tanya title holders, T-minus one year…
We’re getting closer to secular New Year’s, and if anyone’s heathen enough to make New Year’s resolutions and holy enough to want to make them for something cool, the yearly cycle of reading daily Tanya has just started again, and it’s a great jumping-on point. (We’re on something like the third day — talkbackers, feel free to correct me — and just finishing up the Compiler’s Forward.) You know what that means — actual material coming up soon! Click above for the accurate (but somewhat uninspiring) commentary by the offical Kehot Lessons in Tanya book, or check out this daily drash by Rabbi Manis Friedman, of “Doesn’t Anyone Blush Anymore?” fame. Of course, the absolute best translation is Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson’s, but ain’t no mp3s I can find. Go buy ’em yerselves.
After my ancestors put the author in jail, I’m supposed to revere the book?
I’ve learned enough Tanya, thank you. The part where Shneur Zalman *mis-quotes* a Gemara to “prove” that “the goyim” are incapable of altruism, because their souls are derived exclusively from evil forces (whereas the ‘dual’-souls of Yidden, of course, are directly from God), was enough for me.
Ignorant biggoted Jewredneck bullshit like that wasn’t good enough for 3000 years of Judaism, I don’t see why it should be good enough for me.
Alan- which page?
I’ve always thought that telling Jews (or anyone else) that they are inherently (as opposed to factually) morally superior is like telling a football team just before the first game of the season that they’ve already won the Super Bowl. They won’t bother playing.
sigh, I don’t remember. It’s early, though. In the section that introduces the concept of “dual souls” for Jews. It contrasts those with the souls of Non-jews.
I think that the concept is more than self-defeating: it teaches horrible implications.
Thanks, Mobius. I have had Rav Steiinsaltz’s “Opening the Tanya” for two years, but my husband got bored with it. Now I can start over.
“I’ve learned enough Tanya, thank you. The part where Shneur Zalman *mis-quotes* a Gemara to “prove†that “the goyim†are incapable of altruism, because their souls are derived exclusively from evil forces (whereas the ‘dual’-souls of Yidden, of course, are directly from God), was enough for me.”
Dude! you missed the whole part where they say that Rome is the purpose of creaation, and that in order to bring the redemption, Jews have to become more like gentiles and visa versa! The whole first part is just to get the misnaggdim to pay attention.
“The whole first part is just to get the misnaggdim to pay attention. ”
That’s an interesting contention, but I’ve always been taught by Chabadniks that the meaning and purpose of Tanya is to teach you about your soul, about life as a “benoni” and a Jew — i.e. Shneur Zalman’s skewed daat-yachid soulistics is *central* to the message of the book: because there wouldn’t be Jews, Tsaddikim, Benonim, or what-have-you, according to S.Z., if it wasn’t for the “differences” among our souls.