Hasidic secrets reveal that an invisible battle rages within each of us. Some hear an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other. Others feel their mind wrestling with their heart. These ancient Hasidic secrets offer a deeper understanding of this internal conflict. Let’s dive into the fascinating world of Jewish wisdom and discover how these Hasidic secrets explain what happens inside every person.
Two Souls in One Body: Who Will Win?
One of the most profound Hasidic secrets teaches that we are not single entities but battlegrounds. Imagine a small town surrounded by fortress walls. Two armies—white and black—are fighting for control. This town is your body, and the armies are the two souls living within: the Divine and the animal.
According to the teachings of Tanya, every person has a Divine soul—the source of goodness, striving for spiritual growth and connection with the Creator. And there is an animal soul—the source of selfish desires and inclinations, pushing us to satisfy material needs.
These two forces constantly battle for control over our thoughts, words, and actions. Whichever dominates determines who we are at any given moment—righteous or sinful.
The Righteous and the Sinner: Two Sides of the Same Coin
“And He created them in opposition—’a sinner who fares well’ against ‘a righteous person who suffers.’”
This phrase from Tanya unlocks Hasidic secrets about the remarkable symmetry of the spiritual world. In the previous chapter, we learned about the righteous person in whom good controls evil. Now we explore the opposite—the sinner in whom evil controls good.
A righteous person is someone in whom the Divine soul has prevailed over the animal soul. A sinner is one in whom the animal soul has subdued the Divine.
But just as there are different levels of righteousness, there are also different types of sinners:
- A sinner who fares well—good still remains within them
- A sinner who suffers—evil has completely overwhelmed good
Endless Shades of Gray: How Sinful Are We?
Life isn’t black and white, and neither is a person’s spiritual state. Between the extremes of the perfectly righteous and the absolutely sinful, there exists “a countless multitude of levels and gradations.”
In some people, evil prevails only occasionally, for a short time, and only in one area:
- In actions: a person commits minor transgressions
- In speech: spreads gossip or empty jokes
- In thoughts: contemplates forbidden things, even without intending to act on them
After such a temporary “fall,” good strengthens again, the person repents, asks for forgiveness, and the Almighty forgives them if their repentance is sincere.
When Sin Becomes a Habit
The Hasidic secrets of Tanya show us that there are people in whom evil grows stronger, capturing all three “garments” of the soul simultaneously—thoughts, speech, and actions. Their sins are more serious and occur more frequently.
But even in them, the voice of good occasionally awakens. They experience remorse, repent… however, the power of good is insufficient to completely overcome evil and abandon sins forever.
“Sinners are full of regrets”
These words of the sages accurately describe most sinners—those in whose souls good still remains, periodically making itself known.
When the Light Has Almost Gone Out: The Extreme Degree of Falling
The lowest level is “a sinner who suffers.” In such a person, evil so predominates that good seems to have left their soul. Such a person never experiences repentance; thoughts of penitence never even visit them.
But even in this case, good doesn’t completely disappear! It has simply “withdrawn and remains at a distance, enveloping them from the outside.” Even in the most hardened sinner, a spark of the Divine soul continues to exist, though it isn’t manifested openly.
The Spark That Cannot Be Extinguished
A striking revelation among Hasidic secrets is this: unlike evil, which can be completely destroyed in the righteous, good cannot be completely destroyed even in the most hardened sinner!
The sages say: “In every gathering of ten, the Shechinah (Divine presence) dwells.” Even if among the ten people there is an absolute sinner, the Divine presence still remains with them, because in every Jew, no matter how low they have fallen, an inextinguishable spark of Divinity is preserved.
The Path of Return is Always Open
The main lesson we can draw from these Hasidic secrets is hope. If even the most hardened sinner retains a spark of good, then the path of return is open to everyone.
As told in the story about Rabbi Tzemach Tzedek, even Jews governed by the ten forces of the animal soul can change and rise to the level of those governed by the forces of the Divine soul.
It’s never too late to start listening to the quiet voice of good within yourself, even if it’s barely audible behind the loud cries of egoism and material desires.
This article on Hasidic secrets is based on the eleventh chapter of the book “Likutei Amarim—Tanya” by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, one of the greatest Hasidic thinkers.
Afterword: This text has not been approved by any sage, Torah scholar, or rabbi and is merely a simplified adaptation of the sacred text for general understanding. For comprehension of true wisdom and a deeper understanding of the original text, you should refer to the sources.
