Core Concepts Tanya: Chapter 10

Brief Recap of Chapter 10:

1. Chapter 10 discusses what a Tzadik is according to Tanya.
The word Tzadik is used in court cases and the like to indicate the person on the side of right, or overall good in deeds, but Tanya refers to a much higher level.
In Tanya, a Tzadik is someone whose every thought, speech, and action is directed to a holy purpose. His emotions, his intellect, every one of his soul faculties are all about serving G-d.
Remember the city the two kings are warring over? For a Tzadik, the G-dly soul has won the war entirely.

2. There are two main levels of Tzadik, and each has a second dimension to it, with various gradations in between:

Tzadik v'ra lo: "A Tzadik to whom there is bad." This refers to a person who has conquered his animal soul, and his cravings/ desires for physicality to such an extent that it’s without a voice, as in, not only doesn’t he sin, but he has no impulse for sin.

Tzadik she'ano gamur: "An incomplete Tzadik." Because the above individual has only conquered, but not brought over, his animal soul, his love of G-d is also incomplete.

Tzadik v'tov lo: "A Tzadik to whom there is good." Someone who has so conquered his animal soul that, he's brought it over to the side of good, essentially having two G-dly souls.

Tzadik gamur: "A complete Tzadik." A person who can flip his animal soul over to good is also someone whose love of G-d is complete, to the point that G-d's will is his will, that pleasure in life means doing what G-d wants.

3. How to become a Tzadik?
A. Removes himself from all physical pleasures of this world, all "sullied garments." This means conquering the cravings, temptations, desires of the animal soul.
B. Develops a complete revulsion for the physical pleasures and indulgences of this world.
C. He loves G-d just because. This is a very high level of love that comes with no strings attached, no rationalization, and includes a total giving over of one's self and will to holier pursuits. This doesn't mean disconnecting from the real world, but living in the world according to the dictates of Torah.
Included in this is developing a hatred for anything that is opposed to G-dliness. Because this ultimate level of Tzadik loves G-d so completely, he also utterly despises anything that obstructs the revelation of G-dly light.

It may not be easy to think of how a spiritual person can harbor an emotion like hatred within him, but when he does it's a reflection of the level of his love for G-d. The more complete his love is, the more complete his hatred, intolerance, etc, for anything that would prevent the revelation of G-dliness, which is anything that stems from "The Other Side." If you ever had to dissect something in high school, then you probably remember that there were different types of reactions. Some people thought it was cool, some didn't mind, and some couldn't stand the sight or smell of it. A complete Tzadik can't stand the sight or smell of evil. Additionally, as the Talmud astutely teaches, "He who is kind to the cruel will ultimately be cruel to the kind."

A Tzadik is a very high level of self/ spiritual improvement that is realistically unattainable for most people. However, the Tanya takes a chapter to let us know about this person because (a) we don't know if we do or do not have the potential to reach that level, (b) we now know what the ultimate level is that a human can reach. One message that the Tanya is very clear about is that each of us can be more than our natural characters/ make up would seem to suggest. The Tanya is very demanding in what it expects from us, but it also believes that we are up to the task. Besides, we all have the same Torah and Mitzvot, no matter which level we’re on.