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Sefer HaTanya (also known as Likkutei Amarim or the Sefer shel Beinonim, the "Book of the Intermediates") is the foundational text of Chabad Chassidus and one of the pillars of the Chassidic movement as a whole. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the human soul and the inner processes by which a person can advance in his avodah — his divine service — while offering practical tools for overcoming the spiritual obstacles along the way. The book was first printed in 5557 (1797) in Slavuta, by its author, the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad Chassidus.

Background

In 5532 (1772), Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi — known to his followers as the Alter Rebbe — established the Chabad school of Chassidus, a path that demands engagement in divine service through all the faculties of the soul: intellect, emotion, and deed. As his following grew, his Chassidim brought him a constant stream of personal questions about their inner struggles in avodah, presenting themselves to him in yechidus — private audiences in which a Rebbe addresses the spiritual needs of an individual Chassid.

As the volume of these consultations increased, the Alter Rebbe resolved to compose a book that would gather all the essential answers to questions in divine service into one organized framework. As he himself writes in his Introduction:

Unable to respond to each person individually, I have resolved to set down my replies in a book, so that it may be available to every person at any time.^[1]

He began writing in 5535 (1775) and labored over it for twenty years, weighing every letter with extraordinary precision. On Rosh Hashanah 5550 (1789), he began delivering the maamarim — formal Chassidic discourses — upon which the first section, the Sefer shel Beinonim, was built. On the 9th of Kislev, 5554 (1793), he delivered the first part of Chapter 53, the final chapter of that section, and completed it the following day.^[2]

He completed the writing of the book in 5555 (1795) and permitted copies to be made at that point. This early version came to be known as the Tanya Mahadura Kamma (the "first edition"), and was printed in 5741 (1981) by order of the Rebbe.

The book was received with great joy among the Chassidim. The Mitnagdim — opponents of the Chassidic movement — feared its influence, and in response fabricated counterfeit copies containing passages of heresy, which they presented to the Vilna Gaon as authentic, leading him to order the book burned. When the Alter Rebbe learned of these forgeries, he resolved to publish the Tanya in an official printed edition as the only authorized version, so as to prevent further tampering. A second concern was the proliferation of handwritten copies passed from person to person without review, resulting in significant variations and corruptions of his text. An authoritative printed edition was necessary to ensure that every copy was accurate and reliable.

In 5556 (1796), the Alter Rebbe sent the Tanya to the Slavuta Press, accompanied by approbations from two leading disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch: Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli and Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen. Printing was completed on the 20th of Kislev, 5557 (1796), and the first copies reached the Alter Rebbe on the 26th of Kislev.

Initially, the book met with some resistance even from certain Chassidic leaders, who found the intellectual character of Chabad's approach unfamiliar. But once they saw that it produced genuine growth in divine service, opposition faded and many came to embrace it. The Tanya is today regarded as among the most important works in the entire Chassidic canon, revered across all Chassidic communities and studied widely throughout the Jewish world.

Names and titles

The Tanya is known by several names:

Likkutei Amarim — the name the Alter Rebbe himself gave the book. The title conveys the idea that the work contains no original invention; it is rather a collection (likkut) of teachings already found within Jewish tradition, illuminated in a deeper and more systematic way. Chassidim understand the name as an expression of the Alter Rebbe's characteristic humility: he presents himself as merely gathering teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus that he received from his teachers and found in earlier books.^[3]

Sefer shel Beinonim — "the Book of the Intermediates." The stated purpose of the book is to guide a person toward attaining the level of the beinoni — the intermediate spiritual type who, though not yet a complete tzaddik, fully controls his thoughts, speech, and action. This name is widely used within Chabad, often abbreviated as Sha"B (ש"ב).

Tanya — the most widely recognized name, taken from the Hebrew word that opens the book: Tanya ("it was taught in a baraita at the end of the third chapter of tractate Nidda"). Sometimes enhanced with the honorific Tanya Kadisha — "the holy Tanya."

