Daily Tanya Sunday 22nd Nissan Chapter 41 Part 6: Every Jew truly desires to unite his own soul with G-d

22nd Nissan

1. Every Jew truly desires to unite his own soul with G-d:

• The above inability of a regular Jew to serve G-d solely and completely for the sake of unifying G-d with His Divine presence, is only limited to this specific intent. However, every single Jew truly and completely desires with a full heart and the entirety of his soul to unify his own soul and unify it within the light of G-d, so he and G-d be completely one.
• Derives from the hidden love: This true and complete desire to attach to G-d derives from the natural love which is hidden in the heart of every single Jew.

2. Every Jew truly desires to hand his soul to G-d to the point of self-sacrifice:

• Included in this natural hidden love is a desire to never be separated, and cut off and divided, G-d forbid, from the unity and oneness of G-d in any which way, to the point that one is willing to actually give up his life for this purpose.
• During Divine service one hands his soul to G-d: The study of Torah and prayer and performance of the Mitzvah’s is also considered an actual self-sacrifice of his soul similar to that which will be experienced when his soul leaves his body at the completion of 70 years. During this time of Divine service, one’s mind does not think about the needs of his body and rather his mind is unified and invested within the letters of Torah and prayer which is the speech and thought of G-d and are absolutely united with Him. [Meaning, the true intent of self-sacrifice is for one to hand over his soul to G-d, which is only fully accomplished after death. However, one can similarly intend on doing so even during one’s lifetime through studying Torah, prayer, and Mitzvah fulfillment for the purpose of handing over one’s soul to G-d.]
• The occupation and pleasure of souls in the garden of Eden: This studying of Torah for the sake of handing one’s soul over to G-d is indeed the entire purpose and occupation of the souls in the garden of Eden, in which they study Torah as they did in this world, but with experiencing the handing over of the soul to G-d. Unlike in this world where one does not feel and experience any spiritual pleasure in his Torah study, when one studies Torah in the garden of Eden, one experiences the pleasure in his comprehension of Torah and in his incorporation within the light of G-d.

3. The morning prayer of Elokaiy Neshama expresses the desire to hand one’s soul to G-d:

• It is for the above reason that the sages instituted for one to recite in the start of the morning blessings which is recited prior to prayer, the prayer of “Elokaiy Neshama..Veata Nafachta…Veata Asid Litla Mimeni..”
• The meaning of the prayer, based on the explanation above, is as follows: Being that You G-d have blown the soul into me and You will take it from me in the future, therefore, even now I will hand it and return it to You in order to unify it in Your unity.
• This is also the meaning of the verse in Psalms “To You G-d do I raise my soul”
• How I will accomplish this elevation and incorporation: I will accomplish the handing over of my soul to G-d through connecting my mind with the thoughts of G-d, and my speech with the speech of G-d, in the letters of Torah and prayer.
• Baruch Ata Hashem: The best time for one to make this resolve to hand over one’s soul to G-d is upon saying the words Baruch Ata Hashem in a blessing and the like, in which one is speaking directly to G-d who is present before him.