Rabbi Levi Gelb, author of Di Chassidishe Parsha and Torah Or/Likutei Torah HaMebu’ar, following the Frierdiker Rebbe’s instruction to not only study Tanya, but identify and carry a meaningful point from it throughout the day, created a new Tanya group on WhatsApp, sharing daily Sparks and Summaries.
Tanya IRL is a daily initiative that brings the teachings of the Tanya into real life. Its purpose is to help readers not only study the Tanya, but also identify and carry a meaningful point from it throughout the day.
Tanya IRL was created by Rabbi Levi Gelb, author of די חסידישע פרשה and the seforim תורה אור / לקוטי תורה המבואר. It presents content based on the daily Tanya cycle in two formats.
The foundation of Tanya IRL is a directive from the Frierdiker Rebbe, delivered on Acharon Shel Pesach 5705: “From each day’s Tanya study, one should extract a couple of words to carry with him throughout the day — whether a businessman or a Torah scholar.” (Sefer HaSichos 5705).
A similar approach is found in the words of the Rebbe Rashab in Kuntres Eitz HaChayim: “According to the deepest secrets of Torah, our holy Rebbeim knew… the work is not upon us to grasp it all. But from each chapter we must extract (אַרויס נעמען) the core idea — whether a path in avodah, a personal meditation, or a specific piece of advice.”
The first format is Tanya IRL: Daily Sparks. Each daily Spark includes a title, a direct quote from that day’s Tanya, a practical insight or reflection, a suggestion for action, a prompt to identify this theme in daily life, and a closing line designed to be carried through the day. This format emphasizes brief and usable content based directly on that day’s Tanya.
The second format is Tanya IRL: Daily Summary. Each Summary begins with a one-line statement capturing the core idea of the day’s Tanya. It then lists the date and chapter, provides a clear explanation of the topic, outlines the main points in single-sentence form, and includes the original Hebrew text from the day’s Tanya portion.
Daily Sparks (2 liveable takeaways):
https://chat.whatsapp.com/F6gV4ne2JX261CHiLwAUf5
Daily Summary (shiur overview):
https://chat.whatsapp.com/CRdc9USQrN5FJbUdeVmKXn
Full Archive of Sparks:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15WRKMcCExkuOzsAVN8QuC6KU6L_TWU-KpYZoBwt67KY/edit?usp=drivesdk
Discussion
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