Tanya By Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz - UNITY & ONENESS OF G-D IS KEY TO LOVE - Section 2 Class 1

okay welcome to tonight's Tanya class um as you all know last week we had the opportunity we finished the first section of Tanya 53 chapters we had the the completion at the oh the rebi and tonight is another great night because we're starting the second section of Tanya now it's interesting that the second section of T which is called the gate the portal to the Oneness which we'll talk about what that means and Faith um is the name of the second section of T and um what's really interesting is the the Albi originally planned on making the second section first and the first second first section second so it's possible at least in the alar of his initial thought that the second section of Tanya which was starting now on some spiritual level is the first and I'll soon explain to you why why he had thought doubt we had a thought of making it the first but the reality is it's the second and there's a reason for that as well okay so again we are starting the second section of T the gate the portal of the Oneness of God and faith in God and we'll talk about soon the name of the chapter and again this the alter originally planned the making this the first and the question is why did he make the first so we're going to give an introduction as follows we all know that every that exists existed exist will exist the source of everything is what God specifically specifically if you had the proper magnifying glass if you look at God's name we're talking about the powerful name of God which is the powerful name of God the yud the he and the V the powerful name of God in there you have everything and as we we went through many times we discussed way the SPH out are in there and so on and so forth so the everything that exists if you take you will find it within the you'll find it within the human being we discussed that Y is the head right the hey is the hands the V is the body the hay is the feet and so on and so forth so the T has four sections to it there four sections to the Tanya the so you already see there's a connection four sections of Tanya and how many names how many letters in God's name four right so what's the connection between the four letters of God's name and the four sections of T so it's interesting is that there's a concept in cabala that says you can either go from the below above now we say below above we're not talking physical we're talking spiritually it means less Godly energy more Godly energy or we go from above below that means more Godly energy and less Godly energy so the alter restan is structured actually where originally the plan was that it was going to go backwards in other words God's name is spelled so the first section of T which again would have been refers to the last hay of God's name what's the what's the idea of the what's the connection of the last hay of God's name the last hay of God's name is in the SP is referring to the sphere of Mal of Kingdom so the last of God's name is Mal is kingdom and the section deals about the kingdom of God because it speaks about what the Oneness of God the Oneness of God everything is really one and again we say one we don't mean one versus two vers three one we mean the only existence that exists is God and godliness and that's obviously referring to the kingdom of God and therefore the is referring to what the last hay of God's name the next section again we're going the order the way originally Al planned it so would been the second section which the one we just finished and that is the V of God's name the V of God's name is referring to the emotions because we know ultimately what is the essence if you have to ask what is the essence of the first section of T is where the AL gives us the tools to have a relationship with God not just up here that's that's a given and that's important but more importantly that the intellect should permeate all our emotions and we should be Jews that are alive that we should be English I it's called living Judaism living Judaism should be alive and living Jews we should be alive not just like walking robots oh I got to go do this I got to go do that I got to check this off the list check that off the list this mitvah and again you have to do the mitv 100% you have to do them no don't get the the wrong idea absolutely you have to do every single Mitzvah and you have to stay away from God for transgressing you have to study Torah and and pray Etc but the Essence ofab and specifically is to teach you how to be on fire to be enthused how to have how to have joy how to have love for God how to be in all for God these are all strong emotions but again the emotions aren't wild emotions because you can have wild emotions like for example it's called when someone is just to totally like you know out of out of control but we're not talking about wild emotions we're talking about inspired emotions inspired emotions are meaningful are real and have a certain class in finesse spiritual class and the idea of the first the section of Tanya is to be emotionally alived infused as you would say that is the V so we went from hey V then you have this the second hay which going backwards be with the third hey but the second he in God's name and that is referring to the idea of Bina and the third section of Tanya is basically called the where the alter teaches us how to connect to God returning to to God through the idea of chuva which is again the idea of being a more of an expansive relationship with God and the last section in is called iges holy letters and Holiness is the Y the first y of God's name now so that's why originally the plan was that the second section um should have been the first because it go it would bring the ha of um in that order but for whatever reason Al chose to switch it and maybe after this class you'll appreciate why possibly Dr chose to switch it and you'll also see the