Introduction
Chinuch Katan
Perek Alef
Perek Beis
Perek Gimmel..
100
List the five sections of Tanya.
1. לקוטי אמרים 2. שער היחוד והאמונה 3. אגרת התשובה 4. אגרת הקודש 5. קונטרס אחרון
100
List the five parts of the neshama and the effects that the part of the neshama has on the person.
נפש action רוח speech נשמה thought חי desire for Holiness. This is מקיף יחידה power to have מסירת נפש
100
What type of life force do stones have?
The life force that makes them different from water, trees, or anything else in this world.
100
Explain the basis of the מינים's mistake.
They think that Hashem is like a craftsman who makes a vessel and then leaves it. They don't realize that what Hashem makes comes from nothing so he needs to constantly recreate it.
100
Why do we not see the G-dly energy in everything in this world?
Because Hashem purposely hides it from us.
200
Bring and example of the Alter Rebbes humility.
He quotes ספרים and סופרים ספרים are the Maharal and the Shalah סופרים are the Maggid and the Baal Shem Tov He says that this isn't his own work. It's a compilation.
200
What is the question on the passuk אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם לעשותה לאהבה את ה'? What is the answer?
How can we be commanded about an emotion? We're commanded to have אהבה מהתבוננות. Love that comes from thought. You can work on your thoughts.
200
List three facts about the דבר ה'.
1. It exists forever 2. It causes a physical effect 3. It's connected to it's source Hashem.
200
What are the properties of water and how did that change during kriyas yam suf?
Properties: to be wet and to flow. During kriyas yam suf the waters were still wet but they stopped flowing and instead stood up like a wall.
200
What does the Alter Rebbe bring the sun as a mashal for? Explain the mashal.
The sun is a mashal for how it is that in this world we feel like we exist, but in reality we don't. The mashal: In the sun, the rays of sunlight don't exist. But here on earth the sunrays do exist.
300
Why is everyone required to learn Tanya?
שש מצות תמידיות. Everyone needs to love Hashem, Fear Hashem and believe in him, and that's what the Tanya helps us do. לכשיפוצו מעינותיך חוצה Spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus (Tanya) is a requirement for Chassidus to come
300
Describe the Ahava Raba. Who is it for, and why?
It's the type of love that Tzaddikim have. It's not for everyone. Only for people who work very hard on זיכוך החמור and people with many many Torah and Mitzvos. With this love, tzaddim desire to have כלות הנפש and that their neshama should leave their body.
300
How does the Baal Shem Tov explain the pasuk: לעולם ה' דברך נצב בשמים?
Hashem's words are constantly recreating the רקיע (and everything else). He didn't just create the world and then leave it. He is constantly making it exist.
300
How is קריעת ים סוף a proof for the fact that Hashem constantly needs to recreate the world?
With קריעת ים סוף hashem just changed nature (a change of יש מיש) Yet this is considered to be a great miracle and we know that he was there throughout. When he creates the world that's a miracle of יש מאין so of course he's there!
300
What part of the mashal about the sun doesn't match the nimshal?
In the mashal, here in this world the sunlight is separated from it's source. In the nimshal, we are never truly separated from Hashem, our source. It just appears to us that we exist as separate entities.
400
Why do we start learning the Tanya from the שער היחוד והאמונה?
1. Because it's about אמונה which is the basis for the love and fear of Hashem discussed in the לקוטי אמרים. 2. Because it seems to have been written first. The proof is that there are a number of times that the Alter Rebbe says "As will be mentioned in the future" and he actually mentions the explanations in the לקוטי אמרים.
400
What is the אהבה מהתבננות? Who is it for?
This is a love for Hashem that comes from thinking about Him דרך כלל and דרך פרט. It's a love that everyone can work on.
400
What is the question on the pasuk: וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי ה' הוא האלוקים בשמים ממעל ועל הארץ מתחת אין עוד What is the answer?
Isn't it obvious that Hashem is the only one in the Heavens? Why are we instructed to take this to heart? What the Passuk is referring to is the fact that Hashem is constantly in the Heavens and earth recreating everything. this is something that people didn't know before the times of the Baal Shem Tov.
400
Explain the פסוק ואתה מחיה את כולם
The ה 5 organs of articulation bring the letters from א-ת into existence. This means that it's the דבר ה' creating words that is מחיה את העולם. On a deeper level, מחיה should be read מהוה which means to bring into constant existence. It's the words of Hashem that constantly bring the world into existence.
400
What are the four worlds?
אצילות בריא יצירה עשיה
500
What are 5 ways that the Tanya is compared to a Sefer Torah?
1. 5 חומשים or 5 sections 2. 54 פרשיות or 53 perakim + introduction 3. No נקודות 4. For everyone תורה שבכתב5. of נגלה or of נסתר
500
What is the Alter Rebbe's question on the passuk: חנוך לנער על פי דרכו? What is the answer?
If you educate everyone according to his level, then this doesn't seem to be one true path. Why do we then expect everyone to stay on this path when they grow old. Answer: The pasuk refers to Tzaddikim. As they grow older they get an אהבה רבה. But even so, there are times that they fall, and then they rely on their אהבה מהתבוננות that they were taught when they were younger.
500
What is special about Lashon hakodesh? How does that connect to words that don't appear in the עשרה מאמרות?
The letters can change to mean other letters. The letters of the word אבן don't appear in the עשרה מאמרות (as with the letters of other words too) but if you change around different words that are in the עשרה מאמרות you will get the word אבן.
500
When Hashem speaks to the world His words create physical objects, but when he speaks to the נביאים His words don't create anything physical. Why?
The נביאים's understanding of Hashem's words are at the level of the world of בריאה or אצילות where physicality doesn't exist. This world is at the level עשיה where physicality does exist and so Hashem's words create objects.
500
Explain the types of things we think about in the דרך כלל and in the דרך פרט
דרך כלל Hashem is our life source. He is our neshama. We love Him like we love ourselves. דרך פרט Hashem is so great there are parts of Him we'll never understand. He went down to Mitzrayim to take us out of the sitra achra. It's our job to reflect His love to us back to Him.