Continuing our theme of praying in a place of filth as we learn in Masechet Brachot Daf 25a, the Gemara says that that even praying in a place of feces which is as hard as earthenware is also prohibited. This is something new – as the feces (by this stage) would probably not give off a bad smell and also (perhaps) it has lost its definition of prohibited feces.

The Gemara then asks when it would officially lose its title of being considered moist. Ameimar says that it is forbidden to pray (or involve oneself in any holy matters) in front of feces even if it is hard like earthenware. Mar Zutra says that it is permitted.

The Gemara then discusses the issue of urine and also the degree to which it might prohibit dealing in holy matters in front of it. Is it sufficient if the urine has been absorbed into ground? What about if an impression remains? What is really considered to be moist? Perhaps moist refers to itself or perhaps it refers to a degree of a wetness whereby it imparts the wetness into something else – allowing that thing to have its own moisture to it. The Gemara goes into great detail as it strives to get a clear answer on this subject.

After these lengthy discussions concerning feces and urine and the degrees of wetness that impart a filth – enough to prohibit engaging in prayer and holy matters around it, the Gemara returns to the Mishnah which we are currently on.

The Gemara focuses on the Mitzvah of reciting Shema in the morning when a person has gone to purify himself in a Mikvah and finds time running out. May he recite the Keriat Shema inside the Mikvah itself? May one simply cover oneself up with the water of the Mikvah and recite the Shema this way? Or perhaps this is considered being able to see one’s own nakedness?

The Gemara then returns to the matter of feces asking about the law of praying in front of the filth if it is covered in a covering of sorts. Are we concerned with the actual feces (in which case it would be forbidden to pray there) or is it more that the feces must be covered (even if it is front of one?) The Gemara then asks a similar questions about praying in front of a person who is naked. Here the Gemara asks whether the law is in the same category as a concept or whether nakedness – no matter who it is – may not be seen, even if it is covered with a lantern like window.

If there is urine – is there a way to nullify it? If so, how much water would it take to nullify the effect of the urine? Does it make a difference if water would be present before the urine entered the place or whether the urine was present before the water came to nullify the urine?

What is the status of a chamber pot used to contain feces and urine? What about if it is completely empty? Is it permitted to pray in its vicinity?

The subject matter of our current Gemara is filled with very physical matters. While the matters discussed may seem far from the wonderful spiritual ideas we often consider the Torah as speaking about – our Gemara puts into practice some highly important parts of life that we often find ourselves in and how best to deal with them when it comes to matters of our spirituality – in a physical world.

We conclude our discussion in Masechet Brachot today Daf 24b on the subject of reciting the Keriat Shema in a place of filth. Rav Huna and Rav Chisda argue their points and Rav Meyasha son of the son of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and Rav Asi give their take by quoting verses that relate to this recitation in a place of filth. Rabbi Abahu quotes a verse sharing the beauty of valuing not reciting Shema in a place of filth.

Rav Huna begins the next discussion regarding reciting Shema if one places a belt on one’s waist and that it is sufficient i.e. in terms of modesty but says that for prayer, one must cover one’s heart.

The Gemara turns to a discussion of what to do if one goes into a bathroom wearing Tefillin. May one attend to one’s needs – or should one run out even if one has already begun to attend to one’s needs.

We continue discussing themes of praying when there is dirt (i.e. feces) on a part of one’s body.

What is the law with regards to praying in an area where there is feces in the vicinity? The Gemara lists various conditions for being permitted to pray in certain instances and when it is clearly forbidden.

What about praying in an area with a bad smell (i.e. from a person having passed wind) but there is no actual physical source present? What is the situation of praying when there is a doubt of there being feces in the vicinity? What about praying if there is urine in the vicinity? These subjects are all dealt with in our Gemara today.

We begin Chapter 10 in the Mesilat Yesharim today! This is exciting! We’ve learned about the trait of Watchfulness and then moved onto Zeal (enthusiasm / alacrity). We’ve learnt about the importance of guarding oneself from anything that stands in the way of us accomplishing our goals and Goal (capital G) in life. We’ve also learnt about getting excited about doing what we must.

We hold ourselves away from evil – and we move on to good. What then do we make of trait #3 – known as Cleanliness? Cleanliness is really Watchfulness on steroids! In other words, “Cleanliness” is that trait that is associated with disassociating oneself from bad – but with one proviso – one does so to the very absolute degree of being careful.

