Daily Tanya – Chapter 9 Part 1: The Battle between the G-dly and animal soul (Monday, 9th Teves)

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Chapter 9: The Battle between the G-dly and animal soul

1.       The location of the animal soul in the body:

  • The animal soul resides in the left chamber of the heart: The animal soul of every Jew which derives from Kelipas Nogah dwells in the left ventricle of the heart, which is filled with blood.
  • The negative emotions found in the heart: Now, all lusts and boasting and anger and similar emotions are based in the heart.
  • Emotions spread to the body and rise to the head: From the heart the emotions spread throughout the entire body. The emotions rise from the heart to the brain so one contemplates and meditates on them and come up with ideas of how to quench the desire of the emotion. This is similar to the general flow of blood from the heart into all the limbs of the body, including the head.

2.       The location of the G-dly soul in the body:

  • The G-dly soul resides in the mind and right chamber of the heart: The G-dly soul resides in the brain, and from there, it extends to all the limbs of the body. Likewise, it resides in the right ventricle of the heart where there is no blood.
  • The love for G-d found in the right chamber of the heart: From inside of the right chamber of the heart derives the emotion of passionate and fiery love for G-d.
  • Aroused through contemplation in the brain: This love for G-d is aroused through contemplating those matters that arouse this emotion of love [and hence we see that there is a relationship between the G-dly soul that is found in the brain and the part of it that extends into the heart].
  • Arousing Simcha in the heart through contemplation in the brain: Another emotion that is aroused in the heart through the contemplation in the brain is happiness and rejoicing in recognition of the beauty of G-d. This emotion of happiness and rejoicing is aroused through contemplation which leads to recognition of the glory of G-d and His greatness and infinity.
  • Other emotions found in the heart as a result of the brain: Similarly, all the other holy emotions that are found in the heart originate from the ChaBaD in the brain.

Soul Type

Location in Body

Associated Emotions

Emotion Origin/Spread

Notes

Animal soul

Left chamber/ventricle of the heart (filled with blood)

Lusts, boasting, anger, similar emotions

Based in the heart, spread throughout the body, rise to the brain

Emotions rise so one contemplates and meditates on them, comes up with ideas to quench desire

G-dly soul

Brain, right chamber/ventricle of the heart (no blood)

Passionate and fiery love for G-d, happiness, rejoicing, other holy emotions

Love for G-d and other emotions aroused in the heart through contemplation in the brain

Emotions originate from ChaBaD in the brain; happiness and rejoicing from recognition of G-d’s beauty, glory, greatness, infinity

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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