The Written Torah of Chassidus — a title given specifically to the Tanya because it alone, among all the Alter Rebbe's works, was written entirely by the Alter Rebbe himself in his own hand.^[4] His other works were recorded by students and sometimes reviewed by him afterward.^[5] This title also reflects the extraordinary precision with which every letter was set down, and the foundational status of the Tanya as the bedrock upon which thousands of subsequent Chassidic works were built — qualities that mirror the role of the written Torah within the broader tradition of Jewish learning.^[6]

In keeping with this status, the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Chabad Rebbe) once contemplated adding vowel markings and paragraph divisions to the Tanya — and then dreamed that he was asked what the law would be if a Torah scroll had been similarly vocalized and divided. He ruled that the scroll would remain valid, but upon waking he understood the dream's message: just as a Torah scroll is unvocalized and undivided, so too must the Tanya remain.^[7] Similarly, the Rebbe firmly rejected a proposal to print an illustrated Tanya for children.^[8]

Structure

Sefer HaTanya is divided into five sections. The Frierdiker Rebbe drew a parallel between these five parts and the four volumes of the Shulchan Aruch, noting that just as the Code of Jewish Law covers the full range of a person's practical life, so the Tanya covers the full range of his inner life.^[9]

Likkutei Amarim (Book of the Intermediates)

The first and largest section of the Tanya, comprising an introduction and 53 chapters.^[10]

The system of Chassidus as taught by the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples made love and awe of G-d — ahavah and yirah — the foundation of authentic divine service. Where Chassidic schools differed was in the path toward those spiritual states. The broader Chassidic movement held that a well-chosen teaching or saying could stir the heart, and that the Chassid's bond with his Rebbe would carry him the rest of the way. Chabad, by contrast, requires intellectual engagement: the mind must first comprehend the greatness of G-d through deep and sustained hisbonenus (contemplative meditation), so that genuine feelings of love and awe can arise as a natural consequence.

The Alter Rebbe grounds this approach in a foundational claim: the mind, by its very nature, governs the heart. Emotion follows from understanding. A person's character traits and feelings are the product of his thoughts and insights. It therefore falls to the Chassid to use his intellect deliberately — to spend time in contemplation of G-d's greatness, particularly during prayer, and thereby to cultivate authentic love and awe of Heaven.

Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah

The second section of the Tanya — subtitled Likkutei Amarim, Part Two — offers a philosophical exposition of the Baal Shem Tov's teaching on divine unity. It opens with a brief introduction called Chinuch Katan ("elementary instruction") and contains twelve chapters. It was printed as an appendix to the first section.

The Alter Rebbe's core argument is that belief in G-d's oneness — the central declaration of Judaism in the Shema — means far more than simply denying any other deity, or affirming that G-d requires no intermediaries. True unity means that G-d is the only genuine reality that exists. Everything that appears to exist independently of Him does not possess real, self-sufficient existence. The reason is that creation depends at every moment on the divine word by which G-d brought it into being and continuously sustains it.^[11] Were G-d to withdraw that sustaining force for even an instant, all of creation would revert to nothingness, just as it was before creation.

Iggeres HaTeshuvah

The third section addresses the nature and practice of teshuvah — repentance and return — as understood within Chabad Chassidus. It is sometimes called the Tanya Katan ("the small Tanya"). Its twelve chapters fall into three movements: the first three chapters discuss the details of the mitzvah of teshuvah as treated in the revealed dimension of Torah; chapters four through eight explore teshuvah through the lens of Chassidus; and the final four chapters weave the two approaches together.^[12]

In the first edition of the Tanya (Zalkova, 5559 / 1799), this section was not yet divided into chapters. The chapter divisions were added in the second edition (Shklov, 5566 / 1806) by the Alter Rebbe himself.

The Rebbe taught that in our generation, when the harsh physical fasts traditionally prescribed as atonement have become impractical for most people, learning the topics of Iggeres HaTeshuvah — even simply reading through it — is itself considered as if one had fasted all the prescribed fasts described in the atonement practices of the Arizal, and as if one had undertaken the full inner work of repentance described in the text.^[13]

Iggeres HaKodesh

The fourth section is a collection of thirty-two letters written by the Alter Rebbe to guide his Chassidim in conduct and in divine service. As his sons write in their approbation: "to show the people of G-d the path they shall walk and the deeds they shall perform."

This section was not part of the Tanya as originally printed. It was added after the Alter Rebbe's histalkus (passing) by his sons, who served as his successors, and was first printed in Shklov in 5574 (1814). The Alter Rebbe did not apply to these letters the same meticulous standard of precision that governs the first three sections.

Nearly two hundred letters written by the Alter Rebbe have survived, the vast majority addressed to his Chassidim at large rather than to specific individuals. Of these, his sons selected thirty-two for inclusion in the Tanya. Roughly half of the letters — fifteen of the thirty-two — deal with the mitzvah of tzedakah (charity), each one illuminating a different dimension of its significance.

