Daily Tanya – Chapter 20 Part 1: Understanding Hashem’s unity (Friday 5th Shevat)

Chapter 20: Understanding Hashem’s unity

1. Understanding Hashem’s unity expressed in the Aseres Hadibros

• Aseres Hadibros incorporates the entire Torah: It is well known to everyone that the command and warning against idolatry included within the first two of the 10 Commandments, which are the command of “Anochi” and “Lo Yihyeh Lecha,” generally include within it the entire Torah. The command of “Anochi” incorporates all of 240 positive commands while the command of “Lo Yihyeh Lecha” incorporates all the 365 negative commands.
• Said by G-d: It is for this reason that the Jewish people only heard these two commandments from G-d, as they include within it the entire Torah.
• Understanding G-d’s unity: Now, to understand this matter properly we must first delve into, at least in a summarized manner, the essence of the unity of G-d in which we believe.

2. The details of our belief in G-d’s unity:

• The only true existence: G-d is called one and unique [i.e. Yachid Umeyuchad], and we all believe that He is actually the lone existence just as he was prior to the worlds creation in which He was alone.
• No change-Hashem is the same before and after creation without any change: This follows the statement that we mention in the morning prayers, “You G-d are the one prior to the worlds creation and You are the same one after the worlds creation.” This means to say that G-d did not go through any change with the creation of the world and that He remains in the same state of aloneness as He was prior to the creation, as the verse states “I G-d have not changed.” This means that this physical world, as well as all of the spiritual worlds, do not affect any change in the unity of G-d by being created something from nothing [i.e. Yeish Meayin], as just as He was alone, one, and unique prior to the worlds creation so too He is alone, one, and unique after its creation.
• The reason for no change: The reason for why the creation of the world did not cause any change in G-d is because everything is considered like naught before Him and like absolute nothingness. The reason for this will be explained next.

3. Creation is from G-d’s speech:

• The creation of all the upper and lower worlds from absolute nothingness, as well as their continued vitality and life force and energy which prevents them from returning to their original nothingness, is merely the word of G-d and speech of His breath that is invested within them.