way they actually the second section really in should come first and we'll see at the end of the class we'll we'll explain why even though it should came first the alterate shows what to put it at the end okay so the alar begins off as a uh we're going to learn today not the actual first chapter we're going to learn the introduction just like there's an introduction for the first section of Tanya which we had a separate class on it we are going to have today a class on the introduction to the second section of Tanya the way it's printed in the book and again in reality it should have been first so the alra opens up um the second section of Tanya based on a verse in uh King Solomon's writings Mishay and the the King Solomon's writ as follows verse in King a verse in in in King Solomon's writings so what is the what is the King Solomon saying that if you have a student you have a a lad you have a youth so educate him according to his level so that when he gets older it will always remain with him that's what the that's what King Solomon says so again the alter is not coming to create a new verse but he's saying let's take that verse and let's go diving we'll take some spiritual diving into that verse he says let's try to understand what the verse is saying the verse is saying is to go ahead educate someone according to their level now what does that mean that means very simple educate them on their level like for example if you have a little child that never learned Olive Bay you teach them the olive Bays once they know the olive Bays then you teach them how to read and then teach him they teach them Rashi they you teach them other commentaries and meditation and cabala and M as you grow older you advance in your studies now could you imagine the alter says you take and I'm explaining I'm explaining to my words obviously what were saying is can you imagine you take someone that knows the olive Bay and knows how to read and knows already and knows mysticism you say come let's learn Olive B he already knows he knows it already right so the alter ask the question so what are you saying educate the the the the youth um on his level so that when he gets older it won't it won't wear off when it gets older you want to be on to bigger and better things so what does it mean when he gets older he won't forget so it's not it's you know so it's really it's not really ultimately you want to study you really only want to study Miss really you don't want to know the alphabets he needs to know the alphabets why is that like a full study so the auor uses this to explain that just like just like for example when it comes to mitv so we know that uh every Mitzvah that we do before we do it there's a process which is called a practice a practice so for example let's say someone is becoming Bar Mitzvah so when someone becomes Bar Mitzvah you have an obligation for example for a male to put on fill in every day now can you imagine 13 years old okay we're putting on fill Now put on fill with him and just now put it on every day how's he going to do it I mean you have to practice so we have a custom and there's different Customs different uh that people have but the kaban custom is that for two months before every single day you practice for the first month you practice without a blessing he just practicing the technicality how to to do it the second month already you practice how to put it on plus you practice the blessing so when you do it the day of Rah you know how to put it on and you know how to make the blessing practice and any other Mitzvah this practice before you do any Mitzvah you practice so that's when it comes to technical mitzvot what did we learn in the first section on Tanya what is a spiritual Mitzvah to have love for God and to have all for God so it's just like there's real love and there's real or the AL says there's also a practice type of love there's like a I'm not going to use the word make believe there's a practice love and there's a practice all what is the difference between practice love and real love the alter says as follows what's the ultimate in in love the ultimate in love the highest level share it connection with God very good the ultimate in love is where you you're one with God the AL use a word which is a very heavy description and it says you almost have your soul is leaving your body like you're so yearning to have that relationship with God that literally you there's nothing that's holding you back it means if your soul left your body so be it you so want to be with God you so want to be with God that you so these body so lot what's more important to you is not your body if your body is more important to you if your house is more important to you if your career is more important to you if your job is more important to you your car your but whatever you whatever the material is more important to you so you're not going to want to leave God you'll go visit him in synagogue whether it's once a year some people right some you once a month some you once a week once a day three times a day you show up I God nice seeing you I'll be back and my next obligation depending on how you like to observe that right or if you study Torah okay guess what I'm going to spend now an hour with God I haven't I haven't spoken to in a while you sit down you have a study session God okay now I'm going to go do my thing right which is not your thing and let's keep the two separate right okay so that is not because why because your soul your body is important to you your materialistic needs are important to you your personal agenda is important to you and you have an agend with God and you want to have a relationship with God too means I just want to become one with God I don't look at the watch and there's never a time when I'm not cleaving to God that doesn't mean you don't work and that doesn't mean you don't have a job and that doesn't mean you don't eat and you don't sleep and you don't have a family and