Kuntres Acharon

The fifth and final section contains nine passages in which the Alter Rebbe elaborates on selected topics from the first section — topics that were left undeveloped there in order to keep the focus squarely on practical guidance in divine service. Like Iggeres HaKodesh, it was added to the Tanya after the Alter Rebbe's passing by his sons, and was first printed in Shklov in 5574 (1814). The same standard of precision does not apply here as to the first three sections.

The first five passages engage in deep Talmudic and Kabbalistic analysis — reconciling apparent contradictions between chapters 39–41 of the Tanya and passages of the Zohar, and elucidating texts from the writings of the Arizal. The final four passages are epistles of a more general character. Why these four letters were separated from the main body of Iggeres HaKodesh is not entirely clear.

Approbations and early reception

When the Alter Rebbe completed the Tanya, he sent a copy to Slavuta for Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli and Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen to review and write their approbations. The two scholars sat and studied the manuscript through the night. By morning, overcome by the depth and holiness of what they had read, each left his home in the middle of the night to tell the other — and met each other halfway, where they broke into spontaneous joyful dance.

Rabbi Zusya later declared: "With the Tanya, they will go out to greet Mashiach." Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaKohen said the Tanya was a remedy and a protection against all the spiritual ailments of the era leading up to the coming of Mashiach. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev marveled: "I wonder how it is possible to contain so great and awesome a G-d within so small a book." Rabbi Boruch of Mezhibuzh called it "the Book of the Mind." The son-in-law of Rabbi Akiva Eiger testified that Sefer HaTanya was among his father-in-law's personal library.^[14] And the Ohev Yisrael of Apt declared: "Even our holy Patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — walked the path of divine service as it is written in the Likkutei Amarim."^[15]

Spiritual qualities attributed to the Tanya

Over the generations, Chabad Rebbes and other Torah authorities have attributed numerous spiritual qualities to the study of the Tanya: strengthening faith in G-d and guarding against alien and faithless thoughts;^[16] cultivating love and awe of G-d; serving as an antidote to spiritual decline in every generation;^[17] bringing blessing and success;^[18] and even serving as a source of salvation and deliverance — in some accounts said to surpass even the recitation of Psalms in its protective power.^[19]

Physical possession of the Tanya has likewise been credited with great significance. Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev are said to have carried a copy with them at all times. The Chabad Rebbes instructed their Chassidim to take the Tanya along whenever traveling, as a protection for the journey.^[20]

Among Chassidim there is a custom to study, on the yahrzeit of a departed relative, the chapters of the Tanya whose opening words begin with the letters of the deceased's name — similar to the widespread practice of reciting Psalms and learning Mishnah with the letters of the name.^[21]

Influence

The Tanya has had a profound impact on Jewish thought. Before the Baal Shem Tov, leading Torah authorities disagreed about the nature and scope of divine providence. The Baal Shem Tov taught that G-d's providence extends to every particular detail of creation — a concept known as hashgachah pratis (individual divine providence). The Alter Rebbe explained and disseminated this teaching throughout Jewish communities far and wide. Its influence reached even into the circles of the Vilna Gaon's disciples: Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, despite his Mitnagdic background, came to accept the Chassidic position on divine unity (specifically, the view that the tzimtzum — the "contraction" at the origin of creation — is not to be understood literally), departing from his teacher on this point.^[22]

Today the Tanya is considered a foundational text in Jewish spiritual life and is studied worldwide, far beyond the boundaries of Chabad.

Study

The Frierdiker Rebbe instituted a practice of learning a daily portion of the Tanya so that, over the course of one year — from Yud-Tes Kislev (the 19th of Kislev, the annual celebration of the Alter Rebbe's release from imprisonment) to the following Yud-Tes Kislev — all five sections of the Tanya would be completed. For this purpose, he divided the Tanya into two annual study cycles: one for a regular year and one for a leap year. A study schedule — the Moreh Shiur — is printed at the back of every standard edition of the Tanya and, in newer editions, in the margins of each page.

The Rebbe encouraged the long-standing Chassidic custom of studying a chapter of Tanya each day before Shacharis (the morning prayer), before reciting the declaration Hareini Mekabel ("I hereby accept upon myself…").^[23]

The recommended sequence for a new student is to begin with Iggeres HaTeshuvah, then proceed to Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah and Likkutei Amarim, and conclude with Iggeres HaKodesh and Kuntres Acharon. This order may vary depending on the individual student's spiritual makeup and needs.

