Tanya תניא

TEN. After greetings of peace and life, “may the opening of my words rouse” the ear that hears the admonition of life which the L–rd of life admonished through His Prophets and said: “The graces of the L–rd are surely not concluded (תמנו)….” Now, it should really have said תמו, as it is written elsewhere: “For your graces are not concluded (תמו)….” But this will be understood when considering the statement in the sacred Zohar: “There are various types of chesed: there is chesed olam…, and there is chesed ilaah—i.e., rav chesed….”

Now, it is well known that the Torah is called oz (strength), which is an expression of gevurah (might), and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said—“The 613 commandments were declared to Moses at Sinai” from the Mouth of Gevurah, and as it is written: “From His right side a fiery law to them.” This means: The source and root of the Torah consists solely of the “graces of the L–rd,” which are referred to as the “right side.” That is, the elicitation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, and of a radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, to the upper and lower worlds, is effected by man who elicits the light upon himself by the fulfillment of the 248 operational precepts, which are the “248 organs of the King,” i.e., the 248 vessels and garments for the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, that is vested in them (and as known, with every commandment there issues forth to him awe and love from this light).

However, this efflux was first vested in the attribute of the gevurah of the Holy One, blessed is He, referred to as “fire.” (Gevurah) is the aspect of the contraction (tzimtzum) of the light and vivification that issue from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, so that it will be able to become vested in the performance of the commandments, practically all of which involve material things—as tzitzit, tefillin, sacrifices, and charity.

And even commandments that involve man spiritually—as awe and love—are in a mode of limitation and measure, and by no means in a mode of infinitude. For not even for a moment could man sustain in his heart so intense a love of G–d as is without end and limitation and still remain in existence in his body, and as the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that at the time of the Giving of the Torah [which was a manifestation of His G–dliness, blessed be He, and of the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, on a plane of speech and revelation]—“their souls took flight…”

Now, because the commandments were given to us by way of investment in the attribute of gevurah and a contraction (tzimtzum) of the radiation, and so on, most commandments have a delimited measure. For instance, the length of tzitzit (must be) twelve times the width of the thumb; the tefillin—two fingers by two fingers, and necessarily square; the lulav—four handbreadths; the sukkah—seven handbreadths; the shofar—one handbreadth; the mikveh—forty seah. The sacrifices, too, have a delimited measure as regards age, as for instance—“sheep of one year old,” and “rams of two years old,” and “oxen….”

The same applies also to the act of charity and the performance of kindness with one’s money [even though that is one of the pillars upon which the world stands, and as it is written: “The world was built by chesed,” nevertheless]—it has a set measure of preferably one-fifth, and of one-tenth for an average measure…. And this is what is called chesed olam: the “chesed of G–d enduring continually” that vests itself in the upper and lower worlds through the arousal from below—i.e., the precept of the charity and kindness which people perform among each other.

But because the world is in a state of finitude and measure [“From the earth to the heaven is a distance of 500 years…and [similarly] from one heaven to the next”; and “Six thousand years shall the world exist…”], the Torah’s commandment of charity and kindness is also given a limit and measure, just like the other commandments of the Torah.

However, this applies only to one who observes the Torah and does not stray from it right or left, even as much as a hair’s breadth. But he who has strayed from the path, Heaven forfend, whereas he has perverted his way [thus causing deficiencies in the kodesh ha’elyon, that is, he has diminished his value as regards the efflux he could have elicited from the aspect of His Divinity and the radiation from the light of the En Sof, blessed is He, by observing the Torah and fulfilling her as behooves]—such perversion cannot be rectified save by an efflux of the Supreme light which transcends the worlds and does not vest itself in them. This is what is called chesed ilaah, and rav chesed, because it radiates and extends in a state of infinitude without limit and measure [whereas it is not contracted within the worlds but is in a state of encompassing over them, from aloft, from the peak of all rungs to the end…]. Now, when man draws it downward through his deeds and the arousal from below, this Supreme light will then radiate and expand within the worlds and rectify all perversions and deficiencies caused in the kodesh ha’eylon, renewing their light and goodness with exceeding uplifting and strength on the level of a truly new light. That is why they said that “In the place where penitents stand….”

Now the essence of penitence (teshuvah) is in the heart, for through contrition from the depth of the heart one arouses the depth of this Supreme light.

But in order to elicit (this light) so that it will radiate in the upper and lower worlds, it is essential that there be truly an arousal from below, in the mode of an action, i.e., an act of charity and kindness that is without limit and measure. For just as man diffuses rav chesed [i.e., ח”ס דלי”ת (he is concerned with him who has not)]—namely to the poor and destitute who has nothing of his own, without setting a limit and measure to his giving and diffusion, the Holy One, blessed is He, likewise diffuses His light and benignity in the mode of chesed ilaah, referred to as rav chesed, which radiates within the upper and lower worlds in a mode of infinitude, without limit and measure. For in relation to Him, blessed be He, all are in a state of דלי”ת, whereas they have nothing at all of their own, and all that are before Him are esteemed as naught. And all the blemishes that man caused above, in the upper and the lower worlds, through his iniquities, are rectified hereby.

And this is the meaning of what is written: “to the L–rd, to exercise tzedakah and justice is preferable to sacrifice.” Because the sacrifices are in a mode of quantity, measure, and limit, while charity can be dispersed without limit for the purpose of rectifying one’s iniquities.

As for the ruling that he who expends should not expend more than one-fifth, this applies only to him who has not sinned, or has rectified his sins by means of self-mortification and fasts, as behooves to rectify all the blemishes above. But he who still needs to remedy his soul, surely the healing of the soul is not inferior to the healing of the body where money does not count, “And all that a man has he will give on behalf of his soul”—states Scripture.

Now, this type of unlimited kindness is called by the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He, “the graces of the L–rd,” as it is written: “and the chesed of the L–rd is everlasting….” For though “all of Israel are compassionate and performers of kindness,” nevertheless there is a limit and measure to man’s compassion. But the Holy One, blessed is He, is called the En Sof, blessed is He, and to His attributes there is no end, as it is written: “For His compassions are not exhausted.”

And this is the meaning of what the prophet said, after the destruction and the exile: “The graces of the L–rd—כי לא תמנו.” That is: “Because we are not perfect [for we are not whole and perfect without any sin and blemish in the soul and the upper worlds]—that is why we need to conduct ourselves in accordance with “the graces of the L–rd” which are without limit and end, in order to elicit upon ourselves compassion and chesed ilaah, i.e., rav chesed, and unlimited, infinite compassion, as it is written: “For His compassion is not exhausted….”

And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, meant by saying: “Israel will be redeemed only through charity—which they will perform even when they are legally not obligated, for “The son of David will not come until….”