Tanya Shaar HaYichud chptr 7 #2 - Tzimtzum: Literal or not? Vilna Gaon vs. Alter Rebbe - RC Dalfin

so good day we're learning we're on page which is the opposite page of 164 in second uh section called we're at the new paragraph page P gimble so the balatan here is talking about that Hashem is invested in the world and part of the world and the reason we don't see him is because he made a ssum a contraction he he hit himself but he's here now here today's in today's she what we're going to learn is a very important issue and it's basically a fundamental difference between the between the um the Al and the the the is acronym His Name Was Elijah of VNA El of VNA hence known as The Grow the gr is the father figure of the of the lit fox or what used to be called the misnagdim the opponents ofid of of the balov and the balat is not the father figure ofus that's the Bal but he's in basically amongst the theic rabbis rebies I'm I'm going to I'm going to now give it to you say it outside and then we'll study it inside and basically when we say Hashem is in the world the question that that one asks thems should ask thems is how can God be here in with Hashem with all of his glory and there should be an existence God is godliness godliness is is godliness and the world is physical and material how did the two go together that's the million dollar question that all philosophers of all times have asked themselves and the answer so there there's two basic answers there's the answer of the balat and the Aral and there's the answer of the V and others the V says Tsum the contraction so that God made upon himself is so the word now we're focusing on the word or sh means it's literal l means it's not literal so the he argues that when we say God contracted himself God's Infinity is not in the physical world it's not just that he's hidden it's not there and why isn't it there because not only can't the world handle it it's an embarrassment to the Infinity of God to say that God is interested in all of our silly little physical material things so the argument of that the V and those that even earlier thought this way is that when we say the when we say God contracted his Infinity it's literal meaning he contracted himself that all he gives the world is a manifestation of himself but his real self is not there the balat this in what we're going to learn today disagrees and are argues and will prove from his perspective which is both logical and otherwise that you cannot say that and God is here his Infinity is here too it's just not felt so the AL says when we say that when the AR and the zes they they say there was it's it doesn't mean in its literal sense where he removed himself he Mark it's like hey guys I'm creating a world I'm giving you part of myself which is applicable and H and you guys can handle but my very essence is in Florida um where Mark lives in Fort Lauderdale it's 100 degrees we're going to the beach today that's where I am you know spiritually we're going to the spiritual Beach we're going we're hanging out with the souls today and and what do you guys have here on Earth you have on you know my manifestation Dr says no that doesn't do it so that is the the kernel of disagreement and being that we're learning now will present his case so let's learn inside what he says rather than just taking my words for it V bottom of page P gimble 83 on the he in in in the in the Hebrew p based on this we can understand it's a heavy heavy words the mistake that some sages made be in their own eyes from their own perspective and says even harsher God should atone them for this mistake they mistaked uh and they they errored and they mistaked in their analysis in the way they understood the writings of the Aro by the way is not cursing them he's not he just feels very adamantly that this is a major philosophical mistake and and he feels they made this mistake and he's asking Hashem should forgive them for this mistake in other words this wasn't a mistake by little schmendrick by little people these were big people whether it's the go or you don't understand he's talking about great Jewish not just Scholars but rabbis and teachers and sadim but he believes they made a philosophical mistake so he's asking that Hashem forgive them okay what's what did you say is more than M I'm sorry is more than I know I know know implication is a it's not just okay but but but but but but theer is going on the word sh sh okay okay wasn't here you know wasn't a ye that was looking to stick it to someone else he's he's he you know it's a serious mistake you made and and uh you you know so the way you're tching up your in this context I I don't believe that's theat but let's go on okay so he says and they understood so he's now bringing us their position the concept of that's mentioned in the right because the AR is the one who mentions theum they say it's literal and he explains meaning God removed himself the word Sil means he removed himself entirely his Essence God forbid to say that but that's what they say May from the physical world rather so if that's the case according to them how does the world exista if God's Ence is removed how does the world exist so he says now going on to page 166 top of the page turn your page hasem has Providence over them from above he's like sitting in his Palace and looking out the window and seeing everything that's going on with Divine Providence all creatures all of them in the heaven and above on the earth below stop that is their position Hashem in his very essence is not on Earth is not in the physical world now you know now now you notice that Reb says not on Earth does this mean that hasem is the essence of God according to them is in the spiritual Worlds the answer is no so why does the AL mention that's what I told you before cuz is the Crux of the Cradle the physical world is the the low world so he doesn't just mean iser that hashem's Essence is not in the physical world but it is in the spiritual worlds no they also believe that God is not in the spiritual rules because it's still not the essence of God so anything that's not the essence of go