The Baal HaTanya is about to tell us how it is easy for every person to be able to tap into their love of Hashem. He is about to take us on a journey into understanding the presence of God in the world – and how this is going to be the thing to awaken us to realise that it is just as important to refrain from every sin, as it is to refrain from the biggest of sins, including idolatry, murder and sexual immorality.
He begins by explaining that in fact, the entire Torah, all 613 commandments are included in the first two of the Ten Commandments. Really, all positive Mitzvot (commandments) are included within the first commandment “Anochi” and all the negative commandments are included in the second commandment “Lo yiheye lecha”. The entire Jewish nation heard only these two commandments, but in essence actually heard all the commandments.
The Alter Rebbe continues on an amazing theme. He explains to us that God’s presence in creation is just as much now as it was before all of creation. Nothing about us or any creation can change God. God is everywhere. He is everything. He uses a parable regarding speech, and how our words are like nothing to us. All the more so our thoughts. All the more so our essence as included within the ten attributes of the soul.
These are going to be the very basis and foundation for understanding how we will be able to tap into acknowledging God in everything and realising that ultimately even the smallest thing that we do against God is really our way of severing ourselves away from him.
Stay tuned for the next couple of chapters as the Rebbe takes us into a mysterious journey where ultimately we will see how God manifests Himself even in the lowliest of things in creation.