Whereas Watchfulness speaks about a general holding back from those things known to be evil – Cleanliness speaks about refraining from even the smallest iota of anything associated with evil. What does that mean practically? That is what we begin to discuss in this lesson – and will continue learning about for a few weeks ahead.

The trait is a lengthy one and it truly separates the “men” from the “boys”. It is the first moment when we begin to realise, we’re either prepared to work on ourselves as we should – or we end up stationary on a level for the average person.

We do a summary from our previous lesson in Tanya #72. We begin with Chapter 35. Though there is a slight shift in our journey through this wonderful work, it is really just a continuation from our previous themes.

The Alter Rebbe begins the chapter with two ideas that he will expand upon:

1. The word “La’asoto” – “to do” – that the observance of Mitzvot is an easy thing to do.

2. Who are the Beinonim really — in the sense of – why have them been put into this world?

Discussing point two, the Alter Rebbe questions the purpose of the Beinoni. Why does such a soul descend into a body only to have to engage itself in an endless effort of trying to keep the evil from revealing itself. His entire job seems to be centered on subjugating evil – yet he never succeeds. If so – why does God put this soul into a body to engage in a fruitless exercise?

We can understand the Tzadik who turns evil into good and sees the results of what he does but the Beinoni has no real goal other than battling the evil inside him all his life.

The Alter Rebbe begins his insight into the life of the Beinoni with a quote from King Solomon who said that, “The wise man’s eyes are in his head”. Noting the obvious redundancy of the question (everyone’s eyes are in their heads!), the Alter Rebbe begins a beautiful explanation from a quote in the holy Zohar which tells us that the Shechinah dwells over the head of a person. The body is the wick and some sort of oil is needed to keep the flame of the Shechinah burning continually.

The Alter Rebbe explains this analogy to the idea that a person must feed the wick (the body) with good deeds and Mitzvah performance (the oil) in order to keep the flame burning.

In fact, Mitzvot and good deeds are the very essence of God in this world — without any type of interference or diminution of His light at all. When we engage ourselves in Mitzvah observance, we attach ourselves completely to God as if there is nothing intervening.

Our page today – Daf 24b in Masechet Brachot is filled with a variety of different topics related to what could be considered quite ordinary behaviour — during prayer.

Our first story brought at the very end of Daf 24a speaks about Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi – the redactor of the Mishnah. Ravina says that he saw Rebbi burping, yawning, sneezing and even spitting during his davening. It seems like odd behaviour for the great Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. How are we to understand this story?

The Gemara discusses a variety of points of view concerning these very physical acts – and the more so that they applied to Rebbi doing them while praying.

While there are indeed times that these acts may be considered negative, it seems that being human means that we are all subject to these things happening at one point in time or another in our lives – even during prayer. But what does it all mean? Is it all negative? Is there anything positive we can say for it? The Gemara provides some interesting food for thought – especially about sneezing – when it comes from one’s nose…

What about spitting though? Is there anything positive to that? What is one to do if there is a build up of spit in one’s mouth while praying? Here, the Gemara tells us that some people are less sensitive to others – and others who are more sensitive about various physical things (like spit).

The Gemara discusses the issue of raising one’s voice in prayer. Is it permitted? Should we be concerned about others who are praying next to us or is it more important for us to hear the sound of our own voices?! Can God hear us if we pray softly, or is it important for us to raise our voices to the heavens?!

We learn an amazing teaching concerning Rav Yehuda. Rav Yehuda was opposed to making Aliyah. He believed that God had sent the Jewish people into exile (Babylonia) and that until He himself would return them to Israel (perhaps in other words at the time of Moshiach and a similar type of episode that took place with Moshe leading the entire nation out of Egypt – but in this case into Israel) — until such a time, the Jewish people should remain in Babylonia. A very unique opinion.

What is one to do if faced with a problem of excess wind in one’s body while praying? Is it permitted to let it out? And if so, is there anything one should be aware of (in terms of Halachah of course) if one releases wind during one’s prayer?

Continuing the theme of physical distractions, the Gemara discusses the issue of being in the presence of garbage/trash when one is walking and busy reciting the Keriat Shema. Should one stop reciting it? Is it permissible recite words of Torah in a place of garbage? May one even think words of Torah around places which smell and are dirty?

Our Gemara deals with some very physical things in our lives. We often fail to acknowledge our human frailty. We become so absorbed in greatness and holiness, that we tend to forget that we are after all – just physical beings. We are not angels. These pieces of Gemara bring us full circle in making us aware, that no matter how holy we become, we must not forget that we are created as physical beings with a variety of interesting physical characteristics that make us who we are. We can be aware of both of these parts of ourselves – and still become great, holy and close to God.