in other words according to um this to Angels let's say Angels do angels do have the essence of God or not no the answer is no stars moon son Heavenly hosts is the essence of God there no so therefore why does m why does he point out the physical world that God is that according to them God is not in the physical world cuz the physical world is where you see it it's palpable how could the God be in such a physical world with such a low low stand status of of of a material corporeal world but it's not to exclude the spiritual rules so going back to their position which the alter says they made a mistake and maybe if we have time we'll talk about the philosoph the Practical ramifications from this disagreement here in Tanya with the go of V that the the primary proy student of the go was of the great-grandfather of the salvic family RAB salav and and in in his saer called which is like the Bible of the of the lak philosophical position NE the soul of referring to of he disagrees with his rebi the v in one detail so felt that because he lived at a time he lived later than the go right I think the go passed away in 1798 lived into the 1800s he was and he in Vila and there was some very very prominent Ina that they had an impact on him in explaining the balat here in Tanya sh chapter 7 that we're learning and that he agreed with the alter in one detail and disagreeing with his teacher the go and he agreed with his teacher in another detail what is that and I don't want to go into this cuz it's it's really very heavy and needs a lot of thought and conversation when we say Hashem is Essence is here or not we there are there are four things more the illuminary and or the illumination the energy of God when we say God's Essence is here or not we could we we we we look we look at the issue both in the illuminary and in the illum in the illumination the going OFA and that sh says God's Essence isn't neither the simum the contraction is not only on the illumination it's also on the illuminary that the illuminary of this of of the physical world of of all worlds has been contracted and is not here here the alterb says that the that the essence of God isn't all is in both the illuminary and the illumination says I'll agree to the balat that as far as the um as far as the illumination illuminaries concerned God's Essence is not here but in the illumin in the illumination what we call in Hebrew the Earth God's Essence is not here so kind of makes a a a compromise between the going and the alter but that's not for now but just good for you to know because you come across maybe uh um you know real student ofil of most don't know this most don't learn it they really don't I don't care if they come for pun or lakeid they don't study these things but there are the there are those that do so it's good for you as as people being exposed in the community to know this that although the AL the had a a philosophical disagreement as we're learning here the project student of the going in one detail agreed with the balat and one agre in detail disagreed okay and what what and and more about this Rabbi um Dr Norman lamb all wrote a book about the of the of of of he gave me the book when I interviewed him about 30 years ago or so and I wrote that up in conversations with the rebba my interview with Norman lamb and over there he talks about it so if you want to read an English book about the sh of the V I would point you to that book of Norman land but let's go back to now says we're on the second line two words from the end on page one 166 gives us his position and why we can't accept the other position of the G Etc and why he feels it's a mistake and an error in addition to the fact that one cannot say that the the contraction is literal basically if you're saying that then you're applying this the words is happen stances happenings mik means happenings of of bodily nature on God says your your entire equation doesn't begin how can you apply a concept ofum in in in in in the sense that it's literal on God God is transcendent in other words when you say let's say uh a teacher holds back information and or he or someone hides himself and he doesn't find himself where you are that's bodily that's goof that's physical so dba's first argument in how he rejects the Go's position is that to to think thatum is is using physical material ideas on God and it's it's not the case yes sir um I think there's some uh better words or or in English for this concept what is it P pantheism you know what I'm talking about yes sir I yeah yeah yeah yeah pantheism is that God is the world is God so so then it's not pantheism there there's another go ahead yeah so it's something else you don't remember no no so there there's a word in English which is it's a good word we don't use it much but I've come across it which denotes this idea of applying cality what no not cality no that I know what knows it who knows it Hill he's not in the share oh Hill knows it okay we we we'll get him next time but the idea we understand how can you apply Mark how can you apply physical M material corporeal um ideas to the metaphysical to the Transcendent God it's two different worlds so that's the first argument of the AL he's saying those that believe that God literally went is is contracted that he's not here that means you're allowing the concept ofum you're you're looking at it in the physical way and he says that's just it's not the casee God is Not physical what kind of God is God if God is physical and God is Not physical let's go look inside let's continue and why is why is this not right because God Is So separate from this concept ad separations that's number one that's his first argument why the concept of simpsom being literal is not acceptable here begins make make a note to yourself Point number two argument number two the fifth line in the middle additionally y means additionally why can't we say this the words spoken are not spoken with intelligence again very very heavy language of the Al and rejecting he says intellectually the argument of is not sensible why since you guys too right and everyone else who came