you don't do activities but that means that everything I do everything I do means I'm working why to earn money to to to live a life that I could serve god um I do have a house that I can invite people to my house do mitv in the house and so on and so forth right and live live a nice Godly life I have a car I can go to school I can go to take my kids to school whatever you need material but again the the the mindset more than a mindset your soulle uh mission and vision as life is call means everything call means when we say call it means everything and we mean everything we mean what everything not some of the things everything everything I'm doing is is for God and that is called goes with us wherever we go we do exactly wherever we go whatever we do and that is called and spiritual terms is called my soul this wants to cleave to God so obviously it's more noticeable when you pray and you study you do mitv but even when you're doing mundane things you're going to the store you're going obviously there must be a a Godly purpose while you going cuz you're going to buy things either for theat house or for your house you're making me Shabbat you inviting guests you you know going to buy Kos the point everything you're doing has to have a Godly um Channel and a Godly intention and that's basically called now that is a the channel B the way you do it and this shows whether you really whether God's important to you you're important to you when you have on a high level where you love God everything you're doing is what with a big let's practice a big smile right with joy joy which is external and pleasure which is internal so everything that you're doing and since you're doing everything for God and you're doing that 24/7 so 24/7 you have a huge smile right and you're feeling a a deep relaxed pleasure yearning to be with god with joy and pleasure now the reality is who wants to be on that level who doesn't want who doesn't want to be in that level now but the reality is in order to get to that level there's a price you pay for everything you want a car you got to pay for it you want a house you got to pay for it right you want to buy some food you got to pay for it there's a price what's the price so Al spells out the price is very very simple you have to transform your body we don't mean the physical body only we refer to anything which is materialistic and CA you have zero interest in because you can't be putting one foot in this mountain and one foot in the other mountain and expect to be in two places at one time it's either you're cleaving to God and you totally let go of any attachment physical mental emotional spiritual attachment to anything physical doesn't mean you're not living Liv in the physical world but has zero value to you what's important to you is God and godliness what's important to you is the relationship so you have to be able to get rid of any attachment to the materialistic course world and again to make it clear it doesn't mean that you're living out in the mountains you're living in a real world with a house and a car and people and food and drink all that stuff but there's no attachment to it that means if you didn't have it You' be just as fine and if you have it you're grateful cuz God gave you an opportunity to serve him through this and if God gives me doesn't give this to me he means he wants me to serve me in another way but ultimately it's all about what I want to cleave to God and I do it with joy and gladness and in order to get that the price you're paying for it that you have to detach some it's not easy we get caught up with some narish kite right we all know what narish kite is f right look over the his dictionary it's in there right narish kite okay foolishness foolishness exactly so that price number one alter was not finished it's a big price I mean it's you're happy to do it because if you want to cleave to God you don't care what the price is right you pay anything you're willing to give everything up so one is what you have to detach from materialism again the attachment to it the second thing is you have to study a lot of Torah CU think about it I want to cleave to God I want to so how you cleaving to God saying it not going to get you too far so you have to literally sit and study Torah whether it's aish whether it's mishna whether it's talmud whether it's cabala whether it's medish whatever may be you have to study lots and lots of Torah cuz think if you detached materialism doesn't mean much to what are you doing I mean we have 24 hours a day it's a lot of time right especially now the summer days are very very long right so we have a lot of time so you have to be studying a lot of Torah literally studying Torah quantitatively and obviously qualitatively as well second price there's three prices the third price you got to do a lot of mitz anytime you could do a Mitzvah you do another Mitzvah another Mitzvah whether it's you know Shabbat mizin a charity um loving another human being having all for God whatever the Mitzvah is so you have to be busy with developing that relationship so if you're willing to if you want to cleave to God and you do cleave to God and you detach from materialism and you study abundance amount of Torah and you do as many MIT as you can then the author says you don't decide God decides to give you a present and guess what could you bribe God there's no way if you earned it you're going to get it the good thing is if you earned it you're getting it no one's going to hold it back from you we're living in a world today you can work for something and somehow someone we're not right is going to it's going to stop you from getting not with God if you earned it you're going to get it that's the pro not how the but the reality if you didn't earn it you're not getting it you're not going to somehow skip the line with God if you don't have the you don't cleave to God and you're attached to materialism you don't study a lot of Tor you ain't getting