Continuing the theme of fear, the Mesilat Yesharim tells us – in concluding Chapter 9, that when fear is based upon something real, it is reasonable to assume one will do everything to stay away from it. That is fine! It when we fined all sorts of excuses not to do something based upon an improbable fear that causes as to stumble. This is not acceptable. We will not get on with life if we live this way. We will certainly not be able to get on with studying Torah and observing Mitzvot!

Wherever we can see actual fear in front of us – we should refrain from jumping in to doing things. However, if one is wise, one will be able to recognise that not everything  need be feared. We must live normal lives.

In short – Shlomo HaMelech – King Solomon – teaches us that the lazy person will always find ways out of doing anything. And his excuses always seem to make perfect sense to him/her. Of course, any reasonable person will be able to see past the excuses in realising that the reason for the person’s not doing something that must be done, is not because he is afraid. On the contrary, it his laziness that causes the fear, and not the fear that causes the avoidance of action.

The Mesilat Yesharim – the Ramchal – sums up for us the final points regarding the second trait along the ladder towards holiness. First comes Watchfulness. One must be careful to refrain from that that is bad for ourselves. Once one can pull oneself away from the negative influences in life, one can move on and start becoming exciting about doing the right things in life.

What’s next? Now we must move on to a more sensitive area – that of Nekiyut. Translated roughly as “Cleanliness” – the real translation is far from this. Nekiyut refers to truly refining ourselves from every evil that exists! What then is the difference between our first trait of Watchfulness and our new third trait of “Cleanliness”? Join us for our next lesson when we explore more about this most refined trait we can strive towards.

We conclude Chapter 34 and begin Chapter 35 in today’s lesson in Tanya. Our theme has discussed the elements of being happy and ultimately not falling into the trap of dullness of heart and being able to get oneself excited about serving God.

We learnt that the Forefathers were the Divine chariot and how the entire Jewish people were (are) supposed to be this way. But it’s not possible for all of us to reach such high levels of holiness. Ultimately we saw that at the giving of the Torah when the Jewish people were not able to sustain the revelation of God. God then told them to build a Mishkan – a Tabernacle in which He would reveal himself there.

Later, the Tabernacle became the first and second Temples. But when both were destroyed, God tells us that His presence has become concealed within the four cubits of Halachah (see previous lesson).

When we engage in study, we are able to connect with that same level of holiness that existed in all the above areas. However, again, not all of us are able to commit to an entire day and night of Torah study – for obvious reasons.

For those who can’t and who spend much of the day working, they should realise that they too can connect with those levels of holiness by their giving of charity. Through the fifth of their income that they give away, they ultimately raise up all the other four fifths and in truth serve God with everything they have.

This should give them great joy!

The Alter Rebbe then tells us that even though we experience this tremendous joy, we should be aware that it does not prevent those feelings of sadness from creeping in. This is not unusual because happiness stems from the soul and its connection with all things spiritual. However, sadness stems from the body and its needs.

As a result, one can often end up with feelings of sadness within oneself even though one is also filled with tremendous feelings of happiness.

This should in no way detract from one’s excitement in serving God.

We then move on to Chapter 35:

Chapter 35 requires some introduction – which we deal with in the lesson and which we will hopefully recap in our next lesson:

The theme of Chapter deals with the most essential part of the Tanya – “For this matter is very close to you in your mouth and in your heart to do it”. Here, the Alter Rebbe will focus on the the importance of practical Mitzvot. What is the reason we must engage in practical Mitzvot while in this world. What is the point of it all?

Together with this theme – and linked with it – is the theme of the Beinoni (the “Middle Man” or the “Average Man”). The Alter Rebbe directs the Beinoni on his path in life. But his path is not an easy one. Seemingly he is involved in a constant struggle between good and evil. What’s worse is that he cannot win the battle. Day in and day out – he is faced with he desire to do good with this constant drawback pulling him towards evil. And he never wins it. He never seems to just turn into a Tzaddik suddenly. What then is his purpose in this world? Is it all a wasted life with nothing to be achieved?!

In fact, the two ideas of the practical Mitzvot together with the details surrounding the mysterious life of the Beinoni are all interwoven. We will see exactly how this happens and how important it is for the Beinoni to accept and in fact be privileged to fulfill the life he is involved in.

