phone they're in an area where there's no uh communication you don't their number whatever it may be no there's no there's no uh way you can reach them uh modern modern technology so you go ahead and you say you know what close your eyes and you visualize the person And you visualize the person, the way you remember the person and hopefully good things and kind things. And you create a relationship in your mind with the person. You think about the person. You can even communicate to the person in thoughts. You can verbally say what you want to say to the person and you create a a literally a relationship as if the person was there. Now the reality is when you do that does the person feel that connection? Maybe yes, maybe not. Do you feel connection to the person? Uh yeah, definitely. Absolutely. Right. What kind of connection do you feel with that person? Closeness. A real connection. just as if they were sitting in your room talking to them and possibly even stronger cuz sometimes you can have someone sitting in your room. Your head is in China and they're sitting right in front of you or fine your head is in Jerusalem. Sorry, you know, right? Something holy, right? Or your head is about the dishes you have to do or the laundry or the shopping or you're planning on going to whatever it may be. You have someone sitting right in front of you, someone sitting right in front of you and your head is somewhere else. So you you but on the other hand you can have someone sitting in the other side of the world and they're in your head and it's much closer and much deeper. So in other words the physical presence not necessary a is not necessary and b you can have a deeper relationship when the physical presence is not there. How does that work? And the answer is because you took the person and you put the person in your head. Now grant you not physically. All right, let's agree not physically. At least present company excluded if you don't have those powers yet. All right, but mentally you meditated, you thought about the person and the person is 100% in your brain in your thoughts and you think about the person, you talk to the person, you uh tell them things and by the way you'll meet them later. They'll tell you you know you know it's funny. I've been thinking about you and you say when? Last night 11 o'clock. Hm. Cuz by the way, it does work. By the way, when you think about somebody in a meditative way, like we spoke, the other person feels it subconsciously for sure and possibly even consciously depending how depending on how that person is in tuned cuz I mean the person's disconnected for you is disconnected. But if the person subconsciously either way you the person you'll have the person's attention the question is consciously conscious the conscious part of that person or not that person has control to stay to be connected or dis disconnected but let's go back to your our point but when you bring you invite that person in your life that person's within you now think for a moment in your let's go close your eyes be in your head and you you're imagining somebody imagine someone it could be someone alive or dead It's irrelevant. Right now, that person that you're imagining, you you you imagine them deeper and stronger than if they were sitting here. And sometimes actually even works better when they're not sitting there. Now, when you're thinking about them, your thoughts are in them or around them. Both. Both. I mean to say it's in or around you don't touch you can't touch the person you can't feel the person so it's your thoughts it's around them what does it mean in them like when your thoughts are in the you know your your thoughts are right it's like it's like you're holding a baby right your hands aren't in the baby your hands are around the baby right you're holding a baby so when you're holding someone in your mind right you have the person in your mind correct so in other words let's take back that analogy with God God is 100% in every part of this world. But is God presence felt in this world? No. Because God is hovering around the world. Now, but is God 100% in every part of the world? Yes. But again, do we see him? Do we feel it? No. Because he's hiding. The same thing also when you're thinking about the other person. Is the person right here? No, that person's not here. But do you have the whole person within you spiritually, virtually? Yes. Now the reality is ultimately the only thing you don't have about the person is the physical part of the person is not within you. But the person's here in your psyche. And that is the same way God has felt in this world. Now the alter takes the analogy a step further. Ready for this? The altar says this that we can think about somebody anywhere in the world that we know or know about and bring him into our mind. So we it's like holding like a little child, right? Holding whatever it may be and you have them right. You have them right here. Now you feel the person etc. You're not part of the person because the person's not here. Not here but you got it where you're enveloping around the person. We are human beings. We're finite human beings. So we cannot have another person physically in our head. It's not it's not a possibility. God is infinite or finite. Infinite. Ah. So could go. Now let's look in God's mind because it said what do we know? It says in the Torah God says my thoughts are not like your thoughts. What does that mean? My for sure right. What does it mean? God's thoughts not like our thoughts. And according to Kabal explains here's the here's the key point where our thoughts are different than God's when we think about somebody the most we have in our mind is the thought of the person with God when he thinks about anyone in this world or anything in this world that he created guess what our physical being is in God's thought now it's hard for us to comprehend it because we can't do it and we can't experience it because we're finite human beings is. But guess what? Every single part