6711 —עצות נגד העצלות ולהתגברות על היצר: לימוד בעל פה של ריש פרק מ"א בתניא, וזריזות הנמשכת משמחה

B"H, 4 Adar I^[1], 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to your letter of 20 Shevat, in which you write an outline^[2] of the events of your life and conclude with questions:

(a) How to drive out the trait of laziness.

Contemplate; and it would be very good that you learn by heart what is written in the holy book of Tanya at the beginning of chapter 41^[3] (folio 56a), until the top of side b, the word "the King". Go over the content, or also the wording, from time to time, whether aloud or at any rate^[4] in your thought; and when the matter is engraved in your mind and reaches your heart, this will certainly add to the trait of zeal.

(b) Advice for overcoming the yetzer hara, which is great and strong, etc.

Our Sages have already told us that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come with unfair demands against His creatures^[5], and "according to the camel, its load"^[6], that is to say:

that according to a person's state, he has been given the strengths and the ability to overcome it. Only, contemplation is needed so as not to fall in spirit if the yetzer hara wages its war time after time; and that contemplation is as explained in the holy book of Tanya in several places (see the index of subjects printed at the end of the holy book of Tanya, Kehot edition^[7]), among them in chapter 27^[8] and onward.

And in general, the advice given for going securely on one's way^[9], the way of the King, the King of the world, that is, the Holy One, blessed be He, Giver of the Torah and Commander of the mitzvah, is through zeal that comes from joy, and the opening of the heart and its purity, etc., as explained in Tanya ch. 26^[10] and in many places. Since one has been commanded about this, the ability to fulfill it has certainly been given.

I hope that you know of the three well-known shiurim in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya^[11], and that you will endeavor to keep them from now on; though, as is understood, this should be^[12] without a vow.

With blessings for good news^[13],

On behalf of his holiness, our master, teacher and Rebbe^[14], shlita,

Secretary

Notes

1. Adar I (אד"ר): אד"ר = אדר ראשון, the first Adar (5719 was a leap year).

2. An outline (ר"פ): ר"פ = ראשי פרקים, "main points": a short account of the chief events of his life. The recipient's name was not printed.

3. The beginning of chapter 41 (ר"פ מ"א): Here ר"פ = ריש פרק, "the beginning of the chapter". Tanya ch. 41, from its opening, ברם, צריך להיות לזכרון תמיד, ראשית העבודה ועיקרה ושרשה, "However, one must constantly remember the beginning of the service, its essence and its root," until ועל כן צריך לעבוד לפניו באימה וביראה, כעומד לפני המלך, "and therefore one must serve before Him with awe and fear, like one standing before the King" (the first time the word "the King" occurs in the chapter). The Rebbe gave the same advice in letter 5678 (vol. 15, 25 Menachem Av 5717), to someone who wrote that he gets agitated over everything: ומהנכון שיהיו חקוקים בזכרונו הנאמר בהתחלת פרק מ"א בתניא (עד דף נ"ו ע"ב) תיבת לפני המלך, וכשירגיש שמתחיל להתרגש יתבונן בזה במחשבתו או גם יעבור עליהם בדבור, "It is proper that what is said at the beginning of chapter 41 in the Tanya (until folio 56b), the words 'before the King', be engraved in his memory; and when he feels he is starting to get agitated, he should contemplate it in his thought or also go over it aloud."

4. At any rate (עכ"פ): עכ"פ = על כל פנים.

5. Does not come with unfair demands against His creatures (אין הקב"ה בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו): Avodah Zarah 3a: in the time to come, when the nations ask, "Give it to us anew and we will do it," the Holy One, blessed be He, tells them, "I have an easy mitzvah, called sukkah; go and make it." The Gemara asks: but the mitzvos are to be done today, not tomorrow; and it answers: אלא שאין הקב"ה בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו, "but the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come with unfair demands against His creatures." Rashi: בטרוניא - בעלילה, "with a pretext." That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come upon His creatures with a pretext, demanding of them what is not in their power to do.

6. "According to the camel, its load" (לפום גמלא שיחנא): Sotah 13b: תנא דבי ר' ישמעאל, לפום גמלא, שיחנא, "It was taught in the school of Rabbi Yishmael: according to the camel, its load." Rashi: לפי כח הגמל מרבין במשאו. אף כאן לפי צדקתו, מדקדק אחריו, "according to the camel's strength, its load is increased; here too, according to his righteousness, He is exacting with him." In the Gemara this is said of Moshe Rabbeinu: the greater his righteousness, the more exactingly G‑d deals with him. The Rebbe applies it from the other side: according to the load placed on a person (his war with the yetzer), so are the strengths given him to carry it. ז.א. = זאת אומרת, "that is to say".