Our lesson in Masechet Brachot Daf 24a contains within it a number of themes related to some very physical matters in life…

We summarise briefly from where we left off in the previous lesson. We had discussed the topic of reciting the Shema in bed when there are others in the bed with one and they are all naked. Is it permitted to recite the Shema? Is it required that one have some sort of separation between each other? There was a debate and a disagreement amongst the rabbis of the Talmud.

The Gemara continues its discussion in determining to what degree the backside of a person is consider nakedness and whether it is problematic enough to warrant the prohibition of the recital of Shema in bed if two people are lying with their faces away from each other with their backsides touching.

The Gemara then gives us an insight into the description of what is called “young children”. This of course has many ramifications and certainly in terms of the issue of nakedness being considered a problem when it comes to the recital of the Shema. Also – to what degree is pubic hair considered to be a revelation of one’s nakedness? Does this play any role in determining the maturity of a person?

The Gemara discusses some other factors which are considered nakedness in a woman, including her voice and her hair.

Our last discussion in today’s lesson concerns the theme of Tefillin again. Here we discuss the question as to whether one may suspend one’s Tefillin by their straps when hanging them up or if this is prohibited. Perhaps it is disrespectful.

In today’s lesson of the Mesilat Yesharim, the Ramchal tells us that another detracting factor from our enthusiasm to do what we should is the attribute of fear.

He explains that there are really two types of fear. One type is bad, whereby we are able to come up with a variety of excuses not to go ahead and do something. We use the excuse that we are keeping ourselves safe from all dangers by not going out there and doing what we should. But this fear is surely foolish. Even though we are commanded to look after ourselves, it is not to the degree that we cannot get on with life. Here we offer the excuse that we are simply keeping safe! And isn’t that what we must do in a world filled with so many dangers?!

On the other hand is a fear whereby we do indeed keep ourselves safe. This is the case when we clearly know that something is dangerous. Here, we must certainly protect ourselves. It may then be better to keep away than to go ahead and put ourselves in a dangerous situation just for the sake of doing what we must.

We must learn to weigh out the different types of fear and not let foolish fear keep us from doing what we must do.

Chapter 34 of Tanya continues the theme of happiness that we discussed in Chapter 33. However, it deals with it from a slightly different angle.

The Alter Rebbe tells us that the forefathers acted in a way as chariots for the Rider. Everything they did, spoke or thought was in the realm of fulfilling the Divine will. They were absolutely nullified to God in everything.

So too, the entire Jewish nation was nullified to God – once – when they all stood at Mount Sinai. Here we learn that Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher) was completed nullified to God to the degree that the Divine Presence even spoke through the throat of Moshe. The Jewish people – at the time of the giving of the Torah was on such a similar level – but they could not handle it. It was then that the asked Moshe to relate to them what God was going to say.

This of course is the goal that everyone should be moving towards. However, not everyone can be a Moshe Rabbeinu. There are myriads of levels of closeness to the Divine and of each of us should strive to become as much of a Divine chariot to God as we can.

After the Torah was given – and because it was impossible for the average person to reach the closeness to God as Moses had experienced in his life, God commanded Moshe to build for Him a Tabernacle – a Mishkan – in which He would dwell. There, He would reveal Himself to that same degree as He had at Mount Sinai. Those who wished to experience that awesome closeness could bring themselves to that place of holiness and experience that special unique feeling there. Whereas outside of that area, life would continue as usual with a lesser degree of revelation of Godliness.

However, the Mishkan and the Temples were destroyed and God’s Presence left these places. The Alter Rebbe tells us that the Presence went to the four cubits of Halachah. When a Jew engages in learning the Halachah – and in practising it, he then attaches himself to that same closeness as it was then when the Mishkan and later the Temples stood.

This is our way of connecting with God at that very close level — by simply engaging in the study of Torah and the Halachah. This is where God reveals Himself – now that there is no Mishkan or Temple.

Every person should feel privileged to be able to learn Torah both in the morning and the night. If God gives him more time to engage in Torah, he should spend that time in learning.

Even for one who is not fortunate enough to be able to learn at length should value his own work that he does. By taking a fifth of his earnings and giving it to charity (Tzedakah), he likewise invests himself and his energy in the service of God by fulfilling the Mitzvah of Tzedakah – and through this, he uplifts all the other four fifths of his income – which are giving to serve God (just like he would attach himself to God when he studies Torah as above.)

Through doing this, a person should be filled with great happiness.