פרק יא
ואמנם להיות בלבו ההכנעה, היא בחינת תשובה תתאה כנזכר לעיל, וגם השמחה בה', שתיהן ביחד.
כבר מילתא אמורה בלקוטי אמרים סוף פרק ל"ד, כמו שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש: "חדוה תקיעא בלבאי מסטרא דא וכו'".
ובצירוף עוד, האמונה והבטחון. להיות נכון לבו בטוח בה': "כי חפץ חסד הוא", ו"חנון ורחום", ו"רב לסלוח" תיכף ומיד, שמבקש מחילה וסליחה מאתו ית'. ("כרוב רחמיך מחה פשעי, כבסני טהרני, וכל עוונותי מחה וכו'":). בלי שום ספק וספיק ספיקא בעולם.
וכמו שאנו מברכין בכל תפלת י"ח, תיכף שמבקשים "סלח לנו כו'", "ברוך אתה ה' חנון המרבה לסלוח". והרי "ספק ברכות להקל", משום חשש ברכה לבטלה? אלא אין כאן שום ספק כלל. מאחר שבקשנו "סלח לנו מחל לנו".
ואילו לא היינו חוזרים וחוטאים, היינו נגאלין מיד. כמו שאנו מברכין, "ברוך אתה ה' גואל ישראל".
והרי אפילו במדת בשר ודם כן. שצריך האדם למחול תיכף ומיד, שמבקשים ממנו מחילה. ולא יהא אכזרי מלמחול. ואפי' בקוטע יד חבירו. כדאי' בגמרא בסוף פרק ח' דבבא קמא. אם ביקש ממנו ג' פעמים ולא מחל לו, שוב אין צריך לבקש ממנו.
והגבעונים שביקש דוד המלך עליו השלום מהם מחילה, בעד שאול שהמית את הגבעונים, ולא רצו למחול, גזר דוד עליהם שלא יבאו בקהל ה', שהם רחמנים וכו'. כדאיתא בפרק ח' דיבמות.
ובמדת הקדוש ברוך הוא על אחת כמה וכמה, לאין קץ.
פרק יא
We're doing the Shir Tanya for the 28th day of Tammuz, and we're starting Perek Yud Alef.
ואמנם להיות בלבו ההכנעה, היא בחינת תשובה תתאה כנזכר לעיל, וגם השמחה בה', שתיהן ביחד.
Previously, the Alter Rebbe explained that before davening a person needs two seemingly opposite qualities.
On the one hand, there must be hachna'ah—a sense of humility and a broken heart. This is the level of teshuvah tata'ah, where a person recognizes his shortcomings, breaks the strength of the sitra achra, and arouses the Divine attributes of mercy. This is the idea behind "Ein omdim lehispallel ela mitoch koved rosh"—approaching prayer with humility and seriousness.
On the other hand, Chazal also teach that one must daven with simchah, with joy. How can a person experience both at the same time?
Earlier, the Alter Rebbe explained a practical approach. First comes hachna'ah, and afterwards simchah. Since most people find it difficult to move immediately from a broken heart to genuine joy, he advises that the time for hachna'ah is during Tikkun Chatzos. Then, by the time one comes to daven, he can approach tefillah with joy. The two feelings are separated by time, making the transition much easier.
However, in Perek Yud-Alef, the Alter Rebbe will introduce a deeper idea. He will explain that it is actually possible to experience both emotions simultaneously. A person can have a humble, broken heart through teshuvah tata'ah, while at the very same time rejoicing with the privilege of standing before Hashem in tefillah.
This is the meaning of the Alter Rebbe's words: "Lihyos b'libo hachna'ah"—that his heart should possess genuine humility and brokenheartedness—while at the same time serving Hashem with simchah, the joy that is essential for proper prayer.
כבר מילתא אמורה בלקוטי אמרים סוף פרק ל"ד, כמו שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש: "חדוה תקיעא בלבאי מסטרא דא וכו'".
I've already discussed this in the first part of Tanya, at the end of Chapter 34. There, the Alter Rebbe explains that these two emotions come from two different sources.
The feeling of hachna'ah—being subdued and having a broken heart—comes from the guf and the nefesh habehamis. A person recognizes the lowly state of his animal soul and physical nature, and that brings him to humility and teshuvah tata'ah.
At the very same time, the feeling of simchah comes from the nefesh haElokis. A person rejoices over the fact that he possesses a G‑dly soul and has the privilege of serving Hashem. Since these two emotions originate from different parts of the person, they can exist simultaneously.
This is also reflected in the Zohar, which says that there can be "joy on one side of the heart and weeping on the other."
The Zohar illustrates this with Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. When his father revealed to him the profound mystical meaning behind the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, Rabbi Elazar was overcome with deep sorrow. Until then, he knew about the destruction only on its simple level, but now, through the secrets of the Torah that his father revealed, he grasped the immense spiritual tragedy that it represented. That understanding caused him great pain.
At the very same time, however, he experienced tremendous joy because he had been privileged to learn these profound secrets of the Torah. Thus, both emotions coexisted: he rejoiced over the revelation of Torah's deepest mysteries, while simultaneously feeling profound anguish over the subject he had come to understand.
ובצירוף עוד, האמונה והבטחון. להיות נכון לבו בטוח בה': "כי חפץ חסד הוא", ו"חנון ורחום", ו"רב לסלוח" תיכף ומיד, שמבקש מחילה וסליחה מאתו ית'. ("כרוב רחמיך מחה פשעי, כבסני טהרני, וכל עוונותי מחה וכו'":). בלי שום ספק וספיק ספיקא בעולם.
Together with this, a person has the emunah and bitachon, as the Alter Rebbe will soon explain. His heart should be filled with complete trust in Hashem.
