Tanya L'masse #9 - The diamond ring

Tanya L’maaseh – Learning + Hisbonenus 

5 min discussion + 5 minutes of quiet hisbonenus – Your weekly hisbonenus gym
 Based on the writings of Reb Shlomo Chaim Kessleman z”l and the Tanya classes of Mrs. Shterna Ginsburg (“Tanya in Real Life”)

Lead by Rabbi Betzalel Bassman 

Week #8 – Hisbonenus Summary

1. Am I Tuned In or Tuned Out?

Throughout the day, I can ask:

• Right now, am I aware of Hashem's presence or not?
• What helps me feel connected?
• What causes me to drift into forgetfulness?

The goal is not self-judgment, but increased awareness.

2. My Feelings Are Real, But They Are Not My Identity

When experiencing anxiety, sadness, anger, or discouragement:

• These feelings are happening within me, but they are not me.
• My emotions belong to my current experience, not my essence.
• The neshamah remains whole and connected even when my emotional world feels turbulent.

3. The Animal Soul Is Energy, Not Evil

Reflect on:

• The same drives that can pull me away from holiness can also be redirected toward holiness.
• My ambition, desire, passion, and need for recognition are raw energies.
• My task is not to destroy these drives, but to elevate and channel them.

Like a river, the question is not whether it flows, but where it flows.

4. The Yetzer Hara Wants Me to Confuse Experience with Identity

Notice the difference between:

• "I am anxious" and "I am experiencing anxiety."
• "I am a failure" and "I experienced a failure."
• "I am disconnected" and "I feel disconnected right now."

The yetzer hara's greatest victory is not the struggle itself, but convincing me that the struggle is who I am.

5. My Value Comes From My Neshamah

Spend time contemplating:

• A part of Hashem exists within me at every moment.
• My worth is not earned through success, performance, or approval.
• Before I accomplish anything today, I already possess infinite value because of who I am at my core.

A question to sit with:

If I truly believed my value was unconditional, how would I think, speak, and act differently today?

These five meditations move from awareness, to identity, to the role of the animal soul, to the deception of the yetzer hara, and finally to unconditional value rooted in the neshamah.

Tanya L'masseh - Learning + Hisbonenus 

Presenter : Rabbi Betzalel Bassman 

A project of Merkos Torah: Kviyus Itim L'Torah

Take your learning to the next level. Reach out to see which project is the best fit for you - rabbibbassman@gmail.com

Rabbanus Training - Kollel L'Rabbonei Chabad

Revolutionize your Limud haChassidus - Kollel L'lomdei Dach

Make Chassidus part of your life - Dach L'noshim

In-depth practical halacha - Kollel Aliba D'hilchisa

Transform your davening - Bais Medrash Iyun Tefilah

Master Hilchos Niddah - Kollel L'hilchos Niddah

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Okay, welcome to our Hisbainus gym, Tanya Lamaisa, week number eight. We are continuing through the journey of trying to take some nuggets of Tanya and practice some Hisbainus together. So we're gonna spend a couple of minutes going through some points in Tanya Perid base, and then we will uh try to synchronize those into five his bindingness talking points. I will share a further thought from the writings based on the teachings of Kesselman and his banner, and then we'll do a five-minute bitness with Hashem's help. Okay, so continuing the conversation about tuning in to our Mashamma and using that metaphor of tuning in and tuning out to the reality of Hashem and connection versus disconnection. So when we're connected to our Nishama, we have clarity on our connection to Hashem. The Nefesha Bahamas sends vibes, sends tendencies that can distract and lead us to a place where we're zoomed out from Hashem's reality. So we're talking about this Nefesha Bahamas. So an important very fundamental nuance here is the term Nefesha Bahamas and Yatsudhuda. Nefesha Bahamas, I heard the uh the term used, it's an operating system. Sham created an operating system of the Nefesh of Bahamas and the Nephthalikus. The Yetzudhada takes the operating system and so to speak acts upon it and translates that into being the reality. So the Nevish of Muhammad is like we said before, there's the hidden hiddenness, it's the concealment of Hashem and kind of putting that reality into our consciousness or lack of connection to Hashem. Um just to kind of summarize that is what implants these tendencies that can leave lead away from our awareness of HM. It gives life and energy to our body, it places in the blood, as we mentioned, but it's it's like a fruit, it's like a peel of a fruit. And and it contributes to the fruit, and it contributes actually freshness, keeps the fruit fresh. That they really are not just neutral. Actually, the Navaj Bahamas of the Alpha Livic includes even in a state of disconnect and not being conscious of our HM connection is has good natural drives of kindness, compassion, and so on, at least in the Nevada Bahamas of a year. So it's that's kind of a summary of the Nevada Bahamas. The eight of Hara comes and says this that you're kind of like feeling or have a tendency towards something that's distracting you from HM, that's the truth. That's your identity, it's not just you drifting. This drifting is your main identity. So the truth is that our identity is the Nashama, and this is just a drifting uh mental fart, let's call it, excuse my language. It's a it's a um it's not it's not true, it's just like a bubble that floats through our consciousness, and the next the it's uh to contrast those two terms is what takes that Nefesha Bahamas, you know, consciousness and says that is you really the me is the Nishama. Good example that Mrs. Ginsberg gave was say you have a a gold ring, you add a diamond to it, so its identity is now no longer a gold ring with a diamond, it's a diamond ring. So, too, when we get in touch with our nishama, uh not in touch, but when we realize that we have a nishama, that operating system is our true identity, that's our diamond, and these distracting thoughts of the Nefsha Bahamas are just that distracting thoughts, and the the It's at Hada's voice that these distracting throats are true and real and concrete. That's that's what we need to counter and say no, that that that's actually not true. Okay, so here are the five is venomous talking points. Am I tuned out of Hashem or am I tuned in? My feelings of the Nefshabamas are real, but they are not my identity. The animal soul is energy, it's not evil. The Yedsadhutta wants me to confuse experience with identity. My value comes from my nishama. A question to sit with. Quotes from Tanya Peregimel. That when doing his mind us, the goal is to pick one thought and stick with it. In our case, for five minutes, and remove distracting thoughts. So the goal is to focus on one thought and to really work hard at that. This is not a not an easy exercise. It's a it takes effort and practice and skill. Um so there will be distractions, but it's always to come back to that one thought. So the cash amits because of light. So it takes focus, it's one thought, and try to stick with that one thought for one minute, two minutes, three minutes. Then you're building on that. If the if the if the mind moves to come back to that. Okay, I'll put a timer on, and we'll do our five minutes. Okay, sorry, I got a little distracted there, talking about distractions. Timer's on for five minutes.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Enjoy yours business.