Daily Tanya Sunday 25th Shevat: Chapter 25-Using one’s willingness of Mesirus Nefesh as a catalyst to serve G-d and not sin

Chapter 25: Using one’s willingness of Mesirus Nefesh as a catalyst to serve G-d and not sin

(LY) 25^th Shevat

1. A person can arouse inner love and fear for G-d at any moment:

• Banishing the spirit of folly and arousing the hidden love for G-d: After all that was explained in the previous chapters, we can now properly understand that which it states in the verse that it is very close to man to serve G-d with his mouth and heart, as a person always retains the ability, and right of decision, to banish the spirit of folly from himself and remember and arouse his love for the one G-d that is certainly hidden within his heart without any doubt. This applies at all times and all moments.
• In your heart: This then is the inner meaning behind the word in the verse “and in your heart,” as indeed arousing the feeling of love and fear for G-d is very easily attainable being that it already exists and is simply in a state of concealment within the heart which requires arousal.
• The fear is included within the love: Within this hidden love for G-d is included also a fear for G-d, which is a fear and trepidation from being separated in any way from the unity of G-d, to the point of actually giving up one’s life on His behalf without any reason or logic behind it but rather simply due to the G-dly nature that is embedded within the Jew.

2. A constant ability to control one’s lusts and not sin:

• Certainly, if one is even able to give up his life for G-d then one is able to control his lusts, which is something much less severe than the suffering of death. Accordingly, it is very easily attainable for a person to conquer his evil inclination both in the aspect of not doing evil, and in the performance of positive commands.
• Controlling oneself from transgressing even Rabbinical sins: With this in mind, one is able to control himself from transgressing even a light Rabbinical sin, being that even such as sin is considered to be transgressing the will of G-d and causes one during the time of the sin to become separated from G-d’s unity just as occurs during actual idol worship.

3. The ability to repent is not an argument to be lenient in sinning:

• One cannot argue to himself and say that sinning a regular sin is not similar to idolatry being that by idolatry the sin causes the G-dly soul to be cut off from its source even after the sin is transgressed, in contrast to the lighter sins which only cut the soul off during the time of the sin itself.
• The reason this argument is invalid is because even by idolatry it is possible for one to repent and hence regain the connection of the soul to G-d, and even so a Jew is still willing to give up his life rather than do this sin of idolatry. [Hence, we see that the Jews willingness to give up his life is applicable to prevent even a temporary separation from G-d, and even light sins are similar to idolatry in this respect, and hence just as one would give up his life to not commit idolatry so too he should control himself not to commit the light sins.]