of this world, every single human being in this world, we have a piece of real estate in God's brain which has a plaque of our name on there. Every one of us is sitting physically physically in God's brain. As the altar explains, in other words, for example, he he take for example, we right anyone around here, let's use an a real example. Let's say for example, we want to think about or Sarah, right? So you're sitting here and you're thinking, okay, I want to think right now about or Sarah. and you bring them into your brain right now. So the output is like this. There's three subject matters for a human being. There's me, right? Me. Then there's my thought. And then there or Sarah that I'm thinking about how many entities? Three. Three distinct. There's me, my thought, and Sarah. with God. If God's ready for this, if God is thinking about and Sarah, how many entities are there? Four. Endless. If he's thinking about all of us, very good. There's one because God, the thought, the other person is the same. It's all the same. See, by us, we compartmentalize. It's us, it's them, it's the thoughts, it's the tools, etc. Because we're finite human beings. God splat, you know, put different energies in every part of us. But for God, God, us the thought it's all one. So in other words, in God it's all one. So since with God it's all one, guess where we all are? We are all part of that oneness. There is no differentiation between us, God, a thought process, a physical world, ear space, me, you, him, and her. It's all one. Now, God's thought creates God's thought created us. In his thought, we are phys physical body sits in God's thought. Again, it's hard for us to comprehend because we're finite. You know, I'm here and I need my house here and my this and my that and etc. With God, it's all part of one. Now, if God's intensity was totally let loose, would we be able to exist? No. So, what did God have to do? He went and he created a strong concealment with this powerful intensity of God's infinite energy should not be felt. It's there just like the person that I'm thinking about is in my head only not physically but but but virtually and mentally and intellectually it's in my head. We are all in all part of God. But God had to go ahead and conceal himself. Even though the reality is God's everywhere and everything, but God chose to conceal himself and not be present that we should feel God's intensity. Because if God was intensity was revealed, would we even open our mouths? Would we think? Would we do anything? Nothing. We'd be in the shadow of God. The best thing a successful dad and a smart dad, successful and smart dad can do or or mother or parent to their child, send them away. Let them grow their own wings. Cuz if you keep them under your shadow, you know what happens? They're not going to grow. They won't grow. as much and as hard and it's painful for a parent to detach from a child. Very hard. But it's the biggest gift for who? For the child. Because the child needs breathing space. What do they call it? The helicopter mom, helicopter dad. It doesn't work. You don't allow the person to breathe. Imagine trying to let something grow. Want something to grow and you don't give it ear oxygen. It's not going to grow. So God gave us oxygen. How do he give us oxygen? By concealing himself. Now does that mean when you send your your your child away because you want him to develop and grow, you don't like peak how he's doing, which mom and dad does that. Sure, you peak, but you don't want him to know you're peeking. Why? Because if you're looking, he's not going to grow. So you parents have a way to to to peak, right? Every parent knows intuitively how to check up and they don't know they're checking up on them etc. Why? Because you do care but because it is painful but you're doing it because you care about the child. So the altar explains in this chapter such a beautiful concept. God is everything. God is everywhere. We're all part of God. But God chose not easily to conceal himself. And yes, he's behind the scenes, you know, supporting us in ways we don't know. But he concealed himself. Why? To show us that he loves us and allows us to grow. When we think constantly and consistently how really God is God is really here. He's hiding because he wants us to, you know, feel like we're free. Then we will feel God's love. And when we feel God's love, guess what? We're going to give him back love and then we're really going to be in love. And ultimately we realize that the concealment is why cuz God likes us or hates us. God forbid. He loves us. So when you're experiencing a concealment, you know what you need to say? Thank you, God. Cuz I know you're loving me now cuz you want me to grow up on my own. And I know that you're standing there. You're not going to let me fall. I know it's a test. Guess what, God? I'm going to put on a smile. I'm going to accept this with love. I'm going to give you back the love. And I know that you, God, will be proud of me cuz I'm not going to fail you. And even though you're hiding and even though this feels like a hard test, I am going to make you proud because I feel your love. I'm going to give you back the love. And we'll be in love together. And we're about to study, pray, do mitzvot with real love to God. And the reality is there's no greater and better relationship than a loving relationship that we each have with God where God truly loves us. And sometimes the darkest moments when we feel like God is hiding, that's when God is really there because he wants us to be able to grow and to become who we need to become and live our true inner potential, which only comes out when we dig deep and we find the greatest treasures that God has for us. So let's hope that we really connect to the message of chapter me 48. God loves us tremendously. He even concealed himself because he loves us, which is the most painful thing for a parent or God to do. But it's all out of love. And therefore, we love God back in return with no bounds.