tzaddik – New beginnings: A blog about spirituality, chaplaincy and renewal

Audio – Lessons in Tanya 25

Chapter 14. We continue to explore the uniqueness of the Beinoni. This individual would be someone who recognizes that while they can never be a tzaddik in the soul sense of the term, they should always be striving to reach a level similar enough to the righteous person that they can connect to a truly righteous soul. This chapter lays the groundwork for the connection between a rebbe and follower, in that the Rebbe is the role of the tzaddik and the followers are all the people struggling and striving forward. We also discuss the work needed to avoid evil and do good, including contemplating the loathsomeness of evil. I end with a short piece highlighting why some of the Tanya begins to sound repetitive and why that is an important part of this work.

Episode 25

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Audio – Lessons in Tanya 23

Final section of chapter 12. We finish the initial discussion of the Beinoni as it relates to the righteous and wicked person. Much of the focus is on how the categories might be a case of mind over matter.

Episode 23

Audio – Lessons in Tanya 22

Continuation of chapter 12. Today’s short piece engages the question of why the Beinoni is not a Tzaddik. The focus is on what the person experiences when not in a prayer state of being. I use this is piece as a jumping off point to name a couple of similarities/differences between Tanya and another book of early 19th century Eastern Europe, Nefesh HaHayyim as a way of showing different approaches to connecting to Gd.

Episode 22

Audio – Lessons in Tanya 21

Beginning of chapter 12. This chapter brings us to the definition of the Beinoni, the intermediary, non-tzaddik, non-rasha, person. We discuss today the difficulty in defining this person based on the criteria presented, namely a person who has never sinned and never been a rasha, yet always lives with some form of struggle. We work to describe the beinoni based on this criteria and the scenarios of when this person has moments when the divine soul overwhelms the animal soul and when the person “doesn’t.” I offer my take on trying to grasp with the difficulty the term intermediary presents in relation to what the Tanya is trying to say it means.

Episode 21