Tanya, Part I; Likkutei Amarim 10:1

The Big Question

Welcome to our journey into the foundational concepts of Judaism! Today, we're going to explore a fascinating idea from a text called the Tanya, which delves deep into the human spiritual experience. We'll be looking at a specific passage that asks a profound question about our spiritual journey and the nature of goodness. Imagine you're striving to be a good person, to overcome your negative impulses, and to live a life dedicated to something greater than yourself. You've worked hard, and you feel like you've managed to push away those undesirable thoughts and behaviors. But the question arises: what does it truly mean to be "good"? Is it enough to simply suppress the bad, or is there a deeper transformation required? This passage from the Tanya suggests that there's a crucial distinction between merely pushing away negativity and truly transforming it. It proposes that our spiritual progress isn't always a simple victory of good over evil, but can sometimes be a more nuanced process. Today, we'll unpack this idea, exploring what it means to be "incompletely righteous" versus "completely righteous," and what this distinction tells us about our own spiritual paths and the ultimate goal of our efforts.

One Core Concept

The central idea we'll explore today is the transformation of evil into goodness. The Tanya distinguishes between merely eradicating negative impulses and actively converting them into a positive force, leading to different levels of spiritual attainment.

Breaking It Down

The Struggle Within: Divine vs. Animal Souls

The Tanya begins by acknowledging a fundamental aspect of the human experience: the internal struggle between our "divine soul" and our "animal soul." Think of the divine soul as that part of us that yearns for holiness, for connection to God, for ethical behavior, and for spiritual growth. It’s our higher consciousness, our capacity for love, compassion, and wisdom. On the other hand, the animal soul represents our more primal, instinctual drives. These are the desires for physical pleasure, for self-preservation, for comfort, and for power. These drives aren't inherently evil, but they can become problematic when they dominate our actions and thoughts, leading us away from our spiritual aspirations. The text emphasizes that the effort to "fortify his divine soul and wages war against his animal soul" is a crucial part of our spiritual journey. This is a continuous battle, a constant negotiation between our higher aspirations and our more basic needs and desires.

The "Incompletely Righteous" vs. The "Completely Righteous"

The core of this passage lies in its distinction between two levels of spiritual achievement: the "incompletely righteous" (or "a righteous man who suffers") and the "completely righteous" (or "a righteous man who prospers").

The "Incompletely Righteous": Eradication Without Transformation

The text describes the "incompletely righteous" as someone who has managed to suppress or "expel and eradicate" the evil from their animal soul. They've fought hard and feel like they've gotten rid of it. However, the crucial point is that this evil is "not actually converted to goodness." It still lingers, perhaps as a "fragment of wickedness," but it's now "subjugated and nullified by the good." This person might even imagine that the evil has entirely disappeared because it's no longer actively dictating their actions.

The analogy used is that of shedding "filthy garments." The incompletely righteous person has indeed taken off some of these garments, but they haven't entirely divested themselves of them. There might still be a lingering attachment, a subtle "love and pleasure in it" because the "hatred and scorn of evil are not absolute." Their love for God, while present, is also not perfect. This imperfection means that while they are considered righteous because the evil is subdued, they are "incompletely righteous." Their spiritual progress is real, but it hasn't reached its ultimate potential for transformation. The text explains that this level is subdivided into countless degrees, depending on the "minuteness" of the remaining evil and the extent of its subjugation. This acknowledges the spectrum of human spiritual development.

The "Completely Righteous": The Power of Conversion

In contrast, the "completely righteous" individual has achieved a higher level. For them, the evil has not just been suppressed; it has been "converted to goodness." This is a profound transformation. These individuals have "completely divested himself of the filthy garments of evil." They "utterly despise the pleasures of this world" that are derived from base desires, finding no enjoyment in them when they detract from the "service of G–d." This disdain stems from a deep understanding that these worldly pleasures often originate from the "kelipah and sitra achara" – mystical terms referring to the forces of impurity and separation from the divine.

Their love for God is absolute, so much so that it fuels an "absolute hatred" for anything that separates them from Him, which is the essence of the sitra achara. This isn't a petty hatred, but a profound aversion born from an overwhelming love for God and His holiness. The passage quotes Psalms 139:22, "I hate them with the utmost hatred; I regard them as my own enemies," linking this absolute hatred of evil to the abundance of love for God. For the completely righteous, this love and hatred are so intertwined that they lead to a complete contempt of evil, which is as powerful as hatred.

