Tanya By Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz Sec 4 Chap. 1 “The Power of Torah & Prayer”

welcome everyone to tonight's Tonya class today's a very very special day for many reasons the fact that we're alive is special right we're okay we're all healthy were happy also today's special because today is long Bomer we're celebrating the anniversary of the passing of rumor you're high and he instructed us to be especially happy on Davis passing so today is a very special day Sherman your high revealed to us the Zohar the Kabbalah and taught us a lot of beautiful new mystical teachings so there's no greater way to celebrate like Ballmer like we're doing right now studying mysticism right so we're like literally doing work of Shem like I want and we're studying the teachings that are based on the ZOA and based on Kabbalah so that's one reason why it's special but what reason why special is because we know that Tania the book of Tania has four sections Lakota a marine which we've studied thank God all of it it's all in YouTube the second section char you could the moon which sticks throughout the unity and wonders of God and the third section which is the the letters of Trouville repentance which we just finished last week and today we are beginning the fourth section of Tanya namely the section called in Gareth our kodesh the holy letters of the Alpha and these aren't just regular letters the holy letters Garrett letters how kodesh means their holy letters so today we're studying again the first letter of the altar every Egret our kodesh chapter one para caliph so as I always say Tonya because it's the Bible of mysticism every single chapter is extremely powerful and every single chapter has a consult contained message sometimes into twenty other chapters you can walk rate something complete and I try to find what is the message of this chapter 2 of this first first letter of the alphabet II the first chapter in the letters of holy letters and I think that message of this chapter is to really appreciate and to see the real power of studying Torah and the power of prayer because what happens is when you know the power and the impact that something has you do it much more quantitatively but more importantly with passion and excitement because you know you know you know you're accomplishing so here the author it takes a so to speak in the backroom and shows us the tremendous power and strength that torah study has and we'll go into the detail in the chapter so I'm not gonna give it away right now in the beginning but the real power Torah study has and the power of prayer and I hope and pray that when we finished on in today's chapter you'll find a new and renewed excitement in studying Torah and in praying okay so the author begins this chapter and it sounds like this he's starting off with a blessing who doesn't want a blessing we all want blessings he's starting over a blessing this is the alter Rebbe's blessing and he's thanking God the holy Jeremy's thanking God for the good nice statement doctor says I'm opening up with a blessing and I'm thanking God for the good and what is good what's good everything is good that so everything in God is always a good answer what is good so there's many things in the world was the author referring to is it a nice dinner a nice stroll in the park a new new a new car what good and the author is like this you know what good is that's all correct what is the author who say the author who sounds like this good is good is which is referring to studying Torah he heard that everyone got together and he inspired them as well to debt income and committed to study the Talmud and what happens is what they did was let's agree to every community super exam where a community in Fort Myers so again the community of Fort Myers let's say there's 50 people everyone took on for example to study attract eight in the Talmud so we've seen the whole community together you ever everyone takes one track date and you able to finish the Talmud why was it a smaller community you don't have enough people the each one do a track date so two communities together some of these three communities together but the point is that clusters of communities were committed to study the Talmud every year complete as a community but the point was everyone was busy studying Talmud so the after it says this is so good you know this is good because this is the ultimate good because when a person studies Torah you know what happens what happens when you study Torah very simple what happens when a person eats so you have just no satisfaction that satisfaction what happens practically when you eat you nourish your body you allow you give you a body nutrients you give your body energy and you're able to physically grow you want to be alive and do it you have to this world so in simple English food is fuel for the body Torah study is fuel for the soul for the neshamah so a car gets gas in the gas station a human gets food either from the Habad kitchen the right of someone else's house or your own house or if you're going out to a kosher restaurant that's what you get food that's for the body but for the soul you need to filter Souls gas tank how do you fill it up by studying Torah so every time you're studying Torah that's like going to the gas station and when you drive if everyone has different habits certainly you like making sure that oh the tank is always you know topped off there was a full tank it goes down to half they already filling it up certain people they have to make sure the red light goes on and then after it's on for a little bit they start looking for our gas station and then they start worrying oh my gosh am I gonna make it not gonna make it it's different different right the different style of people it comes out of gas tank now the reality is that's what a gas think you can do that but with