Kabbalistic Secrets! Unboxing The Tanya's Ultimate Life Guide

Hello and welcome to Torah Unboxed. My name is  Rabbi Mendel Winner and today we are going to   be reviewing the Tanya, or otherwise known as the  Bible of Chassidus. Just like the Bible is studied   by Scholars and Layman alike similarly, the Tanya  is studied by everybody for it offers advice for   each individual on how to serve God in their daily  life. Written by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe at   the end of the 18th century this fundamental  book outlines Chabad's philosophy and shares   an all-embracing world outlook and way of life.  It can perhaps be called a self-help book based   on Kabbalah and Chassidus. The Tanya tackles some  of life's biggest questions, like self-identity,   man's purpose in the world, reason for creation,  and our relationship with God. Some of Judaism's   basic ideas such as, we all have two Souls,  a Godly one and an Animalistic one. Or the   idea that God is personally involved and  everything that takes place in this world   are explained and revolutionized in the Tanya.  Tanya should be studied on a regular basis,   such as a chapter before davening  before praying or the Chitas Program,   where you study a little bit of Tanya every single  day and complete the entire book every year.   Now translating the Tanya is quite challenging  due to its style and esoteric and lofty ideas. The first Tanya that we are going to be  reviewing today is this Kehos Bilingual   Tanya. It has the original Hebrew on one side  and it has the English on the other side. Now   when they translated this Tanya they chose  to stick to the literal translation because   like we mentioned before The Tanya is  compared to the Bible or is called the   Bible of Chassidus and is therefore written  with such precision and Holiness. The lexicon   of this translation is slightly dated  and old-fashioned sticks to the literal   translation with not much commentary. There's  also a phenomenal section in the back of the   book dedicated to explaining deep Kabbalistic  concepts like the supernal world and Ein Sof.   This is a fantastic read for someone that is new  to Kabbalah and Chassidus. I would recommend this   Tanya for someone that is studying with a Rabbi  or Spiritual Mentor and they're going to use this   as a springboard to segue into conversation  yet staying grounded and focused by the text.  The next Tanya is the Lessons in Tanya originally  began as a lecture broadcast on the radio back in   the 60's with Rabbi Weinberg. His notes were  reviewed and edited by the Rebbe himself and   eventually made into book form in English. This  translation is already a step up than just the   literal translation. It's like a teacher giving  a lesson to the student with a running commentary   and guiding the student when a question is  posed and how it is answered. The literal   translation is in boldface and commentary is in  lighter font. It also includes commentary that   brief the student with some of the backgrounds on  concepts explained in the Tanya. This is a great   translation for an individual that's looking  to stick to the original as much as possible. Our next Tanya is the Practical Tanya by Rabbi  Miller. Probably the best one for someone new   and unfamiliar to Kabbalah and Chassidus.  He presents the Tanya as a clear practical   guide. He begins with a great map of the Tanya  outlining the topics that will be discussed in   the upcoming chapters. Each chapter begins  with a header and a subheader so the student   knows and expects what is coming in the upcoming  chapter. He blends together a literal translation   in boldface then interpolation in comments and  lighter fonts followed by extensive commentary   and narration guiding the student through The  Tanya with his beautiful explanation. He also   adds crucial summaries at the end of each topic  to fully crystallize the ideas being explained in   Tanya. The Hebrew and English texts are written  and intertwined together which can be slightly   bothersome for someone that is looking to study  the English alone. Versus the other Tanyas are   Hebrew and English on different sides so you can  choose to read it just in English and it flows   perfectly and beautifully. He finally adds short  practical lessons that you can take home with as   well as a Chassidic thought which is tidbits of  information gathered from Chassidic Teachings. The next Tanya is the Steinzaltz Tanya catered to  the more academic individual. It's written with a   higher vocabulary and a more sophisticated  commentary. The explanations of Rabbi Adin   Steinzaltz are a scholarly work focusing more  on the philosophical logic and scientific   illustrations that The Tanya's conveying, yet it  still retains the life lessons that The Tanya is   teaching. The commentary is compromised of two  parts you have the literal translation in bold   face and extensive commentary in lighter font.  The second part is in gray boxes at the bottom   of the page this is supplemental material gives  context to the ideas introduced in Tanya driven   from Chassidic anecdotes, stories and analogies,  or from physics and mathematics. Every chapter   begins with the introduction and ends with a  beautiful summary crystallizing the ideas and   enabling the student to fully follow the  flow and the topics of all the chapters. We do have two more books that I would  like to include today as a bonus.   We have the GPS for The Soul which is totally  rewritten in English as an introduction to Tanya.   Where he takes each chapter of the Tanya and  explains the concepts being introduced there in   a clear relatable and readable language included  with beautiful inspiring stories and examples.   This book by Rabbi Cohen isn't a commentary on  Tanya, but rather a rewritten version of the   concepts that the is explaining following the same  order of the chapters of the Tanya. Then we have   have the Living Lessons from The Tanya. This is  a book dedicated to youngsters fully colored and   creatively engaging for young minds. Including an  introduction, summaries, and rewritten concepts   from The Tanya. Included with stories, anecdotes,  examples, and beautiful tidbits of information.  To summarize we have the bilingual Tanya primarily  focused on the literal translation with not much   commentary. We have the Lessons in Tanya which  is a step up from the literal translation running   commentary yet still basic and simple. We have  the Practical Tanya more extensive commentary   yet very relatable. We have the Steinzaltz  Tanya catering to the intellectuals with a   more sophisticated commentary. We have The GPS  for The Soul totally rewritten into English based   on the chapters of The Tanya, a very readable,  relatable language. And then we finally have the   Lessons in Tanya fully colored for children. Thank you so much for watching please share   your comments and insights below and we  want to hear what is your favorite Tanya.  Today's review has been brought to you by  SefarimDeals.com enrich your learning experience,   and go visit SefarimDeals.com today  to buy your latest Jewish book.