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{{short description|Foundational text of Chabad Hasidism by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, with controversial teachings on Jewish and non-Jewish souls}}

{{Infobox book
| name = Tanya
| image =
| caption =
| author = [[Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi]]
| title_orig = תניא (Likkutei Amarim)
| translator =
| country = [[Russian Empire]]
| language = [[Hebrew]]
| subject = [[Hasidic philosophy]], Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah
| genre = Religious text
| publisher =
| pub_date = 1796
| pages =
| isbn =
}}

'''The '''Tanya''''' (Hebrew: תניא, "It has been taught") is the foundational text of [[Chabad]] [[Hasidism]], written by [[Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi]] (the Alter Rebbe) and first published in 1796.<ref name="WikiTanya">Wikipedia contributors, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanya_(Judaism) Tanya (Judaism)] ''Wikipedia'', accessed June 2026.</ref><ref name="ChabadTanya">Chabad.org, [https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/6237/jewish/Lessons-in-Tanya-English-Hebrew.htm Lessons in Tanya] ''Chabad.org'', accessed June 2026.</ref>

It serves as a practical spiritual guide, synthesising Kabbalistic concepts into a system for daily Jewish life, emphasising intellectual understanding as the path to emotional devotion.<ref name="WikiTanya" />

The work has been praised within Chabad as the "Written Torah of Hasidism" but has drawn criticism for passages distinguishing Jewish and non-Jewish souls, which some interpret as promoting spiritual superiority or racism.<ref name="WikiTanya" /><ref name="Hakirah">Yitzchak Balk, [https://hakirah.org/Vol%2016%20Balk.pdf The Soul of a Jew and the Soul of a Non-Jew] ''Hakirah'', accessed June 2026.</ref>

== History ==
[[Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi]] composed the Tanya over approximately twenty years, completing it around 1796. It was initially titled ''Likkutei Amarim'' ("Collected Sayings").<ref name="ChabadTanya" />

The text circulated among Hasidim before publication and became central to Chabad philosophy.<ref name="WikiTanya" />

== Structure ==
The Tanya comprises five sections:

* '''Likutei Amarim''' (Book of the Intermediates): The core section on the ''Benoni'' (intermediate person) and the dual souls of Jews.<ref name="Sefaria">Sefaria, [https://www.sefaria.org/Tanya Tanya] ''Sefaria'', accessed June 2026.</ref>

* '''Shaar HaYichud VehaEmuna''': On divine unity and faith.<ref name="Sefaria" />

* '''Igeret HaTeshuva''': On repentance.<ref name="Sefaria" />

* '''Igeret HaKodesh''': Holy epistles on community and devotion.<ref name="Sefaria" />

* '''Kuntres Acharon''': Supplementary essays.<ref name="Sefaria" />

== Core Concepts ==
The Tanya addresses the human condition through Hasidic psychology, positing that Jews possess two souls: a divine soul (''nefesh elokit'') and an animal soul. It guides the ''Benoni'' in mastering inner conflict for joyful service of God.<ref name="ChabadTanya" />

== Controversial Elements ==
A key controversy centres on Chapter 1 of ''Likutei Amarim'', which states that Jewish souls derive from the realm containing holiness, while "the souls of the nations of the world... emanate from the other, unclean kelipot which contain no good whatsoever."<ref name="ChabadChapter1">Chabad.org, [https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/7880/jewish/Chapter-1.htm Chapter 1] ''Chabad.org'', accessed June 2026.</ref>

This draws from Lurianic Kabbalah and has been criticised as implying spiritual inferiority or metaphysical racism toward non-Jews.<ref name="WikiTanya" /><ref name="Merrimack">Merrimack Valley Havurah, [https://merrimackvalleyhavurah.wordpress.com/2022/11/07/the-tanyas-view-of-non-jewish-people/ The Tanya’s view of non-Jewish people] ''Merrimack Valley Havurah'', 7 November 2022.</ref>

Critics, including some Jewish communities, have called the text racist and objected to its teaching.<ref name="JC2008">The Jewish Chronicle, reports on Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue controversy, 2008.</ref>

Defenders argue the passage refers specifically to historical idolaters, reflects mystical terminology without empirical racism, and that good deeds by non-Jews are acknowledged in other contexts; later Chabad leaders promoted Noahide laws for gentiles.<ref name="ColLive">COLlive, [https://collive.com/is-the-tanya-really-racist/ Is the Tanya Really Racist?] ''COLlive'', 30 October 2008.</ref><ref name="Hakirah" />

Some modern interpretations, including from Chabad sources, clarify or contextualise the distinction as non-literal or limited.<ref name="Hakirah" />

== Reception ==
The Tanya is revered in Chabad as indispensable for spiritual growth and has seen thousands of editions.<ref name="ChabadTanya" />

Outside Chabad, reactions vary; some reject its soul dualism and views on non-Jews as incompatible with universal ethics.<ref name="WikiTanya" />

== See also ==
* [[Chabad]]
* [[Schneur Zalman of Liadi]]
* [[Hasidic philosophy]]
* [[Kabbalah]]

== External links ==
[https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/default.htm Tanya text] at Chabad.org

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Hasidic texts]]
[[Category:Chabad]]
[[Category:1796 books]]
[[Category:Religious philosophical literature]]

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Tanya - Revision history

David at 19:00, 12 June 2026

David: Created page with "{{short description|Foundational text of Chabad Hasidism by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, with controversial teachings on Jewish and non-Jewish souls}} {{Infobox book | name..."