The Ascent of "Superior Men"

The text then introduces another term: "superior men" (benei aliyah). These are the highest echelon of the completely righteous. Their title signifies their ability to "convert darkness into light and bitter taste into sweetness." This isn't just about personal spiritual attainment; it's about a transformative power that can elevate the negative aspects of existence.

The Zohar, a foundational text of Kabbalah, is quoted to illustrate this. It speaks of a divine voice asking those who wish to ascend to a higher spiritual realm if they have "converted darkness into light and bitter taste into sweetness." This highlights that true spiritual ascent is marked by this transformative capacity.

Furthermore, the "superior men" engage in the service of God not merely for their own spiritual fulfillment or to satisfy their soul's yearning for God. Instead, their service is characterized by an absolute altruism, a profound desire to bring God's presence into the world. They are motivated by pure love and a desire to please God and make His presence felt everywhere, uniting the divine with the earthly realm. This is described as conducting themselves with benevolence toward their Creator, uniting the Holy One, blessed is He, and His Shechinah (Divine Presence) within those who dwell in the lower worlds. They are prepared to sacrifice their own life to "redeem" the divine presence, so to speak, by bringing holiness into every aspect of existence.

This is further explained through the concept of elevating the "feminine waters" (benevolent acts, self-inspired) which causes "supernal unions" and brings down the "masculine waters" (Divine influence and grace). These divine waters are contained within the positive commandments of the Torah, all of which are acts of kindness and holiness flowing from God to be clothed in those who live in the lower worlds.

How We Live This

The Daily Practice of Transformation

Understanding these distinctions between the "incompletely righteous" and the "completely righteous" offers us a profound framework for our own spiritual lives. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’ve “overcome” a negative habit or thought simply because we’ve stopped acting on it in the moment. The Tanya encourages us to look deeper.

Recognizing the Nuance in Our Struggles

First, we can acknowledge the "incompletely righteous" state as a valid and significant stage of spiritual development. We are all on a journey, and the effort to subdue our animalistic impulses is a monumental task. It’s important to celebrate these victories, to recognize when we’ve managed to resist temptation or choose a more ethical path. However, the Tanya gently reminds us to be aware that this might be an act of subjugation rather than complete transformation.

Cultivating Absolute Love and Hatred

The ultimate goal, as described for the "completely righteous," is to cultivate an absolute love for God and, consequently, an absolute hatred for anything that distances us from Him. This doesn't mean developing animosity towards people, but rather a profound aversion to the forces of negativity, selfishness, and spiritual impurity. How can we cultivate this?

• Deepening Our Love for God: This involves actively seeking to understand God's presence in our lives, reflecting on His kindness and wisdom, and engaging in practices that foster a sense of awe and connection. This could be through prayer, study, meditation, or simply appreciating the beauty of the world around us.
• Confronting the "Sitra Achara": This means identifying those thoughts, desires, and behaviors that pull us away from our spiritual values. It requires honest self-reflection and the courage to challenge our own negative patterns. Instead of just suppressing them, we aim to understand their root and to actively reject their influence, seeing them for what they are: distractions from our true purpose.
• The Power of Contempt: The text mentions "contempt" as being as much the opposite of real love as is hatred. This suggests a conscious effort to diminish the perceived value of negative pursuits. When we truly love something, lesser things naturally lose their allure. By increasing our love for the divine, the allure of the mundane and the negative diminishes.

The "Superior Man" Ideal: Service for the Sake of the Divine

The ideal of the "superior man" challenges us to consider the motivation behind our good deeds. Are we doing good simply to feel good, to gain reward, or to avoid punishment? Or are we acting out of a pure desire to fulfill God's will and to elevate the world around us? This is a high bar, but it offers a profound insight into the nature of truly altruistic service. It’s about acting not just for our own spiritual benefit, but for the sake of God's presence in the world. This can be expressed through acts of kindness, justice, and compassion that aim to bring wholeness and holiness to all aspects of creation.

One Thing to Remember

The most crucial takeaway from this passage is that true spiritual progress involves not just suppressing evil, but actively transforming it into goodness. Our goal is to move beyond merely pushing away negative impulses to a place where those impulses are so thoroughly understood and rejected that they are, in essence, converted into fuel for our love and service of God.