up with this argument that position you're Believers you believe [Applause] now here we're switching pay attention to God's knowledge you believe that God knows everything that he created within this physical low world and you believe that he hovers over them and he has the Providence over them and you believe that that God's knowledge of everything happening doesn't add it doesn't add of addition and Novelty to God why because God knows everything this we spoke about yesterday by knowing himself therefore metaphorically speaking God's Essence and God 's knowledge are all one as we learned yesterday from the Ramba by a person it's three separate things right AB by a person the knowledge the knower and the known are three separate things right so before you you learned something um AB you didn't know it while you learning it you know it and later on when you think about it you know it even better right right so it's three different positions why because knowledge by a human being is an adjunct to the human being it's not the human being it's something a human being does but by Hashem by God his knowledge is him he doesn't know things because he goes outside of himself to study them no he knows himself and because he knows himself he knows everything that's that's the meaning of the words by knowing himself he knows everything so the Al's argument is hey you all believe right you all believe that God knows everything by knowing himself and you believe that he's and he has Divine Providence over everything if that's the case the one second so so so here's the here's this final AR his argument if that's the case how can you say this you're telling me God knows everything according to according to the argument that God contracted his Infinity then if he contracted his Infinity his aelf and his aelf is not in the world not in the spiritual world not in the physical world then how does he know everything you have to be here to know everything God has to be here so so his this is the argument of you agree that God knows everything well God knows everything he has to be here but you're saying he's not here you're saying he left us to to be and he in his Infinity is elsewhere says you can't make up your mind you believe he knows everything but yet you don't believe he's here how do the two work together that's a second argument let's continue says and I'll bring you proof to this now from the we just coming from it's appropriate to study some Z here we go this is what's written in it's called this 57th TI quote how many times have you heard these words learning so many years hundreds and thousands of time there is no place L there is no place that is empty of him God is all over not in the upper not in the lower that's a quote from Furthermore he brings refers to mosu which this is a section that we believe MOS Moshe quotes Moshe in the P which is coming up soon it says God grasps all but but no one can grasp him encompasses everything there's nothing that goes out of God's domain to the outside further pervades all this is all from the andem binds and unites Zena Zena kind to kind think to think upper and lower and there is no Clos closeness in the four elements only with God when God is found amongst four elements here ends this section of now the AL gives his interpretation on this piece of what is mean that no one can grasp him nothing and can and no one can grasp with one's intellect including from the all the the superal intellect of the stars of the of of the of the of of the Heavenly hosts they can't grasp the essence of God the Ste another quote God is the secret of all secrets and no one can grasp you CL at all and even here Below on Earth although we say God pervades this world his energy pervades it it's not like the soul of man that pervades the body the soul our is our body grabs the soul once the soul MERS decides to come into here guess what the body doesn't let it go we shouldn't know of it there are people who are so sick and they want to pass on they say I can't handle it andem says no the body doesn't let how do you let that body want for whatever reason the pain the torture it's not up to you Soul it's up to God and God gives dominance to the body over the soul and only when the body decides with God's permission to let go of the Soul does the soul leave I told you that painful story that painful story of the person who had the MAA he had the illness and kronites and his friends they were they used to come to a five 5 6:00 morning sheer and the friend said to him we're praying for you ding you that it should be removed he says please don't D for me for that D that I should die I'm suffering I'm in pain every day I want to die and God doesn't let me die so if you're going to die for me D I should die now you know I'm not getting into it there the speaks about this but my my point is like this that when the AL says here quoting the and explaining it that the body grabs the soul it's literal the body grabs the soul and I'm sure iser as as a as a physician understands this better you know you just can't as as much as you know I today I want to go too bad he can't go today doesn't work that way why does it why does it work the vice versa that what vice versa what that the that what where the where the soul where the soul tries where it's the opposite way we're not yeah yeah it does when a person has for example a thought of chuva the person lives like a you know a beher and all of a sudden he wakes up he says what am I doing to myself I'm a Jew where am I so then you see the soul is like controlling the the body the body wants to just indulge the body's been indulging for 50 years whatever that Indulgence is and all of a sudden the person's soul such I'm not talking about you know dieting and and addictions I'm talking I mean it could be that could be included too if it's coming from the soul we're talking about a Chua and a Chua doesn't mean only something was about to Chua everyone is I'm sick and tired of living this way I want to live a more holy life so that's a call from the N yes absolutely but but but it in this context of T the AL wants to