the soul you want to make sure what it's always topped off you always want to make sure you have a lot of Torah study full tank of gas and then even on some extra you know of tank it's like you know we live in Florida so it's a hurricane you need gas for the generators you always want to make sure you've an extra tank of gas that once the gas runs out you have even more gas to put in okay now so what is the algebra say again that what's the good news we're starting why that's good news because this good starting tour again is good for the soul good for the soul now which part of Torah is good for the soul so obviously any Torah studies good for the soul but the difference is there is difference in different type of studies so for example when you study Torah scherbakov when you study the written law written law referring to what the whole mesh and the prophets and the writings write total exam the part that you know how to say by heart so that actually feet that actually comes from the side of acid and the side of hokhmah so a person study sharks works I've when it personalizes the written law that is the right oriented custard and hokhmah when a person studies torsional pear what is torsional by referring to the Mishnah and the Talmud the oral law and Allah thought etc that goes under the category of torture well pan and that is act actually starting tourists about pear is left oriented it's Gura its arguments I say this and you say this and this rabble I said like this and it starts like that surah is a struggle which comes from that the world walk the world of bina so tarnish ball pear is B naught which is rural so the optimist says there's different types of fuel and you need both fuel but which is the strong fuel which one is like the one that's like super high test well that's the extra chance to it the high test fuel that's walked when you studied Torah ballpen when you study the rip the oral law and you discuss it and you understand it and you think about it and it spend a few hours you know meditating on it and so on and so forth okay so in other words so Torah sure all parent is the strength of the Torah and that is actually about bringing back full circle that is something which is called good so the author of quotes from King Solomon who wrote many many books one of the famous books is called proverbs and in Proverbs is a section of Proverbs that we say every single Friday night what do we say every single program from Proverbs I'll give you a hint the ladies got to know it that's true they're made it's only Friday night that means only three times a day what are we is what praise did we say Friday night the ladies got to know it the men got to know too because the men say it to the ladies hint no we do by kiddush no that's that's all natural more like an ASUS hi oh the ace of style King Solomon wrote to his mother so endear it says in in Proverbs in the HS higher the one that we read every Friday night it sounds like this King Solomon writes of this referring to the woman hog draw but always must now she Gerdes her loins with strength that's a physical it's a physical description of a woman right strengthening herself or even a man strengthen himself he's your friend in that case the moment referring to a body that means the loins are hold the whole body holds the head holds the the heart that holds the hands or hold the whole body together so you want to make sure that the loins are strong because the loins of strong then you can hold the whole person especially it's a woman and she gets pregnant you need to have a double strength so he says Kagura by agent us now that you strengthen the law you strengthen the loins with strength you add strength to the loins now Dan is what on a physical level what is it referring to on a spiritual level so the first question is there often is quiet what does it mean nos now the loins what is one of our loins spiritually the woman it's the right the lonely that holds up the body what is what is what is the loins on a spiritual level so the loins on a spiritual level most snipe is referring to what our faith in God our faith in God while I think about because the faith holds up our intellect our emotions if we don't have faith how we starting so faith is the base the faith is what holds everything up we need to have strong faith in God and because we have faith in God if we study Torah and if we love God and so on and so forth but again the most nyam the part that holds up the whole structure the spiritual structure of the yule being is what is faith what is the idea faith what kind of what kind of face do we have so the outer it goes into detail initials like this first of all the faith is what how many gods are there one God one God the faith in one God there's no nothing I don't say that in my mouth there's only one God the faith is one God further this one God that we have faith in he is infinite in other words we're finite on all levels God is infinite so we have faith and what kind of a God not a finite God made out of a piece of stone or a piece of metal or brick whatever piece of wood the infinite God deeper we have faith in the fact that God is surveyed Calallen what a save of kawaman that means he hovers all over everything and he gives this materialistic world in all the worlds of energy coming from a high source which is called say vehicle almond God is also man male and as he gives every single person every single vegetation every single human being human being every single animal every single tree he has everything it's specific amount of light and energy that it needs because we gain a blanket think everyone I want to work say it gives every single person what that person needs that's all faith we have faith that God does that also we have play faith that there is no place where shun doesn't exist there's no such thing any place that exists