Daily Tanya 29th Nissan Chapter 44: The Love for Hashem due to Him being our father

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(LY) 29th Nissan

  1. The second natural inherited love-Love for Hashem due to Him being our father:
  • There exists a greater and more intense love than the love described above [which is a love for G-d due to Him being one’s life and spirit] which is likewise hidden in the hearts of every single Jewish soul, as an inheritance from our forefathers. This love is described in the Raya Mehemna [i.e. Zohar[1]] as a love in which the son attempts to help his father and mother, as his love for them is greater than his love for his very own life, spirit and soul [and he is willing to give up his life to save them[2]].
  • Not just for Moshe: Now, [although the above statement in the Zohar refers to Moshe’s Divine service, in truth it includes all the Jewish people as] we all have the same father. [Thus, every Jew has an inherit love for G-d due to the fact that He is our father. Accordingly, this love surpasses the intensity of the previous love for life, as in this love one loves G-d, one’s father, even more than life itself, while in the previous love, the love of G-d is a result of one’s love of life and is limited to the intensity of one’s love for it.]

  1. This love is received from Moshe:
  • The light of Moshe shines in each generation: Although it is true, that it would be quite pompous and arrogant for one to attempt to reach even 1/1000th of a degree of love attained by Moshe Rabbeinu [whose love was described in the Zohar], nonetheless, a minute portion of Moshe’s goodness and light shines to the general population of Israel in every generation.
  • It is thus stated in the Tikkunim[3] that an emanation of Moshe is present in every generation, in order to enlighten them. [Now, although it was previously stated that this love is an inheritance from our forefathers, which is in reference to our patriarch Avraham, and not Moshe, this only refers to the love in general, that there is a general feeling of love inherited in the soul of each Jew due to that Hashem is our father. However, that this love reaches the intensity that one loves Hashem more than his own life, this indeed is a result of the service of Moshe and the ray that he shines within the souls of each generation.[4]]

 

  1. The state in which this love is found in every Jew and how to make oneself conscious of it:
  • State of concealment: The above ray that shines by Moshe into the souls of each generation is in a state of great concealment. Nonetheless, to bring out this hidden love from its state of concealment to a revealed state of consciousness in one’s heart and mind is not beyond one’s reach at all. It is neither daunting nor a distance away but is truly very close to one’s mouth and heart.
  • How is this accomplished-Verbalizing the love? By one accustoming himself to verbally expressing with his tongue and voice this love, until it arouses the concentration of his heart and mind, to immerse his thoughts in the ideas that arouse this love. Meaning, that one’s mind deeply concentrates on the idea that Hashem is the life of all life, and that he is truly our father, and the source of our life. This then arouses the love for G-d, similar to the love of a son to his father.
  • Now, when one accustoms himself continuously to expressing the above and to meditate on it, this feeling will become part of his nature [and will be quite easy to re-enter into one’s consciousness daily even without much deep concentration].
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[1] Zohar 3 281a [Parshas Ki Seitzei]

[2] Zohar ibid

[3] Tikkun 69, 112a, 114a

[4] Based on a gloss of the Rebbe printed in Lessons in Tanya

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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