The Tanya Book: 7 Core Ideas Guiding the Path in Serving Hashem

The Alter Rebbe was one of the students of the Maggid of Mezritch, continuing the path of the holy Baal Shem Tov. Despite being the youngest of the students, he was called the "Alter Rebbe" because of his wisdom and spiritual rank. His personal name, "Shneur," hints at his work in the world in extending two kinds of lights, the light of the revealed Torah (the Alter Rebbe authored a "Shulchan Aruch" of laws, known as the "Shulchan Aruch HaRav"), and the light of Hasidic teachings.

The Tanya, a fundamental book in Hasidism published about 230 years ago, was written by the Alter Rebbe over about twenty years, with precision in every letter and detail. The book includes five parts and is based, among other things, on the guidance the Rebbe gave to his followers.

The Tanya is unique in that it combines deep spiritual explanations with practical guidance in serving Hashem, bringing about a profound and internal service of Hashem and the influence of the high spiritual understandings on serving Hashem in the practical world. Even women study Tanya and Hasidism, even though they do not study the hidden part of the Torah like the Zohar, because the Tanya does not focus on what happens in the upper worlds, but rather provides spiritual explanations and insights so that we deepen our service of Hashem and keep the Torah and the commandments with more joy and from an inner desire.

Here are some central ideas from the book:

1. Every Jew has a divine soul that is literally a part of Hashem. The divine soul is the essence and being of the Jew (Chapter 2).
2. Every Jew also has an animal soul, and we are in an internal struggle between it and the divine soul. At every moment we choose which soul will have control over every thought, every word, and every action (Chapter 6 and onward).
3. Every Jew has hidden love and fear within them. The more we connect to the divine soul within us, to the love and fear that we naturally have, the easier it becomes to keep the Torah and commandments with a deep and internal connection (Chapter 18 and onward).
4. The proper and desired process of repentance is when we have bitterness and a broken heart over not doing Hashem's will, and this bitterness leads us to change the situation. This way we reach joy over the renewal in serving Hashem, the correction, and the path that brings more closeness to Hashem and delight to Hashem. On the other hand, sadness is not from holiness, and it does not advance us toward correction and improvement, and we must be very careful of it (Chapter 31).
5. All the souls of Israel are called real brothers, because of the root of their divine soul, only that the bodies are separated (Chapter 32).
6. The way to achieve internal and true love for another Jew is to separate between the divine soul and the animal soul, both in ourselves and in others. The more we practice acting from our divine soul, which views all events in our lives from a spiritual place, the more we can elevate spirit over matter and love others more, seeking and seeing the good and the divine part in them. Any negative traits that may come from someone's animal soul (as in our own) do not represent their true essence but are external and temporary (after all, they will eventually repent) (Chapter 32).
7. "And this is the whole person and the purpose of his creation and the creation of all the worlds, above and below, to have for Him a dwelling in the lower worlds" (Chapter 33) – The purpose of our existence in the world is to create a dwelling for Hashem in this physical world, by keeping the Torah and commandments.

The Alter Rebbe was imprisoned in the city of Petersburg in Russia, due to an accusation as if he was supporting the enemies of the regime. On the 19th of Kislev, we celebrate his miraculous release from prison, symbolizing the permission given from Heaven to continue spreading Hasidic teachings, including the study of the Tanya, about which the righteous Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli said, "With the Tanya, Jews will advance toward our righteous Messiah."