Hashem is there there's no place where shun doesn't exist what does that in practically you go as high as you want where's God all over you go as low as you go I'm on time all talking physically and spiritually and emotionally on every anyway you want to measure things physically spiritually emotionally financially any level the highest God is there in the lowest God is there that's high and low same thing also all four sides of the world right left front the back right mizerock Mayer cellphone arm all four levels God's everywhere God's everywhere God's everywhere now this meditation again we're focusing on what on this on God that we have faith in and we have faith that God is everywhere now we know that in the temple that was a service called ash on the board they brought the the they brought the incense and it created a sound created a smoke Hashanah has an abbreviation for a long it's made of one more option I'll I Incheon final known all along Shana nephesh island refers to space the world oil in the world which is face which we discussed yeah faith entry pardon space God's everywhere Sharla refers to the year but also refers to what time that means God we believe we believe God always existed God always will exist and God exists right now so time wise God always existed God exists and not always will exist time back to our fate so miss nyam right which King Solomon to referring to our faith in the fact of God's everywhere and the fact that God's time wise always is always was always will be and also what the level of nephesh that God is in every single soul every single living creature that exists God's everywhere now so you're thinking about this amazing God right this infinite God the gods and everything space time every single soul Wow isn't that pretty powerful pretty powerful now nevertheless nevertheless this infinite God that's always been always is always will be decided one to create each and every one of us okay that's fine he created us but wasn't enough he gave us a Torah in the Torah he gave us MIT's vote and what's a mitzvah a mitzvah God is saying is you could connect to me me and you can have a relationship very simple do the mitts vote don't transgress and we have a relationship whoa do you guys heard when we spoke about this infinite God always was always is always will be he's infinite he's in finite space there's no place where he's not right hi lovelies all over and this magical power said here's the Torah here's the midsole the two of us could have a relationship not only that God said but if you god forbid make a mistake and listen opportunity to connect to me or do something I told you not to do so you're disconnecting for me guess what I created a band-aid and you know the band-aid is called maybe the bandage not the right word is probably deeper than a band-aid it's called true we could we could chill means you can return to me even though you slipped God accepts us God says you can come right back Wow think about that so God is saying that we in this world can connect to this infinite God not only that within the world to come you can only connect to the ray of God but in this world through Torah and mitzvot and through Trouville you can physically connect to God like the Avant coach at potent quotes a verse it says hi Joey what is holy they mean his glory not himself his glory is on LI heaven on the earth that's awesome I am but the yaran cameron lama the karen is the god himself God has right God himself he gave to the Jewish people Wow so think about this is infinite aloud every one of us that connected out in a real way by doing the Mitzvah or not transgressing or God for if we slip the transgression itself we can do to verbal back one with God that's amazing that is amazing now let's go with this so when a person meditates on the fact that what this tremendous faith we have in God and this God that we have faith in gave us an opportunity to connect them what happens now intellectually if you meditate on this intellectually what happens to your intellect when you're thinking about think come come with me on this we're thinking about how God's so great this infinite God infant he doesn't need us but he created us and he said guess what we're buddies and we can have we can have a relationship we can have many relationships 613 and guess what if you miss one or two Trouba you can always you'll always be able to connect to me what is that do you brain makes it very happy makes it's very happy you know what that's called that's called intellectual love why because the love is based on a and intellectual calculation a meditation you does this now that's great the one house when a person continues on the meditation and you start actually feeling it so now when you start feeling it it becomes a natural love you naturally love God initially it enters through your brain but when you really start living it oh my gosh we're buddies and you start hanging out with God you sit and pray for hours right you sit and study Torah you sit and do mitts vote you literally become a gods friend it started that intellectually but now becomes like a fiery loving relationship and when I was if you keep on developing that relationship more the love becomes so strong thank you you've become even happier but more important than you're afraid of disconnecting you you don't want that you don't want this is like amazing you don't want to lose this friendship you don't want to lose a relationship so in other words think about it you use your faith right you must I am and by having that faith and meditating on it you actually created powerful love in your brain which is sitting in your head and tremendous or and love in your heart which is part of your body so look what happened you must lie in right the base which is built on faith created intellectual of created emotional love created all for God of a