The Rebbe Rashab (the fifth Chabad Rebbe) cautioned in a circular letter that students should not impose personal interpretations on the Tanya's text. Interpretive latitude is permitted only in the realm of one's own avodah — applying the Tanya's principles to one's own inner life — while recognizing that such applications may not reflect the Alter Rebbe's precise intended meaning. He further advised that each chapter be understood primarily for the overall principle it conveys.^[24]

Classes in the Tanya are held throughout Israel and around the world.

Memorization

There is a Chassidic practice of committing the Tanya to memory — at minimum the Introduction and the first twelve chapters — and reviewing them at every opportunity, particularly while walking in the street. The Rebbe drew special attention to the importance of memorizing Chapter 41 through the words "as one who stands before a king," and reviewing it regularly.^[25]

The purposes of this memorization are to purify one's inner environment even while moving through the outside world, and as a spiritual aid to memory and purity of thought.

Printed editions

In 5555 (1795), handwritten copying of the Tanya began to circulate. Following the discovery of deliberate forgeries, the Alter Rebbe prohibited further unauthorized copying for a period of five years and issued the Tanya through an official press instead. In 5556 (1796), the first printed edition appeared at the Slavuta Press. The Tanya has since been reprinted dozens of times, with each subsequent edition based on that original printing.

In 5660 (1900), the thirty-sixth printed edition appeared from the press of the Widow and Brothers Romm in Vilna. For this edition, all sections of the Tanya were carefully corrected against original manuscripts, resolving errors that had crept into earlier printings.^[26] The owners of the press sold the exclusive printing rights to this corrected edition to the Rebbe Rashab in 5669 (1909), for the benefit of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva. From that point on, by instruction of the Frierdiker Rebbe, all subsequent editions of the Tanya are photographic reproductions of this printing.^[27]

In 5702 (1942), the official Chabad publishing house — Kehot Publication Society — was founded by the Frierdiker Rebbe, and the printing rights were transferred to Kehot.

The Tanya printing campaign

In 5738 (1978), the Rebbe called for the Tanya to be printed in every place where Jews reside — bringing the wellspring of Chassidus itself to every corner of the earth, in fulfillment of the vision of Yafutzu Maaynosecha Chutzah ("let your wellsprings spread outward"). Since then, Chabad Chassidim have printed editions of the Tanya across the globe. As of 5785 (2025), the Tanya has appeared in more than 8,500 distinct editions,^[28] making it the book printed in the greatest number of separate editions of any work in history aside from the Bible.

The Tanya has been printed on all seven continents and in the majority of the world's countries. During the Communist era in the Soviet Union, Chabad Chassidim printed the Tanya clandestinely behind the Iron Curtain. Editions have appeared in Muslim and Arab countries, and even in hostile states such as Iran and Syria. In wartime, Chassidim printed the Tanya under dangerous conditions in active conflict zones — including across the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War, and in Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, and other Lebanese cities during the First Lebanon War.

Coordination for new printings is handled by Rabbi Shalom Jacobson of Crown Heights, who assigns each edition its official number. In the Land of Israel, printings are coordinated through Rabbi Elazar Ben Ephraim of Rechovot.

Translations

The Tanya has been translated into numerous languages, with each translation produced by dedicated teams including rabbis, scholars, and linguistic advisors. As of 5785 (2025), the Tanya has been translated into eleven languages: English, French, Russian, Yiddish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Arabic,^[29] Hungarian,^[30] and Georgian.^[31] The Tanya has also appeared in Braille in both Hebrew and English.^[32]

The complete edition

In the foreword to the Maftechos L'Sefer HaTanya (Indices to the Tanya), written in 5714 (1954), the Rebbe described preparations for a Tanya HaShlema — a complete edition of the Tanya — in which the text would be set in the center of the page, surrounded by source references, concise commentary, and selections from the writings of the Chabad Rebbes and their manuscripts that illuminate the text.^[33] Reference to this planned edition also appears in Sefer HaToldos — Admur Mahara"sh, published in 5707 (1947).^[34]

This edition was not published at that time, though over the years many individual works appeared addressing different aspects of what had been envisioned. On Gimmel Tammuz 5783 (2023), Kehot Publication Society announced a forthcoming edition in the spirit of the Rebbe's description. On Gimmel Tammuz 5785 (2025), Kehot announced that advance orders were being accepted, with publication expected around Yud-Ches Elul (the 18th of Elul, the birthday of the Alter Rebbe and the Baal Shem Tov).

