Daily Tanya Friday 13th Nissan Chapter 40 Part 1: The effect that Love and Fear have on one’s Torah and Mitzvos

Chapter 40: The effect that Love and Fear have on one’s Torah and Mitzvos

13^th Nissan/(LY) 5^th Nissan

1. What happens to the Torah of one who learns it habitually, without love and fear:

• Does not become elevated to the Sefiros: Although a person who serves G-d out of habit has ability to eventually elevate his Torah learning to the Sefiros upon him re-studying these Torah sections Lishma [as explained in the end of the previous chapter], nonetheless, until he does so, his Torah learning is not elevated even to the 10 Sefiros which shine in the world of Yetzirah and Assiyah.
• The reason: The reason for this lack of elevation is because the Sefiros are a level of G-dliness in which the infinite light of G-d is invested in and actually united with. Now, without love and fear, the Torah learning cannot be elevated in front of G-d, as explicitly stated in the Zohar.
• Their elevation to the external worlds: Although Torah that was studied without love and fear does not get elevated to even the lowest world of Sefiros, nonetheless, it is elevated to the chambers and dwelling places, which is the external aspects of the spiritual worlds. [The Torah remains in this level until it is restudied Lishma.]
• The same level as that of the angels: The above level of elevation of habitual Torah study is to the same level in which the angels reside.
• Habitual Torah-Angels in Yetzirah; Habitual Mitzvos-Angels in Assiya: As states Rabbi Chaim Vital that Torah study without concentration creates angels in the world of Yetzirah while Mitzvah fulfillment without concentration creates angels in the world of Assiyah.
• It’s ability to create angels: Angels both have form and matter [and hence in order for them to be created as a result of one’s Torah learning and Mitzvah fulfillment, there must be some level of concentration involved in order to create their form, and hence we must conclude that the intent of “concentration” in the above statement is in reference to love and fear. This means to say that although Torah and Mitzvos with basic concentration create angels, they are not elevated to the Sefiros unless they contain the real concentration of love and fear.]
• Gloss-Every word of Torah breaks the heavens: The above follows the statement of the Zohar which states in numerous places that the words of speech of a person break through the heavens and arouse whatever they arouse, whether good or bad, and that words of Torah and prayer break the heavens and have a good affect.

2. What happens to the Torah of one who learns it for ulterior motives:

• Does not become elevated even to the chambers where angels reside: The above ability for Torah learning to be elevated to even the external worlds without love and fear, is only if it was studied habitually. However, if one studied it for actual ulterior motives, such as to be a Torah scholar and the like, then it is not elevated at all to the spiritual levels above, not even to the chambers and abodes of the Angels of holiness.
• Remains in the world of evil: Rather, such Torah learning remains down here below in this physical world, which is the abode of the side of evil, as stated in the Zohar that even the spiritual service of Torah study, if done for selfish reasons of glory remains under the sun.
• Praised is one who enters heaven with his Torah learning: Based on this we can understand the statement of the sages which praise one who enters the next world with his Torah learning in his hands. This is coming to say that praised is one who learned Torah for the correct motives and did not leave his Torah down here below in this world.