Tanya (Judaism)

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The Tanya (Hebrew: תניא) is an early work of Hasidic philosophy by Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad, first published in 1796. Although the first edition was titled Likkutei Amarim (Hebrew: ליקוטי אמרים, "collected sayings"), this was downgraded to a subtitle by the second edition of 1798 and replaced by its incipit "tanya" (Aramaic: תניא, "It was taught: they adjure him to be righteous and not evil . . ."). The Tanya is composed of five sections that define Hasidic mystical psychology and theology as a handbook for daily spiritual life in Jewish observance. The Tanya is the main work of Chabad philosophy and the Chabad approach to Hasidic mysticism, as it defines its general interpretation and method. The subsequent extensive library of the Chabad school, authored by successive leaders, builds upon the approach of the Tanya. Chabad differed from mainstream Hasidism by its philosophical investigation and intellectual analysis of Hasidic Torah exegesis. This emphasised the...

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