Distribution by the Rebbe

The Rebbe personally distributed copies of Sefer HaTanya to the public on seven occasions: the 16th of Sivan, 5735 (1975); the 25th of Tishrei, 5739 (1978); the 11th of Nissan, 5742 (1982); the 11th of Nissan, 5744 (1984); the 10th of Shevat, 5750 (1990); the 19th of Kislev, 5751 (1990); and during the days of the counting of the Omer in 5732 (1972).

Tanya Mahadura Kamma

Tanya Mahadura Kamma ("the first edition of the Tanya") is a volume that collects the early draft versions of the Tanya's text — the original booklets (kuntreisim) containing the teachings and practical guidance the Alter Rebbe gave his Chassidim personally in the years before the official printing. After the Tanya was printed in its authorized form, these earlier texts fell out of regular use.

In Cheshvan 5738 (1977), crates of books and manuscripts arrived from Poland containing previously unpublished Chabad Chassidic material. Among them were manuscripts of early versions of the Tanya written down by the Alter Rebbe's Chassidim based on the teachings and guidance they had received from him. The Rebbe asked that these materials be gathered, compared, and prepared for publication, and actively encouraged their study. The editorial work was carried out by a team under the Va'ad L'Hafotzas Sichos, led by Rabbis Nachman Shapiro, Yaakov Leib Altein, Shalom Dovber Lipskier, and Moshe Ullidort.

With the Rebbe's approval, the book was printed at the small press of the Va'ad L'Hafotzas Sichos located in the office building at 770 Eastern Parkway, and on Friday, the 16th of Kislev, 5742 (1981), printing of the final page was completed. The Rebbe devoted the following Shabbos farbrengen — Parshas Vayishlach — to the completion of the printing, entering the farbrengen with the new volume in hand. He discussed several of the differences between the Mahadura Kamma and the printed Tanya, and noted that the publication of this book fulfilled the Alter Rebbe's original wish — never realized in his lifetime — to complete the printing of the Tanya before Yud-Tes Kislev.^[35]

Less than two weeks after publication, the first printing sold out. On Zos Chanukah, a second printing was completed.

On the 18th of Kislev, the Rebbe asked that work begin on a new edition before Yud-Tes Kislev. By the 4th of Teves, the editorial team reported that the second edition had entered production. The Rebbe responded: "Many thanks upon the good news."

Commentaries

Dozens of commentaries on the Tanya have been written over the generations, by Chabad Rebbes and by Chassidim alike. The Rebbe preferred that the original layout and typography of the Tanya not be altered, and accordingly most commentaries were designed around the original text — whether appearing in the margins or in separate volumes — rather than restructuring the page.^[36]

Commentaries by Chabad Rebbes

Works arranged according to the Tanya

Kitzurim V'Hearos — a collection of notes on the Tanya by the Tzemach Tzedek, together with marginal comments by the Rebbe Rashab found in the library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad. Edited by the Rebbe (including the foreword) and published in 5708 (1948).

Maftechos L'Sefer HaTanya, Luach HaTikkun, Hearos V'Tikkuim — a collection edited by the Rebbe and published in 5714 (1954), later bound together with all standard editions of the Tanya. Includes a subject index and an index of names and books, preceded by a foreword by the Rebbe.^[37]

Marei Mekomos V'Hearos Ketzaros L'Sefer shel Beinonim — written by the Rebbe around the time of his arrival in the United States. Contains source references for biblical verses, rabbinic sayings, Zohar, and Kabbalistic works; concise annotations wherever the text requires explanation; textual notes; cross-references to other Torah sources, especially within Chabad Chassidus; and stories connected to the learning of the Tanya.

The Rebbe also contributed notes and commentary prepared specifically for the volumes Likkutei Biurim B'Sefer HaTanya; Tanya Im Tziun Marei Mekomos, Likkut Peirushim, Shinnuyei Nuschaos; and Shiurim B'Sefer HaTanya.^[38]

Anthologies from the Chabad Rebbes

Likkutei Biurim B'Sefer HaTanya — the first anthology of commentary from the Chabad Rebbes on the Tanya, compiled by Rabbi Yehoshua Korf and published in 5725 (1965). Includes explanations from the Rebbes and from Chassidim.

Tanya Im Tziun Marei Mekomos, Likkut Peirushim, Shinnuyei Nuschaos — the second major anthology. The first installment appeared at the close of 5733 (1973); the complete work was finished in 5763 (2003). Compiled by Rabbi Aaron Chitrik with detailed guidance and enthusiastic encouragement from the Rebbe. Nearly half the volume is devoted to collected commentary from the Chabad Rebbes.

