Core Concepts Tanya: Chapter 31

Brief recap of Chapter 31:

1. Chapter 31 rounds out the chapters addressing "timtum halev," "dullness of the heart." In other words, what happens if I'm doing everything I should yet I'm not feeling anything?
It’s very discouraging, saddening, and can keep us from doing what we have to and in the way we should.
Last two chapters, we learned to address this is by breaking through the blockage, "raging" at our material/physical selves and reminding ourselves that we're not superior to anyone else, have our own faults, that any fragment of wrong we do is still acting against Hashem's will.

2. What happens if we've done such a good job of breaking through, depression threatens us again?
Tanya tells us to catch this depression and redirect it toward spiritual ends. "From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax which fells the forest." Sometimes, we have to use klipa and sitra achara's own tricks to fight it back. So, we hijack this feeling of dejection and use it as a beginning toward a better spiritual self.

3. There are two types of klipot. One is called "kelipat nogah," and the other is the "three absolutely impure klipot.”
Kelipat nogah includes anything with the potential to be elevated, the gray zone. Just as gray is a mix of black and white, as in holy and unholy, kelipat nogah is black or white depending on how we use it.
Regular depression stems from the evil in kelipat nogah; spiritually motivated depression (at appropriate times) comes from the positive in kelipat nogah.
Yet, the positive in nogah is still klipah, so it's always best to make efforts to be rid of the sadness completely.

4. What's the difference between depression (atzvut) and bitterness/dissatisfaction (merirut)? The outcome.
Depression is dead weight, freezes our hearts, shuts down emotions, and prevents moving forward.
Bitterness/dissatisfaction is a type of sadness which leads to action. It's the broken heart which is open for emotion, and other things, to flow in.
This is where we need to direct our sadness and dejection, to a state of bitterness which motivates us to act.

5. Now, how do we take the next step toward finding joy?
Through words of comfort. We remind ourselves that though we seem far from G-d, this is only a physical separation, because we have a physical body and animal soul.
In the physical there is matter, and matter takes up space. Matter and space create distance.
HOWEVER, we also have an actual part of Hashem inside. And that part of Hashem is spiritual, and not spatially removed from its source.
Because it's in a body, it's akin to being in exile, so we resolve to do all we can to "redeem" the soul from its "captivity."
That is why "one hour of teshuvah with good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come."

6. There is no freedom like the freedom from captivity.
When the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt, they ran away, as in their souls bust away as quickly as they could, away from the fear and slave mentality that had taken hold of their bodies. Away from the limitations and restrictions we place upon our physical selves.
How do we free our souls today?
By doing what it wants. By doing what is good for it. Through Torah and mitzvot.

7. If putting the soul in a body is like captivity, then why force it to go through all this?
Because of "descent for the sake of ascent."
We can jump from a straight-legged stance. Or we can bend down and jump higher.
The rough patches we go through, the challenges we face, are descents for the sake of ascent.
We go through them so we can rise higher.
Onward and upward.