7. Kehot edition (הוצאת קה"ת): קה"ת = קרני הוד תורה, Kehot. This is the index of subjects in the Tanya of that edition, as the Rebbe wrote in letter 6560 (20 MarCheshvan 5719): שבא לבסוף מפתח ענינים, שמות אנשים הערות ותקונים, "at the end of which come an index of subjects, of names of people, notes and corrections." The Rebbe wrote much the same in letter 6101 (vol. 16, 8 Adar 5718): וילמוד בספר תניא קדישא במקומות המבארים איך שמופרכת העצבות, כן אשר לא יפול לב אדם עליו באם רואה שנמצא במלחמה עם היצר, ויעין במפתח הענינים אשר בסוף תניא הוצאת קה"ת, "He should study in the holy book of Tanya the places that explain how sadness is refuted, and also that a person's heart should not fall within him if he sees that he is at war with the yetzer; and he should look in the index of subjects at the end of the Kehot edition of the Tanya."

8. Chapter 27 (פרק כ"ז): Tanya ch. 27: ולכן אל יפול לב אדם עליו, ולא ירע לבבו מאד. גם אם יהיה כן כל ימיו במלחמה זו. כי אולי לכך נברא, וזאת עבודתו לאכפיא לס"א תמיד, "Therefore a person's heart should not fall within him, nor should he be very troubled, even if he is engaged all his days in this war; for perhaps this is what he was created for, and this is his service: constantly to subdue the sitra achra."

9. Going securely on one's way (ללכת לבטח דרכו): After Mishlei 3:23: אז תלך לבטח דרכך ורגלך לא תגוף, "Then you will go securely on your way, and your foot will not stumble."

10. Tanya ch. 26 (תניא פכ"ו): פכ"ו = פרק כ"ו. Tanya ch. 26: ככה ממש בנצחון היצר. אי אפשר לנצחו בעצלות וכבדות, הנמשכות מעצבות וטמטום הלב כאבן. כי אם בזריזות הנמשכת משמחה ופתיחת הלב. וטהרתו מכל נדנוד דאגה ועצב בעולם, "So it is exactly in the victory over the yetzer: it is impossible to defeat it with laziness and heaviness, which come from sadness and a heart dull as stone, but only with zeal that comes from joy and an open heart, purified of every trace of worry and sadness in the world"; and there: והנה עצה היעוצה לטהר לבו מכל עצב, "the advice that is given to purify one's heart of all sadness." ובכ"מ = ובכמה מקומות, "and in many places".

11. The three well-known shiurim in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya (שלשת השיעורים הידועים בחומש תהלים ותניא): The three daily shiurim instituted by the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, as the Rebbe wrote in letter 3033 (vol. 10, 16 MarCheshvan 5715): שלשת השיעורים השוים לכל נפש מתקנת כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע, והם, א) אמירת שיעור תהלים - כפי שנחלק התהלים לימי החדש - בכל יום אחר תפלת שחרית. ב) שיעור לימוד פרשת חומש עם פירוש רש"י מהסדרה של השבוע - ביום א' מהתחלת הסדרה עד פרשת שני, ביום ב' מפרשת שני עד שלישי וכו'. [ג)] ושיעור לימוד תניא בכל יום כפי שנתחלק התניא לימות השנה, "the three shiurim that suit every soul, of the takanah of my father-in-law, the Rebbe: (a) saying the portion of Tehillim, as the Tehillim is divided among the days of the month, every day after Shacharis; (b) a shiur of learning the parsha of Chumash with Rashi's commentary from the week's sidrah: on Sunday from the beginning of the sidrah until the second portion, on Monday from the second portion to the third, etc.; (c) and a shiur of learning Tanya every day as the Tanya is divided among the days of the year."

12. Should be (צ"ל): צ"ל = צריך להיות.

13. Good news (לבשו"ט): לבשו"ט = לבשורות טובות.

14. On behalf of his holiness, our master, teacher and Rebbe (בשם כ"ק אדמו"ר): כ"ק אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת אדוננו מורנו ורבנו. That is, the letter was written and signed by the secretary, on the Rebbe's behalf.

Summary

Answering, through his secretary, a correspondent who described his life and asked how to overcome laziness and a strong yetzer, the Rebbe advises him to learn by heart the opening of Tanya ch. 41 and go over it until it reaches his heart. G‑d makes no unfair demands and gives strength according to the load; he must not fall in spirit when the war repeats itself (Tanya ch. 27), and should serve with zeal born of joy (ch. 26) and keep the daily shiurim of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya.