Chapter 5

Hasidism It was given to us to bring more enthusiasm to the study of Torah, the observance of the Mitzvot and the service to Hashem. In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe will give special motivation for the study and understanding of the Torah. Later in Tania (chapters 35 to 37), we will learn what makes the Mitzvot are more important than anything else. But in this chapter the Alter Rebbe explains why the study of Torah It's so special.

When two things are separate, there are many ways to bring them together. For example, friends can get together in the same room, or hold hands, or squeeze together in a closet. But with the study of Torah we join Hashem in an incredible way!

Using our brain (the gray matter!), we study the Torah of Hashem. The Torah It talks about physical things. For example, there can be a law (halakhaIf Reuven buys Shimon's house when Shimon is very drunk, Reuven does not become the owner of the house. It may be that it never happens that a person sells their house when they are drunk, but nevertheless, as it is a law of the Torah, We know that's what Hashem She wants it, so it's part of the Torah.

When we study Torah And we understand something new: our physical brain is merging with the Torah of Hashem in an incredible way. (They become like one and the same thing; the Alter Rebbe calls it a wonderful union. There is nothing in the world like it—a physical person uniting with Hashem Same!).

The Alter Rebbe says that when we study something, while we are busy trying to understand it, the concept “surrounds” us. Once we understand it, it is our mind that “surrounds” and “contains” the concept. (An example would be air: it is outside of us, that is, it “surrounds” us, and when we breathe it in, we have it inside. In the same way, before we understand an idea, the idea is outside of us, “surrounding” us. After we understand it, the idea is “inside” us, and we “surround” it.) This is a very strong connection!

(It should be clarified that this wonderful union only occurs when one studies and understands the Torah that was studied. If the words are only pronounced, without understanding what is being said, this type of connection is not achieved with Hashem).

Our wise men¹ they say that “Studying Torah It's the same as all the others Mitzvot”", that is, it has what all the others have Mitzvot They achieve it together. Why? The Alter Rebbe explains that the Torah and the Mitzvot They're like food and clothing. Torah It is compared to bread, and the Mitzvot are comparable to the “Garments” of the soul in Paradise (gan eden in Hebrew, where souls are before birth or after death).

What is the difference between food and clothing? Food goes inside us and becomes part of us, while clothing surrounds us. So, Mitzvot are the way Hashem It surrounds us and Torah is the way Hashem It is within each of us.

But studying and understanding the Torah It is also a Mitzvah. That is why our wise men² they say that “Studying Torah It's the same as all the others Mitzvot”, because the Torah It is food and clothing, while the others Mitzvot They're just clothes.