Daily Tanya – Chapter 7 Part 2: The Gimel Kelipos Hatmeios (Thursday, 5th Teves)

3.       Demoting Kelipas Nogah to absolute evil:

• While previously we dealt with how the energy from Kelipas Noga can be elevated to holiness we will now deal with how it can be demoted into the three absolutely evil Kelipos.
• Eating gluttonously: One who gluttonously eats meat and drinks wine simply to satisfy his lusts and cravings of his animal soul, through doing so demotes the energy of Kelipas Noga that is in the meat and wine into the three completely evil Kelipos.
• The lust comes from the evil element of water: Such animalistic lust for food derives from the element of water that is found within one’s animal soul from amongst the four evil elements that are in it, as from the element of water comes lusts and passion for pleasure.
• A temporary descent: The energy of Kelipas Noga that is in the meat and wine only temporarily descends into the three completely evil Kelipos.
• Body becomes temporary garment for complete evil: In addition to the demotion of the energy into the three unclean Kelipos, likewise, during this act of gluttonous eating one’s body temporarily becomes a garment and carrier for the three completely evil Kelipos.

4.       Removing and elevating energy that was demoted to the three completely evil Kelipos:

• Returning to service of G-d: The demotion of the energy of Kelipas Noga, and the bodies status as a carrier for complete evil, is temporary and only lasts so long as the Jew has yet to return to serving G-d and studying His Torah.
• The reason for its easy removal and elevation: The reason that one is able to remove the energy, and his body, from its absorption in complete evil through simply returning to service of G-d, is because the meat and wine were Kosher and permitted to be eaten, and hence they are able to return and become elevated when the Jew returns to serving G-d.
• The meaning of the term permitted-not tied to the Kelipos: The term Heter and permitted in reference to a food or action means precisely the above, that the item is not tied and bound to the forces of evil in a way that is unable to be re-elevated back to G-d, and hence it is possible to re-elevate the Kosher meat and wine back to G-d even after its demotion into complete evil.
• Some of the energy remains stuck for eternity: Although in general one can re-elevate the demoted energy back to holiness, a remnant of the energy does remain stuck in the body, and is not elevated even upon one’s return to service of G-d.
• Chibut Hakever to remove even this energy: It is for this purpose that after death the body goes through Chibut Hakever, to refine and elevate even this leftover energy from amongst the Kelipos.

5.       Elevation of the forbidden and actual evil:

• The meaning of the term forbidden-Tied to the Kelipos until the Geula: The above term of permitted is in contrast to forbidden foods which are not Kosher, as well as forbidden relations, which come from the three completely unclean Kelipos, which are eternally bound and tied within the evil forces, and will only see elevation in the future era when evil will cease to exist.
• A method to elevate even the forbidden-Teshuvah Ilah: Aside for the elevation which will automatically occur in the future era, it is possible even today to elevate the forbidden through the person performing such an intense form of repentance that he transforms his sins to actual merits. This type of repentance is known as Teshuvah Ilah.

6.       The definition of Teshuvah Ilah:

• Great love and passion for G-d: Teshuvah Ilah is a repentance of love which comes from the depths of the heart with a great and passionate love and soulful thirst and desire to connect to G-d.
• Passion is intensified due to distance: This passion to connect to G-d is intensified due to the fact that the person’s soul until then was in a spiritual desert being connected to the side of evil and being completely distanced from the light of G-d.
• Greater than Tzadikim: Thus, in his repentance to return to G-d he experiences an infinitely intense passion and thirst to attach to G-d even more than is experienced by the righteous as he is coming from a spiritual desert and distance from the light of G-d.
• The reason it turns sins to merit: It is specifically this type of repentance of great love and passion for G-d that can accomplish the transformation of one’s sins into merits. The reason for this is because it is specifically the sins and spiritual lacking that propelled one to have such a great passion to now attach to G-d, and hence the past sin becomes the source of the merit.

7.       Teshuvah Tata’ah-Lower level Teshuvah-No complete elevation from evil:

• Repentance that does not reach the level of passion and love as described in Teshuvah Ila’ah, does not transform one’s sins to merits. As a result, the energy that entered the three completely unclean Kelipos as a result of the prohibition will not fully merit elevation from the Kelipos until the future era when evil will cease to exist.
• This is the despite the fact that repentance itself may be a genuine and valid and merit to receive G-d’s forgiveness.