Core Concepts Tanya: Chapter 18

Brief Recap of Chapter 18:

Chapter 18 begins a "new" section in Tanya. In other words, we're taking things to the next level.

1. Chapter 18 begins with emphasizing the verse from the Torah, "This thing is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it," major emphasis on VERY. No matter where a Jew comes from, Torah and Mitzvot, love and awe and fear of G-d, are accessible. How?

2. What if someone doesn't have the intellectual capacity to meditate for long hours on the greatness of G-d, thereby creating and eliciting a deep love and fear of Him? Meditation to focus on a topic requires knowledge, but what if someone doesn't or can't gain this sort of knowledge? How is this VERY near?

3. Every Jew has what’s called "Ahava Mesuteres" the "hidden love." This Hidden Love is an inheritance from our forefathers. We haven't specifically done anything to earn it, but rather it's an intrinsic, automatic part of us. It's part of our very DNA.

4. Our forefathers were so "nullified" before G-d's will, they were like a chariot to His will. A chariot has no will of its own but goes wherever the driver steers it. Because of the level our forefathers reached in giving themselves over to His will, this love and fear became a part of them to the extent that it entered their very DNA. And every Jew, no matter how lofty a soul he has is born with this love and fear in his DNA.

5. Where is this love found?
From the ten soul powers, the highest are the three intellectual powers. First among them is Chochmah, "wisdom." The word Chochmah is composed of two words, Koach Ma, the power of what, loosely translated "What is it?" As in, the source of knowledge, the place where the initial concept of an idea first appears. This is the faculty of the unknown, the place where the mind is humbled enough before the potential for knowledge. Additionally, and because of this, Chochmah is ABOVE comprehension and intellect. As it's the first spark of an idea, it exists BEFORE an idea is brought down into our Binah, our understanding, to be examined/interpreted/expanded each according to his intellect.

6. Because Chochmah is in a place of humility and a place where the self is set aside, it's also a place where the "Ein Sof," the infinitude of G-d, "His essence," can dwell. Along these lines, Chochmah is a place untouched by other forces in the world, and it's a place that remains untouched within the Jewish soul. It's always there, available for access, no matter who the Jew is or where he's coming from.

7. King Solomon writes in Mishlei that "the fool believes everything, but the clever man understands." Meaning, a fool will take everything on face value, no matter how simple a concept it is. A clever man tries to understand before relying on belief. HOWEVER, because G-d is beyond human understanding and comprehension, we are all fools before Him, and there comes a point where He can only be grasped through faith. However, it's not a blind faith, but one we embrace with eyes wide open because we know that we cannot know.