I decided last week on Yud Tes Kislev to read Tanya and HaYom Yom this year. I had tried to read Tanya once before, a couple of years ago, and had not gotten very far - and after Chai Elul, I sporadically read HaYom Yom, which I enjoyed more.
TBH, today's Tanya reading was the first one so far in the book that I actually found insightful. The introductions by other people, while interesting, made me feel "alright, already - let's get to the good stuff!" - and how many times must we read that someone who published without permission in the five years after original publication would be cursed? I'm also profoundly uncomfortable with the division of the world into "wicked", "righteous", and "in-between" - I think ALL people are "in-between". I'm also uncomfortable with the idea that some souls are derived from unclean klippot, with no good whatsoever within them - I just can't accept that.
But the idea of the lower seven sefirot corresponding to the seven days of creation - THAT is an insight I appreciate. (I have some familiarity already with the sefirot.) I knew there was a connection between Malchut and Shabbat - although it's usually expressed that Malchut (identified with the Shechinah) is in exile six days a week and united with Keter on Shabbat - there is a passage from the Zohar (Ka Gavna) that Chasidim and Sephardim recite on Friday night in the liturgy about this. But it's interesting to see how some of the others work - particularly Gevurah, which would be the second day of creation - which is the only day of the six active days of creation where G!d does not see that "it was good" - and Tiferet is the one day (third day) where it says that G!d saw that it was good TWICE. And Yesod corresponds with the sixth day when G!d saw that it was VERY good. I hope there is more about this as Tanya proceeds.
I'm looking forward to seeing additional insights as I continue through Tanya.
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