🔥 Daily Tanya – Igeres Hakodesh Epistle 14 Part 2: The Eyes of Hashem Are Always Upon It

Tanya Iggeret HaKodesh 14

The Alter Rebbe continues explaining why the pasuk says:

“תמיד עיני ה’ אלקיך בה, מראשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה“

“The eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.”

 

1. What Are the “Eyes of Hashem”?

The Alter Rebbe explains that “eyes” is not literal.

It refers to:

The flow of Divine wisdom (chochmah).

That’s why:

• The sages are called “עיני העדה“ (“the eyes of the congregation”).
• Chazal say:

“אווירא דארץ ישראל מחכים“

“The atmosphere of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.”

The “eyes” represent the illumination of Divine wisdom that shines into Eretz Yisrael.

 

2. The Flow Is Constant, But Not Identical

The verse says:

“תמיד“ (“always”).

One might think that the same Divine light shines continuously.

The Alter Rebbe says no.

The flow is constant, but:

Every year a new light shines.

The illumination of one year is not the illumination of the next year.

 

3. Why Does the Pasuk Say “Until the End of the Year”?

The reason is:

The light that enters on a given Rosh Hashanah remains for that year alone.

Then:

On the eve of the next Rosh Hashanah, it returns to its source.

Therefore the pasuk intentionally says:

“from the beginning of the year until the end of the year”

because that particular revelation belongs only to that year’s cycle.

 

4. The Missing Alef in “מראשית”

The Alter Rebbe points out a famous derashah:

“מראשית“ is written without an א.

He explains this as alluding to a temporary concealment of the light.

At the onset of Rosh Hashanah:

• The previous light departs.
• A period of concealment occurs.
• Then, through the shofar and prayers, a completely new revelation is drawn down.

 

5. A Light Never Seen Before

This new light is not merely a replacement.

The Alter Rebbe emphasizes:

It is a higher light than had illuminated previously.

Every year brings a new Divine vitality that had not yet been revealed in the world.

 

6. Where Does This Light Go?

The new light becomes vested in:

“ארץ החיים“

the “Land of Life,”

both:

• The spiritual “upper land,”
• And the physical Eretz Yisrael corresponding to it.

From there it provides life to all worlds throughout the year.

 

7. Why Don’t We Always See It?

A key point of the passage:

The light descends on Rosh Hashanah, but its revelation is not automatic.

Its manifestation depends upon:

• People’s actions
• Their merits
• Their teshuvah

especially during:

עשרת ימי תשובה

The Ten Days of Teshuvah.

The light is there, but how much of it becomes revealed depends on the response of those below.

 

Key Peshat

The Alter Rebbe explains that Hashem’s “eyes” upon Eretz Yisrael means a continuous flow of Divine wisdom and life. Yet every Rosh Hashanah the previous year’s illumination departs and an entirely new, higher light descends. This light sustains the world throughout the year, and its revelation depends upon the deeds, merits, and teshuvah of the Jewish people, particularly during the Ten Days of Teshuvah.