mirror and Wow now you you're full of love all based on what your meditation based on the faith of God now so isn't this great isn't this great so what do we want to be busy doing what what's our goal then our goal is to meditate on this on this tremendous faith of God but just like we said before faith right faith is fuel when a person has faith in God or the personal studies that's fuel but the questions had a new fuel the faith how do you fuel that faith that faith look what it's gotten you gotta new intellectual love it gotten you emotional love we've gotten you a veneer of both how do you fuel that it had it you feel that into that in that intellect so comes along the outer analysis is very very simple when a person studies the oral law which is called the turrets of our path mr. Talmud but then it's a little specifically halaqa when you sit and learn halakha necklace read a book when you sit you read it comprehend it you got it and you learn how long you're ready to do the hollow heart when Hashem wants Lord Jewish law what happens then is you are connecting now not just that the intellect of God because they're a person studies the written part of the Torah you can't come to the hokhmah God wow this is God's wisdom weighing is studying town load you're connecting to the Turkish mob path and you can't the beam of God but when a person learns how lock our worlds halacha this is the law what is the law mean this is the way God wants me to behave from when I get up in the morning till I go to sleep at night whether it's Sunday and then special laws and Shabbat and special offers Kodesh special laws for holidays or gospel if someone's born and someone passes away all the different lifecycle events when I learn how ha ha what does that do to me I am actually fulfilling not talk more beam of God I am connecting to the cast of the crown of God which we know there's two parts specifically the part which is called the roots on the lower level of the crown which is the will of Hashem so anytime you're studying halacha you know what you're doing now you filling up the tank of faith which in turn fills up the intellectual love and the emotional love and the or for God so that what really feeds your faith is what learning a local Jewish law I need lottery quotes for example it says Asia IL a terrace by law a woman of Valor becomes the crown of her husband what's the crown the crown again is what rocks on the will and when you do the will of your husband referring to God when you do what God wants you to do when you follow the Torah mitchelton Transvaal aha you connect to the highest level you connected a crown of God to the Roxxon of a Shannon or for example you know the famous lion says in the Talmud that whoever learns hello Haute you ready for this you're guaranteed to have a place in the world to come I don't think there's any insurance policy on the scam that can sell you a place in the world to come people who have tried it I don't know I haven't seen any but the point is guess what God says you want to seat in the world to come you want to see it in heaven very simple what do you do learn Aloha and you're guaranteed guaranteed the author was quoting for that from the Talmud the alt service - quoting it so you can go by the alter rebbe you go by the Talmud studying a locker you guaranteed a world a seat in the world to come and cuz the ground the world God Jewish law no time he's not that time hundreds law no Jewish law no Torrez written law there's different things well we learned Saturday between mincha Myers that's that's halakhah we learn how lock up siding be tuned come on we probably have more more and more classes on a lock on because again this gets you to the will of God and let's get this feed your faith and this gives you a great life in other words when it personal get to show you that the train of effect so it works when you sit down to learn halakha oh my gosh oh my god wants me to do and you learn what you supposed to be doing and for sure obviously if you learn it you're gonna do it so you're learning and then you're doing God's will that what Dan tells automatically it's shrinks in your faith faith in what the God Nathan God's all knowing God was and is and always will be excited well when a person has that translated then you realize oh my gosh and God gave me an opportunity to connect them so the intellectual love starts lighting up the emotional love and the or for God starts lighting up and life is great in life is wonderful so that's in terms of what what feeds our faith what feeds our faith studying Torah now the question is when when should you do this knows you're starting Tori that feeds of faith yeah you study Torah at fields of faith and that creates the ripple effects but when the faith in order for the faith to get activated you have to meditate meditate me how God hug hug grant great how great God is and the way God chose chose us etcetera the meditation part when is the best time for the meditation is you learn halakhah all throughout the day that feeds the faith but then you want to take the faith package you want to open it up you want to unpack it you want to work for you one should you meditate 24/7 is a good answer but the problem is if you do that ya can be doing anything else right so when should you meditate so let's see without relatives I want to do a good answers but something I thought the altar of ourselves through the altar every sense the altar says the time to do it is when in the morning prayers you gather in the morning we all pray chakra the first thing in the morning so when you pray in chakras Marik we have a tradition we meditate before we pray because it's to get you into the mood to internalize that faith in God so when you get up to pray chakra is you should meditate before and during before and during the chakras prayers why why you could have picked