Tanya Im Likkut Peirushim MiSifrei V'Chisivei Raboseinu Nesi'einu — published in installments by Kehot beginning on Yud-Ches Elul 5774 (2014). On Gimmel Tammuz 5785 (2025), Kehot announced the completion of the editorial work on all of Likkutei Amarim.

Biurim B'Iggeres HaTeshuvah — an anthology of the Rebbe's explanations of chapters 1–4 of Iggeres HaTeshuvah, drawn from his sichos (Chassidic talks). First published in 5729 (1969), later included as an addendum in Likkutei Sichos, vol. 39.

Commentaries by Chassidim

Through the generation of the Rebbe Rashab

Shaarei HaYichud VeHaEmunah — commentary on Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah by Rabbi Aharon of Starosselje, Shklov, 5580 (1820). [1]

Biur Tanya — by Rabbi Yaakov Kaidaner (author of Sipurim Nora'im and Vikucha Rabba). Published in Kfar Chabad in 5739 (1979), and reissued by Kehot in 5773 (2013) with additional manuscript variants, some published for the first time.

Biur HaRashag — the classes of Rabbi Shmuel Gronem Esterman, recorded by his students.

Students of Tomchei Temimim

HaLekach VeHaLibuv — by Rabbi Alexander Sender Yudasin, Kfar Chabad, 5730 (1970).

Nitzotzei Ohr — classes of Rabbi Shmuel Levitin at the central Tomchei Temimim yeshiva, recorded from notes by his student Rabbi Avraham Weingarten.

Biurim of R. Alter Simchovitch — mashpia at Tomchei Temimim, Jerusalem. Published by Kehot, 5774 (2014). Also available through the library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad.

Biurim of Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Kesselman — mashpia at Tomchei Temimim, Lod and Kfar Chabad. Recorded by his students, published by Kehot.

Sefer Zikaron — includes commentary of Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook, mashpia at Tomchei Temimim, Rishon LeZion. Recorded by his students.

Biurim of Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson — mashpia at Tomchei Temimim, New York. Recorded by his students; not yet published.

Biurei HaRav Nissan — mashpia at Tomchei Temimim, Brunoy. Recorded by a student. Published in 5756 (1996).

Commentary by Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Plotkin — rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Tomchei Temimim. Dedication page states it is based on the classes of R. Gronem. Edited by his son, published in Brooklyn, 5775 (2015).

The sixth and seventh generations

Shiurim B'Sefer HaTanya — by Rabbi Yosef Wineberg.
Biur HaRaN"G — by Rabbi Nachum Goldschmid.
Likkut Peirushim — by Rabbi Aaron Chitrik.
Likkutei Biurim B'Sefer HaTanya — commentary from the Rebbes and Chassidim, compiled by Rabbi Yehoshua Korf.
Pninei HaTanya — by Rabbi Chaim Levi Yitzchak Ginsburg.
Maskil L'Eissan — by Rabbi Yekusiel Green.
Biur Tanya — by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz).
Biur HaMaor ShebaTorah — by Rabbi Moshe Link.
Chassidus Mevu'eres — an anthology and editorial project bringing together commentaries on the Tanya in accessible language.
The Practical Tanya — 3 volumes; translation and commentary on the first three sections by Chaim Miller.
Tanya Ohr Ein Sof — commentary on the first section in narrative form. Edited by S. Schmida of Jerusalem.
Tallei Teshuvah — commentary and stories on Iggeres HaTeshuvah, by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Katz, based on the commentary of Rabbi Yoel Kahn. Published Elul, 5767 (2007).
Ner L'Moshichi — by Rabbi Tuvia Bloi.
Tanya, Pear Mikdoshim edition — an annotated, punctuated, and vocalized edition. Elul 5774 (2014).
Mesilos B'Sefer HaTanya — by Rabbi Pinchas Friedman; commentary, sources, and analysis of the Tanya, published by the Belz Chassidic institute Ohr HaTzafon, Kislev 5781 (2020).^[39]
Otzar Peirushim — on chapters 1–3 of the Tanya, by Rabbi Eliyahu Matusov.
Shalhavohs HaTanya — by Rabbi Gedaliyahu Axelrod, published by Histadrut HaChassidim.