make the difference between the pervading of God's energy in the universe and the pervading of Soul into the body and he's saying that it's not comparable because the the we find that the the body grabs and when you say grabs and grasps it means it has control over the soul and like you know and and and and it's an important thing to know it it it works both ways that's why what is it saying to zo and the famous story withed who told his his wife or his daughter wanted a not eat anding and she was very weak and and the says it says a little hole in the body a little a little blemish is a big hole into the Sha and a big hole in the a little hole in the is also a big hole in the Goof in the b in the body but in this case fasting when you're not supposed to fast because you're sick makes not just a big hole in your goof you're hurting your soul so what do we see from there as well that the relationship between the body in the soul is such that it's it got it it grabbed it let's go back into the T and and he's going to give us some examples now more concrete examples to the extent that the body is impacted from the changes that there are in the body V and the pain from the body being hit yes when the body is hit it hurts or when you get a cold you know temperature and things that are similar all of these are s examples of how the soul is impacted by the body now this is a very important point because sometimes we say aad a I could do what I want my dear friends people have tried that it hasn't worked now at the same time the same time to to be too calculated and and not to have the amuna is also not not hitting the mark and this is a balance and it and and this is what we struggled with you know I give you an example L bman the other night go ofan at about 104 after 11 I said listen I got to get up early I have a Shear i i d before I'm up four four 5:00 in the morning it's already 11:15 I need a few hours sleep I found out the guy for braing till 3:00 in the morning and it was really beautiful now I I I I you know based on my responsibilities I felt I was being responsible now could I have stayed till 3 and lay down for an hour an hour and a half and get up maybe maybe but you know I I know myself and I know usually I wouldn't do that or I wouldn't be fresh and I need to teach and I need to inspire and and and understand it myself and prepare this year on and on and on so what we see is that the this issue or like M and I have discuss you know the you know do we have time in the middle of the day to study and things like that we have other responsibilities these are questions legitimate questions and so you find one type of person say amuna Faith the bills will be paid everything will work out just connect now and the other attitude The Other Extreme is no no no no no I'm just going to be in a box and I and I think that what we have from in particular is there should be a balance there are times where you you go all out and and then there are times when you have to be more within the box and this is a balance but going back to the T here the AL says clearly now the next part conversely when it comes to God God it doesn't change from it changes in the world it's hot it's cold from Summer to Winter from day to Darkness doesn't make it dark for you and by night and the and the dark the night will will shine like day why second to the last line on page 166 because God is Not grabbed at all while he's here in the world even though he pervades it so this is the concept that we've learned many times that whenever we talk about hashem's energy pervading the world it doesn't mean you got him where you you he can't get out he can get out anytime he wants you know why because he's here and he's not here what does that mean he's here fully the contraction is not on the Infinity of the anself of God's enery but the manner in which he's here isn't a disguise so it feels as though at times he's not here or he's not looking or he doesn't care or he allows October 7th to happen you understand that's exactly October 7th is an example of of what we're learning here in Tanya to say that Hashem is wasn't in the world and wasn't aware and didn't care about what took place is heresy and it's not kin saying it it's the Tes is saying it but at the same time the same time Hashem chose for whatever reason which we don't know and we don't understand Hashem chose to disguise himself on October 7th and then and and to let us fools argue that the IDF is and he's guilty and she's guilty and he's guilty and and and make a big Chun from it and we have what we have today that's part of the Divine experience daver wants that why I don't know but that's what he wants I I mean I think we can figure out why he wants us to become mentioned he wants us to to to own up to ourselves and take responsibility and not say do whatever it is we'll stop now and uh some very important things to think about not just philosophical but also practical yes Y what do you want to say no no I asked you before anyone have any thoughts go ahead I have the time if you want to say something very important very important she on the issue of T is God's contraction literal not the difference between Al the V and um be that as may but by the way don't think that the AL belittles the V he understood where he was coming from he disagrees with him and he gives us reason for rejecting his argument but it's not that you understand some people they learned this you know C in a cursory way oh look look at the language here you ered you made a mistake and as as and we saw we we the the is jumped on the word the word implies you're sinful intentionally so I explained to is he's already off offline that's not what it means the Y is going on the word accidental sh error Dr believes that they you know that somehow they didn't think it through enough in this issue and they came to that mistake but and he and he understands how you can come to such a mistake and therefore he presents his position have a great day everyone we'll see everyone tomorrow hey thank you very much you're welcome byebye bye byebye take care Shalom take care byebye