any time of the day then come irof right cause you know it's perfectly chakras why because when do you pray chakra it in the morning I just after sunrise or you start actually before and you just want necessary at sunrise so you pray the first thing in the morning what attribute of God is strong the first thing in the morning the attribute of recommend of compassion the attribute of Rahman is like wall is buzzing also the attribute of the rut zone the will of God is buzzing so if you've all got to be in the morning oh my gosh right this is like this is God's hour what happens unfortunately throughout the day we start messing up a little bit but in the morning is 100% high energy rockman compassion and returning the will of God so when you get up in the morning and you realizing oh my gosh this is rocking and strong and the rocks are strong so you meditate on before you start the prayer services during the prayer services and a little bit afterwards so what happens then is that's when you meditate and that's when it creates the intellectual love and that's when it creates the emotional love and that's what creates the awesomeness what for God now the author actually goes and says specific that you should try to meditate so strong that the love is bursting out of you literally it's coming like the love is like you never like the love is flowing that's a type of love you should be feeling for God when you're praying if you're meditating and you're praying the love should be like coming out losing out all over you it should be so so so so strong that and the other quotes for the smile which says but you have to love God the kolobok with your own heart the whole national your whole soul is on a fiery love for God that's the type of love you should feel when in the morning exactly now what's interesting is however it says you know there's a whole debate like what's more important quantity equality right what's more important quantity and quality everyone says quality and so but on the other hand we know quantity is important then the answer is in order to get quality you need quantity in true the the goal is quality but you can't say funny I'm walking in forgive me a minute I want quality prayer no you want yeah we all want quality prayer but to get to the quality and in quantity and the author quantifies it he says the chakras service the chakra prayer service should take during the week an hour and a half an hour-and-a-half 90 minutes for a morning not per day chakras prayers of 90 minutes 90 minutes and matter of fact if you rush into work and you don't have time don't go to lead the service he wants people that are not rushing to work people either that someone supporting them trust fund child right or get up real early err the point is you want someone it's not rushing say every words huh he wants quality but gets quality he wants quantity quantity bring the quality here's one people are wanting to work one time we'll take questions on it okay so in other words you spend 90 minutes praying slowly proper Caban ah ah then it's gonna work now what happens in Shabbat Shabbat no one's willing to work so then he says everyone can pray but providing that you pray slowly say the words feel it doctors say it feel it and the author actually says that he's gonna send around people to check out to see if people are not praying slowly and it was very simple if you're praying slowly then you can come and I'll teach you because you're you're making yourself ready to receive as teachers but if you're gonna adapt them fast it means you're not gonna spend the time the quantitative time so the quality is not gonna be there so therefore what he's gonna tell you it's not gonna stick to you because you knows for example if you want to a feel to grow you have to work the field you got to turn the soil a little bit but if you don't turn the soil you throw down the season you throw on some what is that gonna grow you got to work the land working our spiritual land is what prayer and meditation okay so we see clearly from this chapter which is a very very beautiful and very very powerful chapter is as follows that if you want to feed your faith it happens to do Torah study and if you want to feed the love and over shame it happens to prayer but they're really connected what does that mean like this that means a person the way they are about outlines it I'll recap chapter one without the out reliance as follows there's no greater thing than start studying Torah because Torah will take your faith and make your faith real strong so the more you study the will of a sham it's almost like taking a pill I mean out well a doctor leaves your pill him to come better so if you want to have the spiritual pill to build you face than hand I don't believe so much no problem I got it let's learn some hahaha let's learn Jewish law and as you learn in Jewish laws and your faith is gonna come strong once your faith now is strong so what does happen.we say now I'll get up in the morning and daven pray slowly ninety minutes if you can as you can't start with less but the goal is to get there pray what do you pray you think you might have gotten God is great the infinite God God's involved in everything God caused everything to to blossom and so on and so forth and God always was always will always will be that will take your deep connection to God and then you didn't realize oh my gosh this infinite God created me gave me mitts vote gave me true but it's like always connect to him so that's gonna bring your intellectual love to be excited to be rolling your emotional love you're gonna beat all of God you're not gonna be as connected as Dahmer says up to the point where it's I couldn't you know crazy for the love well not surprising you need your whole life over but ultimately the person does this you can live the most beautiful and happy and grateful life