The emphasis of this entire chapter is about the impurity of the klippoth and the complicated purification one's body must undergo after death.
While this is frightening to the God-fearing person, there is a tremendous benefit to bein aware of this reality.
As the Baal HaTanya will go on to explain the differentiating factor between a tzaddik and everyone else is his utter hatred and repulsion of all evils and impurities.
This chapter as well as the one before it serve as an excellent introduction and basis to develop one's innate aversion to evil.
We learn that while there is a tremendously high level of teshuvah by which all taint can be eradicated (last chapter) barring such a high level of teshuvah born out of hyper-intense love for God, even the slightest bit of evil will leave an indellible mark till the day you die. Regardless of any and all other good deeds you may have accomplished in your lifetime.
To me that's something that's easy to hate.
Tanya: Chapter 7
The Baal HaTanya will return to this idea again in later chapters but already it strikes a stirring
chord: there are essentially no neutral actions, everything either raises klipat nogah up to kedushah or brings it down to tumah. The essence of the matter is the intent of one's actions, if you act for the sake of sanctifying yourself, you do. The one important caveat is that some things are beyond one's power to raise up. It's interesting to contrast this with the Mei HaShiloah, who firmly expresses that even sins can be performed for the sake of heaven.
What I wanted to focus on was simply how difficult it is to internalize the concept that every one of our actions requires conscious intent--perhaps it is a little ironic that mitzwot b'diavad don't require intent, whereas actions that are permitted require holy intent to escape purification of the body in the grave. Let that be engraved in your subconscious mind, it is better to do a mindless mitzvah than a mindless davar reshut. That's a big deal. It means it'd better to always be involved in mitzvot, even if your heart isn't in it.
chord: there are essentially no neutral actions, everything either raises klipat nogah up to kedushah or brings it down to tumah. The essence of the matter is the intent of one's actions, if you act for the sake of sanctifying yourself, you do. The one important caveat is that some things are beyond one's power to raise up. It's interesting to contrast this with the Mei HaShiloah, who firmly expresses that even sins can be performed for the sake of heaven.
What I wanted to focus on was simply how difficult it is to internalize the concept that every one of our actions requires conscious intent--perhaps it is a little ironic that mitzwot b'diavad don't require intent, whereas actions that are permitted require holy intent to escape purification of the body in the grave. Let that be engraved in your subconscious mind, it is better to do a mindless mitzvah than a mindless davar reshut. That's a big deal. It means it'd better to always be involved in mitzvot, even if your heart isn't in it.
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