Rav Shlomo Katz continues the 3rd chapter of the Alter Rebbe's Tanya

Rav Shlomo continues the 3rd Chapter of the Alter Rebbe's Tanya

What is the soul really made of? Rav Shlomo Katz opens the third chapter of the Alter Rebbe’s Tanya, where we’re introduced to the spiritual DNA of the nefesh Elokis—our G-dly soul.

With deep warmth and clarity, we begin to explore the three core soul faculties of Chochmah, Binah, and Daas, not just as intellectual concepts, but as channels through which we encounter the Divine and navigate our inner world.

As we close the second chapter of Tanya, Rav Shlomo Katz guides us deeper into the staggering truth of who we really are: not just a reflection of Hashem, but rooted in His very essence. The Alter Rebbe reveals how every Jewish soul—no matter its level—is connected to Hashem like a child to a parent, atzmus b’atzmus, essence to essence.

If a tzaddik is the head of the generation, rooted in the deepest source of Divine life, how is it that even those who oppose him, who rebel against kedusha, still continue to live and receive vitality?

Rav Shlomo Katz brings down the Alter Rebbe’s mystical explanation: that even rebellion draws from holiness, but only through concealment, through a backchannel that hides the light even as it gives life.

Once you understand where life really comes from, you start to choose differently.

There’s no such thing as being disconnected. The only question is: Are you receiving from the face… or the back?

We’ve heard the words: chelek Elokah mima’al mamash—a literal part of Hashem above.

But what does that really mean? Rav Shlomo Katz continues to unfold the Alter Rebbe’s revolutionary teaching: that your Divine Soul isn’t just from Hashem—it is Hashem, in a way that defies logic and melts the heart.

What does this truth demand of us? How does it change the way we see ourselves, our fellow Jews, and our spiritual potential?

The middle of the 2nd chapter of the Alter Rebbe's Tanya

Not all neshamas are the same, and that’s not a weakness; it’s part of the Divine design. Rav Shlomo Katz explores how the Alter Rebbe teaches us that within the Jewish people, there are many levels of souls, each rooted in the same Divine source, but shining with a unique light.

From the heads and hearts of the generation down to its heels, every soul matters. Every Jew has a place. And the greatest spiritual strength comes when we stop comparing and start connecting.

Continuing the 2nd chapter in the Alter Rebbe's Tanya

Who am I, really?

Rav Shlomo Katz opens Chapter 2 of Tanya, where the Alter Rebbe introduces us to the Nefesh Elokit—the Divine Soul.

This isn’t just a concept. It’s you. A literal piece of Hashem, chelek Elokai mima’al mamash, breathing within you, aching to express itself in the world.

What does it mean to live from this soul? How does it speak, feel, and see the world? And how can we begin to identify more with our Divine essence than our animal instincts?