Click HERE to view the Community Eruv map!   more...
Printed fromNSChabad.org
ב"ה
Learning & Values Kabbalah, Chassidism and Jewish Mysticism The Tanya Concepts & Themes Audio Tanya Interviews

What Is 'Holiness'?

Tanya
Tanya Navigator
© Copyright Chabad of Toronto, all rights reserved.
Order the Entire "Messages" series on DVD
Tanya - Lekutei Amarim: Chapter 6 Holiness Kabbalah & Chassidism Tanya: Tanya
Rabbi Manis Friedman, a noted Chassidic philosopher, author and lecturer, is dean of Bais Chana Women's Institute of Jewish Studies.
Michael Chighel (Kigel) received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Toronto for his dissertation on the Book of Job, after a specialization in 20th-century French and German thought. In Canada he taught in the departments of philosophy and of Jewish studies at the universities of York, Queen’s and Waterloo. He produced Passages and Messages for eleven seasons on Canadian television (CTS). Until this year he held the Rohr Chair of Jewish Studies at the Lauder Business School in Vienna, where he taught Torah, European ethics and political economy. He has translated a number of books and published various articles in Jewish thought. Michael and his family have made aliyah, and now live in Jerusalem.
More from Manis Friedman
© Copyright, all rights reserved. The content on this page is provided by our content partner, Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.

More in this section

You may also be interested in...
Holiness Is a Crack in the Wall
A practical guide to achieving the impossible
19 Comments
What Does "Kedusha" Actually Mean?
Watch (10:59)
Kedoshim – Holy Cow!
Watch (4:34) 1 Comment
How to be Holy... Kind Of
Kedoshim Parshah Report
Watch (4:58) 28 Comments

Join the Discussion

10 Comments
Newest Oldest
Posting Guidelines
Galeak Deng Juba south Sudan May 8, 2025

It's very good lessons Reply

JF May 4, 2025

Phenomenal conversation and teaching between Rabbi Manis Friedman and Michael Chighel.

Gratitude to both of you

Gratitude to chabag.org.

Only good news. Reply

Eliach April 26, 2018

rabbi Manis,
people who are transparent are treated by the world as lepers. "I'm clean, I'm clean" the 'lepers' say. "Stay away from him in case his transparency touches us and we become clean too".
Transparent - an interesting word (pun - between parents, going from one to the other - going from our earthly parent to our heavenly Father).
rabbi Michoel
No one doubts that Job suffered mentally as well as physically. But mental suffering, when done under safe conditions, is the method by which our heart is circumcised. Try it.
"Be holy as I the Lord am holy": We are made in the image and likeness of God - in other words, be God. Reply

Anonymous December 4, 2014

Much Appreciated Good to Know, preceisely & all encompassing again, to be close to Hashem elevates a Jewish person to know their purpose, have emmuna, and teach youth with happiness!
There is often a deep insight when both Rabbi Manis Freeman and Michael Kigel
have their cheerful conversation that would take years of study to comprehend. Continued lovingkindness to each teacher. Reply

Anonymous May 5, 2012

Holiness Does submitting oneself, putting in action the will of G-d by obeying the Torah signifies holiness?, Does the Torah reflects the Holiness of G-d? Doesn't the Torah reveal the very Image of G-d? Reply

Anonymous brooklyn, ny March 9, 2011

i dont understand the end.. during the credits its starts speaking about how the torah is not "in heaven" then it goes on to say that for some ppl its very hard ... i expected it to answer how to resolve the idea but it didnt it just ended... Reply

Sir. Netanel Tzyon Ben-Yehoshua August 5, 2010

shalom Aleichem I love your lessons in Tanya I listen everyday.
Except on Shabbos. Reply

Steve Malta May 6, 2009

To know Ha' Shem One of the most profound discussions ever. Pure joy to listen to. Reply

Luis Ignacio Velez Medellin, Colombia January 28, 2009

Holiness Very interesting discussion w/ Rabbi Friedman... My question with all due respect is how does the Tao Te Ching agrees or adds to the subject matter, and how a book like "Stillness Speaks" by Eckhart Tolle and his concept of inward connection and the disolution of the ego and trying to create awarness of self and nature makes it easier to grasp the Kabbalistic concept of transparency? Reply

Chana California January 30, 2025
in response to Luis Ignacio Velez:

I am not a Rabbi - but my answer after reading excerpts from the Tao is, I see Torah truth there in the honor given Creator G-d for Life everywhere and the excellent of behavior towards all life and in the dissolution of ego - not a Jewish concept as we use our ego to serve Hashem, a necessary part of us, but getting the self-centered, only me in regards to others out of our selfishness or “ego.” Do our motives to serve Hashem come from a humility guarding our “hearts and eyes,” to see G-d in everything instead of getting only what we want, a gratification at the expense of another? That challenges the mitzvah of loving our fellowman as we love ourselves.
I see followers of the Tao as righteous Gentiles in their loving kindness towards all sentient beings. Yet I firmly believe Judaism in G-d’s Word - Scripture, the order or Law that produces right action before Hashem which brings G-d consciousness into the world. Reply