*What gets you up in the morning…*🙆🏻♀️❔
Or in other words…
What is the purpose of your life 🙄❔
The above question is not a purely philosophical 💭 question. It has a massive influence on how you live 🙌 your life.
If you are aware of what truly matters in life, you can choose how to best prioritize and focus your attention.
In order to answer the above question, take the time to reflect and ask yourself:
_When do you feel satisfied and fulfilled 🤩?_
_What makes your life meaningful?_
Unfortunately, life is mostly made up of mundane activities that don't particularly inspire or move you.
In the upcoming chapters, the Tanya teaches something incredible:
A deep connection with G-d is forged not through only through emotional or intellectual experiences, but also through consistent action 🤚 - fulfillment of His commandments.
In the Tanya's introduction, the Alter Rebbe writes that the goal of the book is to make the service of G-d relevant and attainable
Emotionally🫀,
In the way you express yourself 👄
And practically, with your deeds 👐.
_'Deeds'_ is written last - hinting 😉 that the ultimate purpose 🎯 of emotional experiences and self-expression is that it lead to behavioral changes.
In order to understand the importance of our actions, we need to first answer this burning question:
Why did your soul 🌟 need to descend into this lowly world 🤷🏻♀️❓
What was she missing Up There ☄️that she can attain only down here 🌍?
The answer to this question is identical to the answer of another painful question:
The Tanya instructs us to strive 🪂 to become a Beinoni.
But while a Beinoni successfully controls his impulses and inclinations
He will never get rid of them completely.
Not only that -
He will never win it! At most, he can restrain it and limit its damage, but he will always wrestle 🤺 with it!
His _only_ triumph is that he controls the garments of the soul:
The thoughts he thinks,
The words he says
And the actions he takes
This realization is quite depressing 😞.
It is like attempting to fix 🧰 something over and over again, but it still remains broken 😣…
What's the point in struggling 👊 all your life with negative impulses 👽🧟♂️ that nevertheless remain as strong as ever … 😳😳?!
The Alter Rebbe phrases it thus: _"Why did his soul descend into this world, to toil in vain, G-d forbid?"_
The answer to this question is doubly✌️comforting. When we understand the purpose of our struggles, we can joyfully deal with them instead of feeling overwhelmed, shamed, and guilt-ridden.
To answer this question, the Alter Rebbe mentions a fascinating statement from Zohar, _*A wise man's eyes are in his head.*_
"Really now," Rabbi Heinukah, son of Rabbi Hamnunah, asks." Where else should his eyes 👀 be??"
Obviously this verse means something deeper than just a description of where to find an intelligent person’s eyes.
It’s saying that someone who is wise is always mindful of the divine presence✨ which rests above a person's head 😇.
This is one of the reasons Jewish men cover their heads with a kippah - out of respect and in acknowledgment of the divine presence resting above his head.
Here is an analogy to help us understand the meaning of the above concept.
Our *bodies🧍* are compared to *wicks* 🪔, the physical material that enables an oil lamp to burn.
The *fire🕯️* refers to *G-d's presence* ✨
☝️In order to keep the fire attached to the wick, you need a fuel 🏺.
Without it, the fire can’t burn. It separates from the wick, leaving you dark and cold.
The *oil* which keeps G-d’s presence connected to our physical bodies is *our good deeds*.
This is what the wise person constantly keeps in mind:
Aside from studying Torah learning and doing his internal work to serve G-d better, he needs good deeds in order to keep the divine presence present and connected to him.
Tomorrow we’ll learn how this is relevant to overcoming our daily struggles and challenges.
