The Highest Love for G-d: Unveiling the Mystery of Tanya Chapter 50
Unveiling the mystery of spiritual love begins with a simple question: have you ever felt your heart race with overwhelming joy? Remember that feeling when your heart is ready to leap out of your chest with delight? When your breath catches and your soul seems to soar upward? These are precisely the sensations Rabbi Shneur Zalman describes when talking about the highest form of love for the Creator in Chapter 50 of the “Tanya.”
Unveiling the Mystery of Gold and Silver in Spiritual Love
There are different levels of love for G-d. Those mentioned earlier in the book are similar to silver. In Hebrew, “silver” (kesef) sounds similar to the word “longing” (nichsaf). This is a love-desire to unite with G-d, a yearning to merge with Him through studying Torah and fulfilling commandments.
But there is a higher love – like gold, which surpasses silver. This is not just a quantitative superiority (gold is more expensive than silver), but a qualitatively different feeling. The purest gold possesses a captivating luster that draws the eye. Similarly, this love has a special, unique quality.
Unveiling the Mystery of Burning Coals Instead of Flowing Water
Ordinary love for G-d resembles water – it flows in a certain direction, striving toward its source. The highest love, however, is like “burning coals of fire.” This is not a smooth flow, but an all-consuming flame!
Such love arises from contemplating the greatness of the Infinite, before whom everything is considered absolute nothingness. The soul ignites, thirsting to behold the glory of the King, just as a flame strives upward, breaking away from the wick and wood it clings to.
Thirst and Love-Sickness
When divine fire predominates in the soul, spiritual thirst arises. “My soul thirsts for You,” wrote King David. Then comes the state of being “lovesick,” when the soul literally languishes from unquenched longing for the Creator.
And finally – kelot hanefesh (expiring of the soul), when the soul is ready to leave the body, to dissolve in divine radiance. “My soul expires,” is how this experience is described in Scripture.
Unveiling the Mystery of the Levites and Their Service
Interestingly, this kind of love is connected with the Levites. In the Temple, they raised their voices in songs of thanksgiving, in melody and harmony. Their music developed according to the principle of “ratzo v’shov” – “running and returning,” like a flame flashing from the crucible and immediately retreating.
The Levites are currently a step below the Kohanim (priests), but in the future, when the world is elevated, they will become the Kohanim. Why? Because their service, based on the highest form of love, is truly superior.
The Paradox of Life: Living and Dying Despite Yourself
“Despite yourself, you must live,” said our sages. This means that the soul experiencing the highest love would like to dissolve in divine radiance but against its will remains in the body – to fulfill a higher purpose.
What is this purpose? To create a “dwelling place” for G-d in the lower worlds. To reveal His unity here, in the material world. Unveiling the mystery of divine presence is expressed in the saying: “That the One be in one” – the concealed unity must become manifest in our world.
Returning to the One
When the heart “runs” in a surge of love, ready to leave the body, one should “return to the One.” This means realizing that the Creator’s true desire is not for the soul to leave the body, but for it to remain here and reveal the divine presence in the material world.
Therefore, a person must restrain their impulse and direct the energy of love toward studying Torah and fulfilling commandments. Only this way will they fulfill their true purpose – to make this world a place for the explicit revelation of the Divine presence.
Unveiling the Mystery of How to Achieve This Love
Everyone who feels with their heart, understands and penetrates the depth of contemplation about G-d, will find “goodness and hidden light” in their rational soul. The main condition is to precede this with fear of sin, completely avoiding evil, so that sins do not separate from the Source of life. By gradually unveiling the mystery of divine love within ourselves, we connect to the ultimate purpose of our existence.
This article is based on Chapter 50 of the book “Likkutei Amarim — Tanya” by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement and one of the greatest Hasidic thinkers. Through his writings, he continues unveiling the mystery of the soul’s relationship with the Divine for generations of spiritual seekers.
Afterword: The text of this article 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.
This and all other article texts of the Mega-Charity.Org resource express only the personal opinions of the authors who compiled them. They are intended only for general and superficial understanding of the real sources of wisdom. References to which are provided.
