Core Concepts Tanya: Chapter 2

Brief Recap of Chapter 2:

1. Chapter 2 continues to prove “this thing is very near to you” by delving into our makeup, specifically in focusing on the G-dly Soul.

2. When G-d created the world, He spoke and each thing came into being.
When G-d created man, He formed him and then blew into him a soul.
This breath is something that comes from deep within, meaning this soul comes from the essence of G-d. This soul is a literal piece of G-d that we’re walking around with inside of us.
Ostensibly, this should make us more careful of just where we go with it…

3. Souls come from G-d’s wisdom. Unlike in this world, where mind, knowledge, and knower are all distinct entities, all three are the same when it comes to G-d.
This is something that we can’t really understand, just as we can't really understand G-d’s thoughts.
Think of a five-year-old asking Einstein to explain the Theory of Relativity. The kid just doesn't have the mental capacity to understand it, even though he one day might. We will never understand G-d, but still get frustrated when we forget how much more He is than us.

4. All souls come from the same place, but there are many levels of souls depending on their journey into the body, which results in how receptive they are to G-dliness.
The more direct the descent, the more in tune the soul will be to G-dliness in this world.

5. When a child is conceived, the parents conduct affects the types of "garments" the child will have. These "garments" are the means through which the souls expresses itself; character traits, talents, personality.
Holier actions can lead to kids with "holier garments," kids who start off with a greater advantage on their path of serving G-d.

6. The souls are part of G-d's essence, but to give life to a person it has to journey down into this world so it can exist in what we see as a separate entity.
There are four main spiritual worlds that the soul travels through. Some souls have a more direct path, keeping them more pure for their arrival. Some have a greater journey, which compacts their receptivity to holiness.
The four worlds each represent a different level in that process, beginning with the highest world which is closest to G-d and ending with the world in which we, creations who cannot see G-dliness, can exist.

Think of a writer who wants to write a story. In order for that story to be read, it has to be removed from the mind, the "wisdom" of the writer, and it has to be discussed, written, edited, etc, so it can become a book for someone else to read. First the writer has an idea. Second the writer develops the idea, the characters, the point of the story, etc. Third the writer actually writes up the story and edits it many, many times. Fourth the writer sends the story to print and it becomes a book.

Take that one step further. If a writer is trying to get a certain point across, sometimes he'll sit down and write a story and get it down right away, to the point, a short, brilliant piece of work.
Sometimes a writer starts writing and writing, and the point gets buried somewhere in that process. The writers needs to wade through all those extra words and characters and scenes to rediscover the point of his story.
Some of us are short, sweet, and to the point when it comes to our level of holiness.
Some of us get a little lost in all that extra process, but the point is still there. We just have to work a bit harder to find it.