Daily Tanya Sunday 29th Nissan Chapter 43 Part 1: The two Fears

Chapter 43: The two loves and two Fears

29th Nissan/(LY) 26th Nissan

1. Yirah Tata’ah-The lower fear:

• Necessary for Torah observance: The lower fear is necessary in order to bring a person to fulfill the Torah and Mitzvahs, so he turn away from evil and do good. This fear is the gateway for fulfillment of Torah and Mitzvahs.
• If no fear no wisdom: It is regarding this lower fear that the statement of “if there is no fear, then there is no wisdom” applies.
• Minor and major fear: This fear itself contains a minor versus a major level. [The minor level is when the fear comes as a result of the natural fear that one has within his heart. The major level within this type of fear comes as a result of contemplation in G-d’s greatness, as will be explained, although nonetheless it remains a lower level of fear.]
• The fear comes from contemplation of G-d’s greatness in creation: The reason it is referred to as a lower and external fear is because this fear comes as a result of contemplating the greatness of G-d in this world, and how He fills the world, and how there are 500 years between this physical world and the heavens and also between each heaven, and how the Angels are above all of these levels. Likewise, one contemplates the chain descent of all the worlds all the way up to the highest level.
• Why it’s called a lower and external fear: Now, since the fear comes as a result of the contemplation of G-d’s world, which are the garments that He garbs and concealed Himself in, in order to give them life and existence as something from nothing, therefore the fear is also considered external.

2. Yirah Ilaah-The higher fear:

• Fear of shame: The higher fear is a fear of shame and an inner fear which derives from the inner part of G-d that is invested within the worlds.
• If no wisdom, no fear: On this fear the verse states that if there is no wisdom then there is no fear, and wisdom in this sense refers to Koch Mah, as Chochma comes from nothingness.
• Contemplating that everything comes from nothingness and is nullified to G-d: This fear comes as a result of a wise man contemplating the Penimiyus of worlds, and how everything comes into being from nothingness as a result of G-d’s speech, and how therefore everything is completely nullified in their existence to G-d and are considered like absolute naught like the ray of the sun within the sun itself.
• Contemplating one’s own nullification: One is likewise to contemplate the fact that he himself, his body and soul, are completely nullified to the word of G-d and the word of G-d is completely unified with His thought, as explained in length in the parable from the soul of man, that one word of speech and thought is like nothing in comparison to its source.
• It is for this reason that the sages state that the fear of G-d is wisdom.

Must attain lower fear to attain higher fear: A prerequisite for attaining this higher level of fear is that one first preface it with the lower level of external fear, as it is not possible to attain this higher level of fear and wisdom without first fulfilling the Torah and Mitzvahs due to the lower and external level of fear. On this the sages state that if there is no fear then there is no wisdom.