the prize what is the prize what is the prize the AL say very simple you know what the prize is we all have a we all have a Godly Soul now we know there's five levels for the soul nees r I started from the bottom NE is basically everyone has a cuz without a NE you're you're not in this world so nefes is basically the basic operating system or the basic soul that every one of us have in order to if you're alive you have a nefes your NE is working if you transform yourself a little more then what then you have a r you're more spirited you know you're more into spirituality more into something spiritual versus something physical now generally speaking is the internal part of the soul that we can connect to that we can connect to we can connect to is part which is above us and that part that part we cannot connect that's a much deeper that's usually his gift here the alter here the alter says that is one that we have access to and that's one we can connect to the AL says here this is Mak which it hovers over us and that's like whoo when someone connects to his when gets AC ated now that is the gift that God's give you and then you can obviously experience the greatest love for God and that comes as a gift so the gift is that your n gets ignited and once yourish gets ignited that's when you that's when you're like flying that's when you're really flying now flying with what with love for God so in other words the first level of love which is the higher level and that's ultimately that's the love that's the love that we' don't want is to have a level that we're totally cleaving to God not attached to anything physical or materialistic studying an abundance amount of Torah doing many MIT and then what happens is what gets brightened in our life is not only the like everyone has but then we have the level of what of the that's obviously the highest level of love and that's the place we all want to get to and takes a lot of work as the AL says because we have to detach materialism study to okay that's something which is the higher level but then the Altera says ultimately that's something which it's God's going to give you the gift not going to give you gift you have no control over it but then there's a lower level of love what is a lower level of love the lower level of Love is the alter brings down from the uh from the Torah where God says that um we should uh uh God commands us to to uh to love God so the alter how can God command you to love God and he used the term action how can you love God the AL says what God is refer God is referring to there is not the higher level of love because that's a gift either we're going to get it or not there's a lower of level love which comes through meditation through meditation when a person meditates then you can achieve love so the so the the AL explains what do you how do you meditate what do you meditate on so he gives two two meditations one meditation he says is very simple the fact is that the nature of every human being is that they love who someone else or themselves themselves very good excellent that's the nature of every human being the nature of every human being they love themselves now so the meditation goes very simple generally concept generally speaking since you love yourself who created you God so ultimately who are you a creation of God a child of God you are God not God that you should startop bossing people around that that's part of gods we mean by who are you Godly God God created you and the truth is if God did not create you you wouldn't be so God created you and you are who main who maintains you every single second that you should be alive God God so your existence that you exist is thanks to the fact that God created you and God maintains you so therefore the fact that you're here is what thanks to God so guess what now let's go back again every person naturally loves themselves so if you love yourself really who you loving God you're loving God if you think for a moment that really you are created by God and really God is who you are so therefore who you loving God you're loving God when you say I love myself what does that mean so you can look at it superficially right externally or you can no no I love the fact that I'm I I'm alive I'm healthy and I'm alive and healthy that's God doing that and therefore I love God that's one level of meditation that's a global meditation a general meditation that's a very easy meditation you take for a moment say oh my gosh you know what I love myself right you look in the mirror not you know not too accessive you love yourself what do you see you see God God God no it's God's creation and therefore I love God for making me who I am then the alar says let's take it even further the fact is who is God what is God God is the infinite God God's the infinite God he is everything he is everything this God that's everything guess what want as busy as he is he made time for me what am I in the big scheme of things even a little smaller than that no think about it percentage wise of how many people in the world how many things in the world were like not even a speck and this God that's infinite who has plenty of things to do he has to create the world and maintain the world every single second and he has billions of specs right all over the world cuz not only you have to create and maintain humans there's animals there's trees there's forests he has a whole industry of food he has to feed us believe me the food is not coming from the grocery store God creates it and maintains it and then he has to create the maintain the Earth and he went God this God stopped what he was doing from his busy schedule he came down to Egypt when we were slaves and he took me and you every one of us out of Egypt had he not taken us out of Egypt guess what we would still be slaves today that's a fact think of why would we not be slaves today if we were in Egypt so this God came and took us out so guess what why did God do that