The Tanya is written in very rich Hebrew, full of allusions to other Rabbinic texts. This makes the book a pleasure and a challenge: it is easy to loose track of the 'forest' of a chapter, let alone the entire book. My cheat sheet is meant to help the reader gain a broader perspective than is easily acquired by simply reading a chapter or the book through. It is by no means meant to be a substitute for reading the Tanya, but rather as a study aid.
Finally, note this is a work in progress, where I expect to come back and refine it. It is dedicated to the complete healing of my mother, Gail bat Adele.
Sefer
HaBenoni
Chapter 1: Jews have two souls. One soul is from material called Klipa Noga, with the
positive and negative material attributes.
Chapter 2: Jews also have a soul that is a literal part of the Divine.
Chapter 3: Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshamah
are parts of the Divine soul, and they come from the divine emanations named Chochmah, Binah, and
Da’at.
Chapter 4: The Nefesh, Ruach, and
Neshamah become material in thoughts, words, and deeds of the commandments and Torah,
which are G’d himself.
Chapter 5: When you learn Torah the
learning becomes a garment for your holy soul
Chapter 6: When you get involved in
work other than divine service, it is rooted in your other soul.
Chapter 7, 8: Klipa noga has the
potential for good or evil – it depends on whether you use it for the sake of
heaven or not. When you get
involved in it for other reasons, or with the other klipot whatever the reason,
you need some kind of purification, like rotting in the grave or time in
Gehenom.
Chapter 9: The animal soul lives in the
blood-filled left chamber of the heart, while the divine soul lives in the
mochim in the brain. They are two
kings at war with each other, striving to make the entire self submit.
Chapter 10: There are five modes of existence: The saint who lives well,
the saint who lives badly, the wicked one who lives well, the wicked one who
lives badly, and the ‘Benoni.’ A ‘saint who lives well’ has transformed his
animal soul into pure divinity, and regards pleasures of this world with
disgust. A ‘saint who lives badly’
doesn’t hate pleasures of this world, and still hasn’t transformed his animal
soul.
Chapter 11: The ‘wicked person who lives
badly’ sins, and has thoughts of regret and penitence. The ‘wicked person who lives badly’ never
has such thoughts.
Chapter 12: The Benoni never sins, but hasn’t transformed his animal
soul. He has sinful thoughts but
pushes them away immediately.
Chap 13 In the Benoni the evil desire is incapacitated during
periods of love like prayer and Torah study. Otherwise it is awake.
Chap 14: Anyone can be a Benoni, constantly turning away from
bad for it divides you from G’d. The requirement for being saintly is to
hate bad itself.
Chap 15: There are two kinds of Benoni. One is engaged in
continuous war with the evil desire.
The other has a truce, due to the desires not being so strong or
constant.
Chap 16: The task for the Benoni is to meditate on G’ds
greatness, which leads to a love and awe that births self-transformation.
Such love and awe are on the level of nature but G’d raise it to an even
higher level.
Chap 17: The wicked are ruled by their heart. Repentance
will shatter the dominion of the heart.
Chap 18: Even fools that can't contemplate G’d’s greatness can
also achieve a level of holiness, for great holiness is within them. They
also have the merit of the Patriarchs.
Chap 19: The holy soul
aspires to rise up to G’d like a candle's flame. When people do evil this
impulse to arise towards the divine is hidden, but moments of public sanctification
allow it to break free.
Chap 20: G’d is one and unchanging.
The universe relative to Him is as unsubstantial as words are relative to
one who utters them.
Chap 21: G’d is not separate
from his 'words;' the appearance of separation is due to concealment.
Chap 22: Evil is the ultimate
concealment of the divine.
Chap 23: Doing mitzvot,
especially learning Torah, literally manifests the divine in this world.
Chap 24: Transgressing the
negative mitzvot makes you worse than the lowest creatures, and distances you
as far as possible from holiness.
Chap 25: It's our duty to
constantly awaken our love for G’d and thus out passion to serve him.
Chap 26: Strength for combat
with the evil inclination comes from true joy. True joy emerges from true
sorrow for ones sins, accompanied by reflection on G’ds mercy and greatness.