Summaries and outlines

Summary of Likkutei Amarim — Rabbi Chaim Levi Yitzchak Ginsburg, from Pninei HaTanya.
Map of the Tanya — Rabbi Shes Taub.
Eitz HaTanya — Rabbi Michael Doron.
Summary of the Tanya — Rabbi Shmuel Sasson.
Study booklet — Keren Dor Deah, published by A.T.A. HaOlami, 5771 (2011).
Lomdim Tanya — Rabbi Chaim Haber.

Adaptations

Moda'ut Yehudit — core concepts of the Tanya in clear, accessible Hebrew, by Rabbi Nadav Cohen. Translated into English and Russian.
Tanya LaAm — by Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchak Frank.
Tanya L'Anashim Kamocha V'Kamoni — bringing central ideas of the Tanya to a general audience in contemporary language, by Rabbi Eliezer Shemtov and Rabbi Dubi Liberman. Iyar 5776 (2016).
Derech Aruka-Ketzara — a graphic novel adaptation for children (Part 1, Elul 5775; Part 2, Kislev 5777).
Tanya Mevo'ar — L'Mevakshei Hashem — a concise and accessible commentary, in five volumes, published by the Yafutzu Institute. 5782 (2022).

Streets named for the Tanya

Streets named after Sefer HaTanya are found in both Kfar Chabad and Tel Aviv-Yafo.^[40]

Notes

↑ Alter Rebbe, Introduction to the Tanya.
↑ HaYom Yom, 9 Kislev.
↑ See Hearos U'Biurim Ohalei Torah, vol. 1, no. 356, Parshas Tetzaveh 5785, p. 30.
↑ Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Noach, 5721.
↑ Excepting a small number of maamarim, such as the discourse beginning L'Havin Inyan HaDegalim, which he wrote himself. See Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Bamidbar, 5715.
↑ This title was given by the Frierdiker Rebbe (the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn) — see his manuscript printed in Kitzurim V'Hearos LaTanya, p. 118.
↑ The Rebbe related this account on multiple occasions.
↑ Igros Kodesh, 5750, no. 287.
↑ Sefer HaSichos 5701, p. 142.
↑ Corresponding, it is said, to the number of days the Alter Rebbe spent imprisoned in St. Petersburg, and to the 53 weekly Torah portions of the year.
↑ Based on the verse: "Forever, O G-d, Your word stands firm in the heavens" (Psalms 119:89).
↑ Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Vayishlach, 5729.
↑ Farbrengen, second day of Sukkos, 5729 — Toras Menachem, vol. 54, p. 113. See also Heichal Menachem, vol. 1, p. 224.
↑ See also Igros Sofrim, p. 56.
↑ Asara Maamaros, Introduction of Cheikel Yitzchak to Imrei Yosef, maamar 7, letter 10.
↑ Igros Kodesh, vol. 6, p. 123.
↑ Kitzurim V'Hearos L'Sefer Likkutei Amarim, p. 125.
↑ Ibid., p. 128.
↑ Rabbi Shmuel Nodel, citing his brother; see also Likkutei Sipurim (Perlov), first edition, p. 161.
↑ See, e.g., Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4649; vol. 19, no. 7368. Also a written response, Shevat 5752, Likkut Maanos 5752, no. 31.
↑ Recorded in L'Shma Ozen. The same source notes that the letter yud is found in a chapter beginning with the word veyesh — the Alter Rebbe deliberately beginning the chapter with vav rather than opening with the word yesh.
↑ Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin addresses this in his work Nefesh HaChayyim. See Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe, vol. 1, letter 11; Heichal HaBesht, no. 5.
↑ Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Acharei, 5749.
↑ Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rashab, vol. 2, p. 920.
↑ See, e.g., Igros Kodesh, letters 1153, 3173, 3248, 4699.
↑ See at length the article by R. Mondschein: "One Hundred Years Since the Printing of the 'Tanya of Tomchei Temimim.'"
↑ Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe, letter 1495.
↑ Each edition is printed in a minimum of 100 copies.
↑ Menachem Mendel Arad, "A New Light Will Shine in Arabic" — on the translation of the Tanya into Arabic, Beis Moshiach, 18 Kislev 5773.
↑ Translated by Naftali Kraus, Tel Aviv, 5761 — covering the first fifteen chapters of Likkutei Amarim.
↑ Otzar HaChassidim, 5771.
↑ "The Rebbe to Children: Tanya in Braille."
↑ Printed in standard editions of the Tanya following the Moreh Shiur.
↑ P. 12, footnote.
↑ The full farbrengen is printed in Toras Menachem — Hisvaaduyos, 5742, vol. 1.
↑ This guideline was given specifically in connection with Likkutei Peirushim on the Tanya, where the Rebbe instructed that the commentary follow a photographic reproduction of the original Tanya text.
↑ "After 70 Years — the Rebbe's Handwritten Corrections Revealed."
↑ As noted throughout those volumes.
↑ Review in the Torah supplement of HaMevaser, Sukkos 5782, p. 18. Interview in HaModia Torah supplement, 17 Kislev 5782.
↑ "Between Jabotinsky and Arlosoroff: How Tel Aviv Tells the Story of the Tanya."