why did God take us out of Egypt because he was bored one day he but his the whatsap went down so he couldn't he couldn't be bored he wasn't busy why do he do that because he loves us very good exactly not because he was bored for a second because he loves us and therefore as busy as he was purose for us he what has a purpose and he has a purpose yes because but again but the ultimate reason is because he loves us because he loves us he has a purpose for us so because he loves us he stopped what he was doing and he pushed everything aside said guess what I got to go and take my people that I have a purpose for and have a mission for who I love and I got to take them out of Egypt so God loves us now cabala has a rule this is the rule of cabala if some somebody loves you you will by default and you have no control not to love the person you will automatically love the person if you love somebody whether you think about them they will feel that you're thinking about them will you do something for them how much more so they will feel it and as much as they resist at some point they will break why because you know what's the most powerful thing in this world is love and if you throw love and you shower with love guess what happens love comes right back comes right back comes right back so God went ahead and loved us and took us out of Egypt and therefore we love him what's the problem the problem is that sometimes we don't think about the way he loves us so we're like trying to be distracted the only reason why we're not in fiery love for God cuz we're distracted we're distracted with our cell phones with our emails with our texts with our friends or whatever what our Nar kite and a lot of things right materialistic Pursuits but if we stop for a moment okay you know what meditation time and you say oh my gosh this infinite God who's very busy stopped took me out of Egypt oh my gosh should what's the natural reaction I love him now so how did that come about it came about through me stopping and meditating on the way God loves me and because I stop and therefore I'll have to love back for him now and if you give a look in in in in thees in in Deuteronomy that's what mosu tried to instill in the Jewish people and he gives the history the way God created everything we were in Egypt and God came and took us out and God loves us and therefore God Moses says therefore we have to love God so the question is how can you command someone to love God and the answer is sure you can command someone to love God you you can command to love God CU love is a feeling like in the first Lev love you can command someone to love God but you can command someone to stop and think and meditate and you don't have to meditate too deeply the fact that first level of meditation God created me God maintains me and God is me and therefore you naturally love him and more specifically when you think about the way God literally shows his love for you cuz he bailed us out and he continues to bail us out by the way he wasn't just it wasn't just a bail out of Egypt plenty of bailouts National bailout International bailouts National bailouts family bailouts personal bailouts there's bailouts all throughout our life and a matter of fact probably if you think about it even simply and deeply you have to go too deep every single day he bails us out our thoughts our actions our Sometimes some of our words every breath every breath exactly exactly now so again so we have two levels of love the alter says one level is what is a gift from above and that we have no com you can't command someone because either God's going to give us a Love or not going to give to us but the second level of the comes through meditation that we have a command to meditate if and when we meditate you know what happens we love we love God exactly now what happens is the Altera says he quotes again from King Solomon mishle that it says that a uh a sadic a sadic a righteous man will fall seven times before he gets up so just in case you fell it's not seven relax you have a few more to go so you go five Rabbi fell five times two more two more to go two more to go right if you only three you got four more to so the point is even a sadic before he goes to the next level he goes through in Hebrew it's called an a he goes through he falls he falls that's the reality why because the fact is that God make us like robots like Angels or we shakers and movers we're shakers and movers shakers and movers fall that's the reality you do guess what you you don't want to fall do nothing but do nothing you're not going anywhere in life if you want to go somewhere in life you're going to fall and the rule is seven fallings you got to fall seven times now so what happens is what but again even though you're falling but think about it let let's say you start out here and you start climbing and then you fall but you're still ahead of the game with someone that didn't move he's still down here so even though you fell but you fell in a high much higher level so the falling Is Not a Bad Thing meanwhile you moved up so you fell a little bit so what but you still way ahead someone didn't move and as you go higher guess what you fall and as you fall guess what you get up again you keep on going higher so the go ultimately you're really going higher now so what happens like this a sadic someone that basically detaches from materialism studies a lot of Torah does a lot of mitv right he's doing great and he gets this love for God God gives him a gift but guess what did we just say before you got to this level is that's that's good for yesterday he has to fall again no he has to grow he has to grow again in the growth he'll be falling again you don't have to fall first first you started moving once you start moving then you fall again now so what happens is what happens when you fall when you fall do you have the love the high level of Love or you don't have it you lost it cuz you're going through a falling