The concept of hidden love is one of the most profound spiritual ideas in Jewish mysticism. Within each of us lie amazing spiritual resources that we often don’t even suspect exist. What happens when a person, far removed from philosophical contemplation, suddenly displays incredible spiritual strength in a critical moment? Why are ordinary people sometimes capable of astonishing manifestations of faith? The book “Tanya” reveals these mysteries of the human soul through the concept of “hidden love.”
The Mystery of Self-Sacrifice: Where Does Faith Come From?
Imagine this remarkable situation: a person who has never deeply studied spiritual matters suddenly becomes willing to sacrifice everything for their beliefs. This manifestation of inner spiritual connection often emerges in the most challenging circumstances. History knows many examples when even the simplest people chose suffering rather than renouncing their faith.
Why does this happen? Rabbi Shneur Zalman offers an astonishing answer: every Jewish soul contains a “hidden love” for the Creator. This is not merely an emotion, but a profound connection inherited from the forefathers. This hidden love is so fundamental that it acts without any reflection or logical justification.
“They sacrifice themselves not because they know the Almighty and contemplate Him, but without any knowledge or contemplation, as if it is absolutely impossible to deny the one God.”
How Spiritual Inheritance Works
The author of “Tanya” explains this profound connection through the amazing concept of spiritual heritage. The forefathers of the nation, whom he calls the “chariot” (meaning they completely submitted themselves to Divine will), passed special qualities of soul to their descendants.
This transmission literally occurs at the moment of conception, when each future child receives a soul of a certain level. What’s remarkable is that even those whom the author calls “the emptiest of the empty and sinners” receive at least a minimal level of holy soul.
Wisdom That Awakens Inner Connection
Here we approach the key point: Divine light illuminates the soul through a special category – “Chochmah” (Wisdom), which is where this inherited spiritual connection resides. This is not the wisdom we’re accustomed to understanding as accumulation of knowledge. Shneur Zalman explains:
Chochmah is the source of intellect that exists above intellect itself. It can be deciphered as “koach mah” – “the power of questioning ‘what?’” This is a power that exists before anything can be understood or analyzed.
This is precisely why the infinite Divine light can manifest through Chochmah – because:
“Thought does not comprehend Him at all”
Why Faith Is Stronger Than Intellect
Faith is a phenomenon that surpasses intellectual understanding. In ordinary life, we believe that “the foolish believe everything, while the wise analyze.” But when it comes to perceiving the infinite Divine, all people find themselves in the position of a “fool” – because finite reason cannot encompass the infinite.
The author of “Tanya” cites an amazing statement from Psalms:
“I was foolish and did not know; I was like an animal before You, yet I am always with You”
And explains it in an unexpected way: it is precisely because a person acknowledges the limitations of their intellect before the Almighty that they are able to always be with Him. This is a kind of “advantage of simplicity” in spiritual matters.
Why This Spiritual Connection Matters for Each of Us
This concept of divine connection has practical significance for every person:
- This inner spiritual potential exists in everyone – regardless of intellectual abilities or education
- Faith works at a deeper level than reason – and can be activated even when rational thinking is powerless
- Connection with the Almighty is accessible to anyone – through the category of Chochmah, which transcends intellectual comprehension
Practical Conclusion: Hidden Love Is Very Close to You
At the beginning of the chapter, the author questions the meaning of the word “very” in the biblical phrase “For this is very close to you.” Now the answer becomes clear: serving the Almighty with love and awe is indeed very accessible to everyone through this hidden love.
Not because everyone is capable of achieving intellectual comprehension of Divine greatness. But because this hidden love, rooted in the category of Chochmah, in which the infinite Divine light itself shines, is already embedded in every soul.
It’s like having a spiritual key in your pocket that you’ve forgotten about, but which can open the most important door in your life. You don’t need to create it or search for it – you just need to become aware of its existence.
This article is based on Chapter 18 of the book “Likutei Amarim — Tanya” by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, one of the greatest Hasidic thinkers and founder of the Chabad movement.
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.
