Daily Tanya Monday 10th Menachem Av Igeres Hakodesh 4: The Exile of the Heart and the Path to Redemption

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The Challenge of Inner Service

Not everyone attains deep, heartfelt service to the Divine, as the soul’s inner spiritual faculty can be in a state of exile.

The Spiritual Exile

This exile mirrors the Shechinah’s exile with the Jewish people, as described by the sages, when the soul’s divine spark is trapped by worldly desires—likened to “Babylon.”

The Foreskin of the Heart

The Torah speaks of removing the “foreskin” of the heart, representing both coarse and subtle worldly desires. Circumcising the heart involves two stages: excision (milah) and uncovering (periah), addressing both obvious and hidden barriers to spiritual depth.

Divine Assistance in Inner Transformation

While individuals are commanded to remove the coarse barriers themselves, the subtler, inner membrane is removed only by G-d, especially in the time of Mashiach, leading to a love of G-d that transcends intellect.

Mashiach and the Universal Revelation

The arrival of Mashiach is described as a surprise, representing the universal revelation of the innermost Divine spark, both for the community and the individual.

Prayer as Momentary Redemption

During prayer, an individual can momentarily liberate the deepest point of their heart, experiencing true spiritual connection that transcends conscious thought—a temporary revelation granted by Divine mercy.

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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