right now so what happens when you're going through a even when it's sadic when someone is on the higher level when you go through your fall what happens when you go through the fall no love how can you be without love so that's what the alter says what was the what how do we start the class he brings them from from from King Solomon to educate the youth when you're young so that when you get older you'll always have it with you his what's the alter explaining yes ultimately we're talking now again we're talking now about the idea of having love for God the me all of God ultimately you want to have the greatest love which comes from detaching from materialism and studying T that's the highest level of love and that's a gift from God but as you go through life there's times when that love is not vibrant the the time that love is not is not is is not burning within you because you're going through the uh the ups and downs of life or specifically the down in the up in the up Zone in the up Zone you're going through a down spell in the down spell so you're lacking that how you going to have love the alter says guess what never leaves you what never leaves you is the love based on meditation cuz even in a Downs spell even when a person's going through a challenge even when a person's being tested you can stop right in middle of the test and say guess what who am I God created me and if God created me I love myself I love God so the love comes right right in even in the Downs spell the love comes right in or you say hey God bailed me out right God loves me and if I love him so even when you're going through you you're not on that high level of love the lower level of love will always be there for you the lowest level of love the jump start will always be there for you and that's why the op says to educate even on the lower level that comes through meditation don't just suo for the higher level cuz the higher level when you'll have it it's going to be amazing but there's times when you're not going to have it and then you're going to be empty so you never want to be an empty you always want to have a spear battery so the spear battery is the meditation one and the supercharge battery is the one that comes from the gift now so those are the two levels of Love which obviously they're both important one obviously is the higher level which is great to be on the high but the other one's important because that you have control over cuz that you can meditate that you that you have full control to activate a and and bring out but then the alter finishes off the introduction to the section of T and he says guess what in order to achieve whether it's the high level or the low level as an introduction and as a foundation to any love in order to have any love you know what you need you can't even start loving without this you ready and this is the introduction to the second section of Tanya in order to have any love high level lowle love the alar say you need one thing you need to have faith pure faith in the Oneness and the unity of God in other words without pure faith faith in the one in in in the in the unity and the Oneness of God love doesn't have a foundation it's not going to be solid in other words first and foremost one has to have what faith pure faith in the fact that the Oneness you know what Oneness means Oneness means that the only existence that exists in this world from right to left front to back top to bottom in anything any person play of thing the only real existence is God once you get that path down solid and becomes internalized then you can start loving but if you're lacking a real Faith pure faith in the alter's language in the unity and Oneness of God love is not going to work it's not going to stick because the found because know what's the what's the whole idea of love I love God why why do I love God because he created me he maintains me and God bailed me out who's God but I'm part of that Oneness right so so in order to have that love you need to have you need to believe in the Oneness for example you're studying Torah and you doing mitzvot and you're detaching from materialism because you realize ultimately it's all about God so if you're lacking in the foundation of the unity and Oneness of God if you're lacking in that Faith how you going to be able to how you going toble to have love that's right so therefore the alab says what's really important is as a foundation of everything Unity of God and that's where this section of Tanya the second section of T is going to go into in depth and we're going to study in depth the AL is going to teach us what does it mean to have Unity of God what does it mean the Oneness of God and that will be a foundation now that's obviously the reason why the alter wanted to put the second section of T first because think about it what do you need first faith faith in what in the unity on of God the second section time you speaks about the unity and oness of God so in theory not in theory in practicality you got have to go first because in first thing is you need Unity you need Oneness and unity of God and then you go to the second section and deals with love and the passion for God that's the proper order the way it should have been but the altimate shows to put the put the F the first section first which deals with the love for God and now that we're on fire with the love he says by the way guess what hold hold tight we got to go back to the foundation and make sure the foundation is solid and put in the unity of one is God why do chose at the end to switch it around even though the order should have been the other way I don't know but I do know is that this is extremely important but now that we're fired up and we realize how important is to love God and we realize all the levels of love now we need to really focus in and to really study and comprehend and become one become one with the unity and Oneness of God and then our love will really last forever