[1] Alter Rebbe, Introduction to the Tanya.

[2] HaYom Yom, 9 Kislev.

[3] See Hearos U'Biurim Ohalei Torah, vol. 1, no. 356, Parshas Tetzaveh 5785, p. 30.

[4] Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Noach, 5721.

[5] Excepting a small number of maamarim, such as the discourse beginning L'Havin Inyan HaDegalim, which he wrote himself. See Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Bamidbar, 5715.

[6] This title was given by the Frierdiker Rebbe (the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn) — see his manuscript printed in Kitzurim V'Hearos LaTanya, p. 118.

[7] The Rebbe related this account on multiple occasions.

[8] Igros Kodesh, 5750, no. 287.

[9] Sefer HaSichos 5701, p. 142.

[10] Corresponding, it is said, to the number of days the Alter Rebbe spent imprisoned in St. Petersburg, and to the 53 weekly Torah portions of the year.

[11] Based on the verse: "Forever, O G-d, Your word stands firm in the heavens" (Psalms 119:89).

[12] Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Vayishlach, 5729.

[13] Farbrengen, second day of Sukkos, 5729 — Toras Menachem, vol. 54, p. 113. See also Heichal Menachem, vol. 1, p. 224.

[14] See also Igros Sofrim, p. 56.

[15] Asara Maamaros, Introduction of Cheikel Yitzchak to Imrei Yosef, maamar 7, letter 10.

[16] Igros Kodesh, vol. 6, p. 123.

[17] Kitzurim V'Hearos L'Sefer Likkutei Amarim, p. 125.

[18] Ibid., p. 128.

[19] Rabbi Shmuel Nodel, citing his brother; see also Likkutei Sipurim (Perlov), first edition, p. 161.

[20] See, e.g., Igros Kodesh, vol. 13, no. 4649; vol. 19, no. 7368. Also a written response, Shevat 5752, Likkut Maanos 5752, no. 31.

[21] Recorded in L'Shma Ozen. The same source notes that the letter yud is found in a chapter beginning with the word veyesh — the Alter Rebbe deliberately beginning the chapter with vav rather than opening with the word yesh.

[22] Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin addresses this in his work Nefesh HaChayyim. See Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe, vol. 1, letter 11; Heichal HaBesht, no. 5.

[23] Shabbos farbrengen, Parshas Acharei, 5749.

[24] Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rashab, vol. 2, p. 920.

[25] See, e.g., Igros Kodesh, letters 1153, 3173, 3248, 4699.

[26] See at length the article by R. Mondschein: "One Hundred Years Since the Printing of the 'Tanya of Tomchei Temimim.'"

[27] Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe, letter 1495.

[28] Each edition is printed in a minimum of 100 copies.

[29] Menachem Mendel Arad, "A New Light Will Shine in Arabic" — on the translation of the Tanya into Arabic, Beis Moshiach, 18 Kislev 5773.

[30] Translated by Naftali Kraus, Tel Aviv, 5761 — covering the first fifteen chapters of Likkutei Amarim.

[31] Otzar HaChassidim, 5771.

[32] "The Rebbe to Children: Tanya in Braille."

[33] Printed in standard editions of the Tanya following the Moreh Shiur.

[34] P. 12, footnote.

[35] The full farbrengen is printed in Toras Menachem — Hisvaaduyos, 5742, vol. 1.

[36] This guideline was given specifically in connection with Likkutei Peirushim on the Tanya, where the Rebbe instructed that the commentary follow a photographic reproduction of the original Tanya text.

[37] "After 70 Years — the Rebbe's Handwritten Corrections Revealed."

[38] As noted throughout those volumes.

[39] Review in the Torah supplement of HaMevaser, Sukkos 5782, p. 18. Interview in HaModia Torah supplement, 17 Kislev 5782.

[40] "Between Jabotinsky and Arlosoroff: How Tel Aviv Tells the Story of the Tanya."

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