Hashem desires kindness. He is infinitely merciful and compassionate, and He abundantly forgives. The moment a person sincerely asks Hashem for forgiveness, admits his wrongdoing, and says, "Please forgive me," Hashem forgives him.
This gives rise to a feeling of confidence and joy. A person can say to Hashem: "With Your abundant mercy, erase my sins. Wash me and cleanse me from all my transgressions." As soon as he sincerely makes these requests, he can be confident that Hashem has accepted his teshuvah and forgiven him. There should be no doubt whatsoever. Not only should there be no doubt, but not even the slightest shadow of a doubt. A person should be absolutely certain that Hashem, in His infinite mercy, forgives those who sincerely return to Him.
וכמו שאנו מברכין בכל תפלת י"ח, תיכף שמבקשים "סלח לנו כו'", "ברוך אתה ה' חנון המרבה לסלוח". והרי "ספק ברכות להקל", משום חשש ברכה לבטלה? אלא אין כאן שום ספק כלל. מאחר שבקשנו "סלח לנו מחל לנו".
How do we know this is true? Perhaps someone will ask: How do I know that Hashem really forgives me? Maybe I ask for forgiveness, but Hashem does not forgive me.
The answer is found in the very structure of the Shemoneh Esrei.
Every day, when we recite the Amidah, we pray, "Selach lanu... Mechal lanu"—"Forgive us... Pardon us." Immediately afterward, how do we conclude the blessing? We say:
"Baruch Atah Hashem, Chanun hamarbeh lisloach"—"Blessed are You, Hashem, the Gracious One who abundantly forgives."
Notice what we are doing. First we ask Hashem to forgive us, and then we immediately thank Him and bless Him as the One who forgives. We do not say, "Perhaps You will forgive us." We conclude the blessing with certainty that Hashem forgives.
This is also supported by an important halachic principle. Whenever there is a doubt whether a blessing should be recited, the rule is safek berachos lehakel—we do not recite the blessing. The reason is that we are extremely careful not to pronounce Hashem's Name in a blessing that may be unnecessary, which would constitute a berachah levatalah, a blessing in vain.
A blessing may be recited only when we are certain that it is warranted.
If there were any doubt that Hashem forgives a person who sincerely asks for forgiveness, Chazal could not have instituted the conclusion, "Baruch Atah Hashem, Chanun hamarbeh lisloach." The very fact that they established this blessing demonstrates that there is no doubt whatsoever. Once a person sincerely says, "Selach lanu, Mechal lanu," he can be confident that Hashem, in His infinite mercy, has forgiven him.
.
ואילו לא היינו חוזרים וחוטאים, היינו נגאלין מיד. כמו שאנו מברכין, "ברוך אתה ה' גואל ישראל".
If we did not return and sin further, then we would have actually been redeemed. Because right after "Selach lanu," what do we say? "Baruch Atah Hashem... Goel Yisrael"—He redeemed us. Because after teshuvah, the geulah comes immediately. So why isn't the geulah here? Because we go and sin again. But we make a bracha right away, "Goel Yisrael," Hashem redeems us. Because once we have asked Hashem forgiveness, and Hashem forgives us, then Hashem redeems us.
והרי אפילו במדת בשר ודם כן. שצריך האדם למחול תיכף ומיד, שמבקשים ממנו מחילה. ולא יהא אכזרי מלמחול. ואפי' בקוטע יד חבירו. כדאי' בגמרא בסוף פרק ח' דבבא קמא. אם ביקש ממנו ג' פעמים ולא מחל לו, שוב אין צריך לבקש ממנו.
But why is this so? Because this is even by human beings. Even the measure of a flesh and blood is so. A person should forgive immediately. As soon as we ask from him forgiveness, a person should forgive. And he should not be cruel not to forgive. Even if a person cut off the hand of his friend, and he asks for forgiveness—tough one, huh? As the Gemara says in the end of the chapter of Bava Kama. So what does the Gemara say there? If he asked him three times, and he didn't forgive him, then you don't have to ask him anymore. So that means, you see how important it is for a person to forgive you, even a human being.
והגבעונים שביקש דוד המלך עליו השלום מהם מחילה, בעד שאול שהמית את הגבעונים, ולא רצו למחול, גזר דוד עליהם שלא יבאו בקהל ה', שהם רחמנים וכו'. כדאיתא בפרק ח' דיבמות.
So we find that the Giv'onim, David HaMelech, peace unto him, asked them forgiveness because Shaul killed the Giv'onim. And he asked them forgiveness, and they did not want to forgive. David decreed upon them that they should not enter the community. You can't marry them into the community of Hashem. They don't have the quality. They're not good people. They don't have the quality. They can't forgive. Because Jewish people are rachmanim—have rachmanus. And if they can't have that, they don't belong to the community of Hashem. As we find in the 8th perek of Yevamos.
ובמדת הקדוש ברוך הוא על אחת כמה וכמה, לאין קץ.
So we see that even people must forgive. So how much more so, by the measure of Hashem, endlessly more, that we ask Hashem for forgiveness, Hashem forgives immediately. So that's why, that gives him the additional reason to be with simcha. So, A, the simcha comes because of the neshama, and the broken heart comes because of the guf. But, B, he also can be sure that when he has a broken heart and he says, Hashem, forgive me, that Hashem does forgive him, as he proves from all the brachos and all the things. And therefore, he can right away be with simcha because he's already been forgiven. And the Rebbe says in some other areas that if all mitzvos we have to do with simcha, how much more the mitzvah of teshuvah you have to do with simcha, because the teshuvah fixes all the mitzvos. So, being secure that Hashem really forgave him, that's a matter that's going to bring him simcha.