Tanya, the Masterpiece of Hasidic Wisdom

by Shapiro, Rami

• ISBN13: 9781594732751
• ISBN10: 1594732752
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-01
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Pub

Summary

Tanya, ¿It Was Taught,¿ is one of the most powerful and potentially transformative books of Jewish wisdom. Written in 1797 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, Tanya sets forth the fundamentals of Jewish spirituality and metaphysics. While a focus of daily study by tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews, Tanya is little known outside the world of Jewish mysticism, its kabbalistic terms and esoteric language making this essential text of Jewish spirituality inaccessible to most readers. In this accessible volume, Rami Shapiro offers a contemporary English translation of key selections of the Hebrew text coupled with commentary designed to clarify and amplify the wisdom they contain. He brings the genius of Tanya to readers seeking to deepen their understanding of the soul and how it relates to and manifests the Divine Source from which all life comes, in which all life lives, and to which all life returns. About the series: SkyLight Illuminations offers today¿s spiritual seeker an enjoyable entry into the great classic texts of the world¿s spiritual traditions. Each classic is presented in an accessible translation, with facing pages of guided commentary from experts, offering readers the keys they need to understand the history, context, and meaning of the text. The series enables readers of all backgrounds to experience and understand classic spiritual texts directly, and to make them a part of their lives.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xvii
Introduction	p. xix
Key Philosophical Ideas	p. xxxiii
Core Spiritual Practices	p. xliii
The Five Kinds of Humans	p. 3
God, Wisdom, and Your Essential Nature	p. 7
The Three Mothers: Wisdom, Reason, and Knowing	p. 11
The Three Garments: Thought, Word, and Deed	p. 13
Unity Beyond Thought	p. 17
The Necessity of Opposites	p. 21
Using the Body for Good	p. 23
Using the Body for Evil	p. 27
The Secret Yearning for the Good	p. 31
The Purpose of Transformation	p. 35
Redemption from Evil	p. 39
Bringing Light into the Darkness	p. 43
Internal Conflict	p. 47
Becoming an Inbetweener	p. 49
Serving God	p. 51
The Essential Task	p. 55
The Practice of Comprehension	p. 57
The Nature of Wisdom	p. 61
The Candle of God	p. 65
The Unchanging One	p. 69
God's Speech	p. 71
Other Gods	p. 73
Torah and God Are One	p. 75
The Interplay of Opposites	p. 77
Folly	p. 79
The Profit of Sadness	p. 81
Passive Restraint	p. 85
Distracting Thoughts	p. 89
A Dull Heart	p. 93
Cultivating Humility	p. 97
Working with Sadness	p. 99
Love Your Neighbor	p. 103
Attaining True Joy	p. 105
Generosity	p. 109
The Task of Self	p. 111
No High or Low in God	p. 113
Illuminating the World	p. 117
The Necessity of Intent	p. 119
Acting without Ulterior Motive	p. 121
Revealing the Hidden God	p. 125
Love and Awe	p. 129
Your Inner "Moses"	p. 133
Two Types of Awe	p. 137
Higher Grades of Love	p. 139
Compassion for God	p. 143
Way of Friendship	p. 147
Release from Bondage	p. 149
The Finite and the Infinite	p. 153
The Purpose of Creation	p. 155
Run and Return	p. 157
The Dwelling of God	p. 161
Perceiving the One	p. 163
The One Is within You	p. 165
Notes	p. 167
Glossary of Hebrew Terms	p. 168
Books Cited in Tanya	p. 173
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 177
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