Chap 27: Just as culinary
delicacies can be sweet or spicy, combat with the evil inclination comes in two
flavors. A saint sweetens it, turning it to good. The Benoni doesn't
transform the evil inclination but rather lives a spicy constant struggle of
pushing aside thoughts and inclinations. When one feels such thoughts or
desires during most periods of life, the right response is to rejoice in the
opportunity to push them aside.
Chap 28: If one encounters
evil thoughts or desires during prayer or study, don't try to raise them up or
confront them. Just concentrate on the prayer or study.
Chap 29: One’s life’s circumstances
help determine the character of one’s spiritual struggle. Thus we should not judge others, for we
are ignorant of their circumstances.
Chap 30: Sometimes a person
gets depressed or numb and can't pray properly. To avoid this set times
to humble yourself by reflecting on the bad things you've done. Evil only has
power lent to it for the sake of giving us the ability to overcome it.
Chap 31: After such
reflection on one's distance from G’d, the process of return brings the highest
joy.
Chap 32: The reduction of ego
from such reflection permits the true love of one's fellow and true love of G’d
Chap 33: Awareness on the
level of the divine influence in this world is annulled in the presence of
awareness of G’d, like any source of light is annulled before the sun. Awareness of G’ds unity and closeness
is the highest joy, and such awareness creates a home for G’d in this world.
Chap 34: The Patriarchs could
live in perpetual awareness of G’ds unity. We can't - thus the Tabernacle
and Temples were home for His unity.
Since their destruction, a home is provided in Halacha, especially daily
Torah study and charity.
Chap 35: Good deeds are like
a wick that causes the light of the divine presence to dwell over ones head, or
like an open window that lets the light in.
Chap 36: The lower worlds are ever-intensified forms of veils of
G’ds unity. These veils were lifted temporarily at Sinai, and will be
lifted forever when the dead are resurrected.
Chap 37: Doing a mitzvah draws divine light into this world.
The physical things, even the energy, used to do mitzvot, become holy and
reclaimed from the profane world. Charity is particularly powerful as
money represents all our physical needs and desires. Torah study is
especially powerful since it represents holiness conquering the highest parts
of the profane world.
Chap 38: Saintly people's souls rise to a higher world (beriah)
than even most angels (who only dwell in yetzirah). This is because
having choice and turning away from evil, as saintly people do, is a higher
level than doing good by nature, as angels do.
Chap 39: Most people's souls only rise up to the level of beriah
on Shabbat and Rosh Hades. Even for saints it is only the highest part of
the soul that rises so high. Rare Saints' divine service rises to the
level of atzelut. When people do good deeds or learn Torah merely out of
habit it gets stored up and soars above when someone does something with proper
intent. Even when one does something with the wrong intent, the good deed
or learning can soar after the person repents of their bad intent.
Chap 40: Upper world accept more light than lower worlds, and
accept it with less concealment. Torah and mitzvot are like the body of a bird;
love of G’d and fear of G’d are like the wings that allow the bird to soar.
Chap 41: Awe and love of G’d are like two wings. Learning
and good deeds need both to soar. The proper intention behind such deeds is to
give pleasure to G’d
Chap 42: We are commanded to know G’d. This is knowledge
that leads to connection. It comes through effort expended in stimulating both
mind and body towards exertion in divine service.
Chap 43: Lesser awe is from simple restraint. Greater awe
comes from appreciation of G’ds greatness. Similarly lesser love comes from
pleasure and greater love comes from understanding G’d's greatness.
Chap 44: Two levels of love, Abundant Love and Eternal Love, are
hidden within each of us as an inheritance from our ancestors. It's our
job to reveal these loves.
Chap 45: Jacob provides a model of divine mercy that can reveal
this love.
Chap 46 and 47: We can awaken this love by reflecting
how, when we learn Torah and do mitzvot, we are locked in an embrace of G’d who
created the world, chose us, and freed us from Egypt.
Chap 48: G’d is infinite
and each world, even the Garden of Eden, exists only through G’ds self
concealment. This is similar to the way that infinity must be concealed
to perceive finite numbers. While G’d can't be seen in the worlds, he
surrounds and encompasses each one.
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