The Tanya: The Soul Must Ascend or It Descends
by Ram ben Ze'ev The Tanya: The Soul Must Ascend or It Descends In Pirkei Avot (1:13), we find a striking statement: "כל המרפה עצמו מדברי תורה, יש בו אשמת נפש" ( Kol hamerpeh atsmo midivrei Torah, yesh bo ashmat nefesh )—“Anyone who relaxes his effort in words of Torah bears guilt for his soul.” Though the language is measured, our sages understood this as a profound spiritual warning: to let go of growth in Torah and service of Hashem is to endanger the very vitality of the nefesh . The...
